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RE: Giant pliosaur from Russia + dinosaur media confusion + more news
- To: <bcreisler@gmail.com>, <dinosaur@usc.edu>
- Subject: RE: Giant pliosaur from Russia + dinosaur media confusion + more news
- From: "Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@umd.edu>
- Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2014 16:52:16 -0400
- In-reply-to: <CAMR9O1KdYSWR9EaLETPn1Yp0vJBh=6Fn5xRJFESb7JXVW8ot3Q@mail.gmail.com>
- References: <CAMR9O1KdYSWR9EaLETPn1Yp0vJBh=6Fn5xRJFESb7JXVW8ot3Q@mail.gmail.com>
- Reply-to: <tholtz@umd.edu>
- Sender: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu
> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu] On Behalf Of Ben
> Creisler
> Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2014 4:34 PM
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Giant pliosaur from Russia + dinosaur media confusion + more news
>
> Ben Creisler
> bcreisler@gmail.com
>
>
> A number of recent news items and blog stuff:
>
> Giant Jurassic pliosaur found in Ryazan region of Russia
>
> The only notice in English I can find is this note, which appears to be
> computer translated ("sea pangolin"??!). [The Russian word for
> pangolin is *yasher*, which can also mean a lizard.]
>
> http://www.russia-ic.com/news/show/19226/
I've encountered this before!
> ===
>
> Use "paleosaur" for prehistoric reptiles in general?
>
> http://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2014/09/30/paleosaurs/
>
> Non-dinosaurs
>
> http://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2014/09/30/dinosaurs/
>
>
> [Personal comment: Why not revive the old term "saurian" that once served
> quite well? German still uses "Saurier" quite happily for
> dinosaurs, pterosaurs, marine reptiles, mammal-like reptiles, and even
> ancient amphibians (temnospondyls, etc.).]
>
Yes, agree! This word has precedence in English, too, if you go back to 19th
Century popular discussions of fossil beasts. If for some reason you can't
handle just saying "prehistoric reptiles", "saurians" isn't a bad replacement.
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