Quetzalcoatlus, pictured, is a pterosaur - the alleged ancestor of the cryptid.
The Manaus Pterosaur is an alleged flying reptile reported from Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil.
Description[]
They were reported to have flat heads, long beaks, and long necks. With ribbed wings, they had an estimated wingspan of 12 feet. They were reported to fly in a V-formation.
Five winged animals flying in a V-formation were seen by J. Harrison near Manaus, Brazil, in 1947. Their wings resembled brown leather and seemed to lack feathers.
Possible explanations[]
- A large stork native to Brazil, either the jabiru (Jabiru mycteria), the maguari (Ciconia maguari), or the wood stork (Mycteria americana).
- Pelicans (Family Pelecanidae) often fly in V-formations.
- It has been claimed to be some sort of surviving pterosaur, similar to the one pictured at the top of the article.
- It was noted as having ribbed wings, unlike those of pterosaurs, but similar to those of bats, meaning a bat could be what was seen. However, this would contradict the idea that it had a twelve foot wingspan, far larger than any known species of bat.
Controversy[]
The description of the Manaus Pterosaur is suspect, as it describes what pterosaurs were thought to have looked like at the time of the encounter; however it has since come to light in recent years that pterosaurs, like many ancient reptiles, possessed filaments (in pterosaurs these were known as pycnofibers). While it is entirely possible that over millions of years they would have evolved to lose these structures, it leaves the reports to be viewed with an air of caution and suspicion.