jp

[William Gibson Parker <wgp@dana.ucc.nau.edu>]

I know this has been addressed to death but it does tie into what George
was saying about accurate drawings.  Now we have a majority of the public
who think that Velociraptor fossils are found in Montana, Dilophosaurs
spit poison, etc..  Spielberg has the creative right to express whatever
he wants to make the movie more exciting.  I'm sure Velociraptor is easier
for eight-year-olds to pronounce than Deinonychus.  He was out for the
thrill, and now it's up to the scientists and educators to set the record
straight.  By the way, do you realize how many people still think that
Sauropods were unable to walk on land?  And this came from the scientific
community, not from artistic speculation or enhancement.  We are all
guilty of stretching things a little, and this is why we need to be
careful what we release to the public or even to the scientific community.
Sheesh I still don't know exactly what I need to unlearn.

-Bill Parker
Northern Arizona University