Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026
07:30
Using Archival Japanese Paper and Thermoplastic Resins to Prepare Fossils for Storage, Display, Transport, and Radiography
Published on: November 14, 2025
Fossil quality and naming dinosaurs
1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK. mike.benton@bristol.ac.uk
Biology Letters
|September 18, 2008
Summary
Despite increased dinosaur interest, new species naming practices have improved. Since 1960, dinosaur discoveries increasingly use complete skeletons, unlike earlier incomplete fossils.
Area of Science:
- Paleontology
- Vertebrate Zoology
Background:
- Public interest in dinosaurs has surged in recent decades.
- Historically, new dinosaur species were often named from fragmentary remains.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate trends in the quality of type specimens used for naming new dinosaur species.
- To correlate changes in specimen quality with the "dinosaur renaissance" and public interest.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of publication dates and specimen completeness for dinosaur species described from the 1820s to the present.
- Comparison of specimen quality across different continents.
Main Results:
- From 1960 onwards, a majority of new dinosaur species have been described from complete skulls or skeletons, a significant improvement from earlier periods.
- The rate of new dinosaur species descriptions has increased dramatically since the 1950s.
- Specimen quality varies geographically, with North America and Asia yielding the highest proportion of well-preserved type specimens.
Conclusions:
- The "dinosaur renaissance" has coincided with improved standards in describing new dinosaur species.
- Geographical disparities in fossil discoveries influence the quality of evidence for new dinosaur species.
Related Concept Videos
02:56The Fossil Record
The fossil record documents only a small fraction of all organisms that have ever inhabited Earth. Fossilization is a rare process, and most organisms never become fossils. Moreover, the fossil record only exhibits fossils that have been discovered. Nevertheless, sedimentary rock fossils of long-lived, abundant, hard-bodied organisms dominate the fossil record. These fossils offer valuable information, such as an organism's physical form, behavior, and age. Studying the fossil record helps...
02:35What is Evolutionary History?
Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.Phylogenetic trees illustrate the evolutionary relationships among these organisms. Scientists infer organisms’ common ancestry by evaluating shared morphological and genetic characteristics. Together, the fossil...
02:55The Evidence for Evolution
Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.The collection of fossils within sedimentary rocks give a record of common ancestry and often depicts the history of evolution.
02:40The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes
The “tree of life” describes the evolution of life and the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The root of the tree is the common ancestor to all life on Earth. All other species radiate from this point, much like the branches of a tree. The numerous tips of these branches on the tree of life represent every living, or extant, species. Extinct species, which are species that no longer exist, can be found towards the center of the tree. Currently, these organisms, both extant and...
01:19Naming Skeletal Muscles
The naming of the approximately 700 muscles in the human body is based on a set of criteria designed to provide descriptive information about each muscle, making it easier to identify and remember them.
The key factors used in naming muscles include:
The key factors used in naming muscles include:
01:31Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of defining and naming groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. It uses a hierarchy of increasingly inclusive categories with Latin names. The smallest units of taxonomy, species and genus, are used to assign a formal, taxonomic name to each species in a system. This classification system, referred to as binomial nomenclature, was formalized by Carolus Linnaeus in the 18th century.Hierarchy of TaxonomyThe hierarchy that Carolus Linnaeus first...