HOME | DD
jconway β Nemicolopterus Skeletal
by-nc-nd
Published: 2008-02-13 13:10:12 +0000 UTC; Views: 9708; Favourites: 130; Downloads: 392
Redirect to original
Description
A preliminary skeletal of the new (and absolutely tiny) pterosaur Nemicolopterus crypticus. This was done from the not-very-high-resolution photographs and drawings in the description, so I do stress that it is preliminary.White indicates bones present and restorable, light grey indicates bones that are present but I had to pretty my make up (because they are badly crushed, partially obscured by other bones, etc.) and dark grey missing elements. Stipples indicate air sacs.
Gotta say, this is one cool looking little beasty. Really birdlike.
Ref:
Wang et al., 2008. Discovery of a rare arboreal forest-dwelling flying reptile (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from China. PNAS vol. 105 (6) pp. 1983-1987
Related content
Comments: 35
are the fingers internal, or am I an idiot.
pretty sure i'm an idiot.
π: 0 β©: 0
Awesome. Is is possible to have permission to use it for some color schemes I'm working on?
π: 0 β©: 0
Fantastic little guy, almost life-size on my screen! 
π: 0 β©: 0
Now that is an interesting lil' pterosaur.
Nicely done.
π: 0 β©: 0
Wonderful work! I really enjoy seeing these skeletal reconstructions. I like how you decided to make it more round in shape, rather than have the skin clinging to the skeleton like in some reconstructions. Did anything in particular make you decide to do that? Can't wait to see a lifelike reconstruction of these intriguing little pterosaur!
π: 0 β©: 1
The neck is thicker than in most restorations this is based on what I've seen in fossils with soft-tissue preservation (such as Pterodactylus). The body and limbs aren't and fuller than usually shown. What make for the overall impression of roundness I guess is the fur, which most fossils indicate was more extensive and just plain bigger than most people draw it (I've never figured out why people see so reluctant to put the proper amount of integument on extinct animals -- it happens with dinosaurs too).
π: 0 β©: 1
I guess it's just to be more cautious, but proper integument really brings the creature to life. Looking at extant species, it's hard not to speculate how varied and diverse and strange looking (and fleshy) extinct animals were.
π: 0 β©: 0
I'm really intrigued, unfortunately I can't seem to get the article. The most recent issue isn't online yet it seems, or at least not for me to access.
π: 0 β©: 1
Give me you email and I'll send it along if you like.
π: 0 β©: 1
That would be fantastic! Thanks!
I'll note it.
π: 0 β©: 0
Interesting animal.
IΒ΄m quite fond of it.
Must have a word with Allan Smith about this one.
Spike.
π: 0 β©: 0
Amazing! I sent you a note from Facebook about the... poster. Did you get to read it?
π: 0 β©: 0
Very birdlike indeed, though it looks to me to have been more of a generalist such as a starling or an icterid than an insctivore as Kellner et al. suggest.
One comment of the skull though, the weird parietal bifurcation you show is likely the result of the disarticulation of the braincase, especially the frontals and parietals. Also, where is the supertemporal fenestra?
π: 0 β©: 2
Oh, and I agree about it looking like a generalist.
π: 0 β©: 0
Yeah, I got a little sloppy on the skull (not my fortΓ©
π: 0 β©: 2
Is it really an actual species, or is Darren Naish right in that it might be a juvenile?
π: 0 β©: 1
Yeah, it very well could be a juvenile Sinopterus. At least, I can't see anything that would exclude that possibility. Shame really.
π: 0 β©: 1
Why does dA turn everything into those stupid winky faces?
π: 0 β©: 0
Excellent work
I don't really know how to comment this, but well i like it ^^ So +FAV !
π: 0 β©: 0
That is tiny... I wan't one in my room! One trained to peck over people that is not me.
Anyway, very nice work
π: 0 β©: 0
Very nice work. 
π: 0 β©: 1
I only heard about it yesterday too - luckily I have a lot of pre-drawn stuff which I just modify.
π: 0 β©: 0
That certainly is tiny.
Noob question: Would flight be achieved by flapping those wings (similar to a bat I imagine) or would it be more of a hop and glide thing?
π: 0 β©: 1
Oh they were definitely flappers. No reason to suspect they weren't as energetic and adept in the air as birds.
π: 0 β©: 1
Thanks for the quick answer^^. I must admit that I am surprised (and fascinated) by that (and by the fact of its tiny size).
But then I really shouldn't be surprised since my mental image of dinosaurs (flying or not) was heavily influenced by 70s "Lost World" flics like "The Land that Time forgot". Not the most reliable sources
That's what I like about your Palaeontography... I can enjoy looking at those images and have that good warm feeling in my belly, that I'm not only looking at art, but also at scientific facts (ok, and at speculation, but based on scientific knowledge).
π: 0 β©: 1
Um yeah, the pop-culture 70s image of pterosaurs is not really close to (or indeed anything to do with) reality.
π: 0 β©: 0
That was fast!
This pterosaur is really interesting, and (as you said) is rather birdlike, both in size and in shape, toothless beak and all.
Were there air sacs preserved with the specimen?
π: 0 β©: 1
No, no soft tissue. And yes I really hurried this one along, I wanted to be on top of things for once!
π: 0 β©: 1
I find it interesting that the neck comes out relatively deep and straight in your reconstructions, whereas more mainstream (and presumably wrong) pterosaur restorations always keep the soft tissue fairly close to the contours of the bone, so the shape of the neck is the shape of the skeleton. Has anything been written to justify either style?
π: 0 β©: 1
There are specimens of Pterodactylus that show a deep soft tissue over the neck. I think they are in one of Dino Frey's soft tissue papers, but I don't remember.
π: 0 β©: 0
Damn you mr. Conway! You beat me to it. ^^
Man it looks great!
π: 0 β©: 1
Yeah, I'm sick of not being first to the punch! Take THAT Mr. Maniac!
π: 0 β©: 0
