In our 169th episode, we bought to speak with Shaun Keenan, an idea artist within the online game and animation industries, and the creator of the upcoming ebook, Dinosaurs of the Wild West. You’ll find out extra about his work on Instagram, @shaunmichaelkeenan, and pre-order his ebook at dinosaurs-of-the-wild-west.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders.
Episode 169 can also be about Epidexipteryx, a paravian dinosaur that had tail feather’s much like a peacock’s.
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On this episode, we talk about:
Information:
The dinosaur of the day: Epidexipteryx
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- Paravian dinosaur that lived within the Jurassic in what’s now China
- Full identify is Epidexipteryx hui
- Identify means “Hu’s show feather” and the Chinese language identify, Hushi Yaolong, means “Hu Yaoming’s dragon”
- Identify is in honor of Hu Yaoming, a paleomammologist (research prehistoric mammals)
- Discovered within the Daohugou Beds in China
- Described in 2008 by Zhang Fucheng and others
- Discovered one specimen, which had 4 lengthy feathers on the tail
- Specimen is now within the assortment of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, China
- About 10 in (25 cm) lengthy and weighed 164 grams (5.8 ounces)
- Holotype might be of a subadult, so could have gotten larger
- Had tooth within the entrance of its jaws, with lengthy entrance tooth that angled ahead
- Might have lived in bushes and hunted bugs
- Earliest identified instance of decorative feathers (tail feathers)
- Tail feathers could have been much like a peacock’s, used for show and attracting mates
- Tail might have helped it stability on branches
- Tail feathers are lengthy, filamentous-like buildings, and lack a central shaft that runs by way of the center of the feather and has veins on both aspect, which is fascinating as a result of extra primitive animals than Epidexipteryx have totally fashioned feathers
- Had easy physique feathers, which had been distinctive as a result of they’d a “membranous construction” on the base of the feather, which can present a stage of feather evolution (much like fashionable birds with a pygostyle, which helps the feathers)
- Shorter feathers protecting its physique might have helped with insulation
- Didn’t have wing feathers, however primarily based on Yi, a relative, it might have had a membrane wing for gliding (although not clear if it did)
- Is similar to oviraptorosaurus and therizinosauroids
- Not a direct ancestor to fashionable birds, however has an in depth phylogenetic relationship, which suggests it helps present the transition from non-avian dinosaurs to birds
- Lived round plenty of lakes and bushes. Different animals included bugs, salamanders, lizards, pterosaurus, and primitive mammals
Enjoyable Reality:
Regardless of what Jurassic Park says, T. rex might have seen you even for those who weren’t shifting. (Though some fashionable reptiles can’t actually see you even for those who’re shifting.)
This episode was dropped at you by:
TRX Dinosaurs, which makes lovely and sensible dinosaur sculptures, puppets, and displays. You possibly can see some superb examples and works in progress on Instagram @trxdinosaurs.
And by the Royal Tyrrell Museum, which is situated in southern Alberta, Canada. Proper now they’re exhibiting their free-to-attend Winter speaker collection (additionally on YouTube). Extra data might be discovered at tyrrellmuseum.com.