Mongolian Death Worm

Mongolian Death Worm
Front Back
Monsters of the Mind
Previous	Beast People
Next	Tarasque
Card	31
Creature Features
Name	Comes from the country in which it lives, its habit of killing and its worm-like appearance
Body Parts	Red, slimy body, poisonous skin, long fangs
Where?	The Gobi Desert in Mongolia
Legendary Origin	Mongolian Myths
Did You Know?
Skeptics have claimed that the death worms is probably a spitting cobra or a desert-dwelling lizard called a skink.

Under the sands of Asia's Gobi Desert, the Mongolian death worm waits for its favorite prey-humans-to wander near. Legend has it that this monster looks like an animal's intestine that somehow came to life, and it possesses incredible killing powers. This beast is said to spit deadly venom or stop a victim's heart with a high-voltage zap of electricity.

Burst Bubble: This desert-dwelling monster is deadly to the touch. Bubbles on its skin swell with poison and burst, killing anyone the toxin splashes on. Some say that the worm can also spit its venom.

Shocking: If venom isn't enough, the Mongolian death worm can also kill with a strong volt of electricity. Animals as large as camels are said to drop dead in an instant if struck by the worm's charge.

Speak No Evil

The death worm devours everything but the bones.

People who live in Mongolia have a reputation for being superstitious, from natives all the way to top government officials. Shortly after the worm was first reported in 1929, Mongolia's government made it illegal to even speak of the death worm, and declared the Gobi Desert off-limits to any foreigners trying to find the monster. A change in government in the 1990s led to several expeditions being allowed to search for the giant worm. None of these have found the fearsome worm.

Sand Digger: This creature spends most of its time squirming underneath the sands of the Gobi Desert. When a potential victim is near, the worm rears out of the sand and prepares to strike.

Inside Out: The death worm's skin is red, veiny and slick with slime, like an internal organ from a cow. Mongolians call it allghoi khorkhoi, which means "intestine worm."

Bad Vibrations

1. Buried under the sands of the Gobi Desert, the Mongolian death worm feels the vibrations of a large creature coming near. The beast rears up, exploding out of the sand, to see a man on horseback just a few feet away. One quick bolt of electricity knocks the horse down.
2. The rider becomes trapped under the dead horse, and the death worm squirms close to investigate its prey. Smelling the man's flesh, the monster squirts corrosive venom in his eyes, which blinds the man, dissolves his flesh and kills him in seconds.

Trading Card

Mongolian Death Worm Shooting bolts of electricity afar and streams of venom close-up are just two of the ways the Mongolian death worm can kill. It listens for and follows the footsteps of its victims, then rises to attack. Say What? Mongolian officials refuse to speak of the death worm. Stats Life 120 Attack 7 Defense 5

Trivia

• There are two possible references on the back of the card. Firstly, there's the title "Speak No Evil", which is a reference to the old saying "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil"; the second possible reference is "Bad Vibrations", which may be a reference to the Beach Boys song "Good Vibrations".
  • If counted, it is one of five creatures to feature a "Good Vibrations" reference, along with Raft Spider, Emperor Scorpion, Old World Scorpion, and Sandfish.
    • It is the only mythical creature to feature it.
• The spitting cobra which is mentioned in the Did You Know? section is most likely the Mandalay spitting cobra, which is native to the region.
• The Mongolian Death Worm is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
  • It is first featured in Where In The World? on Monster Mania 36.
  • It is then featured in Mistaken Identity on Monster Mania 68.