Ropens
Worldwide sightings
Ropens Living Around the World
Sketch by Eskin Kuhn
Copyright 2016-2019 Jonathan David Whitcomb
Sightings in the cryptozoology book Searching for Ropens and Finding God (fourth edition)
“I   had   an   insight:   Only   one   giant   ropen   lives full-time   in   the   interior   of   Umboi   Island.   That is   why   there   is   only   one   ropen   light   seen   at one     time     and     why     it     is     seen     only occasionally,    although    that    explanation    for the   insight   would   become   more   clear   a   few weeks     later,     when     a     native     would     tell Guessman    and    Woetzel    that    the    ropen    is seen   as   one   light,   never   as   two   lights   at   the same time.” (page 91) “An   older   woman,   Batsima,   wife   of Ake   Stani, told    Woetzel    of    an    encounter    the    Tarawe villagers    had    with    the    ropen.    Peter    Ake interpreted.    One    night,    about    two    years earlier,   the   creature   landed   on   a   big   tree   on the edge of the village. “Batsima:   'It   was   seen   on   the   big   tree   .   .   . behind the village.' “Woetzel: 'Did it land there?' “It   landed   there   for   awhile   .   .   .   the   light   was illuminating   the   village   and   when   the   people noticed   it,   after   a   couple   of   seconds,   when they   came   out   .   .   .   it   started   flying   away   .   .   . from   the   trees,   he   moved   down   towards   the beach. “So    his    light    was    shining    the    whole    time while he was sitting there? “While he was sitting on the tree. “Was it as bright as the moon? “Kind    of    like    a    bright    lantern    lamp    but    so much more brighter. “The   Tarawe   Villagers   saw   no   body   shape, only the bright ... light.” (page 104) “The   eyewitness   was   reportedly   visiting   the village     of    Yallapa,     near     Puerto     Vallarta, Mexico,    where    a    dense    jungle    stretches down   to   the   coast.   He   said   he   observed,   “a huge   black   bird-like   creature   [coming]   from the   more   mountainous   region   .   .   .   toward   the ocean   .   .   .   palm   trees   that   were   40   to   50   feet high   looked   very   small   [from   that   distance], yet    even    though    the    creature    was    at    the same    distance,    it    looked    very    big.”    He estimated   the   wingspan   about   equal   to   the length   of   the   taller   of   the   palm   trees,   around 30-40 feet.” (page 163) Many   other   pterosaur   sighting   reports   you’ll find   in   the   fourth   edition   of   the   cryptozoology book   Searching   for   Ropens   and   Finding   God (nonfiction paperback available online)
“Hi,    Jonathan    [Whitcomb].    Thank    you    so much   for   writing   back   to   me,   I   wasn’t   sure you would. I do appreciate it. “I   live   in   a   small   town   in   northeast   Georgia, called   Winder   .   .   .   (I   was   a   little   hesitant   to   .   . .    mention    being    from    Georgia    because    I don’t   want   anyone   to   think   uh-oh,   has   she got Bigfoot in the freezer too?) . . .” [Comment   from   Whitcomb]   “Fifteen   miles   of her   commute   is   on   a   two-lane   55-mph   road through    woods    alternating    with    pastures; This   part   of   Highway   82   has   few   houses   and almost     no     stop     signs.     I     presume     her description     of     the     country     is     typical     of northwest   Georgia:   dense   pine   forests   with some hardwood trees. “Commuting   to   work,   she   usually   drives   into the   morning   sun,   with   the   car   visor   down,   but it   was   unnecessary   on   August   27   [because of   tropical   storm   Fay   in   the   summer   of   2008]. She    had    driven    less    than    ten    miles,    just leaving   an   area   of   pasture,   entering   an   area of   thick   woods,   around   a   mild   downhill   curve, with   high   banks   and   brush   on   each   side   of the   road,   when   an   animal   suddenly   flew   from the    right,    just    over    the    front    of    her    car. Although    alone,    she    yelled,    ‘What    the    --- what --- what is that?’ She was stunned. “She   looked   up   at   a   'very   long'   tail   that   had   a strange shape at the end. . . .”
Wildlife sanctuary in Southern California
Sketches used by two Americans in an expedition (for questioning natives)
Compare the sketch of the ropen (bottom) with that of the Sordes pilosus  (long-tailed pterosaur)
Searching for Ropens and Finding God (nonfiction)
Sighting in the smaller book Live Pterosaurs in America  (third edition, another paperback)
Live Pterosaurs in America (3rd edition)
The ropen is a long-tailed pterosaur, a modern Rhamphorhynchoid type
ver-010