Excerpts from the book – Live Pterosaurs in America

September 20, 2018

New Cryptozoology Book

just east of Griffith Park in Los Angeles

By living-pterosaur author Jonathan Whitcomb

Upcoming ebook “Live Pterosaurs in America” (fourth edition)

The following quotations are from a preliminary version of this book’s interior. The final publication may differ, at least in a few details. This will be the fourth edition of Live Pterosaurs in America, to be published first in ebook format. (The third edition, only in print format, was published in 2011.)

Chapter 2: Sightings of Pterosaurs in California

Long before getting this report early in 2018, I had concluded that at least some modern pterosaurs in the United States navigate by following stream beds or storm channels. This is more obvious in some of the many reports from Southern California, not that a flying creature always needs to be directly over such a structure on the ground, in order to use it for navigation.

Chapter 4: More-Recent Reports

I can only describe . . . a dragon or flying dinosaur. . . . I saw this large dark colored flying animal. At first I thought it was a vulture. However, I notice that it had pointed wings and a long tail that was skinny and had a pointed shape at the end of it like a triangle or something . . .

The fourth edition of SFRFG mentions this encounter in Raleigh, North Carolina, and says, “The many hundreds of comments on this encounter, some positive but mostly negative, deserve attention, yet not here.” It’s time to dive into some of those details. . . .

The [apparent living pterosaur] seen flying over the I-540 in Raleigh, in March of 2013, appeared to have a wingspan of five to six feet, much smaller than the one in Idaho. It had small things in the middle of the wings that could have been claws, according to the eyewitness, who reported the sighting on a musician’s forum within hours of the encounter. . . .

Let’s now pause to take all this in context. This forum discussion began in March of 2013 (The Gear Page—still online early in June of 2018), when the great majority of Americans had little or no comprehension of any reports of pterosaur sightings in North America. Not until January of 2018, apparently, did newspapers like The News and Observer or the news outlet Charlotte Stories report sightings of apparent “flying dinosaurs” in North Carolina and specifically in Raleigh. That’s when some of the media in that area responded to my press release. In other words, many of those who commented on The Gear Page forum knew little or nothing about pterosaurs except what they had been exposed to all of their lives: universal extinctions.

“Los Angeles River, near location of sighting of May 13, 2013 . . .”

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New cryptozoology book

“I found this book very interesting. . . . The problem with science is that we think we know it all and that is far from reality. This book shows courage to continue the search. If you have an interest in cryptozoology you should read this.” [reader comment from Dale, who lives in Pennsylvania]

Nonfiction cryptozoology book

Searching for Ropens and Finding God – fourth edition

Live Pterosaurs in America (cryptozoology book)

Some of the publications listed are these:

Bird From Hell
Mysteries of the Unexplained
Live Pterosaurs in America
Searching for Ropens and Finding God

Cryptozoology book by Whitcomb

On the verge of the most astonishing discovery in the history of biology . . . “Live Pterosaurs in America”

Modern pterosaurs in North America

Two sightings of Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs in eastern Cuba in the mid-20th century, one by Patty Carson and one by Eskin Kuhn

Living pterosaurs (or pterodactyls) in California

Sightings included in CA:

Fremont
Anaheim

Non-extinct pterosaurs in North Carolina

Where do these flying creatures appear? They have been reported in Raleigh, Durham, Asheville, Wilmington, and in other areas of N.C., as well as in Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and in many other states

July 26, 2014

Live Pterosaurs in Texas

In the new nonfiction book Searching for Ropens and Finding God, several sighting reports from Texas are included, encounters with very strange flying creatures.

From page 217

I got an email, in August of 2010, from a lady who had seen an “extremely large bird” that looked like a “pterodactyl.” The eyewitness was only a child in 1988 or 1989, when the creature flew over the playground of a school in the Houston area. Apparently she knew nothing, at the time, about other sightings in that area, strange flying creatures seen in southeast Texas in the 1980’s. Only when she was older did she look for reports of other sightings like hers.

