Social media debates video footage after woman reports seeing a 'baby dinosaur' run across her yard

A homeowner in Florida has sparked a debate on social media after suggesting that a ‘baby dinosaur’ ran across her lawn in the middle of the night.

Cristina Ryan said her security camera captured the black and white footage of a creature on two legs scurrying past her home in Palm Coast.  

While trying to come up with an explanation for what the strange animal may be, Ryan joked that she can only see it as a prehistoric creature. She noted that the way the animal was ‘walking’ on its hind legs makes it look just like a velociraptor. 

‘Any animal we can come up with that would be ‘walking’ at 3:40 in the morning, wouldn’t walk this way,’ Ryan told FOX 35 News. ‘Maybe I’ve watched Jurassic Park too many times, but I see a raptor or other small dinosaur!’ 

Cristina Ryan said her security camera captured black and white footage of a creature on two legs scurrying past her home in Palm Coast, and she thinks it looks like a baby dinosaur

She added: ‘Some say a large bird, but that makes no sense – since whatever it is appears to have front legs. So not sure? Lol. I’m sticking with raptor myself.’ 

After the footage was shared on Facebook, social media users came up with their own theories for what the strange creature could be.

One stated: ‘It’s a fox with its tail sticking up and back’. Another wrote: ‘Someone has turned loose an exotic lizard or an iguana is visiting from the keys.’ 

Florida residents point out that many of the large birds that are found in the state may look and sound like prehistoric beasts.  

One commented: ‘Those big birds sure do sound like velociraptors. I live in a reserve area and have cranes, herons, egrets, etc. in my backyard all the time.’ 

In the footage taken just before 4am in the morning, some sort of animal can be seen running across the backyard at the home in Palm Coast

After the footage was shared on Facebook, social media users came up with their own theories for what the strange creature could be

Other Facebook commenters believe that it’s not a wild animal at all, with many insisting that the creature is simply a pet that’s running loose

Others say that it’s not actually a large bird, but is rather a wild turkey running by. One person pointed out: ‘Tons where I live and I swear they could be a mini brontosaurus when I see them.’     

Another popular opinion is that it’s an iguana, which are an invasive species in Florida, and have been growing in number over the past few years.  

Other Facebook commenters believe that it’s not a wild animal at all, with many insisting that the creature is simply a pet that’s running loose. 

They note that the white mark on the creature’s back could be an identification tag or part of a dog harness.

Since the animal appeared to be running on its hind legs (right), homeowner Ryan said it looked like a velociraptor (left) similar to the ones she had seen in the Jurassic park movie

There are also a few commenters that claim Ryan may not be wrong and that the animal is in fact a baby velociraptor or other prehistoric creature

Another popular opinion is that it’s an iguana, which are an invasive species in Florida, and have been growing in number over the past few years.

Florida residents point out that many of the large birds that are found in the state may look and sound like prehistoric beasts 

One wrote: ‘It’s seriously JUST a dog and what looks to be his harness/leash dragging behind him.’ 

Some even playfully suggest that the animal is a chupacabra – a legendary vampire-like creature with roots in South America that sucks the blood of livestock and looks a bit like a hairless dog or coyote.

There are also a few commenters that claim Ryan may not be wrong and that the animal is in fact a baby velociraptor or other prehistoric creature roaming around a Florida backyard. 

‘Definitely a dinosaur,’ a Facebook user wrote under the video. ‘After all 2020 continued into 2021…. So anything is possible.’