RE: Dakotaraptor - seriously??

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

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu] On Behalf Of 
> Hammer
>
> I'm a little shocked that the original researchers would somehow miss this 
> being a chimera.  How solid is the foundation of this new
> paper?

The new Peer J paper is pretty damn solid.

It happens sometimes. Your search image is off, and you misconstrue one element 
for another similar-shaped one.

For instance, a bone identified originally as the squamosal of Zuniceratops 
turned out to be the ischium of Nothronychus.

Science works by reciprocal illumination: we correct our misjudgements and 
build on that new information.

As you can see in the new PeerJ paper, those turtle parts DO look fairly 
furcula-like at first glance.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Email: tholtz@umd.edu         Phone: 301-405-4084
Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Office: Geology 4106, 8000 Regents Dr., College Park MD 20742
Dept. of Geology, University of Maryland
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
Phone: 301-405-6965
Fax: 301-314-9661              

Faculty Director, Science & Global Change Program, College Park Scholars
Office: Centreville 1216, 4243 Valley Dr., College Park MD 20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/sgc
Fax: 301-314-9843

Mailing Address:        Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                        Department of Geology
                        Building 237, Room 1117
                        8000 Regents Drive
                        University of Maryland
                        College Park, MD 20742-4211 USA