Are Dragons Dinosaurs? – paulspreshistoricpark.com

So, Are Dragons Dinosaurs? Short Answer: No. Long Answer: Well, Maybe sort of.

In the 10,000 years human beings became civilized, virtually every culture in the World has referenced supernatural monsters in its folk tales. As far back 310 BC in Egyptian writings and to the Bronze Age in Chinese ritual vessels. In Mesopotamian Artwork dating back to 2334 – 2154 BC these creatures are depicted.

Some take the form of Scaly, Winged, Fire Breathing Reptiles – Dragons! At least that’s how their know in the Western Civilizations. Huge, Dangerous and Fiercely Antisocial typically killed by a Knight in Shining Armor. Dragon comes from the Greek “drakon” meaning “serpent” or “water-snake”. The earliest mythological dragons resemble snakes more than dinosaurs or pterosaurs. In Asian mythology they are referred to as “long” the Chinese name.

My sketch of some Dragons on watercolor paper. Stay tune for finishing.

Here are 3 Schools of thought regarding the origins of Dragons:

First, Dragons were mixed and matched from the most frightening predators of the time. What you don’t see is usually more terrifying that what you can. Therefore, imaginations can make stories very wild. Especially with early man fighting off Lions, Tigers & Bears to mention a few. These stories not unlike your typical “fish story” could easily have been enhanced at the repeating to each new generation.

Second, Dragons were inspired by the discovery of giant fossils. People have been finding fossils before there was a name for their study. Even today’s paleontologists spend hundreds even thousands of hours removing them from rocks and determining how to reassemble what is often a jumble of species. What if you found the remains of Quetzalcoatlus wings (a giant Pterosaur) and a Tyrannosaur mixed together? That would certainly look like a Dragon to me. So, you can imagine how several hundred years ago some pretty bizarre animals could have been created by what was found after a storm exposed the remains. The Gobi Desert and various parts of China are famous for incredibly preserved Dinosaur fossils.

Third, Dragons were based on recently extinct mammals & reptiles. Early man finding the remains of a saber tooth, giant snake or other mammals & reptiles that together could form the visions of a Dragon. Remember “Harry Potter’s” Basilisk? And don’t forget his family of Dragons from all over the World. There was definitely inspiration for them.

I like the Second Schools thinking.

Paleontologists often use Dragon names for Dinosaurs – Dracorex (spikey headed Pachycephalosaur), Dracopelta (of the Ankylosaur family), Dilong and Guanlong (both Tyrannosaurs). There is a long history in China of identifying fossilized dinosaur bones as those of dragons.

Could Dragons be a sister group to Pterosaurs or large Prehistoric Snakes? Mythical Dragons are thought to be very cunning to defeat the occasional Knight in shining armor or in Eastern cultures extremely wise sharing their knowledge with only the most fortunate humans. The more intelligent reptiles are large with matching larger brains – crocodiles and monitor lizards.

What about the Fire Breathing? There are spitting cobras. Bombardier Beatles store hydroquinone & hydrogen peroxide in their abdomens. When provoked they initiate a violet chemical reaction that ejects a near boiling hot stream of chemicals at their attacker. Imagine a Dragon with two glands in its neck that secrete the necessary solution when mixed creating a jet of gas & scalding liquid expelled from its mouth! Truth is Stranger than Fiction!

References:

ThoughtCo.com “The Real Story Behind Dinosaurs and Dragons” by Bob Strauss updated 10/10/2019

BBC Earth: Myths and Legends/Reptiles “How evolution could give rise to real-life dragons” by Josh Gabbatiss 9/30/2016

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon

I like to believe Dragons are Undiscovered Dinosaurs.

Introducing Xiuhcoatl (Xi-uh-coatl – meaning “Fire Serpent”) the newest resident to the Park. Xiuhcoatl made her way to the Park via El Parthenon in Oxnard. Check out the Needing Rescue / Adoption page to see El Parthenon’s Large T-Rex & Raptor looking for new homes

Xiuhcoatl’s name is from Nahuatl or Mexicano which is group of languages in the Uto-Aztecan family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by approximately 1.7 million Nahua people, most of whom live primarily in Central Mexico and a few in Nahuatl speaking communities in the U.S. We’ll learn more about Xiuhcoatl’s history in the weeks to come. Xiuhcoatl teaches the Raptors how to breath fire.

Xiuhcoatl is definitely a Fireball. Now I understand how Hagrid felt when his Dragon – Norbert learn to breath fire. (see Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone).

Note: Spoiler Alert – No Real Fire was present when photos for this post were taken! Welcome to the Wonderful World of Special Effects!

Membership with the Museum. In addition to Supporting Their Valuable Work there are Benefits to You. Special Preview Events for Members Only as well as Virtual Access Exclusive for Members. For more information and access to general public eLearning check out the links below.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County www.nhm.org under Research & Collections / Digitized Collections will allow you to browse their Collections. Check out the latest Activities on their site.

The American Natural History Museum www.amnh.org You will find eLearning for Families, Students & Educators. Explore the Museum Virtually. Check Out SciCafe: Video Talks and Meet the Icons: Stories behind the Exhibits! There are Video Series covering Behind the Scenes at the Museum with Space & Dinosaur Explainers.

Chicago’s Field Museum www.fieldmuseum.org You can talk to “Maximo the Titanosaur” online, Yes Really! Visit Sue the largest T-Rex discovered! Check Out “Brain Scoop” with host Emily Graslie and the Learning Resources – many are also in Spanish.

Check Out Your Libraries eBooks. My local Library has over 900 eBooks on Dinosaurs! Many Libraries are offering “Curbside Pick-up. If you prefer the hardcopy, “Curbside Pick-up may be the option for you.

My First Book “Is a Metal Dinosaur the Right Pet for You?” is Available as an eBook on Kindle through Amazon.com

Only $3.99!

Included are two photos of Prehistoric Pals converted to black & white line drawings for You to express Your Color Imagination! Search online for print options on Your device. Print Screen, Cropping & Printing are available on many smart phones. Your smart phone may even allow You to email Your Print Screen to Yourself allowing even more options before printing. Kindle has an app for smart phones!

I would love to see Your Color Visions for Dominic & Raphael! Use crayons, pencils, pens, or watercolors! Attach feathers, glitter whatever brings them to life for You. Send a picture of Your Colorized Imaginations to: paul@paulsprehistoricpark.com It could be in a future post!