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Euparkeria Capensis
''Euparkeria'' (; meaning "Parker's good animal", named in honor of W. K. Parker) is an extinct genus of archosauriform reptile from the Triassic of South Africa. ''Euparkeria'' is close to the ancestry of Archosauria, the reptile group that includes crocodilians, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs (including birds). Fossils of ''Euparkeria'', including nearly complete skeletons, have been recovered from the ''Cynognathus'' Assemblage Zone (CAZ, also known as the Burgersdorp Formation), which hosts the oldest advanced archosauriforms in the fossil-rich Karoo Basin. Tentative dating schemes place the CAZ around the latest Early Triassic (late Olenekian stage) or earliest Middle Triassic (early Anisian stage), approximately 247 million years old. ''Euparkeria'' is among the most heavily described and discussed non-archosaur archosauriforms. It was a small carnivorous reptile with a boxy skull, slender limbs, and two rows of tiny teardrop-shaped osteoderms (bony scutes) along its backbone ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olenekian
In the geologic timescale, the Olenekian is an age (geology), age in the Early Triassic epoch (geology), epoch; in chronostratigraphy, it is a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the Lower Triassic series (stratigraphy), series. It spans the time between annum, Ma and Ma (million years ago). The Olenekian is sometimes divided into the Smithian and the Spathian subages or substages. The Olenekian follows the Induan and is followed by the Anisian (Middle Triassic). The Olenekian saw the deposition of a large part of the Buntsandstein in Europe. The Olenekian is roughly coeval with the regional Yongningzhenian Stage used in China. Stratigraphic definitions The Olenekian Stage was introduced into scientific literature by Russian stratigraphers in 1956. The stage is named after Olenëk in Siberia. Before the subdivision in Olenekian and Induan became established, both stages formed the Scythian Stage, which has since disappeared from the official timescale. The base of the Olenekian is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Early Triassic
The Early Triassic is the first of three epochs of the Triassic Period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between 251.9 Ma and Ma (million years ago). Rocks from this epoch are collectively known as the Lower Triassic Series, which is a unit in chronostratigraphy. The Early Triassic is the oldest epoch of the Mesozoic Era. It is preceded by the Lopingian Epoch (late Permian, Paleozoic Era) and followed by the Middle Triassic Epoch. The Early Triassic is divided into the Induan and Olenekian ages. The Induan is subdivided into the Griesbachian and Dienerian subages and the Olenekian is subdivided into the Smithian and Spathian subages. The Lower Triassic series is coeval with the Scythian Stage, which is today not included in the official timescales but can be found in older literature. In Europe, most of the Lower Triassic is composed of Buntsandstein, a lithostratigraphic unit of continental red beds. The Early Triassic and partly also the Middle Trias ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mesosuchus Browni
''Mesosuchus'' ("middle crocodile") is an extinct genus of basal rhynchosaur from early Middle Triassic (early Anisian stage) deposits of Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is known from the holotype SAM 5882, a partial skeleton, and from the paratypes SAM 6046, SAM 6536, SAM 7416 and SAM 7701 from the Aliwal North ''Euparkeria'' site. ''Mesosuchus'' is quite small, spanning around 30 cm in length. ''Mesosuchus'' was discovered and named by D. M. S. Watson in 1912. Discovery and naming Bones of ''Mesosuchus'' were first found by David Meredith Seares Watson in 1912 after examining a block of sandstone kept in a private collection of Alfred Brown. This block was found in the middle deposits of the Burgersdorp Formation, in the ''Cynognathus'' Assemblage Zone near the town of Aliwal North in the Cape Province of South Africa. The block of sandstone contained many intermingled partial skeletons of several small reptiles, and after careful sorting, Watson considered the u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aliwal North
Maletswai (previously Aliwal North) is a town in central South Africa on the banks of the Orange River, Eastern Cape Province. It is a medium-sized commercial centre in the northernmost part of the Eastern Cape. The Dutch Reformed Church was built in 1855. History One of the first white settlers in the area, Pieter Jacobus de Wet, built a house at the nearby Buffelsvlei around 1828. Sir Harry Smith, Governor of the Cape Colony from 1847 to 1852, formally founded the small town of Aliwal North in the Cape Province of South Africa in 1850. He named the town "Aliwal North" in memory of his victory over the Sikhs at the Battle of Aliwal during the First Sikh War in India in 1846. The town was laid out in 1849 on ground acquired by the government. This was auctioned and 38 lots were sold for £972. The park in the centre of Maletswai, the Juana Square Gardens, was named after Smith's wife Juana María de los Dolores de León. Municipal status was attained in 1882. The railway ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Upper Triassic
The Late Triassic is the third and final epoch of the Triassic Period in the geologic time scale, spanning the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Middle Triassic Epoch and followed by the Early Jurassic Epoch. The corresponding series of rock beds is known as the Upper Triassic. The Late Triassic is divided into the Carnian, Norian and Rhaetian ages. Many of the first dinosaurs evolved during the Late Triassic, including '' Plateosaurus'', ''Coelophysis'', '' Herrerasaurus'', and '' Eoraptor''. The Triassic–Jurassic extinction event began during this epoch and is one of the five major mass extinction events of the Earth. Etymology The Triassic was named in 1834 by Friedrich von Alberti, after a succession of three distinct rock layers (Greek meaning 'triad') that are widespread in southern Germany: the lower Buntsandstein (colourful sandstone'')'', the middle Muschelkalk (shell-bearing limestone) and the upper Keuper (coloured clay). The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfred Brown (palaeontologist)
