The Winter, 2009, issue of the Creation Research Society Quarterly includes "Reports of Living Pterosaurs in the Southwest Pacific." Much of this scientific paper is about the creature called "ropen" on Umboi Island, although apparently similar creatures are also mentioned, in particular the "indava" of the Papua New Guinea mainland.

 

The eyewitness accounts of the apparent living pterosuars are impressive, both in the quality information and the quantity of eyewitnesses. I quote:

 

"Eyewitness testimonies can be divided into two categories: those describing a flying light and those describing a creature. Four of the eyewitnesses describe both a glow

and a shape or features, connecting the two types of description."

 

Information on native eyewitness accounts includes: "Jonah Jim and Jonathan Ragu, both of Umboi, made separate sightings in different areas . . . both described a glowing, flying creature. When shown many illustrated silhouettes of birds, bats, and pterosaurs, both chose the Sordes Pilosus, a Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur as best

fitting what they had seen (Woetzel-Guessman expedition)."

 

Information on American and Australian eyewitnesses includes: "He [Duane Hodgkinson] and an army friend were in a jungle clearing west of Finschhafen (then New Guinea) in
1944 (Figure 1) when something 'huge' took off into the air from the far side of the clearing. The creature ran to their left, taking six to ten steps to get airborne and ascended at an angle of about 30 degrees (similar to an airplane taking off). It then disappeared over the dense brush but soon returned and flew over the clearing, presenting a 'perfect side view' of its features before again flying out of view."

 

The scientific paper was written by Jonathan D. Whitcomb.