The American Space Shuttle “Discovery” takes off on another mission

On April 17, 2012, the Space Shuttle “Discovery” took its final flight on the back of a modified 747 Jumbo Jet. It will be a museum piece in the Smithsonian, the largest system of museums in the world. But even though they get the “Discovery,” the Smithsonian museums had previously run away from the potential discovery of a modern living pterosaur: the ropen of Papua New Guinea.

To be sure, the Smithsonian’s contributions to scientific knowledge may be immense, but just as none of us as individual humans are perfect, none of our institutions are perfect. I put forth my opinion here that the Smithsonian Magazine blog post “Don’t Get Strung Along by the Ropen Myth,” of August 16, 2010, by Brian Switek, was full of mistakes and missed important things regarding eyewitness reports.

Before quoting Switek, I would like to make it clear that I agree with his position that the Salem-News report by the reporter Terrence Aym was seriously flawed. What’s more, even beyond what Switek says in his criticism, other weaknesses in Aym’s report are either questionable or downright wrong. But I would like to point out weaknesses in Switek’s blog post.

Switek says, “Then there is the problem of Aym’s sources. Both Blume and Woetzel are creationist explorers who have tried to promote the existence of living pterosaurs and dinosaurs.” Here begin Switek’s mistakes. James Blume is a missionary in Papua New Guinea, not an explorer, and he does not seem to have been involved in any promotion of the idea of living dinosaurs, as far as I have been able to determine.

David Woetzel has explored in Africa, searching for a living dinosaur, and has explored in Papua New Guinea, searching for a living pterosaur. But Switek takes this as if it makes Woetzel’s position weak, and the point of all of this is that Woetzel is questioning scientific assumptions that Switek has taken for granted. Putting this in the context of a court trial: The defense attorney cannot prove his case by saying that the district attorney cannot be believed because he prosecutes people.

Switek had best stop ridiculing those with different religious beliefs from his own and start looking at the important eyewitness testimonies that he ignored in his Smithsonian Magazine blog post.

Smithsonian Slams the Door

But where is any real evidence for universal extinction of general types? Why not at least allow for the possibility that valid human experience is not limited to gazing at exhibits in a museum or analyzing specimens in a laboratory?

Demon Flyer of Papua New Guinea

The word “ropen” does not actually come from a literal translation of the word “ropen,” although at least one native tradition on Umboi Island is that the nocturnal flying creature is sort of like a spirit but also sort of like a human. [Be it known that the mythical nature of traditions on Umboi Island do not reflect on the cryptozoological evidences gathered regarding its actual physical existence as a nocturnal bioluminescent flying creature.]

Smithsonian Success and Failure

I am sorry that the Smithsonian has not budged from its dogmatic article that was written by the science reporter Brian Switek.

Smithsonian Attacks Ropen Myth

I do not question the honesty of Mr. Switek; in fact I agree with his point that an amateur video of a Frigate bird is not evidence for a living pterosaur, namely the cryptid called “ropen.” Nevertheless, a number of problems appear and they are serious.

A lady [BEW] had a daylight encounter northwest of Wichita. In early 2006, she found my web site and contacted me.

“My friend and I were talking and I mentioned that I had seen an extremely large bird that resembled a pterodactyl some years ago when [I was] driving . . . between Rush Center and Larned, Kansas. I could not believe my eyes as I immediately thought of a prehistoric bird when I saw it. It must have had a wing-span of 16-20 feet.

“I asked my friend . . . We looked at pictures on the internet to see if we could figure anything out . . . I decided to check further and ran across this site. I was amazed to find a lot written about others who claim to have seen such a bird. I never said too much to anyone about it because, of course, such a claim raises eyebrows . . .

Q: How far was the bird or creature from you when you watched it?

A: I would say 60-100 feet up at the closest.

Q: Could you tell if it had feathers?

A: It did not appear to have feathers.

Q: Are you familiar with the larger birds in Kansas?

A: Somewhat

Q: How was this thing different from larger birds you know of?

A: I’ve never seen any bird in Kansas a fraction of that size or with the appearance of this bird.

Q: What was it doing when you saw it?

A: Soaring slowly towards the northeast.

Pterodactyl or Giant Bat?

Critics have failed to make any convincing argument for the giant fruit bat as an explanation for the many sighting reports of flying pterodactyls in the south Pacific, including in Papua New Guinea.

