olitiau

olitiau

English

Etymology

Probably a fusion of the Ipulo words ole and ntya.

Noun

olitiau

1. A gigantic cryptid of Central Africa, said to resemble a bat or flying reptile.
   • 1943, Clifton Fadiman, Sinclair Lewis, Carl Van Doren, The Three Readers

     "What kind of a bat is it," I asked, "that has wings like this (opening my arms) and is all black?" "Olitiau!" somebody almost screamed, and there was a hurried conference in the Assumbo tongue.

   • 1958, Bernard Heuvelmans, On the tracks of unknown animals

     ...the kongamato like the olitiau is in the habit of diving at men crossing its territory — perhaps trying to drive them away...

   • 1998, Robert Nicholson, Great Mysteries‎

     As large as a huge eagle, local tribesmen called it an Olitiau.

   • 2003, Karl Shuker, The beasts that hide from man: seeking the world's last undiscovered animals

     Several authorities have boldly attempted to equate the olitiau with a pterodactyl, in preference to a giant bat.

   • 2006, E. Randall Floyd, The world's 100 greatest mysteries

     Known locally as the olitiau, the creature that buzzed Dr. Sanderson was similar to dozens of other strange birds said to still inhabit remote corners of Africa.

   • 2008, Rory Storm, Monster Hunt: The Guide to Cryptozoology

     In his youth, Sanderson, a Scot, was an explorer who mounted expeditions into some of the world's most isolated jungles, recording numerous thus-far unknown creatures — most notably, the gigantic bat-like creature known as the Olitiau, which attacked his party while he was exploring in the Assumbo Mountains of Cameroon.