Pterosaurs Still Living
The oldest living-pterosaur web site
Pterosaurs Still Living is here to document, then analyze, eyewitness accounts of apparent extant pterosaurs, or flying creatures that appear  to be “pterodactyls,” and to support expeditions and research to obtain relevant evidence. Please report any sighting to Jonathan Whitcomb
Email contact form for Jonathan Whitcomb Facebook page - "Searching for Ropens and Finding God" Ropen seen in eastern Cuba in 1965
A “Gitmo pterosaurs” scared two children in Cuba in 1965
Umboi Island native eyewitness of a strange light - David Moke
Opai villager was astonished, one night, by a bright light over a reef
Duane Hodgkinson, a World War II veteran, reports his pterosaur encounter
Duane Hodgkinson and his army buddy saw the “pterodactyl” in a jungle clearing in New Guinea. The tail: 10-15 feet long.
Brian Hennessy, from Australia, saw a flying creature that “certainly looked prehistoric,” for it had a long tail, a disproportionately-large head, and no sign of any feathers. He’s not crazy, just another eyewitness. Oh yes, and Mr. Hennessy is also a psychologist.
Throughout human history, and more recently, come fascinating reports of what may have been living pterosaurs. From “fiery flying serpents” of the Bible ages ago, to strange flying creatures called “dragons” in England and other European countries a few cen- turies ago, to a huge pterosaur flying across a country highway in South Carolina in 1986, descriptions of these “flying dinosaurs,” commonly called by some people “pterodactyls,” make it obvious that they are non-fictional and very much non-extinct. Twentieth century and twenty-first century eyewitness testimonies in Papua New Guinea suggest that long- tailed Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs fly overhead at night. Consider many accounts of amazing encounters with creatures described like living pterosaurs, unlike any bat or bird known to science. Some reports are from Americans and Australians, including Duane Hodgkinson (a flight instructor and World War II veteran) and Brian Hennessy, who is a psychologist. In Perth, Australia, a couple witnessed an extremely large featherless flying creature, yet the sighting reports come from around the world.
The U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn was stationed at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba, in 1971. One day, he saw an amazing sight. In clear view and at close range, he saw two pterosaurs flying together at low elevation. He tried to get another eyewitness to verify that two “pterodactyls” were there, but the creatures had flown off before Kuhn was able to pull the sergeant out the door. Within minutes, Kuhn began sketching the  two animals. He now gives his testimony to the world: two wonderful flying creatures.
Late in 2006, American explorer Paul Nation explained to Jonathan Whitcomb how he had witnessed and then videotaped flying lights deep in the mainland of Papua New Guinea. Whitcomb took a copy of the video footage to a missile defense physicist, Clifford Paiva, who analyzed it. Paiva declared that common- place explanations couldn’t explain the lights.
Still image from about 15 seconds of video recorded by Paul Nation, during his expedition deep in the mainland interior of Papua New Guinea (2006). A scientist later analyzed the footage, finding the lights were not from car headlights, flashlights, meteors, air- plane lights, fires, etc.
Much of the research done from about 1994 till 2005 involved the ropen of Papua New Guinea: At least six Americans participated, beginning in the 1990’s with Carl Baugh of Texas, followed by Paul Nation (also of Texas) and, in 2004, by Jonathan Whitcomb, Garth Guessman, and David Woetzel. James Blume, for many years a Baptist missionary in Papua New Guinea, has often assisted investigators. Although these six Americans had few sightings, from 1994 through 2005, they interviewed native eyewitnesses. Paul Nation’s expedition, in the Tawa Village area of Papua New Guinea in 2006, elevated the credibility of living-pterosaur investigations in cryptozoology. He videotaped what he and his associates believe was the bioluminescent glow of two living pterosaurs. Within only a few weeks, the TV show “Destination Truth” team also videotaped a similar light to the east of the village of Tawa, as it flew over the coast.
