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Flying reptiles came in miniature

william717008 — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:19:35 +0000

The fossil is one of the smallest pterosaurs known to science

A new fossil species of flying reptile with a wingspan of less than 30cm (1ft) has been discovered in China.The nearly complete articulated skeleton was unearthed in fossil beds from north-eastern China.

The 120-million-year-old reptile had not reached adulthood when it died, but neither was it a hatchling.

Study of the fossil suggests it is one of the smallest pterosaurs known, a team says in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The new species has been named Nemicolopterus crypticus, which means “hidden flying forest dweller”.

The researchers from Brazil and China say the toothless, sparrow-sized specimen contains several unique anatomical features that distinguish it from other pterosaurs (ancient flying reptiles).

For example, some of the foot bones are curved in a way not seen in other members of this reptile group. This, say the authors, indicates the pint-sized creature spent much of its time living in the trees.

The new species survived on a diet of insects, say the researchers

“It is very likely that this pterosaur represents a lineage of arboreal creatures that lived and foraged for insects in the gymnosperm forest canopy of north-east China during the Early Cretaceous,” the researchers write in PNAS.

They add that its life among the gingko forests of China marks this species as a rarity among pterosaur species.

“The fundamental importance of this discovery is that it opens a new chapter in the history of evolution of flying reptiles,” said co-author Alexander Kellner of Rio de Janeiro Federal University’s National Museum.

“Until now, it was unknown that some of these animals had these adaptations to live on tree canopies.”

Matthew Carrano, a palaeontologist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC said some smaller specimens had been found, but those were clearly younger than this animal.

“It is interesting to see some clear arboreal adaptations in this species,” said Dr Carrano, who was not on the research team.

“It confirms a suspicion we had, that pterosaurs were more diverse in their habitats than we knew from the [fossil] record.”

Pterosaurs lived alongside the dinosaurs, from 228 million years ago to 65 million years ago. They were the first vertebrates to evolve winged flight.

One pterosaur known as Quetzalcoatlus was enormous, sporting a wingspan of up to 11m (36ft), placing it among the largest flying animals ever.

‘Ghost-like’ white….comment

william717008 — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:16:46 +0000

The white spot stags are endangered .The white spot stag . that’s very special !! Because of it’s special , more of poachers are catching then for the money . So we should protect them.

‘Ghost-like’ white stag spotted

william717008 — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:53:33 +0000

‘Ghost-like’ white stag spotted

The stag has been observed by Fran Lockhart since last year

White stag footage

A rare white stag has been observed on the west coast of the Highlands.The animal has been seen with other red deer by a member of the John Muir Trust, which has kept its location a secret to protect it from poachers.

The killing of a white stag on the Devon and Cornwall border last year sparked outrage.

Fran Lockhart, partnership manager for the trust, caught the young Highland deer on camera. She described it as “ghost-like”.

She said: “I am thrilled to know that there is a white stag roaming free out there in the Scottish Highlands and that I was privileged enough to be able to spend an hour observing him.

“We will be watching this animal with interest, particularly as he will be reaching his full potential in the next couple of years.”

The trust said white deer were potent figures in the mythology of many cultures.

Celts considered them to be messengers from the otherworld.

They are closely identified with unicorns and their appearance is said to herald some profound change in the lives of those who encounter them.

Found headless

White deer are often mistakenly thought to be albinos.

The trust said their unusual appearance was caused by leucism, a rare genetic pattern that causes a reduction in the pigment in the animal’s hair and skin.

Unlike albinos who characteristically have red eyes, deer with leucism have normal colouring in their eyes.

The stag killed in England last year was found headless after being shot by a poacher.

Farmers and gamekeepers had kept quiet about the stag’s whereabouts for years in an attempt to protect him.

Self Introduce

william717008 — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:22:26 +0000

Hollow,my name is William. I was born on July 17,1991.
There are 5 people in my family, including
my father, my mother, my sister, my brother and me.
My favorite subject is Physic .
My favorite song is “In The End”.
Pudding is my favorite food. Discovery is my favorite TV program.
I like to watch TV and play basketball in free time.
In the future, I want to be an doctor. So i need to study hard.My father is a doctor. He is smart. But his temper is bad. He always shouts at me.

My mother is a psychologist. She work very hard at research

Hello world!

william717008 — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:51:36 +0000

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!