Could the “Mythological” Tarasque Have Been A Living Ankylosaurid Dinosaur?

By Lu Paradise – June 23, 2010

The earliest Life of St Martha was written in Latin at some time between 1187 and 1212. One episode tells how, soon after coming to Tarascon, she heard that people there were terrorised by ‘a huge dragon, part land animal and part fish’ which lived in a forest beside the Rhône and had killed many people passing the spot or crossing the river. Attempts to destroy it always failed, since it would hide underwater. The description of the monster is vivid and detailed, and by no means that of a conventional dragon:

For More on this legend (not myth!) from Tarascon in France and the Tarasque beast see the article at the end.

Photo: Phot Blanchin, Tarascon circa 1900