Long-tailed Pterosaur in Spain

Three years ago, I received a long email from an Englishman who had a sighting of a pterosaur in Spain, just a few months earlier. This flying creature may be related to the kongamato of Africa, or at least to some pterosaur-like creatures seen in Africa.

. . . I assure you I am NOT LYING- I’ve got literally no interest in making something like this up. Apart from the two people with me at the time, I haven’t mentioned this to anyone (bar yourself now), simply because I realise it sounds odd, and can’t be bothered to have to defend myself on this. However, I firmly believe that anyone seeing something generally considered unbelievable should mention it to people who are actively researching the field . . .

. . . last summer, some friends and I drove from England . . . to Benecassim (in East Spain—near los desert del palmas I think) for a music festival. One night, whilst sitting on the ground by the tents . . . I saw what I at first assumed was an owl gliding over the campsite (I assumed that because it was night time, and obviously no other birds would be out-bar things like nightjars-which this was not!) – it passed right over us, probably about 30-40ft high, and as I watched it, I realised it was definitely no owl I’d ever seen before. It was the colour of suede/sand, looked like the same sort of texture as suede (i.e no feathers), had a long thin tail, and didn’t flap once. I only saw it for a few seconds . . . it fairly quickly passed into the dark . . .

. . . wingspan I’d estimate to be only 2-3 feet tip to tip, and was gliding for the whole time I saw it. The impression I got was a lot more bat-like than bird, except it had a beak, and I realise that owls have flat faces, and bats obviously don’t have beaks.

The eyewitness could not tell whether or not the creature had a head crest, for it flew directly overhead. Several aspects of his report caused me to rate his account highly credible.