reconstruction of what Lufengosaurus
might have regarded like in life (© Debivort/Wikipedia – CC BY-SA 3.0 licence)
On 13 March 2019, I blogged right here on ShukerNature
about numerous reviews emanating from New Guinea and its smaller neighbouring
islands (particularly New Britain) regarding giant unidentified creatures that
have typically been likened to dwelling non-avian dinosaurs. Specifically, I
documented some searches made throughout this current century for such cryptids by
thriller beast investigators Brian Irwin and Todd Jurasek (click on right here to entry this ShukerNature
article of mine).
Recently, furthermore, Brian has kindly made
freely accessible to me for full use on ShukerNature an intensive report written
by him that not solely covers among the incidents recorded by me in my earlier
article but in addition comprises a lot extra, contemporary data, together with particulars
referring to additional, more moderen searches by him. Consequently, and with
Brian’s variety permission, I now have pleasure in reproducing beneath his full
report, which incorporates plenty of illustrations all provided by him and whose
copyright, until in any other case famous, belongs to him. Thanks Brian!
Is A Giant Theropod Nonetheless Alive In Papua New Guinea?
By Brian Irwin
Tim
Neville is an Australian who labored for the Wallindi Plantation Resort at
Kimbe, West New Britain in Papua New Guinea. In 1992-93, Tim was diving off the
east coast of Alage (Aui) Island, positioned off the south coast of West New
Britain between Kandrian and Gasmata. Whereas diving, Tim noticed some giant
three toed foot prints of an unknown animal within the mud on the ocean ground. Tim
later enquired on the neighbouring Ambungi and Sep Sep Islands concerning the
existence of a dwelling dinosaur. Nobody at these islands had data of any
such creature at the moment. Nonetheless, sightings of an animal resembling a theropod
dinosaur commenced round Ambungi Island a few years later.1
The
writer has travelled to West New Britain quite a few instances.2 With the
exception of Alphones Likky, all eyewitnesses on this report had been interviewed
throughout an expedition in November 2022. Alphones was interviewed by the writer
in 2012.
The
three islands positioned on the south of West New Britain between Kandrian and
Gasmata the place the reptilian creature has been sighted. Every sq. on the map
represents one sq. kilometre.
Alphones Likky’s sighting in 1995
Alphones
was spear fishing on the reef on the east aspect of Ambungi Island in 1995. Whereas
he was underwater on the underside of the reef and going through south, he heard
one thing crashing into the coral behind him. When Alphones rotated he
was startled to see a big animal solely about 5 metres away and totally
submersed. The animal had an extended neck and tail, with giant rear legs and
duck-like ft. The forelimbs had been a lot smaller than the rear legs. The pores and skin
was darkish brown and the pinnacle was small and snake-like. A dermal frill (‘noticed’)
was seen on the animal’s again and tail, however not on the neck. The animal was
bipedal and walked slowly with its neck horizontal. The tail was noticed to be
shifting significantly whereas the animal was strolling. The creature was
roughly 4 metres in size from the entrance limbs to the top of the tail
and the peak was 2 to three metres. The sighting might have lasted as much as 10 seconds
earlier than Alphones surfaced and left the realm in worry. There are some small caves
on the east of Ambungi Island and Alphones mentioned the animal was heading within the
path of one of many caves. Nonetheless the animal was not noticed to enter the
cave and it’s unlikely an animal of the scale described by Alphones may enter
the comparatively small caves on the east aspect of Ambungi Island. Afterwards a
native college library reference ebook with animals was discovered and Alphones
recognized a dinosaur with giant rear legs and smaller forelimbs because the type of
animal he noticed close to Ambungi Island.3
Alphones
Likky (left) on the mainland of West New Britain in 2012.
Alice Pasingan’s sighting in 1999
One
morning in 1999 round 6-7 am, Alice was alone in her backyard on the south of
Ambungi Island close to the ocean. She was astonished to see a big bipedal reptilian
animal strolling slowly about 12 metres away to the south. The animal was
estimated to be 1.9 metres tall and had a dermal frill from the again of the
head to the top of the tail. Alice’s husband, Martin, later drew an image of
the creature beneath instruction from Alice (see drawing beneath). The color was
brown and the stomach was purple. The animal’s physique and tail moved back and forth
and the neck was upright because it walked. No sound was heard from the creature.
