Alleged Dragon Sighting In China: Real Or CGI?

What appears to be a dragon flying over China has caught the attention of thousands. Could this dragon sighting in China be real, or perhaps CGI?

According to Hiduth, Apex TV uploaded a video to YouTube, claiming to have witnessed a real dragon flying above the mountains in China. The video’s caption asks whether this is a real dragon or a pterodactyl.

China: Giant Flying Creature Sighting Caught On Tape. What Is It? Dragon? https://t.co/E19F74QtCD

— Beyond Science (@Beyond_Science) September 11, 2016

The pterodactyl has supposedly been extinct for 66 million years. One YouTube user, Li Zeng, believes that CGI is to blame for this “dragon sighting.” He is convinced that this video does not show a real dragon sighting.

“FAKE, pasted onto the original video. Simple judgement, the ‘dragon’ disappear after the rocky mountain, so the rocky mountain is closer to the viewer, but it possess less resolution than the flying ‘dragon.’ It’s a cell phone device camera, so it’s pan focused and can’t focus on particular object.”

Another User believes that the “dragon” could potentially be a drone made to portray a dragon.

“I’ve read some articles about how scientists and engineers have combined knowledge and discovered the natural movement and aerodynamics of a bird so perhaps they have tried to replicate it on a machine.”

Another user, said to be a “bird watcher and enthusiast,” thought maybe the sighting was a frigatebird.

“I am an avid bird watcher and enthusiast. I have filmed birds thousands of times. And from the moment I saw this footage, I recognized it as being a very large female frigatebird. Possibly with a skin condition of some kind. The pattern of flight is the same. The placement of the tail during flight is accurate. If it is at all doctored to look more “‘prehistoric”‘ or whatever, it has not been doctored that much. Maybe just color timed to give it a more reptilian color. It’s a Frigatebird. Trust me.”

Gackhollywood mentions that this is definitely not the first “dragon sighting” that has been released on the internet. Unfortunately, most have been debunked.

A second dragon sighting in Pennsylvania was uploaded by YouTube user, All In One. Many people commented, claiming it is fake, possibly professional CGI.

When alleged dragon sightings are made viral, oftentimes people question, “Could it be a dragon, or perhaps a pterodactyl?”

Let’s take a look at the history of a pterodactyl. According to Live Science, a pterodactyl is a winged reptile more commonly known as a pterosaur. David Hone, a Queen Mary University paleontologist in London, revealed that there were at least 130 known pterosaur genera that lived in widespread areas. They were common in Germany, America and China.

The pterosaur became extinct with the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period. Further, it was stated that the pterosaur was not a dinosaur, but a flying reptile.

A pterodactyl fossil was located in China, Gizmodo reports. Another fossil of a pterodactyl was also located in China by Mrs. T. This fossil was accompanied with an egg that appeared to have been ready to hatch prior to being killed. Between the two, scientists were able to confirm the differences between the two sexes of a pterodactyl.

Some pterodactyl’s had tiny wingspans of just 25 centimeters, while others were as large as a giraffe. One interesting finding was the female did not have the crest, which was the large point on the top of a pterodactyl’s head.

Perhaps female pterodactyl’s do not have the crest, and maybe the sightings above China and Pennsylvania was a female pterodactyl. Without scientific proof, it is hard to say whether or not any of these “dragon” videos are real or fake. Some believe that maybe were are seeing some sort of new creature that hasn’t yet been scientifically identified.

What do you think? Is it a dragon, a pterodactyl, an unidentified new creature, or excellent CGI?

[Featured Image by Shutterstock]

https://youtu.be/3IiekN6NCes