#maiopatagium

[broccwalker]

A couple months ago I tried to make a Godzilla AU centered around the idea "what if the Oxygen Destroyer, rather than killing him, mutated Godzilla further like it did to Destoroyah". It was to take the form of a literature anthology that described each Kaiju in the AU in an SCP type format and how they interacted with Godzilla. While it's unfinished, you can definitely gather which monsters I had ideas for.

I eventually scrapped it because I felt like it was too similar to Black Mass and Shin Godzilla that it came off as a rip off of the two, and I don't like treading the exact same ground as other creators unless I believe I can bring something new to the table. Unfortunately, it mainly boiled down to "Hey look at this Godzilla character! Now they're an irradiated version of a known dinosaur! Godzilla just ate them and absorbed their DNA!" which never amounted to anything other than possible body horror since Godzilla, in my mind, literally swallowed them whole like Orga in Godzilla 2000.

However while it is canceled I don't want it to just rot away on some Google Document. So below is what was written down for the "God Destroyer Godzilla AU" as I've decided to call it.

SND

An SND (short for Sentient Natural Disaster) is a sentient animal, creature, being, or entity that’s able to cause natural disaster level destruction by itself, usually by being of immense size. Classifications are the acronym followed by its scientific name, epithets are the most common nicknames given to it by the general public. Hazard levels include Regional (threat to locals), Continental (threat to multiple countries), Global (threat to the entire planet), and Cosmic (threat to multiple planets).

Gojira

Classification: SND Kujirasaurus

Epithet: Gojira, misheard as “Godzilla” in English

Species: Irradiated Spinosaurus with Whale DNA, later contained Amphibian, Crustacean, Ankylosaurus, Tritylodontidae, Maiopatagium, Mongolarachne, and Pterodactyl DNA

Age: 93 million years existing, 46 years alive

Hazard Level: Continental

Description: Kujirasaurus was the first discovered Sentient Natural Disaster created from the corpse of a Spinosaurus irradiated by atomic bomb testing mixed with whale DNA. As a result of the added whale mass and the radiation, its arms grew longer and bulkier, its scales blackened, its face became more round and blocky, its eyes started bulging out more, it started standing more upright, and its dorsal plate was split into multiple smaller plates reaching from the tip of its tail to the upper neck. It was first sighted by fishermen in the Pacific ocean before it started its rampage through Japan which eventually ended in it returning to the ocean. This would continue on and off for the next couple of days before Dr. Daisuke Serizawa developed an unknown weapon that he believed would terminate Kujirasaurus. He activated the weapon while both he and Kujirasaurus were in the same area of water, sacrificing himself in order to execute the beast.

It was first thought that this worked when it didn’t rise from the water, however the next day it reappeared to continue its rampage. The weapon only seemed to mutate Kujirasaurus further, adding recently deceased Amphibian and Crustacean DNA to its mass.

[synapsid-taxonomy]

There's been some debate over exactly when synapsids evolved ear pinnae and if the earlessness of monotremes is an ancestral or derived trait, but is it possible that it correlates with the evolution of the mammalian ear bone that was derived from their jaw?

There isn't a direct osteological correlate for the pinnae, so it's difficult to pinpoint exactly when it first appeared in mammals. But (based on specimens with preserved soft tissue) the docodont Castorocauda and haramiyidans like Maiopatagium also lacked pinnae. We first see pinnae within theriiforms, as far back as Spinolestes. Although we can only conclusively determine the presence/absence of pinnae with soft-tissue fossils, and soft tissue preserves very rarely, it's not impossible that they could have evolved earlier than that and were lost in monotremes. But we don't have any reason to think that they did.

This could be cleared up, theoretically, with genetic or evo-devo studies on the development of monotreme and therian ear soft tissue. AFAIK that hasn't happened yet.

[saritawolff]

#Archovember Day 18 - Cascocauda rong

The Anurognathids of the Jurassic and Cretaceous were highly derived pterosaurs that filled a similar niche to bats. They were nocturnal or crepuscular, insectivorous (though some larger species may have eaten fish as well), arboreal, and had short tails. However, Cascocauda rong of Middle - Late Jurassic China was an exception to the short tail rule. It’s tail was longer than other known anurognathids, earning it a name meaning “fluffy ancient tail.” But more importantly, Cascocauda provides us evidence of the complexity of pycnofibers in pterosaurs. Long thought to be simple and furlike, pterosaur pycnofibers were thought to be unique structures that evolved independently from feathers. However, Cascocauda had an array of different pycnofiber shapes and structures, one of them being similar to downy feathers with frayed ends. This further strengthens the hypothesis that feathers evolved before dinosaurs and pterosaurs even split into two different clades. Also, infrared spectral analysis was used on these pycnofibers, showing they had a similar absorption spectra to red human hair, making Cascocauda one of the only pterosaurs for which we know its coloration!