copyright 2005-2018 Jonathan Whitcomb
Email contact form for Jonathan Whitcomb
From 2005 until the present, eyewitness reports in the United States have rivaled those in Papua New Guinea. As some Americans learned about the surprising living-pterosaur  investigations  in  the southwest Pacific, eyewitnesses of many similar flying creatures have reported encounters to Jonathan Whitcomb. He analyzed the many accounts and then wrote the nonfiction book Live Pterosaurs in America (expanded third edition, published late in 2011). This astonishing cryptozoology book is sold online by sellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. One reader of the second edition of this book has said, “This is an updated review of the book and I am changing my rating to 5 stars. This book has been on my shelf for almost a year now. I pick it up every now and then and a part of me becomes more impressed by the book every time.” A reader of the first edition said, “This seems to be the author's second book on the subject, and this one is worth the effort. He has focused on the accounts of witnesses who saw something, and that adds credibility. The writing is easy to read and he adds comments and analysis to make it all more useful. Mostly, the author lets the sightings speak for themselves, which is good. . . .”
Second ropen expedition of 2004
First Umboi Island expedition of 2004
Jonathan Whitcomb, in 2004, interviewed many native eyewitnesses of the large nocturnal ropen that flies over this tropical island in Papua New Guinea.
Coast of Cuba near Guantanamo Bay
Live Pterosaurs in America (3rd ed)
Ropen sighting in eastern Cuba
Red mountains and green valley of southern Texas
Big Bend National Park, Texas
Cryptozoology book - nonfiction
Live Pterosaurs in America, third edition, by cryptozoologist Jonathan David Whitcomb, is sold online on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books- a-Million, AbeBooks, and elsewhere
The third edition of the true-encounters book is sold on Amazon.com and on other online sites: Suggest retail price, $13.65 ISBN-10: 1466292113 ISBN-13: 978-1466292116
Susan Wooten was driving between the city of Columbia, South Carolina, and the town of Greenville, around 1986, at about 3:00 p.m., when a huge creature glided down from the trees on the side of the high- way and above and in front of her car. She could see that it had no feathers. Other drivers pulled over to the side of the high- way that day, but Wooten could not stop and talk with them about the amazing big flying creature, for she was following a girl who was driving ahead (a friend from the college they attended), and she wanted to keep up with her, to avoid being separated. She did research at a library and found a number of possibly-related reports.
part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn
Big Bend National Park  With about 800,000 acres, the Big Bend National Park has plenty of room to hide a nocturnal flying creature that would rarely leave a track. The Marfa Lights that appear north of the park—those lights fly in strange light-splittings and in light-rejoinings, but only a few times each year. Those glowing flying predators (maybe they're like the ropen) may hunt periodically in various areas in this part of North America, not just around Marfa. Reports of large apparent pterosaurs flying around are not restricted to southwest Texas. In Mexico, in areas bordering this part of Texas, eyewitnesses have reported frightening flying creatures that may be related to the Marfa Lights.
green mountain in the Marfa area of western Texas
Mountains near Marfa, Texas
Not all mystery lights in southwest Texas are from car headlights. Some are called CE-III lights by the scientist James Bunnell, who for many years has studied these phenomena around the town of Marfa, Texas. Consider it.
sketch by the eyewitness Susan Wooten
Another Eyewitness of the Gitmo Pterosaur of Cuba  The U. S. Marine Eskin Kuhn wasn't the only person to have seen a giant flying pterosaur at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in the middle of the twentieth century. Patty Carson described what she had seen: "We were walking down near the boat yards, headed home . . . We were walking through that scrub area, and suddenly it sat up, as if it had been eating something or resting. The head and upper part of its body, about a third of the wings at the joint . . . showed. . . . [It was] about thirty feet away . . . It did have a tail and it had a diamond shaped tip . . . The skin was a leathery, brownish reddish color. It had little teeth, a LOT of them." In her interview with Jonathan Whitcomb, many years later, she said nothing about any glow, for the sighting was in daylight. These featherless nocturnal flying creatures come out in daylight only on limited occasions, which is part of why they have not, as of mid-2017, been officially classified as extant animals by Western science. Yet sometimes an eyewitness will be fortunate enough to see both the shape of a pterosaur and the glow, giving us evidence that at least some of these flying creatures use bioluminescence. Could the long-tailed pterosaur of Cuba be related to Marfa Lights in Texas and to winged creatures that frighten people in Mexico, some of them just across the border from that area of Texas? Some eyewitnesses have seen glowing “pterodactyls” in North America, including in the United States. This deserves a serious investigation. As of early 2017, three scientific papers on living pterosaurs have been written, two of them by the three scientists Clifford Paiva, Jonathan Whitcomb, and Harold Slusher.