Alfred Brown aka Gogga Brown (26 April 1834 Cirencester - 29 June 1920 Aliwal North) was an English-born South African palaeontologist, archaeologist and naturalist whose contributions to science were considerable. Brown discovered 21 new species of fossil reptiles and dinosaurs, a large number of which were described by Robert Broom and Harry Seeley. The defunct genus ''Browniella'' and some ten fossil species were named in his honour. Brown's fossils included 7 new species of Triassic fishes, some found by other collectors, three of which were named after him. Brown published a solitary article on his finds - "The Dicynodon", appearing in the Cape Monthly Magazine (2nd series, 1874, Vol. 9, pp. 83–89). Despite having had no formal training in palaeontology, archaeology or natural history, Brown possessed an enquiring and orderly mind. Alfred Brown was born on 26 April 1834 in Cirencester, England. Very little is known of Brown's early years. Though he kept a detailed jo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Euparkeria Capensis SAM-PK-5867
''Euparkeria'' (; meaning "Parker's good animal", named in honor of W. K. Parker) is an Extinction, extinct genus of archosauriform reptile from the Triassic of South Africa. ''Euparkeria'' is close to the ancestry of Archosauria, the reptile group that includes crocodilians, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs (including birds). Fossils of ''Euparkeria'', including nearly complete skeletons, have been recovered from the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone, ''Cynognathus'' Assemblage Zone (CAZ, also known as the Burgersdorp Formation), which hosts the oldest advanced archosauriforms in the fossil-rich Karoo Basin. Tentative dating schemes place the CAZ around the latest Early Triassic (late Olenekian stage) or earliest Middle Triassic (early Anisian stage), approximately 247 million years old. ''Euparkeria'' is among the most heavily described and discussed non-archosaur archosauriforms. It was a small carnivorous reptile with a boxy skull, slender limbs, and two rows of tiny teardrop-shaped osteo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biomechanics
Biomechanics is the study of the structure, function and motion of the mechanical aspects of biological systems, at any level from whole organisms to Organ (anatomy), organs, Cell (biology), cells and cell organelles, using the methods of mechanics. Biomechanics is a branch of biophysics. Etymology The word "biomechanics" (1899) and the related "biomechanical" (1856) come from the Ancient Greek βίος ''bios'' "life" and μηχανική, ''mēchanikē'' "mechanics", to refer to the study of the mechanical principles of living organisms, particularly their movement and structure. Subfields Biofluid mechanics Biological fluid mechanics, or biofluid mechanics, is the study of both gas and liquid fluid flows in or around biological organisms. An often studied liquid biofluid problem is that of blood flow in the human cardiovascular system. Under certain mathematical circumstances, blood flow can be modeled by the Navier–Stokes equations. ''In vivo'' whole blood is assum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
High Walk
Crocodilia () is an Order (biology), order of semiaquatic, predatory reptiles that are known as crocodilians. They first appeared during the Late Cretaceous and are the closest living relatives of birds. Crocodilians are a type of crocodylomorph pseudosuchian, a subset of archosaurs that appeared about 235 million years ago and were the only survivors of the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event. While other crocodylomorph groups further survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, notably sebecosuchians, only the crocodilians have survived into the Quaternary. The order includes the crocodile, true crocodiles (Family (biology), family Crocodylidae), the alligators and caimans (family Alligatoridae), and the gharial and false gharial (family Gavialidae). Although the term "crocodiles" is sometimes used to refer to all of these families, the term "crocodilians" is less ambiguous. Extant crocodilians have flat heads with long snouts and tails that are compressed on the si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bipedalism
Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an animal moves by means of its two rear (or lower) Limb (anatomy), limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a bipedal manner is known as a biped , meaning 'two feet' (from Latin ''bis'' 'double' and ''pes'' 'foot'). Types of bipedal movement include walking or running (a bipedal gait) and jumping, hopping. Several groups of modern species are habitual bipeds whose normal method of locomotion is two-legged. In the Triassic period some groups of archosaurs (a group that includes crocodiles and dinosaurs) developed bipedalism; among the dinosaurs, all the early forms and many later groups were habitual or exclusive bipeds; the birds are members of a clade of exclusively bipedal dinosaurs, the theropods. Within mammals, habitual bipedalism has evolved multiple times, with the Macropodidae, macropods, Dipodomyinae, kangaroo rats and mice, springhare, Hopping mouse, hopping mice, pangolins and hominin apes (austr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Facultative Biped
A facultative biped is an animal that is capable of walking or running on two legs (bipedal), as a response to exceptional or discretionary (facultative) circumstances, while normally walking or running on four limbs or more. In contrast, obligate bipedalism is where walking or running on two legs is the primary method of locomotion. Facultative bipedalism has been observed in several families of lizards and multiple species of primates, including sifakas, capuchin monkeys, baboons, gibbons, gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees. Several dinosaur and other prehistoric archosaur species are facultative bipeds, most notably ornithopods and marginocephalians, with some recorded examples within sauropodomorpha. Different facultatively bipedal species employ different types of bipedalism corresponding to the varying reasons they have for engaging in facultative bipedalism. In primates, bipedalism is often associated with food gathering and transport. In lizards, it has been debated whether ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crown Group
In phylogenetics, the crown group or crown assemblage is a collection of species composed of the living representatives of the collection, the most recent common ancestor of the collection, and all descendants of the most recent common ancestor. It is thus a way of defining a clade, a group consisting of a species and all its extant or extinct descendants. For example, Neornithes (birds) can be defined as a crown group, which includes the most recent common ancestor of all modern birds, and all of its extant or extinct descendants. The concept was developed by Willi Hennig, the formulator of phylogenetic systematics, as a way of classifying living organisms relative to their extinct relatives in his "Die Stammesgeschichte der Insekten", and the "crown" and "stem" group terminology was coined by R. P. S. Jefferies in 1979. Though formulated in the 1970s, the term was not commonly used until its reintroduction in 2000 by Graham Budd and Sören Jensen. Contents of the crow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
