Dinosaurs»Dinosaurs Fact and Fiction
How are dinosaurs named?
Dinosaurs normally are named after a characteristic body feature, after the place where they were establish, or after a person involved in the discovery. Typically the name consists of two Greek or Latin words (or combination); in order, these are the genus (plural, genera) and the species name. For example, the Greek and Latin mixture (binomen) Tyrannosaurus rex means king of the tyrant lizards.
Biologists name modern animals precisely the same way. Some examples contain humans (Homo sapiens), domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), box turtles (Terrapene carolina), and rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus).
|
|
