Re: Note To Dinosaur Documentary Producers

["Larry Dunn" <saurosuchus@hotmail.com>]

> From: Dinogeorge@aol.com

> Learned of the existence of two new archosaur names: Demastosuchus
> (formerly
> Desmatosuchus) and Anatototitan (formerly Anatotitan).

Actually, that provided a great deal of the entertainment we experienced
during the show.  "How did it happen?", we asked.  Was Goodman provided with
the names and expected to sort them out for himself?  Was he provided with
pronunciations, and did he screw them up?  Or were the pronunciations
themselves incorrect?  Fascinating questions which, sadly, will never be
answered, like so much else in dinosaur science.

It really was the entertainment high point of the program.  Well, that's
being mean.  I did enjoy it, but it had kind of a lightweight Discovery
Channel feel to it.  I must say that, apart from the restorations of the
dinosaurs, it compares pretty poorly to WALKING WITH DINOSAURS, which had
its problems, of course, but was generally presented in a more mature and
engaging manner.

The WHEN DINOSAURS ROAMED AMERICA dinosaurs did look much better in terms of
skin texture and shape, but at the same time they looked more like cartoons
than the WALKING WITH DINOSAURS restorations, which looked like real
animals, though weird and ugly ones.  There was also something odd about the
way the theropods ran in WDRA.  Like the Roadrunner in the old cartoons,
they became a straight line with flailing legs.

And as an aside, I am a little embarrassed at the typical American
self-absorbtion reflected by television programs such as this.  When
Dinosaurs Roamed America indeed.  WWD, a BBC production, happily took on a
global perspective, confidant that its viewers would be interested in what
was going on beyond "your own back yard."  Yes, I know, this show had to
have its own perspective, but still.

Larry Dunn
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