Living Pterosaurs

A native eyewitness shows how the ropen held itself to the trunk of a tree, keeping an upright position. This is far different from how the flying fox fruit bat holds it- self upside down from a tree branch.

Modern-pterosaur research in cryptozoology and science

An investigation by the cryptozoologist and forensic videographer Jonathan David Whitcomb and the work of his associates

Living Pterosaur

Flying fox bat

Giant bat or ropen

Monsterquest

Cryptid Eyewitness

Paina and Whitcomb just before their expedition on Umboi Island in 2004

Luke Paina, left, became the interpreter and bodyguard for the American explorer Jonathan Whitcomb. Here, they wait in Lae for a small ship to take them to Umboi Island (Papua New Guinea).

Ropen Expeditions In five expeditions, from 1994 through 2004, several Americans have explored *Umboi Island in search of the nocturnal ropen. *(Natives of Papua New Guinea call this island Siasi.) On this island, eyewitnesses report that the glowing ropen flies between the sea and the island interior or between one mountain and another. Many report the glow of the flying creature, which lasts about five or six seconds, but few natives have gotten a good view of the ropen. The exceptions include Jonah Jim, Jonathan Ragu, Wesley Koro, Mesa Augustin, and Gideon Koro. Investigators believe the ropen is a long-tailed animal. They conclude that it is a Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur, in spite of the skeptics who declare that all those animals are extinct.

Paul Nation, of Granbury, Texas, crosses a river on Umboi Island, during his expedition in 2002

Living Pterosaurs

Duane Hodgkinson was a soldier in 1944, in New Guinea, when he saw a giant "pterodactyl" with a long tail. This World War II veteran was, over a period of years, interviewed a number of times by Jonathan Whitcomb, beginning in 2004. Garth Guessman also interviewed Hodgkinson and one interview was videotaped. See: Living pterosaur interview Take this ropen sighting in context: Mr. Brian Hennessy also saw a flying creature that brought to his mind the word “prehistoric.” That was in 1971 and many miles southeast of Umboi Island.

Books for LDS readers

Circular Reasoning

Duane Hodgkinson saw a long-tailed “pterodactyl” in a jungle clearing, in daylight, in New Guinea in 1944.

In 1971 Brian Hennessy saw a long-tailed pterosaur

Brian Hennessy was one of several men who were in a truck driving down a mountain on Bougainville Island, New Guinea, in 1971. He heard the wing flapping of the flying creature be- fore he saw it. Jonathan Whitcomb, after interviewing Brian, concluded that the Australian had witnessed a ropen, but that conclusion was made more sure after he gave both Hennessy and Duane Hodgkinson a series of silhouette-sketch choices. Here are some of the words of Mr. Hennessy: “It was black or dark brown. I had never seen anything like it before. It certainly looked prehistoric, in that it did not look like any other bird that I have seen before or since. Why prehistoric? Well, maybe my memory has been influenced by the intervening years, but I recall seeing this creature with a longish narrow tail . . . . almost like a counterweight that a kangaroo has, although not as large.”

Brian Hennessy, from Australia, in recent years worked in China as a professional psychologist.

Jonathan Whitcomb, near Gomlongon Village, Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, during his expedition in 2004. He interviewed many native eyewitnesses of the nocturnal ropen, and he became convinced that those islanders were, with almost no exception, in complete honesty in what they reported to him.

From a group of images with various lengths of beak and head crest, Brian Hennessy chose the top image shown here. From a number of similar sketches, Duane Hodgkinson (World War II veteran) chose the bottom image. Neither man was aware what the other one had chosen. Whitcomb concluded that both men had encountered a nocturnal ropen in daylight and for the same reason: noise that woke up a flying creature from sleep during the day.

Books about non-extinct long-tailed pterosaurs

Clear thinking—that's what we need. When a critic of living-pterosaur investi- gations says something like, "They could not be alive today or somebody would have seen them," the statement itself is not strictly circular reasoning. But the thought behind it usually is, because critics are trying to dismiss the sightings of those reported living pterosaurs. In other words, restate it a little: “Pterosaurs are not alive because if they were alive then people would see them. Since pterosaurs are not alive, those who report seeing them could not have seen them.” Now the circular reasoning is obvious.

Flying monsters

Expedition of Woetzel and Guessman in 2004 on Umboi Island

David Woetzel (left/standing) and Garth Guessman (lower right) also explored Umboi Island, in the second ropen expedition of 2004, a few weeks after the Whitcomb-Paina expedition. They were able to interview a number of important native eyewitnesses of the ropen, including Jonah Jim and Jonathan Ragu.

video of three native eyewitnesses of the ropen pterosaur

Woetzel and Guessman were able to camp out a few nights above Lake Pung, where seven boys had, in daylight, encountered the large ropen. Unfortunately, the two Americans did not have there own sighting while camped out here, although Woetzel did see what we believe was the ropen at a distance, a few days earlier, as it flew towards this crater lake.

