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Living Pterosaurs in Africa: Similar to the Ropen?

The Kongamato, according to Wikipedia, is said to reside in Western Zambia, Angola and Congo (Africa). According to In Witchbound Africa (non-fiction book by F. Melland), this very dangerous creature flies along certain rivers, attacking small boats, at times, hence the name that means “breaker of boats.” Although the wingspan seems smaller than the ropen of Papua New Guinea (four to seven feet), some pterosaur-like creatures in P.N.G. have been described as about that size, especially the kor of the Manus Island area (northern P.N.G.).

But what about the “flying snake” of Namibia? According to research done by the British cryptozoologist Richard Muirhead, one of these creatures “swooped down” from a cave near Kirris West, in 1942, (sixty miles east of Keetmanshoop, south-west Namibia.) It left a trace of something on the ground and a burning smell. Could that burning smell be related to the cause of death of a fisherman who was killed by a kor (northern Papua New Guinea, 1960’s)? The man died three days after being attacked by the pterosaur-like animal; his body was not just torn: It was also burned. In at least one other area of Papua New Guinea, the creatures are said to drip a liquid that can burn human skin.

A New Name: Kor

I have been communicating, by email, with a man who was born on Manus Island (northern Papua New Guinea). How thrilling it was to learn a new local name for the ropen! “Kor” they call the nocturnal glowing creature that flies over the sea, catching fish.

It seems to be at least closely related to pterosaur-like creatures in other areas of Papua New Guinea. Names include seklo-bali, duwas, indava, wawanar, and of course ropen. Among these, the only one that I do not yet have much information about is “wawanar;” all I was told (by a native sailor who is from Pilio Island and knows the legend) was that the wawanar is the dragon who owns the land and the sea.

Like other nocturnal glowing flying creatures in Papua New Guinea, the kor may be related to the Marfa Lights of Texas. It may also be related to the lights seen by the British biologist Evelyn Cheesman, on the mainland of New Guinea, in the 1930’s.

第二次世界大戦で、軍艦が島の洞穴を砲撃しました。