Found in the Tiaojishan Formation, Cascocauda rong would have lived with other anurognathids like Jeholopterus, Sinomacrops, and the tiny Luopterus. A wealth of other types of pterosaurs existed here as well, such as Darwinopterus, Kunpengopterus, Archaeoistiodactylus, Pterorhynchus, Wukongopterus, Daohugoupterus, Douzhanopterus, Fenghuangopterus, Jianchangnathus, Jianchangopterus, Qinglongopterus, and Liaodactylus. Dinosaurs lived here too, including the famously colored Anchiornis and other Anchiornithids like Aurornis, Caihong, Eosinopteryx, Pedopenna, Serikornis, and Xiaotingia, as well as the bizarrely bat-winged Scansoriopterygids Epidexipteryx, Scansoriopteryx, and Yi, and the quilled heterodontosaur Tianyulong. Arboreal cynodonts like Agilodocodon, Juramaia, Maiopatagium, Arboroharamiya, Volaticotherium, Vilevolodon, and Xianshou would have shared the trees with Cascocauda rong, adding to the busy, fluffy, feathery nature of this ancient forest.

[vickysaurus]

A long, long time ago, back in the Carboniferous, one species of little amniotes was split in two. As their paths diverged, one group’s descendants became the sauropsids - such as reptiles, birds, and other dinosaurs - and the other group’s descendants became the synapsids - such as therapsids, cynodonts, and mammals. As the millions of years stretched on, our two clades have shared the same planet and lived alongside each other as each evolved into ever new and fascinating forms.

(in every panel, there’s a sauropsid on the left and a synapsid on the right)

-In the Permian, a Titanophoneus looks up in wonder as a Weigeltisaurus glides overhead.

-In the Triassic, a Coelophysis and a Kataigidodon cautiously share a bite of a large piece of carrion they both found.

-In the Jurassic, a Maiopatagium glides around a feeding Mamenchisaurus, hunting the insects attracted by the huge sauropod.

-In the Cretaceous, a Didelphodon captures a young Bambiraptor.

-In the Paleogene, a Picavus rests for a moment on the head of a Paraceratherium.

-In the Neogene, a Titanis hunts a Cormohipparion.

-In the Quaternary, a human gives her pet cockatiel scritches.

[chile-and-yi-official]

Alarm clocks are the enemy.

For a larger image of the comic, go here.

[alphynix]

Month of Mesozoic Mammals #16: So Many Gliders Maiopatagium

The haramiyidan featured yesterday was a ground-dwelling animal, but most others in the group were actually highly adapted for tree-climbing. They were very squirrel-like in appearance, with grasping hands and feet and tails that may have been prehensile -- and some took this lifestyle even further, becoming specialized gliders.

Living during the Late Jurassic of China (157-163 mya), Maiopatagium is one of at least four known gliding haramiyidans. It was about 25cm long (10″), around half of which was its long tail, and had a gliding membrane extending between its wrists and ankles. The proportions of its hands and feet were very similar to modern colugos and the feet of bats, which has been interpreted as evidence of the same sort of upside-down roosting behavior.

Its close relative Vilevolodon had rodent-like teeth highly adapted for crushing and grinding, suggesting these haramiyidans were herbivores feeding mainly on seeds and soft plant matter.

And these gliding haramiyidans also contribute to the confusing classification of haramiyidans -- because although Megaconus’ anatomy suggested they might be mammaliaformes, studies of another glider, Arboroharamiya, give a very different result. Its ear bones and jaw show the characteristics of true members of Mammalia, supporting the hypothesis that haramiyidans were actually close relatives (or ancestral to) the multituberculates.

[si-nequal-is]

Caihong with a pair of Maiopatagium and one Tianyulong.

[synapsidgirl]

I had a bit of free time yesterday, and added Xianshou to the other gliding haramiyids. There are two species of Xianshou: X. linglong I chose for this painting, and a smaller X. songae, that was about half the size of its bigger relative. I must say, I’m much happier with the layout now.

Both species of Xianshou were described in 2014.

