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Re: [dinosaur] T. rex known better than recent reptile species?



I feel kind of stupid now, lol. I guess I was wrong that most modern species are better known than T.rex (certainly based on # of publications). But, salvaging my argument, we still know more about most modern vertebrates because we have access to their closest relatives, and there are comparatively fewer 'gaps' to fill in regarding behavior, physiology, life appearance, etc. There are just different issues to deal with between the extant and the extinct - there are no debates about integument of living salamanders, but we probably know much more about the osteology of dinosaurs than some modern creatures, as Marjanovic alluded to.


Thomas Yazbeck


From: Andreas Johansson <andreasj@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, October 12, 2020 5:01 AM
To: Mickey Mortimer <mickey_mortimer111@msn.com>
Cc: Poekilopleuron <dinosaurtom2015@seznam.cz>; Yazbeck, Thomas <yazbeckt@msu.edu>; dinosaur-l@usc.edu <dinosaur-l@usc.edu>
Subject: Re: [dinosaur] T. rex known better than recent reptile species?
 
There are still genuinely new (as in, not a subspecies raised to full species status) extant vertebrate species discovered every year. It stands to reason that next year’s crop are as yet less well known than T. rex. 

On Mon, 12 Oct 2020 at 10:47, Mickey Mortimer <mickey_mortimer111@msn.com> wrote:
I have to agree with Tom here.  There are SO MANY living vertebrate species that are known from one or few specimens that were killed and collected with zero data on behavior, reproduction, growth, physiology, etc..  Especially in the rainforest and deep sea.  And don't even get me started on invertebrates.  How many beetle species do you think have over one hundred papers written about them?

Mickey Mortimer


From: dinosaur-l-request@mymaillists.usc.edu <dinosaur-l-request@mymaillists.usc.edu> on behalf of Yazbeck, Thomas <yazbeckt@msu.edu>
Sent: Monday, October 12, 2020 1:26 AM
To: Poekilopleuron <dinosaurtom2015@seznam.cz>; dinosaur-l@usc.edu <dinosaur-l@usc.edu>
Subject: Re: [dinosaur] T. rex known better than recent reptile species?
 
Hi Tom,

Here's my perspective on this question. When it comes to modern species, you are sort of comparing apples to oranges. People want to know different things about extinct organisms than extant ones. As an example, zoologists studying species clusters of reptiles or fish probably are dealing with a bunch of species where genetic information is really important for phylogeny. They may not have the time/inclination to look at the functional morphology of the fish or lizards, even if there are interesting details that could be gleaned. 

Also as you sort of hinted at, lizards found only in remote places are probably more expensive to locate than T.rex skulls stored in nice air conditioned museums that you could ride the city bus to. Of course, excavating and prepping said fossils could be more expensive & time-consuming than bagging Amazonian birds with lead shot or (in entomology) just waiting for bugs to fall into pitfall traps.

I think on balance there aren't many living animals (vertebrate or invertebrate) that we know less about than T.rex. Arguably, there are other dinosaur genera that might fit that description better - certain hadrosaurids and ceratopsids, Psittacosaurus, Archaeopteryx... There are actually a few mysteries that remain about T.rex, such as the presence or absence of feathers.


Thomas Yazbeck


From: dinosaur-l-request@mymaillists.usc.edu <dinosaur-l-request@mymaillists.usc.edu> on behalf of Poekilopleuron <dinosaurtom2015@seznam.cz>
Sent: Monday, October 12, 2020 2:40 AM
To: dinosaur-l@usc.edu <dinosaur-l@usc.edu>
Subject: [dinosaur] T. rex known better than recent reptile species?
 
Good day,

I was wondering if it is actually true (what some books and media state), that well known dinosaur species (like Tyrannosaurus rex) are "better known/thoroughly described" than some of the less known recent species of vertebrates (say some endemic lizard species from distant and almost inaccessible localities). Even though we have a lot of skeletal material and modern methods of studying it, I doubt any extinct species as old as Cretaceous dinosaurs could be "better known" than recent species that we can study using genetics, molecular biology, observe their modes of behaviour, reproduction etc. Thank you for your thoughts! Tom
--
Andreas Johansson