This publication is devoted to an extensive description of the pneumopteria which are also
referred to as cloud whales or cloud sponges and occasionally in scientific language as
pneumospongia. Often in older treatises they have been termed celestial leviathans. These
gigantic cloud-like creatures which seemed to float in the air without movement or
stimulation could reach several hundred meters in size. In all likelihood they are extinct
today. The species was however frequently observed in historical times and has been described
by numerous cultures and in many different contexts. With his research findings Roland Boden
provides the first thorough introduction to the nature appearance and behavior of the
pneumopteria and surveys the history of their exploration and description. In his treatise
defined as fictional research Boden uses quotations photographs reproductions
reconstructive drawings and computer-generated images combining real scientific and
historical facts with completely fictitious elements to create a parallel reality that cleverly
and artistically questions contemporary perceptual processes.
