House backs naming paluxysaurus official dinosaur of Texas

AUSTIN – Jurassic Park, move over. The Texas House found a new way to resurrect dinosaur drama while debating a new official state dinosaur on Thursday.

The incumbent pleurocoelus has held the distinguished title for more than a decade, following its discovery near the Paluxy River near Glen Rose.

But nipping at its reptilian heels are Southern Methodist University researchers, who claim that further study shows it's not a pleurocoelus at all, but a new species named paluxysaurus jonesi.

It's a finding that curators at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History hope to feature in an exhibit this fall.

The debate in the Texas House could be considered a prehistoric hootenanny.

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