The "Pterosaur" of Black Dragon Canyon, Utah


Photo c. Senter (2012, p.3)

CLAIM: A petroglyph from the Fremont culture discovered in Black Dragon Canyon, Utah (San Rafael Swell) depicts a pterosaur complete with a head-crest. (Hodge & Welch, 2011, p.5) (Ham, 2006, p.162) (Ham, 2013, p.36) (Swift, 1997)

RESPONSE: The so-called "Black Canyon Pterosaur" refers to a rock art panel in Black Canyon, Utah, which some young-Earth creationists have interpreted as depicting a pterosaur. However, the petroglyph is actually a composite of separate anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures characteristic of the Barrier Canyon style.

In the late 1940s, researcher John Simonson outlined the pictograph with chalk, perceiving it as a single image of a winged monster, which he believed resembled a pterosaur. (Senter, 2012, p.2-3) This interpretation was accepted by some young-Earth creationists as evidence of a recent human-dinosaur co-existence as early as 1997 (Swift), even though an accurate representation of what lay beneath the chalk outline had already been published in 1995 (Warner & Warner). Modern studies have used advanced imaging techniques, such as portable X-ray fluorescence (P-XRF) and DStretch - a digital image enhancement tool - to provide a clearer understanding of the pictograph's composition. These analyses show that the "pterosaur" is actually a combination of separate images painted in the Barrier Canyon style, dating between 1 and 1100 CE. (Geggel, 2015; Senter, 2012, p.2-5)

1995 interpretation (c. Warner & Warner, p.93)

2012 interpretation (c. Senter, p.3)

DStretch imaging showing that the "head" and "right wing" of the pterosaur is actually a man and a large snake (c. Geggel, 2015; Le Quellec, 2015)

It's worth noting that, even if the anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures were not present in order to reveal what the petroglyph really was, there are glaring anatomical errors that young-Earth interpreters would need to address before claiming this as evidence of a recent human-dinosaur co-existence. Pterosaurs had distinctive wings formed by a highly elongated fourth finger supporting a membrane of skin, muscle, and other tissues that extended to the body and often to the hind limbs. The "wings" in the outline created by Simonson are asymmetrical, broad, wavy, and more bird-like or bat-like in appearance and lack the elongated digit or the tapered, aerodynamic shape of pterosaur wings. (Palmer & Dyke, 2011) While some young-Earth creationists emphasize the "head-crest" as evidence of anatomical accuracy, they don't mention the "tail" of the chalk outline. In reality, pterosaur tails either extended downward and back, between the legs, with a majority being long and thin, ending in a diamond-shaped vane. The chalk-outline's "tail" doesn't possess either of these traits. (Page, 2023)

As can be clearly seen, the perceived wings and body of the pterosaur are actually distinct figures whose pigments have weathered and merged over time, creating the illusion of a single cohesive image when viewed under the inaccurate chalk outline that doesn't align with known pterosaur anatomy. 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

Dyke, P. & Dyke, G. (2011) Constraints on the wing morphology of pterosaurs. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1731), 1218-1224.

Faris, P. (2014, May 24) Dinosaurs in Rock Art? - The Black Dragon Canyon Pterosaur. Rock Art Blog.

Geggel, L. (2015, August 18) Photos: 'Winged monster' rock art in Black Dragon Canyon. LiveScience.

Le Quellec, J., Bahn, P., Rowe, M. (2015) The death of a pterodactyl. Antiquity, 89(346), 872-884.

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

Page, J. (2023, July 4) The Pterosaurs - An Introduction. Medium.

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

Swenton, T. [TREY the Explainer] (2017, January 29) Is this a Pterosaur? [Video]. YouTube.

Warren, J. S. & Warner, J. E. (1995) Some Unique Horizontal Sunrise and Sunset Markers in Black Dragon Canyon. Utah Rock Art, 4, 92-101.

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