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[[File:Dinosaur carving at Ta Prohm temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia (5534467622).jpg|thumb|The "dinosaur" relief|upright=1.25]]

The "'''dinosaur of Ta Prohm'''"<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Foer |first1=Joshua |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KrXxCwAAQBAJ |title=Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders |last2=Thuras |first2=Dylan |last3=Morton |first3=Ella |date=2016 |publisher=Workman Publishing |isbn=978-0-7611-8967-1 |pages=169 |language=en}}</ref> is a [[Bas-Relief|bas-relief]] in the [[Khmer Empire]] temple-monastery of [[Ta Prohm]]. Numerous reliefs of various different animals are present in the temple; the "dinosaur" is one of its more ambiguous artworks. The relief first gained modern notoriety in the late 1990s when the lobe-like features running down the animal's back were compared to the back plates of [[Stegosauria|stegosaurian]] dinosaurs. The relief has since become a popular piece of "evidence" for the fringe belief that [[Human-dinosaur coexistence|non-avian dinosaurs once coexisted with humans]].

Numerous reliefs of various different animals are present in the temple; the dinosaur is one of its more intriguing artworks. The relief first gained modern attention in the late 1990s when the spikes running down the animal's back were compared to the back plates of [[Stegosauria|stegosaurian]] dinosaurs. The relief has since become a popular piece of evidence for the increasingly popular belief that [[Human-dinosaur coexistence|non-avian dinosaurs once coexisted with humans]].

There is no academic consensus on what animal is depicted. The supposed back plates are likely stylized background foliage, present in many of the other reliefs at the temple. Other than this feature the animal bears little resemblance to stegosaurs and instead possesses marked anatomical differences, such as in the proportions and features of its head and in its lack of a [[thagomizer]] (tail spikes). Some of its anatomical features have been compared to [[Chameleon|chameleons]] and [[Rhinoceros|rhinoceroses]]. It is not certain that the relief was intended to depict a real animal at all since some reliefs in the temple depict mythical creatures. Since Ta Prohm is a popular site for film crews, it has also been suggested that the relief could be a modern hoax.

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[[File:Stegosaurus stenops sophie wiki martyniuk flipped.png|left|thumb|Reconstruction of ''[[Stegosaurus]]''; the animal in the relief differs in several notable aspects, including the head, neck, limb and tail anatomy, the number and arrangement of "plates", and the lack of a [[thagomizer]] (tail spikes)|upright=1.25]]

Some adherents of fringe theories, such as [[Young Earth creationism|Young Earth creationists]] and [[cryptozoologists]], have put forth the "dinosaur" of Ta Prohm as evidence that [[Human-dinosaur coexistence|humans and non-avian dinosaurs once coexisted]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> The relief has been widely publicized online, particularly on websites and blogs by creationists, including by the major creationist organization [[Answers in Genesis]].<ref name=":2" /> A replica of the relief is exhibited at the [[Creation Evidence Museum|Creation Evidence Museum of Texas]],<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> where the conclusion that it represents a stegosaur is strongly encouraged.<ref name=":2" />

~~Scientific understanding of the fossil record suggests that all~~All dinosaur lineages other than birds went extinct during the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event]], 66 million years ago.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Naish |first=Darren |author-link=Darren Naish |date=2001 |title=Sea serpents, seals and coelacanths: an attempt at a holistic approach to the identity of large aquatic cryptids |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311680321 |journal=Fortean Studies |volume=7 |pages=75–94}}</ref> The complete absence of non-avian dinosaur fossils in [[Cenozoic]] layers contrasts sharply with the good record of the group in [[Mesozoic]] layers and their survival would require [[Ghost lineage|ghost lineages]] on an unprecedented scale.<ref name=":02" /> Stegosaurs appear to have been declining already in the [[Early Cretaceous]]. They may have gone extinct prior to the extinction event since no certain stegosaurian fossils are known from the [[Late Cretaceous]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite thesis |last=Raven |first=Thomas J. |title=The Taxonomic, Phylogenetic, Biogeographic and Macroevolutionary History of the Armoured Dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) |date=2021 |degree=PhD |publisher=University of Brighton |url=https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/23893138/Raven_PhD_Thesis.pdf}}</ref> If the relief were to represent a stegosaur, it could conceivably have been based on fossils rather than a live specimen. Although no stegosaur fossils are known from Cambodia, several genera are known from relatively nearby in China, such as ''[[Huayangosaurus]]'', ''[[Tuojiangosaurus]]'' and ''[[Wuerhosaurus]]''.<ref name=":2" />▼

[[File:Ta Prohm "dinosaur" comparison.jpg|thumb|Comparative illustration of the creature with a ''Stegosaurus'', a [[Javan rhinoceros]] and a [[wild boar]]]]

There is no evidence that the animal depicted is a stegosaurian dinosaur.<ref name=":4" /> The Khmer Empire was an advanced, highly populous, and literate society. It is unlikely that the presence of stegosaurs in Cambodia only a few centuries ago would not have been documented in any other way than through a single relief in a temple.<ref name=":2" /> Beyond the superficial resemblance of the plates, the animal also shares few similarities with stegosaurs.<ref name=":2" /> Even if interpreted as plates, the structures along the animal's back do not resemble stegosaurian plates, which were greater in number and placed in two rows.<ref name=":2" /> The animal is depicted with two large structures on the back of its head, either horns (not known from any stegosaur) or large ear flaps (which would suggest that it is a mammal).<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> It is also depicted with a short neck, wide snout and large head. These features correspond to [[rhinoceros]] anatomy and are very different from the long neck, pointed and narrow snout, and small heads of stegosaurs.<ref name=":2" /> The animal has front and back legs of around the same size, whereas stegosaurs had back legs significantly larger than their front legs.<ref name=":2" /> The tail appears to be very low to the ground whereas dinosaurs are now known to have held their tails well above the ground.<ref name=":2" /> The animal does not have a [[thagomizer]] (tail spikes), one of the most striking and unique features of stegosaurs.<ref name=":2" />

▲Scientific understanding of the fossil record suggests that all dinosaur lineages other than birds went extinct during the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event]], 66 million years ago.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Naish |first=Darren |author-link=Darren Naish |date=2001 |title=Sea serpents, seals and coelacanths: an attempt at a holistic approach to the identity of large aquatic cryptids |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311680321 |journal=Fortean Studies |volume=7 |pages=75–94}}</ref> The complete absence of non-avian dinosaur fossils in [[Cenozoic]] layers contrasts sharply with the good record of the group in [[Mesozoic]] layers and their survival would require [[Ghost lineage|ghost lineages]] on an unprecedented scale.<ref name=":02" /> Stegosaurs appear to have been declining already in the [[Early Cretaceous]]. They may have gone extinct prior to the extinction event since no certain stegosaurian fossils are known from the [[Late Cretaceous]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite thesis |last=Raven |first=Thomas J. |title=The Taxonomic, Phylogenetic, Biogeographic and Macroevolutionary History of the Armoured Dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) |date=2021 |degree=PhD |publisher=University of Brighton |url=https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/23893138/Raven_PhD_Thesis.pdf}}</ref> If the relief were to represent a stegosaur, it could conceivably have been based on fossils rather than a live specimen. Although no stegosaur fossils are known from Cambodia, several genera are known from relatively nearby in China, such as ''[[Huayangosaurus]]'', ''[[Tuojiangosaurus]]'' and ''[[Wuerhosaurus]]''.<ref name=":2" />

== References ==

[[Category:Cambodian art]]

[[Category:Pseudoscience]]