[hunters-of-the-wastes]

The apex killer of the snowy Northern Tundra, Lasiosauropteryx are a large-sized, ancient species of a mysterious lineage of winged Therapsid. Science often tells that Therapsids were the stock that gave rise to modern and prehistoric mammals and was considered to be the lineage that kept gradually evolving increasingly mammalian features, hence the name “mammal-like reptiles”, and much like the weird looking creatures of the past, Lasiosauropteryx is no different. Lasiosauropteryx is a strange creature, as they seem to be the cut off where birds and mammals split down the evolutionary train, taking on the aspects of both Bird, Reptile and Mammal. They are winged, and in addition to the glandular skin on its body covered in fur found in most modern mammals, this modern synapsid along with its now extinct relatives possess a variety of modified skin coverings, including: Osteoderms, a bony armor embedded in the skin around the feet and scutes, a protective structure of the dermis often with a horny covering on the tail.

Their wings are also strange. In evolution, Aerial locomotion first began in non-mammalian haramiyidan cynodonts, with creatures like Arboroharamiya, Xianshou, Maiopatagium and Vilevolodo all bearing exquisitely preserved, fur-covered wing membranes that stretch across the limbs and tail. Their fingers are elongated, similar to those of bats and colugos and likely sharing similar roles both as wing supports and to hang on tree branches. Much like these creatures, Lasiosauropteryx possess fur-covered wing membranes similar to that of Bats instead of modern or ancient birds. As in other mammals, and unlike in birds, the radius is the main component of the forearm. Lasiosauropteryx have five elongated digits, which all radiate around the wrist. The thumb in Lasiosauropteryx points forward and supports the leading edge of the wing, and the other digits support the tension held in the wing membrane. The second and third digits go along the wing tip, allowing the wing to be pulled forward against aerodynamic drag, without having to be thick as in pterosaur wings. The fourth and fifth digits go from the wrist to the trailing edge, and repel the bending force caused by air pushing up against the stiff membrane. Due to their flexible joints, Lasiosauropteryx are more maneuverable and more dexterous than gliding mammals.However though it has wings. Lasiosauropteryx prefer to glide despite being capable of flying in the air. When on the ground however, Lasiosauropteryx can only crawl awkwardly similar to that of the locomotion of grounded bats, making lateral gaits (the limbs move one after the other) when moving slowly but being capable of moving with a bounding gait (all limbs move in unison) at greater speeds, the folded up wings being used to propel them forward, giving the creature the ability of moving 10mpsThe wings of Lasiosauropteryx are much thinner and consist of more bones than the wings of birds, allowing them to maneuver more accurately than the latter, and fly with more lift and less drag. By folding the wings in toward their bodies on the upstroke, they save 35 percent energy during flight, However the membranes are delicate, tearing easily, but can regrow, and small tears heal quickly. This is because the patagium which is the wing membrane stretched between the arm and finger bones, and down the side of the body to the hind limbs and tail, consists of connective tissue, elastic fibers, nerves, muscles, and blood vessels. The muscles keep the membrane taut during flight. The most striking feature of the creature is their thick, shaggy coat of fur which covers a majority of the body. As winter approaches their coats become incredibly dense and spreads to cover almost the entire animal. Flight with a full winter coat is difficult and only undertaken in times of need. During the summer season they shed their winter coats, leaving their body covered in a much finer coat of fur, and leaving the hindquarters and upper back exposed. Coloration for this creature usually coincides with it main set territory. It has gray fur covering most of its body, with dark blue accents at the tips of the fur on its head, wings, and tail. Hair has its origins in the common ancestor of mammals, the synapsids, about 300 million years ago. It is currently unknown at what stage the synapsids acquired mammalian characteristics such as body hair and mammary glands, as the fossils only rarely provide direct evidence for soft tissues. However much like in mammals, the hairs of Lasiosauropteryx are all connected to nerves, and so the fur also serves as a transmitter for sensory input. Lasiosauropteryx are the dominant predator of their respected habitats, they are very large compared to most creatures heavy despite being a flighted creature, which is a good advantage for it when it comes to fighting aggressors physically: despite their size, they’re shockingly agile and possess a glint of unpredictability in their fighting style taken full advantage tot heir erratic behavior to aid it in a fight. It should also be noted that despite all the encounters people have had with this beast, NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THESE THINGS CAME FROM. When they were first discovered in the northern parts of New America, it was thought to be a elaborate hoax, as these creatures with all their weird attributes look like something straight out of European legend. And much like their fairy tail cousins, these creatures are, astonishingly and disturbingly aggressive Lasiosauropteryx are ferocious predators that will not back down from a fight until they kill the target or die trying. As a result of their size, Lasiosauropteryx dominate the ecosystems in which they live. They are carnivores, although they have been considered as eating mostly carrion, they will frequently ambush live prey with a surprisingly stealthy approach. When suitable prey arrives near a creatures chosen ambush site, it will suddenly charge at the animal at high speeds and go for the underside or the throat. Despite popular belief however, Lasiosauropteryx do not deliberately allow prey to escape with fatal injuries but try to kill prey outright using a combination of lacerating damage and blood loss. They have been recorded as killing Super Mutants within seconds, and observations of the creature tracking prey for long distances are likely misinterpreted cases of prey escaping an attack before succumbing to infection. Lasiosauropteryx eat in a manner similar to crocodiles, by tearing large chunks of flesh and swallowing them whole while holding the carcass down with their forelimbs. For smaller prey up to the size of a goat, their loosely articulated jaws, flexible skulls, and expandable stomachs allow them to swallow prey whole. Undigested vegetable contents of a prey animal’s stomach and intestines are typically avoided. Copious amounts of red saliva the creature produces help to lubricate the food to make it easy to swallow, but swallowing is still a long process (15–20 minutes to swallow a super mutant).

