When Dinosaurs Battled Crurotarsans

onehitwonder writes "Reuters reported yesterday on new scientific research that indicates how dinosaurs beat out another early reptilian species for domination of the earth. Roughly 200 million years ago, dinosaurs battled with another dinosaur-like animal, the crurotarsan, which is related to the crocodile. Some species grew to 39 feet long, according to the article, at an epoch when few dinosaurs exceeded 10 feet in length. Scientists used to believe that dinosaurs beat out the crurotarsans because the dinosaurs were physiologically superior. But new research indicates that dinosaurs might have won out due to a large stroke of cosmic luck, the nature of which is speculative."

Comments

Errata

[Bemopolis]

Roughly 6000 years ago, dinosaurs battled with another dinosaur-like animal,

Fixed that for you, Kansas.

Re:Errata

[spun]

Roughly 6000 years ago, dinosaurs snuggled and played with another dinosaur-like animal,

Fixed that for you, Kansas.

Fixed your fix. This was the garden of Eden, remember? Everybody loved everybody in Eden.

Re:Errata

[spun]

Jeez, Otter, what crawled up your butt and died? The fact that in the 21st century, some people still think the Earth is only 6,000 years old because they misinterpreted a stupid fable, is funny.

You don't like us making fun of stupid religious people, but then you call us stupid. Are you a religious person? Do you think the world is only 6,000 years old? Why are you making such a big deal about this? I don't get it.

If it is only because the joke is old, I got news for you. People like old familiar jokes. You may have noticed, people here still quote a comedian who hasn't played outside of Laughlin, Nevada for decades. Do you also bitch and whine about the 'Soviet Russia' jokes? Do you rail about the stupidity of people quoting the Simpsons, or making Natalie Portman/Hot Grits comments?

Maybe this making fun of stupid religious beliefs hits a little close to home? What ARE your beliefs in that regard?

Re:Errata

[Empiric]

And outside this particular garden was the rest of the Earth, surrounded by the people and animals who pre-existed the ones in said garden.

If you were from Kansas, you'd have read what it says.

Well, maybe not Kansas, but certainly Alexandria.

Re:Errata

[Empiric]

You can tell by all the monkeys eating flying spaghetti.

Re:Errata

[RingDev]

Speaking of which...

What do you call a hockey Mom that preaches 'Abstinence only'? ...

A grandma!

-Rick

Re:Errata

[Xtifr]

Now there's a dumb comment. I don't like stupid black people or stupid Asian people or stupid Jewish people or stupid Muslims or stupid white people or stupid programmers or stupid...anything. Nothing to do with the race, skin color, religion, gender, sexual preference or whatever: I just don't like stupid people.

I have absolutely nothing against religious people per se, but for some reason the ones in the US are letting the stupidest among them dominate the political debate, and that fills me with some contempt even for the smart ones. Speak out and make it clear that being religious doesn't automatically make you an idiot, or the idiots will be the only thing the rest of us see and associate with your religion!

And by "speak out", I don't mean whine about how people are starting to assume that all US Xtians are idiots. Stand up and tell the idiots in your creed what idiots they're being. Publicly. Tell them that they're making a mockery of your religion. That'll earn you my respect.

Re:Errata

[Wonko the Sane]

Replace "religious" with "black" "asian" "jewish" "muslim" or any other name and you might actually realize how offensive your statements are.

A person is born "black", "asian", or "jewish". "religious" is a personal decision, which makes it fair game for ridicule. (same applies obviously for "muslim")

Re:Errata

[geekoid]

IT's funny, until it's a person in congress making laws, or a teacher pushing non science as science or refusing to teach science.

Re:Errata

[sumdumass]

Lol.. Sex wasn't even a consideration until Eve ate the apple.

But I don't know any fundies that think sex is nasty or dirty, they think it is private and talking about it or displaying it to others is nasty and dirty. A big difference there if you care to notice. I'm betting that to some degree, you will agree with that too. I mean do you want someone to watch your wife get undressed and masturbate herself because you don't finish the job? Or do you want someone watching you masturbate because she won't give you any or you don't have a job? And no, I don't know that your married or self serving, the tone is just to illustrate and not accuse so don't take it that way.

Re:Errata

[spun]

Erm, the wife and I have an open marriage. We have three ways. We've been to orgies. We discuss sex in frank and matter of fact ways with our friends. We are not at all embarrassed by sex, and consider it private only in that we don't do it in public. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that, as long as there are no kids present. The only reason that people think it should be private is because they think it is dirty, like taking a dump.

Re:Errata

[spun]

But if that pit bull grew up in Alaska, it will be an expert on international affairs and diplomacy, because Alaska is near Russia.

Re:Errata

[Anonymous Coward]

We don't knock their beliefs because we disagree with them, we knock their beliefs because those beliefs are idiotic.

Crurotarsans are...

[metamechanical]

some kinda crocodile? Aw, here and I had this pegged for them to be the monster of the week on the SciFi late night "movie" "specials".

Re:Crurotarsans are...

[gardyloo]

You're disappointed by 39-foot-long crocodiles? I guess I have to raise my standards somehow. (Not directed at you, honey)

Re:Sort of like movie and rock stars, really.

[Red Flayer]

I don't know about you but I don't think 'farking huge' is a criteria for coolness. There are plenty of freaking awesome birds out there.

And haing been up close and personal with crocs, caymans, and gators, I can say that they are anything but underwhelming... though some more diversity would be cool.

Re:Sort of like movie and rock stars, really.

[liquiddark]

When we're talking about animals that were 100 feet long tip to tip and walked like an earthquake, I'm willing to accept "farking huge" as a coolness criterion.

Re:Wow!

[ColdWetDog]

Oh, give him a break. Look at his UID. He's probably pushing 50 and nearly dead.

Please have some respect for your elders.

Meaningful?

[Jabbrwokk]

It's already loaded with enough sex, violence, intrigue, dismemberment, rape and murder to be meaningful to today's society. It's more disgusting than your average 18A torture-porn flick.

Maybe a new movie version is needed. It would be like "300" except because it's from the Bible it would be Sunday School-approved.

I'd like to see that on the flannelgraph.

Re:Wow!

[Hognoxious]

14 year olds are not uncommon on the Internet

Those are FBI officers.

Re:Flamebait? Jealous Much?

[MBGMorden]

Tell you what, sad little virginal mods, I'm going out with a new hot chick this Saturday, I'll screw her once extra just for y'all.

You tell em! We studs gotta stick together.

I'm actually going to be getting it on with Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Avril Lavigne, Lacey Chabert, and Keira Knightly tomorrow night. I've saved Natalie Portman and the hot tub full of grits for Sunday.

So just get yer jealous selves outta here and let a playa play.

Re:Ahhh Soooo

[Hognoxious]

The puppeteers in Ringworld thought so.