tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45245231334562163922024-03-27T02:38:19.677-04:00The Pondering GulchScience, Politics & Religion Articles by B.J. AndersonB.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-78617101277245963312020-12-21T16:40:00.008-05:002020-12-29T14:34:31.309-05:00<p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"></p><h2 style="height: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: normal;">Et Tunc Nulla Erat XI</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: normal;">Synapsida </span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">(And Once There Was)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In this article, we are going to go back a bit in time from the previous article and pick up on synapsids, pelycosaurs and therapsids that eventually lead to mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Synapsida<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">We last left off with dinosaurs leading into birds. For synapsids, we’re going to have to hit reverse and dig backwards into time in order to tell their full story. So, where we left dinosaurs and birds at the end of the Cretaceous 66 mya, we’re sending the time machine back 308 mya to the Pennsylvanian in the latter portion of the Carboniferous Period.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-E3NC8IXJNXfhvhGFeIWpa9HPUtB5rvZF17lvaf5Hma7ywkF1wHH7EhZNsk2mGnPlRL5tmvePYnyj8YJuvxYu5uwco9pV5UozLbOPmD4O0VPeCltaVTsYUoWIX5GBLbLiuPXwVXxy2UX/s2160/1-synap+evolution.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="2160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-E3NC8IXJNXfhvhGFeIWpa9HPUtB5rvZF17lvaf5Hma7ywkF1wHH7EhZNsk2mGnPlRL5tmvePYnyj8YJuvxYu5uwco9pV5UozLbOPmD4O0VPeCltaVTsYUoWIX5GBLbLiuPXwVXxy2UX/s320/1-synap+evolution.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Synapsid Skull Evolution</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Carboniferous Period<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">By the time of the Carboniferous, the supercontinent, Pangaea had fully formed bringing all the current continents together into one large global landmass. As centered on the equator, most of Pangaea’s climate was tropical around the coastal borders while the interior was very hot and dry. Basal synapsids entered and exited the world during this time becoming extinct by the middle portion’s ending of the Permian. Pangaea allowed synapsids to cover most of the coastal landscapes and geographically were the most dispersed tetrapods of the time frame. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_rcGOiYfo1BYwPgYvOIQBMrnC5GQ6LYIdr4B3LyAfhzC40-3gEUbvyH1hSDumvh097ZYedJ1IeNpelXJLWif_wx7_nQ8_mnlJnWhI41CPzP3gx2XFVKQmbg_HBhuZmzWiNtlIW1Bc7Q4/s485/1-synap+pennsylvanain.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="485" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_rcGOiYfo1BYwPgYvOIQBMrnC5GQ6LYIdr4B3LyAfhzC40-3gEUbvyH1hSDumvh097ZYedJ1IeNpelXJLWif_wx7_nQ8_mnlJnWhI41CPzP3gx2XFVKQmbg_HBhuZmzWiNtlIW1Bc7Q4/s320/1-synap+pennsylvanain.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carbonniferous</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The synapsid fossil story, which by the way, is presently still being told today via extant mammals, begins toward the end of the Pennsylvanian during the latter half sub period of the Carboniferous. This was a time after the shallow seas had receded due to polar glaciation ultimately exposing land that created lush tropical forests filled with marshes and swamps. These low in bacteria swamps along with trees containing bark are primarily the source of all the North American and European coal deposits in pressure cooking the fallen flora from peat into modern time coal beds and natural gas reserves. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xs4lMNNoqg8F5f4QnDdDRqp1HWaFBhqK-3oB2EP2Vj1IwUSKyeXyMNcPXPqg5q_iGevHtT0HY3tOVRakU7i79wnLtV_-H_y65Equk5eSomLHjMhd_HOZP78EKEdyNnm-zKEau7Dk-oYZ/s1024/1-synaps+carboniferous+Dinoraul.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xs4lMNNoqg8F5f4QnDdDRqp1HWaFBhqK-3oB2EP2Vj1IwUSKyeXyMNcPXPqg5q_iGevHtT0HY3tOVRakU7i79wnLtV_-H_y65Equk5eSomLHjMhd_HOZP78EKEdyNnm-zKEau7Dk-oYZ/s320/1-synaps+carboniferous+Dinoraul.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Dinoraul Carboniferous</td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br />During the ~ 60 million reign of the Carboniferous, the first half known as the Mississippian, atmospheric oxygen levels went up to 20% (about what it is today), but then rose up to its highest level ever at 35%. Animals took advantage of this with the largest of amphibians growing in size to that of modern crocodiles. In dominating the animal world back then, specific amphibians eventually gave rise to reptiles, transforming amniote tetrapods into terrestrial egg laying animals. The first known diapsid reptile was <i>Hylonomus</i> <i>lyelli</i> (Hi-lawn-e-muss=lye-l-e). By now, amniotes were taking advantage of what dry land offered. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0hv_1ekCN_8Dz0esnELLZmWSpaBvQEoHEjn9zGELFb4CwoLNavTivmLOcgHycoRK_gGiRpYemys_31RfY7lknYZuGe65VM3_tDHZtDHZkXAOB88kNZff6YvI8OS3KrJjOu5_-vlXadDe/s900/1-synapsid+hylonomus+Karen+Carr.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0hv_1ekCN_8Dz0esnELLZmWSpaBvQEoHEjn9zGELFb4CwoLNavTivmLOcgHycoRK_gGiRpYemys_31RfY7lknYZuGe65VM3_tDHZtDHZkXAOB88kNZff6YvI8OS3KrJjOu5_-vlXadDe/s320/1-synapsid+hylonomus+Karen+Carr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Karen Carr <i>Hylonomus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">However, arthropods were also a big benefactor of the high oxygen levels, in particularly insects in speciation and size. While a lot of insects were plant eaters of the time period, the ravenous insectivorous dragonfly, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Meganeura</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Meg-ah-noor-ah) reached lengths of 70cm/28in. Scorpions grew to 1m/3.3ft. The millipede, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Arthropleura</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Are-thro-plur-ah) grew up to 2m/6.6ft. Many insect families evolved during this period and grew to gigantic sizes due to the high oxygen percent. Most insects, including </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Meganeura</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> evolved a tracheal system for breathing in the oxygen.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bxf8-3GRl691OTg_ovF_SHyDE0rPF-BEwqBiP8nc_t1Gjay4fTNmA5MspGE62-ZscepDKvstuVJWWsDwf5b50YFx2Bwfl_VppXCUKgH-Rvuz9w1LeB3OUaV8-2WhaGocp6ZIaIYoXG-j/s700/1-mam+insect+meganeura.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bxf8-3GRl691OTg_ovF_SHyDE0rPF-BEwqBiP8nc_t1Gjay4fTNmA5MspGE62-ZscepDKvstuVJWWsDwf5b50YFx2Bwfl_VppXCUKgH-Rvuz9w1LeB3OUaV8-2WhaGocp6ZIaIYoXG-j/s320/1-mam+insect+meganeura.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: WWW <i>Meganeura</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEe03xfoBob4ZI888pNHvqfhyphenhyphenBlpSnxAZWeZOF0h55ipnOnwfHEjsuseWdSqYEJ__n_xUk_JOakzYEGYLnTj93W8wflWykOb-5fCWFRLnQ72Xdo6baazcjXCbh33m7-3h-PGST9VcPzHqm/s842/1-synaps+meganeura+RTL+Klub.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="842" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEe03xfoBob4ZI888pNHvqfhyphenhyphenBlpSnxAZWeZOF0h55ipnOnwfHEjsuseWdSqYEJ__n_xUk_JOakzYEGYLnTj93W8wflWykOb-5fCWFRLnQ72Xdo6baazcjXCbh33m7-3h-PGST9VcPzHqm/w200-h180/1-synaps+meganeura+RTL+Klub.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: RTL Klub <i>Meganeura</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Meganeura</i>, while evolving to its gigantic size, was only able to fly due to high oxygen levels of 30%+. At today’s 20.95% oxygen level, <i>Meganeura</i> and <i>Arthropleura</i> could not survive and when oxygen levels began to decrease during their time, it’s most likely the reason for their extinction by the end of the Carboniferous.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXhekF7570GLxCPh73WcAj6_abposEeXbHeH26z3QMQoMSQx_CoI_U4Qwq-qqaZ6Q_BkEdIsmimdvb74wAInGPwCT-o4m7tnKy1NqfVZcE4LwtB4P_v1BVj2dFSsRp41WEV23YN6kfime/s798/1-synap+arthropleura+Tim+Bertelink.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="798" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXhekF7570GLxCPh73WcAj6_abposEeXbHeH26z3QMQoMSQx_CoI_U4Qwq-qqaZ6Q_BkEdIsmimdvb74wAInGPwCT-o4m7tnKy1NqfVZcE4LwtB4P_v1BVj2dFSsRp41WEV23YN6kfime/s320/1-synap+arthropleura+Tim+Bertelink.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Tim Bertelink <i>Arthropleura</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Although the technical age term of the Carboniferous is the ‘Age of Amphibians’, some play with the term in stating it was the ‘Age of Roaches’ as there were so many species of roaches then with one blattid reaching 8.9cm/3.5in in length. The photo below is a comparison between the 300 mya cockroach and a modern day North American cockroach.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeh3XmL-mYCltnAUtz22jbYIlDJQo6Uq4eSFbNzq-8xHWC1iF6o_F3As0E1rjqUJ_poIrxlRiwSYHSvs3367PaYuvHJAkqj5dPqyLiyo_Pg0cgKratC_0c2CPSm9JHzVrpLL9nloYZFQN/s754/1-synap+Blattodean-mdrn+N.+America+U+of+Ohio.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeh3XmL-mYCltnAUtz22jbYIlDJQo6Uq4eSFbNzq-8xHWC1iF6o_F3As0E1rjqUJ_poIrxlRiwSYHSvs3367PaYuvHJAkqj5dPqyLiyo_Pg0cgKratC_0c2CPSm9JHzVrpLL9nloYZFQN/s320/1-synap+Blattodean-mdrn+N.+America+U+of+Ohio.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: U of Ohio <i>Blattodean</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Just into the Carboniferous, lush tropical forests formed composed of large seed ferns, <i>Cordaites</i> (conifer-like trees), <i>Lepidodendron</i> (scale trees that were tree-like and vascular), giant club mosses and tall horsetails. These vast prevailing forests are what took out carbon dioxide from the atmosphere replacing it with oxygen. However, the atmospheric gas replacement along with continental drift, is what kick-started a drier cooling off period.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_J4MU5RaFbFGgCPOmI5R3p7_Wtlmx-NVpW2CaGI4t0Ic0juhIYuz32FjeVtYWyh14IwcwA-3s8lx8i3wuT4ix4tycX5oYQ8neD8yYFfKOMhb_EoW-LXd8XlA3t0SM2pVsBPhydLAKpxgp/s671/1-syn+pangaea.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_J4MU5RaFbFGgCPOmI5R3p7_Wtlmx-NVpW2CaGI4t0Ic0juhIYuz32FjeVtYWyh14IwcwA-3s8lx8i3wuT4ix4tycX5oYQ8neD8yYFfKOMhb_EoW-LXd8XlA3t0SM2pVsBPhydLAKpxgp/s320/1-syn+pangaea.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pangaea</td></tr></tbody></table> </span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">During the Pennsylvanian, the supercontinent, Pangaea was forming smashing Africa into what is now eastern North America. Also, the super continent Laurentia formed by smashing South America into what is now the southern and eastern half of the U.S. Driven by plate tectonics, this occurred when South America approached the southern portion of America pulled by the subduction of Laurentia marine sediment. This resulted in volcanism and orogeny, the process of mountain building. There were no temperate plants at the time, so the highland barren rock exposed to weathering eroded away sending its wash down into valleys and plains below. Today’s N. American Appalachian Mountains and Ouachita Marathon Belt Mountain complex are merely the igneous cores of once tall mountain ranges reaching heights of the Alps of over 3353m/11,000ft.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">One needs to erase the thought that if it looks like a reptilian lizard then it is a lizard. One has to have the understanding that in early life, no matter a direction a tetrapodal animal was trending in evolutionary terms, the basic body outline for a tetrapod was just underway in following that of the earliest of tetrapods in the amphibian body plan. This consisted of a head, a movable neck, a thorax (body trunk), tail and four limbs ending in feet and toes to hold it all up. For reptiles, they first departed on an evolutionary strategy to exist on dry land independent of being tied to water in reproductive and adulthood development. Still though, in rising from watery dependency, thirst was no commodity, it was a necessity. Coming from an ancestral water dependent lineage, the reptile body is a mean average of 72.3% water. So, it is necessary on dry land for reptiles and any other tetrapod to find water sources to ingest and accommodate that water average that extends into low and high extremities of 63.6% to 81.3% of body mass. Evolution may have taken varying turns for differing animal groups, but that water hold on their existence in a basic body plan still entails a prerequisite requirement. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6I-6P0gHowUNJVujru-dJRm4CJftgtgjxqW-PPxzdpXapQ4ca5cr9TNSpIyVt0FkHyI6_BTpVmMmZynAb_Y-tH88hF7y565V6O5PwsA0Kvr2_Bl5TDFVzAKAhWiurXKMCyuxqlUnvqLK/s1400/1-synapsid+clade1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6I-6P0gHowUNJVujru-dJRm4CJftgtgjxqW-PPxzdpXapQ4ca5cr9TNSpIyVt0FkHyI6_BTpVmMmZynAb_Y-tH88hF7y565V6O5PwsA0Kvr2_Bl5TDFVzAKAhWiurXKMCyuxqlUnvqLK/s320/1-synapsid+clade1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Synapsid Lineage</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The major clade, <i>Synapsida</i> (Syn-ap-si-da) of course is reptilian-like, but synapsids have a single skull opening called the temporal fenestra behind each eye socket. This differs from diapsids which have two temporal fenestrae behind each socket. Anapsids have none, but are the basal amniote that both synapsids and diapsids evolved from. Today’s anapsids are represented by the order, <i>Testudines</i>, which are tortoises, turtles and terrapins, but it appears that their anapsid skull structure is a reversion from an ancestral diapsid rather than from continuous anapsid descent.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">Synapsida</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> is commensurate to </span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ther</span>o<span style="font-weight: normal;">psida</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (The-rop-si-da), which isn’t to be confused with <i>Ther</i></span><i>a</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>psida</i>. Therapsids are a subordinate group of synapsids that include proto-mammals synomynous to what was once referred to as mammal-like reptiles. Mammals are the only extant synapsid group. All other tetrapod amniote animals such as reptiles and birds are grouped as sauropsids.</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oVwQMzQwv_PTu0OV7N7Nja72HHRwqclG2sAc4Jn8qgIT05yWQ5I8HSMDsnStXTPHqi2VKJ_pAoJmik92R7BI-LRmIYiq9l01AdJ2FDJ_L7DkFC9BMVhATvvMidniuQbYU1FrTVswyQpT/s604/1-mam+pubic+tubercle+red+BodyParts3D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oVwQMzQwv_PTu0OV7N7Nja72HHRwqclG2sAc4Jn8qgIT05yWQ5I8HSMDsnStXTPHqi2VKJ_pAoJmik92R7BI-LRmIYiq9l01AdJ2FDJ_L7DkFC9BMVhATvvMidniuQbYU1FrTVswyQpT/s320/1-mam+pubic+tubercle+red+BodyParts3D.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: BodyParts3D pubic tubercle (red) </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">One common link to all theropsids (synapsids) and sauropsids (diapsids) is the lateral pubic tubercle. This tubercle, as part of the pubic bone assemblage, is a small rounded forward projection. It is located on the upper border of the medial portion of the superior ramus of the pubis. The lateral pubic tubercle of early theropsid amniotes is homologous with those of the genus, Sphenodon, lizards and also with the mammalian pubic tubercle except that the mammalian tubercle is functionally replaced by a process of the pre-pubic bone, in which case it still exists in a similar anatomical analogy.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The taxonomic clade, Sauropsida (Sau-rop-si-da) includes all extinct and extant reptiles, all extinct parareptiles and all extinct/extant birds. In pitting theropsids (synapsids) versus sauropsids (diapsids), the most important difference beside the skull holes (fenestrae) is the vascular and pulmonary systems.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Excluding turtles, sauropsids have a low concentration of urea in their blood plasma resulting in suppression or even a loss of the urea cycle. In fact sauropsids synthesize uric acid. Due to kidney function, theropsids have a much higher concentration of urea in which the urea cycle is critical in the conversion and elimination of toxic ammonia buildup.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Below is a Brown University animation of the evolving vascular systems from stem tetrapods to mammals:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">https://www.brown.edu/cis/sta/dev/vascular_evolution/3.html</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Both theropsids and sauropsids achieved higher surface areas with lungs than did their amphibian forerunners, although in different types of lung capacities. Theropsids evolved an alveolar lung where tiny air sacs (alveoli) take in oxygen by expanding once air is breathed in, then during exhalation, deflate expelling carbon dioxide. Sauropsids evolved a more unidirectional flow of air with a faveolar pair of lungs. Faveoli lungs possess millions of tiny passages known as para-bronchi that sit at both ends of the dorsobronchi (singular: dorsobronchium ~ smaller tubes branching off from the mesobronchi) causing air flow to travel in the same direction from posterior to anterior, thus creating a constant flow of fresh air and constant expelling of spent air. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gM5Q3Ehj1bf86LZWws-gU2jmTOb1BcEwqjueyLqnOcC3G2OLwqHSyr-b7ENH7CmriDWIQzYsMuHOJHEsAD3AtjoBvApdRaHfKIPL8PMgGKc5M47QbTknIJM1eyITsIL8UymRqMChwB2x/s475/1-synap+lung+synap-saurop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gM5Q3Ehj1bf86LZWws-gU2jmTOb1BcEwqjueyLqnOcC3G2OLwqHSyr-b7ENH7CmriDWIQzYsMuHOJHEsAD3AtjoBvApdRaHfKIPL8PMgGKc5M47QbTknIJM1eyITsIL8UymRqMChwB2x/s320/1-synap+lung+synap-saurop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: brtc.tamu.edu Alveolar/Faveolar lungs</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">However, when it comes to locomotion sauropsids, such as extant lizards and crocodilians still utilize side-to-side body movement as amphibians and fish do. This ceases ventilation from lung-to-lung and thus relegates them to short bursts of speed. Synapsids, with a dog or primate for example, developed a muscular diaphragm assisting in the inhalation and exhalation of air in and out of the lungs during sprints. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMW0lvqQRNWgG8fz-4Xun_Aef2Av6cFkQRXCqy4Q7kVHPjwZ0yCxp_QQF5UHSPgRgT9_Ual5psvIU0Uc67SolpI6P_6iAW_qXyZ6_Md2Kt7ffhvYZ3nV2pzgN2HjRRiGUg2922_VjxD7y/s619/1-synap+locomotion.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="619" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMW0lvqQRNWgG8fz-4Xun_Aef2Av6cFkQRXCqy4Q7kVHPjwZ0yCxp_QQF5UHSPgRgT9_Ual5psvIU0Uc67SolpI6P_6iAW_qXyZ6_Md2Kt7ffhvYZ3nV2pzgN2HjRRiGUg2922_VjxD7y/s320/1-synap+locomotion.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauropsid vs. Theropsid lung locomotion</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Theropsids exhibit heterodont dentition in having differentiated teeth including molars, incisors and canines. Earlier synapsids had up to three enlarged canine pairs, but once therapsids made their appearance, it came down to only one pair in the upper jaw. Sauropsid teeth were primarily the same shape in possessing homodont dentition. As well, where sauropsid teeth could be continually replaced due to loss or excessive wear in being polyphyodont (continual teeth replacement), theropsids became diphyodont in initially rooting a deciduous (baby) set of teeth to later be replaced by a permanent (adult) set of teeth.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzit0p01gUZ-E5n3xwAZEfEfz4kEmCE-Pqpvwd3Pig-8tY6cigrHqMhp2FXJ_oJb5aS4uJSfugwAwYgxTUdZaTu4IANm8iVfisERsVfXyRqIwGCT89fwfnYM-Wd-m3KFNYQgSvewZ5iVA/s1200/1-synap+teeth.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzit0p01gUZ-E5n3xwAZEfEfz4kEmCE-Pqpvwd3Pig-8tY6cigrHqMhp2FXJ_oJb5aS4uJSfugwAwYgxTUdZaTu4IANm8iVfisERsVfXyRqIwGCT89fwfnYM-Wd-m3KFNYQgSvewZ5iVA/s320/1-synap+teeth.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heterodont vs Homodont Dentition </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">One big advantage is that theropsids developed parental care long ago, where the extent of most sauropsids was to lay eggs in a suitable spot then leave for the developing eggs and hatchlings to fend for themselves. A 305 mya Nova Scotia, Canada fossil find of a varanopid synapsid shows strong evidence of parental care. The 305 mya varanopid has been named, <i>Dendromaia</i> <i>unamakiensis</i> (Den-droh-my-uh=ooh-nam-uh-ken-sis) composed of an adult and an offspring preserved within a lithified lycopod tree stump in such a way as to be expressing parental care. Most likely the tree stump was an acting den for the pair and thus far is the earliest fossilized situation of vertebrate postnatal care.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHOSK9XxZaE7XTRY1Paihi9ydHgojBk2eZqZjSlfOgAi53m1mGdCve-sDlcaC-4HtKFoWOhWxX4XJ_dednf07aBThlaXxlFsmMKJTasHNJh24KER_udvxUEKhp42HT1ofccTzaT5oEhbU/s1080/1-synap+Dendromaia+unamakiensis+henry+sharpe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHOSK9XxZaE7XTRY1Paihi9ydHgojBk2eZqZjSlfOgAi53m1mGdCve-sDlcaC-4HtKFoWOhWxX4XJ_dednf07aBThlaXxlFsmMKJTasHNJh24KER_udvxUEKhp42HT1ofccTzaT5oEhbU/s320/1-synap+Dendromaia+unamakiensis+henry+sharpe.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Henry Sharpe <i>Dendromaia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">During the quick burial from flood sediment, the mother’s tail was wrapped around the baby that was nuzzled up against the mother’s left femur and pubic bone. The genus name, <i>Dendromaia</i> is Latin for: ‘the mother in the tree’. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Even though synapsid is synonymous to theropsid, synapsid is Greek meaning, ‘fused arch’, while theropsid is also Greek, but means, ‘beast face’. Essentially, theropsids are divided into two sub clades, which are the more basal synapsids, the pelycosaurs and the more evolved therapsids. Therapsids eventually evolve and lead to mammals. I would like to note here that the term, pelycosaur is gravitating towards an informal grouping composed primarily of the most basal synapsids. With this, <i>Eupelycosauria</i> is trending to be defined as a clade that includes most pelycosaurs along with therapsids and mammals. For now though, I am sticking to the pelycosaur/therapsid/mammal grouping with proto-mammals as a subset. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVoVAAmcGenVwp2Be-1Hn5qH81V4imBYSlo-NpzmHEVaDb9J55Vpc0GyBekX8SPfIGtyfWWPOsK5fdXSNMvRWtISlAaJqw_sl1q28120K655_HjEwqcQD3Gg0GjKqQclNltP7h0NPV9HW/s2148/1-synapsids+pelycosaurs-therapsids.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="2148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVoVAAmcGenVwp2Be-1Hn5qH81V4imBYSlo-NpzmHEVaDb9J55Vpc0GyBekX8SPfIGtyfWWPOsK5fdXSNMvRWtISlAaJqw_sl1q28120K655_HjEwqcQD3Gg0GjKqQclNltP7h0NPV9HW/s320/1-synapsids+pelycosaurs-therapsids.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: DiBgd pelycosaurs vs therapsids Artist: Roman Ugueto</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqe9Xhb7U0vEMKGP_pYiRnB5LOHB30UvbGETAE95SPY5V-cOY20fiM_eXeOOJSImt91w88BPsAUsy4pdIutEZoMlKgFxFEvCIMoG9xjChcuoqqzNtJdWEp7JxWjBeSJNwWMHSKO92xyCO/s3129/1-synapsids+protomammals-mammals.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="3129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqe9Xhb7U0vEMKGP_pYiRnB5LOHB30UvbGETAE95SPY5V-cOY20fiM_eXeOOJSImt91w88BPsAUsy4pdIutEZoMlKgFxFEvCIMoG9xjChcuoqqzNtJdWEp7JxWjBeSJNwWMHSKO92xyCO/s320/1-synapsids+protomammals-mammals.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: WWW protomammals/extinct mammals Artist: Christian Jegou</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Below is an approximate 10 minute video of synapsids if you’d like to watch:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w6YX8AWXrCA" width="320" youtube-src-id="w6YX8AWXrCA"></iframe></div></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Early-Day Synapsid Forerunners<span style="font-weight: normal;">: </span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytsshVB9OShMUTevd9448bFlkxg2Ih3pBqFUcb16jEsIqoD6E7A2CcpvoZWU7yjn305fVBXFlHBEwwCcMmCrWnTFDj7m7IspOw9U1RW0C07BU1L7F7l5XLDFThApb692Eb-HO4NzEb6bs/s588/1-synap+bruktererpeton.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="588" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytsshVB9OShMUTevd9448bFlkxg2Ih3pBqFUcb16jEsIqoD6E7A2CcpvoZWU7yjn305fVBXFlHBEwwCcMmCrWnTFDj7m7IspOw9U1RW0C07BU1L7F7l5XLDFThApb692Eb-HO4NzEb6bs/w320-h112/1-synap+bruktererpeton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: David Peters <i>Bruktererpeton</i></td></tr></tbody></table>First off, a precursor to theropsids along with sauropsids is in the family, <i>Gephyrostegidae</i>, (Gaff-ah-row-stag-ah-day) such as <i>Gephyrostegus</i> (Gaff-ah-row-stay-gus) and <i>Bruktererpeton</i> (Bruke-tear-er-pah-ton). No more than 22cm/8.7in and 19cm/7.5in respectively in snout-to-vent length, these two small tetrapod reptiliomorphs shared a more common ancestor with amniotes than they did with amphibians, in which gave rise to synapsids and diapsids. Even though they were considered anamniotes in relying on water to maintain their eggs like fish and amphibians, there is much evidence in their fossils, such as a well ossified ankle assemblage that they were fully terrestrial in their adult stages. These two anamniotes lived within the Westphalian stage time frame of the Pennsylvanian, 315-307 mya. </span></div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQNfWQDEsPfvZl49W8NVehm53mfeooDPJ0L6hJik9c_irppZStk7suug04eIf1AMI6xA9aJcuJEi9qam3rd5ilv8seCHa-MdcA3SNP7MP6N4AdPmSiYJj6qyDRvPmiadZDyWSV-HmnHhj/s588/1-synap+gephyrostregus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQNfWQDEsPfvZl49W8NVehm53mfeooDPJ0L6hJik9c_irppZStk7suug04eIf1AMI6xA9aJcuJEi9qam3rd5ilv8seCHa-MdcA3SNP7MP6N4AdPmSiYJj6qyDRvPmiadZDyWSV-HmnHhj/s320/1-synap+gephyrostregus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: David Peters <i>Gephyrostegus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">A latter occurring anamniote during the Early Permian, 295-270 mya was the 1m/3ft long, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Tseajaia</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Say-ha-hi-yah). It was a clawless anthracosaurian in that it was an amphibian with a reptile-like skeletal anatomy that was more in line with amphibian-like skull morphology, but as an advanced amphibian showing reptilian traits.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQnsD_KpiqLjGtItXRK-OFm6s-0TgNvm5a4Wv6Crq_B0gpPje3n4ReMTU5xfbwWffLCwSLeV6Nj1PfJKEXu7hxwCpus-xuAn9BVzpUR57e2_KyS1yArK0hEZ55qezyZbrcLUUL4Gn4lz3/s768/1-synap+tsejaia+nobu+tamura.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="768" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQnsD_KpiqLjGtItXRK-OFm6s-0TgNvm5a4Wv6Crq_B0gpPje3n4ReMTU5xfbwWffLCwSLeV6Nj1PfJKEXu7hxwCpus-xuAn9BVzpUR57e2_KyS1yArK0hEZ55qezyZbrcLUUL4Gn4lz3/s320/1-synap+tsejaia+nobu+tamura.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamaru <i>Tseajaia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">However, <i>Tseajaia</i> was terrestrial as an adult and an ancestral cousin to <i>Diadectes</i> (Di-ah-deck-tees), a reptiliomorph amniote that possessed a reptile-like skeleton and heterodont teeth as analogous to pelycosaurs with the front teeth possessing compressed crowns suggesting an herbivorous diet. This would make it one of the first tetrapodal herbivores. The eight front teeth were spatulate and peg-like, serving as incisors used to nip off mouthfuls of vegetation. The broad and blunt cheek teeth serving as molars showed wear through occlusion. Due to its dentition it was most likely omnivorous.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFcpGTjqYoHpRGdn6r04AcTYRoKxzsZJG575L_dkUFyxFVItjxLscr_GP3YfTMu3NYl05h7l_y2MC5tqFDMbsg1bK7qh5gWTzjc7oijEWqcbhqGIPZgAJR4jlZefA1ZBjuksSETtbXx05/s1399/1-synap+diadectes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFcpGTjqYoHpRGdn6r04AcTYRoKxzsZJG575L_dkUFyxFVItjxLscr_GP3YfTMu3NYl05h7l_y2MC5tqFDMbsg1bK7qh5gWTzjc7oijEWqcbhqGIPZgAJR4jlZefA1ZBjuksSETtbXx05/s320/1-synap+diadectes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Valdislav Egorov <i>Diadectes</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">But at, 1.5-3m/5-10ft in length, <i>Diadectes</i> was also the first large terrestrial tetrapod with splayed legs supporting a massive limb girdle to carry the body’s heavy vertebrae and rib carriage with the rib spines projecting outwards to the sides. The five species of <i>Diadectes</i> fossil remains have been found in the 290-272 mya Permian Wichita beds of Texas, USA.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Diadectes</i> was one of the first fully terrestrial large tetrapods that were herbivorous. Features that link it to pelycosaurs was its shorter tail, heterodont dentition along with the capability to breathe while eating accommodated by a second partial hard palate. As a forerunner in herbivory it possessed a large intestine to digest fibrous plants, which in turn gave rise to a larger skeletal anatomy. The name, <i>Diadectes</i> literally means ‘crosswise-biter’. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhf4cbKVRq0LZlJLqZTiDaoYuC_NItH5TcHYSJ2CppNk5kN0X1tp-jghCw8yuwfAbEAym8bCK38LlbvxEzXrkaZk4IH7KJCwzpxlaHpqNeflMdzeGN0hRBTTHvvxHLZTsQk2xTha9becT/s302/1-synap+diadectomorpha+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhf4cbKVRq0LZlJLqZTiDaoYuC_NItH5TcHYSJ2CppNk5kN0X1tp-jghCw8yuwfAbEAym8bCK38LlbvxEzXrkaZk4IH7KJCwzpxlaHpqNeflMdzeGN0hRBTTHvvxHLZTsQk2xTha9becT/s0/1-synap+diadectomorpha+clade.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Diadectamorpha</i> Clade</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As a sister group to <i>Tseajaia</i> and <i>Diadectes</i>, <i>Limnoscelis</i> completes the clade groups referred to as, <i>Diadectomorpha</i>. Limnoscelis roamed in what is now N. America during the Late Pennsylvanian to the Early Permian 306.5-295 mya. It possessed both ancient amphibian traits and derived reptilian morphologies.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfI0HymBk_5RKOxl2e14oe2oEmWF8XwXv6ckbws8BsqKQf8Yjp8gfb34wWe1nWe_uWU-5x3okgq_ZRuAR0AEfkOOjJ3cdhENWf0x_Oja9f3euASLEzlCFl0i5EarNFTsZpxv8icQP5t-9m/s1920/1-synaps+limnoscelis+fossil2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfI0HymBk_5RKOxl2e14oe2oEmWF8XwXv6ckbws8BsqKQf8Yjp8gfb34wWe1nWe_uWU-5x3okgq_ZRuAR0AEfkOOjJ3cdhENWf0x_Oja9f3euASLEzlCFl0i5EarNFTsZpxv8icQP5t-9m/s320/1-synaps+limnoscelis+fossil2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Limnoscelis</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Rather large for land tetrapods back then, Limnoscelis was 2.1m/7ft in length. All its teeth were conical shaped and labyrinthodont in form in having the enamel and dentin infolded. This dentition shows that it was a carnivore and most likely a piscivore as well. Like the other diadectomorphs, present in <i>Limnoscelis</i> fossils were a glenoid foramen on the scapula and similar pectoral and pelvic girdles.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDTiS18o25vAPvYncnl5ip12kcluMzXKWV72AaRTXiRZO7iC0P3QJs5DIru9dYsjkE9uiUL3fj71dxK7sTYSTdBpcQz51XNHgIEeyGwQdZVYUz-0KbmYSGduYBKZIEKqSyNuTtZTCqF2C/s800/1-synaps+Limnoscelis+D.