First hobbits, now Godzilla

[urbpan]

Whenever paleontology is in the news, there seems to be an obligatory pop culture reference. Personally, I think that the history of life is interesting enough without needing a similarity to movie character to grab my attention. (I know that hobbits were literary characters first, but the timing of the Homo florensis story made it a LOTR movie tie-in.)

I have objections to the latest fossil story from both the natural history side and as a lover of monster movies. Dakosaurus andiniensis, compared to Godzilla in this MSNBC story, was only 13 feet long, and had flippers, meaning it was primarily if not totally a marine animal. The only resemblance to Godzilla is the large heavy skull full of sharp teeth (which looks more like an oversized gila monster skull if anything.) I'm no Toho expert, but I think the character of Godzilla was based on Tyrannosaurus rex: bipedal, towering, and so on.

Not to nitpick (too late!) or anything. Dakosaurus seems like a pretty interesting animal. A crocodile relative with a blunt snout and legs built for swimming and not for walking. Where did it lay its eggs? (For that matter, where did Ichthyosaurus lay its eggs? It was so totally marine that its body had evolved into a fishlike shape--can't imagine it clambering onto the beach like a sea turtle. Perhaps it retained its eggs in its body like some snakes do, giving live births.) What was its life like? The article suggests that it ate other reptiles. Sure, why not? It didn't have the long jaws and needle-like teeth that fish-specialist crocodilians have today.

Rather than Godzilla, it seems to me that the closest comparison for this animal would be the orca. Large marine vertebrate that eats other vertebrates. I guess they figure that Godzilla will make for a grabbier headline.

Comments

Bingo!

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

I guess they figure that Godzilla will make for a grabbier headline.

That's exactly what happened. Without having been there, I know the conversation that went around the news room from past experience. On the subject of weird aquatic eggs, I had to good fortune to see these http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/life_histories/K03G.html or some species very like them in the wild last week. They we're living in puddles on the tops of cliffs. Some of the puddles were less than two feet across. Dave took this photo.

Re: Bingo!

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

COOL!!!

[bryc-e.livejournal.com]

I'd like to see an orca whale destroy a monorail.

[ms-cantrell.livejournal.com]

me thinks you may be a neighbor- seattle-ite? endangered orcas meet idiotic mono-rail management?

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

The phrase "Idiotic Monorail management" is redundant. Our local monorail responded to bad press by having Star Trek characters ride the monorail for P.R. purposes, but then not actually telling anyone about it.

[ms-cantrell.livejournal.com]

lol. that's just sad! all those people dressed up, and no one to impress! public transport is a popular idea up here, but the monorail has been so constantly mismanaged and seems placed for tourist use rather than locals' use. is there something about monorails that attracts poor management?

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

I think its a matter of style over substance. No one's been able to explain to me why a monorail is better than elevated light rail. The mere fact your putting in a monorail means someone is convinced that it's more an attraction than a commuter system. I think the same wrong headedness that comes up with that idea is drawn to running them as well. Regardless, every time I see our monorail, or someone mentions it, I still hear the monorail song from the Simpson's in my head.

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

And Leonard Nimoy was in that episode! What a coincidence!