“Diamond” shape at the end of a long tail In his limited English, the eyewitness Wesley Koro told the American that the tail was “long.” When asked what they did on seeing the ropen, Wesley said, “We run home.” Wesley’s brother Gideon was with him at the time, as well as their friend Mesa Augustin.
Mesa Augustin (or Agustin) - eyewitness of ropen on Umboi Island around 1993
To Mesa Augustin, of a remote village on Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, it was terrifying, pterosaur or not. The natives here have only one word for it: "ropen." Yet other islanders have other names for giant nocturnal flying creatures that glow brightly at night.
Gideon answered many questions
It was around December of 1993 when the seven “boys” (probably in their early teens) climbed up to Lake Pung. Soon after they had arrived, the ropen flew down to just above the surface of the crater lake. The boys ran home in terror. The American forensic videographer Jonathan David Whitcomb interviewed three of them in 2004.
Paul Nation, from Texas
This American has been on at least four expeditions in Papua New Guinea, more than any other American explorer who has searched for living pterosaurs in the southwest Pacific. He was the first one to bring back video footage of the glow of the flying creatures (late in 2006).
wooden carving by a native of Papua New Guinea - maybe a ropen or pterosaur American Baptist missionary James Blume in Lae, Papua New Guinea
Baptist missionary Jim Blume in PNG
James Blume has been a missionary in Papua New Guinea for over thirty years. He has assisted a number of American Christian cryptozoologists a number of times in the ropen investigations: reports of apparent living pterosaurs.
Mount Sual or Swal on Umboi Island The American cryptozoology explorer Paul Nation, of Texas
Paul Nation led the Papua New Guinea expedition of 2002: ropen searching
With his son Nathanael Nation, Paul took a ship from the mainland, arriving on Umboi Island, where they interviewed natives and searched for the elusive nocturnal ropen. Paul had been on this island before, with Carl Baugh.
American World War II veteran - eyewitness Duane Hodgkinson - map of the southwest Pacific, including Australia
Other names and expressions used by many eyewitnesses of apparent pterosaurs include "pterodactyl," "flying dinosaur," "prehistoric bird," "flying creature," "big bird," and "dinosaur bird." Most of the labels are technically incorrect; scientifically correct is the word "pterosaur."
Mount Sual (photo by J. D. Whitcomb)
During the first ropen expedition of 2004, Jonathan Whitcomb and his native interpreter Luke Paina stayed in the home of Mark and Delilah Kau, where they prepared for two excursions into the jungle of Umboi Island. The second trek resulted in many valuable interviews with native eyewitnesses.
Southwest Pacific
part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn Jonathan Whitcomb, Garth Guessman, David Woetzel, and Paul Nation part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn
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Map
Pterosaurs Still Living
The oldest living-pterosaur web site
Pterosaurs Still Living is here to document, then analyze, eyewitness accounts of apparent extant pterosaurs, or flying creatures that appear to be “pterodactyls,” and to support expeditions and research to obtain relevant evidence. Please report any sighting to Jonathan Whitcomb
Facebook page - "Searching for Ropens and Finding God" Email contact form for Jonathan Whitcomb Ropen seen in eastern Cuba in 1965
A “Gitmo pterosaurs” scared two children in Cuba in 1965
Umboi Island native eyewitness of a strange light - David Moke
Opai villager was astonished, one night, by a bright light over a reef
Duane Hodgkinson, a World War II veteran, reports his pterosaur encounter
Duane Hodgkinson and his army buddy saw the “pterodactyl” in a jungle clearing in New Guinea. The tail was 10-15 feet long.
