| Welcome to CHARLIE'S CHILL. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Did Pterosaurs Survive Extinction? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Topic Started: Dec 22 2005, 02:05 AM (195 Views) | ||
| Michael Blazer | Dec 22 2005, 02:05 AM Post #1 | |
|
Bullmastiff Rank
|
Did Pterosaurs Survive Extinction? Dozens of eyewitness accounts and a few intriguing photographs suggest that this flying monster, thought to have died with the dinosaurs, might still exist. They were the largest creatures to ever attain flight. With wingspans reaching nearly 40 feet, pterosaurs ruled the prehistoric skies for over 100 million years, until they died out with the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago. Or did they? There have been many modern-day sightings of creatures that by eyewitness description sound like pterosaurs. There are also intriguing rock carvings and even photographs that suggest that this species of amazing flying monsters could have survived extinction, could have soared through the skies of the southwestern United States until very recently, and might still exist in small numbers in remote parts of the world. Pterosaurs were not dinosaurs, but a family of large flying reptiles ("pterosaur" means "winged lizard") that includes the pterodactyl and pteranodon. The pterosaur stood on two rather spindly legs and had wings composed of a leathery membrane that stretched from the animal's extremely long fourth finger to its body. Despite their appearance, they were not related to birds (as dinosaurs are theorized to be), and were highly successful flyers that might have dined on fish and insects. Modern Sightings Although there seems to be no hard evidence that pterosaurs did not die out millions of years ago - no pterosaurs have ever been captured and no bodies have ever been found - sightings have persisted. Stories of flying reptiles have been recorded for many hundreds of years. Some think that tales of the "mythical" dragons in the lore of many cultures around the would could be attributed to the sighting of pterosaurs. Here are some more modern accounts: May, 1961, New York State - A businessman flying his private plane over the Hudson River Valley claimed that he was "buzzed" by a large flying creature that he said "looked more like a pterodactyl out of the prehistoric ages." Early 1960s, California - A couple driving through Trinity National Forest reported seeing the silhouette of a giant "bird" that they estimated to have a wingspan of 14 feet. They later described it as resembling a pterodactyl. January, 1976, Harlingen, Texas - Jackie Davis (14) and Tracey Lawson (11) reported seeing a "bird" on the ground that stood five feet tall, was dark in color with a bald head and a face like a gorilla's with a sharp, six-inch-long beak. A subsequent investigation by their parents uncovered tracks that had three toes and were eight inches across. February, 1976, San Antonio, Texas - Three elementary school teachers saw what they described as a pterodactyl swooping low over their cars as they drove. They said its wingspan was between 15 and 20 feet. One of the teachers commented that it glided through the air on huge, bony wings - like a bat's. September, 1982, Los Fresnos, Texas - An ambulance driver named James Thompson was stopped while driving on Highway 100 by his sighting of a "large birdlike object" flying low over the area. He described it as black or grayish with a rough texture, but no feathers. It had a five- to six-foot wingspan, a hump on the back of its head, and almost no neck at all. After consulting some books to identify the creature, he decided it most looked like a pterosaur. Africa's Kongamato While other reports of pterosaur-like creatures have come out of Arizona, Mexico and Crete, it is out of central Africa that some of the most interesting anecdotes have come. While traveling though Zambia in 1923, Frank H. Melland collected reports from natives of an aggressive flying reptile they called kongamoto, which means "overwhelmer of boats." The natives, who were occasionally tormented by these creatures, described them as being featherless with smooth skin, having a beak full of teeth and a wingspan of between four and seven feet. When shown illustrations of pterosaurs, Melland reported, "every native present immediately and unhesitatingly picked out and identified it as a kongamato." In 1925, a native man was allegedly attacked by a creature that he identified as a pterosaur. This occurred near a swamp in Rhodesia (now Zambia) where the man suffered a large wound in his chest that he said was caused by the monster's long beak. In the late 1980s, noted cryptozoologist Roy Mackal led an expedition into Namibia from which he had heard reports of a prehistoric-looking creature with a wingspan of up to 30 feet. Out of Stone If pterosaurs really died out with the dinosaurs and their fossil remains were not first discovered until 1784 (in Germany), then a depiction of one could not possibly exist in an ancient rock carving. Yet a pictograph found high on a cliff face near Thompson, Utah seems to show just that. ![]() While many experts believe the drawing is of a bird, the beak, head prominence, wings and legs also look very much like those of a pterosaur. Another fascinating tale of a pterosaur literally coming out of stone dates back to 1856 in France. Workmen were digging through Jurassic-era limestone for a railway tunnel between the St.