Re: Ye Olde Duckbill Dinosaur

["Dictator-for-life Calvin" <MWEDEL@gslan.offsys.ou.edu>]

> Since I've missed the changes due to new information, what happened to 
>Trachodon and his wide flat bill?

Here's the story as I understand it.  I'm sure there will be gaps and 
gaffes, but that's what all these other gifted people are here for.

When I was a kid (in the 80's) the story I got through various 
channels was that Trachodon was a junior synonym for Anatosaurus, 
and that it wasn't an aquatic animal.  The tail couldn't have been 
much good for swimming because a network of ossified tendons held it 
rigid, the tooth batteries could have chewed a lot more than just 
aquatic vegetation, and the old duck-bill has been given a good set 
of cheeks, so the mouth doesn't reach very far up the side of the 
head.  Oh, yeah, and the webbed front foot is gone, replaced by a 
meaty mitt formed from the three middle fingers.  I think that some 
conifer material might have been recovered from a hadrosaur torso, 
which would indicate a coniferous diet for at least one of the 
beasts, but that might just be my fevered imagination.

Just about the time I got used to Anatosaurus, it too got deep-sixed 
(I don't know when all this was published, but I didn't learn about 
it until fairly recently.  That could just be me.).
As I understand it, Anatosaurus is now a junior synonym of 
Edmontosaurus, and a really humongous former Anatosaurus is now 
Anatotitan.

Mebbe we could hit up Mike Brett-Surman to give us the poop.

Well, that's all I know.  See ya.
Matt Wedel