Were our ancestors crazy or did some of these monsters really exist?

Let me first start off by saying this. 10,000 years ago, before the Ice Age, our world was drastically different. We had large snakes with legs, bears the size of an SUV, and ten foot tall ape-like creatures. All sorts of weird ****. Well, who's to say some of them didn't survive the Ice Age? Maybe out ancient ancestors weren't so crazy, and Naga and Gryphons and what have you really did exist. Hypothetically, of course.



For instance, there was a gigantic bird fossil found in south Texas that had a nigh 40-foot wingspan, and weighed over 1,000 lbs. Probably the legendary "Quezecotl". Over in Asia in at the base of moutains, there have been found bones of what we call Yetis. Footprints, too. What's your take on the whole thing? Were our forefathers tripping on acid, or did Humans just kill off anything that was a threat to them?Were our ancestors crazy or did some of these monsters really exist?
Interesting - I did not know of several of these "discoveries", and I wonder if all of your sources are reputable.



American Birds -

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/鈥?/a>

Scientists postulate that birds in south America gained predominance there prior to S. America joining with N. America. Once the dominant mammals of N. America invaded S. America, these huge predatory birds died off. At least one scientist postulates that a very large condor (similar to the one in the link above) may be the source for the N. American native legends of the ThunderBird. Such birds, he claims, would have used storm winds to glide farther from their mountain homes than usual. Interesting supporting evidence: birds today use storms to travel great distances from the Rockies.



The legend of Quetzlcoatl, on the other hand, too well resembles the bird of that name (quetzl, or quetzal) today. half-serpent, half-snake (in legend), the quetzl's extraordinarily long tail gives that impression - particularly in a region chock full of snakes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resplendent鈥?/a>



Naga - snake with a human head. Again, a legend arising from a snake-plentiful region, and the anthropomorphism

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q鈥?/a>

of animals is common in many religions. This is highly unlikely.



Gryphon - lion with an eagles front end, would require a flighted six-limbed feathered animal. There is no record of such an animal, now or in fossils. The closest thing is an insect (the larger, the less likely to fly). Nothing else is even close. This is clearly an amalgam of two creatures, both highly regarded for their strength or hunting skill, and thus useful in heraldry and the like. Ancient "griffins" include the karibu from Babylon (Cherubim in the bible), described as lions with wings and the faces of men (manticore, winged sphinx).



Naturally, it is safe to assume that scientists have not found fossils of all creatures at the day of their extinction. In other words, many species normally considered to have become extinct prior to the "rise" of man may well have co-existed with man. Dinosaurs may well be included in this group of animals which defied extinction until the onset of man.



Jim, http://www.life-after-harry-potter.com
They just found a fossilized claw of some 8 foot long bug-----yikes!Were our ancestors crazy or did some of these monsters really exist?
Of course it might be true. Every legend or myth has at least an ounce of truth in them. But with most stories, the story get retold so many times with the storytellers always having to add a little detail of there own you couldn't distinguished the real creature with the creature of the story anymore. Like a monkey to the person who saw it, could be a live man eating gorilla to the storyteller.
One would have to assume it couldn't ALL have been made up. As often as many of these creatures have shown up in literature, movies, etc...--some of it has to have been true. At some point, anyway.
One woman that I read about had an interesting idea. She said that grains can get a certain mold and this mold can get in breads. It would cause people to see things. So, yes, maybe they were tripping.