From page 219

Getting back to the lady’s encounter northwest of Austin, she told her husband, “It looked like a pterodactyl.” Note that she first was thinking or hoping for a commonplace explanation: a big turkey vulture, only this thing had a long neck and a pointed beak and head. The wingspan was the length of the water trough, six feet, and it was “at least four foot tall.”

From page 221

Consider more of what he told me. It was the loud screeching that caused him to look up. He saw nothing strange at first, just something circling high up in the sky, like a hawk or buzzard. The screeching continued as the boy ran to the house to get binoculars, for the sound was strange and he was unsure if it was coming from the dark-colored thing that was gliding fast, unlike a bird.

Why so few Newspaper Headlines?

Here’s a small part of the answer, from page 300 of the book:

For the past century and a half, few newspapers have ever put a live-pterodactyl story on the front page. Why? Hardly any biologist would admit that kind of creature could still exist. Yet what could grab the attention of a biologist other than a front-page newspaper headline? It was almost impossible for any biologist to see the big picture in pterosaur sightings until the past few years, when many people, from around the world, have become connected by the internet. But even if a professor sees a report about a sighting, that’s just one report.

In other words, very few biology professors have anything remotely like a broad perspective on eyewitness reports of flying creatures that resemble pterosaurs. Without that support from those kind of professors, few newspapers publish articles on such reports. But that is part of what is needed to attract the attention of biology professors: media reports of apparent living pterosaurs.

Flying Creature in Los Angeles

On a pleasant day in June of 2012, I walked into the Sheriff station in Lakewood, California, two miles northeast of my home in Long Beach. I knew better than to tell a police officer of my concerns about the safety of family pets now that pterodactyls had invaded the community. . . .

Religion and Science in the new Ropen Book

How much religion and science are found in the nonfiction Searching for Ropens and Finding God? It depends on what you’re looking for.

February 16, 2013

New Comment on “Live Pterosaurs in America”

Although the third edition of Live Pterosaurs in America has been available for a year now, the most recent comment on this crypotozoology book is for the second edition:

Some of the words of Lisa Roark

Dear Sir, Thank you for writing such an interesting and well-documented book on pterosaur sightings in America! I literally danced down to the mailbox when it arrived, and hardly put it down until I had finished the last page. . . .

I loved your cautious, yet enthusiastic writing style. Thank you so very much for all your good work. I read parts of it aloud to my family, and they seemed to enjoy it, too. Whereas I would love to encourage others to read your wonderful work, I am not currently allowing my own particular copy of your book to leave my house! It is just too important to lose! May God richly bless you!

From the book itself:

Acknowledgements

In the United States of America—that’s where Scott Norman, in 2007, became the first American cryptozoologist to see a clear form of a living pterosaur while searching for one: a large flying creature with a head three to four feet long. We mourn the passing (from natural causes) of our young friend who is deeply missed in the cryptozoology community.

Introduction

During those years of expeditions in the southwest Pacific, reports in our own country became impossible to ignore; I received many emails from eyewitnesses across the United States, and the reports kept coming in. Pterosaur-like creatures are not all confined to the tropics. As we began to listen to those Americans, we noticed report-similarities: long tails (often) and apparent bioluminescence (sometimes). We began to believe.

Chapter Two – California Sightings

In the summer of 1891, southeast of Fresno, several eyewitnesses reported two featherless flying creatures with wingspans of fifteen feet. Reportedly reputable residents around Reedley described the two “dragons” for the newspaper: broad heads, long bills, and large eyes. “On the night of July 11 . . . their peculiar cries and the rustling of their mammoth wings were heard as late as 10 o’clock.”

Chapter Three – Other U.S. Sightings

. . . it is the eyewitnesses who see apparent living pterosaurs, and many of them, when they first noticed something flying, assumed “a bird.” The point? Eyewitnesses are not biased in favor of living pterosaurs, yet details of appearance caused them to conclude that they had seen pterosaurs: the diamond-shaped end-of-tail, or featherless-creature-with-headcrest. Nobody “wants to see” these pterosaur-features on what is first assumed to be a bird. The explanation? Maybe they really did see living pterosaurs.

