SKUNK PTEROSAUR, IGUANODON

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

A few comments on some recent threads..

WRT 'Dino skunks': As mentioned before on the list, there is a silly
book from 1977 by Richard Tweedie which seriously suggests that
_Quetzalcoatlus_ (ok, so not a dinosaur) was boldly patterned and able
to discharge foul-smelling chemicals at threatening dinosaurs. Tweedie
apparently came up with this idea because he thought that giant
pterosaurs would otherwise have been utterly defenseless when on the
ground. He also suggests that _Iguanodon_ could inject poison with
its thumb spike......

WRT _Iguanodon_ historical taxonomy: There is a lengthy review of
_Iguanodon_ taxonomy in the respective chapter (Naish and Martill) of
the Pal. Assn. book _Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight_, out later this
month. Though the book is more than 400 pp long it's priced at 16-99
UKP.. i.e. VERY reasonable. We weren't so bold as to give _I.
atherfieldensis_ a new genus, nor do we mention a long-ago circulated
new generic name for _I. bernissartensis_, but we do note both David
Norman's suggestion that _I. lakotaensis_ is a junior synonym of _I.
bernissartensis_ and Bob Bakker's suggestion that _I. lakotaensis_ is
actually closer to _Camptosaurus_ than _Iguanodon_. Hmm.

We've also got plenty weird stuff in there... heterodontosaurs as basal
marginocephalians, pachycephalosaurs in the Triassic, bye bye Isle of
Wight diplodocoid, _Neovenator_ as a proto-carcharodontosaur, new
name for _'Ornithodesmus' latidens_. Wonder if we'll get away with it:
will post more details (time permitting) later in the month.

Finally, at the cinema last night (went to see Shrek) I had a close look
at the spinosaur logo for Jurassic Park III. Beneath the spinosaur image
there are two flying _Pteranodon_ silhouettes... the larger of the two is
clearly taken/copied from the big _Pteranodon_ image on Dave Peters'
web site. Dave - did you know this?

Naish, D. 2001. Fossils Explained 34: Crocodilians. _Geology Today_
17 (2), 71-77.

Oh well, back to the amphisbaenians... (am on theropod sabbatical).

DARREN NAISH
PALAEOBIOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP
School of Earth & Environmental Sciences
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
Burnaby Building
Burnaby Road                           email: darren.naish@port.ac.uk
Portsmouth UK                          tel (mobile): 0776 1372651
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