Re: Did pterosaurs feed by skimming?

[James Farlow <farlow@ipfw.edu>]

>>> Brandon Pilcher <trex_kid@hotmail.com> 7/26/2007 12:05 PM >>>
BTW, yes, I know, you meant birds of prey by "raptors", but it is my opinion 
that, in the context of discussions about NON-avian Dinosauria, "raptor" 
should be informal for dromeosaurid. I hate it when people use that word for 
birds.




WHAT???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????????????


The term "raptor" was used for birds of prey LONG before Crichton (%$#@! bless 
his heart) used it as an informal term for small non-avian theropods.  In my 
opinion, the ONLY correct use for the term is for birds of prey.  I don't care 
who is using the term, or in what context.

It's like the term "diversity", which had a long history in a variety of fields 
before politicians/sociologists/ whatever hijacked it to describe variants 
within one not-particularly-interesting primate species.  Whenever the term 
"diversity" is used without qualification on my campus, I respond as though the 
term were being used to describe some component of species diversity in 
ecological communities.  This makes for interesting conversations with 
administrators, but Full Professor means you never have to say you're sorry.