been inspired by ancient discoveries of fossils belonging to 

dinosaurs and other
prehistoric animals.[19] She argues that the dragon lore of northern India may have been
inspired by "observations of oversized, extraordinary bones in the fossilbeds of
the Siwalik Hills below the Himalayas"[20] and that ancient Greek artistic depictions of
the Monster of Troy may have been influenced by fossils of Samotherium, an extinct
species of giraffe whose fossils are common in the Mediterranean region. [20] In China, a
region where fossils of large prehistoric animals are common, these remains are
frequently identified as "dragon bones" [21] and are commonly used in traditional Chinese
medicine.[21] Mayor, however, is careful to point out that not all stories of dragons and
giants are inspired by fossils[21] and notes that Scandinavia has many stories of dragons
and sea monsters, but has long "been considered barren of large fossils." [21] In one of
her later books, she states that "Many dragon images around the world were based on
folk knowledge or exaggerations of living reptiles, such as Komodo dragons, Gila
monsters, iguanas, alligators, or, in California, alligator lizards."[22]
Robert Blust in The Origin Of Dragons (2000) argues that, like many other creations of
traditional cultures, dragons are largely explicable as products of a convergence of
rational pre-scientific speculation about the world of real events. In this case, the event
is the natural mechanism governing rainfall and drought, with particular attention paid to
the phenomenon of the rainbow.[23]

Africa