An amniote-like skeleton from the Early Carboniferous of Scotland
Article Abstract:
A small, extremely ossified, postcranial skeleton of a terrestrially adapted, amniote-like tetrapod from the Mid Visean has been discovered in a loose, weathered block of the Cheese Bay Shrimp Bed in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. The skeleton, divided into part and counterpart halves, is made up of an almost entire articulated postcranial skeleton and the impression of a small part of the lower jaw. The endochondral scapulocoracoid, which is poorly ossified, shows separate scapular and coracoid portions linked at a well-defined suture, an unusual feature among early tetrapods. The skeleton shows the earliest pentadactyl limb, which is clearly terrestrially adapted.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1999
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A complete skeleton of the giant South American primate Protopithecus
Article Abstract:
A complete skeleton of a large-bodied New World monkey, found in Pleistocene cave, Brazil, is about 25 kg. The mass is twice that of any living South American monkey. The specimen probably belongs to Protopithecus brasiliensis with the cranium modified for an enlarged vocal sac which is commonly seen in howler monkeys. The postcranium, similar to spider and woolly spider monkeys, comprises of suspensory and brachiating components of locomotion.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1996
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A Chinese triconodont mammal and mosaic evolution of the mammalian skeleton
Article Abstract:
A new tricondont mammal from the Late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous period of LIaoning, China, is described. Triconodonts form one of the earliest Mesozoic mammalian groups with high diversity. A mosaic of characters is observed from the postcranial skeleton, such as a primitive pelvic girdle and hindlimb, and a pectoral girdle similar to that of derived therians. It is suggested that homoplasies are common in the postcranial skeleton.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1999
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