Awesome new dromaeosaur was discovered recently from late Cretaceous Romania and described in this month's online preprinting of PNAS. Here's an article: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/t.....balaur-bondoc/
The weirdest thing about Balaur bondoc is that it had double sickle claws on each foot, with the additional claw being the hallux that evolution had modified into a retractable enlarged claw. It also had a reduced and nonfunctional third manual digit, unlike all other known dromaeosaurs.
Awesome critter!
Here's the Wikipedia article for anyone interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balaur_%28dinosaur%29
The weirdest thing about Balaur bondoc is that it had double sickle claws on each foot, with the additional claw being the hallux that evolution had modified into a retractable enlarged claw. It also had a reduced and nonfunctional third manual digit, unlike all other known dromaeosaurs.
Awesome critter!
Here's the Wikipedia article for anyone interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balaur_%28dinosaur%29
Category Artwork (Digital) / Animal related (non-anthro)
Species Dinosaur
Gender Any
Size 939 x 834px
Such an interesting find :) The weird teeny tiny digit on their hands is just as interesting as the double-sickle claw :o
What's your opinion on whether this is an anomaly? By that I mean either a fossil that formed with... things laying in the wrong place, or even a mutation?
What's your opinion on whether this is an anomaly? By that I mean either a fossil that formed with... things laying in the wrong place, or even a mutation?
I thought it might be a mutation when I first heard about it, but after I read the paper it was pretty clear that a mutation was very unlikely. From the paper:
The extra functional digit is associated with numerous modifications of the pelvis and hin- dlimb, including extensive fusion, a braced articulation between the femur and pelvis, enlarged femoral extensor musculature, and a reinforced and shortened distal hindlimb. Together, these features indicate an animal with hindlimbs optimized for strength and power, with a tetradactyl and hypextensive foot capable of forceful strikes (26).
In other words, there were too many other evolutionary modifications to the body that accompanied the double claw for it to be a single mutation. Maybe they were climbers, or perhaps nature's first kickboxers. :o
Awesome stuff, for sure!
The extra functional digit is associated with numerous modifications of the pelvis and hin- dlimb, including extensive fusion, a braced articulation between the femur and pelvis, enlarged femoral extensor musculature, and a reinforced and shortened distal hindlimb. Together, these features indicate an animal with hindlimbs optimized for strength and power, with a tetradactyl and hypextensive foot capable of forceful strikes (26).
In other words, there were too many other evolutionary modifications to the body that accompanied the double claw for it to be a single mutation. Maybe they were climbers, or perhaps nature's first kickboxers. :o
Awesome stuff, for sure!
Technically, it IS a mutation. One of the reports on the subject mentions that it's likely a special maniraptoran branch brought on by island dwarfism or gigantism, whereupon the smaller population of a branch (i.e., a predecessor maniraptoran) evolve differently due to fewer breeding options which cause more frequent mutation and faster genetic drift, evolving far differently than the norm for their species and becoming a new species altogether. :3
Very interesting find though, a lot of interesting paleo-critters coming out of Romania lately, this one and Hatzegopteryx especially. Great art as always Ixe ^^ This one even got on wikipedia!
Very interesting find though, a lot of interesting paleo-critters coming out of Romania lately, this one and Hatzegopteryx especially. Great art as always Ixe ^^ This one even got on wikipedia!
It's called "Foster's Effect," If I remember right.
Not trying to be a know-it-all or anything, just speculating >w<
Not trying to be a know-it-all or anything, just speculating >w<
Also, Foster's rule is a manifestation of the island effect, but it's more specifically related to size and not to unusual autapomorphies. Foster's rule cannot be correctly evinced in the case of Balaur because in order to establish that, we would have to know the size of the closest "previous" genus to the animal, which would then tell us whether Balaur has gotten larger or smaller. As of now the closest relative to Balaur is thought to be Velociraptor, which is approximately the same size.
Heh, it "got on" Wikipedia because I put it there. :p I drew it originally FOR Wikipedia, and wrote most of the article on Balaur at Wikipedia too.
