Those deadly sand bears

["King, Norm" <nking.ucs@smtp.usi.edu>]

 From a recent delirium, I wrote (8/8/96; 1:17p):

>The caption for the National Geographic figure (July, 1996, p. 83)
>refers to a pack of "deadly sand bears" off in the distance.  I can't
>tell what these "sand bears" are supposed to be, and there is no
>reference to them in the text or in other illustrations...[snip]...Does 
>anyone know what these "sand bears" are supposed to be?

To which Andrew Howey responded (8/8/96; Time:  3:17p):

>Just a minor correction.  The caption for that illustration is "A 
>pack of troodontids freezes as a deadly wall of sand _bears_ down 
>on a crowded oasis. ..."  The word "bear" here is a verb indicating
>the advancing wall of sand about to smother the oasis.  

Nevertheless, there are some animals out there in, and on the far side, 
of the river that shall now be known as sand bears.  You heard it here 
first!  I am still having a little difficulty rationalizing what is 
depicted there as any Late Cretaceous dinosaur or other reptile, but now 
that I know the context of the caption and some of the background of the 
situation being described, I presume they are supposed to be nodosaurs.  
Obviously, I need another drink.

And I still think that sand bears would be deadly to Troodon.


*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
(name withheld)                                      tel:  (812) 464-1794
Department of Geosciences                            fax:  (812) 464-1960
University of Southern Indiana
8600 University Blvd.
Evansville, IN 47712                      e-mail:  nking.ucs@smtp.usi.edu