Dragon or dinosaur? Scaly Spyro challenging children to think about genetics
Tūhura Otago Museum is using a bearded dragon named Spyro to teach children about the differences between modern reptiles and dinosaurs. While the lizard shares physical traits like scales and claws with dinosaurs, experts clarify that they are not genetically related.
Why it matters
Educational exhibits help bridge the gap between popular misconceptions and scientific reality for young learners.
A desert dweller resembling a dinosaur has been captivating curious minds. Children have been relishing the chance to get up close and personal with a bearded dragon called Spyro during the school holidays. As Tūhura Otago Museum draws visitors to its Dinosaurs: Surviving Extinction exhibition, youngsters have been challenged to decide if Spyro’s scaly-looking appearance means he is a present-day descendant. Living environments co-ordinator Samantha Edwards-Ingle cares for the 2-year-old reptile in the Science Centre enclosure. “Because we’ve got our dinosaur exhibition going on and he’s probably one of the closest-looking things to a live dinosaur that we’ve got, we ask people, what do you guys reckon, do you reckon he’s a dinosaur?’’ Ms Edwards-Ingle said. “He looks like a dinosaur, he’s got scales like a dinosaur.
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