#microsaur

[dinodanicus]

A male pantylus basks on the edge of his mating pool hoping to attract a female.

[knuppitalism-with-ue]

Results from the Flocking #paleostream

Aigialosaurus, Paleoparadoxia, Bohra illuminata, Infernovenator.

[gumballguys]

Microsaurs, Walmart, Glenmont NY

[quark-nova]

A Prologue to Amniotes

Part III - The “Age of Amphibians”

A long time has passed since my previous blog post. Two months, or around twenty million years, depending on how you count.

We are now in the middle of the Carboniferous (late Mississippian for the Americans out there). Stegocephalians are out of fashion, new models of amphibians have been released. They’re actually able to spend most of their time on land! (well, a few went back to the water, but still)

Unfortunately, there’s no real word for this faunal shift. An interesting concept that we can use, however, is the one of megadynasty. They’re basically evolutionary faunas but on land, an idea introduced by Brenchley and Harper in 1998. Basically, Megadynasty I corresponds to the amphibians and pelycosaurians, Megadynasty II is the therapsids, and Megadynasty III is the dinosaurs. You can quickly see how this is more than approximative, as I doubt Ichthyostega and Dimetrodon have much in common to justify this grouping. Oh, and they forgot the entire Cenozoic.

A better system would be to have a “Megadynasty 0″ corresponding to the stegocephalians (when the “going on land” functionality was still in beta), with I for the later amphibians and II for the pelycosaurians. Here’s a schema:

Seven-megadynasty paradigm, by Quark-Nova (CC-SA 3.0)

Are the amphibians really the only ones to dominate the ecosystem? Certainly not - giant insects and arthropods would certainly like to have a word with them. And, quite honestly, a two-meter long Arthropleura or a 350 kilogram Hibbertopterus would probably win an argument against me on intimidation alone. But, unfortunately for them, I’m still alive and they aren’t - fact is, amphibians and their descendants ultimately did a better job at shaping the megafauna. Which is why the goal of this blog is to talk about synapsid evolution, rather than giant insect evolution.

But what was the Carboniferous like exactly? Popular conception pictures it as a mostly uniform “rainforest” of giant fern trees. And, while it’s not completely wrong, something is quite often left out of the picture. The Middle Carboniferous saw the beginning of the Karoo ice age, an icehouse world that would last until the Permian and see large ice sheets cover much of the planet. But the ice age wasn’t at its peak yet, and amphibians could comfortably chill in the rainforest. For now, at least.

So, what were they doing? Quite a lot, actually. A lot of them decided that becoming l o n g was the way to go, with adelospondyls, aistopods and various other groups ranging in body plans from reptilian ferret to actual snake.

Rhynchonkos, a ferret microsaur, by Smokeybjb (CC-SA 3.0)

A lot of these groups were historically classified as “lepospondyls”, with everyone’s favourite boomerang-headed Diplocaulus, although early tetrapod classification is conspicuously inconsistent - Rhynchonkos up there might actually be an early reptile! Lepospondyls themselves might be more related to amniotes, to modern amphibians, or away from the branch leading to both entirely.

Another group that dominated the middle Carboniferous, temnospondyls, are more well-grounded - both phylogenetically and in terms of their terrestrial lifestyle. The likely ancestors of modern frogs and salamanders, a lot of them were ironically way less reliant on water, with scales allowing them to retain humidity more efficiently (modern amphibians are smooth). They also had way more game impact than their descendants, with even early forms like Capetus reaching a meter and a half, and being more crocodile-like in appearance.

Capetus, an early temnospondyl, by Dmitry Bogdanov (CC-SA 3.0)

Unfortunately, a design flaw still remained, as their eggs and babies still needed water to develop in. Although some temnospondyls had an innovative solution: laying their eggs in humid crevices, allowing them to reproduce even far away from actual bodies of water!

