San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Southern California Not all species of pterosaurs are extinct
Welcome to “Live Pterosaur”
Revolutionary   as   they   seem,   the   ideas   presented   in this   "Live   Pterosaur"   site   relate   mostly   to   eyewitness accounts:    real-life    encounters    with    creatures    called “prehistoric”      or      “pterodactyl-like.”      Expect      few references   to   fossils.   Enter   these   pages   with   an   open mind    and    compare    points    of    view.    Whether    you consider   yourself   an   evolutionist   or   creationist,   or   just a   curiositist,   you   might   find   yourself   sympathizing   with at    least    one    of    the    ideas.    If    you    leave    this    site disbelieving   in   living   pterosaurs,   however,   know   that some     people     do     believe     in     living     pterosaurs: Intelligent,    educated    people    can    disbelieve    in    total extinction   of   pterosaurs.   And   the   investigations   that changed    their    beliefs    are    for    real:    expeditions    and analysis   of   the   results   of   those   expeditions   (mostly   in Papua New Guinea).    
These   pages   differ   from   other   sites   on   living   pterosaurs.   A Live   Pterosaur    page   may   have   two   eyewitness   accounts for   comparison.   You   decide   how   they   relate.   Another   page may   have   two   or   three   points   of   view   on   the   same   data. You    decide    what    to    believe    about    eyewitnesses    and expeditions. Isn’t that approach better? Where   to   start?   For   an   introduction   to   the   theories   and philosophies   at   the   foundations   of   divergent   points   of   view on live “pterodactyls,” see Theories      Coming   to   know   what   species   of   pterosaurs   still   live   and also   coming   to   understand   the   great   abundance   of   life   and the   limits   of   old   extinction   ideas—that   is   the   purpose   of Live Pterosaur.
another sketch of pterosaur seen at Gitmo, Cuba
AKA Pterodactyls
Live Pterosaur
Living Pterosaur Investigations
two lights - pterosaur bioluminescence possibility
In   2007,   a   missile   defense   physicist,   Cliff   Paiva,   did   a thorough   image-processing   analysis   of   the   video   that was   recorded   by   Paul   Nation,   late   in   2006,   deep   in   the interior of the mainland of Papua New Guinea. The   two   lights   in   that   video   were   strange   indeed:   not car    headlights,    not    flashlights,    not    camp    fires,    not meteors,   in   fact   nothing   ordinary.   On   the   other   hand, eyewitnesses describe a giant flying creature.
An Adventure in Cryptozoology
Buy “Live Pterosaurs in America” psychologist Brian Hennessy - he is an eyewitness
An eyewitness of a long-tailed living pterosaur on the island of Bougainville, New Guinea, in 1971, Mr. Brian Hennessy, who is originally from Australia, is not crazy. In fact, Hennessy is a psychologist.
"'There is more in heaven and earth . . . than is dreamt of in your philosophy.' There is more purpose in the universe and more life in a forest than is taught from a textbook. To those who've seen a live pterosaur, 'extinction' pales before experience. Truth emerges." (Jonathan David Whitcomb)
"The great majority of Americans who explored in Papua New Guinea, searching for living pterosaurs, have believed in the Bible in a similar way to how Galileo and Isaac Newton believed in it."
The above are quotations from the third edition of the cryptozoology book “Live Pterosaurs in America,” by Jonathan David Whitcomb
Cryptozoology Book “Live Pterosaurs in America”
“This   book   might   make   a   few   Americans   uneasy   to walk   alone   at   night;   my   intention,   however,   is   not   to frighten   but   to   enlighten   .   .   .   about   live-pterosaur investigations.   Those   who’ve   been   shocked   at   the sight     of     a     flying     creature     that     “should”     be extinct—those   eyewitnesses,   more   numerous   than most   Americans   would   guess,   need   no   longer   be afraid   that   everyone   will   think   them   crazy,   and   no longer   need   they   feel   alone.   Those   of   us   who’ve listened   to   the   American   eyewitnesses,   we   who   have interviewed   them,   we   now   believe.   So,   if   you   will, consider   the   experiences   of   these   ordinary   persons (I’ve   interviewed   most   of   them   myself)   and   accept whatever enlightenment you may.”
Third Edition of LPA: Introduction
“I     realize     that     somebody     may     suggest     the eyewitness   saw   only   a   model   pterosaur;   mechanical “pterodactyls”   are   common.   Several   details   rule   out this    explanation.    The    size    of    the    creature    was estimated   by   its   appearance   when   it   flew   over   the road   at   low   altitude;   I   doubt   that   he   saw   a   30-foot- long   model.   In   addition,   it   was   flying   from   a   fenced- off   marshy   area   off-limits   to   the   general   public;   I doubt   that   any   model-pterodactyl   enthusiast   would choose   that   marsh   for   launching   a   giant   model.   And why   would   a   it   be   flown   low   over   a   road   into   a wooded   area   that   was   bordered   by   tall   buildings?   Its hard   to   imagine   a   worse   place   to   fly   a   model.   Only ideal   launching   and   landing   places   would   justify   the expense    of    building    a    giant    model    airplane;    this place    had    neither.    Other    factors    eliminate    this model-explanation,   but   I   later   found   out   why   a   living ropen might fly there.”   (from page 18)  
Giant Pterosaur in Southern California
“Live Pterosaurs in America” may be the first nonfiction book written about modern pterosaurs living in the U.S.A. The new third edition is expanded.
