Ancient Plesiosaur and Mosasaurus Depictions

To the left is an urn from Caria, which was located in Asia Minor (Turkey). This artifact (described in Thomas H. Carpenter’s 1991 book Art and Myth in Ancient Greece: A Handbook) is estimated to be from 530 BC. It depicts what appears to be a Mosasaurus with several known sea creatures. The animal behind the sea serpent is a seal, while an octopus is below the sea serpent along with what seems to be a dolphin. The thick jaws, big teeth, large eyes, and positioning of the flippers on this creature match a Mosasaurus skeleton very well. Some Mosasaurus species also had a narrow cranial crest behind the eye that may have had a fin attached the way it is depicted on the Carian urn (click to enlarge).

An Egyptian seal with the cartouche (official name inscribed within an oval) of Tutmosis III (appx. 1400 B.C.) depicts a Sauropterygia-like animal (type of plesiosaur). The anterior and posterior flippers are distinctively represented with the narrow connection to the rotund body of the creature. The seal is from the Mitry collection and is of unquestioned authenticity. The ancient Egyptians are known for their keen observation and accurate zoological representations, particularly with regard to sea creatures.  Other such seals in the Mitry collection appear to have dinosaurian representations as well.

Many ancient sea serpent depictions demonstrate a slender neck like a plesiosaur would have. A good example is the mosaic to the left (click to enlarge), which shows mariners apparently mollifying a sea serpent with some meat. The artist depicts a fluke-like tail, mane, and horse-like head that are remarkably similar to the modern reports of Cadborosaurus and Ogopogo given by eye witnesses of these mysterious sea monsters.

To the right is a Roman mosaic from about 200 AD that depicts two long-necked sea dragons. Paul Taylor, author of The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible, likens them to the web-footed Tanystropheus shown beside.

There are stories of a plesiosaur-like creature seen in Queensland, Australia. Both aboriginal peoples around Lake Galilee and tribes farther up to the north tell of a long-necked animal with a large body and flippers. “Elders of the Kuku Yalanji aboriginal tribe of Far North Queensland, Australia, relate stories of Yarru (or Yarrba), a creature which used to inhabit rain forest water holes. The painting [left] depicts a creature with features remarkably similar to a plesiosaur. It even shows an outline of the gastro-intestinal tract, indicating that these animals had been hunted and butchered.” (CEN Technical Journal, Vol.12, No. 3, 1998, p. 345.)

For every ancient depiction of the great walking, flying, and swimming reptiles shown on these Genesis Park pages there are three or four others that could have been included. We have included only those that have been investigated by our staff or previously published.