Living dinosaur

Living dinosaurs have been reported in modern times although such claims are typically dismissed out of hand. Dinosaur-sized creatures were recently reported by 1,000 people in two sightings around Sayram Lake in Xinjiang, according to the Chinese publication, China Today. Pterosaurs and plesiosaurs are also suspected of being alive in remote regions.

Mokele-mbembe

 * Main Article: Mokele-mbembe

Mokèlé-mbèmbé is the name given to the creature rumored to be a living dinosaur similar to an apatosaurus. Sightings within central Africa have been been reported for more than two centuries by native fishermen, missionaries, and explorers. The animal is said to be herbivore about the size of a hippopotamus or elephant, and mainly aquatic, coming onto shore to search for food. It has a short (squat) body, a long neck and clawed feet. Its name, rendered in the Lingala language, means "Name means::blocker of rivers".

Numerous expeditions have been conducted to search for solid evidence, many within the Congo River basin of Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Cameroon. Within the basin exists the largest swamp in the world (the Likouala Swamp) which is roughly 55,000 square miles, larger than the entire US state of Florida. According to government reports, the area is more than 80% unexplored, and has therefore been the focus of several cryptozoologists.

William Gibbons, a creationist who has been on four expeditions to search for Mokele-mbembe states: Perhaps the most exciting prospect for the world of creation science is the possibility that dinosaurs may still be living in the remote jungles of the world. Evolution and its accompanying necessity of long ages of evolutionary development would be hard pressed to accommodate a living dinosaur.

Modern Reptiles
It should be considered probable that many modern reptiles are distant relatives of larger varieties found in the fossil record. There are many theories as to why these animals would exist in much smaller forms today.

Shorter Lifespan: According to the Biblical chronology, human life expectancy declined dramatically after the flood to about 1/10th of what it was originally. Since reptiles grow throughout their life, their smaller body size may be simply due to a decline in longevity. Perhaps since the flood reptiles never again grew to the immense sizes found in the fossil record.

Selection for Small Body Size: The removal of specific traits from a population is classic selective pressure. The tendency of humans to automatically kill large reptiles would have placed them under intense natural selection for smaller sizes. Selective pressure against large sizes will naturally remove this ability from the gene pool.

When we consider the range of variability available to other animals, it is not hard to imagine the immense sizes that reptiles might reach given their exceptional ability for growth. Although many dinosaurs are indeed extinct, it is certain that if allowed to live as they did before the flood, modern reptiles might reach much larger sizes and more closely resemble their ancestors found in the fossil record.

News

 * More ‘dino’ sightings in Papua New Guinea Expedition reports conversations with eyewitnesses—local people who claimed to have recently seen dinosaur-like creatures. Creation Ministries International, August 23, 2012.