I was watching Planet of the Dinosaurs with the Late Night Movie Gang last night and it occurred to me that it's pretty much impossible not to root for the dinosaurs, isn't it? I mean, if you have to choose between spending time with a human or spending time watching a dinosaur, I think you're going to go with the dinosaur every time. Dinosaurs are just more interesting.
Watching the film inspired me to do a little research. I always wondered when people first realized that Earth used to be inhabited by giant lizards and it turns out that people were apparently finding dinosaur bones for centuries before realizing what they were. The Chinese recorded them as being dragon skeleton. In Europe, they were thought to be evidence of Biblical giants. It wasn't until the 17th century that people started to really realize what those bones actually signified.
It'd be nice to discover a living dinosaur, other than just the boring old birds that we see everyday. I've been to Loch Ness but Nessie didn't show up. Maybe next time.