RE: Dinogeorge's footprints

["King, Norm" <nking.ucs@smtp.usi.edu>]

Dinogeorge wrote (01/31/96; 10:38a):

>In a message dated 96-01-31 03:07:45 EST, steve.cole@genie.com writes:

>>FOOTPRINT GENERA: Dinogeorge, did I read you right? That there are
>>700 separate types of footprints known to science that are not tied
>>to genera known from body parts? What did you mean by doubling the
>>length of the list if we include genera known only by tracks?

>I haven't actually counted, but there are lots and lots of footprint 
genera,
>and even more species. Maybe doubling is an exaggeration, but not much.

Remember that you can't mix genera based on body fossils with 
ichnogenera.    Footprints are, to borrow a phrase, just interesting 
markings in stone.  They are not physically or genetically comparable to 
body fossils.  The "taxonomy" of trace fossils (such as footprints) is a 
"parataxonomy" or "pseudotaxonomy."  Thus, "dinosaur genera known only by 
tracks" is an oxymoron.  Mixing genera and ichnogenera is like mixing 
apples and oranges.  When you add the 700 or so ichnogenera ("oranges") 
to the 700 or so body-fossil genera ("apples"), you still have 700 apples 
and 700 oranges.  You can't solve that problem by standing over the 
oranges beforehand, chanting "Once an orange, now an apple; once an 
orange, now an apple," and then mixing them together. >;->  No matter 
what you do, you will still just have 700 apples and 700 oranges!  The 
only way to increase the total number of dinosaur genera is by finding 
more BODY FOSSILS to which new generic names can be attached.

Maybe there should be two separate lists.


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Norman R. King                                       tel:  (812) 464-1794
Department of Geosciences                            fax:  (812) 464-1960
University of Southern Indiana
8600 University Blvd.
Evansville, IN 47712                      e-mail:  nking.ucs@smtp.usi.edu




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Norman R. King                                       tel:  (812) 464-1794
Department of Geosciences                            fax:  (812) 464-1960
University of Southern Indiana
8600 University Blvd.
Evansville, IN 47712                      e-mail:  nking.ucs@smtp.usi.edu