Another group was on the rise, concurrently with temnospondyls. Reptiliomorphs are often discussed as major players in the middle Carboniferous fauna, although this word hides a lot of complexity under the hood. In fact, any creature closer to amniotes than to modern amphibians is classified as a “reptiliomorph” - even possibly lepospondyls. Really, the trend of gradual independence from water wasn’t a linear path, but several groups trying out innovations concurrently. Internal fertilization, direct development (skipping the problematic tadpole stage), and ultimately, one that would revolutionize life on land: the amniotic egg.

[dragonthunders01]

When you are named after a tribe of the Roman Republic era but then internet exist and your name can be used as a meme Just for context there is a genus of amphibian named Boii, which is a genus microsaur of the lizard-like clade Tuditanidae, that lived at the end of the carboniferous. Although its specimen was found during the 19th century it was not given its current name until 1966 after having been reassigned to different genus, being this name referring to a Celtic tribe

[cilginfizikcilervbi]

“Parmak Dinozor” Fosili Bulundu

“Parmak Dinozor” Fosili Bulundu

“Parmak Dinozor” Fosili Bulundu ABD’de parmak büyüklüğünde dinozor benzer bir mikrozor (microsaur) fosili bulundu. Fosil yaklaşık 308 milyon yıllık. Asıl dinozorlar ortaya çıkmadan önce yaşamış olan kertenkele benzeri mikrozorların, amfibiler ve sürüngenlerin evrimine ışık tutacağı belirtiliyor.  Mikrozorlar, amniyot olarak isimlendirilen modern memeli ve sürüngenlerin atlarının henüz ortaya…

[alphynix]

Named after a legendary Scandinavian serpent, Joermungandr bolti here was a recumbisrostran "microsaur" – part of a group of animals that were traditionally considered to be lepospondyl amphibians, but more recently have been proposed to in fact be a lineage of early reptiles.

Discovered in the Mazon Creek fossil beds in Illinois, USA, this species dates to the late Carboniferous period around 310 million years ago. A single near-complete specimen about 5cm long (~2") preserves impressions of the body outline and numerous tiny scales, giving us a pretty good idea of what it looked like in life.

Joermungandr had a long streamlined tubular body with small limbs and a short tapering tail, and a stubby snout with fused bones heavily reinforcing its skull. Along with microscopic ridges on its body scales that resemble the dirt-repelling scales of some modern reptiles, this combination of features suggest it was a headfirst burrower that wriggled its way through soil with snakelike motions.

———

Nix Illustration | Tumblr | Twitter | Patreon

[earnestly-endlessly]

Hiii could you rec any fics where Erik or Charles or both are vampires and or werewolves?

Thank you so much dear lots of love

I'm so sorry for being so late with this, but in compensation I do have tons of fics that should quench your thirst for some vampire/werewolf cherik. Enjoy!

Vampire

And the Gunslinger Followed – musical_emjay

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr hunts the things that go bump in the night.

He’s done so since he was a child, since the first time his mother put a knife in his hand and told him how to use it, told him why he should.

But ten years alone on the road has caught up to him, left him wrung out and longing for a place to rest, recharge, get his head back on straight. Though nowhere has ever truly felt like home, he heads straight for New York City, a place that’s always had more to offer him by way of warmth and comfort than any other. What he finds when he gets there, however, is several miles south of anything approaching restful. Old acquaintances, old memories, and a mysterious stranger who has him forgetting all his rules — Erik soon realizes there are decisions he needs to make, before circumstances intervene and make them for him. Otherwise, he might not like the result.

An Accident of Circumstance – manic_intent

Summary: Secret Santa, for azryal00, prompts: virginity, stalking or vampire AU. Decided to attempt all, in one fic. As part of a reward for his successes in border skirmishes, Sebastian Shaw allows Erik discretion to create a childe of his own, within reason. Erik rebels.