Brian Hennessy, from Australia, saw a flying creature that “certainly looked prehistoric,” for it had a long tail, a disproportionately-large head, and no sign of any feathers. He’s not crazy, just another eyewitness. Oh yes, and Mr. Hennessy is also a psychologist.
The U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn was stationed at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba, in 1971. One day, he saw an amazing sight. In clear view and at close range, he saw two pterosaurs flying together at low elevation. He tried to get another eyewitness to verify that two “pterodactyls” were there, but the creatures had flown off before Kuhn was able to pull the sergeant out the door. Within minutes, Kuhn began sketching the  two animals. He now gives his testimony to the world: two wonderful flying creatures.
Throughout human history, and more recently, come fascinating reports of what may have been living pterosaurs. From “fiery flying serpents” of the Bible ages ago, to strange flying creatures called “dragons” in England and other European countries a few centuries ago, to a huge pterosaur flying across a country highway in South Carolina in 1986, descriptions of these “flying dinosaurs,” commonly called by some people “pterodactyls,” make it obvious that they are non-fictional and very much non-extinct. Twentieth century and twenty-first cen- tury eyewitness testimonies in Papua New Guinea suggest that long-tailed Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs fly over- head at night. Consider many accounts of amazing encounters with creatures described like living pterosaurs, unlike any bat or bird known to science. Some reports are from Americans and Australians, including Duane Hodgkinson (a flight instructor and World War II veteran) and Brian Hennessy, who is a psychologist. In Perth, Australia, a couple witnessed an extremely large featherless flying creature, yet the sighting reports come from around the world.
Late in 2006, American explorer Paul Nation explained to Jonathan Whitcomb how he had witnessed and then videotaped flying lights deep in the mainland of Papua New Guinea. Whitcomb took a copy of the video footage to a missile defense physicist, Clifford Paiva, who analyzed it. Paiva declared that common- place explanations couldn’t explain the lights.
Still image from about 15 seconds of video recorded by Paul Nation, during his expedition deep in the mainland interior of Papua New Guinea (2006). A scientist later analyzed the footage, finding the lights were not from car headlights, flashlights, meteors, air- plane lights, fires, etc.
First Umboi Island expedition of 2004
Jonathan Whitcomb, in 2004, interviewed many native eyewitnesses of the nocturnal ropen that flies over this tropical island in Papua New Guinea.
Much of the research done from about 1994 till 2005 involved the ropen of Papua New Guinea: At least six Americans participated, beginning in the 1990’s with Carl Baugh of Texas, followed by Paul Nation (also of Texas) and, in 2004, by Jonathan Whitcomb, Garth Guessman, and David Woetzel. James Blume, for many years a Baptist missionary in Papua New Guinea, has often assisted investigators. Although these six Americans had few sightings, from 1994 through 2005, they interviewed native eyewitnesses. Paul Nation’s expedition, in the Tawa Village area of Papua New Guinea in 2006, elevated the credibility of living-pterosaur investigations in cryptozoology. He videotaped what he and his associates believe was the bioluminescent glow of two living pterosaurs. Within only a few weeks, the TV show “Destination Truth” team also videotaped a similar light to the east of the village of Tawa, as it flew over the coast.
