Above: Pterandon sightings in New Mexico have been reported since the 1800s. Photograph by AB Historic/Alamy.
Roswell’s aliens may be New Mexico’s favorite unsolved mystery, but a variety of eyewitnesses contend that other paranormal creatures also lurk around. One striking example is a survivor, or perhaps a time traveler, from 150 million years ago: the pteranodon. Sightings of the scaly winged creatures in New Mexico have been reported since the 1800s, with most occurring in the southern portion of the state. In one incident, reported by KRQE-TV in 2007, Dave Zander of Las Cruces described two pterodactyl-like shapes diving off cliffs in the Organ Mountains. “These creatures were so huge they looked like the size of small planes,” he said. Benjamin Radford, author of Mysterious New Mexico: Miracles, Magic and Monsters in the Land of Enchantment, suspects Zander and others were more likely seeing large birds, such as condors, easily misidentified at a distance, and says they “may have simply overestimated the size of the creatures.”
Still, it can’t hurt to keep your eyes on the sky, especially when you’re in Hidalgo County; according to the UFO Digest website, the beasts may be entering the modern world through an interdimensional portal near Lordsburg.
SEE YOU THERE
Many pteranodon sightings occur near Lordsburg, but we recommend the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, in Albuquerque.