“Stegosaurus.”

Todd Prodanovich is a writer for Surfer Magazine. He was at NLand Surf Park this morning, surfing with Torrey Meister and Albee Layer. He was riding a beautiful twin fin shaped by his father, who has shaped with Mark Richards, who is a legendary Australian surfer and surfboard shaper. But this post isn’t about M.R. It’s about Todd. He’s a super nice guy, and a great surfer. It was great to hear some of the less-frequent responses to our favorite question, and we hope he and Torrey and Albee had a great time surfing in Texas today.

“Triceratops, man.”

We got to watch Albee Layer surf at NLand Surf Park this morning, and the dude was doing skateboard tricks on his surfboard! He was riding along, making the wave look easy, and then out of nowhere he’s doing a pop shove it. It’s unbelievable the things surfers can do these days. He’s a very nice person, and it was a treat to watch him surf. Thanks for being part of the family, Albee!

“I like Pterodactyls.”

We got to meet Mr. Meister at Austin’s newest attraction for surfers: NLand Surf Park. It’s a man made wave that is the same every time, and really fun to surf. He tore it apart, as any professional surfer would do, and was also a really awesome person to meet. We hope to meet many more of the new generation of professional surfers and invite them to be a part of the What’s Your Favorite Dinosaur family. It was a pleasure to see you shred today, Torrey!

“I don’t know if this counts as a dinosaur, but I really like Megalodon.”

Of course it counts, Laird! Megalodon was a prehistoric giant shark, and while it may not be considered a dinosaur by the experts. It was a predecessor to the sharks we have now, and a hell of a lot bigger. It lived during the time of the dinosaurs, so yes, it’s very applicable to this website.

We had the pleasure of seeing legendary waterman Laird Hamilton at Hanalei Bay in Kauai, and he was riding a surfboard similar to the one pictured above. He welcomed our favorite question, and was overall a very pleasant and kind person to meet. We’re proud to have him as a part of the What’s Your Favorite Dinosaur family.

“I guess this is the offspring of a Triceratops and a Stegosaurus.”

Jonathan Safran Foer is a prolific author, and is one of few of our contributors to actually draw us his favorite dinosaur. He has written the novels Everything Is Illuminated, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and Here I Am. He also wrote a great one about questioning meat-eating and animals raised for slaughter called, you guessed it: Eating Animals. Mr. Foer is another welcome addition to the list, and here we see proof of his natural imaginative and creative spirit. If you haven’t read any of his works, do yourself a favor and check one out from the library, or just buy one. It just might be one of the best books you’ve ever read.

“I guess I’d have to say T. Rex, you know, because I’ve always been associated with him.”
-Puts his hands out like T. Rex claws, then puts them in front of his face, makes them into a T. Rex mouth and growls.

Here he is, folks. The Silver Tuna. We never thought we’d be able to reach Mr. Tom Waits, let alone meet him in person and be able to ask him what his favorite dinosaur is. This great achievement would not have been possible aside from the many kindnesses extended toward us that weren’t deserved, but are greatly appreciated. We can’t imagine we’ll ever have another submission to this website that can top him, but the quest has been laid before us and we will be working tirelessly to find as many people as we can to tell us what their favorite dinosaurs are. Thank you for your wonderful readership, and many, many thanks to Tom Waits for graciously answering.

“When I was a kid, I had a friend who was really into dinosaurs, and got me into them. He liked Stegosaurus, but I always liked Triceratops.”

John Prine is a legendary songwriter. A song of his you may know is called Angel From Montgomery. Aside from talking with him about dinosaurs, we were privileged enough to see his multitudinous sharpie collection that he keeps in his suit coat pockets, and had a lengthy conversation about different brands of ginger ale. We are deeply honored that he has chosen to be part of our family.

“I guess I’d have to say the Pterodactyl, because I like that it can fly. I’m proud to be in the same group as Mr. Vanilla Ice.”

Elvis Costello is a widely respected musician and songwriter. He has made over 27 albums, written a memoir, and won Grammy awards. He has a lovely disposition and is very pleasant to speak with. He is a part of the notorious Pterodactyl Club, which includes such other people of note as Vanilla Ice, Dr. Woo, Jackie Mock, Brian Fresco, Jim O’Heir and Amanda Setton. So great to have you here, Elvis.

“I don’t know if I have a favorite dinosaur, per se, but I would say any of the little birds that are now descendants of the dinosaurs. Ocala is one that comes to mind.”

Colum McCann is an Irish author. He has written the books Let the Great World Spin,  and Transatlantic, which have widely held critical acclaim. He has a gift with words, and we weren’t surprised when he thoughtfully considered dinosaurs and came to the conclusion that he prefers the ones that are still living. We are proud to have him as one of our contributors.

Something that sounds like Platypus.

Christy Cashman is a beautiful actress who has appeared in such films as American Hustle, Joy, and The Maiden Heist. She is also an author and philanthropist. She shares the favorite dinosaur of WYFD alumnus Paul Walker, and in order to keep this site family friendly, she said some kind of dinosaur, but we didn’t properly hear the name. It sounded something like platypus, though.

”Let me think…I guess I’d have to say the first one we ever learned about…..Tryannosaurus.”

Chris Cooper is an actor whose name you may not recognize at first, but when you see him, you’ll know exactly who he is. He’s starred in such films as Me, Myself & Irene, American Beauty, The Patriot, and The Bourne Identity. He is a literary enthusiast, and a kind person. He is more than welcome to be a part of the T. Rex crew.

“Pterodactyl.”

Bryan Fre$co is an up-and-coming rapper. He released a mixtape produced by the legendary Trevor$ in Chicago, Illinois. One of the tracks on this mixtape features Chance The Rapper, and another features the lovely voice of Jasmine Guerrero. He was kind enough to spend some time with us in Chicago, and is yet another member of the Pterodactyl Club.

“I’ve never been asked that question before…..lemme think…..what’s that one that can fly? Like a dragon? Pterodactyl! Yeah!”

This submission comes from a good friend, who encountered Mr. Van Winkle at an airport after a show with Salt-N-Pepa. Let’s not also forget that he played a major role in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. We are so grateful that upon meeting Mr. Ice, our friend boldly walked up to him without any other pretense than to ask him what his favorite dinosaur is. It’s this kind of dedication we’re looking for, folks. Just remember the next time you see someone who’s famous to you!

“I think Triceratops. Seems like a pretty loyal dinosaur.”

Upon entering Barrel DC, we walked past the kitchen and recognized the voice of recent Top Chef contestant Chef Garret Fleming. Upon noticing who he was, we said hello, and forgot to mention that we thought he should have made it farther on the show. Regardless of what some reality TV judges thought, we ate some of his food and it was FANtastic. Also, we were pleased that he was happy to answer our question and become part of this very eclectic and strange family. Welcome, Chef!

“I like the Brontosaurus. And what’s the deal? How come we all know so much about dinosaurs? Where did this knowledge come from? I like to think it’s from all the cool dinosaur sweatshirts we used to have.”

We here at WYFD are immense fans of Joanna Newsom. She is a very gifted harpist, and uses her instrument to create songs of sweeping beauty and folklore. After yelling out our question at her show recently, she graciously took the time to consider us, and the crowd also participated. We are so lucky to have seen her play, and hope someday to include her husband, Andy Samberg, to our family. For now, we’ll be incredibly happy to have her as our most recent addition to this oddball group of characters.