+Bogdanov.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDTiS18o25vAPvYncnl5ip12kcluMzXKWV72AaRTXiRZO7iC0P3QJs5DIru9dYsjkE9uiUL3fj71dxK7sTYSTdBpcQz51XNHgIEeyGwQdZVYUz-0KbmYSGduYBKZIEKqSyNuTtZTCqF2C/s320/1-synaps+Limnoscelis+D.+Bogdanov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Dmitry Bogdanov <i>Limnoscelis</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Pelycosauria<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The more primitive and earliest theropsids are grouped as <i>Pelycosauria</i> (Pel-e-co-sau-ree-ah). The latter and more advanced group of theropsids is grouped under the heading, <i>Therapsida</i> (Thuh-rap-sah-duh). </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6wC1R75aFSgysaz3Kp765NxRccHizjyjCCvSXiFt3lrSuaJpwsSAS-q4lVUCD3Db61AviQlOMcpToO5N_bicL6u1ShfHTwuHhUZGFHNvT5K31Gl3epKtEHlZGcpyJOZrDMc2I03k5i0r/s1000/1-synap+pelycosaur+clade+Reisz+and+Sues.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6wC1R75aFSgysaz3Kp765NxRccHizjyjCCvSXiFt3lrSuaJpwsSAS-q4lVUCD3Db61AviQlOMcpToO5N_bicL6u1ShfHTwuHhUZGFHNvT5K31Gl3epKtEHlZGcpyJOZrDMc2I03k5i0r/s320/1-synap+pelycosaur+clade+Reisz+and+Sues.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pelycosauria</i> Clade</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Most pelycosaurs walked with bent limbs stretching outwards from the body while the more derived therapsids were beginning to shore the body upright with limbs being positioned underneath for body support during mobility. Unlike sauropsids, pelycosaurs did not possess epidermal scales, but instead possessed skin coverings of osteoderms, ventral scutes, naked glandular skin or a combination of all. In following <i>Diadectes</i> lead in achieving greater size of over 20 kg/44.1 lbs, three pelycosaur lineages independently had surpassed 20 kg by the end of the Carboniferous. <i>Milosaurus</i> in the as yet unranked pelycosaur clade, <i>Haptodontiformes</i> reached a mass of 42 kg/90.4 lbs. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Pelycosauria</i> is considered to be paraphyletic in the exclusion of therapsids since it is a grouping that therapsids directly descended from, but not all. Some pelycosaur clades led to no descendants becoming extinct instead, such as caseids. With the trend to utilize the grouping <i>Eupelycosauria</i>, it makes the synapsid clade monophyletic as it includes therapsids and mammals along with pelycosaurs. For those interested, below is a cladogram of early eupleycosaurs. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">I personally still prefer the pelycosaur paraphyletic separation grouping model, because pelycosaurs in being paraphyletic were intermediates between reptiles and mammals. This is why they were originally dubbed mammal-like reptiles. Due to herbivory adaptations, pelycosaurs were the first large terrestrial amniotes and were also the first to develop a more upright stance for greater mobility. They were the first group to substantially progress from belly crawling to upright running.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The oldest synapsid fossil thus far discovered and may even be a stem pelycosaur is, <i>Protoclepsydrops</i> (Pro-toe-klep-see-dropz) that lived anywhere between 318-315 mya. Typical of early terrestrial synapsid amniotes, its primitive vertebrae had tiny neural processes. It may have been an ophiacodontid, but unfortunately, found in what is now, Nova Scotia, Canada’s ‘Joggins Formation’ of siltstones and sandstones, the scant fossil consisting of vertebrae and humeri does not give enough information to definitively classify the fossil as a pelycosaur. The name means ‘first <i>Clepsydrops</i>’.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczlaXootS3ZSpix-9p6CHPdEKvBjUp76dZxUrD4lpHelAXPpFA6_1IiIA4yfEbyFnDraCCnWWYASrCx_SnL3NRFSxa1yjVuRfF06_cmgTPDMI3L2NXRf8IfO6o0AZdCmN7dls_jMoJXLo/s774/1-synapsid+eupelycosauria+clad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="774" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczlaXootS3ZSpix-9p6CHPdEKvBjUp76dZxUrD4lpHelAXPpFA6_1IiIA4yfEbyFnDraCCnWWYASrCx_SnL3NRFSxa1yjVuRfF06_cmgTPDMI3L2NXRf8IfO6o0AZdCmN7dls_jMoJXLo/s320/1-synapsid+eupelycosauria+clad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pelycosaur skulltypes</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Pelycosaurs had a temporal range from the Pennsylvanian to the Permian 308-260.4 mya, consisting of six families in: <i>Ophiacodontidae</i> (O-fye-ah-co-dawn-t-day) from 308-280 mya, <i>Varanopidae</i> (Vah-ran-op-ah-day) 305-260 mya, <i>Edaphosauridae</i> (E-daff-o-sawr-ah day) 302-280mya, <i>Sphenacodontidae</i> (Sfa-nok-oh-don-tie-day) 300-272 mya, <i>Caseidae</i> (Kazz-e-day) 300-263 mya and <i>Eothyrididae</i> (E-o-thy-rid-ah-day) from 295-290 mya. </span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Ophiacodontidae</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGHmdrBZfOj2tsU7CfyaAYcQRxTrrmz6vPp8Rmw3Isz9AWQhZjqUvs10PMnpkoq5p3Ai6_U-ug8ecOeCmFjDT_ee9S5QQmjBEphh8b6-xDaCQVnr9cM5bcHoxHwS9BXTENRNmGJATgwvu/s296/1-synap+ophiacodontidae.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="91" data-original-width="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGHmdrBZfOj2tsU7CfyaAYcQRxTrrmz6vPp8Rmw3Isz9AWQhZjqUvs10PMnpkoq5p3Ai6_U-ug8ecOeCmFjDT_ee9S5QQmjBEphh8b6-xDaCQVnr9cM5bcHoxHwS9BXTENRNmGJATgwvu/s0/1-synap+ophiacodontidae.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ophiacodontidae</i> Clade</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With a temporal range of 310-279 mya, ophiacodontids lived within the bounds of the Carboniferous coal swamps suggesting that they may have been semi-aquatic if not fully aquatic, however vertebral morphometric evidence bears out that they were terrestrial laying eggs on land but dependent on the swamp ecology. As such, they most certainly would’ve frequented waters to capture slimy prey like salamanders and fish with their small pointed teeth. Once the Permian arrived drying out the swamplands, by the middle of the period all ophiacodontids became extinct.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Ophiacodontid fossils have been found in the USA from the states of Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Ohio and Oklahoma, while the earlier smaller species came from Nova Scotia, Canada, France and England.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Early ophiacodontids’ body form resembled the varanopids, but there was a tendency in later ophiacodontids, in particular the larger species, to elongate their massive skulls. The larger ones possessed massive shoulder girdles most likely to support their large heads with muscle attachments. As well, their hind limbs were longer than the forelimbs. In being small, pointed and sharp, most of the teeth were similarly shaped, but were also showing variation in size. This, along with the deep skull anchoring strong jaw muscles to open the jaws wide and snap shut and legs shifting more under the body weight supportive of an upright position, are all indicative of characteristics leading to mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Ophiacodontids were the first, therefore most primitive and oldest family of pelycosaurs and most likely are basal and ancestral to all other pelycosaurs, along with therapsids and mammals as well. All ophiacodontids were carnivores and at least some may have also included a piscivorous diet; even fewer may have supplemented their diet with soft vegetation. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7ykCjOmWttVZMrBPULncohxSYZ2VMVaId-DkBLNogjZylqezUeR5jKckY9UBQZNpFRpAAWpkFLne8qTB33pfQ7hM3rQ6OLXPmOoD2do1LhD5giVoQ6-gAFCQ2-ipGDkQJ-mLuz25Ft06/s799/1-synapsid+Echinerpeton+smokeybjb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7ykCjOmWttVZMrBPULncohxSYZ2VMVaId-DkBLNogjZylqezUeR5jKckY9UBQZNpFRpAAWpkFLne8qTB33pfQ7hM3rQ6OLXPmOoD2do1LhD5giVoQ6-gAFCQ2-ipGDkQJ-mLuz25Ft06/s320/1-synapsid+Echinerpeton+smokeybjb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Smokey Bjb <i>Echinerpeton</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">One of the oldest known synapsids is <i>Echinerpeton</i> (E-kin-er-pah-tawn) from 308 mya during the Pennsylvanian at the end of the Carboniferous Period in what is now Nova Scotia, Canada. The ‘Morien Group’ is the geologic stratigraphy the fossils were found in composed of sub arkose (feldspar containing) and arenite (clastic rock) sandstones along with siltstones that were randomly conglomerate sediment. <i>Echinerpeton</i> was ~30cm/11.8in long from snout to vent and most likely was an insectivore.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Even though there are six fairly complete fossil specimens, due to its early age and unresolved polytomy relationships, <i>Echinerpeton</i> was very difficult in classifying in whether it was simply a basal pelycosaur or was representative of an early day synapsid family. It has now been determined that it was one of the first ophiacodontids.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The short neural dorsal spines on the back did allude to the fact that it may have been a sphenacodont. But in having an ilium that is narrow and backward-pointing similar to early reptiles, where sphenacodontids’ ilium were widened at their front to support the hip’s connection with the sacral vertebrae, placed <i>Echinerpeton</i> as an ophiacodontid. This and other anatomical distinctions entrenched it within the family, <i>Ophiacodontidae</i>. <i>Echinerpeton</i> was ~30cm/11.8in long from snout to vent and most likely was an insectivore, even though the mouth was filled with similar sized long teeth with the longer maxillary teeth in front of the orbit. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazFRQN5GzKXhLxOsxVrUYNrTGwxBjexE19tnW5GgFAlPiMOKtqhMbaQ4hrwY3G3vG0n5az0HEgRFBVjXbjGKRilaVPQ0r9asz2dnPvGD0Hi209xjgQfjq4S8j-5-MgrcIOWb48dQgV__U/s754/1-synapsid+archaeothyris+nobu+tamura.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazFRQN5GzKXhLxOsxVrUYNrTGwxBjexE19tnW5GgFAlPiMOKtqhMbaQ4hrwY3G3vG0n5az0HEgRFBVjXbjGKRilaVPQ0r9asz2dnPvGD0Hi209xjgQfjq4S8j-5-MgrcIOWb48dQgV__U/s320/1-synapsid+archaeothyris+nobu+tamura.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Archaeothyris</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHZ28bTs3Tji_JSx8TM3HtyYSrRh-2Bniq-WFCYxEjGbCR_ruBmBtbA8CkXfRiXMiSPh-9wcNrA7oGiD6eN3L0Ng857YV84xzbqI2RvtVFpDXJEAcG9pY9FqV5RX14jLH7KGsvopa4HIf/s512/1-synapsid+archaeothyris+skull.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHZ28bTs3Tji_JSx8TM3HtyYSrRh-2Bniq-WFCYxEjGbCR_ruBmBtbA8CkXfRiXMiSPh-9wcNrA7oGiD6eN3L0Ng857YV84xzbqI2RvtVFpDXJEAcG9pY9FqV5RX14jLH7KGsvopa4HIf/s320/1-synapsid+archaeothyris+skull.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Archaeothyris</i> skull</td></tr></tbody></table>A contemporaneous synapsid of <i>Echinerpeton</i> was, <i>Archaeothyris</i> ( R-kay-o-thigh-riss) from 306 mya. Both of these synapsids were concurrent with the earlier mentioned first known reptile in <i>Hylonomous</i> (Hi-lo-no-muss). At ~50cm/19.7in from snout to vent, <i>Archaeothyris</i> fossils, just as <i>Echinerpeton</i>, have also been found in Nova Scotia, when it once was swampland much like the Everglades of Florida, USA, but also, fossil finds have been discovered in Ohio, USA and in Eastern Europe from the Czech Republic. Its name is Greek meaning ‘ancient window’ due to its primal evolutionary lineage of synapsids. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Looking much like today’s extant smaller lizards, <i>Archaeothyris</i> dentition with large canines, suggest it may have been carnivorous feeding on smaller animals, but assuredly was an insectivore as well. At 50 centimeters, during its time it would have been one of the larger carnivores snapping up smaller reptilians and arthropods that were much larger then than today due to the atmospheric makeup of higher oxygen levels. It lived in the warm Upper Carboniferous forests where giant scale trees, such as <i>Lepidodendron</i> grew up to 50m/164ft tall.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlm7l4rEHOjLJGWItRvT2ar7oPlB07aj9xQF5oP_66RzBVW5vkTomWcMRKPK67tm55Nb-j-_AHCaOTIU04Xo3_qNVj-0pBRJ-wfhU16XJmGePF-GP5Il6vAqraCnL2XsB_EIVdPRet5gy/s588/1-synapsid+archaeothyris+skeletal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlm7l4rEHOjLJGWItRvT2ar7oPlB07aj9xQF5oP_66RzBVW5vkTomWcMRKPK67tm55Nb-j-_AHCaOTIU04Xo3_qNVj-0pBRJ-wfhU16XJmGePF-GP5Il6vAqraCnL2XsB_EIVdPRet5gy/s320/1-synapsid+archaeothyris+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Archaeothyris</i> skeletal</td></tr></tbody></table></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Anatomically, <i>Archaeothyris</i> had ribs much longer than its contemporaries making for a deeper torso. The fore and hind limb bone elements were relatively the same size supported in the forelimbs by a tall and slender spatula with medially long clavicles. <i>Archaeothyris</i> had strong muscular jaws that opened much wider than other current synapsid and sauropsid jaws couldn’t manage, allowing it to consume larger prey. The ventrally convex maxilla was concave below the orbit descending posteriorly. With this combination, a produced pull of the jaw muscles was possible, which probably meant <i>Archaeothyris</i> could cull and pull prey with its canine teeth.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGsr70CUKxfRZWbQcEt_q-uaaJlNvmbq-1kET_9XpfOI-YiWBpCqYxCwCXL_Smr5fuWBTmcO9GAN0moZJOccYQlyA2c9MLWqDd4nZ6XC0PGSX0WL6iYMddxFLaxj4SaUu8fRUs5FARct2/s918/1-synapsid+Varanosaurus+fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="918" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGsr70CUKxfRZWbQcEt_q-uaaJlNvmbq-1kET_9XpfOI-YiWBpCqYxCwCXL_Smr5fuWBTmcO9GAN0moZJOccYQlyA2c9MLWqDd4nZ6XC0PGSX0WL6iYMddxFLaxj4SaUu8fRUs5FARct2/s320/1-synapsid+Varanosaurus+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVx561bz6qJbVlDGbO1_j4FGUd7LOmhMBwuamTvITBSy-inHF5W4pap-xYBoQQxl4zIDp1oP9yEGPoBoI4sCEBFKo7ErAgXKIoLwQK7HAOXjRIgyZdrDzpDCLS76ysB7gNSRYzs-XQEYO/s569/1-synapsid+Varanosaurus_NT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="569" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVx561bz6qJbVlDGbO1_j4FGUd7LOmhMBwuamTvITBSy-inHF5W4pap-xYBoQQxl4zIDp1oP9yEGPoBoI4sCEBFKo7ErAgXKIoLwQK7HAOXjRIgyZdrDzpDCLS76ysB7gNSRYzs-XQEYO/s320/1-synapsid+Varanosaurus_NT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Varanosaurus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With total body length on average 1.25m/4.1ft, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Varanosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Vah-ran-o-sawr-us) looked as its name implies, much like an extant monitor lizard in the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Varanus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">. It lived in what is now the southern USA. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With an elongated skull ending in a pointed snout and a mouth full of sharp teeth including two pseudo-canines, <i>Varanosaurus</i>’ size and dentition indicate that it was an active predator in seeking out smaller prey. It lived during the Permian 280 mya and as one of the last of the ophiacodontids, was also prey to <i>Dimetrodon</i> <i>limbatus</i>. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PNZx-zvIRLVMteYHLHXEUcY8vEEUTh2rasi1Rt2v_zrWJO4p-_k9Z2YN0NMJRwxqiVG5DuqKscCkAsdmEMIN-6ri8s-Di_X3aA9cOfdKtiz2PKeqvFgWetpELiYWVKjoK5T9RZsn2dJm/s494/1-synapsid+D+vs+V+Encyclo-Nature.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PNZx-zvIRLVMteYHLHXEUcY8vEEUTh2rasi1Rt2v_zrWJO4p-_k9Z2YN0NMJRwxqiVG5DuqKscCkAsdmEMIN-6ri8s-Di_X3aA9cOfdKtiz2PKeqvFgWetpELiYWVKjoK5T9RZsn2dJm/s320/1-synapsid+D+vs+V+Encyclo-Nature.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Encyclopedia Nature <i>Dimetrodon</i> vs. <i>Veranosaurus</i> </td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There are six species under the genera, <i>Ophiacodon</i> (Oaf-fye-ah-koh-don), which are: <i>O</i>. <i>hilli</i> with an age range of 295-279.2 mya; <i>O</i>. <i>major</i> from 290.1-279.2 mya; <i>O</i>. <i>mirus</i> from 295-279.5 mya; <i>O</i>. <i>navajovicus</i> from 298.9-295 mya; <i>O</i>. <i>retroversus</i> from 295-29.5 mya and <i>O</i>. <i>uniformis</i> from 290.1-279.5 mya.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXIBVzZnw6we6bA-7zD30oTp1VFlAQzAgsSlCB5-3WcuXy7G5GCu062c_bIGbJPCMJjCnc-VQ0SegmjUwxfAs1HjrIvPeDode7ZMBGqDJLmfgNh_ujGf7h7jtjTxlGzSxkVdhwChdfOOE/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="124" data-original-width="320" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXIBVzZnw6we6bA-7zD30oTp1VFlAQzAgsSlCB5-3WcuXy7G5GCu062c_bIGbJPCMJjCnc-VQ0SegmjUwxfAs1HjrIvPeDode7ZMBGqDJLmfgNh_ujGf7h7jtjTxlGzSxkVdhwChdfOOE/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ophiacodon</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;">All the fossils were found in geologic strata of swampy terrain, or terrestrial floodplains, fluvial/coarse channels, shallow subtidal and lacustrine (reference to lakes) sediments. So, the fossils were laid down in or around standing bodies of water in North America and Europe.</span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFP8IOflfoVfJL4tXqwx81mOM1EBWuHm3EO7MYQy7fL7BbzNiozBQH4eWp3rYNGFvebdBzsTSlFCpvH6eoGhviqO-e6lhdddy5-oe4z49HOUdG_r1qh9EefpdOWxum8nWO8moLAlK-2-ch/s900/1-synapsid+O+grandis+Ntvtiko.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFP8IOflfoVfJL4tXqwx81mOM1EBWuHm3EO7MYQy7fL7BbzNiozBQH4eWp3rYNGFvebdBzsTSlFCpvH6eoGhviqO-e6lhdddy5-oe4z49HOUdG_r1qh9EefpdOWxum8nWO8moLAlK-2-ch/s320/1-synapsid+O+grandis+Ntvtiko.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Ntvtiko <i>O. grandis</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Ophiacodon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> species ranged in size from 1.5-3.6m/4.9-11.8ft long, with weights of 25.9-230kg /56-507lbs. The ventrally convex maxilla (upper jawbone) was also notched beneath the naris (nasal assemblage) giving space for the upwardly curving mandible (lower jawbone). The term ‘ophiacodon’ is Greek meaning, ‘snake tooth’.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1Lp2ytM9I27os0t1VlWuvNe8BIjVbvmVudOHTZEb4rpgG5MJI_gUq4X2sSMvSUa3B3Or4v3NcAHdxzGSYRfj4RuezYx_nhXELoI-PvesPYbl4lVGy8LFjN83g305QHaACfWaaFp8BcIz/s800/1-synapsid+O+mirus_NT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1Lp2ytM9I27os0t1VlWuvNe8BIjVbvmVudOHTZEb4rpgG5MJI_gUq4X2sSMvSUa3B3Or4v3NcAHdxzGSYRfj4RuezYx_nhXELoI-PvesPYbl4lVGy8LFjN83g305QHaACfWaaFp8BcIz/s320/1-synapsid+O+mirus_NT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>O</i>. <i>mirus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">I would like to end here with ophiacodontids in that the genera, <i>Stereophallodon</i>, (Steer-e-o-phal-lo-don), <i>Stereorachis</i> (Steer-e-o-rei-kis), <i>Baldwinonus</i> (Bald-win-o-nuss) and <i>Clepsydrops</i> (Klep-see-dropz) were once all originally considered <i>nomen</i> <i>dubium</i> synapsids, but after intense further phylogeny studies they’ve been placed into the family of <i>Ophiacodontidae</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Permian Period<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">By the time the Permian rolled around 299 mya, there were very few ophiacodontids and by 279 mya during the Permian, there were none. By the end of the Permian 252 mya, all the basal pelycosaurs had vanished. Into the Early Permian, the climate was getting warmer with the extremely seasonal Pangaea supercontinent drying up the Carboniferous swamps and tropical rainforests that ophiacodontids depended on. Grasses had not yet evolved, so the main terrain wasn’t savannahs, but deserts. Other primitive pelycosaurs, like: varanopids, edaphosaurids, sphenacodontids and caseids to later evolve during the Permian, were more acclimated to the changing climate and topography, but these more basal pelycosaurs also died out towards the end of the Permian, giving way to the more advanced therapsid synapsids, which virtually ruled the land throughout the Permian.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS030K6Mlg_4wrHbJ83WegxfhnoX-3yQAF-ebjLIKC8z5df_g7Hy0rm_cXebNfMZA1X2JDpvzoPwQZIXGnqC3lb2Msc9kL8nIdgf8vdawpVEmQ2ilwk4G8N-TeDEQC3U-kutYbf6iMr2_n/s1500/1-synapsid+Permian+J.+C..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS030K6Mlg_4wrHbJ83WegxfhnoX-3yQAF-ebjLIKC8z5df_g7Hy0rm_cXebNfMZA1X2JDpvzoPwQZIXGnqC3lb2Msc9kL8nIdgf8vdawpVEmQ2ilwk4G8N-TeDEQC3U-kutYbf6iMr2_n/s320/1-synapsid+Permian+J.+C..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius Csotonyi The Permian Period</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">A group, I have not mentioned were the parareptiles that were primitive anapsid reptiles suddenly appearing 306 mya with most dying off by the time of the Permian/Triassic extinction, although a few like the herbivorous procolophonians lived down to 201.3 mya. Sauropsids during the Permian such as, araeoscelids and tangasaurids were basically small and lizard-like. Amphibians suffer great losses in species diversity. Amphibians lost so much in speciation that today amphibians known as lissamphibians represent no more than 0.1% of all Earths amphibian life. Salamanders and frogs are from the same lineage that split off during the Jurassic while the most primitive extant amphibian are the caecilians, but since they evolved into a burrowing animal, they have lost a lot of the remnants (such as limbs and eyes) of their earlier predecessors.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The large Carboniferous insect species all died out as once the innumerable plants died off, oxygen levels dropped making the larger insects with inadequate respiratory systems unable to obtain enough oxygen to send into deeper tissues. However, many families of insects that evolved during the Permian’s seasonal periods are extant today such as: crickets, mayflies, and primitive groups of coleopterans, like the tiger beetles.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Plants that took over dominance during the Permian in replacing the rain forests were lycopods, horsetails, ferns and seed ferns. Gymnosperms (seed bearing plants) first appear with the strategy of insulating and protecting the plant embryo with the encapsulating seed sheath. These plants were found along waterways such as rivers, streams and lakes.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Laurasia to the north and Gondwana to the south begin to pull apart dissecting Pangaea and forming the Tethys Sea. At this time, ferns suffer more, while seed plants like conifer species, gingkoes and cycad species appear. </span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Varanopidae</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiED1PGwavtFe4c9S9twNCwRbaYesb4LfJAWS2lwoiJgLVtaPmSKV_gSKgSXlChEKSjQjP7RVuMGQr6wwop_X7481f78oqX1txbCfATQrR1_vKdN_VVzP5yAlb6MTotzNfg5-DcwzQHclA7/s439/1-synap+varanopidae+cladeogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="439" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiED1PGwavtFe4c9S9twNCwRbaYesb4LfJAWS2lwoiJgLVtaPmSKV_gSKgSXlChEKSjQjP7RVuMGQr6wwop_X7481f78oqX1txbCfATQrR1_vKdN_VVzP5yAlb6MTotzNfg5-DcwzQHclA7/s320/1-synap+varanopidae+cladeogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Varanopidae</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There are numerous genera species members of varanopids with two subfamilies in <i>Mycterosaurinae</i> (Mike-ter-o-sawr-uh-nay) consisting of five species and <i>Varanopinae</i> (Vah-ran-op-uh-nay) with seven species. <i>Cabarzia</i> (Caw-bar-zee-uh) and <i>Tambacarnifex</i> (Tam-bah-car-nee-fex) do not appear on the above cladogram, but <i>Cabarzia</i> is a mycterosaurdontine under Mycterosaurinae, while <i>Tambacarnifex</i> is a varanodontine under <i>Varanopinae</i>. There are currently sixteen known genera and eighteen species. There are five basal varanopids in: <i>Apsisaurus</i> (App-see-sawr-us); <i>Archaeovenator</i> (R-kay-o-ven-nay-tor); Pyozia (Pi-o-zeh-ah); <i>Dendromaia</i> (Den-droh-my-uh) and the recently discovered <i>Ascendonanus</i> ((Ah-chin-doe-nah-nuss)), in which is also not on the cladogram. I would like to note here, there is debate on whether to pull <i>Ruthiromia</i> (Ruth-i-roam-e-ah) from being a varanopid and designate it as an ophiacodontid. As earlier mentioned, <i>Varanopidae</i> is named so because the varanopid family members superficially look similar to monitor lizards of the family, <i>Varanidae</i>. Varanopids ranged from ~ 309 mya to 260 mya, while in size, ranged from 25cm/9.8in with <i>Dendromaia</i> and at 2.5m/8.2ft with <i>Watongia</i> (Wah-tawn-gee-ah). With a wide distribution, varanopid fossils have been found in N. America, S. Africa and northern Russia.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqkH0lCsTcSWUPGFFsi3wRmqxhBTjQ9ZnoIOS6hYqTyDpl5DU-evNkIschjI85gxPNljH6-CEA1uNmERkaBQ4j40-ihaIrMUKM4HxCWyC3kaW4yRoV63MmN893wex7qxlbDuz4s0zs4QP/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="115" data-original-width="320" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqkH0lCsTcSWUPGFFsi3wRmqxhBTjQ9ZnoIOS6hYqTyDpl5DU-evNkIschjI85gxPNljH6-CEA1uNmERkaBQ4j40-ihaIrMUKM4HxCWyC3kaW4yRoV63MmN893wex7qxlbDuz4s0zs4QP/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: D. Bogdanov Top: <i>Cotylorynchus</i> Mid: <i>Ophiacodon</i> Front: <i>Varanops</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The long jaws of varanopids were filled with sharp teeth that varied in size, although they were primitive to mammalian heterodont dentition standards. The larger varanopids were carnivorous while those that were reduced in size were insectivores. All varanopids, with ossified feet and long tails, no matter the size were agile creatures as compared to the contemporary fauna. Even though the larger varanopids were carnivorous, at times they played the role of prey instead of predator as exampled below in the 1.3m/4.3ft long <i>Varanodon</i> (Vah-ran-o-don) illustration being chased by the primitive temnospondyl amphibian, <i>Nooxobeia</i> (Noox-o-be-ah). Even though the amphibian had elongated legs for terrestrial mobility, the one advantage <i>Varanodon</i> had over the larger <i>Nooxobeia</i> was its more agile swiftness. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1Og_cFG_ALKXN1zf7iY_mI3IxyIdriJHRtO2-gyuGBzN6P2-PIJlvKvW5nuSNMu9CyaCAnixFvJvK-TFqvaRXWnzZ2OUn9rpnna2WqwdYZKmT74ZlMjPvU1IWM1KSbtpQ_DdvEDnDKX2/s800/1-synaps+Varanodon-Nooxobeia+smokeybjb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1Og_cFG_ALKXN1zf7iY_mI3IxyIdriJHRtO2-gyuGBzN6P2-PIJlvKvW5nuSNMu9CyaCAnixFvJvK-TFqvaRXWnzZ2OUn9rpnna2WqwdYZKmT74ZlMjPvU1IWM1KSbtpQ_DdvEDnDKX2/s320/1-synaps+Varanodon-Nooxobeia+smokeybjb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: SmokeyBjb <i>Varanodon</i> chased by <i>Nooxobeia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There are basically six main varanopid autapomorphies which are: </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">elongated quadratojugals (cranial skull bone located</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">rear lower corner)</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">anterodorsal sloping (anatomically in front and toward the back)</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">3.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">anterodorsal sloping of quadrate</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">4.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">parasphenoid (unpaired dermal bone at midline roof of mouth) dentition</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">5.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">elongate hyoids</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">6.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">plate-like interclavicle heads</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As far as the varanopids go, at 305-309 mya <i>Dendromaia</i> is the oldest while the youngest, <i>Heleosaurus</i> (Uh-lee-o-sawr-us) is from 260 mya. Varanopid fossils have been found throughout the southern central and eastern half of the USA, Nova Scotia, Canada, South Africa, Germany and Russia. Note that in older literature at times you will find the spelling of <i>Varanopidae</i> as: <i>Varanopsidae</i>, or even <i>Varanopseidae</i>.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNc-Pp4ubLsjwJfjK0BcTH4DYFKxJTVqMhgePvOUKiCiNHYZ0cUv-x03ImsHGZVP5olcm8KHB3a_-b4A0wCjno_DE4oG8Lju-jmAFwPwV15YIQi8h0u9_TVge8RSS8k63lGk4XTMd-8mG/s1080/1-synaps+Ascendonanus+F.+Spindler.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNc-Pp4ubLsjwJfjK0BcTH4DYFKxJTVqMhgePvOUKiCiNHYZ0cUv-x03ImsHGZVP5olcm8KHB3a_-b4A0wCjno_DE4oG8Lju-jmAFwPwV15YIQi8h0u9_TVge8RSS8k63lGk4XTMd-8mG/s320/1-synaps+Ascendonanus+F.+Spindler.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Fredrick Spindler <i>Ascendonanus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The basal varanopid, <i>Ascendonanus</i> lived 290-291 mya during the Permian of what is now the state of Saxony, Germany in the fossil forest near Chemnitz. Five individuals were fossilized around a fossilized tree trunk. At 40cm/15.75in, it was rather small and with the slender pointed teeth fashioned with no flattened or serrated structuring, <i>Ascendonanus</i> was insectivorous preying on insects and other invertebrates.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The term, <i>Ascendonanus</i> is Latin meaning, ‘climbing dwarf’ and is for good reason. This 40cm/15.75in long varanopid had limbs adapted for an arboreal lifestyle and is the earliest known tetrapod that possessed tree climbing adaptations. The forelimbs are almost as long as the hind limbs ending in enlarged feet elements with a longer fourth digit on the manus (terminal segment of forelimb) and pes (terminal segment of hind limb). Unlike other varanopids, <i>Ascendonanus</i>’ feet ended in very strong recurved claws for clinging.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The tail was longer than in other synapsids and most likely served as a counter balance in climbing. The centra of the vertebrae each had a ridge on the underside for processes attachment. Along with this and enlarged blades on the ilium of the pelvis are distinct characteristics of varanopids.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9arROAq3fTRC2zUEhErwdMDzHEP1BOUM4O34rWwrgsEJAG6M6FPz9LgvVXANH-LCVviIji6B5GUM_WuuZfJ0OTxuIZuk-Ow-QE-OCUMEcrhchrW4Agk5TDb5ZV7KmkSPCSNnIVrGtaS_b/s647/1-synaps+Ascendonanus+fossil+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="647" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9arROAq3fTRC2zUEhErwdMDzHEP1BOUM4O34rWwrgsEJAG6M6FPz9LgvVXANH-LCVviIji6B5GUM_WuuZfJ0OTxuIZuk-Ow-QE-OCUMEcrhchrW4Agk5TDb5ZV7KmkSPCSNnIVrGtaS_b/s320/1-synaps+Ascendonanus+fossil+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ascendonanus</i> fossil detail</td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Eyelid ossicles are evident while the very large orbits (eye sockets) supported sclerotic rings that are not ossified, but rather are more cartilaginous. However, the round body ossicles (dermal bones) embedded in the skin are ossified. The near complete fossil skeletons also had preserved integument with soft skin tissue along with full body scale impressions. The fossilized skulls have a single lateral temporal opening (fenestra) clearly indicating <i>Ascendonanus</i> as a synapsid. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsMyWgECG3rsupuQWGWXCDl00erRLybAUKIfL1gC-NEJBOBnfcvQ9AEphhS0Q0O_CgRrpxmjz-bNQQj9tP27KgSWrglXXw2hZlxi_jSY6nprqECWsKDdk_rxVQUY8JhejHi-B4FE-_Fo2/s601/1-synaps+Ascendonanus+fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="601" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsMyWgECG3rsupuQWGWXCDl00erRLybAUKIfL1gC-NEJBOBnfcvQ9AEphhS0Q0O_CgRrpxmjz-bNQQj9tP27KgSWrglXXw2hZlxi_jSY6nprqECWsKDdk_rxVQUY8JhejHi-B4FE-_Fo2/s320/1-synaps+Ascendonanus+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ascendonanus</i> exquisite fossil</td></tr></tbody></table>In general morphology, appearing very lizard-like, with squamate presenting scales and having 34-37 presacral vertebrae instead of the usual 26 as in most synapsids, some are debating whether and inferring that <i>Ascendonanus</i> is a sauropsid rather than a theropsid varanopid. But of course, due to early morphology similarities, most varanopids were at first considered true reptiles. In being a primitive varanopid, the scales of <i>Ascendonanus</i> simply implies that there was a common ancestor between theropsids and sauropsids that had epidermal scalation. This likely tells us that dry, scaly skin was present in the earliest amniotes before the split into synapsids and sauropsids. It is later down the evolutionary scale that synapsids began to evolve soft glandular skin covered in hair or fur used as insulation and whiskers as sensory structures. Another primitive trait that <i>Ascendonanus</i> also retained was its eyelid ossicles, which are not found in any other amniotes, but has been found in dissorophid temnospondyls. Yet, we don’t insist that <i>Ascendonanus</i> is a salamander.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">I’d like to end <i>Ascendonanus</i> discussing a little bit of taphonomy on how its exquisite fossilization occurred. The city of Chemnitz sits atop an ancient Permian petrified tropical forest that consisted of <i>Calamites</i> species (tree-like horsetails), conifers, tree ferns and <i>Cordaitales</i> (extinct woody plants that gave rise to gingkoes and cycads). This was home to <i>Ascendonanus</i>. How the forest became fossilized and its inhabitants became fossilized, including <i>Ascendonanus</i> was due to a volcanic explosion, but a particular one. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">291 mya, the Zeisigwald Volcano erupted mildly sending volcanic pyroclastic ash onto the countryside. Since there is no evidence of trees being scorched the temperature of the ash was essentially cool being no more than 280° C/536° F. The blast and coolness was a result of the rising rhyolitic magma coming into contact with groundwater. Whether it was from the concussion of the initial blast, or from inhalation of the released obnoxious gases, the five <i>Ascendonanus</i> individuals were knocked off the treetop falling to the ground around the trunk base where they were instantly buried by the fine ash, cutting off decay while preserving the specimens of animals and plants.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The initial blast in knocking off the varanopids, also knocked off small tree limbs and leaves burying them up to 53cm/21in. Subsequent more violent blasts followed covering up the initial ash in tephra (from dust to boulder sized fragmented material). These successive blasts knocked the treetops off leaving only a meter (3.3 feet) to 3 meters (9.9 feet) of tree trunks standing. In addition, the silicic acid composing the tephra sealed the flora and fauna ensuring intact petrification and fossilization.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtXcGuVI1cmIRqm-bPBrodO20PqhXUcZPwP4RAy-nWDXkC6QxHhUkhQ8uhTxHuQbnYjes1dr567AHz1dKxZ3Je2jjyfORzRndVlh2rZmz3WfwNFMO1Mhcn-FVsvoL8yET6BXZjgdr5Qyy/s561/1-synapsid+Heleosaurus+john+sibbick.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="561" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtXcGuVI1cmIRqm-bPBrodO20PqhXUcZPwP4RAy-nWDXkC6QxHhUkhQ8uhTxHuQbnYjes1dr567AHz1dKxZ3Je2jjyfORzRndVlh2rZmz3WfwNFMO1Mhcn-FVsvoL8yET6BXZjgdr5Qyy/s320/1-synapsid+Heleosaurus+john+sibbick.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: John Sibbick <i>Heleosaurus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Heleosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> was a small mycterosaurine varanopid that lived 260 mya in what is now, South Africa from the upper ‘Abrahamskraal Formation’ composed within the ‘Karro Supergroup’. All this rock strata is a component of the ‘Karoo Basin’. Two fossil sites were discovered; one holotype and one with another consisting of an aggregation of five individuals in situ within lithological strata consisting of a fine-grained, greenish-grey mudstone leveled to the bedding plane.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Between the two fossil sites, the triangular skulls are very much the same with a long narrow rectangular process of the naris along the antorbital region forming a straight dorsal border with the external naris. Also shared between the two is where the premaxilla meets up with the naris, there is a straight suture instead of the typical varanopid V structure, while the jugal (bony cheek arch) and quadratojugal (bone forming rear lower corner of the skull) have a pinched-like tubercular ornamentation on the lateral sides. Other varanopid autapomorphies were the anterodorsal sloping of the posterior margin of the quadrate and the presence of elongate hyoids that extend posteriorly beyond the skull.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The teeth tips are recurved and additionally, the edges of the marginal teeth bear serrations. These dental features are found in some basal archosauromorphs, but in strong contrast as seen in other varanopids, the teeth are shallowly implanted on the alveolar shelf. <i>Heleosaurus</i> also possessed a pair of canines much larger than the other dentition. Determination of the size was in comparing the two adults, with one as the holotype and the other adult in the aggregate, as 50cm/19.7in. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkbyYecFyyub1G9Z4U6KrCWqN9MxJdGQ0-es6yP6fUjyHL-FXiJRLe3BuNWn_-IxVRiGYqei6-f6hW11t-cSS-CHPABxvGrOkBLxEPfBaZVzxY6-p5auUT9_3_BgwLVbi78z2T1P3X9w3/s588/1-synapsid+Heleosaurus+skeletal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkbyYecFyyub1G9Z4U6KrCWqN9MxJdGQ0-es6yP6fUjyHL-FXiJRLe3BuNWn_-IxVRiGYqei6-f6hW11t-cSS-CHPABxvGrOkBLxEPfBaZVzxY6-p5auUT9_3_BgwLVbi78z2T1P3X9w3/s320/1-synapsid+Heleosaurus+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Artist: David Peters <i>Heleosaurus</i> skeletal</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As far as the body goes, the pelvic girdles in both fossils show the typical synapsid elongated ischium as well as a blade like distal shape and a well-developed pubic foramen. The elongated ilium rises anteriorly above the acetabulum. The pubis does not fuse to the ilium, instead twisting 90 degrees to the iliac blade. The slender femurs, preserved in both fossils are elongated bones with a sigmoidal curve and a proximal end that turns up while the distal end curves down. With a femur shaft diameter approximating 10% of its total length, a trochanter (bony protuberances on femur end) is widely separated from the head. Overall the femur is almost identical to that of <i>Mycterosaurus</i>. The elongated ischium (curved bone forming a base for both halves of pelvis) is typical varanopid. The adult in the aggregate fossil had preserved cervical osteoderms. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BWFj2rYxpf3vy9ipYKkF0-7E-nDcG9r6bWVrgM6NTW_5mOVf-IU1DEY6m99n0fm8oElzqkNf7-0y-q3-xEaNQBsHKYfhAjB1S0-DL11Tnfs-0pSqLrX0fDfTyrBGcfCbNgVFyvoTzWnL/s1280/1-synapsid+heleosaurus+fossil1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BWFj2rYxpf3vy9ipYKkF0-7E-nDcG9r6bWVrgM6NTW_5mOVf-IU1DEY6m99n0fm8oElzqkNf7-0y-q3-xEaNQBsHKYfhAjB1S0-DL11Tnfs-0pSqLrX0fDfTyrBGcfCbNgVFyvoTzWnL/w200-h200/1-synapsid+heleosaurus+fossil1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Heleosaurus</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">It has been interpreted that the fossil with the five individuals having one adult and four subadults was a family. This bears out that parental care from </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Dendromaia</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> of 305 million years ago and to </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Heleosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> of 260 million years ago had become an evolved feature that was to become the pinnacle strategy for species survival throughout theropsid natural history where extant mammals still today carry on with the parent/child bond.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcOWq7ZmYHFfbg2XvWSZ3eiUZ7BBpSwUWTPNqJTeY7Ez6arqWtvxbSKfekvbwlMYFwncg9G6yWzXJys068yn-cN3rAdfiBpCnCvXMH7Abe2r0u9EbxoeCXstghWuzxTsC3K_peE7AOo4K/s608/1-synapsid+heleosaurus+fossils.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="476" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcOWq7ZmYHFfbg2XvWSZ3eiUZ7BBpSwUWTPNqJTeY7Ez6arqWtvxbSKfekvbwlMYFwncg9G6yWzXJys068yn-cN3rAdfiBpCnCvXMH7Abe2r0u9EbxoeCXstghWuzxTsC3K_peE7AOo4K/w157-h200/1-synapsid+heleosaurus+fossils.jpg" width="157" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Heleosaurus</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">One thing intriguing about this fossil family is exactly how they died. Throughout my research, I never could find a definable reason. It was not due to a flood washing them up on a bank for the bodies would have been in disarray twisted and contorted pointing in every direction. This was not the case. The bodies were huddled together right-side up with all pointing forward in one direction. It’s as if they were sleeping together caught in this pose just prior to dying. It’s also not due to a volcanic explosion as is the case for the Chemnitz <i>Ascendonanus</i> fossils, as there is no evidence whatsoever of volcanic debris in the fossil area. There isn’t any evidence that they were in a burrow that caved in burying them in situ. The only scenario I can come up with is that a distant volcano (as there was volcanism at the time in other ‘Karoo Basin’ regions) was belching out obnoxious heavy gases that traveled and eventually overwhelmed them as they slept; even perhaps a sudden cold spell caught and stilled them where they laid. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3v5eW25Hj7D-xvbOp4MgacdLYuK2xPrhan3HOk5J9MeZDHSJI_9AtCvZbFOr-TR2WaBMC2EF33cxfpQZ0yXANYyTUi0GfwZhOzBg5itETm4qBDoQn-460tgaMSUcP3V8i-3xe-CchP32/s638/1-synapsid+heleosaurus+J+Botha-Brink++S+P+Modesto.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3v5eW25Hj7D-xvbOp4MgacdLYuK2xPrhan3HOk5J9MeZDHSJI_9AtCvZbFOr-TR2WaBMC2EF33cxfpQZ0yXANYyTUi0GfwZhOzBg5itETm4qBDoQn-460tgaMSUcP3V8i-3xe-CchP32/s320/1-synapsid+heleosaurus+J+Botha-Brink++S+P+Modesto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: J. Botha-Brink/S.P. Modesto <i>Heleosaurus</i> family in death</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">To let you know here, the aggregated fossil with the five individuals is now being claimed (Frederik Spindler et al 2018) to be a new varanopid species holotype and named it, <i>Microvaranops</i> (My-cro-va-ran-ops). However, with the close anatomical features of both fossils, with intent and purpose I’m still going to treat both fossil finds as one and the same in being, <i>Heleosaurus</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Heleosaurus</i> is a sister taxon to <i>Elliotsmithia</i> (L-lee-ot-smif-e-ah), which was also a small varanopid living in the ‘Karoo Basin’ around the same time. Therapsids were dominant during this time period and were the top predator. However, these two small mycterosaurines were not excluded ecologically by the much larger therapsids or restricted to equatorial regions during the Late Permian. As insectivores they consumed invertebrates and may have occasioned a carnivorous diet picking off small vertebrates. So, they filled in a niche by being small.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MNnaeABvwm2pb8JvnzXQfYFwytxeHMJIMjmjE2HsPx8b0f6sYgaJM-h73ef2hT0xIXhmfSVPTGlE-kHBqDibkhdD7KE-5A868QBWTIjrkbKPvBqmjcVrnKcrEw3bjKz0b92EvrfhigpQ/s761/1-synapsid+varanops+MaastrichiangGuy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="761" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MNnaeABvwm2pb8JvnzXQfYFwytxeHMJIMjmjE2HsPx8b0f6sYgaJM-h73ef2hT0xIXhmfSVPTGlE-kHBqDibkhdD7KE-5A868QBWTIjrkbKPvBqmjcVrnKcrEw3bjKz0b92EvrfhigpQ/s320/1-synapsid+varanops+MaastrichiangGuy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Maastrichiang Guy <i>Varanops</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With a head to body length of 1.2m/3.9ft and a tail even a bit longer, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Varanops</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Vah-ran-nops) was one of the larger varanopids. Only the varanopid, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Watongia</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> was larger at 2.5m/8.2ft, in which both are varanodontines belonging to the subfamily, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Varanopinae</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">. Below is a comparison in size of the pelycosaurs: </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Cotylorhynchus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> in the background, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Ophiacodon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> in the middle and with </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Varanops</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">, the smallest one in front. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Varanops</i> fossil finds have been discovered in Texas and Oklahoma, USA. A large number of <i>Varanops</i> fossils have been found in the ‘Cacops Bone Bed’ of Baylor County, Texas. However, a particular find in Taylor County, Texas just southwest of Abliene showed a well preserved large adult <i>Varanops</i> species with teeth marks that stood out with defined detail. As an example of a fully grown adult in showing a high level of ossification at the shoulder girdle, the manus (terminal segment of a forelimb as in hand and wrist) and the pes (terminal segment of feet) displayed remarkable evidence of being scavenged long after death. Along with the teeth marks was one tooth left by the scavenger as lodged between the proximal ends of the left radius (lower outside arm bone) and ulna (lower inside arm bone). </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gd-F3AtMqELkr_XtzoboObXpjfEcqlCcCk81dqqoGfpiboAqjCWMthyw1tY9BdkwT7dstZ0tTq6C6BSNbMlT6TSnPynmL6t4Th7Qv1Yx3RS7YJ19wl6QFOEF1lioiz3HMDagv2Gw5BCR/s650/1-synapsid+varanops+teeth+marks.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gd-F3AtMqELkr_XtzoboObXpjfEcqlCcCk81dqqoGfpiboAqjCWMthyw1tY9BdkwT7dstZ0tTq6C6BSNbMlT6TSnPynmL6t4Th7Qv1Yx3RS7YJ19wl6QFOEF1lioiz3HMDagv2Gw5BCR/s320/1-synapsid+varanops+teeth+marks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Varanops</i> fossil showing teeth marks<i> </i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The tooth belonged to a terrestrial amphibian, which was most likely a dissorophoid temnospondyl due to the tooth’s morphology and the part and counterpart of the bite marks. This dental pattern is entirely consistent with the bite marks of a fully terrestrial temnospondyl with upper larger bite marks on the bone’s top surface and numerous smaller bite marks on the undersurface.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The presence of extensive surface cracking of the long bones parallel to fiber structure, and some mosaic cracking occurring on the surface of the bones gives credence to the fact that these bone surface textures were not produced by being buried immediately after death. Instead, they were exposed for some time permitting weathering of the bones before burial. This is how paleontologists can account for the fact of scavenging occurring on this individual fossil rather than merely a prey kill by a more dominant predator.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Varanops</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">, the cervical ribs were not too sturdy and didn’t enter the torso. The dorsal ribs were much larger enclosing the torso. Transverse processes appeared on each vertebra. The long ilium was robust with the tibia and femur shorter than the forelimb’s longer radius and ulna.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Varanops</i>, with its long sturdy legs and solid torso was agile enough to chase down prey as well as a capable enough carnivore to go after quarry as large as itself. Once prey was downed, it most likely would use its large incisors to nip off meat as the smaller front teeth gripped while using its laterally compressed and recurved back teeth for slicing. Built for open ground, it most likely used a burst of speed to attack prey or flee a predator. The rising of therapsids most likely began outcompeting <i>Varanops</i> within its niche having made it become extinct before the end of the Permian.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MBOW9iXZOBx8yMpslqRgOtg57XJz5b2M1BC5G2vAqeiKkaoFzQNdvClFoPBpWXL_emAZ0laM2NE3YAW2Yz-O09RFWN103IzFzSPlq2lSQXjGbumgV9XW2lS6xzh9wAL_ZWAGTNdG5cjX/s1080/1-syn+tambacarnifex+henry+sharpe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MBOW9iXZOBx8yMpslqRgOtg57XJz5b2M1BC5G2vAqeiKkaoFzQNdvClFoPBpWXL_emAZ0laM2NE3YAW2Yz-O09RFWN103IzFzSPlq2lSQXjGbumgV9XW2lS6xzh9wAL_ZWAGTNdG5cjX/s320/1-syn+tambacarnifex+henry+sharpe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Henry Sharpe <i>Tambacarnifex</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Closely related and a sister taxon to <i>Varanops</i> was <i>Tambacarnifex</i> that had a temporal range from 290.1 to 279.5 mya. The fossil find coming from central Germany’s Permian ‘Tambach Formation’, the name means, ‘Tambach butcher’. It is the only varanodontine found outside N. America. From the region and time frame <i>Tambacarnifex</i> came from, herbivores far outnumbered predators making the ~1.5m/4.9ft long, <i>Tambacarnifex</i> the apex predator of its Early Permian paleoecosystem. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Edaphosauridae</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">: </span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWOdAY_Pxw2ksItxnjPXa8Wl4uhdVqK9y-CpYGO0xXJjLZzTdcaK5pL-t2Y2eUlQee7Nbnr-lyjc6jMjMjqqltZbPuzmN0j_EH7Pkuncz8d6SoU3ezbKgFE4ThzH8MK1xVKOMam468n3V/s460/1-synaps+edaphosaurid+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWOdAY_Pxw2ksItxnjPXa8Wl4uhdVqK9y-CpYGO0xXJjLZzTdcaK5pL-t2Y2eUlQee7Nbnr-lyjc6jMjMjqqltZbPuzmN0j_EH7Pkuncz8d6SoU3ezbKgFE4ThzH8MK1xVKOMam468n3V/s320/1-synaps+edaphosaurid+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Edaphosauridae</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Edaphosaurids are a sister group to sphenacodontids and ranged from 302 mya to 280 mya. Thus far, nine genera with fifteen species have been found with the genus, <i>Edaphosaurus</i> (Eh-duh-fuh-saw-rus) having four species while the genus, <i>Ianthasaurus</i> (E-un-thuh-sawr-us) has two. The other genera are: <i>Bohemiclavulus</i> (Bo-hem-e-clav-ull-us), <i>Gordodon</i> (Gor-doe-don), Glaucosaurus (Glaw-ko-sawr-us), <i>Lupeosaurus</i> (Loop-e-o-sawr-us) and <i>Xyrospondylus</i> (Zye-ros-pon-dye-luss). <i>Remigiomontanus</i> (Ree-mige-e-o-mon-tan-nus), a southwestern Germany fossil find has just recently been found and even more recently described as a new edaphosaurid genus. Autapomorphy (unique derived trait features) analyses makes it appear to be an intermediate between <i>Ianthasaurus</i> and <i>Edaphosaurus</i>. Finally, the remains found in the Czech Republic of an Early Permian edaphosaurid is tentatively named, <i>Ramodendron</i> (Ram-o-den-drawn), but is considered a dubious monotypic genus as only fragments of the spinous processes were found. Originally fossil AMNH 4060 species named, <i>E</i>. <i>credneri</i> has been indeterminately now claimed to be a juvenile <i>Bohemiclavulus</i>.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Q-UisCPPSBksHeNRgXlmyp0AxUqmVXbtcB0hX9Eg0Cagz7RrRslg8Xqv3AmQwj9_9Zljhnrw70GV2DJ3M3iDpZ_ft82_44TNuTUcELugaI1karhYO7VkFlAewACPGzO7En9QpmjVY-m1/s393/1-syn+edaphosaurid+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Q-UisCPPSBksHeNRgXlmyp0AxUqmVXbtcB0hX9Eg0Cagz7RrRslg8Xqv3AmQwj9_9Zljhnrw70GV2DJ3M3iDpZ_ft82_44TNuTUcELugaI1karhYO7VkFlAewACPGzO7En9QpmjVY-m1/s320/1-syn+edaphosaurid+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfRga-uJknsdv7bnC5Cce8kyW8mW6jHUfJcDTORDT9r08WllK0gUuEeNKg7rx3oJT4jbnoPJHnjwC2VndNhnp5kDoDPTIRv_Ke0fPEhQVfWB_DkPfZiOY8NIri1xILP9zZv_ZdrsZm4qF/s800/1-syn+edaphosaurid+size+F.+Spindler.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfRga-uJknsdv7bnC5Cce8kyW8mW6jHUfJcDTORDT9r08WllK0gUuEeNKg7rx3oJT4jbnoPJHnjwC2VndNhnp5kDoDPTIRv_Ke0fPEhQVfWB_DkPfZiOY8NIri1xILP9zZv_ZdrsZm4qF/s320/1-syn+edaphosaurid+size+F.+Spindler.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: F. Spindler Edaphodsaurid species clade</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Found in N. America and European strata, edaphosaurids, along with diadectids were one of the earliest herbivorous tetrapods and were the first of amniote herbivores. Edaphosaurids ranged in size from 0.5m/1.6ft to 3.5m/11.5ft in total length. In relationship to the body the head was small. The body was squat and a bit robust to say the least, due to a lot of large intestines required to digest the rough plants then available for consumption. As far as most edaphosaur species’ primitive conical peg-like teeth, there were also tooth plates known as dental pads on the palate and on the inside of the lower jaws. Due to the dental pads, the term edaphosaurid means, ‘pavement lizard’. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0k6rWLziAfZQbl0HHpO9dMwvfY7I4tk_BUMGm9rEsxS4-l2Gqil7-JaYwU_rFW2wLZ-CbZ06GlYl2bSWTQKvQS158fRhzw58H7p_S04MixIjZmVBooaOS4QKgQrjDrvWcQ8BZXlCBN9L/s673/1-syns+edaphosaurid+teeth+Sam+w.+williston.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0k6rWLziAfZQbl0HHpO9dMwvfY7I4tk_BUMGm9rEsxS4-l2Gqil7-JaYwU_rFW2wLZ-CbZ06GlYl2bSWTQKvQS158fRhzw58H7p_S04MixIjZmVBooaOS4QKgQrjDrvWcQ8BZXlCBN9L/s320/1-syns+edaphosaurid+teeth+Sam+w.+williston.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edaphosaurid teeth</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBGzbcX9LzCC5bRCo-P3LVaMQGkUlF3kkrgk-tcUTvg6x_hJ9nO362tCCcBShLouvvHtJci16_ROSr28Iqp8RYBOMymzmMbrCyLdpNS7wc2U9A8mUcsEy_1cEQnRfyYrPGq3G5cqd59si/s1024/1-synapsid+Edaphosaurus+crossbars.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBGzbcX9LzCC5bRCo-P3LVaMQGkUlF3kkrgk-tcUTvg6x_hJ9nO362tCCcBShLouvvHtJci16_ROSr28Iqp8RYBOMymzmMbrCyLdpNS7wc2U9A8mUcsEy_1cEQnRfyYrPGq3G5cqd59si/s320/1-synapsid+Edaphosaurus+crossbars.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edaphosaurid sail crossbars</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The most characteristic feature however was the edaphosaurid sail enmeshed with thin skinned webbing. Supported by the extensively long vertebrae neural spines, it appears similarly to sphenacodontids. However, the sails of edaphosaurids had lateral extensions emanating from the spines known as crossbars or transverse tubercles; sphenacodontids did not possess crossbars in their sails. The crossbars became shorter as the ascended higher up the sail. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Of course, sails are not unique to synapsids as later, diapsids in the Triassic ctenosauriscid archosaur, <i>Arizonasaurus</i> (from 243 mya) and the Cretaceous theropod dinosaur, <i>Spinosaurus</i> (from 112.03 to 93.5 mya) would evolve sails. Sails appear to have been a thermoregulatory devise that will further be discussed under sphenacodonts.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Besides the sails, edaphosaurids also shared other morphological and anatomical features with sphenacodontids, such as: a lateral lappet (projection) of the frontal usually reaching the orbit; ventral border of skull is emarginated; pre-articulation is twisted posteriorly as to underlie the pterygoid process (bone where sphenoid wings unite with body) of the articular (cartilaginous joints); jaw articulation below the tooth row and rear of dentary (anterior bone of the lower jaw bearing teeth) displayed well-developed coronoid (hooked projection of bone) eminence.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-YgvIRPGLGyF7oNFCglOpNZQcCp6Fnn7vlsl6aQWUthoYtZCav0_vW6omq2w0JBB4zYGPv9zfDpDMX_ijf2C-ydvsqs9FruBoBj3wsAl9bo9njd7FomNDTXRReG0LiTnTDUJyFZwkU46/s1920/1-synapsid+edaphosaurus+rigid+alexey+konzelko.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-YgvIRPGLGyF7oNFCglOpNZQcCp6Fnn7vlsl6aQWUthoYtZCav0_vW6omq2w0JBB4zYGPv9zfDpDMX_ijf2C-ydvsqs9FruBoBj3wsAl9bo9njd7FomNDTXRReG0LiTnTDUJyFZwkU46/s320/1-synapsid+edaphosaurus+rigid+alexey+konzelko.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Alexey Kopnzelko rigid edaphosaurid sail</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Although the sails did not contribute much to mechanical stability or mass, they did however contribute to surface area and did not act as a pillow on a clothesline flapping in the wind, as it was a crossbar sturdily bound structure with the neural spines arranged parallel to each other while aligned in a straight line. As well, in a <i>Lupeosaurus</i> fossil specimen was the break of a spine during life that had healed; therefore the spine was rigidly held in life for the broken ends to have annealed. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTadmXHW0A9qA6VTpChJMHmqT8pVCcIz61hyphenhyphenItTldwCrD_omG87cXVl-mv6yfpl8C-0WdccmrChmODriVLvcv1NI1U4VbDtlAXzDww9QsC_1cA9p1onz4GFPrpNkQSrhBNhiox4o86uYN/s1200/1-synapsid+ianthasaurus+DiBgd.jpg" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTadmXHW0A9qA6VTpChJMHmqT8pVCcIz61hyphenhyphenItTldwCrD_omG87cXVl-mv6yfpl8C-0WdccmrChmODriVLvcv1NI1U4VbDtlAXzDww9QsC_1cA9p1onz4GFPrpNkQSrhBNhiox4o86uYN/s320/1-synapsid+ianthasaurus+DiBgd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: DiBgd <i>Ianthasaurus spp</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The two species of <i>Ianthasaurus</i> (Iantha river lizard) were small with <i>I</i>. <i>hardestii</i> (har-des-tye) possessing an 8cm/3.2in skull and was no more than 75cm/30in in total length. <i>I</i>. <i>mirabilis</i> (meer-ab-buh-liss) was even smaller. Again, <i>I</i>. <i>credneri</i> (kred-nair-ee) is now</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">, as mentioned earlier, being entertained as a juvenile </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Bohemiclavulus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">. Due to their smallness and being lightly built, ianthasaurs were most likely more agile than the other larger edaphosaurids. The skulls were very similar to their sphenacodontid cousin, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Haptodus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Hap-toe-duss). </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">I</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">hardestii</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> occurred 302 mya, while </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">I</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">mirabilis</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> was from ~ 304.1 mya. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCJhgupshO01ks5wFGRiY8vHKngeEk_IwerGnto2ko-dfGmoy2Y8j5TkufM013zfRtcYk4yjCUSVreKFf64z87LMGcbGtbktR_qKzhVy7VLChEzgxXcADc32DGWrU2tRvxpdPTDCiWw6H/s548/1-synapsid+ianthasaurus+skull.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCJhgupshO01ks5wFGRiY8vHKngeEk_IwerGnto2ko-dfGmoy2Y8j5TkufM013zfRtcYk4yjCUSVreKFf64z87LMGcbGtbktR_qKzhVy7VLChEzgxXcADc32DGWrU2tRvxpdPTDCiWw6H/s320/1-synapsid+ianthasaurus+skull.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ianthasaurus</i> skull</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The skulls of the ianthasaurs were prefrontal triangular in shape with long nasal bones much unlike the more massive supraorbital shelf (bony eyebrow) of the edaphosaurs. Also, the teeth were much more sharply pointed than edaphosaur dentition along with being slightly recurved. Ianthasaurs also did not possess dental plates. With this dental configuration, ianthasaurs were insectivores but most likely also greatly supplemented the diet vying as an herbivore as well. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQTYnmCQhgvrYTWzjCP7wuCOgEe6PGr3qUl-lHcJfrBpL-E22ynbRSO_-n7IW-po_UU8j5mP8-9r1lZPfnINHxd0qrzq9-BsTfLv8DtIlURiscGBpW8OK1KJYuF_2W0yE2StKdzhF5FPi/s600/1-synapsid+Edaphosaurus+skull.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQTYnmCQhgvrYTWzjCP7wuCOgEe6PGr3qUl-lHcJfrBpL-E22ynbRSO_-n7IW-po_UU8j5mP8-9r1lZPfnINHxd0qrzq9-BsTfLv8DtIlURiscGBpW8OK1KJYuF_2W0yE2StKdzhF5FPi/s320/1-synapsid+Edaphosaurus+skull.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Edaphosaurus</i> skull</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Edaphosaurus</i> species’ temporal range temporal range was from 303.4-272.5 mya. Holding a rather small and semi-triangular head, the cervical vertebrae were reduced in length, while the dorsal vertebrae were massive in anchoring the sail spines. The tail was long, the limbs were short and robust in supporting the stout body and the ribs form a wide ribcage.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The reason for the body girth was due to the diet in which required a capacious gut to digest plant roughage and cellulose. With a deep lower jaw likely having powerful muscles, along with marginal serrated tipped teeth, favored biting mechanics to crop and shear off low growing plants. To finish off the roughage before swallowing, the dense batteries of peg-like teeth were used for grinding and mashing the tough fibrous plants that grew during the time period. The jaw structure supported propalinal (front to back repetition) movement. They also had palatal teeth for further mastification of food material. Edaphosaurs most likely evolved from much smaller insectivores like ianthasaurs, a basal edaphosaurid.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk54suTG-l7jyoHiNQIW0cznVuefItlIG3Q_LBQkt-P9PQFSPuNOPxAxcH8fGqE5m_hSlv3ZnRSNjbJS_K8vip9mPCoSvyYFMPd5fSI6MelqKgMStVy4JXI5oTYWr3FM7um2vVLkseJmaU/s556/1-synapsid+E.+cruciger+skeletal.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk54suTG-l7jyoHiNQIW0cznVuefItlIG3Q_LBQkt-P9PQFSPuNOPxAxcH8fGqE5m_hSlv3ZnRSNjbJS_K8vip9mPCoSvyYFMPd5fSI6MelqKgMStVy4JXI5oTYWr3FM7um2vVLkseJmaU/s320/1-synapsid+E.+cruciger+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHg5ECOHNbaP-X7qwXej9IPI8UkYROjz8WcTDCKdeOH_iISlJ4JJFPRf4Kpuvcv0Aq7pR1V4ikP3233823jnYlx2YbHM2DZyfuL-GInvDkPH_G5P_frISk8YVt0a_MnDIKBR4nDdsOmsu/s822/1-synapsid+E.+cruciger+preH-liam.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="822" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHg5ECOHNbaP-X7qwXej9IPI8UkYROjz8WcTDCKdeOH_iISlJ4JJFPRf4Kpuvcv0Aq7pR1V4ikP3233823jnYlx2YbHM2DZyfuL-GInvDkPH_G5P_frISk8YVt0a_MnDIKBR4nDdsOmsu/s320/1-synapsid+E.+cruciger+preH-liam.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: prehistorybyLiam</td></tr></tbody></table></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Again, the sail was most likely for thermoregulation, but with size, coloration and specific species symmetry, it may have also served as species recognition and/or mating. If we truly knew the sail coloration, then we could further produce plausible theories in what its intentional purposes were for. Such as in the illustrations just above, if the drab brown coloration is accurate most likely the sail would have been for thermoregulation. But as in the other illustration, if it was multicolored, then it most likely could have solely been for species recognition and mating purposes, or as both in recognition and thermoregulation.