While the existence of dinosaurs has been an object of intense focus, humans have actually found their remnants long before the bones got named. Before the creatures got their labels, their fossils were oftentimes referred to as bones from huge animal counterparts or from giant humans.
Dinosaurs Relatively Recently Got Recognized For What They Are
According to IFL Science, it was in the year 1822 when Mary Ann Mantell accompanied her spouse, Gideon Mantell, who was a paleontologist and obstetrician, on a patient visit. It was during this time that she observed the presence of a shiny object by the roadside. As she looked closer, she spotted huge teeth that were stuck to a rock.
Gideon Mantell, her husband, then realized that this fossil was from a creature that was then unknown to the scientific community. Later on, however, the fossil was labeled Iguanodon for its teeth that resembled those of an iguana.
Paleontologist Richard Own also further examined sets of fossils that covered the Iguanodon, Megalosaurus, and Hylaeosaurus. He concluded that these fossils were from a distinct and unique Saurian reptile suborder. He catchily termed them as dinosauria.
IFL Science notes that this is the rough story of how the species gained recognition. However, this instance was far from the first actual dinosaur fossil encounter of humans.
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Dinosaur Fossils
Though several fossils only recently gained recognition, they have been discovered by humans over time.
According to the Natural History Museum, the Megalosaurus fossil was discovered in the mid-1600s. At first, it was perceived as a human femur. It was only in 1677 that naturalist Robert Plot was able to identify it as part of the bone structure of an elephant, which the Romans had taken to England.
A fossil illustration intrigued Richard Brookes, an English physician who later labeled the fossil as Scrotum Humanum in 1763. Brookes looked into the fossil of an unfamiliar, huge species that lived millions of years ago. He commented that the fossil resembled the testicles of humans.
Long before dinosaurs got recognized for what they were, bone fossil discoveries were usually attributed to enormous versions of acknowledged animals. IFL Science also notes how it was previously suggested that the bones of dinosaurs inspired mythic stories of dragons, giants, and griffins.
Dinosaurs: Massive Extinct Reptiles
According to the American Museum of Natural History, dinosaurs are reptiles that traversed the planet for roughly 245 million years. Fossils of this species have been spotted on all seven continents of the world.
The Dinosauria term coined by Richard Owen was taken from the Greek words "deinos" (fearfully great) and "sauros" (lizard). To date, there are around 700 known extinct dinosaur species.
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