There is a velociraptor in Braavos

[JonCon's Red Beard]

It's a Utahraptor.

 

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090827120554AANICx5

[Sly Wren]

 

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090827120554AANICx5

Well done.

 

So--Utahraptors extinct via lemons. NOT a meteor.

[Universal Sword Donor]

 

He was not the Sealord but his First Sword. Although I agree he could have had an education or sort.

 

Yeah I omitted a few words. That's what happens before I get my coffee

[LaughingStormBaratheon]

 
Terrorbird fossils have been discovered up to a couple tens of thousands of years ago which places them right in line with early modern day humans. 
 
 
 
I'm not his secretary. I don't know what he reads everyday but I am going to go ahead and give him the benefit of the doubt here based on other qualifying information. 
 
And I'll stick by what I said that it's not a velociraptor. 

Some people can just never be wrong huh guy?

[JonSnow4President]

Some people can just never be wrong huh guy?

He loves his ostrich so much, he's sticking his head in the sand.

 

Edit:  I am aware this is a factual inaccuracy.  Just have fun with civilization's collective ignorance.

[Bironic]

I agree that the walking Lizard is a Raptor.
But why is a hairy mouse-pig as big as a cow a hippo?
Hippo don't resemble mice and they aren't hairy at all, furthermore they are bigger than Cows!
I think it's a Different Animal perhaps a Gorilla, Ground sloth, Musk oxen, Any Other ideas?

[JonCon's Red Beard]

This is the kind of thing that causes wars. The War for the Braavosian Velociraptor.

[Tucu]

I agree that the walking Lizard is a Raptor.
But why is a hairy mouse-pig as big as a cow a hippo?
Hippo don't resemble mice and they aren't hairy at all, furthermore they are bigger than Cows!
I think it's a Different Animal perhaps a Gorilla, Ground sloth, Musk oxen, Any Other ideas?

An extinct giant capybara (Josephoartigasia) or a giant beaver? Both the size of a bear

[JonSnow4President]

This is the kind of thing that causes wars. The War for the Braavosian Velociraptor.

A disembodied red beard, a dragon f***ing a direwolf, a storm raining down laughing Robert Baratheons, an O- type body that grows swords, and a bunch of others against an angry regular wolf.  

 

Short war.  

[Lady Blizzardborn]

I agree that the walking Lizard is a Raptor.
But why is a hairy mouse-pig as big as a cow a hippo?
Hippo don't resemble mice and they aren't hairy at all, furthermore they are bigger than Cows!
I think it's a Different Animal perhaps a Gorilla, Ground sloth, Musk oxen, Any Other ideas?

A tapir.  Granted a fantasy version of one. 

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Anyone else getting thrown by the phrase "walking lizard?" What does he think lizards normally do for locomotion?

 

Tap? Skip? Tango? Salsa? Shimmy?

Personally, I would prefer lizards who amble or sashay.

 

Tango and sasla are dancing terms.  What's another term for lizard? Dinosaur.  Some dinosaurs had wings.  Which of course in a fantasy series means dragons.  Dragons who apparently are not dancing.

 

The lizards walk however, so clearly Syrio is talking about a Targaryen rather than an actual dragon.  The scythes for claws is reminiscent of Aerys refusing to let his fingernails be trimmed, and we all know he was terrible.  But there was only one Aerys, and he was dead.  Obviously some R'hllorist secretly snatched Aerys' body, brought him back, cloned him, and sold him and his clones to the Sealord for his zoo.  Mystery = solved.

 

I'm glad GRRM is so detailed in his writing that he gives us little gems like this to keep us occupied in the sand box until he gives us the new toy/book. 

[Lady Blizzardborn]

This is the kind of thing that causes wars. The War for the Braavosian Velociraptor.

The Sealord needs at least three.  They hunt in packs, remember.  Seriously though I don't think they would hold up well against dragons.

 

Is anyone else thinking maybe Syrio had been newly named First Sword and was getting a tour of the menagerie when he came upon a strange-looking creature that defied description and asked the Sealord...

 

Syrio: "What the heck is that?"  

Sealord: "That, my friend, is a terrible walking lizard, with scythes for claws."

Syrio: "Oh. Okay. Terrible walking lizard with scythes for claws. I'll have to remember that."

[Dr. Pepper]

 

But we both know that GRRM is no mere lay person. He is very well read and a scholar of many subjects. 

He's scholarly, but being scholarly doesn't suggest expertise in his subjects of interest.  He's no arborist, for example.  He has oak trees growing wild north of the wall when they really shouldn't.  He's also made some major errors in the rate of movement.  

 

I think him not checking out the newest scientific articles on velociraptors at the time he was publishing is probably not a huge issue.  It's not like the internet was as widely available then.  He probably just double checked an encyclopedia photo in his personal library and went with that rather than subscribe to all of the dino news magazines.  

[Sly Wren]

Personally, I would prefer lizards who amble or sashay.

 

Tango and sasla are dancing terms.  What's another term for lizard? Dinosaur.  Some dinosaurs had wings.  Which of course in a fantasy series means dragons.  Dragons who apparently are not dancing.

 

The lizards walk however, so clearly Syrio is talking about a Targaryen rather than an actual dragon.  The scythes for claws is reminiscent of Aerys refusing to let his fingernails be trimmed, and we all know he was terrible.  But there was only one Aerys, and he was dead.  Obviously some R'hllorist secretly snatched Aerys' body, brought him back, cloned him, and sold him and his clones to the Sealord for his zoo.  Mystery = solved.

 

I'm glad GRRM is so detailed in his writing that he gives us little gems like this to keep us occupied in the sand box until he gives us the new toy/book. 

"Let him be king over cheap clones and "Aeryses"--am also assuming they cook his meat.

 

The Sealord needs at least three.  They hunt in packs, remember.  Seriously though I don't think they would hold up well against dragons.

 

"Three treasons you must know"--we thought the Sealord kicking Dany out was the problem--nope. Stole her raptors.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

He's scholarly, but being scholarly doesn't suggest expertise in his subjects of interest.

 

Or that his characters are. Syrio might have some education but he's not a dinoexpert.

[Sly Wren]

An extinct giant capybara (Josephoartigasia) or a giant beaver? Both the size of a bear

I love capybaras--so am voting for this.

 

And "tigers who carry their cubs in a pouch"--obviously the extinct (?) Tasmanian Tiger.

 

Unless it's a dig at overly-controlling "tiger moms" . . . . don't think Martin is that petty.

[Suzanna Stormborn]

Can we name it Blue?

[Taenqyrhae]

I used to be fairly confident that most of the creatures described in the series were mundane, real-world animals.  Kraken are giant squid, lizard-lions are crocodiles, etc.  But then someone posted an excerpt from an earlier SF story that GRRM wrote that also had lizard-lions, and they were not very crocodile-like at all…so who knows what the Sealord has in his menagerie.  Maybe it's just a cassowary that lost it's feathers.

[Dr. Pepper]

 

Or that his characters are. Syrio might have some education but he's not a dinoexpert.

But if it were feathered, Syrio probably would have used bird-like language in the description.  I just don't think it's unreasonable to acknowledge that most people probably didn't hear about the velociraptor feather thing until much later.  It's not like they are feathered in pop culture representations, even now.

 

As an aside, I'm surprised no one has pointed out that this animal could have been Howland Reed disguised as a lizard lion.  Dude has made a career traveling in disguise.  Seems natural he would have made it to Braavos at one point or another. 

[JonCon's Red Beard]

But if it were feathered, Syrio probably would have used bird-like language in the description.  I just don't think it's unreasonable to acknowledge that most people probably didn't hear about the velociraptor feather thing until much later.  It's not like they are feathered in pop culture representations, even now.

Syrio is described as a very observant man too. If that thing had had one single feather, he would have mentioned it: "A walking lizard with THREE feathers, I counted them".

And yes, around 1996, there was no wide mention of feathered velociraptors. By the time JP:Lost Word premiered (1997), people JUST started to be more aware but the perception was still the same image from the original movie. By JPIII (2001), the raptors changed a bit and had feathers.
 

As an aside, I'm surprised no one has pointed out that this animal could have been Howland Reed disguised as a lizard lion.  Dude has made a career traveling in disguise.  Seems natural he would have made it to Braavos at one point or another.

He's disguised as a lemon tree.