Re: Triassic mammal-like reptiles?

[Jean-Michel BENOIT <s.aegyptiacus@wanadoo.fr>]

If a humble layman can just say a few words...
Mammal-like reptile is as precise as non-mammalian synapsid (or whatever the
correct definition is). I, personnaly, have for long read texts, most of
which are vulgarization (?) for non-professionals (written by professionals,
though). But, in this way
non-professional people get an idea and get interested. I doubt that some of
now-a-days justly renouned (?) and wordly famous palaeontologists ever
frowned in front of such terms when, once young, they got their interest
into this future destiny of theirs. There are two worlds: the scientific one
and the laypeople one (even more personnal insert:
Science isn't just for scientists, otherwise, who would read their texts and
books; AFAIK, there are more laymen than scientists =;-).
Being too strict is as bad as being not precise, I agrree. That said, to
most people,
the exact definition of Reptilia is totally unknown, as are the defintions
of Dinosauria, Mammalia, Aves and so on.
To my kids and friends, non-mammalian synapsids will look like reptiles
(they just *look* like it),
whatever you call them. Remember, science is for everyone.
Hope I'm not getting too silly. You can judge by my improvement by searching
the archives ;)
I've done my share of boring sentences.

Cheers,
Jean-Michel


----- Original Message -----
From: "T. Michael Keesey" <keesey@gmail.com>
To: "Dinosaur Mailing List" <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 8:18 PM
Subject: Re: Triassic mammal-like reptiles?


> On 11/8/05, John Hunt <john.bass@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> > Lets face it, it is a lot more comprehensible to the layman than the
more
> > correct names used by professionals.
>
> But it's *incorrect*. "Mammal relative" is just as comprehensible (if
> not moreso), more concise, and, to top it off, correct. (And, as Tom
> Holtz mentioned, Bakker's "protomammal" is not half-bad, either.)
>
> Calling them "mammal-like reptiles" is like calling _Deinonychus_ a
> bird-like lizard.
> --
> Mike Keesey
> The Dinosauricon: http://dino.lm.com
> Parry & Carney: http://parryandcarney.com
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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