_Pyroraptor_

[KiernanCR@aol.com]

Last night I was reading the description of the new French dromeosaur 
_Pyroraptor olympus_ and, at first glance, I *assumed* the name was a 
reference to Prometheus, who stole fire from atop Mt. Olympus. When I read 
the etymology sections, I was surprised to see that Allain and Taquet had 
other reasons altogether for having created this particular binomial (GR 
_pyros_ = fire and L _raptor_ = thief, in ref. to "the fact that this new, 
agile theropod has been discovered after a forestfire" + L _olympius_ "makes 
an allusion to the Mount Olympe (Provence) at the foot of which is situated 
the new locality").

Anyway, though the authors evidently didn't mean to make the mythological 
allusion, the name literally means "Olympic fire thief," and I thought the 
coincidence, the taxonomic double entendre, was pretty neat (not to mention 
the added coincidence of it's being described the year of the 2000 Olympic 
games).

Caitlin R. Kiernan