Why are dinosaurs so popular?

[ZezeDragon]

This was a question I got on a practice quiz I took online. Here is my answer.

Since they are not alive currently, we cannot study them the way we could study a dog or cat or bird. Also, since when someone says the word "dinosaur" the first thing that comes to mind is the big scary Tyrannosaurus Rex, it gives us a lot of ideas for movies. Because of their scariness, dinosaurs make good city destroyers/people eaters in movies.

I wondered what the MagiStream community thought of my answer, and what they think an answer to this question is. Post what you think! *jabs question with finger )

[GlassOctopus]

I think dinosaurs are so popular because they are almost like majestic fantasy creatures. The only things really uncovered by science is skeletons and fossils; therefore, opening lots of creativity to what dinosaurs actually looked like or behaved. Plus people have different interpretations of dinosaurs such as big scary monsters or more cute chibi like drawings.

[ZezeDragon]

Oh yeah, I see what you mean about interpretations.

Such as
http://slowbuddy.com/wp-content/gallery ... 891d42.jpg
vs.
http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/Krisd ... nosaur.jpg

Not to mention all the different colors their skin (scales?) could be.

[GlassOctopus]

Yup plus they always look really cool and remind me of dragons

[TxCat]

For me, they're fascinating because they're a part of the natural history and evolution of life on this planet. Literally every day, new fossils are found which yield information the scientific community had not previously known. Some of that information, in light of new facts, completely destroys what we thought we knew about the creatures.

The biggest fascination for me is their tremendous ability to adapt. While some dinosaurs died out because they could not do so, we still have alligators, gar, sharks, turtles, and some avians which are virtually unchanged --- and still supremely adapted --- since they first made their appearance on the planet. Alligators and gar are not stupid, regardless of the stereotype about the 'reptilian' brain (which, by the way, humans also still retain but it's much smaller and less functional) might say.

[crazyflight]

Well, there are also people who believe that dinosaurs never existed and are just like fantasy creatures. I mean, some think that bones are fake and are just there to give you a scare, and some boost their religion by professing that God put them there to test our faith, or something like that.

Dinosaurs are just cool. There are so many different kinds with so many different niches, yet they're all dinosaurs.

[GlassOctopus]

So I guess the real question here is what is cooler: dinosaurs or fantasy creatures?

[crazyflight]

So I guess the real question here is what is cooler: dinosaurs or fantasy creatures?

Well, part of their appeal comes from the fact that they did exist, and it's fantastic to think that these amazing creatures once roamed this earth. While fantasy creatures may be cooler, they have that... You know. Fantasy edge, where it's clear that they would never and have never been here.

[ZezeDragon]

So I guess the real question here is what is cooler: dinosaurs or fantasy creatures?

I'd have to go with fantasy creatures. They are even more diverse than all the dinosaur species; we've got dragons, pegasi, gorgons, hydras, unicorns, et cetera. And what really makes them interesting is that, since they have never existed, we can make them look/act however we want when we write.

[GlassOctopus]

I can see Crazyflight's view of the idea that since dinosaurs actually were alive, they are like the only fantasy creatures that every actually existed. I can also see the view that because of the wide range of fantasy creatures there is more variety therefore cooler, but as science proves, there were many dinosaurs—almost so many to say not all could even be dinosaurs but their own species altogether.

So, to answer my own question I would have to say it's a draw for me. Fantasy creatures really do intrigue me because of their mold-ability into making whatever personality a person would like to it but I also am fascinated by the study of dinosaurs