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An interesting start, but there's still something missing. Your piece reminds me of a David Attenborough narration and, in my mind's eye, I can see the images you are describing. But that sort of approach has been applied to lots of animal groups (not least by Attenborough) that are no closer to icon status than mosasaurs. If you're looking for a analogue to non-avian dinosaurs in terms of public image I've long been struck (not least ironically) by the public image of birds. If we can understand what it is about birds that causes people literally to flock to birding activities, books, etc., maybe we'll better understand why people are similarly interested in dinosaurs. It's tempting to make the phylogenetic connection here, but I don't think that's it. The bird audience doesn't appear to be markedly more interested in dinosaurs than other audiences. One of the barriers in this (for me) is that I'm not particularly interested in birds (or, for that matter, dinosaurs). But perhaps some birders on the list might enlighten the rest of us. Norm MacLeod At 9:44 PM -0500 7/19/01, Mike Everhart wrote: >"N. MacLeod" wrote: >> >> Dave is on the right track. > >snipped > >> If you want mosasaurs taken seriously >> as a cultural icon you're going to have to give them some human >> morphological, behavioral, and ecological traits. > >at the risk of boring some of you.... > >< http://www.oceansofkansas.com/mosa-sty.html > > >Mike -- ___________________________________________________________________ Dr. Norman MacLeod Associate Keeper Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD (0)20-7942-5295 (Office) (0)20-7942-5546 (Fax) Web Page: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/palaeontology/a&ss/nm/nm.html ___________________________________________________________________
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