[currentsinbiology]

First winged mammals from the Jurassic period discovered

Two 160 million-year-old mammal fossils discovered in China show that the forerunners of mammals in the Jurassic Period evolved to glide and live in trees. With long limbs, long hand and foot fingers, and wing-like membranes for tree-to-tree gliding, Maiopatagium furculiferum and Vilevolodon diplomylos are the oldest known gliders in the long history of early mammals.

The new discoveries suggest that the volant, or flying, way of life evolved among mammalian ancestors 100 million years earlier than the first modern mammal fliers. The fossils are described in two papers published this week in Nature by an international team of scientists from the University of Chicago and Beijing Museum of Natural History.

"These Jurassic mammals are truly 'the first in glide,'" said Zhe-Xi Luo, PhD, professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago and an author on both papers. "In a way, they got the first wings among all mammals."

Qing-Jin Meng, David M. Grossnickle, Di Liu, Yu-Guang Zhang, April I. Neander, Qiang Ji, Zhe-Xi Luo. New gliding mammaliaforms from the Jurassic. Nature, 2017; DOI: 10.1038/nature23476

Photograph of the fossil of gliding mammaliaform Maiopatagium furculiferum (type specimen from Beijing Museum of Natural History BMNH 2940).Credit: Zhe-Xi Luo/UChicago

[eenadunet-blog]

[muhammadiqbaldar]

These adorable gliding mammals lived alongside dinosaurs, fossils reveal

Scientists have identified two new species of ancient gliding mammals that lived about 160 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The very well-preserved fossils provide important clues about how diverse prehistoric mammals were. The gliding critters, which resembled today’s flying squirrels, had taken to the sky to possibly escape predatory dinos on the ground.

The new species, described in two papers published today in Nature, belong to an extinct branch of mammals. They’re not the first mammalian gliders known to have lived alongside dinosaurs, but they’re incredibly well preserved, featuring peculiar body characteristics. One species, called Maiopatagium furculiferum, had fossilized a wing membrane and fused wishbones...

Continue reading…

from The Verge - Science Posts http://ift.tt/2hKX6RV via: VergeCone

[kathleenseiber]

Fossils bust myth about mammals in dinosaur age

Paleontologists are trying to dispel the myth that a world crowded with dinosaurs left little room for mammals and their relatives.

According to the myth, mammals and their kin, together known as mammaliaforms, remained tiny, mouse-like, and primitive. The myth posits that mammals didn’t evolve diverse shapes, diets, behaviors, and ecological roles until the K-Pg mass extinction event 66 million years ago killed off the dinosaurs and “freed up” space for mammals.

The false narrative has wormed its way into books, lectures, and even scientific papers about this long-ago era.

“This is a very old idea, which makes it very hard to defeat,” says David Grossnickle, a postdoctoral researcher in the biology department at the University of Washington. “But this view of mammaliaforms simply doesn’t stand up to what we and others have found recently in the fossil record.”

Illustration of Alphadon, a small marsupial relative from the Cretaceous Period. Alphadon is representative of the type of small, primarily insect-eating ancestors of the three major ecological radiations of mammaliaforms—giving rise to lineages that have diverse diets and forms of locomotion. (Credit: Misaki Ouchida)

Correcting the record

Grossnickle is the lead and corresponding author of a review article in Trends in Ecology & Evolution that summarizes the latest fossil evidence for an alternative view: Mammals and their relatives have actually undergone three significant “ecological radiations” in their history.

