Accelerating Future

Hesperonychus elizabethae Tuesday, Mar 17 2009 

images and science Michael Anissimov 9:24 am

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6 Responses to “Hesperonychus elizabethae”

1. Justin Corwin says:

   March 17, 2009 at 9:59 am

   Sweet looking little guys. But I bet the beaks were pretty sharp.

   Reply
2. wow says:

   March 17, 2009 at 4:58 pm

   wow. thats kinda scary.

   Reply
3. right says:

   March 18, 2009 at 8:40 am

   Nice pictures..all that from a claw fossil and pelvis fossil?? Looks like fur or feathers from the picture; where that that input come from. Also did the fossils have a beak or is that just assumed also? This guy Longrich is looking thru the basement becaues it’s easlier then going out and hunting more. Then pieces together what he wants to on what he’s looking at.

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4. Sean says:

   March 18, 2009 at 4:02 pm

   “# right Says:
   March 18th, 2009 at 8:40 am

   “Nice pictures..all that from a claw fossil and pelvis fossil?? Looks like fur or feathers from the picture; where that that input come from.”
   Both the claw and pelvis are very diagnostically
   valuable for establishing familial relations in these theropods. They are clearly dromaeosaurid, and fit nicely with microraptorine dromaeosaurids. Dromaeosaurids appear to be secondarily flightless, and the basal condition of the family is a feathered condition. In fact, they may have required structures of this sort at these size ranges to not die of excessive heat loss.

   “Also did the fossils have a beak or is that just assumed also?”
   Dromaeosaurids may have had keratin covered predentaries. Whether this particular dromaeosaurid did or not is pure guesswork. I would point out that in the art above you can’t tell if it is a big or ‘scaled’/unfeathered skin.
   “This guy Longrich is looking thru the basement becaues it’s easlier then going out and hunting more. Then pieces together what he wants to on what he’s looking at.”
   Far too harsh. Museums are completely backlogged with fossils that have been collected but never prepared and described. This is largely due to a lack of resources, but also because of long periods of time when the largest, flashiest specimens got an inordinate amount of attention because those are typically what draw public attention.
   “

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5. Belisarius says:

   March 22, 2009 at 8:48 am

   Speaking of creatures prehistoric –

   http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29757659/

   “Rare fossil octopuses found:
   Researchers surprised at how similar specimens are to modern octopus”

   “Keuppia levante is one of three newly-discovered species of 95 million-year-old octopuses. Octopus fossils are among the rarest and unlikeliest of fossils.”

   Reply
6. madeleine says:

   March 24, 2009 at 9:10 am

   aww. kinda cute aren’t they? it’s so amazing how they find these things! they look like a mix between ducks and cats and maybe a little platypus stuck in there.

   Reply