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The Ropen is a tailed flying cryptid described by folks on Umboi Island in PNG.
This Cryptid site has a reasonable description and interesting discussion
cryptidz.fandom.com
It is often said the famous entomologist Evelyn Cheeseman was the first scientist to see the Ropen, In fact what she saw were glowing objects in the sky there was nothing 'pterodactyl' to the sighting, but she is used to led credence to the Ropen existence.
In the late 20C creationists drifted into cryptozoology because they thought living dinosaurs would disprove evolution and prove creationism. This is just so dumb for a few reasons though mainly because we have billions of living dinos already, they are called birds. Much of the information about the Ropen has come through this lens of these creationists. Johnathon Whitcomb is the main proponent, I bought his book more than a decade ago and was profoundly disappointed. There really was no good evidence. He has a site called Living Pterosaur.
A few years ago a video purporting to be proof of the Ropen began doing the rounds. It's been removed from YouTube, I think because it is clearly a frigate bird. The Youtube video I have posted below has the alleged bit with the Ropen at the 24 minute mark it shows the clip and yep, it still a frigate bird. People see what they want/expect to see.
The Smithsonian has an article about the Ropen and why it isn't.
www.smithsonianmag.com
This Cryptid site has a reasonable description and interesting discussion
Ropen
The Ropen, meaning "demon flyer",is a cryptid thought to be either a big bat, or more commonly, a pterosaur on New Guinea Island[1]. It is said to produce a light, possibly to attract fish. The Ropen is cryptid alleged to live in the vicinity of the Indonesian Papua province and the nation of...
It is often said the famous entomologist Evelyn Cheeseman was the first scientist to see the Ropen, In fact what she saw were glowing objects in the sky there was nothing 'pterodactyl' to the sighting, but she is used to led credence to the Ropen existence.
In the late 20C creationists drifted into cryptozoology because they thought living dinosaurs would disprove evolution and prove creationism. This is just so dumb for a few reasons though mainly because we have billions of living dinos already, they are called birds. Much of the information about the Ropen has come through this lens of these creationists. Johnathon Whitcomb is the main proponent, I bought his book more than a decade ago and was profoundly disappointed. There really was no good evidence. He has a site called Living Pterosaur.
A few years ago a video purporting to be proof of the Ropen began doing the rounds. It's been removed from YouTube, I think because it is clearly a frigate bird. The Youtube video I have posted below has the alleged bit with the Ropen at the 24 minute mark it shows the clip and yep, it still a frigate bird. People see what they want/expect to see.
The Smithsonian has an article about the Ropen and why it isn't.
Don't Get Strung Along by the "Ropen" Myth
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