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From a reader of the third edition of this cryptozoology book:

“Mr. Whitcomb does a thorough job questioning indoctrination and the close-mindedness of the Western world. Reading so many eye-witness reports of people who have seen living pterosaurs in America was mind-opening, to say the least. Speculation is not an easy thing to address, but Whitcomb does a noteworthy job stringing together testimony and speculation in a scientific, yet personal way. The passion that Whitcomb and the pterosaur witnesses feel about these investigations make this book a great read and keep the pages turning. If you are prepared to question the indoctrination society has imposed on you since childhood, you are ready for Live Pterosaurs in America.” (Amazon review by R. Montgomery, Feb 22, 2012)

This 1856 newspaper story is now commonly believed to have been a hoax. The evidence for that hoax could have been detected long ago, by those who read carefully the details. But recent sighting reports, not often publicized in newspapers, have no such clues about any hoax. In fact, compilations of the data from 98 sightings demonstrate that it is practically impossible for those sightings to have arisen from any combination of hoaxes from purported eyewitnesses.

Pterosaur Sightings in Papua New Guinea

From a scientific paper in a peer-reviewed journal (“Reports of Living Pterosaurs in the Southwest Pacific”):

In 2004 I interviewed Duane Hodgkinson, of Montana . . . He was then videotaped [and interviewed] by Guessman in 2005. He and an army friend were in a jungle clearing west of Finschhafen (then New Guinea) in 1944 . . . something “huge” took off into the air . . . The creature ran to their left, taking six to ten steps to get airborne and ascended at an angle of about 30 degrees . . . It then disappeared over the dense brush but soon returned and flew over the clearing, presenting a “perfect side view” of its features . . .

The top of the back was 5–6 ft (1.5–1.8 m) above the ground just before takeoff. Although he did not notice details of the tail, he estimated it was “at least” 10–15 ft (3–4.6 m) long. He compared the wingspan to a Piper Tri-Pacer airplane (~29 ft or 9 m). The length of the head, not counting the appendage, was about 3–4 ft (1–1.2 m), similar to the length of the neck. An appendage protruding from the head, above the neck, was about half that length, and both the head and appendage were parallel to the neck.

The significance of the above report is that it comes from information collected from two interviewers and the peer-reviewed results were published in a journal of science (CRSQ, Volume 45, Winter-2009, page 200). That is a far cry from publication in a 19th century newspaper.

Why a Hoax Does not Explain Sightings

There seems to be no end of refutations for the “hoax hypothesis,” as it has been called. Statistics from years of eyewitness sighting reports disprove any generalized hoax explanation, for the degree of certainty in descriptions of featherlessness . . . fly in the face of those skeptics who use the word “hoax.”

Pterosaur: Hoax or Real?

Skeptics are correct when they bring up questionable stories, accounts that are obvious hoaxes or misidentifications, but they assume that all accounts must likewise be worthless. They fail to comprehend that when a dishonest boy cries “wolf,” all wolves do not thereby become extinct.

Hoax Explanation for Living Pterosaurs

“A study by an American cryptozoologist suggests that the ‘pterodactyl’ described by the World War II veteran Duane Hodgkinson was a real creature, of a species living in coastal areas of Papua New Guinea.”

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Perth Pterosaur Sighting of 1997

The two eyewitnesses thought the wingspan was 30-50 feet.

[The 1997 Perth Creature] “. . . Within a minute or so it had reached our position and was about 250 or 300 feet above us and slightly inland . . . I saw that it seemed to be a light reddish-tan color . . . [It seemed to have] 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 . . .

Giant Ropen Pterosaur of Papua New Guinea

Many eyewitnesses have seen the long-tailed ropen of Papua New Guinea, although most of them are natives. This nocturnal flying creature is only occasionally observed by Western visitors, for it flies at night, often in remote tropical rain forests.

But in 1944, during World War II, the American Duane Hodgkinson and his army buddy were shocked to see one of the giant ropens fly into the air right after it was startled awake from a wild pig in a jungle clearing. Hodgkinson estimated the wingspan as similar to that of a Piper Tri-Pacer airplane, in other words about 29 feet. He estimated the tail length at about 10-15 feet, at least.

New Mexico Sighting of 1993

Two eyewitnesses saw the giant pterodactyl in Socorro, New Mexico.

