Fame and the Dinosaur

Tawa hallae is a famous early theropod not only because of its coverage by the National Science Foundation or the publication of its description in Science. Tawa is also famous because it was an early theropod situated between the earliest theropod dinosaurs we know, animals like Herrerasaurus and Eoraptor, and the previously considered base of the theropod tree: Coelophysis and its family members. In a way that makes Tawa a kind of "missing link" (a term that scientists do not generally actually like using because it has been so warped). Tawa may be a link between those South American theropods and the rest of the theropod family, but that does not mean it is the only link nor that it is the most important link. The fame that its current status has given it, though, has been immortalized in books, television, online videos, and it has even become a model and toy that is loved by many children (and adults); there is even a new model for this year.