Second ropen expedition of 2004
From 2005 until the present, eyewitness reports in the United States have rivaled those in Papua New Guinea. As some Americans learned about the surprising living-pterosaur  investigations  in  the southwest Pacific, eyewitnesses of many similar flying creatures have reported encounters to Jonathan Whitcomb. He analyzed the many accounts and then wrote the nonfiction book Live Pterosaurs in America (expanded third edition, published late in 2011). This astonishing cryptozoology book is sold online by sellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. One reader of the second edition of this book has said, “This is an updated review of the book and I am changing my rating to 5 stars. This book has been on my shelf for almost a year now. I pick it up every now and then and a part of me becomes more impressed by the book every time.” A reader of the first edition said, “This seems to be the author's second book on the subject, and this one is worth the effort. He has focused on the accounts of witnesses who saw something, and that adds credibility. The writing is easy to read and he adds comments and analysis to make it all more useful. Mostly, the author lets the sightings speak for themselves, which is good. . . .”
Live Pterosaurs in America (3rd ed)
Cryptozoology book - nonfiction
Live Pterosaurs in America, third edition, by cryptozoologist Jonathan David Whitcomb, is sold online on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, AbeBooks, and elsewhere
Email contact form for Jonathan Whitcomb
copyright 2005-2018 Jonathan Whitcomb
The third edition of the true-encounters book is sold on Amazon.com and on other online sites: Suggest retail price, $13.65 ISBN-10: 1466292113 ISBN-13: 978-1466292116
Susan Wooten was driving between the city of Columbia, South Carolina, and the town of Greenville, around 1986, at about 3:00 p.m., when a huge creature glided down from the trees on the side of the high- way and above and in front of her car. She could see that it had no feathers. Other drivers pulled over to the side of the high- way that day, but Wooten could not stop and talk with them about the amazing big flying creature, for she was following a girl who was driving ahead (a friend from the college they attended), and she wanted to keep up with her, to avoid being separated. She did research at a library and found a number of possibly-related reports.
part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn sketch by the eyewitness Susan Wooten green mountain in the Marfa area of western Texas
Mountains near Marfa, Texas
Not all mystery lights in southwest Texas are from car headlights. Some are called CE-III lights by the scientist James Bunnell, who for many years has studied these phenomena around the town of Marfa, Texas. Consider it.
part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn
“Diamond” shape at the end of a long tail  In his limited English, the eyewitness Wesley Koro told the American that the tail was “long.” When asked what they did on seeing the ropen, Wesley said, “We run home.” Wesley’s brother Gideon was with him at the time, as well as their friend Mesa Augustin.
Mesa Augustin (or Agustin) - eyewitness of ropen on Umboi Island around 1993
To Mesa Augustin, of a remote village on Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, it was terrifying, pterosaur or not. The natives here have only one word for it: "ropen." Yet other islanders have other names for giant nocturnal flying creatures that glow brightly at night.
Gideon answered many questions
It was around December of 1993 when the seven “boys” (probably in their early teens) climbed up to Lake Pung. Soon after they had arrived, the ropen flew down to just above the surface of the crater lake. The boys ran home in terror. The forensic videographer Jonathan David Whitcomb interviewed three of them in 2004.
Paul Nation, from Texas
This American has been on at least four expeditions in Papua New Guinea, more than any other American explorer who has searched for living pterosaurs in the southwest Pacific. He was the first one to bring back video footage of the glow of the flying creatures (late in 2006).
The American cryptozoology explorer Paul Nation, of Texas
Paul Nation led the Papua New Guinea expedition of 2002: ropen searching
With his son Nathanael Nation, Paul took a ship from the mainland, arriving on Umboi Island, where they interviewed natives and searched for the elusive nocturnal ropen. Paul had been on this island before, with Carl Baugh.
American Baptist missionary James Blume in Lae, Papua New Guinea
Baptist missionary Jim Blume in PNG
James Blume has been a missionary in Papua New Guinea for over thirty years. He has assisted a number of American Christian cryptozoologists a number of times in ropen investigations: reports of apparent living pterosaurs.
American World War II veteran - eyewitness Duane Hodgkinson -
Other names and expressions used by many eyewitnesses of apparent pterosaurs include "pterodactyl," "flying dinosaur," "prehistoric bird," "flying creature," "big bird," and "dinosaur bird." Most of the labels are technically incorrect; scientifically correct is the word "pterosaur."