B-Negative – manic_intent

Summary: Written for the 5 Acts thing on livejournal, for toestastegood's 'Vampire AU' Act. This was originally going to be some sort of True Blood parody, but it somehow became a bit more serious. :/

Bloodbound – ikeracity

Summary: Finding himself strapped for cash at the start of his senior year, Erik decides to become a donor at TypO, a blood bar where vampires come to drink fresh blood from consenting donors, safely and legally. There, he catches the eye of Charles Xavier, vampire, telepath, professor at Columbia, and quite possibly the most alluring person Erik's ever met. Their first meeting sets into motion a bond much deeper than they can understand, one that neither of them had ever expected.

Old Metal (Blood, Memory and Rubber Ducks) – pprfaith

Summary: Erik is a vampire. Sookie, err, Charles is a telepath. Any questions?

Food Allergies – madneto

Summary: A bout of insomnia one fateful night leads Erik to Xavier's, the late night bookstore near Columbia University, whose owner Erik quickly decides is the best thing since... well, since maybe ever. Charles is brilliant, funny, passionate, handsome, and every other good adjective Erik can think of, and even though they've only been on three dates, Erik is convinced this is the start of something perfect.

Then Charles has a bad reaction to the food Erik cooks for them on their fourth date, leaving Erik to wonder if maybe he's completely botched his one chance at true love.

Series

The Price for Eternity – madneto

Summary: Erik and Charles are relaxing in the park when Erik decides to ask Charles a question that has long been on his mind, re: vampires. The answer is unexpected.

Series

The Boy with the Sigil Tattoo – keire_ke

Summary: Buffy AU. The story of a boy and his vampire.

Love and Other Secrets – Microsaur

Summary: Erik is a vampire that would much rather be left alone, Charles is a baronet that can't seem to accept that.

The First One – SassyDuckQueen

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a vampire living in a peaceful life in New York City, where he works as a night time security guard at the Pentagram. He's in a relationship with Charles Xavier, a young professor at a private university. However, his life is thrown upside down by the return of his wayward son, Peter, who informs him that an old enemy has resurfaced.

Series

Blood Bound – WaxRhapsodic

Summary: Charles is sick. Again. He decides to do something drastic about it and take a Blood Contract with a Vampire who turns out to be dangerously attractive.

Night Holds No Redemption – isabella

Summary: Vampire Hunters AU

When vampires roam the city at night there are also those who will hunt them down.

Charles Xavier and James “Logan” Howlett are vampire hunters part of the NIB – Night Investigation Bureau, in New York. When Erik, a vampire Charles failed to kill, comes back to haunt him Charles finds he no longer can run from his past and has to face the truth about the monster he created.

Pairing info: Flashbacks are Charles/Erik, present focuses first on the growing relationship between Logan/Charles, then on Charles/Erik.

Endgame will be Charles/Erik.

Night Life – Ook

Summary: he young journalist, or researcher, or whatever he is, is going to get himself in trouble around here. Erik can tell.

A researcher who doesn't know when to stop.

A man who doesn't take no for an answer.

A vampire that doesn't give interviews.

Werewolf

Dancing in the Rain – Pangea, velvetcadence

Summary: Werewolf alpha Erik found a human pup Charles alone in the forest and took him back to his lair. Erik protected and cared for the boy, though he was barely a mature wolf himself.

A few years passed, Charles grew up so pretty, and Erik was afraid he would miss his kind and go back to them, leaving Erik to be alone again - but Charles stayed and chose to be Erik’s mate.

Moon Song – ikeracity

Summary: Werewolf AU. When Charles is captured by hunters, Erik and his pack go after him. It turns out there might be some room for redemption left for both of them after all.

Loyalty and Obedience – Ook

Summary: A human rent boy working the streets gets rescued from a pimp by the Lehnsherr Pack Head and his Second on a recruitment trip. Werewolves, huh?

Who knows where this one's going?

