History Main / AccidentallyCorrectZoology

* One Sunday strip of ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' featured the "Calvinosaurus", a monstrous carnosaur which is bigger than ''T. rex'' and eats sauropods. 1995 saw the discovery of a sauropod-hunting carnosaur that gained fame for usurping ''T. rex'' in size, and its name is ''Giganotosaurus''. Although it should be noted ''Giganotosaurus'' is roughly the same height and mass as ''T. rex'', whereas Calvinosaurus is ridiculously enormous to the point of devouring the largest sauropods in a single bite.

[[folder:Mythology]]
* OlderThanPrint: Vampires appear in many European cultures in various shapes and forms, with the most iconic being the blood-sucking monster that can transform into a bat. Of course, vampire bats very much exist -- there are three separate species of them. All are native to Central and South America, and thus had not been discovered until well after the vampire myth had developed...
[[/folder]]

* The dromaeosaurid from the last episode of ''Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs'' "Death of a Dynasty" was seen as an example of AnachronismStew, as Dromaeosaurus (what the animal was called during production despite its flaws) was extinct by the K/Pg extinction. Skip ahead to 2015, and a dromaeosaur just the right size to match with this creature was discovered in the exact formation the episode takes place in (''Dakotaraptor'').

* The velociraptors of ''Film/JurassicPark'' are nothing like and much larger than real-life ''Velociraptor'', and are based on ''Deinonychus'' instead. However, after filming had started a movie!raptor-sized dinosaur, called ''Utahraptor'' was discovered. In the years since then, another dromaeosaur has been found matching ''Jurassic Park'''s raptors for size, ''and'' it lived in roughly the same time and place as the raptor Grant was digging up. It's called ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakotaraptor Dakotaraptor]]''. Both are still not complete matches, since ''Utahraptor'' and ''Dakotaraptor'' had feathers (the arm bones of ''Dakotaraptor'' even shows quill knobs to prove it) unlike the raptors in the book and movie. Also, ''Utahraptor'' turned out to be more bizarre-looking than JP's raptors.

* The velociraptors of ''Film/JurassicPark'' are nothing like and much larger than real-life ''Velociraptor'', and are based on ''Deinonychus'' instead. However, after filming had started a movie!raptor-sized dinosaur, called ''Utahraptor'' was discovered. In the years since then, another dromaeosaur has been found matching ''Jurassic Park'''s raptors for size, ''and'' it lived in roughly the same time and place as the raptor Grant was digging up. It's called ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakotaraptor Dakotaraptor]]''. Both are still not complete matches, since both ''Utahraptor'' and ''Dakotaraptor'' had feathers (the arm bones of ''Dakotaraptor'' even shows quill knobs to prove it) unlike the raptors in the book and movie. Also, ''Utahraptor'' turned out to be more bizarre-looking than JP's raptors.

* The velociraptors of ''Film/JurassicPark'' are nothing like and much larger than real-life ''Velociraptor'', and are based on ''Deinonychus'' instead. However, after filming had started a movie!raptor-sized dinosaur, called ''Utahraptor'' was discovered. In the years since then, another dromaeosaur has been found matching ''Jurassic Park'''s raptors for size, ''and'' it lived in roughly the same time and place as the raptor Grant was digging up. It's called ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakotaraptor Dakotaraptor]]''. It's still not a complete match, since both ''Utahraptor'' and ''Dakotaraptor'' had feathers (the arm bones of ''Dakotaraptor'' even shows quill knobs to prove it) unlike the raptors in the book and movie.

* The velociraptors of ''Film/JurassicPark'' are nothing like and much larger than real-life ''Velociraptor'', and are based on ''Deinonychus'' instead. However, after filming had started a movie!raptor-sized dinosaur, called ''Utahraptor'' was discovered. In the years since then, another dromaeosaur has been found matching ''Jurassic Park'''s raptors for size, ''and'' it lived in roughly the same time and place as the raptor Grant was digging up. It's called ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakotaraptor Dakotaraptor]]''. It's still not a complete match, since it had feathers unlike the raptors in the book and movie.

* The velociraptors of ''Film/JurassicPark'' are nothing like and much larger than real-life ''Velociraptor'', and are based on ''Deinonychus'' instead. However, after filming had started a movie!raptor-sized dinosaur, called ''Utahraptor'' was discovered. In the years since then, another dromaeosaur has been found matching ''Jurassic Park'''s raptors for size, ''and'' it lived in roughly the same time and place as the raptor Grant was digging up. It's called ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakotaraptor Dakotaraptor]]''. It's still not a complete match, though since it had feathers unlike the raptors in the book and movie.

* The velociraptors of ''Film/JurassicPark'' are nothing like and much larger than real-life ''Velociraptor'', and are based on ''Deinonychus'' instead. However, after filming had started a movie!raptor-sized dinosaur, called ''Utahraptor'' was discovered. In the years since then, another dromaeosaur has been found matching ''Jurassic Park'''s raptors for size, ''and'' it lived in roughly the same time and place as the raptor Grant was digging up. It's called ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakotaraptor Dakotaraptor]]''.

* One Sunday strip of ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' featured a monstrous carnosaur called the "Calvinosaurus", which is bigger than ''T. rex'' and eats sauropods. 1995 saw the discovery of a sauropod-hunting carnosaur that gained fame for usurping ''T. rex'' in size, and its name is ''Giganotosaurus''. Although it should be noted ''Giganotosaurus'' is roughly the same height and mass as ''T. rex'', whereas Calvinosaurus is ridiculously enormous to the point of devouring the largest sauropods in a single bite.

