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The
thagomizer, or
tail spikes, is an arrangement of four to ten spikes on the tails of particular
dinosaur{{Otheruses}}{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}{{Otheruses}}{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}{{Taxobox|name = Dinosaurs|fossil_range = {{Fossil range|230|65|earliest=230|latest=0|PS=
Descendant taxon Aves survives to present.}}|image = field_dinos_2.jpg...
s, of which
Stegosaurus stenopsStegosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid armored dinosaur from the Late Jurassic period in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...
is the most familiar. The tail arrangement is believed to have been a defensive weapon against predators.
Etymology
The term "thagomizer" was coined by
Gary LarsonGary Larson is the creator of The Far Side, a single-panel comic strip which appeared in many newspapers for fourteen years until Larson's retirement on January 1, 1995.-Biography:...
in a 1982
Far SideThe Far Side is a popular one-panel syndicated comic created by Gary Larson. Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world, logical fallacies, impending bizarre disasters, or the search for meaning in life...
comic stripA comic strip is a sequence of cartoons that tells a story, often humorous, though adventures and soap opera-like dramas are also prevalent. They are written and drawn by a comics artist or cartoonist, and many are published on a recurring basis in newspapers and on the Internet.In the UK and the...
, in which a group of
cavemenA caveman or troglodyte is a popular stock character based upon popular concepts of the way in which early prehistoric humans or homininans may have looked and behaved. The archetype of "cavemen" originates with the discovery of Neanderthal remains...
in a faux-modern lecture hall are taught by their caveman professor that the spikes were named "after the late Thag Simmons". The term was picked up initially by Ken Carpenter, a palaeontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, who used the term when describing a fossil at the
Society of Vertebrate PaleontologyThe Society of Vertebrate Paleontology was founded in 1940 for individuals with an interest in vertebrate paleontology. SVP now has almost 2,000 members. The Society's website states that SVP "is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes...
Annual Meeting in 1993.
Thagomizer has since been adopted as an informal anatomical term, appearing, for example, on the website of the
Smithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines...
. The term has been used in displays at Dinosaur National Monument in Utah, in the book
The Complete Dinosaur, and in the stegosaur display at the
Smithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines...
.
The fate of Thag Simmons notwithstanding, dinosaurs and humans did not exist in the same era. In
The Prehistory of the Far SideThe Prehistory of The Far Side: A 10th Anniversary Exhibit is a book chronicling the origin and evolution of The Far Side , giving inside information about the cartooning process and featuring a gallery of Larson's favorite Far Side cartoons from the 1980s.- Part 1: Origin of the Species :Larson...
, Gary Larson suggests that "there should be cartoon
confessionalA confessional is a small, enclosed booth used for the Sacrament of Penance, often called confession, or Reconciliation. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church, but similar structures are also used in Anglican churches of an Anglo-Catholic orientation, and also in the...
s where we could go and say things like, 'Father, I have sinned – I have drawn dinosaurs and hominids together in the same cartoon.'"
Paleobiology
There has been debate about whether thagomizers were used for display only, as posited by Gilmore in 1914, or used as a weapon.
Robert BakkerRobert T. Bakker is an American paleontologist who helped reshape modern theories about dinosaurs, particularly by adding support to the theory that some dinosaurs were endothermic...
noted the tail was likely to have been much more flexible than those of other dinosaurs as it lacked ossified tendons, thus lending credence to the idea of the tail as a weapon. He also observed that
Stegosaurus could have maneuvered its rear easily by keeping its large hindlimbs stationary and pushing off with its very powerfully muscled but short forelimbs, allowing it to swivel deftly to deal with attack.
More recently, a study of tail spikes, by McWhinney et al., showed a high incidence of trauma-related damage. This supports the theory that the spikes were used in combat.
Stegosaurus stenops had four dermal spikes, each about 60-90 cm (2 to 3 feet) long. Discoveries of articulated stegosaur armor show that, at least in some species, these spikes protruded horizontally from the tail, not vertically as is often depicted. Initially, Marsh described
S. armatus as having eight spikes in its tail, unlike
S. stenops. However, recent research re-examined this and concluded this species also had four.
See also
{{portalpar|Dinosaurs}}
- Stegosaurus tail spikes
- Strigiphilus garylarsoni
Strigiphilus garylarsoni is a biting louse of a genus only found on owls. It is a member of the traditional suborder Mallophaga . The species is classified in the Ischnocera suborder and the Philopteridae family. The species has no common name.The louse's taxonomer, biologist Dale H...
Other scientific terms first used in comedy
- Horrendous Space Kablooie
- Flange of baboons
- Shmoo
A shmoo is a fictional cartoon creature. Created by Al Capp , they first appeared in his classic comic strip Li'l Abner on August 31, 1948, and quickly became a postwar national craze in the USA....