Skin Deep – manic_intent

Summary: Written for the kmeme, Everyone-is-a-werewolf AU. Erik happens upon a seemingly abandoned mansion in Westchester during a full moon and finds an insanely clueless werewolf living in isolation.

In Escrow – manic_intent

Summary: Same 'verse as Skin Deep, between the final part and the epilogue. Charles abruptly realizes that he's unable to shift forms after a full moon. Which can only mean one thing.

Supernatural and the Scientist – Caradee

Summary: Charles Xavier is a upcoming geneticist and wildlife biologist who’s next big thesis reveals a little to much about the hidden werewolf community. Now Erik Lehnsehrr is suppose to figure out who it is feeding Xavier the information and put an end to it.

However, things are not what they appear.

Open Season – Caradee

Summary: Charles is a adorable omega wolf who has no sense for pack dynamics and wanders on his own. Erik is the exhausted Alpha of the pack who is unfortunately smitten with him. Its hunting season, nothing can go wrong. Right?

Only Hope – onaxe

Summary: According to werewolf law, an unwed Omega cannot legally hold custody of a child. When Charles is challenged for custody over his 17 year old sister, Raven, he desperately turns to the only solution available. He marries a complete stranger, Alpha Erik Lehnsherr, who is haunted by a mysterious past.

Note: Unfinished but a fun read.

Tooth and Nail – TurtleTotem

Summary: Erik is no longer part of Charles's pack. It's none of his business who he takes as a mate.

Vampires and Werewolves

For you, Eternity – gerec, lachatblanche

Summary: Erik still remembers the day he lost everything to a pack of werewolves; his family, his village, and the love of his life. Left with nothing but regret and pain everlasting, he turns to Sebastian Shaw - who promises revenge in exchange for loyalty eternal.

For centuries, he leads his clan of vampires in a war against their hated enemy, the same werewolf pack responsible for the slaughter of Erik’s village. But now Logan - the pack’s new leader - wants to make peace with their age old adversaries; an act that neither side particularly cares to pursue.

Adding to this volatile mix is one Charles Xavier, scientist and academic, drawn to the continent by his fascination for the supernatural and the locals’ tales of love, betrayal and never-ending war…

On the Scent – dedkake

Summary: The full moon is nearing and Charles decides to visit his neighbor.

Does not ebb – StarkMad

Summary: prompt: "...I would love a fic with Charles and Erik in an Underworld AU basically with Charles as Selene's character and Erik as Michael Corvin's character

and/ooor nonnie could do an Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and Charles as Sonja's character and Erik as Lucian (feel free and make me cry, dearest nonnie) feel free to do whatever you want as long as the AU still remains identifiable (and just kill me with tons of Chares and Erik drama and lurve and heartache and whatever.

Dear Neighbour Mine – issabella

Summary: Fill for the prompt by Lonelyparts: Charles is a telepathic werewolf living next door to a vampire who favours severe black turtlenecks and metal coffins.

Of course they have to annoy each other first, before dangerous circumstances bring them together.

[carnegiemuseumnaturalhistory]

The Bromacker Fossil Project Part X: Tambaroter carrolli, an amphibian with a wedge- shaped head

Thomas Martens at the construction site for a new store in Tambach-Dietharz where he found fossils by checking loose pieces of rock on the excavation floor. Photo by Stephanie Martens, 2008.

Paleontologist Thomas Martens has an amazing ability to find fossils. After he discovered the first vertebrate fossils at the Bromacker site in an abandoned commercial quarry in 1974, he and his father Max found additional fossils in the bottom of a deep pit they’d dug with hand tools, an excavation that Dave Berman, Stuart Sumida, and I fondly dubbed the “elevator shaft.” Years later, Thomas used funding from the German federal government to drill rock cores in the field surrounding the Bromacker quarry to help understand the geology of the fossil deposit. Amazingly, at one of the spots Thomas had selected, the drill core penetrated a skeleton of Diadectes absitus. So, it wasn’t surprising that in 2008 Thomas found a skull and partial skeleton of D. absitus and a small skull of a fossil animal new to science at a construction site for a new store in the nearby village of Tambach-Dietharz.