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOEvNM4rJAO207ApYpNrM9fYrTBGl_3fANglYl70PSMW2yidCggPQ7T1qc6Hq-1sKFAj5OI-7CfgTaT63__QcnJAZYM1tPVV7z_zcI53LoaFVtavhp0NmIHJcBMnQ2_4oXLrK0eo-1Ueo/s565/1-synapsid+E.+pogonias+skeletal.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="216" data-original-width="565" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOEvNM4rJAO207ApYpNrM9fYrTBGl_3fANglYl70PSMW2yidCggPQ7T1qc6Hq-1sKFAj5OI-7CfgTaT63__QcnJAZYM1tPVV7z_zcI53LoaFVtavhp0NmIHJcBMnQ2_4oXLrK0eo-1Ueo/s320/1-synapsid+E.+pogonias+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The two largest edaphosaur species, <i>E</i>. <i>cruciger</i> (crew-see-grr) at 3.5m/11.5ft and <i>E</i>. <i>pogonias</i> (poe-gohn-e-us) at 3.2m/10.5ft had modified their cervical and anterior thoracic spines into massive club-like processes.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DApd8sXI9Z-UrKJET9PQ5WSUMwfVLHTjtgsuqI9sjVHVPSHDB-zPQKnX_vOt-l8F8gFpaqf7HM9BLVo8rEP68j6Qj9sxae5ZZy6XqGdmf0fZK3iqQq1AnDPILKvB6a4e4emszk3dRHzY/s1024/1-synapsid+edaphosaurus+zdenek+burian.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DApd8sXI9Z-UrKJET9PQ5WSUMwfVLHTjtgsuqI9sjVHVPSHDB-zPQKnX_vOt-l8F8gFpaqf7HM9BLVo8rEP68j6Qj9sxae5ZZy6XqGdmf0fZK3iqQq1AnDPILKvB6a4e4emszk3dRHzY/s320/1-synapsid+edaphosaurus+zdenek+burian.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Zdenek Buriun <i>E. pogonius</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Sphenacodontia</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The sphenacodont clade becomes a bit more complex in that the basal stem-based groups physically vary from the later evolved groups. This base group constitutes a transitional evolutionary series from early pelycosaurs to ancestral therapsids in which is the lineage that led to mammals. Therefore, in making up the clade the class, <i>Sphenacodontia</i> includes all non-sphenacodontids, sphenacodontids and sphenacodontines that eventually lead to therapsids.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKoxw79taD2gRFGyCxwfr3JT9G__Y-1n73Ik7B9imWETDeoEzEkYlUu19tBxGQtP5YUwM5FBUkiIdg8idtmYgoV9Vr2ldxcMiNGZ-F6iW29KjUE-gxxX9rzx78ZEvP1sg5DVZSZu8yEuo/s572/1-syns+sphenacodontidae+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKoxw79taD2gRFGyCxwfr3JT9G__Y-1n73Ik7B9imWETDeoEzEkYlUu19tBxGQtP5YUwM5FBUkiIdg8idtmYgoV9Vr2ldxcMiNGZ-F6iW29KjUE-gxxX9rzx78ZEvP1sg5DVZSZu8yEuo/s320/1-syns+sphenacodontidae+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sphenacodontia</i> cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Sphenacodont group divisions are divided into the node-based superfamily clade of, <i>Sphenacodontoidea</i> while ending in the clade members of the family, <i>Sphenacodontidae</i>. This includes the subfamily clade of, <i>Sphenacodontinae</i> that consists of the more famed synapsid, Dimetrodon. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VRJVV8HJBdHP36XFoiD4sHnXuUW8rZcNOXXhCon547qkmO0g17_LYhpcSxKFB2CSNAXPMfBywTWGpM4EYAZ8_f1yHOXpCt8JAjraB36-CR8Z_J2w2KacS4Hygj2gq7GR4k8Vs9OH2V9L/s845/1-syn+sphenacomorpha+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="845" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VRJVV8HJBdHP36XFoiD4sHnXuUW8rZcNOXXhCon547qkmO0g17_LYhpcSxKFB2CSNAXPMfBywTWGpM4EYAZ8_f1yHOXpCt8JAjraB36-CR8Z_J2w2KacS4Hygj2gq7GR4k8Vs9OH2V9L/s320/1-syn+sphenacomorpha+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sphenacomorpha</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As well, there is the mirorder (disordered) clade of, <i>Sphenacomorpha</i> containing all sphenacodont species including those that are <i>incertae</i> <i>sedis</i> in that their broader relationships are currently unknown and in need of further definition and evaluation, or they may simply be an early sphenacodont speciation dead-end. Mirorder is a fairly new taxonomic ranking that is below grandorder (large) but above order. If you view a <i>Eupelycosauria</i> cladogram, it takes the place of <i>Sphenacomorpha</i> along with the previous synapsid groups we have discussed.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6t9mUejXRgdrxUljCnGrr0vEdeadHp3fRnAw9IPFNz1LlD3pkxkp0c3AJHnYEHWRgqqpY2HcOykk0inP7uSIDncNmtHxMcONaeV9yaGKPsSRQvALicpsRo8xRWMMTnEFZ_CvsrdQWSl_5/s450/1-synap+CLADOGRAM.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6t9mUejXRgdrxUljCnGrr0vEdeadHp3fRnAw9IPFNz1LlD3pkxkp0c3AJHnYEHWRgqqpY2HcOykk0inP7uSIDncNmtHxMcONaeV9yaGKPsSRQvALicpsRo8xRWMMTnEFZ_CvsrdQWSl_5/s320/1-synap+CLADOGRAM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">P/T <i>Synapsida</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The temporal range for sphenacodonts was from 305.9 mya to the present mammalian populations. They ranged from N. America and Europe. The major features shared by sphenacodonts is the thickening of the maxilla (upper jaw) bone to accommodate the large caniniform (front) teeth, while the premaxillary upper front teeth are set in deep sockets. This is a new feature as all other sister groups and more primitive synapsids had teeth that were set in shallow sockets. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SH-hFTKs7Z3HDDwBI9sh76XK4IBAxpO3zQB5WPQuYJ_6capzpURwZ21wK1WK9LllHde-bIQdUS6jYHTF9LditOVDaroRK60QJ8oTHcxsBhr52L_MYn_IePsf85UmlHnyp3xpFSLkyN4U/s500/1-syn+Skull-teeth+jackal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SH-hFTKs7Z3HDDwBI9sh76XK4IBAxpO3zQB5WPQuYJ_6capzpURwZ21wK1WK9LllHde-bIQdUS6jYHTF9LditOVDaroRK60QJ8oTHcxsBhr52L_MYn_IePsf85UmlHnyp3xpFSLkyN4U/s320/1-syn+Skull-teeth+jackal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Synapsid extant jackal teeth</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Deriving from the most primitive sphenacodonts, sphenacodontoids are defined to include the most recent common ancestor of the family, Sphenacodontidae and the therapsids along with therapsid descendants which includes mammals. The sphenacodontoids special characteristics were further specializations of skull proportions and dentition. Sphenacodontoids most likely evolved from the basal sphenacodont genus, Haptodus (Hap-toe-duss) through transitional stages. Haptodus along with its former species members shared many anatomical skull and skeletal features with sphenacodontids.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDmspYdvD4pAUuHQpxGkjAPLeOcmB4Mz_O91gvUDaLa4_mlaKcDsSmusY5SceFEbnXYNEs62fCsEXwM6HJ_TQGQKrGhtjE773c4oaEtP8mXqFfcZ-WUmax7koBR8SE0P5G5ocOYoA8kdF/s528/1-synapsid+H.gar-P.+saxonicus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="151" data-original-width="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDmspYdvD4pAUuHQpxGkjAPLeOcmB4Mz_O91gvUDaLa4_mlaKcDsSmusY5SceFEbnXYNEs62fCsEXwM6HJ_TQGQKrGhtjE773c4oaEtP8mXqFfcZ-WUmax7koBR8SE0P5G5ocOYoA8kdF/s320/1-synapsid+H.gar-P.+saxonicus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>H. garnettensis</i> skeletal</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rFBUniDFs_jetzmVqk-JBmjynm_f0reJDofn_86GKgYi3nkTQBvrZgW1_NFpYX9uviHpXPzf9rESioPhCToErv8FtHfPXhF5WIj0PaZ7FphEsNqyuoBiWRo2n_m3kbTbzunMyIZkFWbc/s802/1-synapsid+H.+garnettensis+DiBgd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rFBUniDFs_jetzmVqk-JBmjynm_f0reJDofn_86GKgYi3nkTQBvrZgW1_NFpYX9uviHpXPzf9rESioPhCToErv8FtHfPXhF5WIj0PaZ7FphEsNqyuoBiWRo2n_m3kbTbzunMyIZkFWbc/s320/1-synapsid+H.+garnettensis+DiBgd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: DiBgd <i>H.garnettensis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></i></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHe0AR9_PhP1aek7-TxOrf0FTDRAKT4hRtAi_llDJdmHnr7jtvA2YAHKKdz20dIz4jBNpJ_1LjCepWn2nK5hZYIeS0K3C9cQEyEib5hjLwSrS24p6gRxnie3CZWgQTIGkZPhgyGe4dWd0/s1280/1-synapsid+Pantelosaurus+fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="1280" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHe0AR9_PhP1aek7-TxOrf0FTDRAKT4hRtAi_llDJdmHnr7jtvA2YAHKKdz20dIz4jBNpJ_1LjCepWn2nK5hZYIeS0K3C9cQEyEib5hjLwSrS24p6gRxnie3CZWgQTIGkZPhgyGe4dWd0/w200-h113/1-synapsid+Pantelosaurus+fossil.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pantelosaurus</i> fossils</td></tr></tbody></table>The genus, <i>Haptodus</i>, once had eight species, but alas, after further scrutiny and analyses, all but one have been reassigned as either another unique monotypic genera and/or new genus species of sphenacodont. The last to go was <i>H</i>. <i>baylei</i> (bay-lee), now being listed as a <i>nomen</i> <i>dubium</i>. <i>Kenomagnathus</i> from ~ 305mya in what is now Kansas, USA was originally classified as another specimen of <i>Haptodus</i> <i>garnettensis</i>. Another former <i>Haptodus</i> relisted with remains coming from the ‘Döhlen Formation’ near Dresden, Germany is from about 299-296.4 mya. This sphenacodontid was formerly <i>Haptodus</i> <i>saxonicus</i>, but now has been renamed <i>Pantelosaurus</i> <i>saxonicus</i> (Pan-tell-o-saur-us=sax-un-uh-cus) with adults reaching a length of 1.5m/4.9ft. With a larger size and girth than the remaining holotypic <i>Haptodus</i>, it was likely a carnivore/insectivore. Its fossil is unique in having 6 individuals of various age stages suggesting they grouped together. The gist of it all is that all these specimens were very similar. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With a temporal range of 305-303.9 mya, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">H</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">garnettensis</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (gar-nuh-ten-sis) is the only </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Haptodus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> species left found in what is now Kansas, USA. It was small being around 70cm/27.6in. The term </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Haptodus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> means, ‘gentle/soft teeth’ because the teeth were small, but no less the irregularly sized teeth were sharp. With this dentition and smaller size, it likely was insectivorous.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqFVb60KZGYLXdHbAMZoa27nmxYcOuqfGwAes2mcPJ5A_0ecXEDNAG5U3IrIvy2Jv-Qzkgxi2tG1fw2uip9jzRycLujCU1Cb9eWKZI0X9uziQkVtTT7ge6yYK0r-QC1sI2WDs2r0s7nQt/s436/1-synapsid+H.+garnettensis+skull+Amson%252C+E.+-+Laurin%252C+M..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqFVb60KZGYLXdHbAMZoa27nmxYcOuqfGwAes2mcPJ5A_0ecXEDNAG5U3IrIvy2Jv-Qzkgxi2tG1fw2uip9jzRycLujCU1Cb9eWKZI0X9uziQkVtTT7ge6yYK0r-QC1sI2WDs2r0s7nQt/s320/1-synapsid+H.+garnettensis+skull+Amson%252C+E.+-+Laurin%252C+M..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>H. garnettensis</i> skull</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Haptodus</i> had anatomical structures of both the more primitive synapsids in ophiacodontids and varanopids while also carrying features of the more derived sphenacodonts and dimetrodons. One primitive trait was a more distal position of the foramen accommodating the perforating artery and the morphology of the first distal tarsal that was not found in later more derived sphenacodonts. The more evolved traits not found in the more primitive theropsids were the narrowing of the tarsus and the medial centrale (a hand bone) that had shifted to the medial side of the first distal tarsal. Nonetheless, <i>Haptodus</i> along with its former species members shared many anatomical skull and skeletal features with sphenacodontids.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3ulHO98UZlx6sDNTlk_5DkH_DEtO03_vgSBH5gzDOMr6cjM8-wyeBv6pwrYoZfAKCjV10EEWVnhhzHvgBHNlzsts1t9dCSL2aptrCz_u_ZtmUjFKhe7xyelasjD6VTbgfWszHQq9i7cz/s746/1-synapsid+ianthodon+DiBgd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3ulHO98UZlx6sDNTlk_5DkH_DEtO03_vgSBH5gzDOMr6cjM8-wyeBv6pwrYoZfAKCjV10EEWVnhhzHvgBHNlzsts1t9dCSL2aptrCz_u_ZtmUjFKhe7xyelasjD6VTbgfWszHQq9i7cz/s320/1-synapsid+ianthodon+DiBgd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: DiBgd <i>Ianthodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Currently, the most basal sphenacodont leading to sphenacodontoids is <i>Ianthodon</i> (I-an-tho-don) that had a temporal range of 305.9-303.4 mya living in what is now Kansas, USA. One of its two fossil sites was found in the same strata as <i>Haptodus</i> and <i>Pantelosaurus</i>. At ~ 10cm/3.9in, the <i>Ianthodon</i> skull was slightly more slender than the <i>Haptodus</i> skull, while possessing fewer teeth with 20 in the maxilla as opposed to 23 in <i>Haptodus</i> and 21 dentary teeth rather than the 24 in <i>Haptodus</i>.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptGsYG-xq2fnlFiLc8aP4rZxwWE4c6yb0nw_quO1AziQVZre3mgzYOmbDQVTHhimeN4XOFyMmdWmXBt2tTyht1Y8rfIYD_SzZFwFeST7vrDaURbFqhqh0rAlfW3yx8cQCV8iLV_u070DE/s560/1-synapsid+ianthodon+lft-rt+maxilla.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptGsYG-xq2fnlFiLc8aP4rZxwWE4c6yb0nw_quO1AziQVZre3mgzYOmbDQVTHhimeN4XOFyMmdWmXBt2tTyht1Y8rfIYD_SzZFwFeST7vrDaURbFqhqh0rAlfW3yx8cQCV8iLV_u070DE/s320/1-synapsid+ianthodon+lft-rt+maxilla.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ianthodon</i> (A) lft-(B) rt maxilla </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Through plicidentine studies and analysis (form of dentine showing sinuous lines of structure in a transverse section of the tooth) to evaluate teeth root depths, <i>Ianthodon</i> shows that, along with other basal sphenacodonts that a large basal clade, which includes the more derived edaphosaurids and shpenacosaurids had already begun evolving and diversifying during the latter part of the Pennsylvanian. The dentition rooting of <i>Ianthodon</i> had already begun showing ratios of root versus total tooth length smaller than 41%. This ratio is indicative of the more advanced sphenacodontids, except <i>Dimetrodon</i> <i>grandis</i> in which possessed longer tooth roots of 50-57% in relation to total tooth length.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YOXAC5Dd_fgw-xxI8ahT9pQs3B5idokrQ9N6mOysUBGZA9UnUpCHO-WH-0tAR_nEsQ-Ayt1hHOFAE-j6fq_K0DMVDvhyR_xAQcVVZMmb4I8yStJj5Pi0brA3NNEckgOsxvzp-yoUOVrp/s795/1-synapsid+cutleria.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="795" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YOXAC5Dd_fgw-xxI8ahT9pQs3B5idokrQ9N6mOysUBGZA9UnUpCHO-WH-0tAR_nEsQ-Ayt1hHOFAE-j6fq_K0DMVDvhyR_xAQcVVZMmb4I8yStJj5Pi0brA3NNEckgOsxvzp-yoUOVrp/s320/1-synapsid+cutleria.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: ДиБгд <i>Cutleria</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Cutleria</i> <i>wilmarthi</i>, (formerly Haptodus wilmarthi) is pronounced: Cut-ler-e-ah=wil-mar-thy and is a basal derived sphenacodontoid while a sister taxon to <i>Sphenacodontoidea</i>. But it as well, is one of the basal most sphenacodontid. In continuing, it also has many similarities with the other more primitive sphenacodonts, such as <i>Haptodus</i>. Its holotype fossil was discovered near Placerville, Colorado, USA in the ~286 mya portion of the ‘Cutler Formation.’ <i>Cutleria</i> in total length was ~ 1.1m/3.6ft. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFziyTM9Mtq26IArYjfkSVQCTufCbYOsO7-7ETHsyfoaeoBgsN4nrqF9KhKrOf-hKjck-9W-qfgKICRPTUQ6NhmVIgA4NNAEK2dscRtCxHQvPLY3J9by4vr4YCeaBKO35zNGDX9d5VNLOV/s630/1-syns+sphenacodontoid+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFziyTM9Mtq26IArYjfkSVQCTufCbYOsO7-7ETHsyfoaeoBgsN4nrqF9KhKrOf-hKjck-9W-qfgKICRPTUQ6NhmVIgA4NNAEK2dscRtCxHQvPLY3J9by4vr4YCeaBKO35zNGDX9d5VNLOV/s320/1-syns+sphenacodontoid+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sphenacodontoid Caldogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Sphenacodontidae</i>, is a paraphyletic family of smaller more primitive sphenacodontids along with the larger more derived sphenacodontines from the subfamily, <i>Sphenacodontinae</i>. The term means, ‘wedged point tooth family’ due to the fact that the massive jaws contained long canines, dagger-like incisors and cutting cheek teeth all wedged in together. The temporal range was from 300-272 mya with the earlier more primitive forms having lengths between .6-1m/2-3.3ft while the later more derived forms grew progressively larger reaching lengths of 3m/9.9ft. All sphenacodontids were carnivorous. Fossil finds have been found in N. America’s and Europe’s Permian equatorial Pangaea. The sister group to sphenacodontids is <i>Therapsida</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The basal genera sphenacodontids are: <i>Ctenorhachis</i> (Sten-o-rak-is), <i>Macromerion</i> (Mac-row-mare-e-un), <i>Secodontosaurus</i> (Sec-o-don-toe-sawr-us), <i>Steppesaurus</i> (Steps-sawr-us) and <i>Tappenosaurus</i> (Tap-pen-o-sawr-us). <i>Tappensaurus</i> was the largest of all sphenacodontids reaching a length of 5.5m/18ft, therefore was the largest apex predator during the Permian.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZsf_x2mWtuf6nnuegVHOhyphenhyphenjSV0KLIOUinDEiFIHIHSwGQeys0VHUQm_KZOLw5qEYCo8xCNMIDaE62nOc7j3A7SMInNd_nG7SMMkt_rJMUuONO8qSSPtaTo09qpkOUxbU3YgEXT9xZ-IJ1/s800/1-synapsid+Ctenorhachis+Smokeybjb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZsf_x2mWtuf6nnuegVHOhyphenhyphenjSV0KLIOUinDEiFIHIHSwGQeys0VHUQm_KZOLw5qEYCo8xCNMIDaE62nOc7j3A7SMInNd_nG7SMMkt_rJMUuONO8qSSPtaTo09qpkOUxbU3YgEXT9xZ-IJ1/s320/1-synapsid+Ctenorhachis+Smokeybjb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Smokeybjb <i>Ctenorhachis</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Although <i>Ctenorhachis</i>, did not have the famous sailfin that <i>Dimetrodon</i> <i>spp</i>. had, however, it did possess articulate vertebrae in having enlarged blade-like neural spines that formed a crest. In fact, the name <i>Ctenorhachis</i> is Greek meaning, ‘comb spine’. As well, the pelvis is almost identical to <i>Dimetrodon</i>. <i>Ctenorhachis</i> had deep narrow jaws holding dagger-like carnivorous teeth. Its fossil remains come from Texas and was laid down during the Artinskian Stage of the Permian 290.1-283.5 mya.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8INZkQ3RwMU-8WaWlSvm7jBQ0Ay7LNzAnTT58xwRfTNZJLzzn9Fp855MiW4YoOweTRfXRNNTV06rknEyidNjaWYz7s9iTmKbrz2xH1wZOKj-CmR8_mIO-wGaFVd4BqdAAGD56Bj2436ph/s1200/1-synapsid+Secodontosaurus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8INZkQ3RwMU-8WaWlSvm7jBQ0Ay7LNzAnTT58xwRfTNZJLzzn9Fp855MiW4YoOweTRfXRNNTV06rknEyidNjaWYz7s9iTmKbrz2xH1wZOKj-CmR8_mIO-wGaFVd4BqdAAGD56Bj2436ph/s320/1-synapsid+Secodontosaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Masato Hattori <i>Secodontosaurus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Up to 2.7m/8.9ft in total length, <i>Secodontosaurus</i> (Sah-ko-don-toe-sawr-us) is the only basal sphenacodontid that had a sailfin, although it is not known whether <i>Macromerion</i> had one or not as its Czech Republic fossil was incomplete in evidence. Occurring between 285-272 mya, <i>Secodontosaurus</i> fossil remains were found in the ‘Arroyo Formation’ and ‘Belle Plains Formation’ of Texas. The name means ‘cutting tooth lizard’. Even though it is a basal sphenacodontid, <i>Secodontosaurus</i> shares a more recent common ancestor with the sphenacodontine, <i>Dimetrodon</i> than do two other sphenacodontines in, <i>Ctenospodylus</i> and <i>Sphenacodon</i>. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx63xc6Qg_i_pWXiNn8veGZFu1lTn2R4XI2Ev3Yz9eFqF5GBhwQDG1OLmIwZe00OCdG4KJLUCdgFQ8nhwVGjfeos11gpIf8hY4iEHCaTJGEb3J-f2HIhdNPmezVlLSacCa7VlnuBBdOft-/s983/1-synapsid+Secodontosaurus+fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="983" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx63xc6Qg_i_pWXiNn8veGZFu1lTn2R4XI2Ev3Yz9eFqF5GBhwQDG1OLmIwZe00OCdG4KJLUCdgFQ8nhwVGjfeos11gpIf8hY4iEHCaTJGEb3J-f2HIhdNPmezVlLSacCa7VlnuBBdOft-/s320/1-synapsid+Secodontosaurus+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Secodontosaurus</i> fossilized skull</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Secodontosaurus</i>’ skull was different than most sphenacodontids in that the jaws were elongated and tapered with the mouth possessing prominent canine-like teeth in the front (known as caniniforms) with smaller slicing teeth in the back of the jaws. The reason for this is twofold: either it filled a terrestrial niche in capturing smaller prey that hid in rock crevices or in burrows, or it filled an aquatic niche in frequenting shallow waters to trap and snag fish with its long snout and sharp teeth.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qVOSpgSjzy_hXdzW65q3xtELSReL-oZtWt6vYt5CYwUDg1HPG8ZV_pi9J0BaipCtsyLBfxxQADGCPzx3E-ljsCIAmx68mXqKA8qy-lzaJFEqtL0LC8VXiTlT3Id2qFvDr__6fbrRZGtL/s1600/1-synapsid+secodontosaurus-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="910" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qVOSpgSjzy_hXdzW65q3xtELSReL-oZtWt6vYt5CYwUDg1HPG8ZV_pi9J0BaipCtsyLBfxxQADGCPzx3E-ljsCIAmx68mXqKA8qy-lzaJFEqtL0LC8VXiTlT3Id2qFvDr__6fbrRZGtL/s320/1-synapsid+secodontosaurus-2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Vitor Silva <i>Secodontosaurus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The sphenacodontines in the subfamily, <i>Sphenacodontinae</i> were the most derived sphenacodontids, having straightened legs more upright beneath the body. With five genera in this subfamily, they were: <i>Cryptovenator</i> (Krip-toe-vah-nay-tor) from 300 mya, <i>Ctenospondylus</i> (Sten-o-spawn-dill-us) from 290.1-279.5 mya, <i>Dimetrodon</i> (Dye-me-tro-don) from 280-260 mya; <i>Neosaurus</i> (Nee-o-sawr-us) from ~ 290 mya and <i>Sphenacodon</i> (Sfee-nac-o-don) from 300-280 mya.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEC9Shed0Ug2-BB_4qssujqALG-S7Vbbqu0LMJ2_EgAqF2cJxF_EdH9DPhUionEfFzfHbSN2fy_xZRKY58RtkKp5CweUFxy6R59IXs2ZyN-O3k7n3L3IJl5B_hw2B9MH-7v7Ttl0KF5Urr/s650/1-synapsid+cryptovenator.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEC9Shed0Ug2-BB_4qssujqALG-S7Vbbqu0LMJ2_EgAqF2cJxF_EdH9DPhUionEfFzfHbSN2fy_xZRKY58RtkKp5CweUFxy6R59IXs2ZyN-O3k7n3L3IJl5B_hw2B9MH-7v7Ttl0KF5Urr/s320/1-synapsid+cryptovenator.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: J. Schindler <i>Cryptovenator</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Along with <i>Cryptovenator</i>, <i>Ctenospondylus</i> and possibly <i>Neosaurus</i>, <i>Sphencodon</i> had more of a raised blade-like neural spine crest other than the large neural spine sailfins like the <i>Dimetrodon</i> <i>spp</i>. sported. These four ranged in size from 2-3m/6.6-9.9ft in length. Except for the neosaur fossil, with its teardrop shaped teeth, in which came from the ‘La Serre Horst’ of the Jura region in France, the three other crested sphenacodontines came from the USA.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">These four sphenacodontines lived in the remaining Carboniferous wooded swamplands of the Early Permian Euramerica Pangaea supercontinent until the swamps dried up during the latter half of the Permian, in which they then became extinct. They all had long tails and short legs with the hind limbs shortest making the body a bit squatty. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UOjYdL1cgsGHyMj0G2W5qnzsLPn_IYKCZoFgeVPQaN1Mm3U3h8o6dSCQg39jiBJGMDem-jpBLodHBcWF_rbRfdmT98etXbzxQRrrJ6lmGCQMwaPa-7TVXVml5ZfBlv5K6oBBNsBwtuUn/s2000/1-synapsid+sphenacodon+james+kuether.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UOjYdL1cgsGHyMj0G2W5qnzsLPn_IYKCZoFgeVPQaN1Mm3U3h8o6dSCQg39jiBJGMDem-jpBLodHBcWF_rbRfdmT98etXbzxQRrrJ6lmGCQMwaPa-7TVXVml5ZfBlv5K6oBBNsBwtuUn/s320/1-synapsid+sphenacodon+james+kuether.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: James Kuether <i>Sphenacodon</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Sphenacodon</i>, had a temporal range of 296.4-280 mya with its fossil remains coming from the USA. There are currently two species in: <i>S</i>. <i>ferocior</i> (fuh-row-c-or) and <i>S</i>. <i>ferox</i> (feh-rox), which both ranged in what is now, New Mexico, while in addition, <i>S</i>. <i>ferocior</i> fossil remains having also been found near the Utah/Arizona border. Both species lived during the same time from 296.4 mya, but where <i>S</i>. <i>ferox</i> died out by 295 mya, <i>S</i>. <i>ferocior</i> did not go extinct until 268 mya.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXj2cX4QDrdKRqPRSpqngGk-NHT-ZhuP4vMbfvQuLe91QQeDjuXAcVbX2E2mp88cs3Faeum0X_si3u42dJBbG-Mn_ipENb1Akp6iNSjx-IrVVXnSlYKPOCPsqQAApRhadtdIdmMiAaO5_B/s1829/1-synapsid+s.+ferox-ferocir+%25D0%2591%25D0%25BE%25D0%25B3%25D0%25B4%25D0%25B0%25D0%25BD%25D0%25BE%25D0%25B2+dmitrchel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="1829" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXj2cX4QDrdKRqPRSpqngGk-NHT-ZhuP4vMbfvQuLe91QQeDjuXAcVbX2E2mp88cs3Faeum0X_si3u42dJBbG-Mn_ipENb1Akp6iNSjx-IrVVXnSlYKPOCPsqQAApRhadtdIdmMiAaO5_B/s320/1-synapsid+s.+ferox-ferocir+%25D0%2591%25D0%25BE%25D0%25B3%25D0%25B4%25D0%25B0%25D0%25BD%25D0%25BE%25D0%25B2+dmitrchel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: dmitrchel Lft-<i>S. ferox</i> Rt-<i>S. ferocir</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Like <i>Dimetrodon</i>, <i>Sphenacodon</i> had powerful jaw muscles and strong epaxial (positioned on dorsal side of an axis) muscles along the base of the raised neural spines that aided in stiffening and strengthening the backbone for walking and for lunging at prey by restricting side-to-side flexing motion. These epaxial muscles, being dorsally arranged were supportively attached to the enlarged neural spines giving the ability to lash out with powerful brute force strikes toward prey or foe. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGANrNRkM4HB0QlK6GaPw7H-h2ADyX0UnRpQa7JZLLmxEuCfgIA4HRPsRHhBqNGZJHJTHrbd7RycaXizP0JWJcV8vz_fqiDBRBO3od2H3syE8sy9Y7B_0_MJxEM_RSqUcUkR6q8MX3mQ_u/s1280/1-syns+S_ferox+skeletal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGANrNRkM4HB0QlK6GaPw7H-h2ADyX0UnRpQa7JZLLmxEuCfgIA4HRPsRHhBqNGZJHJTHrbd7RycaXizP0JWJcV8vz_fqiDBRBO3od2H3syE8sy9Y7B_0_MJxEM_RSqUcUkR6q8MX3mQ_u/s320/1-syns+S_ferox+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>S. ferox</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With typical sphenacodontine dentition of sharp pointed incisors, large stabbing caninforms and smaller slicing postcaninforms (back teeth), <i>Sphenacodon</i> could easily capture prey with the front teeth, then shear the flesh with the rear teeth in cutting the clumps into smaller swallowing lump sizes. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XZf3QsrtuBxu2HNeRpUBkNHaXPZho_L4HDrbEsT6WtSEuPpc3UcOtpOrqkqZ6B6p-O9i3Ssh8XIsXPFrBSVGHkO0h3EpbfWTJK_ZTAYbQ3wX0ZbHyfvrKynVNTrFxKhyphenhyphenT1H8Ik55CSAy/s1500/1-syn+dimetrodon+mark+stevenson.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XZf3QsrtuBxu2HNeRpUBkNHaXPZho_L4HDrbEsT6WtSEuPpc3UcOtpOrqkqZ6B6p-O9i3Ssh8XIsXPFrBSVGHkO0h3EpbfWTJK_ZTAYbQ3wX0ZbHyfvrKynVNTrFxKhyphenhyphenT1H8Ik55CSAy/s320/1-syn+dimetrodon+mark+stevenson.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Stevenson <i>Dimetrodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The famed sphenacodontine, <i>Dimetrodon</i> genus has always been confused in being a dinosaur. I recall as but a child, purchasing a bag of dinosaurs having <i>Dimetrodon</i> always in it. In all actuality <i>T</i>. <i>rex</i> is closer in relations to birds than to <i>Dimetrodon</i>, while <i>Dimetrodon</i> as an evolutionary cousin is nestled snugly in the tree along with humans. In the scheme of nature, dimetrodons occurred 50 million years earlier than the first dinosaur appearance, whereas its inherited legacy continued on down the synapsid line as a distant relative to <i>Homo</i> <i>sapiens</i>. <i>Dimetrodon</i> infers: ‘two measures tooth’.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">One of the transitional features of Dimetrodon is the reflected lamina, which is a ridge in the back of the jaw. It’s found on the articular bone connected to the quadrate bone of the skull forming the jaw joint. In latter mammals, the articular and quadrate separated from the jaw joint while the articular developed into the malleus bone of the middle ear. For all current living mammals, including humans, this same reflected lamina became part of a ring called the tympanic annulus that supports the ear drum.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Another trait concerning endotherms is their capability of generating internal heat. Although it was small when compared to later more derived synapsids, dimetrodons possessed nasoturbinals which are ridges on the inner surface of the nasal cavity of the skull. Nasoturbinals in dimetrodons most likely supported cartilage increasing the area of the olfactory epithelium; the layer that detected odors. For later synapsids, the nasoturbinals increased in size that supported mucous membranes in moistening and warming inhaled air. This technique is evident in extant endothermic animals; thus, but yet another transitional feature.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0oPUH6MdLjv7ALLbGyBMIUzCqUxxXPLLmY78daIUj88iMHLl2KQq2hL1TW_1EhpyNhX9HwH-P_pw3bXo_yLqAA9gvuQNNrWU6OhL7OMcC4_AlfJXE7R7bm8Jeqq7MPK34Qgw5qZLHBe4/s2048/1-syn+Dimetrodon+skull.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0oPUH6MdLjv7ALLbGyBMIUzCqUxxXPLLmY78daIUj88iMHLl2KQq2hL1TW_1EhpyNhX9HwH-P_pw3bXo_yLqAA9gvuQNNrWU6OhL7OMcC4_AlfJXE7R7bm8Jeqq7MPK34Qgw5qZLHBe4/s320/1-syn+Dimetrodon+skull.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dimetrodon</i> skull fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The tail possessing 50 vertebrae was as long as the body, while the skull of <i>Dimetrodon</i> species was tall, compressed laterally and slightly arched. Consisting of canines and pairs of caniniforms, the jaws were filled with very large teeth of varying sizes that protruded out of the closed mouth. The teeth were rooted in dentary bone, a precursor to mammalian dentition. The teeth were widest at the midsection giving the appearance of a teardrop just like in <i>Neosaurus</i>. <i>Dimetrodon</i> species were strictly carnivorous consuming tetrapods up to their size with the smaller species possibly dieting as a piscivore in dining on fish.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdjzFkCaQJQXoLDVhZmU1yJKhOzrU_a1EDe3INhAlOMvN_AfgiRnrSpSbHqEjPMFCGnhYqadboeJDvd7RlCg4qeVZyBqhTxUrvdjIPKBs3QDzJsx0_kLdLZBn6q3Xi69VoRkHFG5ho2oe/s2560/1-synap+Dimetrodon_species+DiBgd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1228" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdjzFkCaQJQXoLDVhZmU1yJKhOzrU_a1EDe3INhAlOMvN_AfgiRnrSpSbHqEjPMFCGnhYqadboeJDvd7RlCg4qeVZyBqhTxUrvdjIPKBs3QDzJsx0_kLdLZBn6q3Xi69VoRkHFG5ho2oe/s320/1-synap+Dimetrodon_species+DiBgd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: DiBgd <i>Dimetrodon</i> <i>spp</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Most dimetrodons ranged in size between 1.7-3.8 m/6-12.5ft with the smallest in D. teutonis at 60cm/24in to the largest in <i>D</i>. <i>angelensis</i> at 4m/13.1ft. Species of <i>Dimetrodon</i> radiated into the arid environs of the Permian able to withstand the drier and hotter conditions and with a temporal range of 295-272 mya, became the apex predator over all of the Permian Period. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The neural spine sail in <i>Dimetrodon</i> species has been determined (through engineered computer generated analyses) that it was efficient enough in surface area versus body mass to release excess heat during daily hours, but also allowing <i>Dimetrodon</i> to retain a higher body temperature at night. The sail also regulated body temperature during different seasons, concluding that the sail was beneficial for capturing and releasing heat at all times in the year. This ability made <i>Dimetrodon</i> poikilothermic, albeit most likely at a lower internal body temperature than most homeotherms. Some current ectotherms remain in temperature-constant environments to the point that they are actually able to maintain a constant internal temperature as if being homeothermic. It is this distinction that often makes the term poikilotherm more useful than strictly stating an animal as being ectothermic.