Definitions by Nordicdragon

Mastodon 

A prehistoric elephant that was a close cousin of the elephants and mammoths. It probably fed on leaves from trees and bushes.

I know of the mastodon because of Denali (the mastodon character from the old Gumby cartoons).

Mastodon by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018

Dunkleosteus 

A prehistoric fish that lived during the late Devonian period. It had thick armor plates of bone over its head and neck for protection.

The teeth of Dunkleosteus were fearsome sharp blades of bone. They could easily slice through the armor of other hard-bodied animals.

Some fossils of Dunkleosteus have bite marks from the teeth of other Dunkleosteus. So these massive fish were probably cannibals.

Dunkleosteus by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018

Jawzahr 

A dragon in Islamic mythology that is said to cause eclipses whenever he swallows the sun or moon.

Jawzahr made his first appearance in legends from Persia, which is modern-day Iran.

Jawzahr by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018

Gojira 

The Japanese name for Godzilla. Gojira combines the Japanese names for gorilla and whale.

Since Gojira is made up of the Japanese words for gorilla and whale, do people in Japan just call Godzilla "Gorilla Whale"?

Gojira by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018

Irish Elk 

An extinct species of deer that lived during the Ice Age and was one of the largest deer that ever lived. Its body was only slightly bigger than that of the largest deer today, the moose. But its antlers were far bigger. They measured more than 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) across and were very heavy (they weighed more than a person).

As wth most deer, only the males grew antlers. They probably used their antlers to fight each other at breeding time, to take control of the herd of females.

It was also known as the Giant Deer.

Some Ice Age animals roamed the snowy grasslands, while others wandered in the woods and forests. The Irish Elk probably did both.

Irish Elk by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018

Gorynych

A Russian dragon that has three fire-spitting heads and seven tails. He walks on his two hind legs and has two small front legs, like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. His iron claws can slash through any shield or suit or armor.

Gorynych is featured in folktales and myths originating from Russia and Ukraine.

Gorynych by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018

Spy-hopping 

The behavior that great white sharks often use. It involves a shark popping its head above the water line to see what's going on.

Great white sharks are one of the few species of shark to do spy-hopping.

Spy-hopping by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018