Whitcomb's nonfiction cryptozoology book about modern pterosaurs

Modern-pterosaur research in cryptozoology and science

Living Pterosaurs

An investigation by the cryptozoologist and forensic videographer Jonathan David Whitcomb and the work of his associates

Living Pterosaur

Flying fox bat

Giant bat or ropen

Cryptid Eyewitness

Living Pterosaurs

Luke Paina, left, became the interpreter and bodyguard for the American explorer Jonathan Whitcomb. Here, they wait in Lae for a small ship to take them to Umboi Island (Papua New Guinea).

Paul Nation, of Granbury, Texas, crosses a river on Umboi Island, during his expedition in 2002

A native eyewitness shows how the ropen held itself to the trunk of a tree, keeping an upright position. This is far different from how the flying fox bat holds itself upside down from a tree branch.

Duane Hodgkinson was a soldier in 1944, in New Guinea, when he saw a giant "pterodactyl" with a long tail. The World War II veteran was, over a period of years, interviewed a number of times by Jonathan Whitcomb, beginning in 2004. Garth Guessman also interviewed Hodgkinson and one interview was videotaped. See: Living pterosaur interview Take this ropen sighting in context: Mr. Brian Hennessy also saw a flying creature that brought to his mind the word “prehistoric.” That was in 1971 and many miles southeast of Umboi Island.

Duane Hodgkinson saw a long-tailed “pterodactyl” in a jungle clearing, in daylight, in New Guinea in 1944.

Books for LDS readers

Books about non-extinct long-tailed pterosaurs

Brian Hennessy was one of several men who were in a truck driving down a moun- tain on Bougainville Island, New Guinea, in 1971. He heard the wing flapping of the flying creature before he saw it. Jonathan Whitcomb, after interviewing Brian, con- cluded that the Australian had witnessed a ropen, but that conclusion was made more sure after he gave both Hennessy and Duane Hodgkinson a series of silhouette-sketch choices.

Brian Hennessy, from Australia, in recent years worked in China as a professional psychologist.

Here are some of the words of Mr. Hennessy: “It was black or dark brown. I had never seen anything like it before. It certainly looked prehistoric, in that it did not look like any other bird that I have seen before or since. Why prehistoric? Well, maybe my memory has been influenced by the intervening years, but I recall seeing this creature with a longish narrow tail . . . . almost like a counterweight that a kangaroo has, although not as large.”

Jonathan Whitcomb, near Gomlongon Village, Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, during his expedition in 2004. He interviewed many native eyewit- nesses of the nocturnal ropen, and he became convinced that those islanders were, with almost no exception, in complete honesty in what they reported to him.

Neither man was aware what the other one had chosen. Whitcomb concluded that both men had encountered a nocturnal ropen in daylight and for the same reason: noise that woke up a flying creature from sleep during the day.

Monsterquest

Circular Reasoning

Clear thinking—that's what we need. When a critic of living-ptero- saur investigations says something like, "They could not be alive today or some- body would have seen them," the statement itself is not strictly circular reasoning. But the thought behind it usually is, because critics are trying to dismiss the sightings of those reported living pterosaurs. In other words, restate it a little: “Pterosaurs are not alive because if they were alive then people would see them. Since pterosaurs are not alive, those who report seeing them could not have seen them.” Now the circular reasoning is obvious.

Flying monsters

Living Pterosaurs

Modern-pterosaur research in cryptozoology and science

An investigation by the cryptozoologist and forensic videographer Jonathan Whitcomb and the work of his associates

Living Pterosaur

Flying fox bat

Giant bat or ropen

Cryptid Eyewitness

Living Pterosaurs

Luke Paina, left, became the interpreter and bodyguard for the American explorer Jonathan Whitcomb. Here, they wait in Lae for a small ship to take them to Umboi Island (Papua New Guinea).

Paul Nation, of Granbury, Texas, crosses a river on Umboi Island, during his expedition in 2002

A native eyewitness shows how the ropen held itself to the trunk of a tree, keeping an upright position. This is far different from how the flying fox fruit bat holds itself upside down from a tree branch.

Duane Hodgkinson saw a long-tailed “pterodactyl” in a jungle clearing, in daylight, in New Guinea in 1944.

Books for LDS readers

Books about non-extinct long-tailed pterosaurs

Brian Hennessy, from Australia, in recent years worked in China as a professional psychologist.

Jonathan Whitcomb, near Gomlongon Village, Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, during his expedition in 2004.

He interviewed many native eyewitnesses of the nocturnal ropen, and he became convinced that those islanders were, with almost no exception, in complete honesty in what they reported to him.

Monsterquest

Circular Reasoning

Clear thinking—that's what we need. When a critic of living-pterosaur investigations says something like, "They could not be alive today or somebody would have seen them," the statement itself is not strictly circular reasoning. But the thought behind it usually is, because critics are trying to dismiss the sightings of those reported living pterosaurs. In other words, restate it a little: “Pterosaurs are not alive because if they were alive then people would see them. Since pterosaurs are not alive, those who report seeing them could not have seen them.” Now the circular reasoning is obvious.

Flying monsters