Long-tailed featherless ropen
The
Flying Fox is the largest bat classified by science. The wing-
span of at least one species may reach five feet or even more.
But a nocturnal creature with a wingspan of more than nine feet is unlikely to be any kind of bat. And if it has a long tail, the
bat strikes out.
If you have seen a flying thing that was sort of bat-like but too big for a bat, please contact:
Email to
Live Pterosaur dot-com
Giant Bat
The ropen was once thought to be confined mostly to Papua New Guinea. In fact, the name comes from the Kovai language of Umboi Island,
PNG.
Contrary to what was portrayed on MonsterQuest (2009 "Flying Monsters" episode), the creatures seen in Papua New Guinea, described
like large pterosaurs, are not fruit bats. The ropen has a
long tail, glows with apparent bioluminescence,
and is sometimes described
with a head crest.
And it is not an unclassified giant bat.
Giant long-tailed flying creatures with no feathers--those need not be confined in Papua New Guinea. The strange "ghost lights" or
"mystery lights" observed for decades around Marfa, Texas, may be related. But rather than being a giant bat, these creatures may
be non-bats catching bats. They are called "Marfa Lights," possible pterosaurs.