PSL Identification Evaluation: Question "E"
Live Pterosaur Seen by Duane Hodgkinson
in Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea
Administered to Mr.
Hodgkinson (living in Montana) in August, 2004 (Received by J. Whitcomb by mail). The purpose of question “E”
is to determine the approximate sharpness of the mouth/beak/snout of what Hodgkinson called a “pterodactyl.”
Hodgkinson chose
the sharpest beak-mouth-snout of the four sketches. This is consistent with some, but not all, reports from eyewitnesses of creatures
seen in this part of Papua New Guinea.
After he was interviewed by Jonathan
Whitcomb, in 2004, Duane Hodgkinson was interviewed,
in person, by Garth Guessman, in 2005 (details in the book "
Searching for Ropens"). Comparing the two interviews, we find this:
Overlapping of information given by Hodgkinson is consistent with what would be expected of honest testimony of an eyewitness
experience; in addition, new facts provided in the 2005 interview elucidate the original account and show consistency.
Because Hodgkinson
saw the “
pterodactyl” in daylight, not all investigators may be convinced that it is the same species as the glowing nocturnal
ropen of Umboi Island. There are similarities in the descriptions, however, and these suggest that it is the same species of
pterosaur.
In addition, Hodgkinson's creature may have been awakened from daytime sleep. Nevertheless, there seems to be no means of knowing
if this creature was
bioluminescent.
This page (E) of the questionnaire given, by Jonathan Whitcomb, to Hodgkinson is only
for
determining the sharpness of the beak or mouth. Please do not assume that any
other aspect of these sketches accurately depicts the
creature's appearance. (Each page
is meant to gain better knowledge of one aspect of the appearance of whatever the U.S. veteran saw,
in 1944, near Finschhafen.)