“Me and a close friend, who now has a masters in biology, were hiking during the midday . . . a large flying animal. It had a 20-30 foot wingspan and was about the same length long. It had a long tail with [a] seeming spike at the end. Its head was very pterodactyl shape with a fluted back pointy head.”

Modern Pterosaurs in Pennsylvania

. . . approximately 5:00 A.M. . . . The weird part is I live in Philly. [My friend] was dropping me off . . . about six blocks away . . . we saw something that made our jaws drop . . . This thing didn’t seem to fly quickly. [Its] wingspan was huge. We’d figured at least 20 feet or so. It wasn’t flapping real hard like a sparrow or pigeon does. It almost seemed to sail.

About a year ago, an online forum discussion on cryptozoology.com included mostly negative comments about Jonathan Whitcomb, the author of nonfiction books about modern living pterosaurs. This elicited a number of blog posts by the cryptozoologist, including the following:

What is a Pterodactyl Expert?

What most skeptics (if not all) mostly forget or fail to realize is that cryptozoology is neither a branch of zoology or paleontology nor just a label for speculation about mythical animals. It is an approach that often includes examinations of eyewitness testimonies.

Of course, the real issue is the credibility of the eyewitnesses whose reports have been analyzed by Whitcomb. Could sightings have been misidentifications or hoaxes? The appropriateness of the label “pterodactyl expert” is way off the mark for what we need to be asking ourselves. We need to keep examining those eyewitness testimonies.

Ohio Pterosaur

The old newspaper Antwerp Bee-Argus published the eyewitness account of the man who had seen a long-tailed pterosaur twice, in daylight and in different summers, at the same place: at a bridge near Antwerp, Ohio.

Montana Pterodactyl

” . . . just as it was getting dark, but it was a bright full moon also, my bro in law pointed behind me and said ‘What the hell is that?’ and I turned around and saw the largest flying creature I’ve ever seen. It was heading straight towards us. . . . It flew straight over us and off into the horizon. It must have had a 20 foot wingspan. It was gigantic. It flew about 50 feet over our heads.”

David Woetzel, explorer and cryptozoologist

This New Hampshire businessman has explored in Africa, searching for a dinosaur, and explored in Papua New Guinea, searching for a pterosaur. He continues to search for the elusive cryptids that many scientists assume are all extinct.

Flying Fox and Pterosaurs Sightings

The relationship (and non-relationship) between the large fruit bats of the southwest Pacific and the apparent pterosaurs, giant long-tailed flying creatures of Papua New Guinea.

Headlights and Hard Heads Knocking Marfa Lights

Why an investigation by physics students sheds no light on the real mystery lights that fly near Marfa, Texas, several times each year. Why insist that all mysterious lights must be car headlights?

Cheesman Lights and Pterosaurs

The British biologist observed strange lights for at least two nights, in the 1930′s, deep in the interior of New Guinea. She found that they could not have been from any human origin.

Pterosaur Sighting by Hennessy

The Australian Brian Hennessy (now a psychologist) observed a large pterosaur-like flying creature, in 1971, on Bougainville Island, New Guinea, and later reported his sighting to the American cryptozoologist Jonathan Whitcomb.

Child Scared by Pterosaur in Cuba

Patty Carson was only about six when she observed, in about 1965, a long-tailed “flying dinosaur” at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. military station in Cuba. Her father, the military commander, did not believe her. She eventually stopped talking about that frightening experience. But in April of 2011, she began talking about it again, for she was no longer alone.

Flying Dragons in Australia

You would think that the sightings of dragons or apparent pterosaurs in Australia would be mostly in the north, closer to Papua New Guinea. But apparently those flying creatures can and do fly far afield, in a number of areas in Australia.

Pterosaur Sighting in Arkansas

“My father and I saw a huge, featherless bird [later labeled "teradactyl"] in Arkansas [summer of 1977] . . . when I was 16. I’ve been telling people my story since. We were sitting on big rocks at a cliff about 300 foot above the river when it flew out just under us and we watched it all the way down toward the river till it passed the tree lines. It was an awesome experience, indeed. It was however smaller, and wing span of maybe 8 ft and had a large head.

From the nonfiction book Live Pterosaurs in America:

. . . me and my older brother were sitting in our carport . . . in Texarkana, Arkansas. It was getting dark but there was plenty of light in the sky when we saw what we believe to be a pterodactyle. The wingspan seemed to be about 25’ to 30’ ft wide. It was probably about 70’ to 80’ off the ground, flying over a large tree in front of the house. . . . it just glided on air. The incident was very brief but nonetheless was an awesome sight to see.

