RE: Sarcosuchus

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> chris brochu
>
> >> I'm actually rather disappointed in the coverage this is getting, as
> >> Sarcosuchus is not a crocodylian at all.  It's probably a
> >> pholidosaur, which means it's a "mesosuchian"-grade crocodyliform,
> >> but it lies outside Crocodylia.
>
> >Its name means "imperial flesh _crocodile_"...

So _Basilosaurus_ is a member of Squamata? :-)

> >Project Exploration's official website for it is "SuperCroc.com"...
> >
> >One can hardly blame the news media when the _official
> expedition website_
> >and _official press release_ have things like "world record for
> a croc" and
> >"hyper giant crocodiles" plastered all over them.
>
> "croc" could be an abbreviation for "crocodile," "crocodylian/crocodilian"
> (since these terms sound identical when spoken, they should be regarded as
> the same), "crocodyliform," "crocodylomorph," "Crocodylus," or anything
> else beginning with "croc".
>
> And I DO blame the news media, because I know for a fact that many of us
> tried to explain patiently to some of these groups that Sarcosuchus is not
> a crocodylian/crocodilian, but a very close relative of them (something
> called a "crocodyliform.")  They decided that the public would
> simply never
> get it - something I also know for a fact is bunk.
>

To put this into an taxonomically-equivalent situation: nearly everybody on
the list would be complaining if the news talked about a (hypothetical!!)
newly discovered 15 m wingspan azhdarchid pterosaur as the "largest flying
dinosaur".  Similarly, if a newly discovered (hypothetical!!) 3-horned
titanothere was discovered, we would (rightfully) complain if the media
reported it as a 3-horned rhinoceros.

Calling a pholidosaur a crocodilian/crocodylian is analogous to calling a
pterosaur a dinosaur or a titanothere a rhino: sure, they are close
relatives (okay, maybe less secure in the case of the pterosaur-dinosaur
relationship), but they aren't the same things.

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796