DiGoRyKiRke. thank you for the reference to st. George. But while I am unfamiliar with the account, I ust ask. Does the story actually describe the dragon as both fire breathing, and flying?
Wolfloversk. Modern cougars are being re-introduced into much of their original range by some States. Though you must be rather pushy in asking in order to get the state agencies to fess up to the program
Here in Minnesota there have been several sightings, I know of at least one with a radio tracking collar on.
As to there being the same name for different cats. As I recall there are several sub-species, depending on where in the nation you are. the one in florida for instance is a little smaller, with a slighter body structure. But still goes be the same name. You will find the same with many animals. I have heard hunters down south call the whitetail up here "Jurrasic" due to how big they get
You also mentioned the typical unicorn of myth having a beard, and cloven hoofs. I recall a news story I saw many years back of a couple who claimed to have re-discovered the unicorn by breeding the traits "back" into the goats they owned. I saw the young billy they had, and it did appear to have one horn, but my mother told me it was actually the two horns spiralling around each other. I have searched the web, but have not found any references to this. But, if this is so, the beard, and cloven hoofs would fir the traits of an adult billy goat, and it would not be a streach to mistakenly see a goat as a horse.
Getting back to the original questions for a moment. I think one was about how people would come to believe myths. I just read of a collage that now offers a course on how to survive a zombie apocolyps. I wonder just how many people, who are educated, are actually thinking about this as reality