Jonathan Whitcomb – Page 3 – Modern Pterosaur

November 16, 2011February 9, 2012

Pterosaur Expert

Of course we don’t mean “fossil expert” when we use the phrase “pterosaur expert,” for this is not a paleontology blog but a cryptozoology blog. In regard to the ropen of Papua New Guinea, I think that Paul Nation and Garth Guessman are the most experienced explorers who have searched for living pterosaurs in that part of the world. But others have made great contributions.

I quote from Whitcomb’s Pterosaur Eyewitness blog, in particular the post titled, “Experts on Living Pterosaurs.” By the way, although Whitcomb does not have as much experience exploring remote areas of the world, he may have more access to eyewitnesses around the world than any other cryptozoologist, in regard to sightings of what seem to be modern pterosaurs, even though his interviews are mostly by emails.

About Paul Nation

Paul was instrumental in helping organize the two ropen expedition of 2004, both of which were searches on Umboi. He was unable to go along that year but had his own expedition with Jacob Kepas, late in 2006, deep in the mainland of Papua New Guinea. That expedition resulted in one daylight sighting of a giant indava by Kepas and several nighttime indava-light sightings by Nation. The video footage recorded by Nation in 2006, showing two glowing objects near the top of a ridge near Tawa Village, was found to be strange: not any camp fires or airplane lights or flash lights or meteors any other commonplace explanation.

About Garth Guessman

Guessman’s knowledge of Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur fossils allowed him to notice an important clue . . . [Guessman and Woetzel] learned that the native traditions describe the ropen‘s tail as being stiff, never moving except near where it connects to the body. Guessman recognized that this relates to the stiffening extension rods of Rhamphorhynchoid vertebrae: all but a few vertebrae are locked into stiffness; the few that are flexible are near where the pterosaur’s tail connects to the body.

Others have made contributions, over the years, including Professor Peter Beach, James Blume, Jacob Kepas, and Phillip O’Donnell.

September 14, 2010September 15, 2010

Ohio Pterosaurs

I know that pterosaurs, or at least creatures resembling them, have been reported across the United States, with eyewitnesses interviewed by cryptozoologists that have included Jonathan Whitcomb and Ken Gerhard. Several accounts come from Ohio.

Antwerp, Ohio, is where one young man saw long-tailed pterosaurs on two consecutive summers: “huge . . . about 4.5 ft. tail, 10 ft. from head to end of tail. long skinny tail with a spade.” It was the hottest time of the summer afternoon when the sightings took place.

More recently, in fact in June of 2010, a lady reported a “pterodactyl” that flew right in front of her car at night. In her own words, “I was driving on Route 309, just outside of Kenton, Ohio, perfectly clear night [full moon] . . . I had a creature swoop down and glide over my hood of my car. It glided smoothly and looked like a Pterodactyl, and I thought to myself, ‘What the . . . ‘ . . . as it smoothly flew into a thick area of trees . . . I could see almost the bones in its wings but I did NOT see feathers at all.”

This “pterodactyl” sighting in Ohio, near Kenton, brings to mind another sighting, for another lady had seen a similar creature, but in daylight, flying in a remote area of South Carolina. In that sighting, a driver saw a giant pterosaur, or pterosaur-like animal, fly right in front of her car.

June 7, 2010December 22, 2010

UFO Reports Suggesting Non-Alien Intelligence

A new study of strange lights in Texas suggests bioluminescent predators, rather than extra-terrestrial UFO’s, explain the intelligent behavior that has puzzled scientists for many years. Sometimes the lights near Marfa (southwest Texas) seem to dance or to coordinate their movements in strange ways. One light may divide into two, then they will separate and fly away from each other, only to turn back and fly towards each other.

James Bunnell, author of the nonfiction book Hunting Marfa Lights, has long assumed that they are caused by some kind of energy that may relate to the geology of the area. The problem with that approach is the apparent intelligent behavior of the lights.

Jonathan Whitcomb, author of the nonfiction book Live Pterosaurs in America, has suggested the lights are caused by large nocturnal predators, probably similar to the ropen of Papua New Guinea. Of course “live pterosaur” seems the most outrageous explanation. But alternatives seem even less likely, including the idea that Marfa Lights are caused by intelligent beings from another world.

What’s wrong with extra-terrestrial UFO’s, meaning space crafts “manned” by intelligent aliens? Nothing, except that Marfa Lights might appear for one night or two nights in a row, then leave, not to came back for several weeks or so; it is the coming back that is critical: Aliens that fly over bushes near Marfa, Texas, and returning every few weeks, would be anything but intelligent; there is nothing much there but bushes.

But Whitcomb’s cryptozoology idea, weird though it may seem, does explain the intelligence of the lights. He speculates that the splitting of one light into two is actually just a kind of illusion. There were always two objects, but one of the glowing predators was joined by a non-glowing predator that soon started to glow; the two separate and fly away, then turn around and fly back together.

Why would two (apparently bioluminescent) predators fly away from each other for awhile, then turn and fly back to each other? Whitcomb suggests ropen-like creatures are attracting insects while they glow in one area. As the two fly away, Big Brown Bats are attracted to the swarm of insects. Just as the bat or bats fly into that air space, the two larger predators are flying back, ready to intercept and eat the bat or bats.

I know, glowing pterosaurs seems far fetched, but nothing else seems to come close to a reasonable overall explanation for the Marfa Lights of Texas.