Labrosaurus (was RE: birds and dinosaurs)

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> Nick Pharris
>
> Quoting pheret <pheret@pheret.com>:
>
> > do palentologists, et al., study their fossils with the
> realization that,
> > especially if it is just one example of a creature, that it could be a
> > fluke?
>
> There are named "species" that do appear to be based on
> pathological individuals
> of other species, if that's what you mean.  _Labrosaurus ferox_
> is one example
> (it's probably a deformed _Allosaurus fragilis_).

In fact, it is almost certainly part of the paratype specimen of _A.
fragilis_!!  (Found in the same quarry, same horizon, is a non-overlapping
element with the specimen, is the right size for the specimen, and that
individual has numerous pathologies running along the left side of the
body).

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796