Back cover of the third edition of Live Pterosaurs in America

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Another review, this one quite lengthy, comes from a WordPress blog post:

A Whole new Level of Weirdness

. . . it could be that Whitcomb’s writing style (generally readable, occasionally jars, perhaps a cultural thing) without all the usual journalistic fluff like “Ada was just putting the kettle on as sunshine played across the blinds…” — none of that in Whitcomb’s reports, just his questions asked and the answers rendered verbatim — does not really sell the witnesses. He is definitely sceptical of the testimony he receives, and shows critical thinking about testimony issues, and I must say is an intelligent bloke by the sound of his book. . . .

. . . why do I think Whitcomb’s book is worthwhile and interesting? Because while the individual cases are perhaps weak, he draws a good statistical case that something is going on from his tiny sample. Put simply, the physical traits of the pterosaurs described by the witnesses do not seem to reflect the Hollywood stereotype of the pterodactyl we all know. There are different types of creature which emerge from the data, and the majority have attributes which are surprising.

Cryptozoology Book on Pterosaur Sightings in USA

I couldn’t put this book down. It is absolutely fascinating to read about eyewitness accounts of the people who have seen these creatures. To learn about these testimonies from such an open minded perspective is refreshing in the extreme! . . . Jonathan Whitcomb needs to write more books!

Science and Pterosaur Sightings

Averaging the two types of tail descriptions, the first group is at 36.5% and the second is at 35%, which is practically the same. This strongly suggests that eyewitness do not suffer from any significant memory degradation regarding those two descriptions of the tail.

February 25, 2012April 2, 2012

“Pterodactyl” in Southern States

No sightings were reported in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, in the third edition of Live Pterosaurs in America. But “pterodactyls” have been reported in other southern states: New Mexico, Texas, Georgia, and Florida.

From LPA-3: Winder, Georgia, Sightings

Late in the summer of 2008, I received an email from a lady who lives in Winder, Georgia. . . . Her first sighting was at 7 a.m., the second, 9 a.m., with both mornings overcast . . . Both times she phoned a friend to tell him of her extraordinary experience.

. . . 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 told me what made her yell out loud: It was the tail; she looked up at a “very long” tail that had a strange shape at the end. She later sent me some sketches (she is a professional artist but has not given me permission to publish the sketches), one of them showing a thick almost-heart-shape at the end of the tail; it differs from the usual “diamond” shape suggested by some eyewitnesses, but I believe this creature is related to the others.

Large Flying Creature in New Mexico

“I live in central N.M.. Fourteen years ago, in [Socorro], N.M., me and a close friend, who now has a masters in biology, were hiking during the midday sun at [a] box canyon and something blocked the sun for a moment. We both looked up to see what did that and saw a large flying animal.”

Arkansas Pterosaurs

“My father and I saw a huge, featherless bird in Arkansas . . . We were sitting on big rocks at a cliff about 300 foot above the river when it flew out just under us and we watched it all the way down toward the river till it passed the tree lines. It was an awesome experience, indeed. It was however smaller, and wing span of maybe eight feet . . .”

Live Pterosaurs in America -third edition of the nonfiction book - covers An Amazon review of the third edition of Live Pterosaurs in America:

Mr. Whitcomb does a thorough job questioning indoctrination and the close-mindedness of the Western world. Reading so many eye-witness reports of people who have seen living pterosaurs in America was mind-opening, to say the least. Speculation is not an easy thing to address, but Whitcomb does a noteworthy job stringing together testimony and speculation in a scientific, yet personal way. The passion that Whitcomb and the pterosaur witnesses feel about these investigations make this book a great read and keep the pages turning. If you are prepared to question the indoctrination society has imposed on you since childhood, you are ready for Live Pterosaurs in America.

January 25, 2012

Revised Review for Live Pterosaurs in America

I don’t know the real name of the reviewer “stevie” on Amazon, but I am very grateful for his revised review of the second edition of my book Live Pterosaurs in America. He recently changed his four-star rating to five-star.

