Some things are probably happy to be extinct. Living up to their name would just be too hard.
Like the new dinosaur discovered in Alberta. This new critter is not overly large, as dinosaurs go. But it is a relative of the famous T.Rex. When your cousin is known as the king (the Rex part), you have to have pretty good name just to get people to remember you. This T. Rex cousin is now known as Thanatotheristes degrootorum.
It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Sports teams will probably not be named after it. It likely will not star in the next Jurassic Park remake.
The name is fitting, in a roundabout sort of way. The last part is to honour the people who discovered the fossils that lead to this older cousin of T. Rex being recognized as a separate species. John and Sandra De Groot found the fossils so their name gets worked in there… as it should.
But Thanatotheristes? You probably won’t invite him to your next party, even if he promised not to eat all the other guests, just because you wouldn’t be able to figure out how to spell his name. Even his mother would likely have trouble calling him at bedtime.
Thanatotheristes is Greek, so maybe we can just use the English translation. It is a bit easier to pronounce, but it probably won’t make you feel any better about inviting him to that party. The name translates as “Reaper of Death”.
Not a bad name for an apex predator with small arms and big bighty teeth. At least he can proudly stand next to his cousin T. Rex and not have to be ashamed of it.