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFMbblhJxPE_4qDc7aLvI1wn7lW0lPsM_ofH_UPecC23Uc3ieeV6W0nST5_-UQWXJiumqhz5RGpH4UdVJIONBmKkEx8QZdt7E8SvFP6R2ke_5nt8V6VbL4ET1qAsF_nMKHA_w7_Cz3tEt/s998/1-synapsid+dimetrodon+sail+thermoreg.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="998" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFMbblhJxPE_4qDc7aLvI1wn7lW0lPsM_ofH_UPecC23Uc3ieeV6W0nST5_-UQWXJiumqhz5RGpH4UdVJIONBmKkEx8QZdt7E8SvFP6R2ke_5nt8V6VbL4ET1qAsF_nMKHA_w7_Cz3tEt/s320/1-synapsid+dimetrodon+sail+thermoreg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dimetrodon</i> sail thermoregulation</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As pointed out earlier, other animal species supported neural spine sailfins, even the 1m/3.3ft temnospondyl amphibian, <i>Platyhystrix</i> <i>rugosus</i> sported one. Its fossils have been found in the same Permian strata as sail-finned pelycosaur species, so it just might have convergently evolved a sailfin for the same environmental reasons. Although it was terrestrial as an adult it could’ve been semiaquatic lying in shallow water with the body and lower head submerged waiting for aquatic prey as the exposed sailfin to sun rays would’ve soaked up heat.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodIuo9lTL56pf4rCEqOrYd5vXG1Y7WceP0_c3UjCnnQrhQIg56XyrDJS5zWA_kbpRV5av96wdxo3-e6E5ljkoLqu6-CiD4bjVeZdBmxqEl_RO0D2a5HAEthR3r0vtyGYTMYueB6LE_nkH/s1200/1-syn+platyhytrix+mark+witton.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodIuo9lTL56pf4rCEqOrYd5vXG1Y7WceP0_c3UjCnnQrhQIg56XyrDJS5zWA_kbpRV5av96wdxo3-e6E5ljkoLqu6-CiD4bjVeZdBmxqEl_RO0D2a5HAEthR3r0vtyGYTMYueB6LE_nkH/s320/1-syn+platyhytrix+mark+witton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton <i>Platyhytrix</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With the exception of <i>D</i>. <i>borealis</i> found in Canada’s Prince Edward Island and <i>D</i>. <i>teutonis</i> from Germany, all other dimetrodons were discovered in the USA. Also, of those from the United States, except for <i>D</i>. <i>occidentalis</i> from Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, all the other dimetrodon fossils were found in the ferric oxide rich sandstones in the, ‘Red Beds’ of Texas and Oklahoma. In the <i>Dimetrodon</i> genus, there are currently 14 species and they are in alphabetical order: <i>D</i>. <i>angelensis</i>, <i>D</i>. <i>borealis</i>, <i>D</i>. <i>booneorum</i>, <i>D</i>. <i>dollovianus</i>, <i>D</i>. <i>gigahomogenes</i>, <i>D</i>. <i>grandis</i>, <i>D</i>. <i>kempae</i>, <i>D</i>. <i>limbatus</i>, <i>D</i>. <i>loomisi</i>, <i>D</i>. <i>macrospondylus</i>, <i>D</i>. <i>milleri</i>, <i>D</i>. <i>natalis</i>, <i>D</i>. <i>occidentalis</i> and <i>D</i>. <i>teutonis</i>.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GaIrWoqyRgFm7AF_eWQ0dFxxIdNZql3R7fkY67azc6xbZi6BwuRMW4wkkJ6AYZowmeX_D7zZI0yWY1SFSA0ITY_CYYikwVWePG62jJGR9ViNtfKYo3Vde5oTGLwbaaF1YRjXtcsGdWRm/s798/1-synap+dimetrodon+grandis+max+bellomio.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="798" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GaIrWoqyRgFm7AF_eWQ0dFxxIdNZql3R7fkY67azc6xbZi6BwuRMW4wkkJ6AYZowmeX_D7zZI0yWY1SFSA0ITY_CYYikwVWePG62jJGR9ViNtfKYo3Vde5oTGLwbaaF1YRjXtcsGdWRm/s320/1-synap+dimetrodon+grandis+max+bellomio.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Max Bellomio <i>D. grandis</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>D</i>. <i>grandis</i> and other larger more derived dimetrodons gave out one nasty bite. Older and smaller dimetrodons like, <i>D</i>. <i>milleri</i> had teeth with straight cutting edges that pierced and cut, but wasn’t particularly good at slicing. Later, as the more derived, <i>D</i>. <i>limbatus</i> came along, the teeth had evolved small serrations in the enamel giving saw-like dentition. By the time <i>D</i>. <i>grandis</i> arrived on the scene, the teeth had further evolved prominent denticles along the slicing surface creating a serrated edge that predatory dinosaurs would mimic 40 million years later. This bite force would tear into flesh and shred meat. Evolving tooth structure occurred without any significant evolution in skull morphology, indicating changes in feeding style and trophic interactions.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEzRVAczGRSQj8QvAw4nBAKXlGPtJDzkTYNrt_3RzOBSigKmUS7Hq1c9A93oTh6awVf4WG46nSpSfegNSKrPSbP8cz3LeyK6XuNSXhVwd8lJxeLPHYVGp764AmwFXqBr-UaqBz1qvbT0N/s677/1-synap+D.+grandis+tooth.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="583" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEzRVAczGRSQj8QvAw4nBAKXlGPtJDzkTYNrt_3RzOBSigKmUS7Hq1c9A93oTh6awVf4WG46nSpSfegNSKrPSbP8cz3LeyK6XuNSXhVwd8lJxeLPHYVGp764AmwFXqBr-UaqBz1qvbT0N/s320/1-synap+D.+grandis+tooth.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>D. grandis</i> tooth</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The actual sailfin symmetry of dimetrodons has been debated for a while. Some illustrations have the sail really curved while others express it in a more angular fashion. Also, some paleo-artists have the tips of the spines tuck inside the sail while some have the tips protruding outside the sail. We do know the neural spines were mostly covered by skin membrane as fossil finds show some broken spines that had healed. For this to have occurred, the broken spine had to be held in place. Also the tips of the spines were frequently bent or at times completely broken off suggesting the spine tip protruded out of the membrane sail. So, with this information and fossil evidence of </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">D</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">grandis</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> paleo-artist, Scott Hartman came up with the skeletal anatomy found below. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-CWh3oC2MfYLeXbOrT7YISmad6ko09CQKy-g05pyYWtpUDa-IQ7qgAmT0zDVk7RIszS47epHtkf2uhPt1gdgic-x7AMZq5LpwpUA-aW5YaZWLtaj3-hypg9wEh5wl7IbiUP_6Bv31lLc/s720/1-synap+D.+grandis+skeletal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-CWh3oC2MfYLeXbOrT7YISmad6ko09CQKy-g05pyYWtpUDa-IQ7qgAmT0zDVk7RIszS47epHtkf2uhPt1gdgic-x7AMZq5LpwpUA-aW5YaZWLtaj3-hypg9wEh5wl7IbiUP_6Bv31lLc/s320/1-synap+D.+grandis+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Scott Hartman <i>D. grandis</i> skeletal</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkryFEhX38kYfxx0ReNY8hogbemDKQOSWtI7o07Zx096F0E16JRZ7hxwOuXdEk8APdfbZJG-bg5CN4bCfdzQNhpNa0A5rn2wEfuf4yCRQC_CuhJaVYKF97ZStrKrjuofo9XKEhYVgy2oMD/s554/1-synap+edaphosaurus-dimetrodon+skulls.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkryFEhX38kYfxx0ReNY8hogbemDKQOSWtI7o07Zx096F0E16JRZ7hxwOuXdEk8APdfbZJG-bg5CN4bCfdzQNhpNa0A5rn2wEfuf4yCRQC_CuhJaVYKF97ZStrKrjuofo9XKEhYVgy2oMD/s320/1-synap+edaphosaurus-dimetrodon+skulls.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edaphosaurid-Dimetrodon skull comparison </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Casesauria</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">: </span></span></div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSbrCLz-f0sL7juQ3rc4WV3B4a95h0hj8r5wFUHefsqQrz6bTrMgEydKzB-5hOuOE8eXvKwfgTH361GhpJ0R44iVkIMnEu39cle07PIj6nfMJC8uR7n107DBpJDtAC7nZI8d464H8I6Dy/s977/1-syn+caseasauria+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="977" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSbrCLz-f0sL7juQ3rc4WV3B4a95h0hj8r5wFUHefsqQrz6bTrMgEydKzB-5hOuOE8eXvKwfgTH361GhpJ0R44iVkIMnEu39cle07PIj6nfMJC8uR7n107DBpJDtAC7nZI8d464H8I6Dy/s320/1-syn+caseasauria+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caseasaurian Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">If you might recall previous comments under <i>Pelycosauria</i>, except for caseasaurs, all synapsids are lumped together under the order: <i>Eupelycosauria</i>. However, I prefer utilizing nomenclature under the older form of primitive synapsids being classified under <i>Pelycosauria</i>, while the more derived synapsids are classified under <i>Therapsida</i>, which eventually leads to species under Mammalia. I feel that this gives more credence to caseasaurs as they have earned the rights. It is true that caseasaurs left no lineage and all became extinct leaving no heir apparent descendants. Therefore, they are a dead-end and did not contribute to the eventual mammalian group. But, caseids were one of the first tetrapodal terrestrial herbivores filling important niches for themselves and the floral biomes as well as for carnivores as a food resource. So, maybe <i>Caseasauria</i> (Kazz-e-ah-sawr-e-ah) and <i>Eupelycosauria</i> (U-pale-e-ko-sawr-e-ah) are the two main trending clades of early synapsids, nonetheless I’m listing them with the rest of the pelycosaurs under <i>Pelycosauria</i> as a sister group to all other pelycosaurs.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNCyDdfXy26ZTMWQN_ZC_JgvGHDu69bNAlf5Nswto3e9YqnzBF1GmXTKQQ_Y0VB-cdXT9oPY9I0G5F0FEZhZN0_EYWAFed9YPJ4QbITGUkAJBDf2SSbV6gnfqr-flhb9S91_efPnf0y35/s1000/1-synapsid+Caseasauria_NT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNCyDdfXy26ZTMWQN_ZC_JgvGHDu69bNAlf5Nswto3e9YqnzBF1GmXTKQQ_Y0VB-cdXT9oPY9I0G5F0FEZhZN0_EYWAFed9YPJ4QbITGUkAJBDf2SSbV6gnfqr-flhb9S91_efPnf0y35/s320/1-synapsid+Caseasauria_NT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Caseasauria spp</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There are numerous features the caseasaurs share with other pelycosaurs, which the more derived therapsids didn’t retain. Some of these anatomical features are: a relatively small temporal fenestra, the absence of canine teeth in the upper and lower jaws in most caseasaurs, while the mandible exhibits no reflected lamina of the angular bone. For the most part, with barrel-shaped ribs the body was squat and short held up by relatively short but heavily built limbs which were attached to massive bone girdles. This suggests that the stride was sprawling and lumbering. The whole large body arrangement supported in comparison a tiny head. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Caseasaur fossils have only been found in the Late Carboniferous to Mid-Late Permian Periods in having a temporal range of 300-254 mya. Although they were common during the Early Permian, it appears that the caseasaur decline and eventual extinction was due to being outcompeted by the more derived herbivorous therapsids and the carnivorous theriodont therapsids that may have hunted in packs. The bulk of caseasaurs were terrestrial herbivores, but some may have been omnivores, while a few may have been semiaquatic herbivores. The earliest ones, the eothyrids, were insectivores, or maybe even omnivores. Herbivorous caseasaurs were able to extract plant nutrients from high fibrous plants of the drying climes due to the large ribcages making room for an extensive digestive system to breakdown cellulose. All caseasaurs shared a morphological specialized feature of the snout and its external nares (nostrils).</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Caseasauria</i> is composed of the basal genus, <i>Eocasea</i> (E-oh-cass-e-ah); the primitive family, <i>Eothyrididae</i> (E-o-thy-ride-uh-day) with three genera; and the family, <i>Caseidae</i> (Case-e-day) with 16 genera and 22 species. Caseasaur fossils come from the USA (primarily from Texas), Southern France, Germany, the ‘Cala del Vino Formation’ of NW Sardinia, European Russia and with one from Poland. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0sWpcV9XPA1xBql9wtoJpecWnrAk4gIPzJTFHLU8zcig-xQlXP9-h82VgxoAtNs55xEZdV4mBVxVxCh4aY9awJtNhM2rW3Sq9Ql2w63rrJwopB70r9A8kBseJfCBEXW57FhyphenhyphenxHGGZkE5/s1280/1-synapsid+eocasea+Danielle+Dufault.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0sWpcV9XPA1xBql9wtoJpecWnrAk4gIPzJTFHLU8zcig-xQlXP9-h82VgxoAtNs55xEZdV4mBVxVxCh4aY9awJtNhM2rW3Sq9Ql2w63rrJwopB70r9A8kBseJfCBEXW57FhyphenhyphenxHGGZkE5/s320/1-synapsid+eocasea+Danielle+Dufault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Danielle Dufault <i>Eocasea</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The evolving and herbivorous adaptation of caseasaurs actually originates from a carnivorous synapsid 300 mya in, <i>Eocasea</i> (E-oh-cass-e-ah). This 20cm/7.9in very primitive caseasaur with simple tubular cone-shaped teeth dieted on insects and small vertebrates. After bifurcating ~315 mya, in whether mentioning theropsids or sauropsids,<i> Eocasea</i> represents, thus far, the earliest known transition from an amniote carnivory diet to an herbivory one. Once the ability to feed on plants occurred, the threshold of <i>Eocasea</i> going from a carnivorous to herbivorous diet evolved several times throughout synapsid evolution; even within the lifespan of a caseasaur species in, <i>Martensius</i> that will be discussed later. In fact, theropsids (synapsids) achieved this dieting conversion 30 million years before sauropsids (reptiles) managed to achieve the conversion. The ecological terrestrial system that evolved from this was a balanced few predator to numerous prey ratio. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRwuAYgURx9C5NCwSy29irTnA3PDYjHX4mK2IqjP-3iVUg7vtY69JVuZ_c4XUzRU1bqIKBqgaxeZFENSKJkliFYZADh-lhoYfc8wfQv_DuCkjP-NWqfcFzSueVZz4Rm7f_nDz2plg44Ij/s609/1-synapsid+eocasea+Robert+R.+Reisz%252C+J%25C3%25B6rg+Fr%25C3%25B6bisch.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="609" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRwuAYgURx9C5NCwSy29irTnA3PDYjHX4mK2IqjP-3iVUg7vtY69JVuZ_c4XUzRU1bqIKBqgaxeZFENSKJkliFYZADh-lhoYfc8wfQv_DuCkjP-NWqfcFzSueVZz4Rm7f_nDz2plg44Ij/s320/1-synapsid+eocasea+Robert+R.+Reisz%252C+J%25C3%25B6rg+Fr%25C3%25B6bisch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: R. R. Reisz/Jörg Fröbisch <i>Eocasea</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Eocasea</i> fossil remains come from the Late Pennsylvanian in what is now the ‘Calhoun Shale’ stratum of Kansas, USA. The fossil find provides unequivocal caseasaur physiological traits such as: a large lateral temporal fenestra bordered by a posteroventrally (situated posteriorly and ventrally) narrow squamosal, a large postorbital with a wide dorsal surface contributing significantly to the skull region and the posterolateral (posteriorly situated and positioned laterally) wing of the parietal bone being broad carrying a large and wide supratemporal (upper portion of temporal skull bone) in a shallow groove on its dorsal surface. In being a primitive basal caseasaur, it still retained reptilian features such as the conical teeth whereas more derived caseasaurs possessed leaf-shaped teeth for shearing plant material. Also, it didn’t have the barrel-shaped ribcage, but more of the slender reptilian styled ribcage. <i>Eocasea</i> means, ‘dawn casea’ due to its very close relations to <i>Casea</i> <i>spp</i>. as evidenced in its sacral and pelvic girdle elements.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Eothyrididae</i> includes the three primitive caseasaur genera in: <i>Eothyris</i> (E-oh-thy-riss) with a temporal range from ~ 290.1-283.5 mya; <i>Oedaleops</i> (Add-dal-e-ops) with a temporal range from ~ 293-290.1 mya and <i>Vaughnictis</i> (Von-nic-tiss) with a temporal range of ~ 296.4 mya. <i>Eothyris</i> means: ‘dawn opening’, while <i>Oedaleops</i> means: ‘swollen head’ and <i>Vaughnictis</i> is named after the late paleontologist, Peter Vaughn who first described it in 1965. Eothyridid fossils are from the USA Permian in Texas and New Mexico. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVS6e_LlKKoHlJ5jMtGY7cac0iSZjqPZdGTjQe1aaCYFeuOyDgCh5TjuDOBu45khPvc__vmxlLLXNbw2b2NR2Nxuz9NQk7v2KNGMRHTJ8EAPhNA-GV_UkTUSVcz_E3G9DfK0WxfDI_oUi/s800/1-synapsid+Eothyris_Nobu+Tamura.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVS6e_LlKKoHlJ5jMtGY7cac0iSZjqPZdGTjQe1aaCYFeuOyDgCh5TjuDOBu45khPvc__vmxlLLXNbw2b2NR2Nxuz9NQk7v2KNGMRHTJ8EAPhNA-GV_UkTUSVcz_E3G9DfK0WxfDI_oUi/s320/1-synapsid+Eothyris_Nobu+Tamura.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Eothyris</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">All three eothyridids were small being anywhere between < 1m/<3.3ft in total length with <i>Eothyris</i> in snout to vent at 30cm/11.9in, Oedalops at 25cm/9.8in and <i>Vaughnictis</i> at 0.7m/2.3ft snout to vent. Eothyridid skulls were no more than 6cm/2.4in with <i>Eothyris</i>’ and <i>Oedalops</i>’ skulls broadened much like the more derived caseasaurids, while the <i>Vaughnictis</i> skull was more slender tapering to the snout. However, all the skulls were not domed, but depressed.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEjzWrmigaRpyQXUZTy7OruA3SpcQygjumpT2Qds2kJjdrJehjzjGE3W9do5k94M_Bm_ALUuquwpXitp0KNHH5ftNNaOW27ZJ9dy1wFjixi1pgvGwUyFNsxzyy8WiuSn6H9aivqfuRTEv/s944/1-synapsid+oedaleops+MC.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="944" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEjzWrmigaRpyQXUZTy7OruA3SpcQygjumpT2Qds2kJjdrJehjzjGE3W9do5k94M_Bm_ALUuquwpXitp0KNHH5ftNNaOW27ZJ9dy1wFjixi1pgvGwUyFNsxzyy8WiuSn6H9aivqfuRTEv/s320/1-synapsid+oedaleops+MC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton <i>Oedalops</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The family, <i>Eothyrididae</i> is greatly supported, with nine similar dental and cranial features. Eothyridid dentition consisted of slightly recurved coronoid teeth while the premaxilla jawbone held three small precanine teeth (in front of larger canine teeth). The pair of canines was very large giving the snout a swollen appearance. In addition, <i>Vaughnictis</i> had rather small palatal teeth (teeth on the roof of mouth) giving a shagreen field (rough granulated surface). With these teeth arrangements and leg mobility, <i>Eothyris</i> and <i>Oedalops</i> lived as an agile insectivore, where <i>Vaughnictis</i> chose another ecological niche in collecting invertebrates by ambush in being less robust in maneuverability hampered with limited agile limbs.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Caseidae</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> Caseids are a sister group to eothyridids, therefore both groups are paraphyletic in being the closest clades to the last common synapsid ancestor. Their fossils have been found in Texas and Oklahoma USA, Europe, and European Russia. There are 16 genera with 23 species of caseids. The genera are: </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">1. Callibrachion (Cow-lee-brake-e-un) from 290.1-283 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">2. Datheosaurus (Dath-e-o-sawr-us) from 301.2-298.9 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">3. Trichasaurus (Tri-ka-sawr-us) from 279-272.5 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">4. Phreatophasma (Frayt-o-fazz-mah) from 270 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">5. Oromycter (Or-o-mick-tur) from 290.1-260 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">6. Ruthenosaurus (Ru-then-o-sawr-us) from 290.1-251.9 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">7. Martensius (Mar-ten-see-us) from 290-283 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">8. Euromycter (Euro-mick-tur) from 290-254 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">9. Ennatosaurus (In-nat-o-sawr-us) from 265-254 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">10. Cotylorhynchus (Cot-til-o-rink-us) from 279.5-265 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">11. Caseopsis (Case-op-sis) from 279.5-268 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">12. Caseoides (Case-oi-dees) from 279.5-268 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">13. Casea (Case-e-ah) from 290.1-272.95 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">14. Arisierpeton (R-is-zeer-pee-ton) from 290.1-283.5 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">15. Angelosaurus (An-gel-o-sawr-us) from 272.5-268 mya; </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">16. Alierasaurus (Eel-ur-rah-saurus) from ~ 285-272.5 mya. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OZK1O6T3hKLFnKw7-G7yJyXZGO7-pCBp5aUXzqfO2CL8P38nlMASNogSDT0wVTsRuYXprpXFNhiuU_UUSEOxRXlhKu9yPklMwBxjuIUbQwyNsV-2yOo9FGHWmNgIM8HoJliJ1WNCCbvN/s1080/1-synapsid+cotylorhynchus+picuki.com.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="965" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OZK1O6T3hKLFnKw7-G7yJyXZGO7-pCBp5aUXzqfO2CL8P38nlMASNogSDT0wVTsRuYXprpXFNhiuU_UUSEOxRXlhKu9yPklMwBxjuIUbQwyNsV-2yOo9FGHWmNgIM8HoJliJ1WNCCbvN/s320/1-synapsid+cotylorhynchus+picuki.com.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: picuki.com <i>Cotylorhyncus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The head of caseids were disproportionately small when compared to the massive pudgy body as exemplified in the illustration above of the <i>Cotylorhyncus</i> body/ head comparison. Also as illustrated below with the <i>Ennatosaurus</i> head, the appearance reminds one of a turtle head. With that said, the skull had large temporal openings (fenestra) as opposed to the anapsid turtle, huge enormous nares, a large pineal opening (third eye) and an upper jaw that dramatically overhung the tooth row forming a forward projecting rostrum (part of the cranium holding in place the teeth, palate and nasal cavity). As in the other herbivorous synapsid groups like edaphosaurids, the caseid teeth were fairly uniform, except that caseids had a general reduction in the number of marginal and cheek teeth. Just as edaphosaurids, caseids also possessed the small palatal teeth on the roof of the mouth functioning to further shred food in opposition with the tongue. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZNi4bYO5nP_fcAqdI3lzTNgAC9Yq1DkfxBPJZzvFn9-uGkp4PkEw6vr0My9202-coLBTjO7_bUcROiw9__eXSUIzORwjGBd4dZsph-_SXRLF91KXa8BRvD7dHn0isjpYKMnEDXfQfi5t/s700/1-synapsid+ennatosaurus+Fabio+Manucci.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZNi4bYO5nP_fcAqdI3lzTNgAC9Yq1DkfxBPJZzvFn9-uGkp4PkEw6vr0My9202-coLBTjO7_bUcROiw9__eXSUIzORwjGBd4dZsph-_SXRLF91KXa8BRvD7dHn0isjpYKMnEDXfQfi5t/s320/1-synapsid+ennatosaurus+Fabio+Manucci.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Fabio Manucci <i>Ennatosaurus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLXGqfGgrM7W_R80Qg_bUxWVwnz5OkaYt1iRbjZ1NTH6ByEKYDavC0NrV3oGdL6Z_43mDT7dDLxRiN29JOwrPQBILwsR-Jz2aXWWGSavRvXi91Iv7qk5FsAmd8rmxJEdcsjTPcW3ALxGw/s1800/1-syn+plant+leaf+evolution.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1673" data-original-width="1800" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLXGqfGgrM7W_R80Qg_bUxWVwnz5OkaYt1iRbjZ1NTH6ByEKYDavC0NrV3oGdL6Z_43mDT7dDLxRiN29JOwrPQBILwsR-Jz2aXWWGSavRvXi91Iv7qk5FsAmd8rmxJEdcsjTPcW3ALxGw/w200-h186/1-syn+plant+leaf+evolution.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plant leaf evolution</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUqoD0R19MRO3525uzA5by096wd5zwvzWwYA67uCjtcgusnAd2WHFm9avXKlQcFyMQHMTkdWNlJrh016CN7VHFd9WQepUWwyctht7ILo0PlAxnKBIqaZPP7uu1HZwf1aOsDCIeb7aVSfP/s1800/1-syn+permian+plants.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1332" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUqoD0R19MRO3525uzA5by096wd5zwvzWwYA67uCjtcgusnAd2WHFm9avXKlQcFyMQHMTkdWNlJrh016CN7VHFd9WQepUWwyctht7ILo0PlAxnKBIqaZPP7uu1HZwf1aOsDCIeb7aVSfP/s320/1-syn+permian+plants.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Permian plants</td></tr></tbody></table>Caseids were mega-herbivores of the Middle Permian, but the term includes folivory (leaf diet), frugivory (fruit diet) and granivory (seed diet); however there simply weren’t much of those around in the way of sustaining a livelihood of herbivory during the Permian. Leaf plants were around since 380 mya, but were not what we would consider leaves; they were microphylls (leaves with single unbranched veins) like, horsetails and a few macrophylls (leaf with multiple veins) like, gingkoes. Seeding plants had originated in the Late Devonian some 370 mya but those sparse plants producing seeds would not have supported caseid life. Sporophyte ferns were around but were becoming isolated due to the Permian’s drying weather. Even seed ferns went extinct before the Permian. Basal angiosperms didn’t evolve until the Triassic and didn’t proliferate well until the Cretaceous, so there were no flowers or fruit during the Permian. Grass, which is a flowering plant, did not evolve until 66 mya at the end of the Cretaceous. What caseids ate as early day herbivorous tetrapods, were primarily the available low lying leaves, stems, roots and rhizomes that continuously grow horizontally underground stems that put out lateral shoots and adventitious roots at intervals.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvGYfSxiySGNEtdzbfllLxIMnEPGUtiuYZDecS4q4TdboZ014vpbuj4IHtwpjBAQ_bXmA2LlyJR0U1LIT_Byi4h6agBsf_1atWmRqz7DRetoqioeVkWL5iaU6o7JHX-dnnZuDrYpJjbcy/s1090/1-syn+plant+evolution.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvGYfSxiySGNEtdzbfllLxIMnEPGUtiuYZDecS4q4TdboZ014vpbuj4IHtwpjBAQ_bXmA2LlyJR0U1LIT_Byi4h6agBsf_1atWmRqz7DRetoqioeVkWL5iaU6o7JHX-dnnZuDrYpJjbcy/s320/1-syn+plant+evolution.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plant evolution</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The widened ribs, besides protecting the large digestive tract, also might have aided at least some of the caseids in being semi-aquatic. Recent studies on the ribcage show that it may have supported a diaphragm to assist in limited costal ventilation buttressed by the abdominal musculature attached to the ribcage.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwd5rOfF1Ixw3zEJIZW6sEJq4rPxabtPfQ_KbRYiy4s0w2LB1NrTlKUL5YAFI2jne7pES_3EFyzr6lnqR0R5xCCxihRoEEi0SKfwJixgsbdhMyj1kacoUXn0o7NLbJCwApPj55gkJSF9m/s2048/1-synapsid+ennatosuarus+ntvtiho.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwd5rOfF1Ixw3zEJIZW6sEJq4rPxabtPfQ_KbRYiy4s0w2LB1NrTlKUL5YAFI2jne7pES_3EFyzr6lnqR0R5xCCxihRoEEi0SKfwJixgsbdhMyj1kacoUXn0o7NLbJCwApPj55gkJSF9m/s320/1-synapsid+ennatosuarus+ntvtiho.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Ntvtiho <i>Ennatosaurus</i> in foreground</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">One caseid in <i>Ennatosaurus</i> had its fossil remains found in European Russia that included several juveniles and one adult skull. The juveniles were about the size of a housecat and with estimates measured from the skull, adults likely reached 6.1m/20ft in total length. A main significance of the fossil find is that it details a quick burial site within a single event killing the individuals together in which is highly likely a frozen moment in time scenario of parental care watching over the young.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXU1r6LEfLX9Wt6kMiCSQjyP_uam-yqG4znhHLp2xGeMNjnEUqhFJJ-NzEbBdfAGkb8o9QUHCLuUCd-T7gh_cayVs14dvdBvJE8zWZUohzTgCWeGtXpS1SZNXcZ7A3LtNLhH_tbk8csdvL/s963/1-synapsid+ennatosaurus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="963" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXU1r6LEfLX9Wt6kMiCSQjyP_uam-yqG4znhHLp2xGeMNjnEUqhFJJ-NzEbBdfAGkb8o9QUHCLuUCd-T7gh_cayVs14dvdBvJE8zWZUohzTgCWeGtXpS1SZNXcZ7A3LtNLhH_tbk8csdvL/s320/1-synapsid+ennatosaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Stephanie Dziezyk <i>Ennatosaurus</i> swam</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Another aspect is that the fossil find was in sandstone strata that once was a beach on an isolated island. No other tetrapod fossils have been found in this strata bed, inferring that <i>Ennatosaurus</i> took the short swim to the island from the main coastline and even swam along the beach’s shoreline grazing on delicate aquatic plants. The caseid broad front forefeet for sure were used for digging up edible roots and rhizomes, but the limbs could also have been used for paddling on the surface or as submerged.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The most basal early caseids were not much larger than 1 meter/3.3 feet, while the more derived later caseids reached upwards to 5.5m/18.1ft in length. They had massive limbs to support the weight with <i>Angelosaurus</i> weighing up to 300kg/661.4lbs. <i>Cotylorhynchus</i> weighed up to 2 metric tons/4409.25pounds. About the only other anatomical feature that was notably small on the more derived caseids, besides their head, were the disproportionately small vertebrae. </span></div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQ8LkV4cyUeECLnnDLotNDm6PddPxHWuwjM9hMAlVAJj0a9O_u4L851PF1N_JlpHgISpO8S0wkDHLG93fzhHY9eEAN_vTdTsqObCwgB4VVWw88RuSztuc9NQw6_PI6ehzVV8HA0NE67qm/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="320" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQ8LkV4cyUeECLnnDLotNDm6PddPxHWuwjM9hMAlVAJj0a9O_u4L851PF1N_JlpHgISpO8S0wkDHLG93fzhHY9eEAN_vTdTsqObCwgB4VVWw88RuSztuc9NQw6_PI6ehzVV8HA0NE67qm/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: DiBgd Lft: <i>Datheosaurus</i> Rt: <i>Callibrachion</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Through cladistic analysis, it was determined that <i>Callibrachion</i> and <i>Datheosaurus</i> are basal caseids. These two caseids reflect an earlier evolutionary caseid stage when spatulate teeth and broadened phalanges (finger/toe bones) were lacking while found as common in later caseids. Both are similar in size and in being basal primitive caseids were much smaller than the more derived with <i>Callibrachion</i> at ~ 1.4m/4.6ft in total length and with <i>Datheosaurus</i> at ~ 1.1m/3.6ft.</span></div></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The <i>Callibrachion</i> fossil was found in the black shales of Autun of the ‘Upper Millery Formation’ near Margenne, France, while the <i>Datheosaurus</i> fossil was discovered in the ‘Upper Sandstone Bank’ composed of reddish brown sandstone and clay interbedded with rhyolitic conglomerate near, Nowa Ruda, Poland.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEX-nGPGu1LwOaCQBpFAMfSUBFTLrSX3yZA1UxBdYg5m43N1qx9syZuWXYxL0U798zE79xw4dV4gvdx5Kr-z2-ZPIx9U3FEM5OFSFEYKmVHKB6369sVBS3ivk2xbPhOU-kGMpDOmL7L0T/s635/1-syn+Datheosaurus-Callibrachion.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="588" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEX-nGPGu1LwOaCQBpFAMfSUBFTLrSX3yZA1UxBdYg5m43N1qx9syZuWXYxL0U798zE79xw4dV4gvdx5Kr-z2-ZPIx9U3FEM5OFSFEYKmVHKB6369sVBS3ivk2xbPhOU-kGMpDOmL7L0T/s320/1-syn+Datheosaurus-Callibrachion.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lft: <i>Datheosaurus</i> Rt: <i>Callibrachion</i><i> </i> </td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In both the species taxa, the fossils exhibit a short skull with a small facial region, which in not having a long snout excludes them from other synapsid groups and firmly into the caseid clade. As other caseasaurs, the skull also possessed a low and broad symmetry, while <i>Callibrachion</i> in addition had reduced marginal dentition caseasaur characteristics. <i>Datheosaurus</i> had the unique caseid character of a rather large pineal foramen, which is a bony correlate where the pineal eye was housed for the purpose of not seeing but to regulate body temperature.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk86mRJmMsCWyQ6o09ebZWBJ8dibVKrhlRN4sL8GNobBTH68-l-0rz5TRqXeTFl-dvKBuswTTx6htSrUC-JS6n21hmLd-iIqOaLvWIrzYNEGghrt76xLz5SuVj5i2WYw9VsTBXV3gxxAA-/s800/1-synapsid+cotylorhynchus+dinoraul.