Bryan Long · Tennessee Tech University
I'm a biologist and NOT one of those "Crypto" people, but I can't help wondering about reports in the very deep unexplored jungles of Vietnam and the surrounding areas about small birds with teeth and a stubby tail that came from 3 well respected scientists( in 1932, '47, and '89). Feathers from the Dragon Bird are highly valued and 2 have been collected and are in the Fields Musuem of Nat'l History. No DNA work has been done on them, but an avian taxonimist had a look and could not ID the species. Until one is found alive or the whole story is debunked as tribal legend, I guess we'll never know if they are primitive birds, advanced dinos, or just tall tales. Lastly, the Chinese have used genetics to give chickens teeth, but the birds die quickly after hatching because of almost no immune systems as a result of the gene tampering. These are NOT to be confused with the chicken eggs that you can order online that develop teeth but die before being hatched.
http://www.livescience.com/3632-dinosaurs-exist.html
Photograph of a small birdlike dinosaur. Details on the Vietnamese Dragon Birds (Toothed Birds) are scanty but they sound like the early dinosaur like birds including Archaeopteryx.
Photograph of a small birdlike dinosaur. Details on the Vietnamese Dragon Birds (Toothed Birds) are scanty but they sound like the early dinosaur like birds including Archaeopteryx.
Oh, my God! I am definitely going to write about these on my blog! If they're not closely related to Troodons, then they must have convergently evolved to resemble Troodons!
ReplyDeleteHow big are they? Comparable in size to a Troodon?
ReplyDeleteMore information would be helpful. I gather that that these creatures are not large.
ReplyDeleteWould they be about as big as a human, perhaps?
DeleteFrom the description they are small, otherwise looking like ordinary birds. The photo illustration is an arbitrary news service photo added to the description and, once again, more details would be helpful.
DeleteDo you know of any reports of long-tailed, sharp-toothed birds with claws on their wings that are about the size of a human?
DeleteBirds the size of a human are a rare thing: I suppose with that description you are still in the Chupacabras category, but still in an area of vague reports.
ReplyDeleteWell, how about a bird that is 4 feet tall and 8 feet long, weighing about 110 pounds? Basically, a creature that looks just like the Troodon in my profile picture?
ReplyDeleteWell, are there any reports of dinosaur-like birds which look just like Troodons?
ReplyDeleteWell, no, I would have to say I have heard no reports which state specifically that description.
ReplyDeleteWell, which cryptid do you think would be the closest thing to a living Troodon?
DeleteStill some Chupacabras reports, I suppose
DeleteWhich Chupacabras reports?
DeleteBasically as you have noted: some of the small dinosaur/biped lizard type chupacabras DO seem to describe something like hairs, quills or feathers on the body, primarily on the back. But they are not consistent. That means both North and South America, no one specific place, and cases which you had pointed out to me most often.
DeleteWell, I think those sightings are the same as the unknown iguanid reports. Many lizards have scales which can look very much like fur or feathers.
DeleteHow likely do you think it is that these Troodon-like creatures exist?
DeleteI think its entirely possible to have toothed birds with claws, which may or may not be like small Troodons: Elsewhere I still think it likely we have Troodons that have managed to make the evolutionary leap to an intelligent form
DeleteWould these toothed birds with claws also have long tails?
DeleteDetail not funished. We don't have a lot to go on yet
DeleteWell, which cryptid has the same basic body shape, size, lifestyle, and diet as a Troodon that we know details about?
DeleteAgain the answer would have to be, some of the Chupacabras reports, but that this supposition is unconfirmed
DeleteOK, I'm not a big commenter, but if you were to place a google adsense ad or two (well placed) on this blog, it would possibly bring in $60 - $75us/day.
ReplyDeleteThat aside, I love your work and have subscribed by email. The mysteries that you post about DD, invoke stimuli in my brain in what I would guess is the same or similar as a religious person feels whilst in church.
I love monsters and really want to believe. Its possible, but unlikely.
Appox on my logical brain, it makes the world seem a less interesting place.
dom :)
http://www.coolstuffnz.com
Would these dragon birds look like the creature in the picture that you posted?
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I am not sure about is what he meant by stubby tail. Would you consider the tail of the creature in that picture to be 'stubby'?
I doubt that, besides having teeth, they just look like regular birds. In order to be compared to 'dragons', I think that they would have to be maybe a bit larger than the average bird, and have a dinosaur-like body shape.
Also, would they be large and/or dangerous enough to kill a human?
As I mentioned before, the photo illustration is an arbitrarily added stock photo. I know no better than that what these creatures are supposed to look like and I would very much like to know better!
DeleteWell, I'm also curious about the Chupacabras reports that resemble feathered dinosaurs. What do you think those are? And are there any reports of those that are not vague or ambiguous?
DeleteCryptozoology in general is an area where evidence is weakly supported and generally not well understood or very consistent: Chupacabras reports are more so than most. Therefore it is possible there is evidence that is consistent with your criteria but those criteria are in conflict with the majority of reports in that category. Its a complex problem.
ReplyDeleteI think that what's going on in cases like these is a sort of jurassic park scenario where secretive government scientists are recreating dinosaurs.
ReplyDeleteHere's an interesting suggestion as to how this might be done from"Challenging Nature" by Lee M. Silver:
ReplyDelete"...evolutionary developmental geneticists believe that comparisons of DNA in birds and reptiles- on either side of the evolutionary line leading to dinosaurs- could provide some, although not complete, insight into the extinct genome of dinosaurs. Genetic, developmental, and evolutionary understanding and data could be combined with molecular understanding to allow rational design of a dinosaur on a computer. Starting with a virtual chicken genome, virtual genetic changes could be implemented to increase overall adult size, eliminate feathers and restore scales, turn wings back into elongated front and back legs, and mold the virtual animal into a reasonable facsimile of a particular dinosaur, such as a giant long-necked apatosaurus, a triceratops, or even a tyrannosaurus rex. The designed electronic genome would be converted into organic DNA with nano-DNA writing machines that automatically link up thousands of smaller DNA fragments into whole chromosomes. The genome would then be inserted into a chicken egg devoid of its own DNA- in an advanced version of the process that created Dolly- and presto, dinosaur facsimiles."
What do you think?
@Joe Richardson,
ReplyDeleteI highly doubt that. It sounds way too much like a conspiracy theory for me to be able to accept it. I'm also pretty sure that, if dinosaurs were being cloned, the public would know about it.