• POLITICS
  • SCIENCE
    • Astronomy
    • Physics
    • Biology
    • Geology
    • Environment
    • Medicine and Health
    • Sociology
    • Psychology
  • MOVIES & TV SHOWS
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Virtual Reality
    • Bionics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Engineering
    • Robotics
    • Space Exploration
    • Transport
    • Industry and Service
  • GADGETS
    • Mobile Devices
    • Wearables
    • Consoles
    • Hi-Tech
  • GEEK CULTURE
    • Gaming
    • Comics
    • Thingamajigs
  • MUSIC
  • SOFTWARE
    • APPS
      • Android
      • iOS
      • Windows
  • HARDWARE
  • CARS
  • REVIEWS
  • Advertise
  • Geek Reply Jobs
  • Contact Us
Geek Reply
  • HOME
  • Editorials
  • Geek Squad
  • GeekReply Jobs
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Google+

  • LinkedIn

  • RSS

Biology

Scientists Discover Velociraptor’s Cousin, and It Looks Like a Swan

Scientists Discover Velociraptor’s Cousin, and It Looks Like a Swan
Aaron Greenbaum
Aaron Greenbaum
December 6, 2017

When we hear the word Velociraptor, we usually think about the clever girls from Jurassic Park/World. In my case, I think about Dinobot from Beast Wars, but that’s neither here nor there, because after you’re done reading this article, you won’t be able to get the following thought out of your head: Velociraptors are related to a dinosaur best described as a prehistoric swan. Good luck ever seeing ol’ sickle claw the same way again.

Say hello to the Halszkaraptor essuilliei (Halszka for short), a dinosaur recently discovered at Ukhaa Tolgod (part of the Djadochta Formation in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia) by a team of paleontologists led by Andreau Cau of the Geological Museum Capellini in Bologna, Italy. Halszka’s around 75 million years old, which means he was alive during the late Cretaceous period during what is known as the Campanian age. And if you’re wondering why he looks like a swan, that’s because, according to a 3D synchrotron analysis (a process that uses x-rays so powerful they can only be produced in facilities the size of football stadiums), he’s semi-aquatic. Doesn’t he just look adorable?

Halszka belongs to the suborder therapod, known for specimens such as Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Velociraptor, and the ostrich. Therapods are known for their efficacy on land, but until the Halszkaraptor’s discovery, scientists thought they were exclusive to solid ground. Sure, some therapods might have eaten fish from time to time, but Halszka is the only known therapod with aquatic tendencies.

“The first time I examined the specimen, I even questioned whether it was a genuine fossil,” explained Cau. “This unexpected mix of traits makes it difficult to place Halszka within traditional classifications.” Given the long, swan-like neck, dinky flippers, and sickle-shaped claws reminiscent of the Velociraptor, I can’t blame him for being confused. Zoologists went through the same problem when they examined the first known platypus back in 1799; who wouldn’t be confused by such disparate features? “When we look beyond fossil dinosaurs, we find most of Halszkaraptor‘s unusual features among aquatic reptiles and swimming birds,” Cau continued. “The peculiar morphology of Halszkaraptor fits best with that of an amphibious predator that was adapted to a combined terrestrial and aquatic ecology: a peculiar lifestyle that was previously unreported in these dinosaurs. Thanks to synchrotron tomography, we now demonstrate that raptorial dinosaurs not only ran and flew, but also swam!”

Halszka now proudly sits as the first of a new genus of amphibious dinosaurs, capable of using its legs to walk on land and swim through the water and with a posture likely similar to those of modern day ducks and swans. Since the Gobi Desert, especially the Djadoctha Formation, appears to be a hotbed of important paleontological finds, many of which are therapods related to Halszka, who knows how many other amphibious dinosaurs are waiting to be discovered? Halszka could either be one of many previously undiscovered swimming raptors or as unique as the Mesonychid; nature’s first and only attempt at a hoofed predator.

If you are interested in reading Cau’s paper on the Halszkaraptor essuilliei, you can read the article on Nature. However, if you do not have a subscription, you should either read the Science Daily article or Andreau Cau’s personal blog (it is in Italian but an English translation is readily available on the page).

W3Schools
Related ItemsdinosaurdiscoveriesfeaturedFossils
Biology
December 6, 2017
Aaron Greenbaum
Aaron Greenbaum

All you have to do to get my attention is talk about video games, technology, anime, and/or Dungeons & Dragons - also people in spandex fighting rubber suited monsters.

Related ItemsdinosaurdiscoveriesfeaturedFossils

More in Biology

Chinese Dinosaur Might Have Been as Iridescent as a Hummingbird

Aaron GreenbaumJanuary 17, 2018
Read More

Researchers Use Stem Cells to Help Rats with Paraplegia Walk Again

Aaron GreenbaumNovember 17, 2017
Read More

Scientists Discover Jellyfish Sleep Even Though They Don’t Have Brains

Aaron GreenbaumSeptember 21, 2017
Read More

Ancient Fossils Rewrite Evolutionary Timeline of Complex Animals

Aaron GreenbaumSeptember 11, 2017
Read More
Homo sapien skulls from Jebed Irhoud

New Evidence Modifies Homo sapiens Chronology and Behavior

Brian TrailJune 11, 2017
Read More

A Portuguese Fish Can Clone Itself

Aaron GreenbaumMay 26, 2017
Read More

A Major Initiative Will Catalyse Organ And Tissue Regeneration

Varun RainMay 3, 2017
Read More

The Teleocrater: Dinosaurs May Have Been More Closely Related to Crocodiles Than We Thought

Aaron GreenbaumApril 15, 2017
Read More

Turns Out the Tasmanian Tiger Might Not Be Extinct After All

Aaron GreenbaumApril 7, 2017
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Game Deals

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • Comments

  • Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac
    Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac- It can surely save the day
    ReviewsSeptember 26, 2019
  • Candid photo of a man having a good time playing video games
    Creating the Ultimate Gaming Room
    GamingFebruary 9, 2021
  • 4 Most Interesting Crossovers in Gaming
    ComparisonsFebruary 3, 2021
  • How Promising Is the New Atari VCS?
    Opinion PiecesJanuary 25, 2021
  • Esports is now an Official Medal Event at 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games
    Opinion PiecesDecember 30, 2020
  • Just 10% Of iPhone X Users Want Apple To Remove The Notch, Survey Says – My WordPress Website says:

    […] There are lots of requests that Apple users are…

  • The 9 most plausible rumors in regards to the new iPhones – Mark Swarrts says:

    […] Just 10% Of iPhone X Users Want Apple To…

  • Onimusha: Warlords HD PS4/Xbox One Box Art Revealed - GameSinners says:

    […] mean for the series, as its success could result…

  • 5 Essential Tips to Setup a Web Hosting Business | Your Own Website says:

    […] Source link […]

Geek Reply

Greetings techies! We are Geek Reply, a website whose main goal is to bring you all the latest news and updates from within the industry and beyond. What can you expect to find here?

Professional journalism coupled with expository writing for the most part, but we also give our honest opinion or throw in a pinch of humor for good measure when we deem it necessary. Our team is comprised of enthusiasts from across a wide variety of fields ranging from smartphone junkies to camera nerds, and everything in between. But perhaps you were looking for your daily dose of science news or hoping to read about the latest apps. If that’s the case, don’t worry, you came to the right place.

GeekReply Secured with GeekReply Scured
Nintendo Switch GeekReply

Copyright © 2020 GeekReply - Webdesign & Marketing - iPublicitate

Scientists Develop Nanomachines Capable of Killing Cancer Cells
Spacesuit’s “Take Me Home” Button can help Lost Astronauts