Re: Most popular/common dinosaur misconceptions

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Andrew Simpson wrote:

> I think Pterosaurs should be considered dinosaurs. They're Arco-(or is in 
> sinclair?) saurs, we don't know their origions yet. No, they've never been 
> classified as Dinosauria but I think it's time. They
> are terrible, they are reptiles.

I suspect that pterosaurs are archosaurs, but I think under the current 
definition of Dinosauria they would not be dinosaurs.  I'm not sure 
pterosaurs have ever been put in Dinosauria.  I have a vague recollection 
that Bakker gave them their own "Class", back in the 1980's.

> Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus are completely seperate animals. Of  course 
> you'll have to read my as yetunpublished issue of Dinosaur Comics to know 
> why

Hmmm....Was this issue peer reviewed?

> Jurassic Park is the worst movie ever made. (tied with passion of the 
> Christ)

I'm lobbying Mel Gibson for a crossover movie.  Though it might be hard to 
get him and Spielberg together in the same room.  (Suggested title: "The 
Passion of the Cryolophosaurus".)

> I know he's smart and read his stuff all the time but in this one area he 
> is either playing a game
> to get attention or has a deep seeded fear of Giant Preditors and has to 
> tell himself that to sleep at night.

Ha, that's it!!!

> My opinion of a misconception, that will get me lotsnof good disagreement 
> on this list, is that Birds are dinosaurs. NOT. Decended from yes, one 
> could argue based on nomenclature symantics that it is so but I think we 
> have to draw the line somewhere.

Yeah, well you see it all comes down to phylogenetic taxonomy.  More so than 
symantics, anyway.   Birds are dinosaurs *because* they descended from 
dinosaurs.  In the same way, bats are still mammals.  Comparisons between 
T-rex and Tweedy aside, I don't see what the big deal is.

Cheers

Tim

P.S.  Are you by any chance related to a scholar named Stephan Pickering?  
You sound a lot like him...