If you’re going to have your state officially identify with a fossil of some sort, you’d think you’d go with something you feel represents your state in some way. Well, Missouri hasn’t let that get in the way of naming their state fossil in Hypsibema. Is it a big hadrosaur? Is it a sauropod? Paleontologists just aren’t entirely sure, as the fragmented material that makes up the holotype for Hypsibema is still classified as “dubious.” However, the fossils are most currently considered to be those of a hadrosaur, thanks to some of Jack Horner’s work.
Though it was primarily identified by its teeth, the name suggests that it walked “high” on its “toes,” which in Greek is “hypsibema” which frankly, they probably didn’t do either.
Makes you wonder what they were thinking - - was North Carolina about to name it their own state fossil, so Missouri swooped in and nnnyoinked it away from them? Nya nya na nyaaa nya?
Weird.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypsibema
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment