| |
How Dinosaurs Are Named
|
Dinosaurs are named by the scientists who study them,
and the convention among scientists is to use Greek or
Latin words in their naming. This makes pronunciation
difficult for most people, but Greek and Latin are
recognized by scientists around the world. (The Arts &
Letters Dinosaur Database pronounces these words for
you, both when you open a topic headed by a Greek or
Latin term and when you click on highlighted
pronunciations.) Using these languages makes the
names of dinosaurs international and universal. There
are three common methods of naming dinosaurs.
Descriptive
The names of many dinosaurs describe some
prominent feature of the animal. Triceratops means
“three-horned face”; Stegosaurus means “plated or roofed
lizard”; Pachycephalosaurus means “thick-headed lizard”;
Tyrannosaurus means “tyrant lizard”; and Velociraptor
means “swift robber” (referring to its speed and grasping
hands).
For Place of Discovery
Some dinosaurs are named for the geographic region
where their fossils were found. For example,
Albertosaurus was named for Alberta, Canada;
Tuojiangosaurus was named for a place in China;
Yaverlandia was named for Yaverland Battery on the
Isle of Wight; and Malawisaurus. was named for the
country of Malawi.
In Honor Of
Some dinosaurs are given names that honor their
discoverers or something that the researcher wishes to
honor. For example, Stokesosaurus was named for Lee
Stokes, an American paleontologist; Fabrosaurus was
named in honor of Jean Henri Fabre, a French
entomologist; and Gilmoreosaurus was named for
Charles W. Gilmore, an American paleontologist. |
| 
|
Jurassic Art
Database Home
Order Software
|
