Living Pterosaurs
Throughout human history there have been reports of dragons and flying
serpents. Most cultures mythology contain Dragons. Some of these descriptions seem to resemble extinct
pterosaurs from the Mezoic era.
Pterosaurs were an order of reptiles that lived, and died out with the dinosaurs at the end of the Mezoic era. They were the first
true flying vertebrates. Their wings were composed of a membrane of
skin that stretched from the side of the body, along the arm, out to the tip of
an enormously elongated fourth finger, and then back to the ankle.
Computer analysis of some pterosaur fossils suggest that they were
slow gliders capable of making very tight airborne turns. A large Pteranodon,
with a wingspan of 30 feet could turn, in mid-flight, in a circle only 34 feet
in diameter. The largest known Pterosaur (also the largest known flying animal of all
time), the Quetzalcoatlus, had a wingspan of 50 feet (larger than that of
many small planes)
and weighed about 190 pounds. Unlike many of the other
Pterosaurs Quetzalcoatlus lived inland and probably had a vulture-like
existence. It's long neck would have helped it to "probe" dinosaur carcasses for
meat.
In modern times there were reports of flocks of pterodactyls
in England just a few centuries ago, sightings in Texas in 1976,
Australia and in recent years there have been many sightings in
parts of Papua New Guinea. The creatures are
described as featherless, with wings like a
bat’s, with “hands” half-way up the
wings. The bill is like that of a pelican but there
is a comb at the back of the head, like the comb of a
rooster “only stiffer.”
Much of the research done from about 1994 till 2005 has
involved the Ropen of
Papua New Guinea. This
has involved a number of westerners
including Jonathan Whitcomb who has written a
book "Searching for Ropens." The book chonicles his journey
to Umboi Island, documents witness testimony and includes a lot of
strange, creationist speculation. I was left with the feeling we live on a flat earth!
Read
our section on the Ropen
to learn more
There are reports of pterosaur like creatures are seen elswhere in PNG. On the
mainland they are sometimes called the Indava nd
a colony
of “indavas” was discovered and observed
by Paul Nation, an American in November of 2006. He shot 14 seconds of
video of two “ropen-lights” that the locals call
“indava.” Elswhere on the mainland the are known as
The Fire of the Dragon
Over 90%
of ropen sightings on Umboi Island are from a distance at night. Why?
It has a five-second bioluminescent glow
that is usually seen when the creature is about one hundred meters over
land. In 2004, Jonah
Jim was
interviewed twice: by Whitcomb and, a few weeks later, by Guessman and
Woetzel. He was with his family one night when they saw the creature
flying toward Lake Pung. The importance of Jonah Jim’s
testimony is that it ties in the glowing form to the pterosaur-like
form. He saw it glowing and he saw its long tail.
December, 1997: Sighting from Perth
Australia
“We
had been walking in the evening and had just crested a hill and were on
the down slope along a major thoroughfare. In the distance I perceived
an object in the sky. At this point it was rather indistinct and
wondering what it might be I watched it as it approached. Soon I was
able to determine that it was some sort of flying creature, and my
first thought was that it must be some very large bird. . .
it’s progress had brought it closer and while it’s
shape did resemble a bird I thought by now that from it’s
apparent distance it must be the largest bird I had ever witnessed. I
would estimate that at this time it was about a quarter mile north of
us and quite high. . . Within a minute or so it had reached our
position and was about 250 or 300 feet above us and slightly inland.
The area was moderately well lit and I saw that it seemed to be a light
reddish-tan color. It did not appear to be covered with feathers but
had a leathery texture. Soon after it passed us it flew over a more
brightly lit sports area which highlighted even more the leathery
appearance also bringing more detail to view. The wings were the most
definite leathery feature, they were shaped in a triangular arch,
similar to a very elongated shark fin, The body also still appeared
leathery, though textured as though possibly covered with fine hair or
small scales, the distance preventing any finer observation other than
that it was slightly different texture than the wings. . . The
creature, during the time we observed it was mostly gliding, there was
some wing movement as in a hawk or other bird controlling
it’s flight path, but did not flap as a sparrow or other
small bird. Whether the creature was predominately a glider, or simply
taking advantage or the many air currents near the ocean to rest in
flight I also do not know. . . estimated the size to be in excess of
thirty foot, possibly as great as fifty foot. My eyes told me it was
nearer the greater of these, my rational mind wants me to believe the
lesser, since either of these is astounding for a flying creature . .
.”
“I have received many different types of responses since
first coming forward and making our sighting public. I have been met
with skepticism, to being called an downright liar. At first I was very
upset about being called a liar, having been brought up in a family of
law and telling the truth was drummed into me from the time I could
understand, as a child, and I was simply telling the truth about our
sighting. I no longer concern myself with people who call me a liar
over this, because I realize that you cannot show a blind man an oil
painting.
“ . . . we do know that it was definitely a living creature.
. . . I was so totally
shocked, amazed, awed and bewildered at the same time. This was com-pletely out of the reality I had grown up to know. . . . it has changed
me. I
never believed these things existed until that night.
“ . . . in Perth, Western Australia on the coastline around
10:30 pm. We
were walking along Marmion Avenue between the suburbs of Heathridge
and Ocean Reef. This creature could not be written off as a bird as it
was
bigger than any bird on the planet, it did not flap it's wings (just
glided on
the air current), it had a ruddy reddish brown leathery skin; (we could
see
it's underneath as it flew over us at about 300ft up; the glow from all
the
ground lighting made that possible), it had a long tail and a wingspan
that
we estimated at between 30-50 feet across. “My husband and I
both have talked about what we saw many times since that night in 1997.
. . It had a lizard appearance, and was a ruddy reddish brown
colour, bearing in mind that all we could see was
its dark shape until the ground lighting hit it, it was only
for maybe between 5 to 10 seconds . . . but enough time for us to see
it was a living creature. I should imagine a creature that size would
have had legs and feet, but we didn't see them. It was gliding across
the night sky, flying quite low, without a sound.”
