Pterosaurs Still Living is here to document, then analyze, eyewitness accounts of living pterosaurs or pterosaur-like creatures and to support expeditions and investigations . . . 

The home page itself has few details about eyewitness sightings, but many links. Regarding Paul Nation’s 2006 expedition, it says:

Late in 2006, Paul Nation’s expedition, deep in the mountainous interior of the mainland of Papua New Guinea, elevated the credibility of living-pterosaur cryptozoological searching. He videotaped what investigators believe was the bioluminescent glow of one or two living pterosaurs. . . .

Links to eyewitness pages include the 1971 sighting of two pterosaurs seen in daylight by Esin Kuhn in Cuba; the 1989 sighting (also in daylight) of a huge pterosaur seen by Susan Wooten in South Carolina; the sighting (early 1990′s) of the ropen by Mesa Augustin at Lake Pung, Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea; and the 1971 sighting of a “prehistoric” flying creature by Brian Hennessy on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea.

Also included are references to the Whitcomb 2004 expedition and other expeditions in Papua New Guinea, and Duane Hodgkinson’s sighting (1944, mainland New Guinea).

But the “dinosaur bird” (if that’s what you want to call it) is no bat, for the body form of both Rhamphorhynchoids and Pterodactyloids differs greatly from that of bats. And neither a bat nor a pterosaur is much like a bird.

According to Susan Wooten (of South Carolina) and Aaron Tullock (of Texas) and Eskin Kuhn (of Ohio) pterosaurs are very much alive. Those three eyewitesses have given out their names after being interviewed by the same cryptozoologist: Jonathan Whitcomb (of California). And not one of those three witnesses are dishonest or insane or even mistaken in their interpretations, according to Whitcomb.

Dinosaur birds, by whatever name, are becoming known as “ropens” by cryptozoologists, and this creature has now become an established cryptid, even though it is not yet acknowledged or classified by most biologists.

The two creatures were very unlike any bird, for they had no feathers. They could have been strange bats except that the heads were completely wrong and they had long tails. Their flight, the flapping of their wings, was described as graceful. For more detail, see these blogs:

Are Reports of Living Pterosaurs Anecdotes? (regarding the Eskin Kuhn sighting)

. . . the writer used the name of a real person and wrote “The claim is a hoax,” without any explanation . . . The eyewitness himself replied to the blog, with no uncertain disdain for the one who tied his name to the word “hoax.” . . . . The critic tried to step away from his previous stand about a hoax. How? By trying to shove onto the shoulders of the Marine the responsibility of making one of the most dramatic scientific discoveries in the history of biology: Obtain the body of a modern pterosaur and prove its authenticity to the world.

Modern Pterosaur blog (“Sighting in Cuba, 1971″)

I saw two pterosaurs . . . flying together at low altitude, perhaps 100 feet, very close . . . I had a perfectly clear view . . . The rhythm of their large wings was very graceful, slow . . . The pterosaurs I saw had the short hind legs attached to the rearward-most part of the wing, and they had a long tail trailing behind with a tuft of hair at the end. . . . The head [had] a long crest at the back . . . their wingspan [was] roughly 10 feet.

Mr. Kuhn drew sketches of the two pterosaurs soon after the sighting had taken place. Thanks to his thoughtfulness, we now have two detailed images of what he saw (he is obviously a talented artist).

In 2006, Paul Nation and Jacob Kepas explored a remote mountainous region deep in the mainland of Papua New Guinea. In this historic expedition, Paul recorded the first video evidence (of living pterosaurs) to be taken back to the United States. Soon after returning from Papua New Guinea, Paul was interviewed in his home in Texas. Digital copies of the historic video footage were taken, by Whitcomb, back to California, where the missile defense physicist Clifford Paiva analyzed it. The images of two glowing objects were not clear direct evidence for living pterosaurs, but many common explanations were eliminated for what caused the two lights. In 2007, another expedition team recorded similar video footage of a mysterious flying light.

