One Panel #414: Congolese Dinosaur

From Congo Bill: "The Adventure of the Prehistoric Valley" by Fred Ray, Action Comics #40 (September 1941)

It's only being friendly! Remember the time Congo Bill adopted a brontosaur? It really was the good old days. You can't do that anymore. Mostly because the existence of a brontosaur has been debunked. Sigh.

Comments

Green Luthor said…
The whole brontosaurus thing is actually kind of in an odd spot right now. The reason bronto was considered debunked was because the first sample of bronto fossils were determined to be the same species as the earlier-discovered and -named apatosaurus, so the earlier name should have taken precedence. However, the American Museum of Natural History chose to use the brontosaurus label when mounting an exhibit, and the name stuck with the public. So, despite the determination that brontosaurus was really apatosaurus, the name brontosaurus never went away. Recently, however, some paleontologists have concluded that the two specimens are actually distinct enough as to constitute separate species, and have thus revived the brontosaurus classification. (Although this view isn't universally accepted, and might be driven more by a desire to keep brontosaurus as a recognized dinosaur.)

So basically, brontosaurus isn't 100% debunked any more, though who knows what will happen in the future.
June 13, 2019 at 3:16 PM
Brendoon said…
That's cool, Luthor!
I KNEW the Flintstones couldn't be wrong.
My take would be that since there's no issue about there having been a "big flat footed dinosaur with the long neck and huge tail," Charlotte (the Bronty) was never debunked, just had an issue with her birth certificate not matching who she THOUGHT she was (Like Major Major Major in Catch22. Not Caleb.)
The piltdown man was debunked as a hoax, Phrenology was debunked as a dumb idea. Brontys are just the coolest word, therefore not debunked.
I still believe in Pterodactyls cos' it's a cool word too: even though their name means "Hand-hands," ...which probably upsets sensible scientists who can't handle nomenclative nonsense.
You never hear about scientific Dadaists, do ya?
June 13, 2019 at 8:10 PM
Brendoon said…
Dang, I got it wrong... Ptero doesn't mean hand at all.
Means wing.
In Horticulture Pteris means fern, being feather-like.
I can imagine it being "terrace" in ancient Egyptian though... I learnt ancient Egyptian from "Asterix in Egypt."

Looks like Pterodactyl IS still in use though, even though "Pteranodon and Pterosaur" seem to be more the BIZ with kids these days.
WHAAAAAAAt? Looks like experts say the ol' Pt.Dac. ain't even a dinosaur.
I guess it's too hip to be considered an old timer??
June 13, 2019 at 11:40 PM
Siskoid said…
I hope that's a hip pun seeing as dinosaurs are dinosaurs because of their swivel hip anatomy.
June 14, 2019 at 7:01 AM
Brendoon said…
Siskoid,
you prove to be of a higher level of cleverness than I claim, and I applaud you!

I only vaguely remember than dinosaurs are dinosaurs because of something to do with thunder and lizards....
...Dino-Thors, perhaps.
Nonsense is more my domain.
I was, until now, unaware there was anything special about dinosaur hips.

Dang, ain't casual education grand?
June 14, 2019 at 9:13 PM
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