WHAT IS THE MBILINTU?

It's a creature reported from central Africa in the regions of Lakes Bangweulu, Meu and Tanganyika.  Some say it combines features of elephant and hippopotamus, but some say it resembles a huge lizard, with a neck like a giraffe's, its tail a full 30' long.  It may be that the term is applied to more than one creature, but it is not impossible that the various characteristics are not mutually exclusive.