Early in 2007, Paul returned to the same mountainous area of Papua New Guinea. The weather was bad, and Paul obtained no more video evidence, but he was able to verify the differences between distant car headlights (capable of causing misidentification) and real “indava lights.” This proved his objectiveness in searching for the truth, although there had never been any doubt about the video recordings of the 2006 expedition: They were found by computer analysis to be impossible to have been produced by car headlights; in addition, the location of the two lights was on a ridge where there are no roads and no possible automobiles.

See Pterosaurs Alive and Indava and Ropen of Papua New Guinea

The two cryptozoologists learned, from villagers on the northern coast of Umboi, that the tail of the ropen moves only at the base, where it connects to the body. This greatly strengthened their case that the ropen is a Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur, for fossils show that this is how the tail of long-tailed pterosaurs should move.

They also found huge clam shells on the beach; they were told, by natives, that the ropen carrys the giant clams up into the island interior to feed. This appeared to relate to the name of the creature in one area of the mainland of Papua New Guinea: seklo-bali (he who carrys his bed around with him), for a giant clam, from a distance, might appear (to a native) like a bed.

Guessman has since become a leader in living-pterosaur investigations, returning to Papua New Guinea in 2009, with the Monsterquest (television production) team. In recent years, he has had many sightings of what may be creatures related to the ropen, for they seem to glow with a bioluminescence, making the nocturnal creatures visible from a distance, at night.

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“I can hardly put this book down. It is quite astonishing to read of creatures so large that they can lift a human up into the air or rob a corpse from a new grave. . . . This book is so refreshing. Jonathan Whitcomb is to be congratulated for giving us a glimpse of our world denied us by the wildlife ‘experts’ from western countries.” (S. Lee, “The General,” Guildford, UK) (Five stars out of five)

“Be prepared to have your eyes opened to the mysteries yet to be discovered in God’s awesome creation. . . . I would give this book 10 stars if I could! This book should be in every library!!” (Shalee Britton, “CreationspeaksofGod”) (5 Stars)

Buy the second edition of this cryptozoology book on Amazon.com: Searching for Ropens, by Jonathan Whitcomb.

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Or read about Modern Living Pterosaurs (web pages) in a language other than English: French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, or Swedish.

Late in 2000, he accompanied the explorer William Gibbons into Cameroon, Africa, where they interviewed many natives. A creature called “li’kela-bembe” is greatly feared in the Likouala swamp region; exploreres believe it is similar or the same animal that is called “Mokele-mbembe,” a large sauropod dinosaur. The swamp itself is huge, about 55,000 square miles, the largest swamp in the world, but interestingly, the Likouala Swamp does not have its own entry in Wikipedia, although it is mentioned often regarding dinosaur-like cryptids.

In late 2004, following the Whitcomb-Kenda expedition a few weeks earlier, Woetzel and fellow American cryptozoologist Garth Guessman explored Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea. They interviewed many native eyewitnesses of the ropen, a nocturnal apparently-bioluminescent flying creature whose descriptions strongly suggest a giant Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur (AKA “pterodactyl”).

Although as of late 2009 he had not obtained any photograph of a living dinosaur or pterosaur, he continues searching and hoping. He was able to observe a “ropen light” for a few seconds during his 2004 expedition.

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Did you know that living pterosaurs have been reported in North America, even in the United States? Read the many eyewitness sighting reports;  buy the nonfiction cryptozoology book Live Pterosaurs in America, on Amazon or from the publisher. Your purchase shall help support this research.

One reader commented, “I found this book very interesting. . . . The problem with science is that we think we know it all and that is far from reality. This book shows courage to continue the search. If you have an interest in cryptozoology you should read this.” (Dale Reeder, Pennsylvania)

See also: Nonfiction books about modern pterosaurs

Ken Gerhard steers clear of philosophical controversay in this 2007 nonfiction: He reports his experiences and those of the eyewitnesses he has interviewed, avoiding the issue of Creationism versus Naturalism. The amazing stories of large flying creatures are mostly confined to Texas, but what’s wrong with that? There’s plenty of room in Texas for plenty of cryptids.

Big Bird is available on Amazon.

