Living dinosaurs are non-avian dinosaurs
that survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene
extinction event. The term is used in
paleontology, biology and cryptozoology
to refer to different creatures. In
paleontology, all non-avian dinosaurs
are believed to have gone extinct during
the K-Pg extinction event, 66 million
years ago, but there is some scattered
evidence that some may have survived
into the Paleocene epoch. These alleged
creatures are referred to as living
dinosaurs. In biology, the term is
sometimes used to describe birds, which
are the only living clade of dinosaurs
today. In cryptozoology, where the term
is often used, it refers to any
legendary or folkloric creature that
resembles the dinosaurs, which
cryptozoologists allege are dinosaurs
that have survived into modern times.
This notion is rejected in all modern
scientific fields.
In paleontology 
In paleontology, a living dinosaur is a
dinosaur which is claimed to have
survived the K-Pg extinction event, 66
million years ago, into the Paleocene
epoch. The fossils of these "Paleocene
dinosaurs", are found above the K-T
Boundary Strata. Although almost all
evidence indicates that non-avian
dinosaurs all became extinct at the K-T
boundary, there is some scattered
evidence that some non-avian dinosaurs
lived for a short period of time during
the Paleocene epoch, supporting the
claim that the event that caused the
extinction of the dinosaurs was not
sudden, but rather gradual. Their
arguments are based on the finding of
dinosaur remains in the Hell Creek
Formation up to 1.3 m above, therefore
40,000 years later than the K-T
boundary.
In general biology 
In biology, "living dinosaurs" are
modern birds. The designation arises
from the evolutionary lineage of birds
as the only clade of dinosaurs to have
survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene
extinction event. More specifically,
they are members of Maniraptora, a group
of theropods that includes dromaeosaurs
and oviraptorids, among others.
In cryptozoology 
In cryptozoology, a "living dinosaur" is
any legendary or folkloric creature that
resembles the dinosaurs, which
cryptozoologists allege are dinosaurs
that have survived into modern times.
Despite these claims, all non-avian
dinosaurs went extinct at the
Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event,
65 million years ago, or, at most, a few
hundred thousand years after, in the
early Paleocene. There is no evidence
that any non-avian dinosaurs survived
beyond the Cretaceous, and there are
strong arguments against the survival of
populations of large dinosaurs.
Alleged living dinosaurs are typically
based on interpretations of regional
folklore, alleged eyewitness sightings,
legends, unverified physical evidence,
and works of traditional art that
supposedly depict dinosaurs. Sightings
of dinosaur-like creatures have come
mostly from the dense swamplands in
Congo, Cameroon, and Zambia, although
there are occasional reports from the
dense rain-forests of the Amazon and
other parts of South America.
Some cryptozoologists and creationists
claim that archaeological evidence
supports the existence of living
dinosaurs, and that several
archaeological artifacts, old writings,
cave paintings and ancient folklores
were based on the idea that man and
dinosaurs lived beside each other.
However, archeologists, biologists, and
other fields of science do not support
this idea, and view the field of
cryptozoology as pseudoscience.
Historians and archeologists generally
view cave paintings as ancient people's
reaction to finding fossils. Some of
those fossils were used as Oracle bones
by ancient cultures. The Ica Stones and
the Kasai Rex are famous hoaxes
involving supposed living dinosaurs.
With no fossil evidence supporting the
existence of Cenozoic dinosaurs, save
for the few controversial discoveries
limited to the early Paleocene,
paleontologists and evolutionary
scientists have not supported the
existence of living dinosaurs. Reports
of living dinosaurs can be studied in
terms of cryptozoology, mythology and/or
sociology, as in the work of Adrienne
Mayor regarding the interpretations of
ancient cultures when finding fossils.
Areas that cryptozoologists claim have
been stable since the Cretaceous have
changed considerably since that time. At
the end of the Cretaceous, Africa was
significantly farther south than its
current location and even small degrees
of difference in location make for
vastly different environments. The idea
that dinosaurs could have survived in
the thick rainforests of the Congo, for
instance, is not supportable since the
Congo rainforests did not exist in
anything like their present form during
the Cretaceous period. Similarly, many
of Africa's major geological formations
– the Great Rift Valley, for example –
are much younger than the dinosaurs,
having formed within the last 35 million
years. The climate has also changed
considerably in the last 20,000 years.
Most of the Congo Basin was semi-arid
and covered with a dry-savanna
vegetation. The rainforests had
retreated to the extreme east, extreme
west and possibly also as narrow strips
along some of the remaining major
rivers. Hence, the rainforest and swamp
vegetation in which these animals are
now claimed to be found simply wasn't
there until the rainforests spread
across the Congo Basin again toward the
end of the last ice age and after,
around 12,000 years ago.
= Cryptids alleged to resemble dinosaurs
Arica Monster - Usually spotted by
motorists in the deserts in Arica,
Chile. It was described resembling a
dromaeosaurid or ornithomimid.
Burrunjor - This is described as a
theropod dinosaur or giant lizard with a
length of 30 feet or more with sightings
in Northern New South Wales, Arnhem Land
and Cape York Peninsula. Possible
explanations are that it is a perentie,
Australia's largest lizard, or a
surviving Megalania, another large
lizard thought to be extinct. It is also
claimed to be depicted in cave paintings
in Arnhem Land.
Emela Ntouka - The Emela-Ntouka is a
creature present in folklores of the
pygmies of Central Africa. Although
generally described as an aquatic
rhinoceros, the animal is usually
interpreted as a ceratopsian.
Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu - Claimed to be a
living stegosaur.
Mokele-mbembe - Mokele-mbembe is
arguably the most popular "living
dinosaur", because of numerous
expeditions concerning it. It is
reported to be a living sauropod.
Reports mainly come from Lake Tele in
Congo.
Muhuru - The Muhuru bay monster is an
alleged living stegosaur living in the
dense rainforests of Kenya.
Nguma-monene - Nguma-monene is described
an immense reptilian with a sail on its
back, often interpreted as a living
spinosaurid.
Ngoubou - Ngoubou, allegedly a living
Styracosaurus or Uintathere.
Sirrush - The sirrush are draconic
creatures portrayed in Babylonian art.
Robert Koldewey advocated that the
sirrush was a portrayal of a real
animal. In 1918, he proposed that
Iguanodon was the closest match to the
sirrush.
Behemoth - Described in the Book of Job
Tarasque
See also 
Dragon
Loch Ness Monster
Griffin
Sea serpent
Lazarus taxon
Living fossil
References 
Further reading 
Eberhart, George M.. Mysterious
Creatures: A Guide To Cryptozoology.
ABC-CLIO, Inc. ISBN 1-57607-283-5.
Ham, Ken Dinosaurs of Eden: A Biblical
Journey Through Time. Master Books. ISBN
0-89051-340-6
Hapgood, Charles Mystery in Acambaro:
Did Dinosaurs Survive Until Recently?.
Adventures Unlimited Press. ISBN
0-932813-76-3
Shuker, Karl P. N. In Search of
Prehistoric Survivors, Blandford, ISBN
0-7137-2469-2
