Pterosaurs
Still Living
Early Ropen Expeditions
Twentieth-century expeditions in Papua New Guinea by
Carl Baugh, missionary Jim Blume, and Paul Nation,
including their interviews with native eyewitnesses
on Umboi Island, regarding the ropen
Young Gideon Koro, of Umboi Island, in about
December of 1993 saw a frightening ropen
(long-tailed living pterosaur) flying over Lake
Pung; the featherless creature was huge.
Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea
Pterodactyls!?
Are they still alive?
Earlier history of ropen expeditions
Carl Baugh, of Texas, went to Papua New Guinea in 1994,
after the missionary Jim Blume told him of accounts of
pterosaur-like creatures there. He returned in 1996, again
with Blume. During those two expeditions, they interviewed
about twelve natives, many of whom were eyewitnesses of
flying creatures whose descriptions suggest large pterosaurs.
Many natives on Umboi Island call it ropen.
While these two investigators were near the shore of Manus
Island (north of Umboi) Blume saw the form of a glowing
creature, indistinct in details but about the shape and size of
a large penguin. The Americans were especially interested
in this, for islanders told them that the ropen glows at night.
Unfortunately, the explorers were unable to get close enough
to the object to see what it was, before it left or stopped
glowing.
One of the interviews was with a school teacher’s wife, who
saw the ropen (also called “duwas”) when it seemed to attack
a funeral procession on the northern side of Umboi Island.
The creature with a glowing tail came from the sea, flying
towards them. The mourners yelled and banged bots, which
seemed to make the ropen flew away.
Another islander described how they had to protect grave-
yards from the scavenger ropen. Some cryptozoologists
believe this large flying creature is similar to the kongamato
of Africa (another pterodactyl?): Both are seen near water;
both are said to be scavengers.
Paul Nation accompanied Baugh in the 1994 expedition.
He returned in 2002, with his son, Nathanael. They saw no
ropens that year, but Paul Nation’s videos and interviews
inspired other explorers who, following his advice, explored
Umboi Island in 2004.
Jonathan Whitcomb and his interpreter and body guard,
Luke Paina, explored the island northwest of Gomlongon
Village, and David Woetzel and Garth Guessman followed
them a little later in 2004. Those two expeditions uncovered
significant indirect evidence for the existence of the ropen
as a real animal. It also gave American cryptozoologists
eyewitness evidence supporting the concept that the ropen
is a large Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur.
Jim Blume has been a major help in this research. He has
been a missionary in Papua New Guinea for about thirty
years, putting him in contact with many natives who know
about these flying creatures. His language skills have
benefited researchers who would otherwise have not been
able to learn from the natives.
Blume accompanied Baugh to northern PNG in 1996 and
was interviewed by Garth Guessman late in 2004. He has
spoken with about 70 islanders who have seen these flying
creatures in various parts of PNG. Blume was also inter-
viewed by Guessman by telephone (in about the year 2000).
This missionary has contributed much to our knowledge of
what natives believe and know about the ropen.
Pterosaur book for
readers of all faiths
(nonfiction cross genre)
Central Papua New Guinea with
the mainland on left and Umboi
Island (Siassi) in the upper middle
Is the mid-20th-century “pterodactyl”
of eastern Cuba related to the ropen
of Papua New Guinea? Probably.
copyright 2005-2017 Jonathan Whitcomb