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk86mRJmMsCWyQ6o09ebZWBJ8dibVKrhlRN4sL8GNobBTH68-l-0rz5TRqXeTFl-dvKBuswTTx6htSrUC-JS6n21hmLd-iIqOaLvWIrzYNEGghrt76xLz5SuVj5i2WYw9VsTBXV3gxxAA-/s320/1-synapsid+cotylorhynchus+dinoraul.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Dinoraul <i>Cotylorhynchus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In the genus, <i>Cotylorhynchus</i> there were three species in: <i>C</i>. <i>bransoni</i> with its fossils found in central northwest Oklahoma, <i>C</i>. <i>hancocki</i> found in the Texas northern counties of Hardeman and Knox while <i>C</i>. <i>romeri</i> was found in central Oklahoma of Kingfisher and Blaine Counties. <i>Cotylorhynchus</i> is a sister group to the contemporary caseid genus, <i>Angelosaurus</i> which also had three species found in the USA in the ‘San Angelo Formation’ of Texas and in Oklahoma. The three species ranged in size from: <i>C</i>. <i>romeri</i> ~ 3m/9.9ft, <i>C</i>. <i>hancocki</i> ~ 3.9/11.5ft and <i>C</i>. <i>bransoni</i> ~ 6m/19.8ft.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoTLYwcIehFSWUal1fNxveBJZbR_nbfYgQFXdRrpLCVliJgejDLwE2lYgVnU876d7dAn7XhZv1GCmz11EJsZcc7zZDKG_qUHUSVU-OFoehYda-yz8DF7qKWT_zezL-VHAiKERF7Hfc-Yf/s2048/1-synapsid+cotylorhynchus+bransoni+Ntvtiko.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoTLYwcIehFSWUal1fNxveBJZbR_nbfYgQFXdRrpLCVliJgejDLwE2lYgVnU876d7dAn7XhZv1GCmz11EJsZcc7zZDKG_qUHUSVU-OFoehYda-yz8DF7qKWT_zezL-VHAiKERF7Hfc-Yf/s320/1-synapsid+cotylorhynchus+bransoni+Ntvtiko.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Ntvtiho <i>C. bransoni</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAL2S6bm1LAViwhwE9BiLDSvqrhjci9bjPS24KUee_RmXBw9dtt-bmJJB_NfWKGhlAtj7Oecq-taEQGW6YSovEr1s80GUqtwN9gK8YRFtp0AFMpWpVeqsdkWr8cZb8BWcATCL8Y_2Gcj1/s1920/1-synapsid+cotylorhynchus_Liam.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="1920" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAL2S6bm1LAViwhwE9BiLDSvqrhjci9bjPS24KUee_RmXBw9dtt-bmJJB_NfWKGhlAtj7Oecq-taEQGW6YSovEr1s80GUqtwN9gK8YRFtp0AFMpWpVeqsdkWr8cZb8BWcATCL8Y_2Gcj1/w200-h130/1-synapsid+cotylorhynchus_Liam.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Liam <i>C. hancocki</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The fossils give evidence that <i>Cotlyorhynchus</i> species’ bodies were heavily built and wide to accommodate the digestive tract held up by very stout limbs and a robust pectoral and pelvic girdle. Compared to body size, the <i>Cotlyorhynchus</i> head was even smaller than the other caseid heads, which are small to begin with as well. However, this does not mean <i>Cotlyorhynchus</i> was a mindless dumb wandering animal. After all, as a genus, <i>Cotlyorhynchus</i> lived for 14.5 million years, where the genus Homo has only been around for 2.3 million years. As a species, the three <i>Cotlyorhynchus</i> species each lived for 7 million years where the species, Homo sapiens has only been around for ~ 200,000 years. Besides, by judging the dexterity of <i>Cotylorhynchus</i>’ forelimbs, it took more than just a few brain cells to manipulate. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNjAsRJ9WPeoA7FaVUYTJm6GysbY3QnKC-pSHRW9kz9xzag_xdxAxf1zu0RqvS3VjmMHCjw0VyX_8jv-ktJrAr3IU3dLDjcxM5cEMd0elJcCwBAYYsC4zMnZyj20ibwGulV78QRmGOSsW/s779/1-synapsid+cotylorhynchus+walter+myers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="779" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNjAsRJ9WPeoA7FaVUYTJm6GysbY3QnKC-pSHRW9kz9xzag_xdxAxf1zu0RqvS3VjmMHCjw0VyX_8jv-ktJrAr3IU3dLDjcxM5cEMd0elJcCwBAYYsC4zMnZyj20ibwGulV78QRmGOSsW/w200-h113/1-synapsid+cotylorhynchus+walter+myers.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Walter Myers <i>C. romeri</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The scapulocoracoid (a pectoral girdle unit containing the coracoid and scapula) was massive while the humeri’s (singular: humerus ~ upper arm bone) flared ends were as large as the length of the bone. The manus (hands) as the distal end of a forelimb had paddle-like features giving a capability to swim turtle-like. Also, the manus digits possessed a considerable range of motion with large retractor processes on the ventral surfaces of the distal unguals (where nails, claws or hooves are rooted affecting their action) that allowed the flexing of claws with powerful motions. As well, the articulatory surfaces of the manus phalanges (digital finger/toe bones of hands/feet) were oblique to the bones’ long axis rather than perpendicular allowing much greater surface area for the flexor muscles. This enabled a defense trajectory in predatory protection and for stronger and more dexterous digging capabilities.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The undersized skull did house large synapsid fenestrae and nostrils. The extensive nostrils probably enhanced smell allowing </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Cotylorhynchus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> to detect underground plant parts and sniff out approaching predators. The peg teeth were iguana-like with the posterior marginal teeth supporting a longitudinal row of cusps. The maxillae (upper jaws) were situated as to make the snout overhang the front upper row of teeth forming a projected rostrum (the cranium bone supporting the teeth, palate and nasal cavity of the snout). In fact the name </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Cotylorhynchus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> means: ‘cup snout’.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteoDp2RLSHidjIguWE-ew67NnHQnZZLjziSniv1KGVycBOSE-2f7vmC6n7eU7LzwNeGK2ET9sOEwoV0XUjXOzB82VZtJ2b4ZXFJww-wKsQ18AfdxBj49PlF8kWe9FgkxLw5_-SA5_2gD_/s700/1-syn+cotylorhynchus_fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="588" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteoDp2RLSHidjIguWE-ew67NnHQnZZLjziSniv1KGVycBOSE-2f7vmC6n7eU7LzwNeGK2ET9sOEwoV0XUjXOzB82VZtJ2b4ZXFJww-wKsQ18AfdxBj49PlF8kWe9FgkxLw5_-SA5_2gD_/s320/1-syn+cotylorhynchus_fossil.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cotylorynchus</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>C. romeri</i> was the first <i>Cotylorhynchus</i> to appear 279.5-272.5 mya. Due to very similar morphological and anatomical features, it appears that the bit larger <i>C</i>. <i>hancocki</i> (3.9m/11.5ft) is a descendent of <i>C</i>. <i>romeri</i> who lived contemporaneously with the 6m/19.8ft <i>C</i>. <i>bransoni</i> 272.5-265 mya. Increasing size seems to be a derivative trait in the evolution of <i>Cotylorhynchus</i> and is most likely due to predation of larger carnivores. Increase in size, in particularly in size larger than the contemporaneous predator, gave prey animals an advantage in more strength.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSEzpuU6mr8z-hpFNdIUVONFZWp36nbXiKnmZ-WqGiRUexyBiU9DG7elQaKjApKBSOmK-vfZCMVGWZtqnQAiSbvnTVWJZgBxWGMS_yzgNlbvJPF1FbHMEsaUJIT5HrxkYIm4-LamLAPRP/s2048/1-syn+martensius+fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSEzpuU6mr8z-hpFNdIUVONFZWp36nbXiKnmZ-WqGiRUexyBiU9DG7elQaKjApKBSOmK-vfZCMVGWZtqnQAiSbvnTVWJZgBxWGMS_yzgNlbvJPF1FbHMEsaUJIT5HrxkYIm4-LamLAPRP/s320/1-syn+martensius+fossil.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Martensius</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Four fossils of the caseid <i>Martensius</i> were discovered from 1995 through 2006 amid excavation from the ‘Tambach Sandstone Formation’ at Central Germany’s ‘Bromacker Quarry’ in the Thuringian Forest. The fossils have been dated to ~ 290 mya with one of the four representing a juvenile. The juvenile fossil is very important because, although the anatomy was virtually the same, the dental structure of the young juvenile was different from the grown adults.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The adult <i>Martensius</i> teeth differ from the juvenile’s in that the 18 conical isodont (alike dentition) teeth in each maxilla (upper jaw) gradually increase in size serially then begin gradually decreasing until abruptly decreasing greatly in size in with the last 4 being extremely small. Each mandible (lower jaw) possesses 31 teeth shaped similarly as the maxilla teeth, but is essentially the same in size until the last twelve teeth exhibit an abrupt serial reduction to being barely visible with the last four posterior teeth. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgA9DkidUdlCIdbFJ3MtayLJ-U0sXH9PhMK1k056-1-JGigdjQFMpsE4bzA1NgGcJXq2dB7NBYdjjnXw-zGhDd8pGyW6-eauleC9qCUb5Tssn0Xahl5_hHKOPV7onPvSoBROEtdaw4itj/s1550/1-synapsid+martensius+andrew+McAfee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="1550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgA9DkidUdlCIdbFJ3MtayLJ-U0sXH9PhMK1k056-1-JGigdjQFMpsE4bzA1NgGcJXq2dB7NBYdjjnXw-zGhDd8pGyW6-eauleC9qCUb5Tssn0Xahl5_hHKOPV7onPvSoBROEtdaw4itj/s320/1-synapsid+martensius+andrew+McAfee.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: McAfee <i>Martensius</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The juvenile teeth are similar in shape to the adults, but the arrangement has the anterior four teeth increasing serially in size posteriorly to the largest of the entire series. These are followed by four much smaller teeth of sub equal size, whereas the remaining three teeth decrease serially in size posteriorly from a size nearly equal to the largest of the series. This is dentition suited for an insectivore. As for the adult dentition, it is best suited for an omnivore, but the skeletal anatomy highly suggests trending as an herbivore.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The morphological and physiological skeletal anatomy bears out the fact that it was a basal caseid. At only ~ 63cm/2.1ft as for its small size, <i>Martensius</i> still displays caseid features such as flared ribs and large feet equipped for digging. The Martensius dentition bears out the fact it was a basal caseid in a transitional stage to the more derived caseid evolution in going from an insectivore then through an omnivore stage to a wholly herbivore lifestyle that allowed caseids to disperse and radiate out into new terrain abundant in plant food sources.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The research paleontologists theorize is that the juvenile insect diet promoted bacterial action that would benefit the adult omnivore diet that was trending more towards the herbivorous diet in that the introduced bacteria aided in the digestion of high fibrous plant material. The maxillary teeth in derived caseids were straight in position and more spatulate (leaf-shaped), while in contrast, adult <i>Martensius</i> dentition was slightly recurved and narrowly triangular in its transitioning.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">This three stage diet plan and suited dental structure accommodation in going from an insectivore like the primitive basalmost caseasaur, <i>Eocasea</i> to an adult <i>Martensius</i> omnivore/herbivore to a fully herbivore derived latter caseid, like <i>Cotylorynchus</i> allowed the caseid family tree to flourish in the early and middle Permian. This process is called ontogeny by the researchers. Ontogenetic behavior can be confusing especially with phylogenetic behavior. So, we’ll attempt to separate the two out and give a better understanding to ontogeny.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Ontogeny is the biological events that occur from an animal’s embryonic state to its full adult state, while phylogeny deals more with the evolution of a genetically related group of organisms as distinguished from the development of the individual organism within the group. In dealing more from egg to adult with the physical and psychological aspects of an individual organism’s conduct, ontogenetic behavior highlights the individual lifespan, whereas phylogenetic behavior refers to the evolutionary history of a species.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Now, with that said, if I’m asked, (in which I haven’t been), I feel that when it comes to <i>Martensius</i> and its representation both as an individual species evolvement contributor pushing the caseid family to herbivory and secondly, its inner individual evolvement from an insectivore to omnivore/herbivore in its own lifespan, then both ontogeny and phylogeny would apply concerning <i>Martensius</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Parareptilia<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmxGIyaaOsX0krLd97FOzhQXiQzCwXjtZVeQxWOxhraT2gl9p8m8GJfVJI0YoP04X5kIAFkQJ5TRcCSGl4XU4HXUK5adQ5XL0op2pGfGx6rwoLEnX7FZJX7SgZiJAabHDuFPhsU87AqTL/s720/1-syn+p+parareptile+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="653" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmxGIyaaOsX0krLd97FOzhQXiQzCwXjtZVeQxWOxhraT2gl9p8m8GJfVJI0YoP04X5kIAFkQJ5TRcCSGl4XU4HXUK5adQ5XL0op2pGfGx6rwoLEnX7FZJX7SgZiJAabHDuFPhsU87AqTL/s320/1-syn+p+parareptile+clade.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parareptile Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Before we venture on into therapsids, I’d like to take a moment or two and interrupt here in relaying a tiny bit of an introduction to parareptilians. As you can see in the above cladogram, there were two reptilian groups…the diapsid clade <i>Eureptilia</i> and the anapsid clade <i>Parareptilia</i>. Just as soon as they appeared in the Pennsylvanian 307 mya, parareptiles disappeared just as quickly 201.3 mya at the end of the Triassic during the Tr-J extinction event. They may not have left any genetic lineage, but for sure during the Permian and Triassic, they did affect the evolution of other animal clades that did leave their genetic print in latter more derived animal clades. Turtles are the only extant anapsid group but through mitochondrial analyses, along with molecular and fossil evidence, it has been shown that the turtle lineage came from diapsids in reverting back to an anapsid skull; turtles did not come from any extinct parareptilian.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Excluding the absence of a temporal fenestra, there are six parareptilian categorical autapomorphies (derived traits that are distinct features of a specific taxon) that confirms <i>Parareptilia</i> as a clade, which are: the absence of a lacrimal-narial (lacrimal-facial bone / narial-nostrils) contact, the absence of a caniniform region, a shortened postorbital region, a single median embayment of the posterior margin of the skull roof, the absence of a supraglenoid foramen (region of the scapula transverse scapular ligament where foramen perforates the supraglenoid buttress; Latin: supra~above/glenoid~cavity), and the absence of a subtemporal process (bone below temporal) of the jugal (facial bone connected primarily to quadratojugal and maxilla bones).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Again, parareptilian skulls were absent of any temporal fenestrae with no caninform dentition within the jaws. In addition, they had a jaw articulation at the level of or slightly posterior to the occiput (the backside of skull) and a large anterior foramen on the maxilla just below the naris.</span></div></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The oldest known parareptilian is <i>Erpetonyx</i> (Er-pah-ton-nicks) that lived during the Pennsylvanian 303.7-298.9 mya in what is now Prince Edward Island, Canada of the ‘Edgemont Bay Formation’ exhibiting subtropical swampland strata. Still though, it is millions of years younger than <i>Hylonomus</i>, the oldest known eureptilian living 312 mya.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxWeJVHANPxXFtJM4KQM_1JTENPZb2nV30IkfIm6uycX39dTkDMhOQ8GUryVqk-nOUJcgFGdBwFKnboJcnh8gv5_cSjN4d3UcDs9XOx7Eq22sm6ZN9ULxSx1TjHa1hOw4STA8Q8vPWUtr/s1280/1-syn+p+Erpetonyx+fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxWeJVHANPxXFtJM4KQM_1JTENPZb2nV30IkfIm6uycX39dTkDMhOQ8GUryVqk-nOUJcgFGdBwFKnboJcnh8gv5_cSjN4d3UcDs9XOx7Eq22sm6ZN9ULxSx1TjHa1hOw4STA8Q8vPWUtr/s320/1-syn+p+Erpetonyx+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Erpetonyx</i> (a) fossil (b) latex coated fossil </td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Approximately 22.5cm/8.9in in length, <i>Erpetonyx</i> was small and judging by the dentition, was a carnivore/insectivore. As an anapsid, it had other parareptilian features such as similar forelimbs where the humerus (upper arm bone) was a bit longer than the ulna and radius (lower arm bones) while the toe claws were longer than the other phalanges (toe bones). The unique features were in having 29 presacral (pre-hip) vertebrae where most parareptilians had 26. The sharp conical teeth were recurved decreasing in size posteriorly and were in conjunction with denticles (tiny teeth) on the palate (roof of mouth) going all the way back to the jaw joint of the quadrate bones. Some broken teeth revealed dentin (calcified tissue) which was inherited from its amphibian ancestors. Although the temporal fenestra was closed, there was a large skull opening in the front edge of the base of the braincase in making room for the hyomandibular branch of the facial nerve. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoGr4PhL9raYkvbV8Ung6YuT4y4eKaLXml7NznXC4yWnjApZCPMQgOIYzTQbfKY18D8oDc0Zn7AFRNAMeLo5JA9lKcc6yXDUe2B1aJbE_fZnsFgIPEEpfGJKfnqrxcjNyo7A45RZQvDiM/s720/1-syn+p+Carbonodraco+Henry+Sharpe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoGr4PhL9raYkvbV8Ung6YuT4y4eKaLXml7NznXC4yWnjApZCPMQgOIYzTQbfKY18D8oDc0Zn7AFRNAMeLo5JA9lKcc6yXDUe2B1aJbE_fZnsFgIPEEpfGJKfnqrxcjNyo7A45RZQvDiM/s320/1-syn+p+Carbonodraco+Henry+Sharpe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Henry Sharpe <i>Carbondraco</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Well, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Erpetonyx</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was once the oldest parareptilian, but that title has
been handed over to the recent discovery and 2019 evaluation of, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carbonodraco</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">. Found in an Ohio, USA coal
dump from an abandoned coal mine, the fossil was literally encased in a lump of
cannel coal (impure coal). This coal is representative of a once steamy giant
club moss swamp that this 25cm/9.8in small parareptilian scampered in 310-306
mya chasing after insects. The name, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carbonodraco</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
refers to ‘coal dragon’.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIcp1LDjT2aDo3-yNP-U8B3vFKn_wkbrrqZpGuN-x5sZL3qwxcDfPC0I3gBaRUSF1ixGU8yHciLVuR6RRm4D6o4bUzBMhp2rHywty6meZzDYH1dK2iXf0anoONrqvp5iAq3E1OTzXcHjq/s1070/1-syn+p+Carbonodraco_fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIcp1LDjT2aDo3-yNP-U8B3vFKn_wkbrrqZpGuN-x5sZL3qwxcDfPC0I3gBaRUSF1ixGU8yHciLVuR6RRm4D6o4bUzBMhp2rHywty6meZzDYH1dK2iXf0anoONrqvp5iAq3E1OTzXcHjq/s320/1-syn+p+Carbonodraco_fossil.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Carbondraco</i> (a) fossil (b)latex coated </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There are three orders of parareptilians and they are: </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Procolophonomorpha</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Pro-call-o-fawn-o-mor-fah) from 306-201.3 mya; </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Mesosauria</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Mezz-o-sawr-e-ah) from 299-270.6 mya and </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Millerosauria</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Mill-lur-o-sawr-e-ah) from 265.8-251 mya. There were no aerial eureptilians, but as tetrapods, they had conquered the Permian landscape and invaded coastal waters.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Procolophonomorpha</i>:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8YWUoUkLpZFgzg0kLSaHfrYqtKWNKMaR53xaUSRxb-BZfV5l91RYFgk_NzRonC0yNmJq_awdP-ZJnJu8g_m7QRQCIIPPOkUlJjmzKfXAo_Jeyj7FjY1PfIY7FwAzn_-eNRWtempzefwF/s848/1-syn+p+procolophonomorpha+clad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="848" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8YWUoUkLpZFgzg0kLSaHfrYqtKWNKMaR53xaUSRxb-BZfV5l91RYFgk_NzRonC0yNmJq_awdP-ZJnJu8g_m7QRQCIIPPOkUlJjmzKfXAo_Jeyj7FjY1PfIY7FwAzn_-eNRWtempzefwF/s320/1-syn+p+procolophonomorpha+clad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Procolophonomorpha</i> clad</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Procolophonomorpha</i> with the subgroup nodes, <i>Australothyris</i> (Ah-strail-o-thigh-riss) and <i>Ankyramorpha</i> (Ain-kyr-ah-mor-pha) is the most diverse group of parareptilians and was around for 104.7 million years. Having only one species in <i>Australophyris</i> <i>smithi</i>, the subgroup, <i>Australophyris</i>, as named after the genus is holotypic. The subgroup, <i>Ankyramorpha</i> is further divided into the superfamily, <i>Lanthanosuchoidea</i> (Lan-than-nosh-shush-oi-de-ah) and the suborder, <i>Procolophonia</i> (Pro-call-o-fawn-e-ah) where they themselves are further divided into suborders, families and subfamilies eventually leading to 63 genera. The compiled parareptilian phylogeny cladogram below shows the only significant increase in diversification rate being that of the more derived procolophonids, indicated by the significant p-value of 0.01 which is credited to the research of Linda A. Tsuji and Johannes Müller. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WqPEsoQQH_VojRjDcpC5e2HsSc5VI4QT78_lnPD-EEt7P3AG23z8EKLmqZWyxRcCLvEtIBd26LgZNHbt11dFQeoI06S3JInclbW4WFMSKo1zIaFWQj11a3lUHwwhL3GXSQoMucKfzfpH/s755/1-syn+p+ankyramorpha+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="755" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WqPEsoQQH_VojRjDcpC5e2HsSc5VI4QT78_lnPD-EEt7P3AG23z8EKLmqZWyxRcCLvEtIBd26LgZNHbt11dFQeoI06S3JInclbW4WFMSKo1zIaFWQj11a3lUHwwhL3GXSQoMucKfzfpH/s320/1-syn+p+ankyramorpha+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ankyramorpha</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Australothyris</i> is the most basal procolophonomorph and helps support the concept that parareptiles originated in Gondwana in what is now, South Africa. As in all parareptilians, it was an anapsid with no temporal openings, but due to the large temporal, it is easily identified that there once was a temporal fenestra that was resealed. Procolophonomorphs are a sister taxon to millerosaurs in which suggests their fenestrae were also resealed. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwjUyYYO2KN3wpddLv8zEvSNX9u0MNfdv5zVHnZTt3qY_2Oq5EBuTxqq7VOxRRvV4XkVZPsoB23vTpP2OmAh3sYfJv2scTsY7DVHISfL_Kp2rcKfwKcDJHCr79WT-PvFy6URV4IBwIiBY/s597/1-syn+p+australothyris.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="597" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwjUyYYO2KN3wpddLv8zEvSNX9u0MNfdv5zVHnZTt3qY_2Oq5EBuTxqq7VOxRRvV4XkVZPsoB23vTpP2OmAh3sYfJv2scTsY7DVHISfL_Kp2rcKfwKcDJHCr79WT-PvFy6URV4IBwIiBY/s320/1-syn+p+australothyris.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Australophyris</i> skull</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">This of course alludes to the fact that common ancestors to procolophonomorphs had fenestrae and what this further implies is that parareptilians did not directly branch off from the early day temnospondyl and lepospondyl amphibians which indeed were anapsids that first show up around 370 mya evolving from multi-jointed lobe-finned fish. So indeed, there must be a section of reptiliomorph anapsids that directly derived from amphibians that we are missing hitherto in the fossil record.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NhHhYQFnInvoTphUKdzFsTr08Yj2A8ueSL0y2Woulc3UnD_nkw53ZESxKE7Pc9UIUwm4HeVAXVTrJFF4UdavWluEQ57UwVXed-AY3VPg7rPlwzy8V4GwC8LxAhnDKcg2z0-MWFfO1M6Y/s1080/1-syn+p+Deltavjatia+Mikhail+Shekhanov.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NhHhYQFnInvoTphUKdzFsTr08Yj2A8ueSL0y2Woulc3UnD_nkw53ZESxKE7Pc9UIUwm4HeVAXVTrJFF4UdavWluEQ57UwVXed-AY3VPg7rPlwzy8V4GwC8LxAhnDKcg2z0-MWFfO1M6Y/s320/1-syn+p+Deltavjatia+Mikhail+Shekhanov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mikail Shekhanov <i>Deltavjatia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The ankyramorph, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Deltavjatia</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Dale-tah-vee-yah-tee-ah) was in the lineage line of a procolophonomorph pareiasaur that lived 260 mya. As in all other pareiasaurs, this 1.5m/5ft in length parareptile was an herbivore. Its fossils were found in Russia’s ‘Urpalov Formation’ by the banks of the Vyatka River near the port city of Kotelnich. With its bulbous head, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Deltavjatia</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> had common pareiasaur traits, but also had some primitive features such as histological ontogenetic changes in long-bone and rib microanatomy.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVoxmBZH-P7E_wABYfHNSzHqWeuAp7QiMTfZOI4fS6U1aVxSTQMA8ROAv20b5eS7_iJ4rB9Q0dRr3dn13aO5U7pbl-4-CzbF9uKd0SzTdRHZrKZs9qT8Zr2fS_IZGv8VWzkoqCIA1KqgMF/s1280/1-syn+p+elginia-mirabilis.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVoxmBZH-P7E_wABYfHNSzHqWeuAp7QiMTfZOI4fS6U1aVxSTQMA8ROAv20b5eS7_iJ4rB9Q0dRr3dn13aO5U7pbl-4-CzbF9uKd0SzTdRHZrKZs9qT8Zr2fS_IZGv8VWzkoqCIA1KqgMF/s320/1-syn+p+elginia-mirabilis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Vladislav Egorov <i>Elginia</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With a temporal range of 254-252 mya, another pareiasaur was <i>Elginia</i> (L-gin-e-ah) that lived towards the end of the Permian and the ‘Great Dying’ extinction event that ended the Permian. With the Permian climate heating up and getting drier, it probably put stress on the plants growing in what is now Scotland that <i>Elginia</i> depended on for survival. Found in the ‘Hopeman Sandstone Formation’ alludes to a very dry environment. As far as lengths go, <i>Elginia</i> was much smaller than other pareiasaurs in reaching a length of only 60cm/2ft. It’s surmised that the skull horns about its head with the two longest protruding forwards in front of the skull were more for display than for defense.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRF0TZRpMLL48UxUWzQ4JYXsPe4qY5X0T0al6byQ1sQdKzeAzrfGzpO3oj2PloB8uOb1WRDO0EYEcAp5QTzg1aJTIXsLAYQTqeqKE8yNxDCzCDfvnHcepgcPHl5ZOcJTALUOQVNePcAuoA/s1003/1-syn+p+procolophon+juan+cisneros.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="1003" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRF0TZRpMLL48UxUWzQ4JYXsPe4qY5X0T0al6byQ1sQdKzeAzrfGzpO3oj2PloB8uOb1WRDO0EYEcAp5QTzg1aJTIXsLAYQTqeqKE8yNxDCzCDfvnHcepgcPHl5ZOcJTALUOQVNePcAuoA/s320/1-syn+p+procolophon+juan+cisneros.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Juan Cisneros <i>Procolophon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The last ankyramorph genus to be discussed is the procolophonid, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Procolophon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Pro-call-o-fawn) that had ten species and was spread out in lands 251.3-247.2 mya in what is now: Antarctica, Brazil and South Africa. Reaching a length of only 30cm/1ft, it was even smaller than </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Elginia</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">. That is an unusual small size, but it wasn’t a pareiasaur like </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Elginia</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> was. It doesn’t take much of an imagination, but surely </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Elginia</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> looked much like the extant, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Phrynosoma</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (horned toad, or horny toad as we call ‘em in Texas). Procolophonids first appeared in the Permian, but living 249.7-237 mya, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Procolophon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> lived well past the extinction period. Procolophon is classified under the subfamily, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Procolophoninae</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> where there are (including </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Procolophon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">) eight genera.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Mesosauria</i>:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Thus far through fossil evidence, mesosaurs were the first of tetrapods to revert back from land into an aquatic environment whether in freshwater or near shore marine. With long pointed homodont dentition, they would snag fish and aquatic crustaceans. There was debate on whether they were fully aquatic or semi-aquatic. The fully aquatic argument’s ammunition was that mesosaurs were putatively ovoviviparous (bearing live young after fertilized egg development hatches inside the female’s body) and possessed several skeletal characters such as a long laterally compressed tail, long limbs and the pes (foot) was larger than the manus (hand). However, on the flipside of the argument, most semiaquatic basal tetrapods also had some of these features and studies show that the variation of the vertebral centrum length along the axial skeleton of mesosaurs fits better with a semi-aquatic morphometric pattern. So, the semi-aquatic side won out, but not completely. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtiJwVyaUA_O6zraIeozwTwyE7Afhrsja8o5bJg-XMvuTTZYWbv6KRHfDU0FTjbNErmbgIXfbJATNO9FbnxzjNgw4_Z3BLabA2VW2y1XIupbi53EOiY8b_P28nsMAEW604riN41sLSnH0V/s863/1-syn+p+Mesosaurus+fossil+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="863" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtiJwVyaUA_O6zraIeozwTwyE7Afhrsja8o5bJg-XMvuTTZYWbv6KRHfDU0FTjbNErmbgIXfbJATNO9FbnxzjNgw4_Z3BLabA2VW2y1XIupbi53EOiY8b_P28nsMAEW604riN41sLSnH0V/s320/1-syn+p+Mesosaurus+fossil+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mesosaurus </i>fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Again, through fossil evidence, most lacustrine (lake) or coastal marine fossils were of juveniles and young adults, while any land sediment fossils were only of adults showing degradation due to atmospheric weathering. So, yes mesosaurs gave live birth in water and is where young mesosaurs mainly stayed, but the adults did venture forth onto shore land supported by strongly ossified epiphyses (bone that ossifies separately later becoming ankylosed) and tarsi (any of the numerous small foot bones between the tibia and fibula and metatarsus). </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUsOVAviecTF0D0KNmJ3RWCxrpfvy3UXld53uAbe0IZcZ070jHE8pOKKYuXb0FySixU6Ht5qAxY__Qbc8Pu3DnuDlLg4RwRYgQVdX8ctKXY7NEpKkrHzMaNuwANt3bDtLx9HYEzOghPSS/s1024/1-syn+p+mesosaurus+clavatti.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUsOVAviecTF0D0KNmJ3RWCxrpfvy3UXld53uAbe0IZcZ070jHE8pOKKYuXb0FySixU6Ht5qAxY__Qbc8Pu3DnuDlLg4RwRYgQVdX8ctKXY7NEpKkrHzMaNuwANt3bDtLx9HYEzOghPSS/s320/1-syn+p+mesosaurus+clavatti.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Clavatti <i>Mesosaurus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There were three genera of mesosaurs in:<i> Brazilosaurus</i> (Bra-zill-o-sawr-us) from 284-279.5 mya, <i>Mesosaurus</i> (Mezz-o-sawr-us) from 299-280 mya and <i>Stereosternum</i> (Steer-e-o-stir-num) from 299-280 mya. They were not huge animals with <i>Mesosaurus</i> being the largest at 0.9m/3ft, while <i>Stereosternum</i> reached 0.8m/2.6ft and <i>Brazilosaurus</i> was at best only 42.5 cm/16.7in in total length.