From the cryptozoology book Live Pterosaurs in America (Acknowledgements section) the author Jonathan Whitcomb says: To the eyewitnesses who’ve bravely come forward, telling  us of apparent living pterosaurs, I dedicate this book. They deserve to be heard.  Several Americans have investigated reports of what natives of Umboi Island call “ropen,” including three pioneers. Jim Blume, a missionary in Papua New Guinea for decades, interviewed dozens of native eyewitnesses of pterosaur-like creatures. Carl Baugh led the first three expeditions, preparing the way for the rest of us to follow. Paul Nation, in four expeditions, searched in two areas of PNG, contracting serious infections twice. Just weeks after my 2004 expedition on Umboi Island, the cryptozoologists Garth Guessman and David Woetzel interviewed Umboi native eyewitnesses with systematic interview forms . . . Woetzel and I later wrote separate scientific papers, in a peer-reviewed journal, about our experiences in Papua New Guinea and about pterosaurs in human times. We appreciate the support from our families and from our friends here and abroad.
Copyright 2008-2019 Jonathan Whitcomb
ver-16
Gigantic Bioluminescent Flying Creature
Long-tailed nocturnal pterosaurs in Papua New Guinea
A young lady (native of Umboi Island, PNG) describes how the glowing ropen flew over Lab Lab Village one night. (Interview by the American researcher Carl Baugh, about 1994)
Ropen — a live pterosaur in Papua New Guinea
southern coast of Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, with a small fishing boat - image courtesy of Jonathan Whitcomb
Orang-bati
Ropen
Flying Creature of the Night
Ahool of Indonesia
Perth pterosaur
one of the two "pterodactyls" witnessed and sketched by Eskin Kuhn in 1971
The American cryptozoology author Jonathan Whitcomb believes the ropen of Umboi is related to the “Gitmo Pterosaur” of Cuba (on the left is part of the sketch.)
village on Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, in 2004
Sketch by the eyewitness Eskin C. Kuhn (Gitmo, Cuba)
From a video recorded by Jonathan Whitcomb
Leonard of Opai Village, Umboi Island, told two America cryptozoologists, in 2004, that the ropen flies over Opai about once a month, lighting up the village as it glows (right: Opai Village).
The volcanic mountain Barik on Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea - photo by Jonathan Whitcomb, 2004
Ropen - crptid
Ropen hair video
Giant Pterodactyl in California
Legend of the Orang-bati
Gideon Koro as a young teenager - He was interviewed by American ropen searcher Carl Baugh in about 1994
On Umboi Island, Mount Barik is one of the mountains where the ropen may sleep in the day, for this flying cryptid is nocturnal.
Gideon Koro, of Umboi Island, was one of seven boys who encountered the huge ropen one day as it flew over a crater lake: a terrifying ordeal for Gideon. (Image from his first videotaped interview ~1994
a young native woman on Umboi Island motions how the ropen flew overhead; two other natives listen to her Baptist missionary James Blume (American) in Lae, Papua New Guinea, in 2004
James Blume, a Baptist missionary in Papua New Guinea, has informally interviewed dozens of natives regarding the giant pterosaur-like animals that mostly fly at night.
Dragnet Spoof
Living Pterosaurs
one of the two "pterodactyls" witnessed and sketched by Eskin Kuhn in 1971
Ropen pterosaur
Living pterosaurs video
When a native of Umboi Island sees what he or she concludes was the ropen, it probably was that large flying creature that seems to be a Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur, a long-tailed ‘pterodactyl.’ In other areas of Papua New Guinea, the same species of apparent pterosaur will have different names in different village languages. It’s actually even more complicated: Sometimes one of those names may be given to something unrelated, not even close. If a native sees a shooting star, he or she may label it by the name commonly used for a flying creature at least related to the ropen, if not the same species. In other words, sighting-report details are more impor- tant than labels used for a particular encounter.
American explorer Paul Nation, with a native of Umboi Island
The cryptozoologist explorer Paul Nation, on his 2002 expedition on Umboi Island, PNG
American cryptozoologist Garth Guessman and World War II veteran Duane Hodgkinson
Ropen of Papua New Guinea
Indava
Modern pterosaur
Garth Guessman (left) interviewed the World War II veteran Duane Hodgkinson (right) in 2005, near Livingston, Montana. The videotaped interview was edited by Whitcomb and put onto Youtube. (“Ropen-Pterodactyl - American eyewitness”)
Nocturnal ropen
In 1944,  just west of Finschhafen, on the mainland of New Guinea, Hodgkinson and an army buddy witnessed a gigantic flying creature take off from a jungle clearing. Its wingspan was about 30 feet and its tail at least 10-15 feet long. The American cryptozoologist Jonathan Whitcomb believes that the “pterodactyl” seen by Hodgkinson was very closely related to the flying creature seen by Brian Hennessy on Bougainville, New Guinea, in 1971, or it could have been the same species. Whitcomb has no hesitancy in calling that kind of flying creature “ropen” and compares it to the one seen on Umboi Island.
