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Dinosaur Fossils

Here Be Dragons

Dinosaurs with Special Reference to the ... (by Matthew, William Diller)
The Dinosaurs of North America (by Marsh, Othniel Charles, 1831-1899)
Dinosaur Hunting in Western Canada (by Russell, Loris Shano, 1904-)
Dinosaur Quarry: Dinosaur National Monum... (by Good, John; White, Theodore; Stucker, Gilbert)

Literature and legends from every continent contain tales of magical creatures, not the least of which includes dragons. According to the Stanford Humanities Center, “Many paleontologists believe there are connections between the mythological dragons that ancient peoples believed in and the human discovery of dinosaur fossils.” Scholar Adrienne Mayor supports that hypothesis, having written two books that explore the connection between dinosaur fossils and legendary dragons.

Looking at the impressive dinosaur fossils on display in museums, it’s easy to see how the ancient skeletons of dinosaurs could have fired the imaginations of ancient peoples who spun fantastic stories explaining the presence of the fearsome fossils. For instance, says Mayor, the Sioux Indians have a legend about the “Unktehi,” the description of which matches the horned skull of a Dracorex fossil found in the South Dakota Badlands.

Study and crude methods exploration of the fascinating fossils by 19th century scientists gave rise to the careful paleontology of today. From the bones they unearthed and chipped from the rock, early paleontologists developed theories concerning migration, continental drift, and evolution. For early literature on dinosaurs, read:

Dinosaur with Special Reference to the American Museum, Collections by William Diller Matthew
The Dinosaurs of North America by Othniel Charles Marsh
Dinosaur Hunting in Western Canada by Loris Shano Russell
Dinosaur Quarry: Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado/Utah by John Good, Theodore White, and Gilbert Stucker.

By Karen M. Smith