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Dragons have been common to many cultures and mythologies. Some famous are St. George slaying a dragon and Chinese dragons, such as the symbol used for the Emperor of China.

Creationists and Bible literalists do assert that dragons existed and that they are basically special dinosaurs.

Dragons are reptillian or snake-like creatures that share many characteristics with dinosaurs and may well be the same creatures.

http://conservapedia.com/Dragons

Consider the many dragon legends. Most ancient cultures have stories or artwork of dragons that strongly resemble dinosaurs.

[...]

The simplest and most obvious explanation for so many common descriptions of dragons from around the world is that man once knew the dinosaurs.

http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/FAQ27.html

Has physical evidence ever been found that a dragon existed?

Sklivvz
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    Do you have any reputable claims that they really existed? Mythologies are not really reputable claims that something existed (forgive me, oh mighty Cthulu!). – Beofett Jan 30 '12 at 14:12
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    I thought I recall someone proposing that old dinosaur bones led to many of the dragon legends. Maybe that could serve as the basis for this Q&A? – JasonR Jan 30 '12 at 14:52
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    [Komodo dragons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon). – Hendrik Vogt Jan 30 '12 at 14:53
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    As for notability, there is this "what if documentary". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433367/. Before you say "yes, but it's not claiming that it's real", I met at least one person watching it from the middle and thinking it was real stuff. He then went on explaining to me that it was "proven" that dragons exist. – Sklivvz Jan 30 '12 at 16:26
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    "What if documentary" sounds too charitable. Some use "mockumentary" to describe them. I think "Full Out Fiction" is a better way to describe that rubbish. – JasonR Jan 30 '12 at 16:38
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    Per the FAQ - *If you can imagine an entire book that answers your question, you’re asking too much.* - I think I know the question you are answering and it would take a book to answer something this broad. If you present a specific claim that they exist in some specific form then I think it would be back on topic. – Chad Jan 30 '12 at 16:44
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    Perhaps this question would be better received if it were worded like this: "is there any known basis for the widely spread myths of creatures like Dragons?" This might even be a more interesting question. – matt_black Jan 30 '12 at 22:45
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    Edited as per [this meta question](http://meta.skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/777/untruthable-questions). Please avoid to use "Is there any evidence that..." in favour of the direct question. – Sklivvz Jan 30 '12 at 23:12
  • This looks more like a creatively drawn crocodile, than how a dragon is presented nowadays :) – Boris Jan 30 '12 at 23:18
  • The wikipedia articla on the origins of dragons have some interetsing points, unfortunately the references are not quotable because they are from books. FYI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon#Origin_and_etymology_2 – Tjaart Jan 30 '12 at 23:28
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    @Boris: The length of legs, the form of head and the presence of wings - nearly nothing reminds me of a crocodile. Only the scales. – user unknown Jan 31 '12 at 05:47
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    Just as a point of clarity: the original tales related to St. George relate a *serpent* being banished by the saint, not a dragon. – cwallenpoole Feb 01 '12 at 06:59
  • Bible literalists do believe that dragons exist. It must be so, because it's in the bible. – Sklivvz Feb 05 '12 at 00:29
  • Not a real question, I think. Dragons are by modern definition fantastical (as in not real) creatures. The comments above already have suggestions of how to fix this. Should be put into the category with witches and unicorns. Could be a more interesting claim if worded differently. – denten Apr 29 '13 at 22:19

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Well, according to this lady, it was dinosaur bones: The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times

That is to say; ancient civilisations are believed to have come into contact with dinosaur fossils, and their discovery can be deduced from historical records. As such, myths of fantastical creatures may have been inspired by these fossil finds.

I don't know if that constitutes an answer, but it looks like an interesting read.

For a more modern equivalent, you could consider the Crystal Palace dinosaurs, which were commissioned in the 1850s and differ significantly from modern interpretations of the same animals they represent. A tourist has their Flickr stream showing them here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilike/2743161862/in/photostream/

Here is the story of these sculptures: http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/misc/hawkins1.html

puppybeard
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    I'd summarise her claim to make a good answer or convert your reference to a comment. – matt_black Jan 30 '12 at 22:43
  • commonly held understanding is indeed that many monsters in Greek mythology came into existence as attempts to explain fossilised bones discovered by people (they didn't know about evolution, obviously). – jwenting Jan 31 '12 at 06:51