Other Umboi
Island Eyewitnesses
Pterosaurs Still Living
Many natives living on the tropical island of Umboi (Siasi), Papua New Guinea, have seen the
flying light, the bioluminescent glow of the ropen. Compare their experiences with others in PNG.
The 20th-century American explorers who searched for these
large featherless flying creatures in Papua New Guinea include
Carl Baugh and Paul Nation. Those who started expeditions
in the 21st century include Jonathan Whitcomb, David Woetzel,
Peter Beach, and Milt Marcy. Late in 2017, the PNG native
Rex Yapi Epa prepared for a major expedition on Umboi Island.
In 2005, the LDS explorer J. D. Whitcomb started writing his
first book: Searching for Ropens. It was finished one year later,
yet other nonfiction books followed: Live Pterosaurs in America
(now in its third edition), Live Pterosaurs in Australia and in
Papua New Guinea (free pdf book), and Modern Pterosaurs.
Searching for Ropens and Finding God is in its fourth edition.
copyright 2005-2017 Jonathan Whitcomb
The missionary Jim Blume interprets the old man’s
account: Long ago, the ropen uncovered a human
body that had been buried in leaves.
A villager describes the light that flew overhead.
In Opai Village, Umboi Island, oral traditions and
stories of the ropen are kept alive by this man (seen
here in an interview, in 2002, by Paul Nation and
by an interpreter of the Tok-Pisin language).
Mark Kau (pronounced “cow”), of Gomlongon
Village, tells an interpreter about one of his
sightings of the glow of the flying ropen
Gideon Koro’s first videotaped interview, in 1994, was
just months after his frightening encounter with the giant
ropen over a crater lake on Umboi Island (Lake Pung).
During a videotaped interview conducted by
the American Carl Baugh, a young woman
described how the ropen flew over their
village (Lab Lab, Umboi Island, PNG).
Another islander, when shown a magazine
illustration of a pterosaur, told the interpreter
that he himself had seen flying creatures like
that. They eat fish and live in “caves.”
This man reported that this kind of flying
creature stole some fish from a camp
one night. In his language the ropen is
called, in their village tongue, “duwas.”
The interpreter showed, Jim Blume, shows
the picture, in a magazine, to the native
islander: pterosaur, a.k.a. “pterodactyl.”