The Thagomizer

As some of you have probably noticed I do like a good cartoon and I try to have a relevant cartoon to start every lecture. I was delighted to find out recently that Gary Larson (of Far Side fame) has inadvertently given paleontologists a new term. The original caption for the cartoon to the left was:

"Now this end is called the thagomizer, after the late Thag Simmons."

Apparently the collection of spikes on the tail of dinosaurs like Stegosaurus did not already have a name. So, in a nice nod to Gary Larson, the term 'Thagomizer' has been adopted as a genuine anatomical term, and has been used by multiple authorities, including the Smithsonian Institution.