When Western explorers first discovered set eyes on animals in far-flung locations, artists had the difficult job of depicting them from their exotic descriptions. Now these paintings, including one of a scaly rhino with horns on its back, are among the works going on display at an exhibition entitled ‘Strange Creatures’. The show will examine the history of animal representations and how art was used to bring newly discovered creatures into the public eye, especially before the days of  zoos, the television and the internet. Researchers’ stories include medieval accounts of exotic creatures and art from the ages of exploration. This is a copy of Dürer's rhino, made in 1558, which was based on a written description. It has fantastical armour and a strange shoulder horn, and became an enduring image of rhinos for Europeans . The images, which was picked by palaeontologists, historians of science and exploration and art experts, will be go on display at the Grant Museum of Zoology at University College London. Researchers’ stories include medieval accounts of exotic creatures, art from the ages of exploration and empire, sailors who faked ‘dragon’ specimens by manipulating dried fish and even contemporary knitted craft taxidermy. For the dragons, sailors would cut rays and skates in a certain way, and then dry them out. This created specimens that were then sold as dragons and angels, Grant Museum Manager Jack Ashby who curated Strange Creatures, told MailOnline. 'Naturalists drew these creatures for engravings in their books, which others would copy. 'Each time, the artist might embellish the picture to make it more dragon-like, and soon books appeared to show genuine specimens of dragons. They were called “Jenny Hanivers”. 'We have engravings of them reproduced in the exhibition.' The show centres upon George Stubbs’ painting of a kangaroo, which was created following Captain Cook’s first Pacific ‘Voyage of Discovery’. It is Europe’s first painting of an Australian animal and became the archetype for how people imagined this iconic species for decades, including its over-sized tail. Stubbs, who had never seen a kangaroo, based his painting on an inflated skin, skull, written descriptions and sketches, without ever having seen the animal himself. This trunked elephant is taken from a 13th century manuscript engraving drawn in 1241 before the artist, Matthew Paris, had seen one. It seems to show people using the animal as transport while they play music . Two works by 18th century painter, George Stubbs, were saved for the nation in 2013. They included what is thought to be the first depiction of a kangaroo in Western art. The National Maritime Museum bought the paintings after a substantial donation from a shipping magnate. The paintings were commissioned after Captain Cook's first voyage on Endeavour. Stubbs used sketches and specimens to paint the animals in the UK, which he had not seen in the flesh. The painting was saved for the nation by the National Maritime Museum. The exhibition includes a number of animal artworks created by people who had never seen the creature in the flesh, such as a 16th century copy of Dürer’s famous armoured rhinoceros. It was based on a written description and has fantastical armour and a strange shoulder horn. Despite the inaccuracies, it became an enduring image of rhinos for Europeans. ‘Sometimes the pictures were created from explorers’ written descriptions, while other artists copied existing drawings but added their own interpretations of those descriptions,’ said Dr Chiara Ambrosio who contributed to the exhibition. An elongated elephant that almost looks like a cartoon and features a band of humans playing instruments on its back, was found in a 13th century manuscript. Matthew Paris drew it before he had seen one, but a later painting is more accurate because he based it on an elephant that he saw in the Tower of London, which once housed a menagerie of animals. Paintings of pouchless kangaroos with extremely long tails and rhinos with scaly skin and horns on their backs are among the works of art that will go on display at an exhibition entitled ‘Strange Creatures’. This work by 18th century painter, George Stubbs, is the earliest European painting of an Australian animal . ‘Sometimes they were created from explorers’ written descriptions, while other artists copied existing drawings but added their own interpretations of those descriptions,’ said Dr Chiara Ambrosio who contributed to the exhibition. This 17th century drawing has been done by someone who has not seen a real lion . The imagery was picked by palaeontologists, historians of science and exploration and art experts. This elephant is from the same 13th century manuscript as the other elephant, but was drawn in 1255 after Matthew Paris had seen an elephant in the Tower of London. Mr Ashby said: ‘It’s not only historic artworks which misportrayed these amazing species’. ‘We also see it in the practice of taxidermy, where skins were shipped back to Europe and fleshed-out to recreate the animal based on a few notes. ‘It’s also true of modern dinosaur toys, which have been copying outdated images of fossil species for over a century.’ Events including a Knit-a-thon and drawing classes will accompany the free exhibition, which runs from March 16 to June 27 2015. St Jerome in his Study: German artist Albrecht Dürer probably sourced his image of the lion (pictured) from elsewhere, which may help to explain the beast's strange appearance. Illustrated scenes in the early modern Bible were seen as opportunities to depict exotic animals from distant lands . This image shows a very early accurately portrayed rhino, based on observations of the live animal, Clara. It comes from a book called Tabulae scleti et Muscularum Corporis Humani by Bernhard Siegfried Albinus, 1747 . Dinosaur and other extinct animal models of varying accuracy. Many of these were produced long after the nineteenth century view of dinosaurs – as slow moving, tail dragging, lizard-like animals - had been disproved. Yet the traditional image of a dinosaur (toys are shown) has proved very hard to dispel .
Paintings of strange animals will go on show at  the Grant Museum of Zoology at University College London from March 16 . They include George Stubbs’ painting of a kangaroo with tiny arms . Animal artworks created by people who had never seen the creature in the flesh, such as rhinos and lions, will also go on show . Such images were used to bring newly discovered animals into the public .