#ohplesiosaur

etsyfindoftheday 1 | 11.16.17

theme thursday: PIZZA CATS

black pizza cat pin by ohplesiosaur

By Scott Reid on @drawingwithdinosaurs

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Name: Yandangornis longicaudus

Name Meaning: Yandang Bird

First Described: 1999

Described By: Cai & Zhao

Classification: Dinosauria, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae?

Yandangornis is our first in-order bird, meaning that it’s birds until the end, friends (apart from new taxa)! And, sadly, it’s an enigma. Though described and named as a bird in its original description, no actual “definitely an Avialan/Neornithean” characters were listed - meaning, that though they claim it was a bird, that can’t actually be proven. Some of its traits are more basally derived than those of Archaeopteryx, and others are more derived, so it’s classification is a huge mystery - it might just be a toothless non-avian dinosaur (such as an Oviraptorosaur). It was about the size of Archaeopteryx, so 58.8 cm long, and it was preserved sitting down. It had a long tail, no teeth, and apparently no enlarged claw on the 2nd toe (as is found in basal Paravians & Avialans). It lived about 85 million years ago, in the Santonian age of the Late Cretaceous, and it was found in the Tangshan Group of Zhejiang Province, China. It had a long head, with a pointed bill, and very long legs that would have been good for running, as well as small foot claws. It probably inhabited muddy rivers or lakes to feed on fish and invertebrates.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yandangornis

http://www.paleofile.com/Dinosaurs/Aves/Yandangornis.asp

Martyniuk, M. P. 2012. A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and other Winged Dinosaurs. Pan Aves; Vernon, New Jersey: 114. 

Zhou, Z., F. Zhang. 2007. Mesozoic birds of China - a synoptic review. Frontiers of Biology in China 2 (1): 1 - 14.