LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Forget the Grammy or MTV music awards, former Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler has received a rock star's most unusual accolade -- a newly discovered dinosaur named in his honor.
The British musician's distinctive guitar style, gravelly voice and hits such as "Sultans of Swing" and "Romeo and Juliet" were such an inspiration and source of good luck to paleontologists they named a 70-million-year-old dinosaur after him.
Masiakasaurus knopfleri is a 1.8 meter (6 ft) long meat-eating creature, about the size of a German shepherd dog, with unusual protruding teeth.