Also, when people say that they think it's a mutation, what they usually mean is that they think it was a single freak mutation, similar to polydactyl cats. That's definitely not the case with Balaur, though you are correct that its unusual anatomy is likely a result of island isolation. Even so, the evolution of its unique autapomorphies were certainly a result of a long series of mutations and selection, and not a single mutation.
Also, when people say that they think it's a mutation, what they usually mean is that they think it was a single freak mutation, similar to polydactyl cats. That's definitely not the case with Balaur, though you are correct that its unusual anatomy is likely a result of island isolation. Even so, the evolution of its unique autapomorphies were certainly a result of a long series of mutations and selection, and not a single mutation.
Fair enough on both accounts :3
All in all a very interesting fossil though, I'd love to see pics of the actual remains that were discovered, know where I might find pics?
All in all a very interesting fossil though, I'd love to see pics of the actual remains that were discovered, know where I might find pics?
Ooh I was reading about these guys earlier!
They're fascinating and the two-claw foot was intruiging too.
They're fascinating and the two-claw foot was intruiging too.
Ah. I heard about this guy this week. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone drew it. It would have been either you, Sara Palmer, or Kyoht. :)
Now that's interesting! I definitely want to see more of this fella <3
Ooh! I was waiting for someone to do this! I looked all over the internet yesterday for a picture, and no one had done one yet. :D
I love this new find...and you did a great job illustrating this creature. I have to wonder though...and I wonder if anyone else has brought this up...could the two "killer" claws possibly be some kind of mutation, the way that polydactyl cats have extra digits? Having seen photos of the fossil, that was the first thing that came to mind XD
Either way, this thing is awesome.
Either way, this thing is awesome.
ok nevermind I saw the first two comments XD sorry for my 'tardness.
That's quite alright. :) It was my initial thought as well before I read the paper.
I think we need to take into consideration that this might be just an abnormality as apposed to an undiscovered species. Very nice work though.
It's very likely not just an abnormality or a single mutation. The original paper on the animal states:
The extra functional digit is associated with numerous modifications of the pelvis and hin- dlimb, including extensive fusion, a braced articulation between the femur and pelvis, enlarged femoral extensor musculature, and a reinforced and shortened distal hindlimb. Together, these features indicate an animal with hindlimbs optimized for strength and power, with a tetradactyl and hypextensive foot capable of forceful strikes (26).
In other words, there were too many other evolutionary modifications to the body that accompanied the double claw for it to be a single mutation.
The extra functional digit is associated with numerous modifications of the pelvis and hin- dlimb, including extensive fusion, a braced articulation between the femur and pelvis, enlarged femoral extensor musculature, and a reinforced and shortened distal hindlimb. Together, these features indicate an animal with hindlimbs optimized for strength and power, with a tetradactyl and hypextensive foot capable of forceful strikes (26).
In other words, there were too many other evolutionary modifications to the body that accompanied the double claw for it to be a single mutation.
That's true. I'm sorry, I mostly skimmed over the paper. Still good work.
Haha, I put a shout up about this. Didn't realize you'd already seen it before I did. (fail for me!)
Interesting find this Balaur Bondoc, maybe the idea of them being natures first kick boxers isn't so far from the truth, at least from the information given from those two links.
Just immagine an Illegal cockfight with a pair of these ones. Wow, I might have to work this guy into my comic...
Its quite wonderful that paleontologists can still find new species ever after all this time =) This is a really interesting specimen. My interest is peeked by Balaur bondoc's two sickle claws =D I look forward to hear future information on this specimen as it comes in
(sorry for a late reply >< )
(sorry for a late reply >< )
Oh. It looks like this picture is used as reference in the following article, too: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2.....balaur-bondoc/
Yep! Glad you noticed. :)
It was also published in Discovery Magazine and the Romanian version of National Geographic Kids.
It was also published in Discovery Magazine and the Romanian version of National Geographic Kids.
Oh so you're the one who drew this? Very nice! I saw it on...Wikipedia I believe when I first found out about balaur.
Comments