More sauropod vertebrae/ ceratopsian frill convergence

I was reminded by Mike Taylor's recent post, noting that a Camarasaurus vertebrae seems to have a ceratopsian frill growing out of it, that I had had the exact same thought when I saw 'Max'. Max is a diplodocid (identified as Apatosaurus but I have my doubts) found by the crew at the Saurier Museum in Aathal. However this time the 'frilloid' process is composed of the two postzygapophyses and the perforate interpostzygapophyseal lamina. Incidentally the interpostzyg laminae of most of Max's cervicals are similarly perforate. It is a real feature, not caused by damage - weird huh?

The carebear-palaeontology connection

One of the little charms(?) of South African life is the stuff they put on the telly. Mostly it is absolute dreck (failed American drama pilots and embarrassing action films that even Bill Bixby wouldn't be seen dead in*) and ancient shows excavated from the fossil record of television that the rest of the world has long since forgotten. Just last week I was minding the kids at home and Melanie was watching the Carebears. I've a vague recollection of these obnoxiously saccharine-flavoured bears from my childhood but it was not a craze that ever penetrated my world back then. Anyway it seems that the aforementioned bears have a nemesis, namely one Professor Coldheart. I was struck by the resemblance between Prof. Coldheart and none-other than Richard Owen himself (maybe its just me - judge for yourselves)














By all accounts Professor Coldheart would be an excellent description of Owen. I wonder if the creator(s) of the carebears were in some way palaeo aficionados.

*yes I shamelessly lifted these words from an old favourite. I doubt ANYONE reading would be able to recognise it however.