Ozimek volans
|
Ozimek Temporal range: Carnian, 230 Ma |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Skeletal diagram | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Protorosauria |
| Family: | †Sharovipterygidae |
| Genus: |
†Ozimek Dzik & Sulej, 2016 |
| Species: | †O. volans |
| Binomial name | |
|
Ozimek volans Dzik & Sulej, 2016 |
|
Ozimek is a genus of sharovipterygid protorosaur, a type of gliding Triassic archosauromorph reptile from Poland closely related to the Kyrgyzstani Sharovipteryx. It contains one species, O. volans, named in 2016 by Dzik and Sulej.
Ozimek was a small animal, with a length of about 90 centimetres (35 in). Its limbs were long, with the hindlimbs being generally longer than the forelimbs, and its feet were large. The limbs likely supported a membrane of skin that was used for gliding between trees, much like the similarly proportioned Sharovipteryx. While the forelimbs of the latter are unknown, they were likewise probably similar to those of Ozimek.
The skull of Ozimek is relatively fragmentary; from the identifiable fragments, the skull appears to have been diapsid, broad, and compact, with the jugal bone forming a complete arch. The preserved portions of the jaw show numerous small, sharp teeth. There appear to have been 9 cervical vertebrae, 16 dorsal vertebrae, 3 sacral vertebrae, and at least 7 caudal vertebrae (the tail is incompletely preserved). The cervical vertebrae are very elongated and thinly-walled, with the fourth, fifth, and sixth being the longest. Several gastralia are preserved; they suggest that the underside of the animal was gently .
The most unique aspect of Ozimek's anatomy is perhaps its coracoids, which probably fused with the sternum. They are large and plate-like, and each coracoid bears two holes (or fenestrae); the anterior hole may be homologous with the coracoid foramina found in other animals, but the origin of the posterior hole is unclear. Additionally, the scapula is low and crescent-shaped, and the fifth metatarsal on the foot is curved and unusually robust, a feature that is associated with efficiently standing up and accelerated locomotion among diapsids (analogous to the mammalian heel).
...
Wikipedia