Unicerosaurus
Encyclopedia
"Unicerosaurus" is a nomen nudum
coined by creation scientist
Carl Baugh
. It has never been formally described. Baugh had claimed that "Unicerosaurus" was a dinosaur
, but this was rejected by Canadian geologist
John R. Armstrong in a 1987 article, which identified the fossil as the neural spine of a fish
. Its name derives from a mixture of Latin
and Greek
, Uni- "one", κερας/cera- "horn" and σαυρος/saurus "lizard". Although "Unicerosaurus" has appeared in various lists of dinosaurs, it is not considered a valid genus
by mainstream paleontologists.
minister, Carl Baugh, began excavations on the limestone beds of the Paluxy River
, near Glen Rose
, Texas, famous for its dinosaur tracks. Some of the tracks resembled human footprints and had been proclaimed since 1900 as evidence that dinosaurs and modern humans had once lived alongside one another. Scientists' investigations found the supposed human footprints to be "forms of elongate dinosaur tracks, while others were selectively highlighted erosional markings, and still others (on loose blocks) probable carvings."
Baugh asserted that the tracks were direct evidence of Young Earth Creationism
. He made appearances at Paluxy churches and schools and in 1984 established the Creation Evidence Museum
. Exhibits featured a selection of fossil footprints from Paluxy, footprints in stone alleged to be from Paluxy but whose source was undocumented, and various vertebrate and invertebrate fossils found at the northern edge of Somervell County
, Texas. Some fossils in the collection were said to represent dinosaur genera
, including a mislabled pubis
and ischium assigned to Acrocanthosaurus
and a solitary "Y-shaped" fossil assigned the name "Unicerosaurus".
The only research article ever published on "Unicerosaurus" was by geologist John Armstrong, an ordained deacon
, in the September 1987 Creation/Evolution Newsletter, a publication of the National Center for Science Education
. Armstrong described the fossil as a "Y-shaped petrified bone that appears to be the neural spine from a hugh fish like the Portheus of Niobrara Chalk" that Baugh's museum "declared to be the forehead horn of a newly discovered dinosaur genus". The museum's exhibit told visitors that the "horn" belonged to "the unicorn of Job
38, one of three dinosaurs mentioned in Scripture; the others being behemoth
and leviathan
of Job 40 and 41", and that the horn was able to fold back like the blade of a jack knife
.
Baugh and other creation scientists interpret the biblical Behemoth as a sauropod dinosaur like Brontosaurus
and Leviathan as possibly a plesiosaur
of the kind commonly associated with the Loch Ness Monster
. Though some Young Earth Creationists share Baugh's interpretations of the biblical Behemoth and Leviathan, they have been reluctant to embrace the "Unicerosaurus." Baugh's claims about the fossil have not been taken seriously either by Christian organizations nor the scientific community. Both the fossil and the name "Unicerosaurus" remain footnotes; the name has not appeared in print since its original publication except where it appears in lists of invalid or disputed dinosaur genera.
, a name that has appeared in print but which has not yet been formally published by the standards of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
, the organization responsible for "governing the application of scientific names to all organisms which are treated as animals." Article 13.4 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
states that proposed names for new genera between 1930 and 1999 must have been "marked by gen. nov., sp. nov. or an equivalent expression", showing intent to erect a scientific name. This would prevent typographical errors and other mistakes to be regarded as nomina nuda. The 1987 article describes the find as a purported "new genus of dinosaur", so the name likely qualifies as a nomen nudum, which, by convention, appears in quotation marks.
Nomen nudum
The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
coined by creation scientist
Creation science
Creation Science or scientific creationism is a branch of creationism that attempts to provide scientific support for the Genesis creation narrative in the Book of Genesis and disprove generally accepted scientific facts, theories and scientific paradigms about the history of the Earth, cosmology...
Carl Baugh
Carl Baugh
Carl Edward Baugh is an American young earth creationist. Along with others, Baugh has said he discovered human alongside dinosaur footprints near the Paluxy River in Texas. Baugh is a national television host, purporting to present science supporting creationism on the program Creation in the...
. It has never been formally described. Baugh had claimed that "Unicerosaurus" was a dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
, but this was rejected by Canadian geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
John R. Armstrong in a 1987 article, which identified the fossil as the neural spine of a fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
. Its name derives from a mixture of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
, Uni- "one", κερας/cera- "horn" and σαυρος/saurus "lizard". Although "Unicerosaurus" has appeared in various lists of dinosaurs, it is not considered a valid genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
by mainstream paleontologists.
History
In 1982, a former BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister, Carl Baugh, began excavations on the limestone beds of the Paluxy River
Paluxy River
The Paluxy River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. It is a tributary of the Brazos River. It is formed by the convergence of the North Paluxy River and the South Paluxy River near Bluff Dale, Texas in Erath County and flows a distance of before joining the Brazos just to the east of Glen...
, near Glen Rose
Glen Rose, Texas
Glen Rose is a city in Somervell County, Texas, United States. It is the county seat of Somervell County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,444. Glen Rose is part of the Granbury micropolitan area.-19th century:...
