back to article Bone-tastic boffins' breakthrough BRINGS BACK BRONTOSAURUS

The brontosaurus, loved by kids the world over but cruelly snubbed by paleontologists for more than a century, is back. British and Portuguese fossil boffins have concluded the dinosaur existed as a separate genus after all. It was back in 1879 that paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh named a collection of bones a …

  1. DJV Silver badge
    Trollface

    Super!

    I can now play one of my old Move singles without feeling guilty!

  2. Alistair
    Pint

    Shades of Cincinatti

    Brontosaurus Brontosaurus Brontosaurus!

    (beer 'cause it looks like the HSM system is *finally* coming back online)

  3. Dr Dan Holdsworth

    Biological accuracy

    Of all the pictures you could have dredged up to illustrate that story, did you have to find an aquatic brontosaurus one? Sauropods were most emphatically NOT aquatic in any sense of the word; they would have done their best to avoid water, since they were strongly adapted towards walking on land.

    1. diodesign (Written by Reg staff) Silver badge

      Re: Biological accuracy

      Uh-oh, here comes the fun police.

      It's a couple of grown dinos skinny dipping on a warm summer's day, officer.

      C.

    2. DJV Silver badge

      Re: Biological accuracy

      I fully agree with the OP's comments as I have seen the indisputable evidence*

      * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k44Wv__eovg

    3. David 132 Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: Biological accuracy

      The ones in the picture are wearing inflatable water-wings - unfortunately not quite visible, just below the surface.

      There's simply nothing in nature to rival the aural symphony that is a herd of majestic Brontosauri thundering towards a pool, roaring and bellowing, with their water-wings squeaking and hissing with over-inflation.

      1. Trigonoceps occipitalis

        Re: Biological accuracy

        Only to find that the Brontosauri Germanii had bagged all the sunbeds.

    4. Don Dumb
      FAIL

      Re: Biological accuracy

      @Dr Dan Holdsworth - Sauropods were most emphatically NOT aquatic in any sense of the word; they would have done their best to avoid water, since they were strongly adapted towards walking on land.

      That can't be true, how do you explain Nessy then?

    5. Corinne

      Re: Biological accuracy

      Being (mostly) serious replying to Dr Holdsworth above, I would consider elephants to be fully adapted to land yet they love wading into water & playing there. Who's to say that Brontosaurii weren't inclined the same way?

  4. Andrew Tyler 1

    Well done.

    Now get Pluto classified as a planet again and all will be right with the world.

  5. Mark 85

    Not what I expected...from the headline.

    I had visions of brontosauri running amok on the earth and Bronto-Burgers available at the local burger joint.

    1. Teiwaz

      Re: Not what I expected...from the headline.

      >"I had visions of brontosauri running amok on the earth and Bronto-Burgers available at the local burger joint."

      Oh dear, this is what comes of watching too much Flintstones as a child...

      1. Martin Budden Silver badge

        Re: Not what I expected...from the headline.

        watching too much Flintstones

        Is that even possible?

        1. GitMeMyShootinIrons

          Re: Not what I expected...from the headline.

          "Is that even possible?"

          Yes - when you've seen the Flintstones movies. Not John Goodman's career highlight.

    2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Happy

      Re: Not what I expected...from the headline.

      Well when you can't get brontosaurus, there's always the much nicer porcuswine burger...

      1. launcap Silver badge
        Happy

        Re: Not what I expected...from the headline.

        > porcuswine burger...

        A man/woman/being of taste! Slippery Jim DiGriz for President!

        1. Chris 239

          Re: Slippery Jim DiGriz

          One of my favourite SF books (the original Stainlees Steel Rat). have an up vote!

    3. Rick Brasche

      Re: Not what I expected...from the headline.

      nice to see it wasn't only me-thought this was like using fossil DNA to recreate the wooly mammoth, but in big dino lizard form. My first though was the bronto burger.

      WILLLMAAAAA!

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Surprisingly no quote from Ann Elk (Miss) who has a new theory about the brontosaurus.

    1. Terry Cloth
      Coat

      Get your citations right!

      That's Miss Anne Elk to you (and everyone else).1

      1A colleague used to tell us that in her case ``Anne is a four-letter word.''

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Would you believe I hadn't seen that one? Thanks for making me look that one up :).

  7. Terry Cloth
    Pint

    Too bad about Stephen Jay Gould

    Who wrote an essay arguing that giving Apatasaurus the nod for nomenclature priority was shortsighted. He also used it to name the book in which the essay was collected. And the book jacket even used the same illustration our esteemed editors chose, so there!

    Too bad he didn't live to see his vindication.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    Everything I need to know about this subject came from The Flintstones...

    Bronto burgers = awesome. By contrast "Apatosaurus appetizers" sounds kind of wussy.

    1. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: Everything I need to know about this subject came from The Flintstones...

      I don't know, both have their merits. Whereas Brontosaurus burgers are perfect for your barbecue, Apatosaurus apetizers can be very tasty, especially with a strong wasabi dip.

  9. Domino
  10. Paul J Turner

    More accurately

    "it is possible for new finds to overthrow years of research" -> "it is possible for new finds to overthrow decades of dogma" ftfy

  11. Neil Barnes Silver badge
    Happy

    Apatosaurus my elbow

    It's *always* been Brontosaurus to me.

    Thin at one end, fat in the middle, and thin at the other end. But not to be confused with an Elk, which is different.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Apatosaurus my elbow

      > Thin at one end, fat in the middle, and thin at the other end. But not to be confused with an Elk, which is different.

      That's also a perfectly functional description of Kim Kardashian...

      1. TheProf

        Re: Apatosaurus my elbow

        Is she the one with the antlers?

  12. Toastan Buttar

    Rating the Dinosaurs (Not my work)

    Brontosaurus

    Huge beast. Ate only plants, but could crush a '93 Cabriolet with a single step of its titanic brontosaurus feet. Name means "Thunder Lizard" which is about as cool as you can get. Its only real drawback is that it didn't really exist. B+

    Apatosaurus

    This is what they're calling brontosauruses these days. Apparently they had some problem with the wrong skull on the wrong body--duh--and once they figured it out they had to change the name to "apatosaurus," which means "Deceptive Lizard." Personally I think they should have looked up the Latin for "Stupid Scientist." D

  13. Rick Brasche

    now for Pluto!

    now to get Pluto reclassified as a Planet, and all will be right with the world :)

    1. MajorTom

      Re: now for Pluto!

      Just a random thought...adding back Pluto and its brethren (Ceres, Makemake, Eris, et. al.) then going in order from the sun, Pluto becomes the 10th planet...therefore "Planet X." Pretty cool.

  14. Bob Dole (tm)

    Recap on science

    So, to recap how science works:

    Wonk finds something cool, not quite like what already exists and names it.

    Jealous wonks decide they don't like it and arbitrarily scuttle the whole thing.

    New wonks finally push the jealous wonks out and fix the record.

    Rinse and repeat. Meanwhile textbook manufacturers laugh all the way to the bank and at least one generation of humanity is confirmed to have been given a shoddy education.

    Tell you what, how about we stop teaching our kids anything that can. Be independtly verified in a classroom setting and leave all the conjecture for Sunday mornings.

    1. Yugguy

      Re: Recap on science

      Aye - we are encouraged to think of all scientists as paragons of clear-thinking virtue, whereas in reality some are just as huge arseholes as the rest of us.

  15. x 7

    If you want to eat a Brontosaur, how big does the loaf of bread need to be?

    And can you find something to cook it in?

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