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Dinosaurs Dead or Alive

This compilation of eyewitness reports was written by Phillip O’Donnell, a teenager when it was published in 2006. A cross-genre nonfiction that combines creationism with cryptozoology (a combination that seems guaranteed to ignite controversay) appeals to those friendly to both genres. Don’t expect a classic from the first book of a teenager, but you may be pleasantly surprised if you are a creationist who is open to cryptozoology (or visa-versa).

The title seems to use the general sense of “dinosaur,” for pterosaurs are included.

Dinosaurs Dead or Alive is available on Amazon.

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Live Pterosaurs in America

Jonathan Whitcomb wrote this nonfiction, in 2009, after receiving many emails from Americans who reported sightings of apparent pterosaurs in the United States. The sighting locations range from Washington State to Florida and from California to Maine (and many states in-between).

This pure-genre cryptozoology book (in contrast to the cross-genre of Whitcomb’s first book, Searching for Ropens) does not avoid the subject of the philosophical conflicts, but leaves the issue to the side while making the case for living pterosaurs. Few readers should take offense at that approach. It has sold more copies on Amazon, in late 2009 and early 2010, than any other nonfiction book about living pterosaurs.

Live Pterosaurs in America is available on Amazon.

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Searching for Ropens

The second edition of SFR (published in 2007) is a cross-genre nonfiction, like Dinosaurs Dead or Alive. But this is more than a creationist-cryptozoology book, for it includes the adventures of searching jungles for living pterosaurs. Disappointments are followed by triumphs in this true-life adventure that takes you on one expedition after another.

Although creationist overtones dominate parts of this book, it has been used as the standard cryptozoology reference for living pterosaur investigations in the Southwest Pacific, especially regarding Papua New Guinea. Expedition funding and research have both been expedited by this book. Wikipedia quotes SFR in giving a definition of “ropen.”

Searching for Ropens (second edition) is available on Amazon.

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Which to Read?

Ranking these four books with stars would be the wrong approach. Look at the strengths and weaknesses, find what you most like, then judge for yourself.

English teachers, avoid Big Bird; editing was limited or nonexistent, and the author is not a professional writer. But if you are especially interested in sightings in Texas, and you don’t mind a lack of quality English, read it. You might find sighting-reports here that are found in no other cryptozoology book.

Are you offended at creationism? Avoid Dinosaurs Dead or Alive. Creationists should enjoy it, however, especially if they are interested in world-wide sightings of dinosaurs and pterosaurs. Just don’t expect too much in terms of literary value.

Live Pterosaurs in America was written by a professional writer who is also a cryptozoologist. Controversay is handled delicately and in moderation. This does not mean that nobody will take offense, for the years of work of the explorers is extolled, and most of those explorers are creationists. Nevertheless Amazon sales confirm that this book has a broader base of support than any other nonfiction about living pterosaurs. And the writing itself is engaging.

Searching for Ropens is an essential resource to cryptozoologists interested in sightings of apparent living pterosaurs in Papua New Guinea. Nevertheless, be aware that the book strongly supports literal interpretations of Biblical scriptures, whether or not Whitcomb is a strict creationist himself. The appendix covers many topics, including (to a limited extent) the possible age of the earth; but the author rejects billions of years of earth life on two pages, then questions the six-thousand-year earth on another page: not standard Young Earth Creationism, obviously. What is unquestioned is that this should remain an important reference work for years to come.

According to the web page of one explorer who searched for this apparent extant sauropod dinosaur, “In the jungles of central Africa countries of Congo, Cameroon, and Gabon are reports of animal an animal with a long neck, a long tail, and rounded shape tracks with three claws. The closest known animal that has these characteristics is a sauropod dinosaur.”

A nonfiction book has recently been published by William J. Gibbons: Mokele-Mbembe: Mystery Beast of the Congo Basin (published by Coachwhip Publications).

” . . . 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.”

What is left out of that account is that the two men could even hear the sound of the wings flapping. This was near the Cooney Reservoir, early in the evening of September 4, 2009. (The interview was conducted by the living-pterosaur researcher Jonathan Whitcomb.) There seems to be no indication whether or not this particular creature has the capability of bioluminescence, sometimes reported in ropen-like nocturnal pterosaur-like flying animals.

“Pterodactyl” is a common unofficial word for “pterosaur,” but “dinosaur bird” is also sometimes used.