Terra Nova: updates

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@umd.edu>]

Okay, I watched the first part of the first episode of Terra Nova again.
Some comments/clarifications:

1) The reference was to an "allosaur", not "Allosaurus". That is fine, as
allosauroids are known pretty much worldwide in the mid-Cretaceous.

2) The reference was to "brachiosauri", not "Brachiosaurus". Again, if
they use it as "Brachiosauridae", that is [at least potentially] possible.

3) However, at least some of the smaller brachs did not simply lean their
necks over the wall from shoulder level; some of the smaller ones were
arching their necks up and curling over the wall: here's where the
Dinomorph and SV-POW crews might disagree.

4) It was unquestionably "Carnotaurus".

5) The giant scolenpendrid centipede was only about 1 m long, not 2 m.

6) It is still uncertain where in the world the Terra Nova colony is. It
appears that "Hope Plaza" (the 22nd end of the time gateway) is in Chicago
(although it isn't absolutely certain), but no statement that the other
end represents the same geographic location [whatever that means, what
with plate tectonics, and the Solar System traveling through the galaxy,
and the Milky Way moving through space, and all...).  Given that the
American Midwest was mostly underwater at 85 Ma, and definitely not
mountainous, it makes more sense if Terra Nova is somewhere else in the
world. (This can be used to justify the abelisaurs, too.)

7) Despite the fact they come from the mid-22nd Century dystopian future,
all the characters names, hair styles, slang, and clothing are just like
today.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Email: tholtz@umd.edu   Phone: 301-405-4084
Office: Centreville 1216
Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Dept. of Geology, University of Maryland
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
Fax: 301-314-9661

Faculty Director, Science & Global Change Program, College Park Scholars
http://www.geol.umd.edu/sgc
Fax: 301-314-9843

Mailing Address:        Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                        Department of Geology
                        Building 237, Room 1117
                        University of Maryland
                        College Park, MD 20742 USA