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I'm an "armchair paleontologist" trying to make myself useful patroling a few areas of interest here on Wikipedia. I try to keep abreast of recent developments and to stay current. I try to make myself useful by correcting any glaring errors I find or filling in glaring omissions.
[edit] Useful Links
Prehistoric bird, Birds by classification cat, Prehistoric birds cat, Theropod database taxa, Aves phylogeny, Benton's taxonomy, List of dinosaurs
For now, I want to cite two articles that are triumphs of this project.
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Dinosaurs/missing Since the project started, members have created articles for nearly every single dinosaur genus. That's no small feat!
- Palaeosaurus - This is what happens when Wikipedians who know their stuff collaborate. A detailed and well-written history of one of the most confusing taxonomic situations I've ever heard of.
[edit] Taxonomy and Standardization
My personal goal for Wikipedia right now is to standardize the taxonomy as presented in Taxoboxes across at least all amniote entries. I'm advocating the adoption of Benton's taxonomy from Vertebrate Paleontology, a widely used and well-respected resource[1]. I'll try my best to work closely with Wikipedia:WikiProject Tree of Life on this. If anyone has suggestons or comments about my current 'pet project', please let me know!
UPDATE: Due mainly to lack of objection, I've gotten Benton's taxonomy accepted by Wikipedia:Wikiproject Tree of Life and Wikipedia:WikiProject Dinosaurs. The taxobox classifications should conform to the following standards:
- Basic ranks only. No -division, -plesion, Micro-, Parv-, etc, only the basic ranks and Sub-, Super-, and Infra- prefixes where necessary. Anything else should be Unranked (code "unranked_famila", etc).
- Class Sauropsida. Class Sauropsida should be used for all non-avian reptiles. Non-mammalian synapsids, by the way, have already been standardized into Class Synapsida. Most dinosaur and pterosaur articles currently list Class Archosauria or Reptilia, which should be changed whenever you get the chance.
- Taxobox phylogeny. A lot of taxoboxes either list a totally phylogenetic classification with no ranks, or many superfluous unranked taxa. These things should be short and sweet-use unranked higher taxa on species pages only if it contains widely used or relevent information, preferably linked to an existnant article. For example, a taxobox for Utahraptor might list "(Unranked) Maniraptora", since maniraptors are a well-known and distinctive clade, or Coelurosauria (same reason), but both would be messy and slightly redundant (it might be better to list coelurosauria for basal coelurosaurs and maniraptora for maniraptorans). Again, using Tetanurae for species far removed from basal tetanurans would become cumbersome, but appropriate for, say, megalosaurids and spinosaurids. Use your own discretion.
[edit] Cheers
I'm flattered to get awards, but really, the people giving them to me usually do a lot more for the cause than I have in my short time here. They're the real heroes, so good on you guys!
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The Photographer's Barnstar |
| Hi - here's a little something, to acknowledge your recent (and previous) great photographic contributions, esp. to dino project. - Ballista 06:35, 24 September 2006 (UTC) |
The E=MC² Barnstar For your dedicated scientific work on
WP:Dinosaurs. --
Firsfron 02:11, 21 May 2006 (UTC)
Cheers! from
Ballista 05:49, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
[edit] What Wiki Should Require
- Proof that all editors have at least completed High School, so we can avoid the butchering of the English language. From an entry on The Dig:
- The Dig was idealized both as an episode of Amazing Stories and as a movie in different times, but Spielberg concluded that it would be very expensive and difficult. In 1996, the director did not disrespect the possibility to make it in the future but this is highly doubtful since as of 2005 nothing about it has been reported. Chills the bones to read it...
Almost as bone chilling as this entry, from Spinosaurus:
- though jp3 might say t rex would loose it is easy to tell the would not meet but if they did tyrannosaurus would win because why did the name spinosaurus king of the dinosaurs(tyrannosaurus rex meens that) if they thought it was stronger? because t rex was and still is the most fiersome dinosaur to ever walk the earth!! Yikes. Just yikes.
[edit] Pages I've Started
Yixianosaurus (stub), Epidendrosaurus, Microraptoria (stub), Megalosauroidea/Spinosauroidea (stub), Azhdarchidae, Archaeopterygiformes, Mancalla (stub), Bayan Shireh Formation, Law's Diving-goose (stub w/ text from another article), Prolacertiformes (stub), Mapusaurus (stub), Antarctopelta (stub), Waimanu (stub), Shanxia, Hyperodepedon (stub), Shanyangosaurus (stub), Shixinggia (stub), Avicephala, Rinchenia, Caenagnathidae, Compsognathidae (stub), Marasuchus (stub), Tsaagan (stub).
I've also contributed significantly to: Citipati
[edit] Images I've Uploaded
[edit] This user
Feel like you've known me for years by looking at a bunch of icons.
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This user is of multiple ancestries. |
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This user prefers metric units, but, having grown up in the U.S., cannot relate to them. |
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This user prefers using userboxes to fill up his/her user page instead of actually writing something useful. |
