Jun 24, 2023
Nature's Marvels. Text by Lucy Berman. Illustrations by Roy Coombs. 1971.
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Nature's Marvels. Text by Lucy Berman. Illustrations by Roy Coombs. 1971.
Internet Archive
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The Flying Dragon, Draco volans [Pl. 8]
What do you think about Coelurosauravus? I think it's neat how, out of all the gliding "winged lizard" reptiles that have evolved, that clade is seemingly the only one that made the membrane struts out of novel osteoderm structures instead of the ribcage. <researchgate. net/ publication/ 235237223_Gliding_Mechanism_in_the_Late_Permian_Reptile_Coelurosauravus>
I love Coelurosauravus! I mean, I love all gliding reptiles, but I love it when nature says "shhh it's okay to make fantasy dragons whose osteoderms form spokes for their wings, it's happened before". Also, one of the fossils was apparently found in Tyne and Wear, near where I used to live! (Most specimens are from Germany, there just happens to be one from the UK - the specimen from the UK is mentioned in that paper!).
To help people visualise I'll just post this image by Nobu Tamura (he draws most paleontology images for Wikipedia)
But yes, I knew about Coelurosauravus, mostly because I grew up watching a 'cool' sci fi show called Primeval and the time-travel research team had a pet Coelurosauravus called Rex - it was only later during a late-night researching session trying to justify my dragon desgins that I stumbled across Frey, Sues and Munk's article from 1997.
They decided that the wing spokes were not ribs for a number of reasons: there were 22 long spokes but only 13 vertebrae in that region and the visible ribs were strongly curved, very unlike the ribs of other gliding lizards. They concluded it was dermal specialisations, as there was no way else for these rods to evolve.
FIVE BANDED GLIDING LIZARD Draco quinquefasciatus
Draco is a genus of agamid lizards that are also known as flying lizards, flying dragons or gliding lizards. These lizards are capable of gliding flight; their ribs and their connecting membrane may be extended to create "wings" (patagia- similar to flying squirrels), the hindlimbs are flattened and wing-like in cross-section, and a flap on the neck (the gular flag) serves as a horizontal stabilizer (the flag is sometimes used in warning to others).
Draco are arboreal insectivores.
While not capable of powered flight they often obtain lift in the course of their gliding flights. Glides as long as 60 m (200 ft) have been recorded, over which the animal loses only 10 m (33 ft) in height, which is quite some distance, considering that these lizards are only around 20 cm (7.9 in) in total length (tail included).
They are found in South Asia and Southeast Asia, and are fairly common in forests, gardens, teak plantations and shrub jungle.
Below showing wings and gular flag. ©A.S.Kono Sulawesi Lined Gliding Lizard Draco spilonotus
ive known about gliding lizards for a while but i just looked them up a bit more and the genus is literally ‘draco’ and some of the pictures show the skin flaps as being all ribbed and amazing and i literally have tears of joy in my eyes and my inner child is howling because dragons are real and it’s all i ever wanted
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The Quizzer Book of Knowledge: Nature. Written and edited by George Beal. 1978.
Internet Archive
Illustrated Sketches of Natural History: Consisting of Descriptions and Engravings of Animals. Second Series. 1864.
Internet Archive
Gliding lizard from Strange Creatures. Written by Seymour Simon. Illustrated by Pamela Carroll. 1981.