When the animal noticed Alice, it appeared frightened and it opened its mouth to
reveal sharp tooth. The creature then rotated and walked slowly down an
incline to a 2-metre cliff then jumped into the ocean. Alice watched the animal
from a rock ledge close to the incline (see photograph beneath) because it headed in direction of the
sea. The sighting lasted about 2 minutes, throughout which period Alice’s canine ran
away. That is the one recognized sighting of this sort of animal on the land at
Ambungi Island.
Martin’s (Alice’s husband) drawing of the animal seen
by Alice in her backyard.
It took 3-4 makes an attempt until Alice was proud of the
drawing.
The
path the animal took right down to the ocean when it was disturbed by Alice.
One other view of the incline the animal walked down
in direction of the ocean.
Alice watched the animal from the rock ledge the place the
photograph was taken.
The animal jumped off the 2-metre cliff into the ocean.
Alice’s
backyard wanting north from the rock ledge.
Alice
and Martin Pasingan with their grandchildren.
Robert Biket’s sighting in 2006
One
afternoon at Easter (April) 2006, Robert was strolling south alongside the shoreline
on the jap aspect of Ambungi Island. It was excessive tide. As Robert rounded a
nook and at a distance of about 20 metres, he was amazed to see a big,
bipedal reptilian creature standing on rocks close to the shoreline. The animal was
feeding on the leaves and fruit of timber and was consuming with brief, highly effective
tooth. The creature had an extended neck with a head resembling a turtle’s head,
giant rear legs and small forelimbs, and an extended flat tail. The webbed ft had been
black and had been just like these of a duck. Whereas consuming, the neck was vertical,
the forelimbs and tail weren’t shifting and the fingers had been closed. There was
no dermal frill. It was estimated the creature was 4.5 metres tall and its
color was medium gray. The pores and skin appeared easy, with superb hairs on the physique.
The ft had been seen as a result of the animal was standing on shore among the time
whereas consuming. Robert mentioned the scale of the cryptid’s head was bigger than the
diameter of the neck. Robert began yelling to anybody onshore. Nonetheless, the
animal didn’t take any discover of Robert. After watching the creature consuming
for a couple of minutes, Robert hurried again ashore to the ravine the place the reptile
was consuming (see photograph beneath). It might have taken 5 minutes for Robert to get to
the ravine from the ocean. When he reached the ravine, Tony Avil and Rapheel
Sange joined Robert in watching the animal because it continued to eat. After
ending consuming, the creature travelled south just a few metres from the shore and
the three males moved down the ravine to the water and watched because the animal
moved slowly into deeper water. The animal walked upright, with the physique shifting
back and forth and with the tail shifting noticeably. After the sighting, the
college lecturers on Ambungi Island didn’t initially consider Robert’s account of
the sighting and made him swear on the Bible within the Catholic Church that he was
telling the reality. From the writer’s copy of the ebook Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Life (written by Hazel Richardson),
Robert recognized the Lufengosaurus
theropod4 because the closest match to the reptile he noticed.
Tony
Avil sighted the animal from the highest of a ravine at a distance of about 30
metres for about quarter-hour. He solely noticed the pinnacle and neck of the creature
whereas it was consuming, with the pinnacle being formed like that of a turkey and the
neck all the time vertical because it was shifting ahead consuming leaves and fruit from
timber. Tony acknowledged the pores and skin color was brown/silver and easy.
Robert
standing on the location the place the massive bipedal reptilian creature was
sighted.
One other
view of the sighting location within the morning at low tide. The tree foliage can
be seen.
The animal was seen consuming the leaves and fruit (proven
above) from this tree, which has been tentatively recognized as Ficus ingens [the red-leaved fig tree].
.
