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Re: Etymology of Brontosaurus (RE: Pantydraco and the worst dinosaur name)
Brad McFeeters wrote:
> Marsh also named a genus "Titanosaurus" in 1877, but Lydekker's was published
> first.
Good point. When Marsh found out that _Titanosaurus_ was preoccupied,
he re-named it _Atlantosaurus_ after Atlas, the strongest of the
Titans.
Jaime A. Headden wrote:
> Lydekker coined *Titanosaurus indicus* (Indian Titan lizard) in 1877. Marsh
> coined *Brontosaurus excelsus* (exceeding Brontes [Thunderer] lizard) in 1879.
> Brontes is one of the three titanic Cylopes who aid Hephaistos in the
> crafting of the lightning and thunder for Zeus, who are themselves children
> of the Titanes
> Gaia and Ouranos ... the latter whom Zeus slays. They are, in essence, Titan
> progeny. I do not think the nomenclatural similarities between "Titan" and the
> Titan Brontes are coincidental. Despite this, it has become stereotypical
> that "Brontosaurus" means thunder lizard, and for various reasons, and as
> such that
> the roots would be adopted among other taxa alluding to this, a probably
> miscommunication. This includes, but is not limited to, other sauropods.
A minor theological point: The three Cyclopes - Brontes ("thunder"),
Steropes ("lightning"), and Arges ("flash" or "bolt") - were the
siblings of the Titans. The twelve Titans, three Cyclopes, three
Hecatoncheires (hundred-handed ones), and the twenty-four giants
(Gigantes) were all the progeny of Ouranos (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth).
(BTW, one of those twenty-four giants was Rhoetos, which gives its
name to the sauropod _Rhoetosaurus_.)
I don't think the nomenclatural similarities between "Titan" and
Brontes are coincidental either. It's clear that Marsh had one eye on
classical mythology when he came up with the name _Brontosaurus_.
Cheers
Tim