Re: Dinosaur counts

[paleo@ix.netcom.com (Glen J. Kuban )]

Dinogeorge mentioned that the recent posted count of dinosaur genera
did not include footprints, which would double it.  One word of 
caution.  It might double the number of names, but not the number of 
know dinosaurs.  Even if all the dinosaur genera named were valid (a 
huge IF), many of the footprint names are dubious and probably 
represent the same animals (some ichnologists do not even believe they 
need to represent distinct animal genera).  Thus, the track names 
probably overlap (no pun intended) greatly with each other and body 
fossil names, in terms of the number of different animal general they 
actually represent.

Which brings up a question relating to a recent post about creationist 
activist Ken Ham, and his planned "Creation Museum" in Kentucky.  In an 
article a few yeras ago in _Acts and Facts_ (a monthly publication of 
the Institute for Creation Research in CA), Ham complained that school 
children are routinely taught the evolutionist fallacy that there were 
"hundreds" of different dinosaurs, suggesting that many fewer probably 
existed, because of many dubious names.  Since Ham did not say exactly 
how many dinosaurs he thought there were, or why any particular number 
should suggest an evolutionist plot, I was tempted to write to him to 
ask these questions, but never got around to it. 
     Anyway, since I monitor the C/E controversy and may write on this 
someday, I thought I would ask here: What does the 775 general count 
recently posted represent?  Is that the number of genera ever 
named/published?  What is the best estimate of the number of valid 
names (eliminating synonyms, dubia, etc)?  An even tougher question  
might be: about how many different or valid *species* are known?    
Since even professionals seem to disagree along "lumper" and "splitter" 
lines, maybe even some plausible ranges of numbers would suffice here.  
Another, perhaps even more speculative question might be: how many 
dinosaur genera/species are likely to have lived in the entire 
mesozoic?  This will lead of course automatically provide estimates of 
the percentage of dinosaurs that have already been found and the 
percentage remaining to be found.  Besides helping me with my little  
project above, I suspect there are some teachers in the audience who 
often get questions like this from students, and might be interested in 
the responses.  

Thanks,

Glen J. Kuban
paleo@ix.netcom.com