Before quoting from his lengthy review, I quote from the introduction in the third edition of LPA, for it reveals an important part of my motivation (added comments, not in the book, are in brackets [ ] ).

If this book does nothing more than comfort the eyewitnesses of strange creatures [comforting them to know that they are not alone and insane], I would be grateful; but there’s much more. We need to understand why we believe what we believe. . . . while writing this book, I mentioned my work to a second-grader; she said, “Who will buy your book? Crazy people?” I think better of you. And I think, because of what she and many others have told me, that we must understand indoctrination, for it influences our beliefs; the extent of that influence discomforts me.

If money were my primary motivation for writing books, I would have given up being an author years ago. Giving someone joy and purpose, even in just a short reading session—that motivates me to keep writing. The following excerpts from “stevie’s” review give an example of what helps me to keep writing, even when some critics accuse me of spreading lies (I will leave that unpleasant subject alone for now). Thank you to all my readers who recognize the truth in what they read.

This is an updated review of the book and I am changing my rating to 5 stars. This book has been on my shelf for almost a year now. I pick it up every now and then and a part of me becomes more impressed by the book every time. . . .

Whitcomb painstakingly reviews every account for credibility and reason. This man is not a crank. He tries to weed out would be hoaxes and miss-identification. This is not a guy looking to create evidence to confirm his own beliefs. On top of this, I have great respect for a guy who follows his dreams so passionately. He has traveled to Papua New Guinea to search for the creature there and this book is somewhat of a sequel if you will. After Whitcomb traveled to New Guinea, he started to collect more stories from North America concerning the pterosaur like creature . . .

. . . This is well written and very hard to put down.

Thank you for those words. They will help me to continue to get up at 3:00 on cold winter mornings. I thank God that I am not alone in this society that frowns at living pterosaurs.

December 23, 2011December 23, 2011

Cryptozoology Book LPA-3 on Amazon Discount

Amazon.com has just discounted the third edition of Live Pterosaurs in America: $9.82. This is also eligible for the Free Super Saver Shipping (See Amazon explanation for the free shipping offer).

Excerpt From the Cryptozoology Book (Page 42)

“My friend and I were talking and I mentioned that I had seen an extremely large bird that resembled a pterodactyl some years ago when [I was] driving to town from the family farm between Rush Center and Larned, Kansas. I could not believe my eyes as I immediately thought of a prehistoric bird when I saw it. It must have had a wing-span of 16-20 feet.

“I asked my friend what kind of bird it could have been. We looked at pictures on the internet to see if we could figure anything out. I know he thought I had a vivid imagination, etc. So I decided to check further and ran across this site. I was amazed to find a lot written about others who claim to have seen such a bird. I never said too much to anyone about it because, of course, such a claim raises eyebrows. Also, I figured if I saw it others must have too (you couldn’t miss it); but I never heard anything about it from anyone else.”

Live Pterosaurs in America (“From the Author”) on Amazon

“My friend and I were talking and I mentioned that I had seen an extremely large bird that resembled a pterodactyl some years ago when [I was] driving to town from the family farm between Rush Center and Larned, Kansas. I could not believe my eyes as I immediately thought of a prehistoric bird when I saw it. It must have had a wing-span of 16-20 feet.
“I asked my friend what kind of bird it could have been. We looked at pictures on the internet to see if we could figure anything out. I know he thought I had a vivid imagination, etc. So I decided to check further and ran across this site. I was amazed to find a lot written about others who claim to have seen such a bird. I never said too much to anyone about it because, of course, such a claim raises eyebrows. Also, I figured if I saw it others must have too (you couldn’t miss it); but I never heard anything about it from anyone else.”

Publisher of Live Pterosaurs in America (third edition)

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

September 19, 2011February 17, 2012

Third Edition is Only Weeks Away

The third edition of Live Pterosaurs in America is only a few weeks away from publication. The final stage is awaiting some sketches from an eyewitness. Although there may still be some changes from editing, the present stage is close to complete, so here are some previews:

Acknowledgements

To the eyewitnesses who’ve bravely come forward, telling us of apparent living pterosaurs, I dedicate this book. They deserve to be heard. . . .

