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Archives: Newsletter 011
Sep 4, 2008

To living-pterosaur investigators and to those interested

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CONTENTS 

Investigation in Southern California, continued

Bat-Ropen Connection, continued

Coming Soon

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Investigation in Southern California (part two)

To continue from the last newsletter, my own
work ("investigation #3" in that issue) still
involves only one eyewitness. To put this into
perspective, however, consider this web page
on three sightings in Southern California.
 
Although I have had only a few communications
with SD (he wishes to be anonymous), those phone
conversations and emails, over several weeks,
suggest to me that he is credible: What he says
and how he says it are consistant with what an
honest person would communicate. In addition,
other reports I have received (Southern California
sightings) over several years, as well as some
second-hand reports, support SD's account of a
large ropen-like creature in California.
 
The SD sighting, in August of 2007, was in the San
Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary near the University
of California at Irvine. The apparent-ropen flew
over Campus Road, from left to right, as SD was
driving away from the university. SD was almost
past the wildlife preserve when the creature flew
low in front of his car (daytime). Consider:

[web page on San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary]

What about possible misidentifications? Size rules
out common birds; a length of 30 ft. rules out any
bird. (The creature's flight over Campus Road showed
SD the length: equal to the 30-ft width of the road)
One potential misidentification relates to unmanned
mechanical flying devices: powered models (or glider-
models) built to look like pterosaurs. But a flying
model-pterodactyl is a poor explanation for several
reasons; let's consider them carefully.
 
One problem with that idea is that the apparent-ropen
looked wet, like it just came out of water: more like
a creature that had been sitting in the marsh than like
a flying model. A model launched to fly over the marsh
(where SD's object came from) would probably have been
dry as it flew (who wets a model plane before launching
it?). This may be a minor point (an accidental wetting
of a model before launch is possible) but there's more.
 
A bigger problem relates to shape: SD mentioned a tail
that was half the total length. What flying model of
a pterosaur has a tail 15 feet long? I made a Google
search with these words:
 
flying model pterodactyl Rhamphorhynchoid
 
[A Rhamphorhynchoid is a long-tailed pterosaur.]
 
There were several pages on ropens but none on any
flying model of a long-tailed pterosaur. If anyone
knows of a wing-flapping model pterosaur with a
tail 15 feet long, please let me know.
 
SD admitted to me that the windows were rolled up
on his car. But both of us doubt that this could
have prevented him from hearing the noise of an
engine powering a giant model pterosaur. The wings
of the 30-foot-long object were flapping at about
1.5 seconds per cycle (up-down-flap is one cycle);
if the object had been powered by an engine, SD
would have heard something, for it flew low and
just in front of the car.
 
Another problem with the giant-model hypothesis is
about the size, form, and technology involved. No
person, who would invest so much money and time to
create such a model, would launch it from the middle
of a marsh towards many trees and large buildings
(The trees where the object was flying to were near
tall buildings on the edge of the sanctuary.) And
it would have been a major job: moving the giant
model to the middle of that marsh. (Also, there are
many areas in Southern California that are much
better for launching models.) And that marsh is
lined with a fence warning against trespassing.
How could any giant-model inventor get a 30-foot
model over the fence, let alone into the huge open
marsh? And how likely is it that the inventor could
have gotten permission (so as to get help) to launch
that giant model from the off-limits area?
 
I visited the wildlife sanctuary (on the other side
of Campus Drive, where there are trails) twice, hiking
on some trails and once visiting the Audubon House
(Sea & Sage Audubon). On the first visit, none of
those I interviewed had seen or heard of any large
flying thing at the sanctuary. On my second visit, I
found a clearing in the area where SD reported the
creature was heading for. This clearing is big enough
for the creature to have landed there, but it cannot
be seen from the road on which SD was driving. I had
little hope of seeing a mostly-nocturnal ropen, in
daylight, twelve months after the sighting (I did see
many birds).
 
I'll continue looking for a second eyewitness who
might support SD's account. I will also ask the bat
watchers of the sanctuary (yes, it's an official
group) if they have seen or heard of something too
big or strange or something glowing at night.


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Bat-Ropen Connection, (part two)

I mentioned in the last newsletter that American ropens may be nocturnal
because they catch bats for food. That newsletter was sent to my contact-
person in Liberia, Africa; he has been very helpful with investigating reports
of possible pterosaurs in that part of Africa. He remembered an account
that a missionary told him about an area of Africa where pterosaur-like creatures are well known. Here is part of what he related to me about that missionary's experience:
 
"It was a dark moonless night, and he was outside by a mango tree . . .
There were dozens of large fruit bats eating noisily in the tree. Suddenly
the fruit bats scattered in every direction as something very large swooped
down in an attempt to grab one." [somewhere in Africa]
 
I was thrilled when my contact-person told me about this second-hand account. Sure, I know that a large eagle or owl could have dived at those
fruit bats, but the pterosaur-idea comes from that eyewitness's report that pterosaurs live in that part of Africa (probably the Congo, but this second-
hand report was vague on the location; the missionary himself does not
want it known.)
 
I don't take credit for being the first person to consider that large living
pterosaurs could catch and eat bats, including large fruit bats, but I feel
that this needs public attention. In the United States, where we have reports
of ropen-like or pterosaur-like creatures around bats at night, (bats much
smaller than fruit bats) living-pterosaur cryptozoologists should consider
this possiblility. Why not consult with bat experts? I'll do that myself,
but I will appreciate help; any volunteers (including Google searchers)?

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Coming Soon

Two former navy pilots, flying off the coast of
Indonesia, almost collide with a giant flying
creature; this is a 2008 sighting.
 
It will probably be sent in the next newsletter,
maybe before the end of this month.


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Archives Contents of the first eight issues of this newsletter

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Thank you for your interest in living pterosaurs.
 
Please send this email to anyone who might be interested.
 
Please send me email addresses of those who might
be interested in living-pterosaur reports. Thank you.
 
Jonathan Whitcomb
 
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