Re: Albertaceratops (simpson's bi-annual b*tch about dino naming)

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

----- Original Message -----
From: "Anthony Docimo" <keenir@hotmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 1:35 AM

> so...its better to be named after a mythical woman-monster,

If it looks like one... and except for the beak, it's close enough...

> than it is to be named after a woman

Nope, a man, some Prince Albert or other.

> and a province of Canada?

That's frankly boring.

Naming fossils after places also bears the danger that the names may not fit 
for long. Think of *Seymouria sanjuanensis*, named after the place in 
(...oops... Texas? New Mexico?) where it was first discovered -- later it 
was found in Germany, too...

> are we re-naming Albertasaurus too?

*Albertosaurus* is expressedly named after the man after whom the province 
is named. Therefore the o.

We're not renaming anything because we can't (ICZN, www.iczn.org). However, 
I still agree with Mickey.