Dave Berman (left) and Stuart Sumida (right) pose with a shopping cart in front of the Netto Discount Store, which was built in the excavation site where Tambaroter was found. Rocks of the Tambach Formation can be seen behind the retaining wall. Photo by the author, 2008.

It makes sense, however, that vertebrate fossils were found close to the Bromacker quarry. Fossils from the Bromacker were preserved in the Tambach Formation, a 200–400-foot-thick unit of sediments that were deposited in the small intermontane Tambach Basin about 290—283 million years ago during the Early Permian Epoch. The Tambach Basin covered an area of about 155 square miles and was internally drained; that is, there were no rivers or streams flowing into and out of the basin. During periods of extremely heavy rain, water and mud would flow down the basin sides in what are called sheet floods and pool in the basin center, which is where the present day Bromacker quarry and Tambach-Dietharz are thought to be located. Any animals killed during these events would be carried by the sheet floods to the basin center where they’d have been quickly and deeply buried in mud settling out of the ponded water and later become fossilized. It is assumed that animals captured by the sheet flood events inhabited the Tambach Basin, because carcasses couldn’t have been carried into the basin by rivers and streams.

Map of Germany with inset showing the Bromacker locality and the nearby town of Tambach-Dietharz. Although the Tambach Basin in which the Tambach Formation was deposited covers about 155 square miles, outcrops of the Tambach Formation today occur in an area of only about 31 square miles.

While preparing Bromacker fossils, I’d typically read literature related to the fossil I was working on, write notes on what I thought were important features in the fossil, and give my notes to the person leading the project. When Dave was the lead, we’d typically have lots of discussion about certain features preserved in the animal, conversations that often directed the course of preparation. This time, in addition to preparing the new find, I was designated as the lead author for the publication that would name and describe it.

View of the underside of the skull of Tambaroter carrolli before preparation. The shiny area surrounding the skull is glue, which I applied to a crack to stabilize the specimen before preparation could begin. I had to free the skull from the surrounding rock before exposing as much of it as possible through preparation. Photo by the author, 2008.

Tambaroter is a member of the Microsauria, a diverse group of small amphibians that were once thought to be reptiles, a hypothesis that some paleontologists are currently revisiting. Microsaurs inhabited a variety of habitats and exhibited a range of body forms. Some were highly terrestrial with limb proportions similar to those of lizards, whereas others were aquatic and had elongated bodies and reduced girdles and limbs. Still others were adapted for burrowing or rooting through leaf litter. Tambaroter belongs to this latter-most group, which is named Recumbirostra for their recurved snout, in which the front of the mouth is overhung by the snout.

Photographs and line drawings of the skull of Tambaroter carrolli in (clockwise from upper left) dorsal (top), ventral (underside), and left lateral (side) views. Photographs by the author, 2008 and drawings by the author and modified from Henrici et al., 2011.

Tambaroter is member of the recumbirostran subgroup Ostodolepidae. I coined the name Tambaroter, which is derived from “Tamb,” for the Tambach Formation, and the Greek “aroter,�� meaning plowman, in reference to the snout shape. Two previously named ostodolepids, Micraroter and Nannaroter, have the “aroter, suffix in their name, so usage of the “aroter” suffix was a continuation of this. The species name, carrolli, honors microsaur expert Robert Carroll (then Curator Emeritus at the Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, Canada).

Skulls of representative ostodolepid microsaurs from geologically oldest (left) to youngest (right). A reconstruction drawing of the skull of Tambaroter was used instead of a photograph for comparison because the original fossil skull is extremely flattened (see previous image). Photographs, except for that of Nannaroter, by the author, 2009. The photograph of Nannaroter was modified from Anderson et al., 2009. Tambaroter skull reconstruction by the author and modified from Henrici et al., 2011. Scale bar of the tiny Nannaroter and other ostodolepids equals 1 cm.