The impact of the discovery of living pterosaurs on standard-model evolution
Major sites about living pterosaurs (also known as "pterodactyls")
This is probably the oldest continuous online site about   eyewitness   reports   of   living   pterosaurs.   Much of   this   relates   to   the   ropen   of   Papua   New   Guinea, but it also includes sightings in other areas.
The   second   edition   of   the   nonfiction   book   on   live pterosaurs   in   Papua   New   Guinea   will   be   replaced   by the   third   edition,   which   will   be   retitled   “Searching   for Dragons.” (much expanded, too)
Paul Nation searched for pterosaurs
Paul Nation
sketch of pterosaur seen in Cuba in 1971
The two long-tailed pterosaurs seen by the U.S. Marine Eskin C. Kuhn, in clear daylight, in Cuba, in 1971, may be related to the ropen of Papua New Guinea. See Cuba Pterosaur
“Umboi   Island   has   become   famous   as   the   home   of the    pterosaur-like    creature    that    the    natives    call ‘ropen.’   American   explorers   who   have   visited   Umboi, searching   for   the   creature,   have   included   Carl   Baugh and   Paul   Nation   (of   Texas),   and   Jonathan   Whitcomb and    Garth    Guessman    (of    California),    and    David Woetzel (of New Hampshire).”
Psychologist Sees a Pterosaur
Sketch by Eskin Kuhn
San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, Orange County, California near where an eyewitness saw a giant flying creature
The first American to bring back significant evidence for the bioluminescence of indavas
American cryptozoologist Jonathan David Whitcomb
Brian Hennessy
Jonathan Whitcomb
The American crypto- zoologist Jonathan D. Whitcomb interviewed Hennessy, by emails, in 2006, and found the  psychologist to be very credible.
Reports of Living Pterosaurs in the Pacific
“The   boy   was   walking   from   one   mud-brick   hut   to another,   one   night   in   1988   .   .   .   he   noticed   something on    the    roof    of    his    uncle’s    hut.    A    creature    was perched   on   the   edge   of   the   roof,   lit   up   by   the   nearby porth   light.   The   winged   creature   appeared   to   be four-to-five   feet   tall,   olive   brown,   and   leathery   with no   feathers.   A   ‘long   bone   looking   thing’   stuck   out the   back   of   its   head;   its   long   tail   somehow   reminded the boy of the tail of a lion . . . ”
“The   kongamato   is   sometimes   compared   with   the ropen    of    Papua    New    Guinea    or    the    long-tailed pterosaur    seen    in    Eastern    Cuba    in    the    mid-20th century.   This   kind   of   cryptid   has   been   reported   in many   parts   of   the   world,   including   North   America, Australia, Europe, and Africa.”
“Before   the   ship   arrived   on   Umboi   (Siassi),   Luke   and I   met   an   old   sailor   who   knew   something   about   what we   were   seeking.   "You   want   to   catch   Wawanar?"   he asked.”
Apparent Living Pterosaurs
In   some   areas   of   Papua   New   Guinea,   some   natives create    wooden    carvings     of    what    seem    to    be    giant flying creatures, perhaps even dragons.
wooden carving by natives of Papua New Guinea
Living Pterosaurs and Dragons
Native art and ropens
Referring    to    the    33,000    ceramic    clay    figurines discovered   around   1945,   in   Acambaro,   Mexico,   “.   .   . during     the     years     since     their     discovery     the advancement    of    scientific    findings    has    changed opinions     about     the     appearances     of     dinosaurs, including   appearances   of   dinosaurs   that   seem   to   be on   some   figurines.   Those   figurines,   discovered   in   the mid-20th     Century,     resemble     late-20th     Century scientific   opinions   of   those   dinosaurs   more   than   they resemble      early-or-mid-20th      Century      scientific opinions.”   Those   ceramic   clay   figurines   deserve   more serious consideration by scientists.
“The   Marfa   Lights   of   southwest   Texas   have   been compared   with   the   flying   lights   of   Papua   New   Guinea and   with   the   Wawanar   legend   near   southwest   New Britain   Island.   The   Wawanar   is   believed   by   some cryptozoologists   to   be   the   same   flying   creature   that the natives of nearby Umboi Island call ‘ropen.’ “Dragons   in   southwest   Texas?   If   a   new   conjecture about     Marfa     Lights     is     correct,     a     group     of bioluminescent    flying    predators    may    live    in    these mountains, visiting the Marfa area every few weeks.”
Whitcomb - Paina Expedition of 2004
Photo by Garth Guessman
Copyright 2006-2017 Jonathan David Whitcomb
Photograph by Jonathan Whitcomb
cover of nonfiction pterosaur book covers of three non-fiction books about living pterosaurs in North America
As   of   early   2012,   three   nonfiction   cryptozoology   books   about   living pterosaurs   in   North America   were   available   from   three   different   authors: Ken Gerhard, Gerald McIsaac, and Jonathan David Whitcomb
Missionary James Blume with a native in Papua New Guinea
In Papua New Guinea, the America missionary Jim Blume interviews a native, asking him about the strange light that came down to rob a grave years ago.
Texan Paul Nation crossing a river in New Guinea, searching for the ropen
Paul Nation and native guide, crossing a river on the island of Umboi, east of the mainland of New Guinea