Ta Prohm Dino...or No?

Recently, I came across these meme on social media. I do not know where this meme originated, however, there is an ICR logo on the bottom right. But, (and that's a big but) I have seen this used as "evidence" against the scientific fact of evolution and an old universe. The claim is since this was carved 900 years ago (sources?) and appears to be of a Stegosaurus, then this must mean man and dinosaurs co-existed, and that an old universe/evolution is false!

Now, I must admit, superficially this does look to be a Stegosaurus. If this is a dinosaur and is evidence that humans and dinosaurs have once existed together, than that is a game-changer! However, let's look at this a little closer.

BACKGROUND

This carving is found on the Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia late 12th Century and early 13th. This was used as a Buddhist Monastery. According to Wiki, they also filmed Tomb Raider at Ta Prohm. I must admit though, I have never seen Tomb Raider, just played the demo on the original PlayStation! Anyways...this temple has many carvings ranging from animals like deer and birds to mythical figures like this guy...(Photo cred to http://paleo.cc/paluxy/stegosaur-claim.htm)

To me, this temple reminds me of that old Nickelodeon show, "Legends of the Hidden Temple." I mean that in no disrespect, the temple is beautiful. This temple also has a dinosaur-like figure on it..is it a dino? Short answer...no. Long answer...see below.

YEC Contradiction

Before we get into the carving, there's something I find quite interesting. I don't mean to over generalize, but, most Young Earth Creationist claim that dinosaurs that were on the Ark, died shortly after the flood...approx. a little over 4,000 years ago. This means that if this carving was 900 years ago, they have a contradiction. The question is, did dinos live a little over 4000 years ago or 900? I think this is simply reading something you want into the carving.

Fossil Record

The Stegosaurus is found in the late Jurassic Period appx. 199-145 years ago. Their fossils do not appear in the Cretaceous or Cenozoic Period. Were they in hiding? Another point to keep in mind is that their fossils aren't found in Cambodia. It is unlikely someone saw one and carved it into a temple. Below is an image showing where their fossils have been found.

THAGOMIZER

The what? When you compare the carving to an actual Stegosaurus, you will notice that their tails are not identical. Well, they're not similar really at all. Check out this fossil from Wiki, that's located at the Natural History Museum, London.

Notice the tail. It's long, not droopy, and has spikes thingies (scientific term) on the end. That's something I'm sure wouldn't have been missed. Speaking of the fossil. You will also see the legs aren't similar. There are other problems with the carving's anatomy, but let's look at the biggest one.

THE HEAD

The heads of Stegos are known for being extremely small. The head in the carving is quite large.

In the carving it appears to have longer ears that you don't and won't see on a Stego. Basically, everything dealing with the anatomy of both; the Stego and the carving are completely different.

WHAT ABOUT THE BACK PLATES

Check out this image from the site I mentioned earlier. This is a small section of a pillar on the temple.

Those plates (that don't seem attached to the animal) could simply be decoration (like the others you see in the image) or vegetation like on other carvings on this temple. Would it also make sense that this ambiguous carving would be the only record of a Stego in Cambodia? With all these differences, it doesn't seem reasonable to suggest this is a Stegosaurus.

WHAT IS IT?

In my opinion, it's a Sumatran Rhino. These are known in Asia and specifically around Cambodia. I think they better match the carving.

There's also a temple called Angkor Wat...

This temple is near the other and contains similar imaging, including the Rhino. But I don't have any hard evidence for the above carving to be a Rhino, just my opinion based on what I've shown. However, this is not portraying a Stegosaurus or any other dinosaur.

What do you think? Dino or bust?

For a more in-depth reading and a different perspective check out: http://paleo.cc/paluxy/stegosaur-claim.htm