Jasinta Pitim’s sighting in 2007
One
afternoon in 2007, Jasinta was strolling south on the rocks on the west aspect of
Ambungi Island. It was excessive tide and it was raining. Rounding a nook at a
distance of about 25 metres, Jasinta noticed the massive physique of an animal in
the water between rocks (see image beneath). The top, legs and tail of the
creature weren’t seen, nonetheless a dermal frill (‘noticed’) was seen on the animal’s
again, the pores and skin was tough and the color was darkish brown. The creature shortly
moved away from Jasinta into deeper water. Jasinta hurried again to the village
after sighting the animal and nobody returned to the situation the place the
sighting occurred for 5 days as a result of the animal was thought-about harmful.
Location
of Jasinta’s sighting on the south-west of Ambungi Island at low tide.
Joe and Jasinta Pitim’s sighting in 2014
In
June or July 2014 at round 8 am, Joe and Jasinta had been travelling west again to
Ambungi Island from Malengo Island5 in a canoe. From a distance of
about 30 metres they noticed the pinnacle, lengthy neck, forelimbs and again of an
animal that had had head like a canine and no ears. The neck was vertical and the
seen a part of the creature was about one metre above the water. There was a
dermal frill (‘noticed’) on the pinnacle, alongside the neck and the again of the animal.
The color was darkish brown and the pores and skin was tough wanting. The dimensions of the pinnacle
was described as being bigger than the diameter of the neck. The mouth was
closed and the animal was stationary and didn’t flip its head. The animal made
no sound throughout the sighting. After about two minutes the creature submerged
and the canoe handed over the place the place animal was final seen. Joe and Jasinta
had been very afraid of the creature and Jasinta believes this animal is similar
type of animal she noticed on the south west aspect of Ambungi Island in 2007.
The
writer (left) with Joe, Jasinta and Mark Pitim at Ambungi Island.
Gabriel Lilo’s sighting in 2021
Gabriel
Lilo is from Malengo Island and had a sighting of the creature whereas fishing
half a kilometre from the jap aspect of Ambungi Island. The sighting was in
August 2021, round 4 pm at a distance of 40-50 metres for a couple of minutes.
Gabriel noticed the pinnacle, neck and entrance limbs of the animal and famous that it
had a dermal frill. The color was darkish inexperienced and the animal was strolling slowly
on the reef with its head and physique shifting side-to-side. The feel of the pores and skin
couldn’t be decided and the animal’s tooth weren’t seen. Gabriel
finally paddled away, afraid. This was Gabriel’s solely sighting of this
animal.
Gabriel
Lilo (proper) with Jerome Lunga at Melengo Island. Jerome helped translate from
Pidgin to English.
Mark Pitim’s sighting in 2022
Mark
had a possible sighting of this creature on 4th November 2022 round
5 pm whereas canoeing from Alage (Aiu) Island to Ambungi Island along with his son. The
again of an animal was sighted because it travelled west to east at a distance of
roughly 20 metres. The seen size of the creature was about 3 metres,
with 50 cm being above the water. The color was described as very darkish and the
animal had no dermal frill. The sighting lasted a few minute earlier than the
animal submerged. Mark was sure the animal was not a dugong.
Mark
holding a wooden carving just like the creature that has been sighted round
Ambungi Island.
Dialogue
The
sightings round Ambungi Island all appear to be of the identical type of creature and
there have been quite a few different sightings not included right here. The widespread options
of this animal embody:
1.
A protracted
neck
2.
Smallish
head with bigger diameter than the neck
3.
Giant
physique
4.
Bipedal,
with hind ft being duck-like with three toes
5.
Small
entrance limbs
6.
Lengthy
tail
7.
Reptilian
look
8.
Herbivorous
The one noticeable distinction between sightings is
the shortage of a dermal frill on some animals. The Lufengosaurus dinosaur matches the creature sighted round Ambungi
Island, though different theropods might match the outline additionally. There isn’t any
recognized animal alive at this time that matches the outline of this creature.
There could also be a small inhabitants concerned and it’s
encouraging to know that there have been current sightings of this creature.
