Webosaurs Blog

Dinosaur?

Q: What were dinosaurs called before they were called dinosaurs? HaleyN

A: Dinosaurs have been called many things before people realized what the actually were. Humans have been finding dinosaur bones for thousands of years but it wasn’t until the 1600’s when people started thinking, shall we say, more accurately about them.

The Chinese believed them to be dragon bones and used them in traditional medicines. During the Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD), Zhang Qu writes of the discovery of such bones as dragons. Dragons have long been a symbol of Chinese culture, something the discovery of dinosaur bones surely influenced.

In Europe, people believed that the bones were the remains of creatures or giants that had been killed during the Biblical Great Flood. During the 1600s, people started scientifically describing the remains they had found and recognized them as belonging to an extinct animal. It wasn’t until Sir Richard Owen coined the term “dinosaur” in 1842 that we had a modern name for them.

-Rex

"Yessshhh... me loves dinosaurs" says Sir Richard Owen

Q: Which person first ever discovered dinosaurs? Cos

A: Well Cos, dinosaur fossils have been found by humans for a very long time. It is believed that many ancient Chinese myths about dragons were founded on the fossil remains of dinosaurs. However, it wasn’t until the 1600’s that a dinosaur bone was scientifically described. Even then, humans still didn’t know quite what it was.

Robert Plot, an English museum curator, found a bone in 1676 that he believed to be the thigh bone of an ancient giant human being. Based on drawings we have of his find, most assume it was part of a Megalosaurus bone.

In 1822, Mary Ann Mantell from England found a set of giant fossilized dinosaur teeth that she thought belonged to an ancient iguana.

Finally, in 1841, Sir Richard Owen hypothesized that these collection of bones weren’t from any kind of animal that we were ever aware of before. He decided that these group of animals should be called “Dinosauria” which we all know means “terrible lizard.” He was the first person to actually coin the term “Dinosaur” and has become famous for this.

Thank you so much for the question, Cos.

-Rex

The right tibia and left metatarsal of a Megalosaurus

Q: What was the first dinosaur discovered? -Fakecrunch

A: Well Fakecrunch, dinosaur fossils have been found by humans for a very long time. It is believed that many ancient Chinese myths about dragons were founded on the fossil remains of dinosaurs. However, it wasn’t until the 1600’s that a dinosaur bone was scientifically described. Even then, humans still didn’t know quite what it was.

Robert Plot, an English museum curator, found a bone in 1676 that he believed to be the thigh bone of an ancient giant human being. Based on drawings we have of his find, most assume it was part of a Megalosaurus bone.

In 1822, Mary Ann Mantell from England found a set of giant fossilized dinosaur teeth that she thought belonged to an ancient iguana.

Finally, in 1841, Sir Richard Owen hypothesized that these collection of bones weren’t from any kind of animal that we were ever aware of before. He decided that these group of animals should be called “Dinosauria” which we all know means “terrible lizard.”

Thank you so much for the question, Fakecrunch. Looking forward to answering some more!

-Rex