The Tomb of the Mili Mongga: Fossils, Folklore, and Conservation at the Edge of Reality

’The Tomb of the Mili Mongga lives up to its magnificent billing’ DAILY TELEGRAPH

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A fossil expedition becomes a thrilling search for a mythical beast deep in the Indonesian forest - and a fascinating look at how fossils, folklore, and biodiversity converge.

A tale of exciting scientific discovery, The Tomb of the Mili Mongga tells the story of Samuel Turvey’s expeditions to the island of Sumba in eastern Indonesia. While there, he discovers an entire recently extinct mammal fauna from the island’s fossil record, revealing how islands support some of the world’s most remarkable biodiversity, and why many of these unique endemic species are threatened with extinction or have already been lost.

But as the story unfolds, an unexpected narrative emerges - Sumba’s Indigenous communities tell of a mysterious wildman called the ’mili mongga’, a giant yeti-like beast that supposedly lives in the island’s remote forests. What is behind the stories of the mili mongga? Is there a link between this enigmatic entity and the fossils that Sam is looking for? And what did he discover when he finally found the tomb of a mili mongga?

Combining evolution, anthropology, travel writing and cryptozoology, The Tomb of the Mili Mongga explores the relationship between biodiversity and culture, what reality means from different cultural perspectives, and how folklore, fossils and conservation can be linked together in surprising ways.

Samuel Turvey is Professor of Conservation Biology at the Institute of Zoology, ZSL. His work focuses on understanding how science can guide practical conservation efforts for some of the world’s rarest species, and he has conducted extensive fieldwork in remote regions of China, southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Much of his research uses the fossil record and indigenous knowledge to gain new insights in saving threatened species. Samuel was awarded the Linnean Medal in 2019.