* One Sunday strip of ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' featured a monstrous carnosaur called the "Calvinosaurus", which is bigger than ''T. rex'' and eats sauropods. 1995 saw the discovery of a sauropod-hunting carnosaur that would gain fame for usurping ''T. rex'' in size, and its name is ''Giganotosaurus''. Although it should be noted ''Giganotosaurus'' is roughly the same height and mass as ''T. rex'', whereas Calvinosaurus is ridiculously enormous to the point of devouring the largest sauropods in a single bite.

* In 500 BC, Hanno the Navigator described a tribe of "hairy women" he encountered in Gabon, that the locals called "Gorillas". His report was largely disregarded as a traveler's tale, but in 1847, a large, hairy hominid was indeed discovered in Africa, which was named "gorilla" after the creature described by Hanno. The animal, now called the western gorilla, become prominently featured in popular culture from the 1860s on. [[note]] The eastern gorilla (also known as the mountain gorilla) was first described in 1903. [[/note]] Whether or not Hanno's "gorilla" is the same as the animal we know today is still unknown.

** Dwarf island dinosaurs were discovered in the form of Haeg Island dinosaurs and ''Europasaurus''.
** Long-necked, long-legged running pterosaurs became reality once better remains of Azhdarchids were discovered.

* Scrat from the ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' movies, a franchise starting in 2002, is a sabre-toothed squirrel. ''Cronopio dentiacutus'' is a small (8-9 inches long) squirrel-like mammal with a long snout and sharp canines, discovered in 2011.

* In 1915, an ornathologist named Steve William Bebee hypothesised a "Tetrapteryx" stage in bird evolution where avian ancestors had feathers on their wings and legs. In 2003, ''Microraptor'' was discovered. They were the first dinosaurs found with feathers on both their wings and legs.

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

* OlderThanPrint: Vampires appear in many European cultures, in various shapes and forms - with the most iconic being the blood-sucking monster that can transform into a bat. Of course, vampire bats very much exist - there are three separate species of them. All are native to Central and South America, and thus had not been discovered until well after the vampire myth had developed...

* The velociraptors of ''Film/JurassicPark'' are nothing like and much larger than real-life ''Velociraptor'', and are based on ''Deinonychus'' instead. However, after filming had started a movie!raptor-sized dinosaur, called ''Utahraptor'' was discovered. Later years met the discovery of other large raptors such as ''Achillobator'' and ''Dakotaraptor''.

* ''WesternAnimation/IceAge''
** Scrat from the ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' movies, a franchise starting in 2002, is a sabre-toothed squirrel. ''Cronopio dentiacutus'' is a small (8-9 inches long) squirrel-like mammal with a long snout and sharp canines, discovered in 2011.
** The ''Gastornis'' from the second film don't appear to invoke the same CarnivoreConfusion among herbivores as other carnivores in the series do. Skip ahead several years and it's discovered that ''Gastornis'' was actually a herbivore.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In the 2006 remake of the first ''Anime/{{Doraemon}}'' movie, ''Ornithomimus'' was portrayed with feathers including winged arms, before a discovery in 2012 confirmed ''Ornithomimus'' did have wings.
[[/folder]]

* In ''Film/JurassicParkIII'', ''Spinosaurus'' was portrayed as being larger than ''Tyrannosaurus''. In 2006, not only did it turn out ''Spinosaurus'' ''was'' bigger than a ''Tyrannosaurus'' but it was also the largest of all carnivorous dinosaurs.

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
* Dolphins are frequently given an AlternativeCharacterInterpretation as violent, venal and murderous animals, unlike their "actual" gentle and caring personality. As anyone who has studied dolphin behavior can tell you, [[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n3_v154/ai_21003387/ this interpretation is truer]] [[http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1993-09-01/news/the-flap-over-flipper/ than you might believe]]. It's not clear which, if any, writers knew this when they used it.
** ''The Simpsons'' did this in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E1TreehouseOfHorrorXI Treehouse of Horror XI]]".
** ''The Pet Professional'' also did this.
** As did ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja''.
** ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' also plays on this, as dolphins attack the Satellite of Love with interplanetary dolphin warships.
** ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' did it with Hank getting raped by the dolphin at the La Grunta resort.
** ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' gives us another evil dolphin, Dr. Blowhole.
** ''ComicStrips/PearlsBeforeSwine'' has killer dolphins in one arc.
** ''WesternAnimation/LeagueOfSuperEvil'' showed that dolphins are actually super villains in one episode.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime]]

* In ''Film/JurassicParkIII'', ''Spinosaurus'' was portrayed as being larger than ''Tyrannosaurus''. In 2006, ''Spinosaurus'' not only ''was'' bigger than a ''Tyrannosaurus'' but it was also the largest of all carnivorous dinosaurs.

* The velociraptors of ''Film/JurassicPark'' are nothing like and much larger than real-life velociraptors, and are based on Deinonychus instead. However, after filming had started a movie!raptor-sized dinosaur, called Utahraptor was discovered.

A subtrope of AccidentallyCorrectWriting. Not a Subtrope of {{Defictionalization}} unless the real-life species or breed is a result of artificial selection or genetic engineering that is inspired by fiction. Compare to RealityIsUnrealistic.