Cryptozoology and Pterosaurs

Cryptozoology and Pterodactyls

It’s “pterodactyl”, not “pteradactyl” or “teradactile”, and what we mean is “pterosaur.” People think that these are flying dinosaurs, but scientists notice they differ from dinosaurs. Almost all biology text books (that mention the creatures) proclaim that dinosaurs and pterosaurs became extinct millions of years ago; never-theless, some people believe in the possibility of survivors.

Although some web pages refer to a pterodactyl-like creature found in a tunnel in France in the 1800’s, and to cowboys who shot a giant ptero-dactyl near Tombstone, Arizona, these stories left behind no carcass, even if they’re based on some truth.

Could pterosaurs live in remote

areas of the earth? According to

some cryptozoologists, namely

Carl Baugh and Paul Nation of

Texas, these creatures still live

in at least some parts of Papua

New Guinea. Three other Americans went to a remote island (Umboi) in 2004. All three came back believing that the “ropen” reported living there was a long-tailed pterosaur. (Baugh and Nation also believed.)

Before dismissing these men as fanatics, perhaps we should remember that many important

scientific breakthroughs became

recognized only after the initial

shock had worn away or some

kind of evidence was found to

support the new ideas.

Rather than go into scientific

history, let’s get to the details

about the idea that pterosaurs

may not all be extinct.

“What Happened to Pterosaurs”

The point is, the belief that all

pterosaurs became extinct many

millions of years ago is not based

on sound objective evidence but

on a number of assumptions. We

need to be open-minded when a

number of eyewitnesses describe

flying creatures that are not bats

but also do not have feathers. We

need to support expeditions and

research into what these strange

creatures are. When many of the

eyewitnesses agree on details

that suggest these creatures are

pterosaurs, we need to listen.

Cryptozoology seems like a new field of science, but it’s more of an open-minded approach to investigating eye-witness testimonies of creatures not classified (in the Western scientific community) or not recognized as presently living. How is this done? Consider one case:

1) In about 1994, Dr. Carl Baugh, of

Texas, heard of islanders in Papua New Guinea who reported flying creatures (ropens) that caught fish at night. The descriptions suggested something like pterosaurs or creatures very much like pterosaurs, not Flying Fox fruit bats.

2) Jim Blume (a missionary in Papua New Guinea), Paul Nation (another Texan), and Carl Baugh explored some of the islands in 1994. They interviewed people who saw the creature called, on Umboi Island, “ropen.” The testimonies confirmed other reports indicating that ropens are at least similar to pterosaurs.

3) Two more expeditions (1996 and 2002) produced no photo or video, but more eyewitnesses were interviewed.

4) A forensic videographer (one who works with video for legal cases or attorney firms), Jonathan Whitcomb, examined the video-taped testimonies of the eyewitnesses and concluded that the natives were telling the truth about what they saw. He went to Umboi Island in 2004 and interviewed eye-witnesses of the ropen, though he did not see the creature himself. (But his interpreter did see it one night after the American had gone to bed.) Before leaving the island, Whitcomb gave a one-time-use camera to one of the leaders of Umboi Island (Mark Kau).

5) Later in 2004, two more Americans, Garth Guessman and David Woetzel, went to Umboi and searched for the ropen. Woetzel, saw the ropen briefly one night. The two investigators inter-viewed villagers who had seen the nocturnal ropen, and more cameras were given out to local people who wanted to photograph it.

This brings us to the present: The next step is a return to the islands to collect the still cameras that had been left there. With luck, some photo will show a ropen; nevertheless, we need a long-term, detailed search with adequate personnel, equipment, and time. This

is where things presently stand.