When Tambaroter was published on in 2011, it was the first ostodolepid to be found outside of the USA (the others are from Oklahoma and Texas) and is the oldest one known. Other, possible ostodolepids have since been described from the American Midwest and Germany. All ostodolepids have a wedge-shaped skull and recumbent snout, which is accentuated in Pelodosotis. Based on these features, scientists think that ostodolepids burrowed or searched for worms and other prey in leaf litter. Remarkably, the skull of the tiny Nannaroter is so strongly built that it could have withstood burrowing headfirst into the ground by using its shovel-like snout to loosen dirt and its broad, flat head to push soil against the burrow ceiling. Because the sutures between individual skull bones in the Tambaroter type specimen are not tightly fused together, we think it belonged to a juvenile, so we don’t know if the adult skull would’ve been as strongly built as that of Nannaroter.

Life drawing of the ostodolepid microsaur Pelodosotis elongatum, which is known by a nearly complete specimen. Tambaroter probably had a similar body shape, though its skull would not have been as strongly wedge-shaped. Drawing modified by Carnegie Museum of Natural History Scientific Illustrator Andrew McAfee from outline drawing in Carroll and Gaskill (1978).

Stay tuned for my next post, which will feature one of the Bromacker’s top carnivores. To learn more about Tambaroter, read the publication that described the animal here. 

Amy Henrici is Collection Manager in the Section of Vertebrate Paleontology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

[dyke-werewolf]

Educational TV show about microscopic dinosaurs that inform kids about their bodies while fighting off anthroporphised illnesses of the week.

Gonna call it Microsaurs

[dccomicsnews]

If you are a fan of DC Comics and Science, then you may want to keep an eye out for the upcoming short story graphic novel anthology, Flash Facts.

This brand new middle grade book has been carefully curated by Mayim Bialik, star of The Big Bang Theory, and includes stories that highlight S.T.E.M. within the DC universe.

Flash Facts is set to release on February 2, 2021.  Check out the press release below for more details.

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

  DC TAPS BIG BANG THEORY STAR MAYIM BIALIK TO CURATE

FLASH FACTS

New Middle Grade Graphic Novel Anthology Features Short Stories by All-Star Writers

and Artists That Demonstrate S.T.E.M. Principles Through DC Super Heroes

Book Hits Stores February 2, 2021

Available to Preorder Now

Have you ever wondered what’s at the bottom of the sea? Why polar ice melts? Or which tools forensic scientists use to solve a crime?

Well, DC has great news! All these answers and more will be revealed in Flash Facts, a lighthearted middle grade graphic novel anthology set to debut February 2, 2021. Geared toward readers ages 8-12, this collection of short stories is curated by award-winning actress and author Mayim Bialik and aligns with Next Generation Science Standards, providing a helpful bridge between the S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) lessons taught inside the classroom and how these principles affect our everyday lives.

Under Bialik’s oversight, the short stories demonstrating various S.T.E.M. principles will star Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and more DC Super Heroes and will be written and drawn by some of the most popular writers and artists in middle grade and comics publishing, including New York Times bestselling author Michael Northrop (TombQuest, Dear Justice League), Dustin Hansen (Microsaurs, My Video Game Ate My Homework), Cecil Castellucci (Batgirl), Kirk Scroggs (Snoop Troop, The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid), Corinna Bechko, Sholly Fisch, Amanda Deibert, Vita Ayala, Amy Chu, and more to be announced.

See below for the official description. The book is available to preorder now.

