Re: Number of _T. rex_ Skeletons? (also, Irritator)

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <th81@umail.umd.edu>]

At 09:29 AM 11/15/98 -0500, Allan Edels wrote:
[list deleted]

As per normal, the 19th Century discoveries of _T. rex_ specimens were left
off the list.  These include the type of _Manospondylus gigas_ (at AMNH) and
the Smithsonian's fragmentary skeleton (originally refered to _Ornithomimus
grandis_).  Will look up the numbers later.

Both Cope and Marsh held _T. rex_ fossils in their hands, but neither of
them recognized them as something special.  Cope thought his was a new type
of ceratopsid, and Marsh thought it was simply yet another specimen of his
_Ornithomimus grandis_ (which he did regard as the primary predator of
ceratopsids, so O.C. was closer...).

Will talk some more about spinosaurs later: artists, please note, though:
according to Sereno et al.'s reidentification of skull material in the
_Baryonyx_ holotype, the skull of that animal does not look like what has
been restored before.  (One of the footnotes in the paper details the
reidentification of these elements).

Also, _Irritator_ is being restudied (as I mentioned in the Perspective) in
terms of spinosaurid affinities: previous restorations and bone
identifications are expected to change.  This specimen was rightly named...



Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Vertebrate Paleontologist     Webpage: http://www.geol.umd.edu
Dept. of Geology              Email:tholtz@geol.umd.edu
University of Maryland        Phone:301-405-4084
College Park, MD  20742       Fax:  301-314-9661