Fossil Finds

[rogue06]

On this thread I plan on highlighting new fossil discoveries.

First up is the discovery of the nearly complete skeleton of a tiny pterodactyl, called Nemicolopterus crypticus, in the western part of China's Liaoning Province in northeastern China. What makes this find so unique, aside from being one of the smallest pterosaurs known, possessing a wingspan of only 10,” is that it had curved foot bones. This means that unlike its larger cousins, which lived near shorelines eating fish, this sparrow-sized creature probably spent much of its time living in trees. The curved digits would have enabled Nemicolopterus to effectively grasp tree branches. At the time that Nemicolopterus lived (approximately 120mya) the area that it lived in was covered with gingko, conifers and other trees. In fact, its name, Nemicolopterus crypticus, means "hidden flying forest dweller.” According to its discoverers, "It is very likely that this pterosaur represents a lineage of arboreal creatures that lived and foraged for insects in the gymnosperm forest canopy of north-east China during the Early Cretaceous.” The fact that it also sported a toothless mouth unlike other pterosaurs supports this contention.

This confirms suspicions that paleontologists have had, that pterosaurs were considerably more diverse in their habitats than we had previously known from the fossil record. They have long predicted that the pterosaurs we’re familiar with were first insectivores, which later adapted to feeding on fish, and this find lends some support to this prediction. Thus, having given us a glimpse at the pterosaurs that were living deep inside the continent rather than just those that lived along the coast, Nemicolopterus represents a new group of pterosaurs which could shed light on the evolution of flying reptiles in general

For more information:

Flying reptiles came in miniature

Tiny Dinosaur Fossil Is Found in China

Tiny Pterodactyl Fossil Found

Tiny pterosaur fossil found

[FreezBee]

Tiny Dinosaur Fossil Is Found in China

Quite interesting, Rogue

From the above linked article:

above link

As pterodactyls go it was small, toothless and had unexpectedly curved toes — yet scientists are welcoming their new find as another piece in the puzzle of ancient life.

© source where applicable

Toothless -- is that normal for pterodactyls?

- FreezBee

[rogue06]

Quite interesting, Rogue

From the above linked article:

above link

As pterodactyls go it was small, toothless and had unexpectedly curved toes — yet scientists are welcoming their new find as another piece in the puzzle of ancient life.

© source where applicable

Toothless -- is that normal for pterodactyls?

- FreezBee

No. Most have long pointy teeth to help enable them in catching fish

[FreezBee]

No. Most have long pointy teeth to help enable them in catching fish

Thanks

- FreezBee

[TheGreenMan]

I should note that the more 'advanced' forms of pterodactyls didn't have teeth. The more basal pterodactyls and the Rhamphorhynchoids did have teeth.

[Steviepinhead]

Nah. The curved tootsies were so the little pteros could cling to the "hawking" bracers of the patriarchs when they went out bird-hunting on dino-back.

And the teeth had been bred out of them, so that when the little pteros knocked the duck or quail or whatever out of the air, they couldn't start munching on the prey before Big Daddy rode up on his deino or allo or whatever to bag the birdies...

[rogue06]

I should note that the more 'advanced' forms of pterodactyls didn't have teeth. The more basal pterodactyls and the Rhamphorhynchoids did have teeth.

Yes, while most possessed long needle-like teeth, not all did. Others like the Late Jurassic Ctenochasma had comb-like teeth used to filter or strain things like plankton, algae and small creatures from the water. Many modern water birds have similar structures. The Cretaceous Pterodaustro also possessed these bristle-like structures, but had small globular teeth set in its upper jaw which were used to mash its food as well, something I don't know if Ctenochasma possessed or not. Finally, one of the earliest pterosaurs, the Triassic Eudimorphodon had a hetorodont dentition (possessed teeth of different shape), which is often associated with some form of feeding or perhaps hunting specialization. Very few pterosaurs had teeth like this though (it isn't common in reptiles at all). Still, it seems that the majority possessed long sharp teeth and the vast majority possessed teeth of some sort.

[rogue06]

Nah. The curved tootsies were so the little pteros could cling to the "hawking" bracers of the patriarchs when they went out bird-hunting on dino-back.

And the teeth had been bred out of them, so that when the little pteros knocked the duck or quail or whatever out of the air, they couldn't start munching on the prey before Big Daddy rode up on his deino or allo or whatever to bag the birdies...

Naughty boy. You must have been listening to Ken Ham and his Creationist Circus Museum cronies.

[TheGreenMan]

Naughty boy. You must have been listening to Ken Ham and his Creationist Circus Museum cronies.

A bit late now but if anyone was planning on going to the Creation Museum today be warned, it had a 1 hour delay due to snow!

[rogue06]

A new type of duck-billed dinosaur, or Hadrosaur, which grew to between 30 to 35’ long, has been discovered in Mexico. Called Velafrons coahuilensis, it was named for the region in which it was found – the southernmost tip of the peninsula-like western landmass, called Laramidia in the north-central state of Coahuila, Mexico. It was discovered in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation, which dates from about 72mya, in the late Cretaceous. The other part of its name, Velafrons is a combination of Latin and Spanish, which means '”sailed forehead,” in reference to the large sail-like crest that grew atop the dinosaur's head. It is being heralded as the first crested hadrosaur found in North America which seems strange in that I always thought that Lambeosaurus, which has been found in both the U.S. and Canada and Corythosaurus were considered crested Hadrosaurs. In any case, the crested duck-billed dinosaurs are an extraordinary example of vertebrate evolution. Unlike other animals where the nose bone lies in front of their eyes, their nose rested atop their skulls. The snout extended backward, up their face, in order to fill the gap left by the relocated nose bone.

More Here:

New Dinosaur Species Found in Mexico

New duck-billed dinosaur found in Mexico

[Steviepinhead]

A bit late now but if anyone was planning on going to the Creation Museum today be warned, it had a 1 hour delay due to snow!

Bah, a mere foot of snow might slow down you EACs, but our tyranno-horsies would make short work of much more snow than that!

Once we get 'em warmed up...

And that darn TyrannoChow is getting more and more pricey. Something about mad chow disease. Er sumpin'...

[TheGreenMan]

Bah, a mere foot of snow might slow down you EACs, but our tyranno-horsies would make short work of much more snow than that!

Once we get 'em warmed up...

it wasn't even a foot. More like 3-6 inches.

And that darn TyrannoChow is getting more and more pricey. Something about mad chow disease. Er sumpin'...

Maybe they are getting the chow from China?

[Steviepinhead]

Well, of course chow comes from China, silly!

Chow mein, chow chow!

Can we be serious here, and talk about some fissiles, and faucets, and such!?!

[Cyrus Johnson]

How about a new fossil bat Onychonycteris finneyi?

[FreezBee]

How about a new fossil bat Onychonycteris finneyi?

Interesting

above link

Forelimb anatomy indicates that the new bat was capable of powered flight like other Eocene bats, but ear morphology suggests that it lacked their echolocation abilities, supporting a 'flight first' hypothesis for chiropteran evolution.

© source where applicable

Wasn't that the existing assumption? I mean, not all bats use echolocation, but all bats fly.

- FreezBee