Flash Facts

Curated by: Mayim Bialik

Contributors: New York Times bestselling author Michael Northrop (TombQuest, Dear Justice League), Dustin Hansen (Microsaurs, My Video Game Ate My Homework), Cecil Castellucci (Batgirl), Kirk Scroggs (Snoop Troop, The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid), Corinna Bechko, Sholly Fisch, Amanda Deibert, Vita Ayala, Amy Chu, and more to be announced

Cover by Derek Charm

Preview Interior art revealed today by Dustin Hansen

On sale everywhere books are sold February 2, 2021

MSRP: $9.99

    Article by: Joshua Raynor

DC Teams with ‘Big Bang Theory’ Star Mayim Bialik for ‘Flash Facts’ Graphic Novel If you are a fan of DC Comics and Science, then you may want to keep an eye out for the upcoming short story graphic novel anthology, …

[donjuantosco]

Strange beings emerge from earth when it's raining... / Seres extraños emergen de la tierra cuando está lloviendo...#djtosco #art #artist #instaart #instaartist #watercolor #tattoo #tattoo #sketchbook #doodle #draw #drawing #ink #cartoon #sketch #sketching #bytosco #characterdesign #characters #pictoplasma #character #conceptart #painting #paintings #microsaur #dinosaur

[gumballguys]

Microsaurs, Walmart, Glenmont NY

[formbatam]

Spesies baru yang disebut mikrosaurus itu adalah hewan kecil seperti kadal yang berkeliaran di Bumi, jauh sebelum dinosaurus muncul. Para ilmuwan dalam jurnal Royal Society Open Science mengatakan temuan itu menyoroti evolusi kelompok hewan yang berbeda, termasuk amfibi dan reptil. Microsaurs diketahui hidup selama periode Karbon, ketika nenek moyang mamalia dan reptil modern hidup. "Banyak detail dari transisi itu tidak diketahui dengan baik," ujar salah satu penulis studi Arjan Mann, seperti dikutip AFP. "Banyak dari mikrosaurus ini dianggap sebagai nenek moyang amfibi atau nenek moyang reptil," sambungnya. Ditemukan di dalam rawa di wilayah yang kini menjadi Amerika Serikat bagian tengah, fosil itu memiliki ukuran sekitar lima sentimeter, dan memiliki empat kaki pendek dan gemuk. Untuk menghormati ukurannya yang kecil, para peneliti menjuluki spesies baru Joermungandr bolti setelah ular laut raksasa dari mitologi Nordik yang bertempur dengan Thor. "Area kulit hanya diketahui dari fosil yang terpisah-pisah sebelumnya," ujar Mann. Mengutip France24, berlawanan dengan gagasan sebelumnya tentang mikrosaurus, yang telah digolongkan sebagai amfibi, Mann dan timnya menemukan bahwa Joermungandr memiliki sisik. Mann lebih lanjut mengatakan penelitian itu menunjukkan bukti mikrosaurus merupakan kerabat awal reptil, tetapi kemampuan untuk menggali memiliki peran lebih besar dari asal aminota daripada yang diprediksi sebelumnya. Para peneliti menggunakan teknik pencitraan yang sangat sensitif yang disebut pemindaian mikroskop elektron (SEM) untuk melihat dari dekat fosil yang hampir sempurna itu. Mann mengatakan teknik pencitraan SEM kini sedang diterapkan pada penelitian banyak fosil purba. Rencananya para peneliti melakukan SEM dan mencetak gambar 3D yang ukurannya lebih besar. Sumber : cnnindonesia.com https://www.instagram.com/p/CRqpbaUshdN/?utm_medium=tumblr

[albertonykus]

Does the microsaur + lysorophian clade have a name?

Not that I know of. But it should be said that most of my answers to questions about early stegocephalian systematics will likely be “I don’t know”, “it’s a goddamn mess”, or both.

[earthstory]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fossilogic (@fossilogic)

Here are a couple rare shrimp fossils from the Mississippian Manning Canyon Shale from Utah. This site has produced many amazing fossils from this time period including shrimp, fish, amphibians, microsaurs, megasecopteran insects, and many types of ferns and plants. All are replaced with hematite in a soft clay