Episode 315 is all about Rahonavis, A dromaeosaur or avialan from Madagascar which is unexpectedly associated to South American dinosaurs.
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On this episode, we talk about:
Information:
- A Psittacosaurus was described with a really crocodile-like cloaca supply
- The Melbourne Museum is getting the world’s most full Triceratops skeleton (it’s 87% full) supply
- The Hanson Household Ranch in Wyoming is seeking to construct a brand new analysis station for the 100s of volunteers who go to supply
The dinosaur of the day: Rahonavis
- Fowl-like theropod that lived within the Late Cretaceous in what’s now northwestern Madagascar (Maevarano Formation)
- Small and carnivorous
- About 2.3 ft (0.7 m) lengthy and weighed about 1 to five lb (0.45 to 2.27 kg)
- Debate previously over whether or not it belongs to the clade Avialae or if it was a dromaeosaurid
- Had quill knobs on its forearm, so regarded as avialan, however the remainder of its physique is sort of a dromaeosaurid
- Had a sickle-claw on its second toe
- Not clear if it may fly
- Had lengthy arms
- Had a low crest on the top
- Kind species is Rahonavis ostromi
- Genus identify means “cloud menace chicken”, from Malagasy rahona and Latin avis
- Species identify in honor of John Ostrom
- Catherine Forster and others discovered a partial skeleton in Mahajanga Province in 1995 (joint expedition between State College of New York and College of Antananarivo)
- Many of the space is roofed in dense grass, however a part of the hillside was uncovered by hearth, and fossils from a titanosaur had been uncovered. Whereas excavating the titanosaur Rahonavis fossils had been discovered
- Named by Forster and others in 1998
- Initially referred to as it Rahona, however modified after discovering out the identify Rahona was used for a moth
- Holotype consists of hind limbs, elements of the tail, elements of the wing and shoulder bones, pelvis
- Rahonavis discovered on its proper facet, with caudal vertebrae, pelvis, most of hind limbs
- Left femur, vertebra, left scapula, proper ulna, and proper radius had been a part of the holotype however not discovered articulated with the remainder of the physique
- Initially regarded as intently associated to Archaeopteryx as a result of its pelvis is analogous and reveals flight diversifications, however this might have developed independently
- Later research discovered that the pelvic girdle was “sometimes theropodan”, (and didn’t have a hypopubic cup like Archaeopteryx), and likewise thought Rahonavis was a chimera with chicken forelimbs and theropod hindlimbs (Vorona discovered close by)
- Some scientists don’t suppose the forearm with the quill knobs belong to Rahonavis, and that the forearm may belong to a chicken as an alternative (primitive chicken Vorona was discovered close by)
- Forster and others stated in 1998 the forelimbs could not have belonged to the identical particular person or taxon, however thought that was unlikely resulting from it being discovered so near the specimen, and the taphonomic distributions of bones inside the quarry the place it was discovered
- In 2007 Luis Chiappe stated that each one the bones attributed to Rahonavis had been buried in an space “smaller than a letter sized web page”
- Chiappe stated Rahonavis in all probability may fly, and stated its ulna was massive and strong in comparison with Archaeopteryx, and that with the quill knobs it in all probability had bigger, extra highly effective wings than Archaeopteryx. Additionally the shoulder bones have proof of ligament attachments that enable for flapping actions
- Chiappe stated it in all probability would have been extra “clumsy within the air than fashionable birds”
- Associated to Overoraptor
- Talked about Overoraptor in episode 290, and the way with the invention and naming of Overoraptor this yr, Overoraptor and Rahonavis are actually in the identical group that’s in between Unenlagiidae and Avialae
- Motta and others who named Overoraptor referred to as Rahonavis “problematic”
- At the very least two people discovered
- A dentary has been provisionally referred to Rahonavis
- Fragments of beta keratin have been discovered within the foot claw, and scans confirmed a lot of similarities with the claw sheath of an emu
Enjoyable Reality:
Gem high quality opalized sauropod enamel from Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia signify at the very least 3 species of titanosauriform. Additionally, when you take a look at a globe you’ll be able to see the place Australia used to connect to Antarctica.