-Dizier and Nancy lines. When a large bolder of limestone was split open, the workers were astonished to see a large winged creature come stumbling out. They said it fluttered its wings, let out a croaking noise and then dropped dead at their feet. The creature had thick black, leathery skin, a beak full of sharp teeth, long talons for feet, and membrane-like wings that spanned 10 feet, 7 inches, by their measure. The body of the creature was taken to the nearby town of Gray, according to the story, where it was identified as a pterodactyl by a student of paleontology. As reported in the Illustrated London News of February 9, 1856, the rock in which the creature had apparently been entombed for millions of years, contained a precise mold of its body. ![]() ![]() ![]() Pterosaur Photos The April 25, 1890 edition of the Tombstone Epitaph ran a story of two Arizona ranchers who claimed to have chased on horseback a flying monster "resembling a huge alligator with an extremely elongated tail and an immense pair of wings." True to the spirit of the West, they shot the creature. Taking measurements, they reported that the monster was 92 feet long with a 160-foot wingspan and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The story is not taken seriously by many researchers today, but it corresponds loosely with a story about a thunderbird that was allegedly shot in the same area in 1886 and dragged into town to be photographed. Several paranormal researchers claim to recall seeing that photo, but don't know where, and the photo has not been seen since. Then in the late 1990s, the photo at top left surfaced on the Internet, any many wondered if it was related to the long-lost photo in any way. As it turns out, however, the photo is a hoax, created by Haxan Productions for their "Freaky Links" television show. The photo at center left might also be a hoax. It was sent to Art Bell, the late night radio talk show host, by someone named Ernest Todd. Details about the origin or context of the photo were not provided. The photo appears to be taken from a newspaper, but digital manipulations would make such a forgery quite easy. Finally, the bottom left photo was e-mailed to me by a person calling himself George. It resembles the top photo somewhat and has the added effect of torn edges to give the photo an old, used look. It, too, may very well be a hoax, perhaps also from Hexan. George did not provide any details about the photo, where he found it, or where or when it might have been taken, despite repeated attempts by me to get the information. Again, it's relatively simple in today's digital world to create quite convincing fake photographs, and such images should be considered with a high degree of skepticism. But what of all the eyewitness accounts of pterosaurs? Are they merely misidentified birds and bats? Or is it just possible that this ancient species survived into the 20th century, and perhaps still exists? An even more bizarre theory is that these sightings are artifacts of a slip in time - either a look into the distant past, or that some of these flying monsters have passed through some time portal to present day. Whatever the answer, these pterosaur sightings present a fascinating glimpse into the unexplained. CREDIT BH Enterprises & Paranormal.about.com |
|
![]()
| ||
![]() |
|
|
| Abyss of Borg | Dec 22 2005, 02:32 AM Post #2 | |
|
Alsatian Rank
|
![]() Truly a great piece of photoshop work. One of my favs. These flying "monsters" are extint because if they a weren't it wouldn't make any sense. I mean in the millions of years couldn't they reproduce enough so there would be more then 1. Also it is fake because they do sell remote control ones. I've seen them on the net and cheaper smaller ones at radioshack. Eye witness acounts are always unreliable. It is proven that they will see what they want to see or what they wanted it to be after they saw it awhile ago. Like for example if someone thought they saw a wierd light in the sky that might have been a planet. Years later say after they saw an episode of the X-Files they could think and believe they saw a UFO instead of just a wierd light because they want to see that. |
|
| ||
![]() |
|
|
| Sinion Kabe | Dec 22 2005, 10:43 AM Post #3 | |
![]()
Pitbull Rank
|
I don't think they exist, personally. But you never know. Species are always turning up here and there. We don't know everything and probably won't do. | |
![]() Q P R | F C | ||
![]() |
|
|
| TRONIX | Dec 22 2005, 02:50 PM Post #4 | |
![]()
Doberman Rank
|
I have posted up these images before. Good photoshop but sadly I dont think these creatures exist anymore. |
|
![]() ![]() Useful CC Links [ FAQ | Affiliate | Cash System | Do you want $$$$$$$ | The Private Lounge | CC Topsites | CC Reviews ] | ||
![]() |
|
|
| MissBehavin | Dec 22 2005, 07:01 PM Post #5 | |
|
Wh!p La$h W0nd3r
|
well if they are photoshoped thats a very good job. because the bottom one looks real to me | |
![]() |
|
|
| Conv!ct | Dec 23 2005, 01:52 AM Post #6 | |
|
Alsatian Rank
|
These creature would not be compatible with todays environment, they lived in a time when oxygen levels where 10 time higher than they are today, which is the reason why animals grew so large, they could supply large amounts of oxygen to their muscles. | |
![]() |
|
|
| Greg | Dec 28 2005, 04:38 AM Post #7 | |
|
Bargain Pest
|
seriously doubtable... when the moon turns blue i will believe it. | |
|
Post Targets -
| ||
![]() |
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | ||
| « Previous Topic · Strange But Weird · Next Topic » |
| Theme: Charlie's Chill Exclusive | Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
7:02 AM Jul 13
|





















7:02 AM Jul 13