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vk6tuqPmJy80yPMoajHF2vyPs_B4iziiMMki-SNl9Kzw7cLqd_D1m4hHHPoGg8pM_4sZO7yNTlkaxWO7cjLa8wA5QWdukY-E1r3r6fJ9fSAmld3EdL6E64Bn6RobcTWY7JT-QF1mTZ1s/s1600/1-syn+p+stereosternum+judoliveira.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vk6tuqPmJy80yPMoajHF2vyPs_B4iziiMMki-SNl9Kzw7cLqd_D1m4hHHPoGg8pM_4sZO7yNTlkaxWO7cjLa8wA5QWdukY-E1r3r6fJ9fSAmld3EdL6E64Bn6RobcTWY7JT-QF1mTZ1s/s320/1-syn+p+stereosternum+judoliveira.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julia d'Oliveira <i>Stereosternum</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Besides freshwater and coastal marine habitation, in Uruguay, <i>Mesosaurus</i> gives fossil evidence that it also adapted to and inhabited a hypersaline aquatic environment. Mesosaur fossils also have turned up in the way of their coprolites (fossilized poop), which shows cracking, evidence of drying out by being on dry land. Their fossils are also important in correlating and verifying continental drift, in particular with the current continents of Africa and S. America’s drifting apart.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2WDE0ytoqDRC44epj14ASjKVsztRUMHcdQQKA9otqEswG8Z4nbiOTXU6I_btiRLN8FozTtV31dLDHQ-rzE9lFcMtlnZUyoCAyeFvjSJZqBEfeSOVeD2zpWGmKi8EMwXZRaYCLUl8LqEx/s2043/1-syn+p+brazilosaurus+fossil1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="2043" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2WDE0ytoqDRC44epj14ASjKVsztRUMHcdQQKA9otqEswG8Z4nbiOTXU6I_btiRLN8FozTtV31dLDHQ-rzE9lFcMtlnZUyoCAyeFvjSJZqBEfeSOVeD2zpWGmKi8EMwXZRaYCLUl8LqEx/s320/1-syn+p+brazilosaurus+fossil1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Brazilosaurus</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Mesosaurs were slow swimmers with the optimal swimming speed estimated at ranges from 0.15 to 0.86 m/sec, or 0.49 to 2.8 ft/sec under both normal salinity (5% salinity, ρ = 1020 kg/m3) and hypersaline conditions (39% salinity, ρ = 1278 kg/m3), considering λ values from 0.2 to 2.8. The interval of potential salinity conditions likely covers the range of values that plausibly occurred in the Uruguay hypersaline environment of <i>Mesosaurus</i>. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Millerosauria</i>:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHzff__-RbaOOv1kkNK-YCChZ9SPBX-V9d6RrfW8onPtVrNcTQWR4DmDOD0FqMGudgZjd7khM5CnB2phR4ySSftLlco4TFGuX1m7juSO_DaiDUH0NCmOAyqtDVllBQYg5WiR7iGiHT7-5/s435/1-syn+p+Millerosauria+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHzff__-RbaOOv1kkNK-YCChZ9SPBX-V9d6RrfW8onPtVrNcTQWR4DmDOD0FqMGudgZjd7khM5CnB2phR4ySSftLlco4TFGuX1m7juSO_DaiDUH0NCmOAyqtDVllBQYg5WiR7iGiHT7-5/s320/1-syn+p+Millerosauria+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Millerosauria</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Millerosauria</i> is the sister taxon to Procolophonmorpha and includes the families of <i>Millerettidae</i> (Mill-lur-et-tah-day) and <i>Eunotosauridae</i> (U-no-toe-sawr-ah-day). A few species of millerettids had a temporal fenestra, but unlike synapsids the millerettid fenestra was acquired independently as convergent evolution according to phylogenetic analyses. The presence of a quadrate emargination (notched margin at back of skull) suggests that millerettids had a tympanum (ear drum) capable of hearing high frequency airborne sounds. However, their stapes (the sound-conducting middle ear ossicle) is robust, suggesting that their auditory acuity was not as good as in more recent groups of anapsids such as turtles. Millerosaur fossils all come from South Africa. There are five genera in the family, Millerettidae. <i>Eunotosauridae</i> contains only one species in the genus holotype, <i>Eunotosaurus</i>. From 265-259 mya, <i>Broomia</i> (Broo-me-ah) is the oldest genus and has been analyzed as a direct descendent of romeriid captorhinomorphs. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCGOz5-J2ZvUKzxJT4puwNWxsDAtfAlyFdryapubo3x35RjQcZTRPCNL4YEZ8erMFArNAr5Greo7t22_-LNZHRmFujRHhaH80yrWVRWA4aKvVd_662fW8L-pwB01xRFsg1UPxMG8lUksS/s1920/1-syn+p+Eunotosaurus-Andrey+Atuchin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1093" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCGOz5-J2ZvUKzxJT4puwNWxsDAtfAlyFdryapubo3x35RjQcZTRPCNL4YEZ8erMFArNAr5Greo7t22_-LNZHRmFujRHhaH80yrWVRWA4aKvVd_662fW8L-pwB01xRFsg1UPxMG8lUksS/s320/1-syn+p+Eunotosaurus-Andrey+Atuchin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Andrey Atuchin<i> Eunotosaurus</i> foreground</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Eunotosaurus</i> fossil remains come from the ‘Karoo Supergroup’ of South Africa during a period 265.8-259 mya of heat and extreme drying. It was 30cm/11.9in long and most likely was an insectivore.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Eunotosaurus</i>, due to its flared ribs that were also broad enough to touch one another at the margins, was originally thought to be the ancestral lineage to turtles. Even though some may still think so, with extensive anatomical studies and phylogenetic analysis, <i>Eunotosaurus</i> is now firmly seated as a basal millerettid. There were nine pairs of widened ribs overlapping each other with the first 8 anterior ribs angling backwards while the one posterior rib pair angled forwards. The nine dorsal vertebrae, which were also similar to turtles, were connected to a pair of ribs. Cross-sections of the ribs indicate that they grew in three different phases as the individual animal developed. The first phase involves a primordium (first indication of development) rib ossifying into a rib bone. The second phase is the development of a shelf of bone above the main shaft of the rib to form a T-shaped cross-section. The third and final phase is the widening of the lower ridge into a teardrop-like shape that reinforced the rib.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJm5oL1-D3_xat7m-aq9n9ECoqFWSIJjKY-tSnQLI0Q9Wa4XWWVaGokWWKEfncszUMTrNNGtjn0M43J0kM1lu8G2n3ldWvmzinTXPtJj0IHmYpCDX0uA-Kq7VJ_6HFgcGuDJnPWNfNXYHE/s3080/1-syn+p+eunotosaurus+fossils.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="3080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJm5oL1-D3_xat7m-aq9n9ECoqFWSIJjKY-tSnQLI0Q9Wa4XWWVaGokWWKEfncszUMTrNNGtjn0M43J0kM1lu8G2n3ldWvmzinTXPtJj0IHmYpCDX0uA-Kq7VJ_6HFgcGuDJnPWNfNXYHE/s320/1-syn+p+eunotosaurus+fossils.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eunotosaurus</i> fossils</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There is only conjecture as to why <i>Eunotosaurus</i> evolved flared and broadened ribs. Two decent ideas is that there is evidence it was a burrowing animal and with the ribs making the back slightly concaved in shape, it would have afforded better accessibility in tunnel construction and tunneling mobility. Another thought is that it may have helped from being preyed upon, so most likely smaller predators wouldn’t be looking at it for dinner. However, a larger predator with a lesser bite force, might think twice before biting into nothing but hardened rib bone and a wide body girth not much worth risking choking on if swallowed whole. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-A__-8TFSfM6ez9fXroqyHoDqPH8bGW6D6fEyu9d8ik4XtLKCeXMp19EhmHD0tbUbyh9y5xUihZpaJaTeP_F4Y91DbaK7IWinsVzY1hQ0fmFwFqYpNN0vdJQ2kCQLkaFQtFyb61ntBuW/s783/1-syn+p+Milleretta1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="783" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-A__-8TFSfM6ez9fXroqyHoDqPH8bGW6D6fEyu9d8ik4XtLKCeXMp19EhmHD0tbUbyh9y5xUihZpaJaTeP_F4Y91DbaK7IWinsVzY1hQ0fmFwFqYpNN0vdJQ2kCQLkaFQtFyb61ntBuW/s320/1-syn+p+Milleretta1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: vida prehistórica <i>Milleretta</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Milleretta</i> (Mill-eh-ret-ah), one of the five millerettid genera had a temporal range of 252.5-251 mya going extinct during the Pr-T extinction. Found in the ‘Balfour Formation’ of the ‘Karoo Basin’ assemblage, the pedology (study of soils) of the strata shows it once was a forest floor where <i>Milleretta</i> lived that gradually gave way to much drier conditions that is probably what made it go extinct. With its range of sharp teeth it most likely scampered lively through the forest floor litter in search of insects and other invertebrates. Once the forests gave way to the drier climes, the insects it fed upon left as well, hastening its extinction.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">At 60cm/23.6in long, it was double the size or more when comparing lengths with the other millerettids. Fossil anatomical remains allude to the fact that this millerettid was agile and quick. Two depressions at the base of the skull was where eardrums were housed which aided in an auditory way in locating insects and alluding predators. In contrast to <i>Eunotosaurus</i> with a T-cross section, <i>Milleretta</i> had plesiomorphic vertebrae making its ribs wider by growing its bone out the shaft to an airfoil-like section. <i>Milleretta</i> is Latin for: ‘little Miller’.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Now, that the brief intro into parareptiles is over with, let’s get back to the line of synapsid descendancy from pelycosaur to therapsids and finally to mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Therapsida<span style="font-weight: normal;">: </span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAHfxRvjGHHJ7dqqIcEsYx-Oa3408__Oh_9eVU-yiUQ9I4Flvbi-4taXw3hZE36s6SC-f8xIqgEZF2UCVc00e_zLDgQZAe4X6XmCirehECuXifD6FiCmCnUlBrTb1uIhVPDSW1ZAxcV6S/s1041/1-therapsid+cladogram1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="1041" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAHfxRvjGHHJ7dqqIcEsYx-Oa3408__Oh_9eVU-yiUQ9I4Flvbi-4taXw3hZE36s6SC-f8xIqgEZF2UCVc00e_zLDgQZAe4X6XmCirehECuXifD6FiCmCnUlBrTb1uIhVPDSW1ZAxcV6S/s320/1-therapsid+cladogram1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Therapsida</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Again, do not confuse </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Therapsida</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> with the broader group, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Theropsida</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> that encompasses all synapsids. Therapsids have an Early Permian to Holocene temporal range from 275-0 mya and are those synapsids that are closely related to mammals in being mammals’ direct ancestor. Early therapsids themselves had evolved from pelycosaurs within the sphenacodontid clade. The specific therapsid group that gave rise to mammals are the cynodonts. Where dicynodonts made it just past the P-Tr extinction (Permian-Triassic extinction event) before going extinct, cynodonts were the only therapsid group to survive well beyond it and are still here with us in the form of mammals including you and me.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Therapsids had positioned their legs more upright underneath the body as opposed to the more sprawling stance of pelycosaurs. They achieved the more upright stance with the outside and inside toes becoming shorter than the middle toes giving the foot placement a more parallel axis to the body. Therapsid lateral temporal fenestrae had enlarged, improving on jaw musculature and lightening of the skull. Therapsid species begin showing up with more complex dentition in displaying teeth that are differentiated into front incisors for nipping, large lateral canines for piercing/tearing and posterior molars for mastication. It appears with the dentary changes, enhanced processing of food had become a nutritional advantage. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMz42PU-5TOHnyV3qFG7a5prbg7Syut5DfJ_RKuRbw4AbV7u-sdG3HEzoq69afSmaHQEOmsGH2hF0jjjdzvPzmTqvtaePcKdWW2hCj4SOK00_aN8iYL6AkOecLsWp4Dy24edPpuTLPuG/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="270" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYMz42PU-5TOHnyV3qFG7a5prbg7Syut5DfJ_RKuRbw4AbV7u-sdG3HEzoq69afSmaHQEOmsGH2hF0jjjdzvPzmTqvtaePcKdWW2hCj4SOK00_aN8iYL6AkOecLsWp4Dy24edPpuTLPuG/" width="203" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: FinwalSMD Chinese Therapsids</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Through fossil evidence therapsids are the first fur/hair bearing group of animals that are known. We know that fur or hair had already come into use as some coprolites (fossilized poop) exhibiting the remains of therapsid bones also contained hair. But we know for a fact that the therapsid beaver/seal-like docodont, <i>Castorocauda</i> (Kass-tor-o-caw-duh) had hair as its fossils bear fur. Hair/fur also points to endothermy (warm-bloodedness) along with other therapsid features, such as highly vascularized bones absent of growth rings and the presence of nasal turbinates which is a long, narrow and curved shelf bone protruding into the nasal cavity where the conchae (porous sponge-like bone) warms inhaled air. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrS1PSommim9VdduPcAsC7nHPe5BS41motThFBX2eimZEFcMVxRWg4d6bxLMxQX73vRofnQk-OcZSxR9rpo1jPwCLnoklEzfNmu-Ofp4bgsFC0MFjWlLwSxmikIsO5BOl7ZEruYYNEYYse/s547/1-therapsid+myosaurus+Biarmosuchus-d5tcqls.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="547" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrS1PSommim9VdduPcAsC7nHPe5BS41motThFBX2eimZEFcMVxRWg4d6bxLMxQX73vRofnQk-OcZSxR9rpo1jPwCLnoklEzfNmu-Ofp4bgsFC0MFjWlLwSxmikIsO5BOl7ZEruYYNEYYse/s320/1-therapsid+myosaurus+Biarmosuchus-d5tcqls.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Biarmosuchus <i>Myosaurus</i> Note hair/whiskers </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The origin of hair replacing epidermal scales changed the physiology and brains of synapsids. Fur gave insulation to adapt to colder environmental conditions and whiskers as sensory receptors gave the brain added information to analyze. Pits along with canals on the bone of the snout found in therapsid fossils, indicate where concentrations of nerves and blood vessels once were. In mammals, such structures allow specialized hairs (whiskers) to be used as sensory organs which most likely were the case for therapsids as well. The basal dicynodont, <i>Myosaurus</i> (My-o-sawr-us) already had hair and whisker traits 250 mya. In having these mammalian features, this is why therapsids originally were called ‘mammal-like reptiles’.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4zj_2My9RglAxOfxqJL3uFzNWzQdDHPYNfPU6dn-6JZkDQ2mfBuWJEFVfMrk5qCV_2_9hK2EggAM-WZ5QoC6sqTc9cpS2vOzt8MBagLwgszJsy9_ghO-1_lmf2Ic7EB9W_4K-QUPSvlC/s1920/1-therapsid+protomammals.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4zj_2My9RglAxOfxqJL3uFzNWzQdDHPYNfPU6dn-6JZkDQ2mfBuWJEFVfMrk5qCV_2_9hK2EggAM-WZ5QoC6sqTc9cpS2vOzt8MBagLwgszJsy9_ghO-1_lmf2Ic7EB9W_4K-QUPSvlC/s320/1-therapsid+protomammals.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: WWW Proto-mammals</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With at least 510 genera and innumerable more species, if merely mentioned in this article, it would make it ten times lengthier than it already is. Since this is more of an evolvement article with therapsids leading to mammalians, this article is concentrating more on the line of evolvement of the therapsid group that led to mammals. So, if you want to know more of therapsids, below is a link to all the therapsid genera:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_therapsids</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Along with some basal therapsid outliers, <i>Therapsida</i> is divided into three major clades which are: <i>Eutherapsida</i> (U-thuh-rap-sah-duh) as the crown clade further divided into, <i>Neotherapsida</i> (Nee-o-thuh-rap-sah-duh), which was even further divided into <i>Theriodontia</i> (Thear-e-o-don-chi-ah). These major divisions were further divided into the eutherapsid: <i>Dinocephalia</i> (Dye-no-seff-fah-lee-ah) that were herbivorous/carnivorous/omnivorous; the eutherapsid, neotherapsid: <i>Anomodontia</i> (Ah-nom-e-don-tee-ah) were strictly herbivorous while the eutherapsid, neotherapsid, theriodont: <i>Eutheriodontia</i> (U-thear-e-o-don-tee-ah) and <i>Gorgonopsia</i> (Gor-gon-op-see-ah) were carnivores except for the eutheriodontian, family, <i>Bauriidae</i> being herbivorous. The genera, Tetraceratops (Teh-tra-sair-ah-tops), <i>Raranimus</i> (Rare-an-e-muss) along with the suborder <i>Biarmosuchia</i> (Be-ire-mo-sue-key-ah) were primitive basal therapsids. Therapsid fossils have been found on every current continent. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdn-Y5gJGV4yETr6fyu-nYNZWwdcpuSRUm-EFNIArdrDXnvqXfyRr5nucQ1_t743NxSn-8qPNzJFbN-XMyXXaikILhhbbyPEyvjYptMUZZooznBElEkLn507SV132QAVjV7YucKvmNlaC/s460/1-therapsid+tetraceratops.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdn-Y5gJGV4yETr6fyu-nYNZWwdcpuSRUm-EFNIArdrDXnvqXfyRr5nucQ1_t743NxSn-8qPNzJFbN-XMyXXaikILhhbbyPEyvjYptMUZZooznBElEkLn507SV132QAVjV7YucKvmNlaC/s320/1-therapsid+tetraceratops.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: WWW <i>Tetraceratops</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Tetraceratops</i> is the most basal therapsid and only therapsid from the Early Permian living 275 mya in Texas and has affinities to the primitive biarmarosuchian therapsids. It has been one big headache for paleo anatomists and paleontologists in trying to figure Tetraceratops’ ranking. Originally classified as a sphenacodontid pelycosaur with strong consideration as an eothyrid pelycosaur; after further evaluation, they finally classified it as the basal most therapsid. The reason for the conundrum is that in having anatomical featured synapomorphies (characteristics present in an ancestral species shared exclusively by its evolutionary descendants) exactly like both groups, <i>Tetraceratops</i> truly is the bridge between derived sphenacodontids and primitive therapsids; the missing link so to speak.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQ_VAUy60tNr6QeIvT1m8bS4Vz6Vr-mUSP-y7xgMLTff3UZ4ZyM9mlCndJtZcWEb6Zd5NVaIwgedLp7D9bxZEUCPaZH68WWEAOMdkrCMZIWsCG8UZTvLbj4oSCjqBhfnLrR4OqxKtXmzV/s589/1-therapsid+tetraceratops+skull1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="470" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQ_VAUy60tNr6QeIvT1m8bS4Vz6Vr-mUSP-y7xgMLTff3UZ4ZyM9mlCndJtZcWEb6Zd5NVaIwgedLp7D9bxZEUCPaZH68WWEAOMdkrCMZIWsCG8UZTvLbj4oSCjqBhfnLrR4OqxKtXmzV/s320/1-therapsid+tetraceratops+skull1.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tetraceratops</i> skull</td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Phylogenetic analyses show that <i>Tetraceratops</i> is the sister group of all other known therapsids. In the first analysis of reflecting anatomical interpretations, eight derived states are shared by <i>Tetraceratops</i> and therapsids.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The node linking <i>Tetraceratops</i> to other therapsids has a bootstrap frequency of 95%, the second largest value found by this analysis with a Bremer index of four. So, what does this mean?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In a statistical context, bootstrapping refers to using data at hand to infer the uncertainty of said data. This improves the cladistic statistical evidence by pulling on the current data’s ‘bootstraps’ to predict future end result knowledge. In practice, this is achieved by sampling, interpolating or permuting input data.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">How bootstrapping became a term might be interesting to some, as it originated in describing a character which profusely liked to spill over a lot of lore. The expression, ‘bootstrap’ comes from tales originating from the mind and pen of the German writer, Rudolf Erich. Erich composed the fictional German personality, Baron von Münchhausen, whom found himself stuck in a deep hole. To get out, he grabbed his boots by the bootstraps and pulled himself upwards, until he was able to step out of the hole.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Bremer support and decay values are simply the difference in the number of steps between the score of the ‘most parsimonious trees’ (MPTs) and the score of the MPT that does not contain a particular clade, node or branch. MPTs require the fewest number of evolutionary events once summed over the entirety of events.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Cryptovenator</i> was another synapsid that anatomically bridged affinities between sphenacodontids and primitive therapsids giving researchers hair-pulling fits as to exactly what it was to be classified as. Finally, bootstrap analyses and Bremer values helped give the final classification as a sphenacodontid. Below is a cladogram with (A) utilizing a bootstrap percentile and Bremer values, while (B) does not when taking into account <i>Cryptovenator</i>’s phylogenesis.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLtAg-TDdkxLLam4TxFxkiy4rw94VGCtlIRfQaioO3Tgf4NebQpoVjz9D8PWQ8CvbtFVa_JAXv6Tk1klNkTTWFTHi0Ly9f3BYqZSWOlaoyG3z8JVwDc82VhW24nKS4vnc_92lYpH0QB-v/s504/1-therapsid+bootstrap.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLtAg-TDdkxLLam4TxFxkiy4rw94VGCtlIRfQaioO3Tgf4NebQpoVjz9D8PWQ8CvbtFVa_JAXv6Tk1klNkTTWFTHi0Ly9f3BYqZSWOlaoyG3z8JVwDc82VhW24nKS4vnc_92lYpH0QB-v/s320/1-therapsid+bootstrap.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bootstrap Analyses</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The seven derived features or synapomorphies that <i>Tetraceratops</i> and primitive therapsids share with derived sphenacodontids are:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">1)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">loss of pre-canine dentition</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">2)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">loss of ectopterygoid dentition (thin dermal tooth bearing bone)</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">3)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">temporal fenestra has broadened forming a concave surface</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">4)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">reduced quadrate (upper element of jaw suspension)</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">5)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">pterygoid’s posteromedian flange moved behind interpterygoid vacuity</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">6)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">interpterygoid length is reduced</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">7)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">ventral plate of pterygoid is much reduced </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Tetraceratops</i> was no larger than 30.5cm/1ft at being around 28.4cm/11.2in. As being carnivorous and insectivorous, with its small size, it most likely fit a niche in capturing smaller invertebrate and vertebrate animals as the numerous larger pelycosaur predators during its time preyed on the larger herbivores. The generic name in meaning, ‘four-horned face’ is a misnomer, for it also had two smaller spine-like horns projecting outwards arising from its angular processes of the mandibles, making for three pairs of horns, or six horns. The other two pairs were facial projecting forwards as attached to the premaxilla and prefrontal bones.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Just to let one know, lately there is a push to re-reclassify <i>Tetraceratops</i> as a sphenacodontid again. Regardless, it only shows the affinitive bridge this synapsid has between pelycosaurs and therapsids.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Eutherapsida</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYDqUNFIqEp8j_70P_IkgXSyf1VwmmRvFZZT_7l0SMfQMZBoXx3r-LyCxfw80K4KctXvFk99Eefmivi0KJ7ZS5q2PLQMLw6DYJtdQjbn-_oNLil5S-992h2Vyr5NR2rPkqNRwedpPPbun/s657/1-therapsid+eutherapsida+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="657" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYDqUNFIqEp8j_70P_IkgXSyf1VwmmRvFZZT_7l0SMfQMZBoXx3r-LyCxfw80K4KctXvFk99Eefmivi0KJ7ZS5q2PLQMLw6DYJtdQjbn-_oNLil5S-992h2Vyr5NR2rPkqNRwedpPPbun/s320/1-therapsid+eutherapsida+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eutherapsida</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Eutherapsida</i>, other than the primitive most basal therapsid forms, contains all other therapsids in the subtaxa: <i>Dinocephalia</i> (Dye-no-suh-fall-e-ah), <i>Neotherapsida</i> (Knee-o-thair-ap-sye-dah), <i>Theriodontia</i> (Thear-e-o-don-tee-ah) and <i>Eutheriodontia</i> (U-thear-e-o-don-tee-ah). However, even though the paraphyletic biarmosuchians are primitive, they had enough similar features to eutherapsids, so are a sister clade to them. By the time dinosaurs rose in the Triassic, eutherapsids had already given rise to mammals. The eutherapsid lineage reached its greatest species richness and morphological divergence during the Permian, as they attained maximum dentition complexity in the Triassic therocephalian superfamily,<i> Baurioidea</i> (Bow-ree-oi-dee-ah).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Dinocephalia</i>:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Dinocephalians as the sister taxon to neotherapsids flourished 270 mya, but by 259 mya, had all become extinct leaving no descendants. With at least 12 families and innumerable genera, they were large bodied and were composed of carnivores, herbivores and omnivores. A distinct anatomical feature was having the hind limbs shorter than the forelimbs. The largest of dinocephalians was the herbivorous, <i>Tapinocephalus</i> (Tap-in-o-sef-a-luss) weighing up to 1996kg/4400lbs with a length of just over 3m/9.9ft. The omnivorous, <i>Titanosuchus</i> (Tye-tan-os-su-kuss) was slightly outmatched by <i>Tapinocephalus</i>’ in being around the same weight while only having a length of 2.5m/8.2ft. The two carnivorous dinocephalians in, <i>Titanophoneus</i> (Tye-tan- o-foe-knee-us) had a total length of 2.85m/9.2ft, while <i>Anteosaurus</i> (An-tay-o-sawr-us) had a length of 5m/16.4ft. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDtwNDrPrO1QigduY6xvfcQOOfKRz_1s5HsGiqG53ZVs_R0bihprOEkW4J81DCzOEC2NTignhwaEy53TODh4-_QX-mfj27rrKOomt4nh61gGrBhj6t0n5BNRIg4bNeRlfaX8jP94aAXIn/s800/1-therapsid+Anteosaurus+carn-Moschops+herb+john+sibbick.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDtwNDrPrO1QigduY6xvfcQOOfKRz_1s5HsGiqG53ZVs_R0bihprOEkW4J81DCzOEC2NTignhwaEy53TODh4-_QX-mfj27rrKOomt4nh61gGrBhj6t0n5BNRIg4bNeRlfaX8jP94aAXIn/s320/1-therapsid+Anteosaurus+carn-Moschops+herb+john+sibbick.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: John Sibbick <i>Anteosaurus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As the primitive pelycosaurs were waning, dinocephalians began radiating out replacing them in Permian niches, but only to the extent at the height of their diversity to have died out. Except for listing environmental causes such as disease, climatic factors or other stresses, no one knows why they suddenly became extinct to be replaced by the smaller and more derived therapsids.</span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Neotherapsida</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">: </span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Neotherapsids form a large clade of anomodonts and the most derived theriodont groups that lead to mammals. The temporal range for neotherapsids is from 270 mya to the present. During the Permian, neotherapsids had conquered much of the world with Permian timeframe fossils found in: Germany, India, Madagascar, Niger, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, United Kingdom, the U. S. in Texas, and Zambia. Triassic neotherapsid fossils have been found in: Antarctica, Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Lesotho, Morocco, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, and the U. S. in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Their radiation didn’t stop there as Jurassic neotherapsid fossils have been found in Lesotho, while more derived Cretaceous fossils have been found in Australia and Russia. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-0PcV_eXonBWlVPhZl5uXOyaAX8R1m2A0ecKkYQEC2n3VPk2DA8eOe-Ng-zbLduPJb3Dpa5k-fjRrYYdAji3Nh_u3l-ekU812UiCxRBdjAQSyjimTUpwnFpHyNEk-VFYP9JeGr1lXuYE/s954/1-syns+extinction+events.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-0PcV_eXonBWlVPhZl5uXOyaAX8R1m2A0ecKkYQEC2n3VPk2DA8eOe-Ng-zbLduPJb3Dpa5k-fjRrYYdAji3Nh_u3l-ekU812UiCxRBdjAQSyjimTUpwnFpHyNEk-VFYP9JeGr1lXuYE/s320/1-syns+extinction+events.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extinction Events</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Groups of neotherapsids survived the ‘Great Dying’ P-Tr extinction 251.9 mya, the Tr-J extinction 201.3 mya and even the K-Pg extinction event 65 mya. The proto-mammal neotherapsid did not totally become extinct until 17.5 mya, leaving it up to mammals to carry on the neotherapsid lineage. Neotherapsids rose long before dinosaurs and survived long afterwards only for the proto-mammal neotherapsid to die out just before the advent of the family of man’s appearance in <i>Hominidae</i> showing up 17 mya.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The two main neotherapsid subgroups were in the sister suborders: <i>Anomodontia</i> (Ah-nom-e-don-tee-ah) from 270-201 mya and <i>Theriodontia</i> (Thear-e-o-don-tee-ah) from 265-0 mya.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Anomodontia</i>:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The anomodonts are the most species-rich and abundant Permian/Triassic therapsids. During this period, this clade had a global distribution spanning a wide range of morphologies and ecologies. The beaked dicynodonts represent the largest anomodont subclade that possessed two maxillary tusks, while the rest of anomodont species were toothless, except for species in the basal anomodont clade, <i>Venyukovioidea</i> (Ven-nee-you-ko-vee-oid-dee-ah) that actually had more than a mouthful of teeth that were large in relation to the skull, so much so, the dentition was even too large for the closed mouth to fully cover.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFb3b6ZpPAIUZVSVFVXH-IPRJMeo9cwfa_7EZs_2rqMT8v59ORjQE586XxHVbb7jAak-EnSckI_85n7-w0ibW61ZL668OwZZxDr6AmNrdj__dKc_oZqoD2W2aGgt4F6QDUyEEtGfYhE4UD/s1000/1-therapsid+suminia+atrox1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFb3b6ZpPAIUZVSVFVXH-IPRJMeo9cwfa_7EZs_2rqMT8v59ORjQE586XxHVbb7jAak-EnSckI_85n7-w0ibW61ZL668OwZZxDr6AmNrdj__dKc_oZqoD2W2aGgt4F6QDUyEEtGfYhE4UD/s320/1-therapsid+suminia+atrox1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: atrox1 <i>Suminia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Anomodonts arose 268 mya with some surviving the P-Tr extinction, but finally all dying out by 201 mya at the end of the Triassic during the Tr-J extinction. In ranging from lengths of 39.4cm/15.5in to 5.9m/19.5ft, anomodonts dominated the Late Permian when it came to terrestrial vertebrate fauna. They were the only herbivorous therapsid group to survive the P-Tr extinction event. Some anomodonts weren’t just terrestrial but were arboreal and fossorial as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Being wholly herbivores, anomodont success in surviving the extinction event might have been on how they assimilated their food. Jaw articulation allowed for anterior to posterior movements for slicing as well as masticating. Further, through a system of interlocking ridges and grooves formed from the palate and dentary the plant roughage was ground into a mush. This form of chewing food was advantageous during a time of a Late Permian drying climate in acquiescing for a method of ingesting nutrients from rougher and more fibrous plants that could tolerate the ambient hotter/drier conditions. There are at least 91 current known genera of anomodonts. Some anomodont species supported body hair and may have been endothermic as well.