Mount Sual or Swal on Umboi Island
Mount Sual (photo by Whitcomb)
During the first ropen expedition of 2004, Jonathan Whitcomb and his native inter- preter Luke Paina stayed in the home of Mark Kau, where they prepared for two excursions into the jungle of Umboi Island. The second trek resulted in many valuable interviews with native eyewitnesses.
Jonathan Whitcomb, Garth Guessman, David Woetzel, and Paul Nation
ver-040
Map
Email contact form for Jonathan Whitcomb
Pterosaurs Still Living
The oldest living-pterosaur web site
Pterosaurs Still Living is here to document, then analyze, eyewitness accounts of apparent extant pterosaurs, or flying creatures that appear to be “pterodactyls,” and to support expeditions and research to obtain relevant evidence. Please report any sighting to Jonathan Whitcomb
copyright 2005-2018 Jonathan Whitcomb
Email contact form for Jonathan Whitcomb Facebook page - "Searching for Ropens and Finding God" Ropen seen in eastern Cuba in 1965
A “Gitmo pterosaurs” scared two children in Cuba in 1965
Duane Hodgkinson, a World War II veteran, reports his pterosaur encounter
Duane Hodgkinson and his army buddy saw the “pterodactyl” in a jungle clearing in New Guinea. Tail was ~10-15 feet long.
Umboi Island native eyewitness of a strange light - David Moke
An Opai villager was astonished, one night: a bright light over a reef
Brian Hennessy, from Australia, saw a flying creature that “certainly looked prehistoric,” for it had a long tail, a disproportionately-large head, and no sign of any feathers. He’s not crazy, just another eyewitness. Oh yes, and Mr. Brian Hennessy is also a professional psychologist.
The U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn was stationed at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba, in 1971. One day, he saw an amazing sight. In clear view and at close range, he saw two pterosaurs flying together at low elevation. He tried to get another eyewitness to verify that two “pterodactyls” were there, but the creatures had flown off before Kuhn was able to pull the sergeant out the door. Within minutes, Kuhn began sketching the  two animals. He now gives his testimony to the world: two wonderful flying creatures.
Throughout human history, and more recently, come fascinating reports of what may have been living pterosaurs. From “fiery flying serpents” of the Bible ages ago, to flying creatures called “dragons” in England and other European countries a few centuries ago, to a huge pterosaur flying across a country highway in South Carolina in 1986, descriptions of these “flying dinosaurs,” commonly called by some people “pterodactyls,” make it obvious that they are non-fictional and very much non-extinct. Twentieth century and twenty-first century eyewitness testimonies in Papua New Guinea suggest that long- tailed Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs fly over-head at night. Consider many accounts of amazing encounters with flying creatures described like living pterosaurs, unlike any bat or bird known to science. Some reports are from Americans and Australians, including Duane Hodgkinson (a flight instructor and World War II veteran) and Brian Hennessy, who is a psychologist. In Perth, Australia, a couple witnessed an extremely large featherless flying creature, yet the sighting reports come from around the world.
Late in 2006, American explorer Paul Nation explained to Jonathan Whitcomb how he had witnessed and then videotaped flying lights deep in the mainland of Papua New Guinea. Whitcomb took a copy of the video footage to a missile defense physicist, Clifford Paiva, who analyzed it. Paiva declared that common-place explana- tions couldn’t explain the lights.
Still image from about fifteen seconds of video recorded by Paul Nation (2006) during his expedition deep in the main- land interior of Papua New Guinea. A scientist later did an analysis of the footage, finding the lights were not car headlights, flashlights, meteors, airplane lights, fires, etc.
Jonathan Whitcomb, in interviewed many native eyewitnesses (2004) of the nocturnal ropen that flies over this tropical island in Papua New Guinea.
