Fw: Fun with Babel fish

["Jeffrey Martz" <jeffmartz@earthlink.net>]

    Not knowing how to read Spanish, I recently ran the abstract for an
aetosaur paper in Amerginiana through Babel fish.  I never realized the
entertainment potential, and with a little puzzling the actual translation
wasn't too hard to get.  I thought I'd share:.

LNJ
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THE ORIGINAL ABSTRACT:

Supuesto registro de aetosaurios (Reptilia, Arcosauria) en la Formación
Potrerillos (Cuenca Cuyana) del Triásico medio-tardío.

J. B. DESOJO (1)

Placas dérmicas originalmente asignadas a una nueva especie de aetosaurios
de América del Norte (Typothorax punctulatus) fueron exhumadas de la
Formación Potrerillos en la Cuenca Cuyana hace más de medio siglo. Sin
embargo, trabajos posteriores pusieron en duda dicha asignación. Las placas
corresponden aparentemente a la zona apendicular del cuerpo de un reptil
arcosaurio debido a la falta de estructuras de articulación (como lóbulos
articulares, tongue and groove) y márgenes de superposición. Estas placas
presentan un pequeño tamaño, forma rectangular con un extremo aguzado y el
otro cóncavo o recto, y ornamentación consistente en tubérculos distribuidos
irregularmente en su superficie dorsal. Las características antes
mencionadas junto con el estudio de materiales de aetosaurios permiten
establecer que la asignación de las placas a este último grupo es errónea.
La forma y el estado de preservación del material (inmerso en pelitas), el
reducido número de ejemplares disponibles y sus características, sólo
permiten establecer que pertenecen a un arcosaurio probablemente acorazado
del Triásico Medio-Tardío. De esta forma, el registro de aetosaurios en
Argentina estaría restringido hasta ahora a la Cuenca de Ischigualasto-Villa
Unión.

(1) Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y
Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón II,
1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina


(BABEL FISH TRANSLATION, my comments in brackets):

Supposed registry of aetosaurios (Reptilia, Arcosauria) in the Potrerillos
Formation (Cuyana River basin) of the mean-delayed Triásico.

J. B. DESOJO

    (1) Dérmicas boards [probably "dermal scutes''] originally assigned to a
new species of aetosaurios ["aetosaur", duh] of North America (Typothorax
punctulatus) were exhumadas ["excavated" probably] of ["from"]the
Potrerillos Formation in the Cuyana River basin more ago than half century
[thats a LONG time ago]. Nevertheless, later works put in doubt this
allocation. The boards [scutes] apparently correspond to the appendicular
zone of the body of a reptile arcosaurio due to the lack of joint structures
(as lobes you articulate, tongue and groove) [YEAH, BABY!] and margins of
superposition. These boards [scutes] present/display a small size, it forms
rectangular with a sharpened end and the other concave or rectum, and
consisting of ornamentación tubercles distributed irregularly in his dorsal
surface [why does that passage make me think of prison?]. The
characteristics before mentioned along with the study of materials of
aetosaurios allow to establish that the allocation of the boards to this
last group is erroneous. The form and the state of preservation of the
material (immersed in pelitas) [???], the reduced number of units available
and its characteristics, only allow to establish that they belong to
arcosaurio probably armored of the Triásico Medio-Tardío (Middle-Late
Triassic). Of this form, the registry of aetosaurios in Argentina would be
restricted until now to the River basin of Ischigualasto-Villa Union.

The real translation, if you care, probably goes soemthing like this:

    Supposed aetosaurs (Reptilia, Archosauria) from the Middle-Late Triassic
Potrerillos Formation (Cuyana River Basin).

J. B. DESOJO

    "Dermal scutes originally assigned to a new species of North American
aetosaur (Typothorax punctulatus) were excavated from the Potrerillos
Formation of the Cuyana River basin more then half a century ago.  However,
later work puts this assignment in doubt.  The scutes apparently come from
the appendicular region of an archosaurian reptile due to the lack of tongue
and groove articualtions and overlapping margins for other scutes.  The
scutes are small, rectangular, and are pointed on one end and concave on the
other, with onamentation consisting of tubercles distributed over the dorsal
surface.  These characteristics just mentioned, as well as examination of
aetosaur material, establishes that the assignment of these scutes to that
group is erroneous.  The form and state of preservation of the material
(immersed in "pelitas"; "concretions"?), the shortage of availible material,
and its characteristics, only establish them as belonging to an armored
archosaur probably of Middle-Late Triassic age.  Based on this, the aetosaur
material in Argentina is currently restricted to the Ischigualasto-Villa
Union river basin."

LNJ
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>From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.
-Dr. Suess

His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket and there was hardly a
hole in it anywhere.
-Mark Twain
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Jeffrey W. Martz
Graduate student, Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University
3002 4th St., Apt. C26
Lubbock, TX 79415
(806) 747-7910
http://illustrations.homestead.com/Illustration.html