Re: Goofy dinosaur names: (combined answer)

[David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

"*Altispinax lydekkeri-huenensis*"? Wow. Really? Hard to believe -- the hyphen 
is illegal, and I'd translate the whole thing as "Lydekker's *Altispinax* that 
is in Huene".

But then, of course, if everyone in the studio can be a Stan Winston...

> > Well, there are so many non-lacertilian "-saurus" names that I think
> > the ending can safely be interpreted as "reptilian" (or "non-avialan
> > reptilian", perhaps--Avisaurus and Soroavisaurus excluded).
>
> And, of course, _Basilosaurus_, though that was a case of mistaken
> identity.

As were *Megalosaurus* and *Hylaeosaurus* and Dinosauria as a whole (believed 
to be lizards), and *Cetiosaurus* (believed to be intermediate between lizards 
and crocodiles, IIRC), which started the tradition for dinosaurs.
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