Edmontosaurus petroglyph in Havasupai Canyon?


CLAIM: A petroglyph in Arizona’s Havasupai Canyon, carved by the Havasupai people sometime after they arrived in the area between 1000 and 1300 CE, shows the unmistakable depiction of a hadrosaur, specifically an Edmontosaurus. (Ham, 2017, p.162) (Hovind, 2003, 35:03) (Swift, 1997)

RESPONSE: While some young-Earth sources continue to claim that a petroglyph of a hadrosaur, specifically an Edmontosaurus, has been found in Havasupai Canyon, detailed analyses suggest that these interpretations cannot be supported.

ANALYSIS OF THE PETROGLYPH
Phil Senter's 2012 study on alleged dinosaurs found in ancient rock art, published in Paleontologia Electronica, critically examined the Edmontosaurus claim and concluded that the figure is actually a stylized bird. Senter highlited the similarities between this petroglyph and other bird images found in the canyon, including eagle depictions with a hooked head and long tail similar to the claimed hadrosaur. The "J" shape at the end of the tail likely serves a symbolic purpose, possibly as a fertility motif - similar symbols appear in other petroglyphs on the same rock face. (Kuban, 2013; Senter, 2012, p.5-7)

MORPHOLOGICAL INCONSISTENCIES
Morphological issues further undermine the interpretation of the petroglyph as an Edmontosaurus. The widely circulated illustration of the petroglyph's figure as an orange hadrosaur (pictured above) was essentially fabricated. As Kuban points out, it was created by creationist Paul Taylor and was not based on any known dinosaur reconstructions and reflects significant anatomical inaccuracies:
"It represents a pose and features far different from what modern paleontologists consider reasonable for this dinosaur...Taylor's rendition shows the head and forelimbs positioned very unnaturally. He also shows the tail draped on the ground, with the end pointed up. In contrast, anatomic study of hadrosaur skeletons indicates that their tails were held straight out, and footprint evidence indicates that they held their tails well off the ground. They also could evidently walk in a quadrupedal or semi-bipedal manner, but even in the later case, would have their forelimbs held in front of their chest and be in a more forward-leaning posture." (Kuban, 2013)
Thse anatomical errors, coupled with the symbolic and stylistic parallells to other bird petroglyphs in the area, strongly suggest that the figure is not a depiction of a dinosaur. It's worth noting that the young-Earth creationist group New Creation counts ancient artwork supposedly depicting dinosaurs among their arguments that creationists should not use. (2024)

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

Faris, P. (2014, June 21) Dinosaurs in Rock Art? - The Havasupai Hadrosaur. Rock Art Blog.

Kuban, G. J. (2013) Alleged Dinosaurs in Ancient Art. paleo.cc.

New Creation Staff (2024, June 26) Arguments Creationists Should NOT Use. New Creation.

Senter, P. (2012) More "dinosaur" and "pterosaur" rock art that isn't. Palaeontologia Electronica, 15(2), 22A.

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