Tag Archives: Nomenclature

The Journey of Banguela

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Jaime A. Headden

The life of a pterosaur cannot be easy. Most occur in places where there is always a larger predator; even the giants Quetzalcoatlus and Hatzegopterus may have co-occurred with other predators that would have seen them as food. From hatching … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological Comparison, Paleontology, Science Reporting, Systematics, Taxonomy | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Broken Jaw of Banguela

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Jaime A. Headden

In my last post, I introduced Banguela oberlii, a new, toothless dsungaripterid pterosaur.

Posted in Paleontology, Science Reporting, Taphonomy, Taxonomy | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Meet Banguela

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Jaime A. Headden

A foggy morning. Water laps gently on a rocky shore, a rhythmic sound accompanying the gentle hum of insects. Mist hugs the forest margin, creeping along the ground; it shrinks back as the heat of the rising sun burns away … Continue reading →

Posted in Paleontology, Science Reporting, Taphonomy, Taxonomy | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

An Oviraptorosaur Worth the Name?

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Jaime A. Headden

The newest oviraptorosaur on the blog is, in fact, one of the oldest. Nick Longrich and colleagues (Ken Barnes, along with Scott Clark and Larry Millar from Paleo Field Excursions, who collect in the Big Bend area in which the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

Sereno’s Monster

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Jaime A. Headden

Dr. Paul Sereno hasn’t published much in the last few years. Apparently the reason is because he just finished a monograph on Heterodontosauridae … a real monster at 225 pages. I haven’t the time to review this yet, but there’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Paleontology, Science Reporting, Terminology | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

“Taste” Versus “Science”

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Jaime A. Headden

My recent discussion on the value of “originalism” has led to some interesting comments from respondents Mickey Mortimer and Mike Taylor. As I respect both of them, but disagree, I will post their comments in full below and respond to … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Taxonomy | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

On Ceratops

Posted on July 10, 2010 by Jaime A. Headden

Three things to note here: 1. Ceratops montanus is not complete, and is based on incomplete cranial remains that are considered unusable for further taxonomic purposes. It is, in short, a nomen dubium. 2. The word ceratops is a Latinized … Continue reading →

Posted in Paleontology, Taxonomy | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

What – If Anything – is a Nomen Dubium?

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Jaime A. Headden

Historically, taxonomy has been the playground of débutants and the workshop of balls-to-the-wall genetic systematics. It is the method by which names are applied to organisms, to distinguish concepts of how life can be categorized. We’ve seen different systems of … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Taxonomy, Terminology | Tagged | 1 Comment