A while ago, a friend returning from Bali gave me a dinosaur souvenir, which surprised me a little. Balinese dinosaurs themselves are not so rare; they can be found sitting with goofy faces (Photo 1) in ethnic shops around town. They are mostly made of wood and have a rather unique charm due to their unconstrained sculpting, which is more a result of a complete lack of dinosaur knowledge than original deformation (Photo 2). However, they were not something I could place in the center of my display shelf.

As an aside, the notorious dinosaur OOPArt, like the Acambaro figurines, is a good example of what happens when someone with no knowledge of dinosaurs fabricates them. Some people say of the dinosaur figurines, "They are identical to dinosaurs; it's as if they were made after seeing real ones," which is utterly ridiculous. For example, Photo 3 is a faithfully miniaturized toy of a typical dinosaur figurine, said to be an Amargasaurus. If this were the true form of an Amargasaurus, all modern dinosaur researchers would have to jump off Flaming Cliffs.
Nevertheless, as a collector, I'd like to get my hands on at least one "authentic" dinosaur figurine.

Well, the Balinese dinosaur I received was a heartwarming piece, a step up from the dinosaur figurines. However, this time, it was different (Photos 4, 5). Although the reconstruction is old, the dynamism, muscle expression, and details such as teeth and claws are quite impressive. Moreover, it subtly retains a Balinese taste in its facial features, resulting in a truly pleasing finish. Have Balinese woodcarvers awakened to dinosaurs? Furthermore, the silver brooch of a sauropod in Photo 6 has a proportion that would not be embarrassing anywhere. I've tried to make a far-fetched connection, suggesting that the dinosaurs of the southern island, who had long dozed in peace, have begun to evolve under the evolutionary pressure of recent security deterioration, such as terrorism.