In evolutionary biology, a radiation occurs when a particular lineage invades and adapts to new ecological niches. In each of the radiations discussed in the review, mammaliaforms diversified from insect-chomping, rodent-like ancestors and adapted to a variety of ecological niches. New species arose that, for example, could climb, glide, or burrow—and ate more specialized diets of meat, leaves, or shellfish.

Two of these three ecological radiations of mammailaforms occurred during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods when dinosaurs were thriving, according to Grossnickle and coauthors.

The coauthors summarize the three ecological radiations, each of which involved different groups of mammaliaforms:

The oldest mammaliaform ecological radiation ran from 190 to 163 million years ago in the early-to-mid Jurassic Period—amid the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea—and involved the first true mammals and their closest relatives.

A second ecological radiation of mammals began 90 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous Period, shortly after flowering plants evolved, and ended at the K-Pg mass extinction event 66 million years ago.

The Paleocene-Eocene radiation began 66 million years ago around the time of the K-Pg event and ended about 34 million years ago, and led to the establishment of all the major lineages of placental and marsupial mammals alive today.

Each ecological radiation generated new varieties of mammaliaforms from more primitive, insect-eating, rodent-like ancestors. Many of the diverse forms that arose during the Jurassic and Cretaceous resemble species alive today, such as badgers, flying squirrels, and even anteaters. But these dinosaur-era mammaliaforms are not the direct ancestors of their modern counterparts.

“These same ecological adaptations—for gliding, climbing, eating diverse diets—have evolved repeatedly in the history of mammals and their close relatives,” says Grossnickle.

Illustration of Didelphodon, a marsupial relative from the Late Cretaceous with the strongest pound-for-pound bite force of any known mammal. (Credit: Misaki Ouchida)

Ancient mammals

Mammaliaforms that arose during the Jurassic radiation included the semi-aquatic, beaver-like Castorocauda; Maiopatagium, which likely resembled today’s flying squirrels; and the tree-climbing Henkelotherium. These lineages died out by the mid-Cretaceous Period—a time of general decline for early mammals and their relatives, likely due to climate change and the relatively rapid turnover of whole ecosystems.

The Late Cretaceous ecological radiation followed this period of decline, and saw the rise of new forms of mammals. These included the badger-sized Didelphodon, a marsupial relative with the strongest pound-for-pound bite force of any known mammal, as well as Vintana, a herbivore with some skull features similar to sloths. These diverse groups of mammals perished alongside dinosaurs in the K-Pg mass extinction.

“The presence of this diversity of mammaliaforms in the Jurassic and Cretaceous overturns a classical interpretation of how mammals evolved,” says coauthor Greg Wilson, an associate professor of biology and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture. “This new interpretation was really made possible by new fossil discoveries over the past two decades in places like China and Madagascar.”

The Paleocene-Eocene radiation of mammals, which began around the time of the K-Pg event, generated the ancestors of today’s marsupial and placental mammals—from kangaroos and zebras to blue whales and humans. This radiation’s strong connection to today’s mammals may explain how the myth arose that mammals remained static and primitive in the time of the dinosaurs, according to Grossnickle.

“But focusing on the Paleocene-Eocene radiation gives a distorted view of the history of mammals,” says Grossnickle. “It ignores many of the other groups of mammals and their relatives that were diversifying millions of years before then.”

Fossil discoveries over the past quarter century support the view the researchers summarized. Dinosaur-era mammaliaforms that were once known by only a single tooth or a few bone fragments are now represented by more-complete skeletons, which show the diversity in body shape, size, locomotion, and diet.

“Now we can start to see the huge diversity of mammals and their relatives who lived alongside the dinosaurs,” says Grossnickle.

Stephanie Smith of the Field Museum in Chicago is also a coauthor.

Source: University of Washington

The post Fossils bust myth about mammals in dinosaur age appeared first on Futurity.

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[magnoliamagazin-blog]

Mintegy 160 millió éves repülő emlősfajok maradványait fedezték fel Kínában

Mintegy 160 millió éves repülő emlősfajok maradványait fedezték fel Kínában

Az eddig ismert legkorábbi, mintegy 160 millió éves repülő emlősfajok maradványait fedezték fel Kínában. Az állatok, hasonlóan több mai emlősfajhoz, siklórepülésben közlekedtek a fák között – írja a BBC. A két fosszília felfedezése újabb bizonyíték arra, hogy az emlősökre jóval nagyobb sokszínűség volt jellemző a dinoszauruszok korában, mint korábban hitték. A leletek alapján a két – Maiopatagium…

[chile-and-yi-official]

Everybody’s gotta eat.

For a larger image of the comic, go here.

This is the finale of this particular storyline! Tune in next time for a brand new chapter!