Tiny ancient relative of dinosaurs discovered

[Still Waters 53,802]

Dinosaurs and flying pterosaurs may be known for their remarkable size, but a newly described species from Madagascar that lived around 237 million years ago suggests that they originated from extremely small ancestors.

The fossil reptile, named Kongonaphon kely, or "tiny bug slayer," would have stood just 10 centimeters (or about 4 inches) tall. The description and analysis of this fossil and its relatives, published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may help explain the origins of flight in pterosaurs, the presence of "fuzz" on the skin of both pterosaurs and dinosaurs, and other questions about these charismatic animals.

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-tiny-ancient-relative-dinosaurs-pterosaurs.html

[Orphalesion 7,632]

Ooooh, nice! Evidence for "feather fuzz" being present before dinosaurs and pterosaurs diverged!
 

Also "tiny bug slayer" is an adorable name, where can I get a cloned one as a pet?

[acute 70,349]

15 minutes ago, Orphalesion said:

Also "tiny bug slayer" is an adorable name, where can I get a cloned one as a pet?

No need. There are plenty of them still alive in the wild. They thrive in similar conditions to Bigfoot, so find Bigfoot and bag yourself some Tiny Bug Slayers!

[Orphalesion 7,632]

5 minutes ago, acute said:

No need. There are plenty of them still alive in the wild. They thrive in similar conditions to Bigfoot, so find Bigfoot and bag yourself some Tiny Bug Slayers!

I'm gonna get one and walk him on a leash and when he finds a bug and kills and eats it I'm gonna pet him and say "Who's my little bug slayer? Yes you are! Yes you!"

Edited July 7, 2020 by Orphalesion

[acute 70,349]

5 minutes ago, Orphalesion said:

I'm gonna get one and walk him on a leash and when he finds a bug and kills and eats it I'm gonna pet him and say "Who's my little bug slayer? Yes you are! Yes you!"

Aww..... you're gonna be a great dad. 

[jethrofloyd 3,984]

So, this little fella was the size of an ordinary squirrel.  Who knows, maybe one day the squirrels will become seven meters high and thirteen tons heavy too.

[Orphalesion 7,632]

4 minutes ago, jethrofloyd said:

So, this little fella was the size of an ordinary squirrel.  Who knows, maybe one day the squirrels will become seven meters high and thirteen tons heavy too.

If you ever get the chance, read "After Man", by Dougal Dixon. It's a speculative evolution book that features maybe not giant squirrels (but there are some interesting squirrels in it) but giant Rabbits who become the future's version of deer and giraffes.

[HandsomeGorilla 6,406]

****IN WANT ONE

[Piney 72,608]

5 hours ago, Orphalesion said:

If you ever get the chance, read "After Man", by Dougal Dixon. It's a speculative evolution book that features maybe not giant squirrels (but there are some interesting squirrels in it) but giant Rabbits who become the future's version of deer and giraffes.

I had that and 'Man After Man' dated and he didn't understand evolutionary biology but still cool. 

[Orphalesion 7,632]

2 minutes ago, Piney said:

I had that and 'Man After Man' dated and he didn't understand evolutionary biology but still cool. 

Yeah both books are very fanciful depictions of future evolution, but they are great fun

[Tatetopa 18,491]

5 hours ago, jethrofloyd said:

Who knows, maybe one day the squirrels will become seven meters high and thirteen tons heavy too.

Gonna be awfully hard on oak trees doncha think?

[Piney 72,608]

5 hours ago, jethrofloyd said:

So, this little fella was the size of an ordinary squirrel.  Who knows, maybe one day the squirrels will become seven meters high and thirteen tons heavy too.

Fox squirrels get near cat size. 

4 minutes ago, Tatetopa said:

Gonna be awfully hard on oak trees doncha think?

Well, they supplement their diet with songbirds. Maybe they'll go full carnivorous. 

[Wepwawet 2,110]

5 hours ago, Orphalesion said:

If you ever get the chance, read "After Man", by Dougal Dixon. It's a speculative evolution book that features maybe not giant squirrels (but there are some interesting squirrels in it) but giant Rabbits who become the future's version of deer and giraffes.

You're probably familiar then with the TV documentary "The Future is Wild" and it's land octipi swinging by their tentacles from tree to tree.

[Orphalesion 7,632]

1 hour ago, Wepwawet said:

You're probably familiar then with the TV documentary "The Future is Wild" and it's land octipi swinging by their tentacles from tree to tree.

Ooooh yes, I love that one! 

Though as a kid it kinda upset me because they had mammals become extinct at the end of the second episode. Later I learned they only did that because gci was new and für was expensive to animate 

[Piney 72,608]

3 hours ago, Wepwawet said:

You're probably familiar then with the TV documentary "The Future is Wild" and it's land octipi swinging by their tentacles from tree to tree.

The "squibbon" makes no biological sense. 

[Wepwawet 2,110]

5 hours ago, Piney said:

The "squibbon" makes no biological sense. 

But would be really cool. The producers were probably smoking something when they came up with that one.

[Wepwawet 2,110]

7 hours ago, Orphalesion said:

Ooooh yes, I love that one! 

Though as a kid it kinda upset me because they had mammals become extinct at the end of the second episode. Later I learned they only did that because gci was new and für was expensive to animate 

And they had birds go extinct and replaced by actually flying fish. I couldn't go with that one at all as it jumps over all the evolutionary stages of getting a vertebrate into the air. A bird is a flying fish in the sense that it's remote ancestors were fish, but there's no free pass to skip all the hard work needed to get into the air.

[Seti42 1,480]

I think I've found a new wizard's familiar.

[DieChecker 27,124]

First teacup dogs, then teacup pigs... now teacup dinosaurs?

[Carnoferox 6,404]

On 7/7/2020 at 7:53 PM, Piney said:

The "squibbon" makes no biological sense. 

I don't know, it seems pretty plausible since we already have the Pacific Northwest tree octopus.