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The Aye-Aye Strikes Back (was Re: Epidendrosaurus ...)

So the Aye-Aye theropod has been published (or will be)...that's one down and so many more to go... :-)

Because Epidendrosaurus is more similar
to advanced birds in some arboreal features than to
Archaeopteryx, we suggest that the initial appearance of
tree-adaptation in theropods was probably not directly
related to flight but to other functions, such as seeking
food or escaping from predators.


This sounds very familiar...


The specimen is about the size of a house sparrow (Passer
domesticus) and obviously a juvenile individual as
evidenced by many distinctive juvenile features, such as
the incomplete ossifications of articular surface,
presence of grooves on some limb bones and less well-
defined extremities of postcranial long bones...


Such a tiny young one.

Epidendrosaurus ningchengensis gen. et sp. nov.

Enjoyably simplistic. ;-) Somehow, I like the "Aye-Aye Theropod" better but oh well...


There are at least nine cervical vertebrae preserved in
articulation, with the anterior ones longer than the
posterior. The total length of the tail is estimated to be
6-7 times as long as the femur.

How many caudals were preserved? I had thought the tail to be much, much shorter than that.

This whole thing is very, very interesting and so exciting! :-) Can't wait to hear more as time goes on! Especially about the pubes, etc.


Nick Gardner

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