Episode 320 is all about Aardonyx, an Early Jurassic sauropodomorph from South Africa with the beginning signs of a quadrupedal gait.
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In this episode, we discuss:
News:
- Kholumolumo, a new Triassic sauropodomorph from Lesotho, was one of the heaviest land animals of its time. source
- Massachusetts may have a new dinosaur soon and you can vote for your favorite source
- Schenectady, New York has a new animatronic dinosaur display in a mall source
- A dad bought his son a 2 ton Carnotaurus-like dinosaur sculpture for Christmas source
- A new VR game for Oculus Quest (only) called Jurassic World Aftermath was released source
The dinosaur of the day: Aardonyx
- Basal sauropodomorph that lived in the Early Jurassic in what is now Free State, South Africa (Elliot Formation)
- Had a small head and long neck and tail, and a large body
- Both bipedal and quadrupedal, though mostly moved on two legs
- Arms have features in between prosauropods and sauropods
- Helps show how sauropodomorphs had features that eventually made sauropods quadrupedal
- Shows that sauropods started walking quadrupedally much earlier than previously thought
- Forelimbs where shorter than hindlimbs (about 72%)
- However, forearm bones interlocked, like sauropods that walked on four legs, femur was straightened, to support weight, and feet were flat with large claws
- Had a slower, more powerful walk than more basal sauropodomorphs
- Had short, stout feet, more robust than more basal sauropodomorphs
- Related to the closest known group of obligatory quadrupedal sauropodomorphs
- Shows transition to sauropods bulk-browsing
- Had narrow, V-shaped jaws (sauropods have broad, U-shaped jaws for wider bites)
- No lateral ridge at the back of the dentary, which means didn’t have fleshy cheeks, and could open its mouth wider for bulk browsing
- However, the more derived sauropodomorph Chinshakiangosaurus had U-shaped jaws and fleshy cheeks, which may mean the wide, cheekless jaw may have evolved a couple times in sauropods
- Type and only species is Aardonyx celestae
- Genus name means “earth claw”
- Named for the large earth-encrusted claws, which were some of the first fossils of the dinosaur found
- Species name is in honor of Celeste Yates, who prepared a lot of the fossil material
- Described by Adam Yates and others in 2010
- Holotype includes part of the left maxilla, and referred specimens includes skull elements, vertebrae, ribs, and parts of the limbs
- Found two individuals, disarticulated bones
- Both individuals thought to be under 10 years old, based on growth rings
- Both individuals were found together, most undisturbed, so may have drowned in a flash flood
- Estimated to be about 23 ft (7 m) long, though adults may have been bigger (both individuals found thought to still be growing, based on histological analysis)
- Lived in an arid desert with streams and oases
Fun Fact: There were about 48 new dinosaurs published in 2020. Roughly the same as 2019’s 47 new dinosaurs.
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