Source: USA Today
Traci Watson, Special for USA TODAY
When scientists needed a name for a newfound dinosaur with wicked horns and protruding spikes, they knew exactly who to call.
Researchers christened the discovery Zuul after the uncannily similar monster in the 1984 classic Ghostbusters. After the name popped into her head, “we couldn’t resist,” says Victoria Arbour of Canada’s Royal Ontario Museum.
Like its movie counterpart, Zuul the dinosaur had large horns on its head and smaller spikes on its face. The Cretaceous Zuul was a vegetarian, stuffing down greenery to maintain its 5,500-pound bulk. The celluloid Zuul, on the other hand, served the forces of destruction.
Still, Zuul the dinosaur carried superior weaponry — its long, spiked tail, with a massive knob of bone at the tip. This “tail club” could have smacked around a tyrannosaur intent on having Zuul for dinner. Zuul also might have wielded it against rivals of its own kind.
Suggested Reading
Charles Darwin: An Epiphany for the Muslims, A Catastrophe for the Christians
Categories: Biology, Evolution, The Muslim Times