Not yet classified by Western science, the ropen of Papua New Guinea is still a cryptid, at least as of early 2009. The best video evidence (before 2009) seems to be about thirteen seconds of footage of two glowing objects, slowing pulsating. They were taken, late in 2006, by Paul Nation, deep in remote mountains of Papua New Guinea, northwest of the capital city of Port Moresby. But the name the local villagers (Tawa Village) give to this glowing flying creature is "indava." The word "ropen" is used on Umboi Island (another part of Papua New Guinea) for a large glowing creature that flies at night. Cryptozoologists, like Paul Nation, who have explored in this area of the world, believe the indava is similar to the ropen, mostly because of reports of a large size and bright glowing. The video footage taken by Paul was later analyzed, by a physicist, by computer image processing; common explanations were eliminated.
The "ropen episode" of Destination Truth (a series on the Sci-Fi Channel) was mostly filmed in the Salamaua area of Papua New Guinea, included the recording of a strange flying light; it was similar to the lights videotaped by Paul Nation. The video footage was taken back to the United States where two video-interpretation experts could not explain it.
Ropens are believed, by the American investigators, to be Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs, not Pterodactyloid pterosaurs. The creature seen (in an investigation in North American) by Scott Norman may have been a Pterodactyloid pterosaur.
Wooden carvings, native folk art, sometimes suggest a creature that may be a ropen.
Nevertheless, as of January, 2009, the ropen is still a cryptid, for the evidence of its existence is still mostly from eyewitnesses.
Ropen information in Spanish: El Ropen de Papúa Nueva Guinea
Ropen information in French: "Ropen" de Papúa la Nouvelle-Guinée
Another site in French: Les renseignements sur un animal ont appelé "ropen"
Southern California Sighting of a Ropen (also in French, Spanish, and German)
Augenzeuge Gideon Koro (German language) |