Northeast of Honolulu, in the Maunawili Valley, around 1970, a twelve-year-old boy stepped out into his front yard and saw, about 100 feet high, a gliding “pterodactyl.” I have looked for a possible hoax or misidentification explanation, but the email he sent me is much more consistent with a real sighting of a real pterosaur. I believe that a living pterosaur was truly what he had observed.
At first I thought it was something manmade because I thought it might be some type of a remote controlled Pterodactyl glider. The wing span (again an estimate) seemed to be about 30 (if not more) feet across. It was light brown in color with canvas like skin and absolutely no feathers. . . . When it passed across to the right of me I then realized it was a living creature because it began to flap its wings and continued to flap its wings several times at about a two second interval between flaps.
One factor that distracts from a model-glider interpretation is the estimated wingspan: “about 30 (if not more) feet across.” In addition, he said, “I continued to watch it fly towards Olomana mountain until it disappeared from sight. Total time of my sighting was between 20 and 30 seconds.” I doubt if there was any model-pterosaur that could appear like that or fly like that in 1970.
Pterosaur on the Big Island of Hawaii
The same eyewitness knows somebody who knows somebody (yes, very indirect) who reported a “pterodactyl” on the Big Island. I have no idea about that, but I hope to get something more direct on that reported sighting. Something else has come up, however, which needs attention.
I have communicated with a person who has reported numerous sightings on the Big Island of Hawaii. I hope this is not the person mentioned above (“somebody who know somebody”), and I hope my meaning is not badly misunderstood, but there is a serious problem. I relate the following points only in regard to the detailed proclamations that I have received from a person who will here remain unnamed:
- There may have been one or more sightings of a genuine pterosaur on the Big Island. I don’t yet know anything for sure about this possibility.
- The person I have communicated with on more than one occasion over the past few years does not show any obvious sign of playing any hoax. The person seems to be sincere in wanting to help with the cryptozoological investigations.
- This person may be able to assist us in cryptozoological research, at some time in the future, and I hope this will be the case. But for the present, there are serious problems with at least some of the proclamations made by this person.
- Over the past eight years, I have been ridiculed for my part in the cryptozoological investigations into reports of living pterosaurs. One of the words used by a few critics is “crazy.” I plead with all who make any comment on this subject: Avoid bulverism. Stick with reasoning on the possibility (or impossibility) of modern living pterosaurs and avoid attacking or ridiculing any person with any word at all like “crazy.”
- If or when any person enounters any report of a possible living pterosaur on the Big Island of Hawaii, please get in touch with me before publicizing anything about it. I may then report details that would be inappropriate here.
I have started organizing the Pterosaur Eyewitness Group Support (PEGS) to encourage open communication between those who have observed apparent “pterodactyls” and those who have only read about or heard about the encounters.
Update from Jonathan Whitcomb:
The eyewitness who was a 12-year-old boy around 1970—he has agreed to have his name be used in publications on his sighting of the “Pterodactyl flying (gliding) from the direction of the Koolaus towards Olomana.” His name is Les Kouke.