, Texas, famous for its dinosaur tracks. Some of the tracks resembled human footprints and had been proclaimed since 1900 as evidence that dinosaurs and modern humans had once lived alongside one another. Scientists' investigations found the supposed human footprints to be "forms of elongate dinosaur tracks, while others were selectively highlighted erosional markings, and still others (on loose blocks) probable carvings."
Baugh asserted that the tracks were direct evidence of Young Earth Creationism
Young Earth creationism
Young Earth creationism is the religious belief that Heavens, Earth, and all life on Earth were created by direct acts of the Abrahamic God during a relatively short period, sometime between 5,700 and 10,000 years ago...
. He made appearances at Paluxy churches and schools and in 1984 established the Creation Evidence Museum
Creation Evidence Museum
The Creation Evidence Museum, originally Creation Evidences Museum, is a museum in Glen Rose in Somervell County in central Texas, USA. Founded in 1984 by Carl Baugh for the purpose of researching and displaying purported evidence for creationism, the museum purports to show that the Earth is only...
. Exhibits featured a selection of fossil footprints from Paluxy, footprints in stone alleged to be from Paluxy but whose source was undocumented, and various vertebrate and invertebrate fossils found at the northern edge of Somervell County
Somervell County, Texas
There were 2,438 households out of which 37.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.50% were non-families. 21.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.20% had...
, Texas. Some fossils in the collection were said to represent dinosaur genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, including a mislabled pubis
Pubis (bone)
In vertebrates, the pubic bone is the ventral and anterior of the three principal bones composing either half of the pelvis.It is covered by a layer of fat, which is covered by the mons pubis....
and ischium assigned to Acrocanthosaurus
Acrocanthosaurus
Acrocanthosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that existed in what is now North America during the Aptian and early Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous. Like most dinosaur genera, Acrocanthosaurus contains only a single species, A. atokensis. Its fossil remains are found mainly in the U.S...
and a solitary "Y-shaped" fossil assigned the name "Unicerosaurus".
The only research article ever published on "Unicerosaurus" was by geologist John Armstrong, an ordained deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
, in the September 1987 Creation/Evolution Newsletter, a publication of the National Center for Science Education
National Center for Science Education
The National Center for Science Education is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It is the United States' leading anti-creationist organization, and defends the teaching of evolutionary biology and opposes...
. Armstrong described the fossil as a "Y-shaped petrified bone that appears to be the neural spine from a hugh fish like the Portheus of Niobrara Chalk" that Baugh's museum "declared to be the forehead horn of a newly discovered dinosaur genus". The museum's exhibit told visitors that the "horn" belonged to "the unicorn of Job
Book of Job
The Book of Job , commonly referred to simply as Job, is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. It relates the story of Job, his trials at the hands of Satan, his discussions with friends on the origins and nature of his suffering, his challenge to God, and finally a response from God. The book is a...
38, one of three dinosaurs mentioned in Scripture; the others being behemoth
Behemoth
Behemoth is a mythological beast mentioned in the Book of Job, 40:15-24. Metaphorically, the name has come to be used for any extremely large or powerful entity.-Plural as singular:...
and leviathan
Leviathan
Leviathan , is a sea monster referred to in the Bible. In Demonology, Leviathan is one of the seven princes of Hell and its gatekeeper . The word has become synonymous with any large sea monster or creature...
of Job 40 and 41", and that the horn was able to fold back like the blade of a jack knife
Pocket knife
A pocket knife is a folding knife with one or more blades that fit inside the handle that can still fit in a pocket. It is also known as a jackknife or jack-knife...
.
Baugh and other creation scientists interpret the biblical Behemoth as a sauropod dinosaur like Brontosaurus
Apatosaurus
Apatosaurus , also known by the popular but scientifically deprecated synonym Brontosaurus, is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived from about 154 to 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period . It was one of the largest land animals that ever existed, with an average length of and a...
and Leviathan as possibly a plesiosaur
Plesiosaur
Plesiosauroidea is an extinct clade of carnivorous plesiosaur marine reptiles. Plesiosauroids, are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods...
of the kind commonly associated with the Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
. Though some Young Earth Creationists share Baugh's interpretations of the biblical Behemoth and Leviathan, they have been reluctant to embrace the "Unicerosaurus." Baugh's claims about the fossil have not been taken seriously either by Christian organizations nor the scientific community. Both the fossil and the name "Unicerosaurus" remain footnotes; the name has not appeared in print since its original publication except where it appears in lists of invalid or disputed dinosaur genera.
Status as a nomen nudum
"Unicerosaurus" is a nomen nudumNomen nudum
The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
, a name that has appeared in print but which has not yet been formally published by the standards of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 28 members from 20 countries, mainly practicing zoological taxonomists...
, the organization responsible for "governing the application of scientific names to all organisms which are treated as animals." Article 13.4 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals...
states that proposed names for new genera between 1930 and 1999 must have been "marked by gen. nov., sp. nov. or an equivalent expression", showing intent to erect a scientific name. This would prevent typographical errors and other mistakes to be regarded as nomina nuda. The 1987 article describes the find as a purported "new genus of dinosaur", so the name likely qualifies as a nomen nudum, which, by convention, appears in quotation marks.