STL Science Center

STL Science Center

21 December 2011

Getting There

Finally I feel almost human. My back from about my 7th ribs up to the back of my head is killing me though. Sore muscles from coughing are no fun at all.

Anywho, Eustreptospondylus is one of the old time dinosaurs. Originally described by Richard Owen in the 19th century as a new species of Megalosaurus, Eustreptospondylus had to wait until in 1964, a little over 120 years later, to be given his/her own name by Walker. Walker at the same time named another creature Magnosaurus but this turned out to be a synonym for Eustreptospondylus. Gregory Paul has gone one step further in his recent publication stating that Eustreptospondylus actually is placed within the designation of Streptospondylus altdorfensis, another species of animal completely. Since there is no presented justification of this placement I cannot comment on what made Paul place the animal within another genus and species, though I can say I find it quite weird. Rauhut has also proposed a reclassification of the animal based on its hip bones as Magnosaurus, stating that the differences in the two animals are, in that region, so minute they must be the same genus at least. So this leaves us in a unique position with a dinosaur; the question must be asked eventually of who is or was right: Owen, Walker, Rauhut, Paul? Is it a Magnosaurus, Megalosaurus, Streptospondylus, or Eustreptospondylus? These are the sorts of things that fights start over, let's hope it doesn't come to that ever!

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