What about pterosaur sightings in Texas, which is close enough to Arkansas when we think about where a large flying creature might fly? We have plenty of those, so here is another quote from that book:

Aaron Tullock was eight years old (about 1995) when he saw a hovering flying creature, most uncommon. Late in a sunny afternoon in Marion County, Texas, he was alone in the yard of his grandparent’s house.

“I saw a featherless flying animal with a wingspan of about 4 1/2 to 5 feet and a long tail with a diamond type shape at the tip of it. No hair or feathers anywhere, just leathery reptile type skin. I have a well established knowledge of animals, especially reptiles, so I can easily tell what animal something is and what it isn’t. The animal had bumps down its back, feet with longish toes . . .”

Pterosaur Sighting in Orange County, California

30 feet long, with 15-16 feet of that being a tail. He saw the creature fly “at low altitude,” in front of his car, over the road (Campus Drive), into the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, in daylight. . . . SNW (anonymous) had no view of any feet and no good view of the head. He noticed that during the creature’s flight the tail was straight, as if it was “stretched out to be measured.” A flange, close to the end of the tail, he described as “triangle-shaped.”

The man who saw that “flying dinosaur,” as some would call it, was driving down a street near Irvine, in Orange County, California. According to this online report, he is either a doctor or a lawyer or a policeman or a fireman, and he does not want his name publicized.

Nocturnal Pterosaurs in Southern California

. . . at about 10:30 p.m., near the corner of Burbank Blvd and Woodman in the city of Sherman Oaks, California . . . they saw a “very large, winged creature” gliding about 300 feet overhead. The woman described glowing or reflective portions of the wings; she described them to me in a way that suggested they were much dimmer than the bright flashes of ropens.

Live Pterosaurs in Northern California

Account in summer of 2011

A vague report came in about flying lights south-by-southwest of Shasta-Trinity National Forest, much closer to the coast. But the eyewitness gave an account more of his feelings than of what he had actually seen. If this eyewitness, in this recent sighting, is correct, the nocturnal flying creatures get close enough to react to his camera zoom.

Wingspan, Statistics, and Hoax-Not

Why examine the possibility that a significant portion of the sighting reports might have come from hoaxers who were trying to convince people that they had seen Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs? For several years, at least since before the middle of 2005, it has been obvious, to cryptozoologist who specialize in pterosaur-sightings, that most eyewitnesses report long tails on the flying creatures that they report. In addition, many of those who report long tails also report a structure at the end of the tail, suggesting a Rhamphorhynchoid tail vane. But a detailed evaluation of the data reveals a major problem with that kind of hoax conjecture: Too many wingspan estimates are too large to precisely coorelate with Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur fossils, and the downward slope for larger wingspans is too shallow, much too shallow.

To put it in a nutshell, the fifty-seven wingspan estimates show a fairly smooth curve downwards toward the giant wingspans, and it is far too shallow a curve to have come from hoaxers who would have tried to fool people into thinking that the hoaxers had seen long-tailed pterosaurs. The reason for that is that those Rhamphorhynchoids are commonly believed to have been smaller pterosaurs with wingspans generally less than seven feet. The statistics show something far different.

Is “Demon Flyer” Correct?

Interviews with native eyewitnesses, including the 2004 interview with Mesa Agustin, can reveal a fear that natives have of the ropen, but that does not necessarily mean that those eyewitnesses believe that the creature is an evil spirit or monster . . .

So in those two small areas of Papua New Guinea (villages of Umboi Island including Opai and Gomlongon, and at least one village near Wau on the mainland) the meaning of the word “ropen” differs greatly. An examination of the expedition reports from American cryptozoologists who have searched for living pterosaurs in Papua New Guinea in the 1990′s and early twenty-first century—that reveals that the Western-world usage of ”ropen” comes from the Kovai-speaking islanders of Opai and Gomlongon.

Evelyn Cheesman and Possible Bioluminescent Pterosaurs

The lights observed and analyzed by Cheesman were, according to her conclusion, not from any human origin. This reminds me of investigations of Marfa Lights of Texas, where investigators like James Bunnell, Edson Hendricks, and others are convinced some strange lights are not from any car headlights.