. . . In the United States of America—that’s where Scott Norman, in 2007, became the first American cryptozoologist to see a clear form of a living pterosaur while searching for one: a large flying creature with a head three to four feet long. We mourn the passing (from natural causes) of our young friend who is deeply missed in the cryptozoology community.

Introduction

If this book does nothing more than comfort the eyewitnesses of strange creatures, I would be grateful; but there’s much more. We need to understand why we believe what we believe. When I first began researching these eyewitness sightings, years ago, I mentioned a word to a kindergartner: “pterosaurs;” he said, “A comet.” Years later, while writing this book, I mentioned my work to a second-grader; she said, “Who will buy your book? Crazy people?” I think better of you. And I think, because of what she and many others have told me, that we must understand indoctrination, for it influences our beliefs; the extent of that influence discomforts me. . . .

. . . These flying creatures, apparent pterosaurs seen by eyewitnesses in Papua New Guinea, in America, and in other countries, have not yet been captured or clearly photographed, so they’re still classified not in zoology textbooks but in cryptozoology. . . . still . . . you be the judge.

Pterodactyls and Bulverism (the cryptozoology book is quoted)

When someone publishes a web site with a URL that includes the words “stupid” and “lies,” and the point of the site is to ridicule those who promote the idea of living dinosaurs or living pterosaurs, “bulverism” probably fits . . . Of course “libel” also fits, but . . . Individuals are attacked, real persons, me and my associates. Quotations of what we say can be hard to find on that site; the attacker’s portrayal of our motivations, easy to find. An average reader who gets very far on that site is unlikely to search out the actual words and deeds of living-pterosaur investigators. Why search for the writings of people who are both stupid and liars? But what if the critical mistake is in the one making accusations?

[The third edition of Live Pterosaurs in America (available on Amazon) was published early in November, 2011]

Pterosaur Sighting Expert

. . . he has written blog posts and web pages on living pterosaurs, about one thousand total: mostly analysis of eyewitness reports, replies to critics, and answers to common questions. He has also written two nonfiction books and a paper in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

November 8, 2010November 25, 2010

LPA (Second Edition) Nearing Publication

The publication of the second edition of Live Pterosaurs in America is approaching, with final editing within the next two weeks or so. It may take several more weeks, however, to become visible on Amazon, with direct sales from the publisher coming first. [Amazon page actually showed up on Nov 23, 2010.]

Two Pterosaurs in Cuba

This new edition of the book will include several pages (in the appendix) on Eskin Kuhn’s 1971 sighting in Cuba. Although this was outside the contiguous forty-eight states, it was included because of its proximity. This extraordinary sighting deserves a partial quotation:

How rare the ropen pair, in daylight, daring sortie in the air! Notwithstanding rarity, two long-tailed intruders flew over the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, mesmerizing the marine Eskin Kuhn. . .

[Words of Mr. Kuhn] ” . . . I saw two pterosaurs (or pterodactyls . . . what’s in a name?) flying together at low altitude, perhaps 100 feet, very close in range from where I was standing, so that I had a perfectly clear view of them. . . . they were flying and not merely gliding . . . The rate of their [wing flaps] was more like that of crows, perhaps a little slower, but very graceful.”

Two Pterosaurs In Washington State

Also newly included in the second edition of the book is the sighting report about two large long-tailed pterosaurs seen in daylight in rural Washington state. The two creatures may have been involved in courtship, as one of them was hopping off and onto a fence while the other one watched. The teenaged eyewitness of the creatures was riding his bike when he saw them; he nearly fell off.

Purpose of the Book

An unforseen purpose for this cryptozoology book has come to light, soon after the publication of this second edition. It may be used as part of a remedy for mild teenager malaise. In fact, one pre-teen in Florida, became so excited with living pterosaur investigations, that he started his own interviewing investigation, becoming a child cryptozoologist. One of the sighting reports in the book came from this child’s interview with an eyewitness of a strange flying creature in St. Louis, Missouri.