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by Eskin C. Kuhn (Illustrator), Patty Carson (Illustrator), Jonathan David Whitcomb (Author)
Encounters with living pterosaurs Live "pterodactyls?" In the United States? Many scientists have long assumed all pterosaurs died millions of years ago. Now take a whirlwind tour of many years of investigations in cryptozoology, and prepare for a shock: At least two species of pterosaurs have survived, uncommon, not so much rare as widely, thinly distributed. Nocturnal pterosaurs have always lived among us, but hidden by something. Enter now the realm of a new branch of cryptozoology, a branch overshadowed by the dogma of a "universal extinction." How did scientists miss living pterosaurs? Get the answers here, hidden secrets about how these amazing flying creatures of the night have gone mostly unreported: Until recently, almost nobody would listen to eyewitnesses; but for the past seven years many of them have been interviewed by the author of this book. Many modern pterosaurs are much larger than any bat, many with long tails, many with head crests. What about news headlines? How did these creatures avoid media attention? Get the answers from years of work by American cryptozoologists. The old "fruit bat" explanation for reports of pterosaurs in Papua New Guinea--that bat idea has now been shot down; the tail length of the larger creatures has been estimated at a minimum of ten feet and a maximum of over twenty feet. More shocking, these giant long-tailed flying creatures are not confined to the southwest Pacific: They are seen in the contiguous United States of America. Most pterosaurs in North America, however, are smaller, with many wingspan estimates at less than fifteen feet; nevertheless, how shocking! What amazing encounters! In California, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and many other states, eyewitnesses have seen strange featherless creatures flying overhead. These are not bats; most have long tails and are bigger than any bat. Dive into eyewitness testimonies; compare sightings through the author's detailed analysis. Third edition, nonfiction
Author Biography
About eyewitness accounts of living pterosaurs, Jonathan Whitcomb has written more books, more web pages, and more blogs than any other person on earth. Google-search with something like "live pterosaur" and about 90% the first-page results will link to pages with at least some reference to this cryptozoologist. Both "Destination Truth" and "Monsterquest" consulted with him in the early phases of preparing their television productions about these flying creatures. Wikipedia's definition of "ropen" gives explicit credit to Whitcomb's first nonfiction book. From late 2003 to the present, there has hardly been any publicized living-pterosaur investigation in which he has not had some part or in which he has not given a consultation or written a commentary. As a forensic videographer, Jonathan Whitcomb was an independent interviewer and video specialist for attorney firms. After examining home video footage of natives on a tropical island, he became convinced that they were telling the truth about what they had seen: a creature Westerners would label "pterodactyl." The deportment of the natives, while telling about their eyewitness experiences, gave them high credibility. He set aside his work in legal video, traveling to Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, and leading the first ropen expedition of 2004. After interviewing many natives, he returned to the United States convinced of the identity of the ropen: a living Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur; but he did not return to his former profession: He became a writer, proclaiming to the world that pterosaurs are still living. But even before his expedition in the southwest Pacific, he began receiving reports from eyewitnesses in the United States; Americans also see large or giant featherless flying creatures unlike any bat. Whitcomb continued interviewing Americans until it became obvious that modern pterosaurs seen in the contiguous states are not just stragglers from Central America: They live here for at least part of the year. Although he himself is not a Young Earth Creationist, Whitcomb has worked with several YEC cryptozoologists; he encourages cooperation between scientists and cryptozoologists of various origin-beliefs. Although he advocates some critical literal interpretations of the Old Testament in relation to modern pterosaurs, religious and philosophical references are limited in this book, confined mostly to part of the appendix. He has written this book to be enjoyed by readers of many beliefs.
