The Ropen is a flying cryptid alleged to live in the vicinity of Papua New Guinea. According to the second edition of the book Searching for Ropens, it is “any featherless creature that flies in the Southwest Pacific, and has a tail-length more than 25% of its wingspan,” but according to the third edition of that book, it is “A modern pterosaur with Rhamphorhynchoid characteristics.” On Umboi Island the word “ropen” refers to a large nocturnal creature that glows briefly as it flies.
The ropen is the subject of folklore (like a man but also like a spirit) but it’s believed by some natives to be a real animal. Descriptions vary, but it is often said to be batlike, and sometimes, Pterosaur-like; although pterosaurs are generally accepted to have been extinct. The ropen is believed to be nocturnal and to exhibit bioluminescence. Purportedly it lives on a diet of fish, though there have been some reports of the creature feasting on human flesh, especially grave robbery.