There was just one confirmed land sighting of the animal at Ambungi Island
(Alice Pasingan) and this will likely have been a juvenile, judging by its peak. Most
of the sightings are to the east and south of Ambungi Island. At neighbouring
Amge (Sep Sep) Island there have been no sightings of this animal. At Alage
(Aiu) Island there is just one household dwelling there and they don’t have data
of the animal, though there are reviews that earlier inhabitants might have
sighted this animal sometimes. The animals concerned could also be drawn to
Ambungi Island due to the fruit on the Ficus
ingens timber and maybe the fruit of different timber. The Ficus ingens usually fruits in February to April and June within the
southern hemisphere. At Ambungi Island, there are some tree branches
overhanging into the ocean, so the animal might not must enterprise onto land to
feed. It’s unknown the place these reptiles could also be laying their eggs. Hopefully,
additional analysis will end in extra details about this cryptid and result in
its eventual discovery.
Endnotes
1.
John
Lunga, an elder at Ambungi Island, offered the details about Tim Neville.
The employees at Wallindi Plantation Resort at Kimbe, WNB didn’t have any
extra details about Tim.
2.
Todd
Jurasek, Joey Massang, Russell Prepare dinner and Matt Clarke have additionally travelled to
Ambungi Island over the past 10 years to analyze this animal.
3.
John
Lunga offered the details about Alphones figuring out the animal from a
ebook.
4.
The
writer interviewed Robert Biket briefly in 2008 the place he recognized the Therizinosaurus from the identical ebook as
the bipedal reptilian creature he sighted. Through the 2022 expedition when extra
time was accessible, Robert recognized the Lufengosaurus
theropod as a greater match to the animal he noticed in 2006.
5.
Malengo
Island is positioned roughly 8 kilometres east of Ambungi Island.
What an interesting account! Earlier than
commenting additional, nonetheless, sure specifics have to be clarified. Though
in her ebook Dinosaurs and Prehistoric
Life (2003), Hazel Richardson allegedly referred to Lufengosaurus as a theropod dinosaur (I have not seen her ebook, so I
cannot affirm this myself), opinions have modified. Lufengosaurus is these days classed as a sauropodomorph, i.e.
belonging to a separate taxonomic group from theropods (though
sauropodomorphs and theropods collectively represent the upper taxonomic
group Eusaurischia). Conversely, the earlier-mentioned Therizinosaurus is certainly a theropod, albeit a herbivorous one.
Not that such taxonomic particulars are
important on this explicit occasion, nonetheless; Lufengosaurus was chosen by the cryptid’s eyewitness, Robert Biket,
merely as a result of its outward look as portrayed in Richardson’s ebook was
extra just like the cryptid that he’d seen than had been any of the opposite dinosaur
depictions, nothing else.
In a earlier ShukerNature article (click on
right here to learn it), I documented an array
of reviews and sightings appertaining to the artrellia or Papuan dragon, primarily based upon what look like exceptionally giant
specimens of varanid (monitor lizard) dwelling in New Guinea, a lot larger than the
at the moment confirmed 15-ft most size for this island’s resident large varanid species, Salvadori’s monitor Varanus
salvadorii. I feel it possible that some supposed dinosaur sightings might in
actuality function extra-large varanids, some species of that are even in a position to
increase themselves up onto their hind legs and stroll bipedally for a short while.
Salvadori’s monitor, the world’s longest recognized species of varanid, and a resident of New
Guinea (public area)
Having mentioned that, the creature described
by the eyewitnesses recorded above in Brian’s report appears markedly completely different
in kind and in addition behaviour – particularly its aquatic predilection – from
Salvadori’s monitor. Equally, taking into consideration that primarily based upon present
palaeontological proof it will seem that dinosaurs had been predominantly
terrestrial, if one such lineage has someway truly survived into the current
day it isn’t not possible that throughout the 64 million years spanning the top of
the Cretaceous (and formally the top of all non-avian dinosaurs) and the
current day the lineage in query might have yielded aquatic species. Of
course, that is all complete hypothesis, however could be very fascinating nonetheless.
What’s clearly wanted right here now could be
proof of a way more tangible nature than has hitherto been obtained for
this cryptid’s existence. Eyewitness reviews and drawings, nonetheless detailed
they could be, are merely anecdotal. We want pictures, footprint casts, and above all
DNA samples, to verify not solely that such a creature exists but in addition its
taxonomic id.
My most honest thanks as soon as once more to Brian
Irwin for therefore kindly allowing me to breed his report right here on ShukerNature.
Shut-up
of the pinnacle of a Salvadori’s monitor (Wikipedia/copyright-free)