Dragonfly Family: Refinement of Skills

Dragonflies flit on the surface of small ponds and slow creeks. Their gossamer wings glisten in the dappled sunlight. Colorful and delicate-looking, Dragonflies inspire awe in everyone who sees Them.

Dragonflies were one of the first flying creatures to evolve, about three hundred million years ago. They have remained mostly unchanged during all this time. Although They are the most primitive of winged Insects, Dragonflies are the most efficient fliers. Their wings move independently allowing the Dragonflies to stop in midair, change directions, and fly backwards. Very few Birds can out-fly or hunt down Dragonflies.

Dragonflies are the Hawks of the Insect World. They swoop down from a perch and take an unsuspecting Insect by surprise. Effective hunters, Dragonflies snatch their prey in midair and devour them.

The Dragonflies teaches how you can refine your skill, and be more than you are.

Important Dragonfly Teaching: Illusion:
"When we've tricked ourselves into believing our limits prevent us from changing and growing, Dragonfly teaches us to pierce our self-created illusions. Dragonfly helps us to gain power through dreams and goals. Dragonfly asks us to look through the illusions, to become all we can be." Copyright: Unknown.

Dragonfly's Teachings Include:
"Dragonflies symbolize whirlwind, swiftness and activity. In Japan, Dragonflies represent new light and joy. Dragonflies remind us that we are light and can reflect the light in powerful ways if we choose to do so." Copyright: Unknown.

OURANOSAURUS: Useful Things

Though placed in the Iguanodont Family, Ouranosaurus was becoming a Duck-billed Dinosaur (Hadrosaur). This was not that unusual since scientists believe that the Iguanodont Family was the transition point from “Beaked” Dinosaurs to Duck-billed Ones. Ouranosaurus had the wide-mouth of the Hadrosaur Family, but not their specialized teeth. Moreover, He had a smaller “thumb” spike, and a less flexible “pinky” finger than Iguanodon.      Ouranosaurus lived along the river deltas in the lowlands. Unlike the more versatile Iguanodon, He only ate low lying plants.

            What made Ouranosaurus noteworthy was his “sail hump,” which was flat and short. The neural spines along his back vertebrae indicated that the “sail hump” was more than a simple flap of skin. Through the years, paleontologists have pondered what it was used for. Their usual explanation is that it was to regulate his temperature, since other animals in hot areas often developed often sails. Their sails collected heat for cool times, and expelled heat during warm times.  Adding to this mystery was that only a few unrelated Dinosaurs had a sail.

            Curiosity over Ouranosaurus’ “sail hump” spawned more ideas. One theory posited that it was for recognizing others in his group, and for sexual purposes. Perhaps the “sail hump” was an adaption to living in North Africa, where the fossils of Ouranosaurus were found. There may have been times when Ouranosaurus was forced to go without eating or drinking. Therefore He could have used his “sail hump” the way Camel uses hers to store food.

            I like to think that Ouranosaurus used his “sail hump” for a lot of things. In nature, the adaptations of plants and animals usually serve many purposes. Ouranosaurus can teach us how to use one thing in many ways. Therefore, He does not need to possess a lot of things, but just only a versatile one. With it, He can accomplish many things. Let Ouranosaurus teach you how to invent new uses for your possessions. Have Him help you ponder the multiple uses of a spoon.

IGUANODON: Question Authority 2 of 2)

Tail should be straight out.

So what does Iguanodon looks like now? Weighing about 3.5 tons (3 metric tons), She stood 33 feet (13 meters) tall. Her front hands had three stiff fingers to bear her weight, when Iguanodon walked on all fours. Besides her “thumb” spike, She also had a dexterous “pinkie” finger. As Iguanodon aged, She would spend more time walking on four legs instead of two.

            People have been entranced by Iguanodon in her many forms. Her statue at the Crystal Palace once awed children and their parents. Then, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had Her star in his novel, “The Lost World.” Bcause one of her fossils was found there, the borough of Maidstone, Kent placed Iguanodon on their coat of arms. In modern times, Disney featured a male Iguanodon as a hero in the movie “Dinosaur.”

            Iguanodon introduced people to Dinosaurs, and then gently prodded them to reconsider their own ideas. She led people to consider the unimaginable, and then to make it real. Since She is not satisfied with the status quo, Iguanodon urged scientists to rethink their theories.. Let Iguanodon gently question your assumptions as She questions authority.

IGUANODON: Question Authority (1 of 2)

Incorrect view of Iguanodon

As only the second Dinosaur to be discovered, Iguanodon reflects the development of the science of paleontology. In fact when She was named by Gideon Mantell in 1825, “Dinosaurs” were still an unknown concept. He had named Her for her iguana-like teeth, and regarded her “thumb” spike to be a nose horn similar to an Iguana.

In 1842, Sir Richard Owen, a creationist, in order to rebut various theories of evolution, created the Dinosaur Order (Dinosauria) from Iguanodon, Megalosaurus, and Hylaeosaurus. In contrast to the prevailing thought that these extinct animals were Reptiles, Owen reconstructed Iguanodon as a huge four-footed Mammal. Meanwhile, Mantell had the revolutionary concept that Iguanodon was a plant eater, when naturalists at this time regarded Dinosaurs to be only giant carnivores.

            These varying images formed the first pictures of Iguanodon for the public. Depicted as a lumbering low-slung animal, Iguanodon was displayed with her “thumb” spike on her nose. The life-size reconstruction of Iguanodon, at the Crystal Palace in London in 1852, resembled an Elephant with sharp teeth. This particular depiction of her became firmly entrenched in the public’s mind.

            This image changed in 1878, when a group of Iguanodon fossils was discovered in a mine in Belgium. When these fossils were finally reconstructed, scientists realized that Iguanodon looked much different from what they initially thought. In his models, Louis Dollo presented her new image to the public. Resembling a giant Wallaby, Iguanodon stood upright on her hind legs, while balancing on her long tail. Dollo moved her nose horn to the end of her hand for her “thumb” spike. Dollo’s presentation of Her lasted for an hundred years.

            In the 1980s as paleontologists re-examined their ideas of Dinosaurs, they realized that they were wrong about Iguanodon. If She had sat on her tail, it would have broken in two. Meanwhile, other new discoveries revealed that Dinosaurs had stiff tails that they held high off the ground. Having a stiffened tail meant that Iguanodon could walk on two feet or four feet, as She chose. Since Iguanodon could do this, She could search for both low lying plants and ones at the tree tops.