Paleontologists have always believed that long-horned dragon is a fictional image of ancient ancestors, which only exists in myths and legends. 1987, "China Yilong" was discovered at Yangshao Cultural Site in Shui Bo, western Puyang County, Henan Province. The dragon pattern of mussels unearthed this time is the earliest dragon pattern found in China so far, about 6600 years ago.
However, 1996 The "Xinlong Man" fossil unearthed in Xinpu Township, Guanling County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province, has a pair of symmetrical "dragon horns" on its head, which is very similar to the mythical dragon and has attracted the attention of paleontologists.
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The image of the dragon contains many animal elements, and many people only discuss its origin according to a certain feature, so there are many opinions about the prototype of the dragon. One of the most influential is that the prototype of the dragon is a snake. Wen Yiduo, a famous scholar, discussed the prototype of the dragon in the 1940s.
According to its textual research, the original prototype of dragon totem is snake totem. After the clan of cattle totem and deer totem is destroyed, add horns or antlers to the head of the snake, and then add the head of a pig or horse, the legs of a tiger or crocodile, the claws of an eagle, the scales of a fish and the tail of a flower. After a long period of development, the image of China Dragon Totem is made up of many totems. After Wen Yiduo, many scholars also think that the prototype of the dragon is a snake.
There is also a view that the prototype of the dragon is a crocodile. Juxian Wei, an expert in ancient history in China, first proposed that the prototype of the dragon was a crocodile. In his book published in 1934, he said that "dragons are crocodiles", and some foreign scholars also think that dragons are crocodiles.
In addition, some people think that the basic form of dragon trunk is snake, lizard and horse, while others think that dragon evolved from lightning or rainbow.
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