First Umboi Island expedition of the year 2004 (Whitcomb)
Second ropen expedition of 2004 (Woetzel-Guessman)
Much of the research done from about 1994 till 2005 involved the ropen of Papua New Guinea: At least six Americans participated, beginning in the 1990’s with Carl Baugh of Texas, followed by Paul Nation (also of Texas) and, in 2004, by Jonathan Whitcomb, Garth Guessman, and David Woetzel. James Blume, for many years a Baptist missionary in Papua New Guinea, has often assisted investigators. Although these six Americans had few sightings, from 1994 through 2005, they interviewed native eyewitnesses. Paul Nation’s expedition, in the Tawa Village area of Papua New Guinea in 2006, elevated the credibility of living-pterosaur investigations in cryptozoology. He videotaped what he and his associates believe was the bioluminescent glow of two living pterosaurs. Within only a few weeks, the TV show “Destination Truth” team also videotaped a similar light to the east of the village of Tawa, as it flew over the coast.
Cryptozoology book - nonfiction
Live Pterosaurs in America, 3rd ed., by cryptozoologist Jonathan David Whitcomb, is sold online on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, AbeBooks, and elsewhere
Susan Wooten was driving bet- ween the city of Columbia, South Carolina, and Greenville, around 1986, at about 3:00 p.m., when a huge creature glided down from the trees on the side of the high- way and above and in front of her car. She could see that it had no feathers. Other drivers pulled over to the side of the highway that day, but Wooten could not stop and talk with them about the amazing big flying creature, for she was following a girl who was driving ahead (a friend from the college they attended), and she wanted to keep up with her, to avoid being separated. She did research at a library and found a number of possibly- related reports.
sketch by the eyewitness Susan Wooten part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn green mountain in the Marfa area of western Texas
Mountains near Marfa, Texas
Not all mystery lights in southwest Texas are from car headlights. Some are called CE-III lights by the scientist James Bunnell, who for many years has studied these phenomena around the town of Marfa, Texas. Consider the details and how they might relate to ropens.
“Diamond” shape at the end of a long tail (ropen sighting) In his limited English, the eyewitness Wesley Koro told the American that the tail was “long.” When asked what they did on seeing the ropen, Wesley said, “We run home.” Wesley’s brother Gideon was with him at the time, as well as their friend Mesa Augustin.
Mesa Augustin (or Agustin) - eyewitness of ropen on Umboi Island around 1993
To Mesa Augustin, of a remote village on Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, it was terrifying, pterosaur or not. The natives here have only one word for it: "ropen." Yet other islanders have other names for giant nocturnal flying creatures that glow brightly at night.
Gideon answered many questions
It was around December of 1993 when the seven “boys” (probably in their early teens) climbed up to Lake Pung. Soon after they had arrived, the ropen flew down to just above the surface of the crater lake. The boys ran home in terror. The forensic videographer Jonathan David Whitcomb interviewed three of the seven eyewitnesses in 2004.
Paul Nation, from Texas
This American has been on at least four expeditions in Papua New Guinea, more than other American explorers who have searched for living pterosaurs in the southwest Pacific. He was the first one to bring back video footage of the glow of the flying creatures (late in 2006).
American World War II veteran - eyewitness Duane Hodgkinson -
Other names and expressions used by eyewitnesses of apparent pterosaurs include "pterodactyl," "flying dinosaur," "prehistoric bird," "flying creature," "big bird," and "dinosaur bird." Most of the labels are technically incorrect; on the other hand, the scientifically correct word is "pterosaur."
Mount Sual or Swal on Umboi Island
Mt. Sual (photo by Whitcomb)
During the first ropen expedition of 2004, Jonathan Whitcomb and his native interpreter Luke Paina stayed in the home of Mark and Delilah Kau, where they prepared for two excursions into the jungle of Umboi Island. The second trek resulted in many valuable interviews with native eyewitnesses.
part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn Jonathan Whitcomb, Garth Guessman, David Woetzel, and Paul Nation
ver-040
Map