southern coast of Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, with a small fishing boat - image courtesy of Jonathan Whitcomb
Flying Creature of the Night
Ahool of Indonesia
Orang-bati
Ropen
Perth pterosaur
Gigantic Bioluminescent Flying Creature
one of the two "pterodactyls" witnessed and sketched by Eskin Kuhn in 1971
Sketch by the eyewitness Eskin C. Kuhn (Gitmo, Cuba)
The American cryptozoology author Jonathan Whitcomb believes the ropen of Umboi is related to the “Gitmo Pterosaur” of Cuba (the above is part of the sketch.)
village on Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, in 2004
From a video recorded by Jonathan Whitcomb
Leonard of Opai Village, Umboi Island, told two America cryptozoologists, in 2004, that the ropen flies over Opai about once a month, lighting up the village as it glows (above is Opai Village).
Giant Pterodactyl in California
Legend of the Orang-bati
Ropen - crptid
Ropen hair video
The volcanic mountain Barik on Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea - photo by Jonathan Whitcomb, 2004
On Umboi Island, Mount Barik is one of the mountains where the ropen may sleep in the day, for this flying cryptid is nocturnal.
From the cryptozoology book Live Pterosaurs in America  (Acknowledgements section) author Jonathan Whitcomb says: To the eyewitnesses who’ve bravely come forward, telling  us of apparent living pterosaurs, I dedicate this book. They deserve to be heard.  Several Americans have investigated reports of what natives of Umboi Island call “ropen,” including three pioneers. Jim Blume, a missionary in Papua New Guinea for decades, interviewed dozens of native eyewitnesses of pterosaur-like creatures. Carl Baugh led the first three expeditions, preparing the way for the rest of us to follow. Paul Nation, in four expedi- tions, searched in two areas of Papua New Guinea, contracting serious infections twice. Just weeks after my 2004 expedition on Umboi Island, the cryptozoologists Garth Guessman and David Woetzel interviewed Umboi native eyewitnesses with systematic interview forms . . . Woetzel and I later wrote separate scientific papers, in a peer- reviewed journal, about our experiences in Papua New Guinea and about pterosaurs in human times. We appreciate the support from our families and from our friends here and abroad.
Ropen — a live pterosaur in Papua New Guinea
Dragnet Spoof
Living Pterosaurs
Ropen pterosaur
Living pterosaurs video
Gideon Koro as a young teenager - He was interviewed by American ropen searcher Carl Baugh in about 1994
Gideon Koro, of Umboi Island, was one of seven boys who encountered the huge ropen one day as it flew over a crater lake: a terrifying ordeal for Gideon. (Image from his first videotaped interview ~1994
Baptist missionary James Blume (American) in Lae, Papua New Guinea, in 2004
James Blume, a Baptist missionary in Papua New Guinea, has informally interviewed dozens of natives regarding the giant pterosaur-like animals that mostly fly at night.
a young native woman on Umboi Island motions how the ropen flew overhead; two other natives listen to her
A young lady (native of Umboi Island, PNG) describes how the glowing ropen flew over Lab Lab Village one night. (Interview by the American researcher Carl Baugh, about 1994)
American explorer Paul Nation, with a native of Umboi Island
The cryptozoologist explorer Paul Nation, on his 2002 expedition on Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea
American cryptozoologist Garth Guessman and World War II veteran Duane Hodgkinson
Garth Guessman (left) interviewed the World War II veteran Duane Hodgkinson (right) in 2005, near Livingston, Montana. The videotaped interview was edited by Whitcomb and put onto Youtube. (“Ropen-Pterodactyl - American eyewitness”)
Ropen of Papua New Guinea
Indava
Modern pterosaur
Nocturnal ropen
In 1944,  just west of Finschhafen, on the mainland of New Guinea, Hodgkinson and an army buddy witnessed a gigantic flying creature take off from a jungle clearing. Its wingspan was about 30 feet and its tail at least 10-15 feet long. The American cryptozoologist Jonathan Whitcomb believes that the “pterodactyl” seen by Hodgkinson was very closely related to the flying creature seen by Brian Hennessy on Bougainville, New Guinea, in 1971, or it could have been the same species. Whitcomb has no hesitancy in calling that kind of flying creature “ropen” and compares it to the one seen on Umboi Island.
Copyright 2008-2019 Jonathan Whitcomb