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvTQpnMm39hsoGU3ePcQOR0FNnDhbfHuHHvvWwg_o84EuUdr8ggEpelZLnv8CvNKpdCiWqZJ2RnEdOoiPmf7KRzWvCFB5lTph6tSb6BqtD4TKu1cFzHP9dY8Yj7E6UxkNzuZ31CRNZ-lI/s755/1-therapsid+dicynodontia+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvTQpnMm39hsoGU3ePcQOR0FNnDhbfHuHHvvWwg_o84EuUdr8ggEpelZLnv8CvNKpdCiWqZJ2RnEdOoiPmf7KRzWvCFB5lTph6tSb6BqtD4TKu1cFzHP9dY8Yj7E6UxkNzuZ31CRNZ-lI/s320/1-therapsid+dicynodontia+cladogram.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dicynodontia</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVJcYFPXj4FoaQ6zK064Zr09w_uZrgZtqE0dv3yvFkvvtRPfiuPwyJpWGTSdwDDbUQ0z7eRQxxbrFoR_DnLbvjh3yzomLgfLqDWIAUOLIx4kwNmrJaW5NNDLPIjTc6eu5crbk1qi_d1me/s776/1-therapsid+dicynodon+C.C..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="776" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVJcYFPXj4FoaQ6zK064Zr09w_uZrgZtqE0dv3yvFkvvtRPfiuPwyJpWGTSdwDDbUQ0z7eRQxxbrFoR_DnLbvjh3yzomLgfLqDWIAUOLIx4kwNmrJaW5NNDLPIjTc6eu5crbk1qi_d1me/s320/1-therapsid+dicynodon+C.C..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Christopher Chávez <i>Eodicynodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Dicynodontia</i> (Dye-sin-o-don-cha) is an anomodont clade infraorder containing at least 55 genera divided under various superfamilies and families. The most basal dicynodont was the 268 mya, <i>Eodicynodon</i> (E-o-dye-sin-o-don) from the ‘Abrahamskraal Formation’ of South Africa. The name means, ‘early dicynodont’. Once 3.5m-11.5ft dicynodont species in the clade, <i>Kannemeyeriiformes</i> (Can-nuh-mear-e-forms) became extinct 201 mya and along with the youngest dicynodont extinction in <i>Lisowicia</i> (Lee-so-wiss-e-ah), there were to be no more large synapsid herbivores until herbivorous mammals began diversifying 60 mya during the Paleocene Epoch; a span of 141 million years. </span></div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAR2jcn8_jCsKy4VQ6rk_ou7qgMK1oJIg4fMI26L_iuf7GGLqSNvhr2Ve_r23VmroPyDhX7B_7dO-4wDizyrRLfe5fQvW9aBqioqNPtzi-Z1KDtXoMBW3IbFCfxn5683CoB4O0W__VNzV1/s450/1-therapsid+kannemeyeria-Corey+Ford.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAR2jcn8_jCsKy4VQ6rk_ou7qgMK1oJIg4fMI26L_iuf7GGLqSNvhr2Ve_r23VmroPyDhX7B_7dO-4wDizyrRLfe5fQvW9aBqioqNPtzi-Z1KDtXoMBW3IbFCfxn5683CoB4O0W__VNzV1/s320/1-therapsid+kannemeyeria-Corey+Ford.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Corey Ford <i>Kannemyeria</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With highly vascularized bones possessing Haversian canals eminently suggests that dicynodonts were endothermic. Juvenile dicynodont fossil bones even exhibit higher inner channel densities than the adults and most other therapsids as well. In addition, there are Late Permian carnivorous coprolites that contain hair along with dicynodont bones. In a new chemical study, it showed that both dicynodonts and cynodonts developed endothermic blood convergently (independently) before the Permian extinction in their more primitive forms. Besides the pair of maxillary tusks, dicynodonts had no teeth, but a keratinized beak for cropping plants.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The dicynodont, <i>Lystrosaurus</i> (Liss-tro-sawr-us), with a temporal range of 255-250 mya was one of the few theropsids as well as sauropsids that managed to survive the P-Tr extinction in sizable numbers. In Early Triassic strata, its fossils are the most common. Fossil beds formed from just after the extinction are 95% composed of <i>Lystrosaurus</i> remains. With very few predators and other competitive herbivores, they managed to radiate out into new lands spreading out from the current land of South Africa into what is now Antarctica, China, European Russia, India Mongolia and Poland.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMOjr2sgkUYdO-vEGhXGHjPxKKVH1YB_1rmraUFHUKR5ICBlTYX3R3DK04YDdyhTwldRdj_kxKiN2ujU1JJ3C2XDTKbE8Ht8rVeqlC2650gjb4UQNGsefeBLM7qVqaRaD9FkShFLEAiSZ/s638/1-therapsid+lystrosaurus+proterosuchus+michele+schirru.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="638" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMOjr2sgkUYdO-vEGhXGHjPxKKVH1YB_1rmraUFHUKR5ICBlTYX3R3DK04YDdyhTwldRdj_kxKiN2ujU1JJ3C2XDTKbE8Ht8rVeqlC2650gjb4UQNGsefeBLM7qVqaRaD9FkShFLEAiSZ/s320/1-therapsid+lystrosaurus+proterosuchus+michele+schirru.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Michele Schirru <i>Lystrosaurus</i> attacked by <i>Proterosuchus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There are some 23 species currently known and depending on which species, ranged in length from 0.6m/2ft to 0.9m/3ft. Rather small, but about the only predators that survived the P-Tr extinction that was large enough to prey on <i>Lystrosaurus</i> was the 1.5m/4.9ft therocephalian therapsid, <i>Moschorhinus</i> (Moss-ko-rye-nuss) and the 3.5m/11ft. archosauriform, <i>Proterosuchus</i> (Pro-tur-row-sue-cuss). Where <i>Moschorhinus</i> was strictly terrestrial, <i>Proterosuchus</i> was also, but in addition was semiaquatic where it probably used the lie-in-wait ambush technique, due to its slow moving sprawling gait. <i>Lystrosaurus</i> most likely herded.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAI2f_OhZj_icPGvlsHnrCLQ_2BMBLALiTPoGsjuz5XAQLXo7sJSo2AWMHIygXZSId1HfENI6slOif0lCGZgB79MQrSGX19QwvA5xNBdbZJmlhgT_V9ZXfMW2FtMUBdRLLaCfbR-j5JKEW/s1920/1-therapsid+lisowicia-fabio+manucci.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAI2f_OhZj_icPGvlsHnrCLQ_2BMBLALiTPoGsjuz5XAQLXo7sJSo2AWMHIygXZSId1HfENI6slOif0lCGZgB79MQrSGX19QwvA5xNBdbZJmlhgT_V9ZXfMW2FtMUBdRLLaCfbR-j5JKEW/s320/1-therapsid+lisowicia-fabio+manucci.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Fabio Manucci <i>Lisowicia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Originating in what is now southern Poland, the dicynodont, holotype species <i>Lisowicia</i> (Lee-so-wiss-e-ah) lived 208.5-201.3 mya. <i>Lisowicia</i> is named after the Polish town of Licowice where the first fossil finds were found nearby. It was the largest heavily built dicynodont in weighing ~ 5.4 metric tons/6 U.S. tons and had a length of 4.5m/14.8ft. It was also one of the last or the very last of dicynodonts before going extinct taking along with it the dicynodont genepool.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The reasoning behind its ability to grow so large is that during its time period in the Late Triassic, the dinosaurian, sauropodomorphs were emerging and successfully out-competing other herbivores in access to plants. However, there is no evidence of sauropodomorphs ever inhabiting in what is now Poland, so with less ecological stresses and pressures, <i>Lisowicia</i> was able to trend towards gigantism becoming the apex herbivore in its region.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Unique among the other dicynodonts, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Lisowicia</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> as a quadruped held its body upright, with all four legs underneath the body just as mammals do. Other dicynodonts had both hind legs held directly underneath, while the forelimbs were a bit sprawled.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Theriodontia</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">: </span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTXTZ26Nj7vxapelnRUaT2MrspF9qXgrFPI6DW3QluTg0pIa8v8BvggG507T230VYEwS2o8rLAjYr_VxEEaxfGv3QgDZbaXxo2yDoNWnJJ2Vnwde07bQP44wVfg9pb0jLJhXGvEMjYXd0/s706/1-therapsid+theriodontia-+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="706" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTXTZ26Nj7vxapelnRUaT2MrspF9qXgrFPI6DW3QluTg0pIa8v8BvggG507T230VYEwS2o8rLAjYr_VxEEaxfGv3QgDZbaXxo2yDoNWnJJ2Vnwde07bQP44wVfg9pb0jLJhXGvEMjYXd0/s320/1-therapsid+theriodontia-+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Theriodontia</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Theriodonts begin the direct path to mammals, where proto-mammal carnivore and herbivore therapsid groups become most mammal-like. Even the term, theriodont means: ‘the ones with beast teeth’ in reference to mammal-like dentition. Theriodont basal groups first appeared 270.6 mya, but most other theriodont groups contemporaneously appeared with their anomodont sister group 265 mya and are still here today in the form of mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkeB9OcOEfiItxNPvQyi8ayqyvv8l7GDqlG-EbUXRB1Klm1O1mBfxw6kjeKR9xwxaHlOufhJVd7KJKakQSO9Uj7gxcassd3SwiZqZpoNNqe5s8NxYNljpNd5wMxggp7ea6lfOlzEaMebF/s1287/1-therapsid+Theriodontia++Arctognathus+Lycosuchus+Progalesaurus+Mojcaj.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1287" data-original-width="976" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkeB9OcOEfiItxNPvQyi8ayqyvv8l7GDqlG-EbUXRB1Klm1O1mBfxw6kjeKR9xwxaHlOufhJVd7KJKakQSO9Uj7gxcassd3SwiZqZpoNNqe5s8NxYNljpNd5wMxggp7ea6lfOlzEaMebF/s320/1-therapsid+Theriodontia++Arctognathus+Lycosuchus+Progalesaurus+Mojcaj.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theriodont size comparison</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">It is plausible that all theriodonts were endothermic, which includes the earliest primitive forms. The most basal theriodonts were carnivorous while some groups evolved later into herbivores during the Triassic. Theriodonts were most successful in speciation during the Late Permian through the P-Tr extinction event into the Early Triassic. By the Middle Triassic, even though theriodonts were losing ground in speciation, a successful line through eutheriodonts led to mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlNCW-vMyH2dDchjA66-Qdk3ihPn7WDIE9j-qEqwhQU9ye-ISmTrCxRLKW6zd-hTH6HbGhtKGNfSP7h2zdKMM_SynhBX2C6Z-XdAarRZl7Z-Ws0FtZm5X9Dt1f3bHg3j1KJQs_Qd20ZVB/s464/1-therapsid+Theriodont+Dixeya+bite.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlNCW-vMyH2dDchjA66-Qdk3ihPn7WDIE9j-qEqwhQU9ye-ISmTrCxRLKW6zd-hTH6HbGhtKGNfSP7h2zdKMM_SynhBX2C6Z-XdAarRZl7Z-Ws0FtZm5X9Dt1f3bHg3j1KJQs_Qd20ZVB/s320/1-therapsid+Theriodont+Dixeya+bite.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theriodont <i>Dixeya</i> increased bite size</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Larger teeth evolved in the theriodonts, therefore to accommodate it, skulls also enlarged. The jaws also enlarged, in which mammals inherited giving both groups more capacity and efficiency in chewing. Also, several small jaw bones, which are still located in extant reptile jaws, migrated from the jaws into the inner middle ears aiding in hearing while allowing the jaw to open wider. This theriodont reduced quadrate trait was seated in the squamosal forming a joint with the articular allowing the anterior surfaces of the mandible dentition to contact and shear against the posterior surfaces of the maxillary dentition with closed jaws. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2SxZDbh0bJQ82Ye2Ymk-zIroXiWX9SUQQrYoN6y6eRjwnJhc2hq64kAbEsHDBXlGDFgdTo5BYitGdv-RcHbUSN3EhtR_1ACYwqc-FoblLbX7adpWuKXPprvXr2vOWCcdcFkaXZAsosmn/s575/1-therapsid+theriodontia+classification.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="364" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2SxZDbh0bJQ82Ye2Ymk-zIroXiWX9SUQQrYoN6y6eRjwnJhc2hq64kAbEsHDBXlGDFgdTo5BYitGdv-RcHbUSN3EhtR_1ACYwqc-FoblLbX7adpWuKXPprvXr2vOWCcdcFkaXZAsosmn/s320/1-therapsid+theriodontia+classification.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theriodont Classification</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The quadrate bone as reduced in size was loosely attached to the skull by a fibrous cartilaginous pad and once separated from the jaw, really benefitted carnivores with large canines. The size reduction also allowed a fore/aft movement from its lower end. Again, as it is an important step to mammals, this theriodont reduced quadrate allowed the anterior surfaces of the mandible dentition to contact and shear against the posterior surfaces of the maxillary dentition with closed jaws. This created an effective cutting motion for carnivores in dismembering carcasses or slicing through and gouging out plant roughage for herbivores.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The two divisions of, <i>Theriodontia</i> are the sister clades of the suborder, <i>Gorgonopsia</i> (270.6-250 mya) and the suborder, <i>Eutheriodontia</i> (265-0).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Gorgonopsia</i>:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHQNWa9xgAILeu7RC4W5QLmedycJHVsf7n9q2bs7pla71Kp08CsGfowkSmME9YDt1rwXq5YWVnXJsCrAC6z0CX4C35yBetWoTPBW9GlswQG8T8PWxMGxNsjgjA8xxQnwNLnShKZKJ-4ka/s615/1-therapsid+gorgonopsia+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHQNWa9xgAILeu7RC4W5QLmedycJHVsf7n9q2bs7pla71Kp08CsGfowkSmME9YDt1rwXq5YWVnXJsCrAC6z0CX4C35yBetWoTPBW9GlswQG8T8PWxMGxNsjgjA8xxQnwNLnShKZKJ-4ka/s320/1-therapsid+gorgonopsia+cladogram.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gorgonopsia</i> clade</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Deriving from a Middle Permian therapsid, the first gorgonopsians were rather small, such as the most basal gorgonopsian, <i>Nochnitsa</i> (Nock-neet-zah) at ~ 0.76m/2.49ft but began trending in larger form reaching lengths of 4.3m/14ft with <i>Inostrancevia</i> (In-nos-stran-see-vee-ah). With the extinction of the dinocephalians in the Late Permian, gorgonopsians became the apex predator of their ecosystems only to become the one therapsid group that totally perished during the P-Tr extinction. Their fossils have been discovered in Africa and Russia.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Being carnivores, the distinguishing gorgonopsian feature was their saber-toothed like canines; large also were their incisors. However, the postcanines were small in size and number or totally absent as in the genus, <i>Clelandina</i> (Clee-lun-deen-ah). The dentition of gorgonopsians was intermediate between that of earlier pelycosaurs and that of mammals with strong heterodont features in the incisors and canines, while the postcanines were analogous to mammal premolars and molars. The dentition was intermediate between that of earlier pelycosaurs and that of mammals, but with polyphyodont dentition in that the teeth were replaced throughout the course of the animals’ lifetime.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik72y80YVrB00QiMSBHhFANSBeceDDVL1DqO1YrRFJOvBAOxHTWeBK9vVTURlqD1mf7t73N58q2GvOHUMvnZWJBVnq6DEPTy-k_iI-QEFIkYmuWrf0SEu0kmzXCF_mwU4RUJZUaujlnMbC/s1920/1-therapsid+rubidgeinae.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1189" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik72y80YVrB00QiMSBHhFANSBeceDDVL1DqO1YrRFJOvBAOxHTWeBK9vVTURlqD1mf7t73N58q2GvOHUMvnZWJBVnq6DEPTy-k_iI-QEFIkYmuWrf0SEu0kmzXCF_mwU4RUJZUaujlnMbC/s320/1-therapsid+rubidgeinae.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Vitor Silva Subfamily: <i>Rubidgeinae</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The subgroup within <i>Gorgonopsia</i> is <i>Rubidgeinae</i> (Roo-bid-gee-ah-nay), which comprises several genera of large, robust gorgonopsians endemic to Africa. Rubidgeines’ jugal bone was broadly expanded, where in most gorgonopsians, the bone was narrow. The jugal is a skull bone in most vertebrates, but in addition for therapsids functioned as a facial structural support during biting. Rubidgeines used their head for capturing prey and had the presence of a reinforced skull consisting of a robust skull roof and supraorbital bosses in protecting the head. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gmuLJeCCd-tLaAe1WAAym1l6C8hCZ6qJS23-3p9kWmmO3rq6gmfkxmjAanMBBJXGlckyeKb33VvWhkLhCCqOQ2a5Nm6tjHEC65iTW0Cc93LIVjDOanM0UkC6tnh02mwIxbi_ljuPuQbN/s909/1-therapsid+aelurognathus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="909" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gmuLJeCCd-tLaAe1WAAym1l6C8hCZ6qJS23-3p9kWmmO3rq6gmfkxmjAanMBBJXGlckyeKb33VvWhkLhCCqOQ2a5Nm6tjHEC65iTW0Cc93LIVjDOanM0UkC6tnh02mwIxbi_ljuPuQbN/s320/1-therapsid+aelurognathus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Vitor Silva <i>Aelurognathus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div>The gorgonopsian rubidgeine, <i>Aelurognathus</i> (Aye-loo-row-nu-thus) lived in what is now South Africa, 260.9-254 mya. It for sure was a predator, but its fossil remnants also point out that it was a scavenger as well. When compared to other gorgonopsians, it did possess decent sized canines but had rather small incisors. So, it couldn’t crush bone like other gorgonopsians could.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In the ‘Tropidostoma Assemblage Zone’ of South Africa there was a peculiar dicynodont fossil that had been really chewed on. Evidence of large incisor scrape marks on scattered backbone parts are evident from some unknown predator in which must’ve made the initial kill, but there were also innumerable small incisor scratch marks on the rear bones, suggesting other individuals fed on the hindquarters as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What this scenario tells us in its unfolding is that some large predator had made the initial kill and had commenced eating on the topside even biting into bone. Then, a pack of scavengers came along with enough members to scare away the large predator and went for the underside by removing the hind limbs then scraping the underbelly bones of most of the flesh. Along with the underside dicynodont bones, an added feature also was present in the fossil site of a broken tooth identified as belonging to <i>Aelurognathus</i>. The initial carnivore may have had its fill and simply abandoned its kill, but nonetheless, in either scenario, <i>Aelurognathus</i> scavenged.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YVZPjOe7ytfnjIhr-azbm995ZYGvMzDMJeLSywm0M9LuGpjNwaP5Zb0Ioe8sutqR7d3sPRfLo_Ps98gN1TaG-bs1uZkFXp5eZN_iY5iLjeMpnVk-kfKHa3fzUEGYIa3T6rQlDia7EO0D/s1693/1-therapsid+Inostrancevia+dinox3raptor+youtube.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1565" data-original-width="1693" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YVZPjOe7ytfnjIhr-azbm995ZYGvMzDMJeLSywm0M9LuGpjNwaP5Zb0Ioe8sutqR7d3sPRfLo_Ps98gN1TaG-bs1uZkFXp5eZN_iY5iLjeMpnVk-kfKHa3fzUEGYIa3T6rQlDia7EO0D/s320/1-therapsid+Inostrancevia+dinox3raptor+youtube.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: dinox3raptor <i>Inostrancevia</i></td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In the family, <i>Gorgonopsidae</i>, <i>Inostrancevia</i> (In-nos-stran-see-ve-ah) as mentioned before was the largest gorgonopsian at 4.3m/14ft in total length. The skull itself was 60cm/2ft long that harbored a pair of canines 15cm/5.9in long. The canines had small serrations along the inside for slicing into flesh. It lived during Pangaea in an arid climate and ecosystem.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Fossils of <i>Inostrancevia</i> come from the ‘Sokolki Assemblage Zone’ in the ‘Kutuluk’ and ‘Salarevo Formations’ of northern Russia. The temporal range it roamed was during the Late Permian 260-254 mya. With the combination of its skull, canines and body size, <i>Inostrancevia</i> was a biting, walking, running and digging predator machine that no other animal during its time would want to stand up to it, except maybe another <i>Inostrancevia</i>. Once it sniffed out a burrowing animal, it could have easily dug it out. It likely pursued and killed the 3m/9.9ft pareiasaurid, <i>Scutusaurus</i>. This animal had plates of protective scutes underneath the skin that would’ve been of little hindrance to <i>Inostrancevia</i>’s canines. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZp7t8PnpbZUxkCoyY5ZVTVRrDxqRJA740oXCHdZx-TvGcLHYtXmF-dEWnFQqK14PnbfTu3nLylNxRyLylDHbUaxMlrdMoWNQlFNgBojwZsYVEQbWBK-AYisSOedAqDvQT39u25zQqSSW/s2048/1-therapsid+Inostrancevia_Ghedoghedo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1257" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZp7t8PnpbZUxkCoyY5ZVTVRrDxqRJA740oXCHdZx-TvGcLHYtXmF-dEWnFQqK14PnbfTu3nLylNxRyLylDHbUaxMlrdMoWNQlFNgBojwZsYVEQbWBK-AYisSOedAqDvQT39u25zQqSSW/s320/1-therapsid+Inostrancevia_Ghedoghedo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Ghadoghedo <i>Inostrancevia</i> canines</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There are three confirmed species of Inostrancevia in: <i>I</i>. <i>aleandri</i> (ul-lee-an-dree), <i>I</i>. <i>latifrons</i> (laah-tee-frons) and <i>I</i>. <i>uralensis</i> (yur-ul-en-sis). All three species had powerful leg muscles for speed and endurance and most likely could reach speeds up to 53kph/33mph. It’s known through fossil evidence that <i>Inostrancevia</i> did not possess scales, but whether it had naked skin, or hair is not known. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Eutheriodontia</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3XmxwPqmKBqPSs5i4GMyK0Md17UxRN-GE2UmXmrLlAuK3g6vkxh3wPtepdg4uzr7VnRixVezk7iD8U80xt_luQP9dPAaoyCZwQTp45B-1mXvGdC1lzk1dCnxvEnJo3sne_AgFf15__nm/s702/1-therapsid+eutheriodontia+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="702" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3XmxwPqmKBqPSs5i4GMyK0Md17UxRN-GE2UmXmrLlAuK3g6vkxh3wPtepdg4uzr7VnRixVezk7iD8U80xt_luQP9dPAaoyCZwQTp45B-1mXvGdC1lzk1dCnxvEnJo3sne_AgFf15__nm/s320/1-therapsid+eutheriodontia+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eutheriodontia</i> clade</td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As the sister clade to gorgonopsians under theriodonts, Eutheriodontia is further divided into two sister clades of <i>Therocephalia</i> (There-oss-seph-ah-lee-ah) and <i>Cynodontia</i> (Sin-o-don-cha). Cynodonts in turn lead to mammals.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Thus far, it appears that eutheriodonts originally evolved from Permian Gondwana therapsids in the ‘Eodicynodon Assemblage Zone’ as a composite of the ‘Beaufort Group’ in present day South Africa. The two oldest eutheriodonts from 265 mya are, <i>Glanosuchus</i> (Glan-o-sue-cuss) and <i>Ictidosaurus</i> (Ick-tid-o-sawr-us). The temporal range of eutheriodonts through cynodonts to mammals is 265-0 mya.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">However, by the Late Permian eutheriodonts had radiated out into Brazil, China, India, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, the African nations of Malawi, Niger, Tanzania and Zambia, Russia and the United States in Oklahoma and Texas. By 235 mya in the Triassic, another radiation wave further took them into what are currently Antarctica, China, Namibia, Russia, and Tanzania. It has been analyzed by the paleontological researchers, Adam K. Huttenlocker and Jennifer Botha-Brink that, “Increased environmental variability in the earliest Triassic was associated with rapid growth to a minimum body size requirement and consequently, shortened developmental times.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Therocephalians and cynodonts began diverging early in the Permian, but the race of evolution was on, in which one would become the first mammalian where eventually cynodonts won out with the extinction of therocephalians 243 mya. Independently through convergent evolution, both eutheriodont groups evolved mammalian features such as a secondary palate and the loss of a postorbital bar. From a common ancestor, both groups inherited and retained the mammalian features of the loss of teeth on the palate, the expansion of the epipterygoid (slender bone situated above or upon the pterygoid; known as the alisphenoid in mammals) at the base of the skull and the narrowing of the skull roof to a narrow sagittal crest running between large temporal openings.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Therocephalia</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Sq0ZWgBkf6I1ZPdmM7ilu-_A8ZigPoaxqapHfBj_DdMa6SXCidZrvjqhPMA1rTv7ebS3ITyiCYmax1apNCO5Jcjv2FSjv_N0X1ZwrEdWkzeyCVa8Lot0WL2pgZY8-2B7Rbjyl4d4Dwy5/s590/1-therapsid+therocephalia-eutherocephalia+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Sq0ZWgBkf6I1ZPdmM7ilu-_A8ZigPoaxqapHfBj_DdMa6SXCidZrvjqhPMA1rTv7ebS3ITyiCYmax1apNCO5Jcjv2FSjv_N0X1ZwrEdWkzeyCVa8Lot0WL2pgZY8-2B7Rbjyl4d4Dwy5/s320/1-therapsid+therocephalia-eutherocephalia+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Therocephalia</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Therocephalians are a species-rich clade and an eco-morphologically varied group ranging from the middle Permian to the Middle Triassic, with their highest diversity radiating in the late Permian. Although most therocephalian species went extinct during the P-Tr extinction, those that survived were successful in radiating out into newer species. Therocephalians’ temporal range was from 265-243mya.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLV35lnYD329T-rxS13ivXyw6AawR4zkc6pJuvyrTYEYhcG1JZYuwfi6xJ7HGpZ8cT9t7paloXkILUZzgdwKnKCmJNw8BUWua9J5QbhGe47bO0DYvg8Kd8c2VzEtdJg9suIbWSWikiW32/s1024/1-ther+glanosuchus+willemsvdmerwe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLV35lnYD329T-rxS13ivXyw6AawR4zkc6pJuvyrTYEYhcG1JZYuwfi6xJ7HGpZ8cT9t7paloXkILUZzgdwKnKCmJNw8BUWua9J5QbhGe47bO0DYvg8Kd8c2VzEtdJg9suIbWSWikiW32/s320/1-ther+glanosuchus+willemsvdmerwe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: WillemSvdMerwevez <i>Glanosuchus</i></td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Older more primitive therocephalians before the P-Tr extinction like, <i>Glanosuchus</i> (Glan-o-sue-cuss) from 265-254 mya had already featured mammalian anatomical characteristics such as the reduction of phalanges (finger and toe bones) that became a mammal phalange trait and the primitive development of a middle ear including the malleus, incus and stapes bones with a very thin plate of bone that acted as an eardrum receiving sounds from the middle ear fluid and transferring those sound waves to a small air-filled cavity.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The more derived therocephalians as in the Early Triassic superfamily, <i>Baurioidea</i> (Bar-ree-oi-dee-ah) lacked the ossified postorbital bar separating the orbit from the temporal opening as witnessed also in being absent in all primitive mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Therocephalians invaded all ecologies in most being terrestrial, while others were fossorial, arboreal and even semiaquatic as evidenced by sclerotic rings that stabilized the eye under water pressure along with strongly developed cranial joints supporting the skull when consuming large fish and aquatic invertebrates.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Therocephalians are further divided into three subdivisions separating <i>Eutherocephalia</i> (U-there-oss-seph-ah-lee-ah) from the basal families, <i>Scylacosauridae</i> (Sill-va-kah-sawr-e-day) from 265-249 mya as a sister group and <i>Lycosuchidae</i> (Lye-ko-sue-chi-day) from 265-260 mya as a cousin to the eutherocephalian clade. Eutherocephalians are the majority of therocephalians.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Eutherocephalians ranged from 260-242.5 mya. With a few sister groups of eutherocephalians during the Late Permian’s ‘Wuchiapingian Stage’ were effective in establishing southern Gondwana and Laurasia dispersal routes that persisted in Pangaea. Due to the long skulls and dentition, the term <i>Eutherocephalia</i> means ‘true beast head’.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDnNkTqnYC1kj4IUvVnUn9MhfwoSqPkEYZTCQFuJlQ1s-WT9zkuL86ZqBZ0rnD2-h8w8bv4qU-5DaBB704xuxZpGoqGLJN56tH3utXO5fw5xef9BGCwm5-JjLDUZosHU4ybPS648wzzOz/s1200/1-therapsid+purlovia+maxima+Smokeybjb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1199" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDnNkTqnYC1kj4IUvVnUn9MhfwoSqPkEYZTCQFuJlQ1s-WT9zkuL86ZqBZ0rnD2-h8w8bv4qU-5DaBB704xuxZpGoqGLJN56tH3utXO5fw5xef9BGCwm5-JjLDUZosHU4ybPS648wzzOz/s320/1-therapsid+purlovia+maxima+Smokeybjb.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: SmokeyBjb <i>Purlovia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Purlovia</i> (Purr-lo-vee-yuh) from Late Permian Russia 259-252.3 mya is a holotype genus, but is classified under the eutherocephalin family, <i>Nanictidopidae</i> (Nah-nic-tuh-dop-ah-day) along with its closest relative, <i>Nanictidops</i> (Nah-nic-tuh-dops) from South Africa. Its fossil was collected from the ‘Vyazniki’ tetrapod assemblage in a composite of former terrestrial intermittent floodplains.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Purlovia</i> possessed long canines in both the lower and upper jaws with the rest of the buccal (cheek) dentition being much smaller. The jaw muscles were very thick and robust with the mandible (lower jaw) curving slightly upwards. Aside from these mouth features, <i>Purlovia</i> was an herbivore. Rather small at 0.6m/2ft, its triangular long head was nearly a third the size of the body at 20cm/7.9in long. The fossil skull is triangular shaped when observed from above with the postorbital, the region behind the orbitals (eye sockets), nearly half its length. <i>Purlovia</i> had long phalanges toe/finger bones for its body size. Unlike other more advanced therocephalians, <i>Purlovia</i> lacked a secondary palate. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvpuQILcQFCti36u_Qs9sPjGUSp5GQQdrentvoGCrdpMsljei6BhU0AB4TIp9vJy4L7pl9X0-r6LlMwJUdSq9Lk5G-nsNrACpblGAaXgQTIcKI7zi1JuRbPJ9D7cRzA0y8Bn8-WH-_HZv/s1440/1-therapsid+G.+masyutinae-suminia+Matt+Celesky.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1084" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvpuQILcQFCti36u_Qs9sPjGUSp5GQQdrentvoGCrdpMsljei6BhU0AB4TIp9vJy4L7pl9X0-r6LlMwJUdSq9Lk5G-nsNrACpblGAaXgQTIcKI7zi1JuRbPJ9D7cRzA0y8Bn8-WH-_HZv/s320/1-therapsid+G.+masyutinae-suminia+Matt+Celesky.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist:Matt Celesky <i>G. masutinae</i> after <i>Suminia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As a sister taxon to eutherocephalians, the primitive therocephalian, <i>Gorynychus</i> (Gor-e-nye-cuss) lived in the mid-late Permian 265-252.3 mya. The genus harbors two species in, <i>G</i>. <i>masyutinae</i> (mazz-e-ut-e-nee) and <i>G</i>. <i>sundyrensis</i> (sun-dire-in-sis). The genus fossils come from Russia in the claystone/sandstone ‘Urpalov Formation’ of the ‘Vanyushonki Member’s lower red beds. The genus is ancient Greek with the name referring to ‘bloody claw’. It was named for the Russian dragon, ‘Zmey Gorynych’.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Gorynychus</i> was definitely a transitional therocephalian with a mixture of primitive lycosuchid and scylacosaurid traits (which are the earliest known therocephalians) and derived eutherocephalian characteristics. The distinguishing trait of <i>Gorynychus</i> separating the genus from all other therocephalian species is its autapomorphic dental morphology possessing coarse denticulated incisors and postcanines.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDR5H1Rxp2lZ2C1sZu9RvdSJP079KkxjrwzETwk2vPS4J7Kh9wWqtjesZZFzAwV-ZMsMQcUZHOhCBTDmd3qEJS6iQg99BVKz6ShvZAN1Ybh8XNsrmYyIehrs0yVtItdBzHx2M81KzvoO73/s1131/1-therapsid+Gorynychus+DiBgd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1131" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDR5H1Rxp2lZ2C1sZu9RvdSJP079KkxjrwzETwk2vPS4J7Kh9wWqtjesZZFzAwV-ZMsMQcUZHOhCBTDmd3qEJS6iQg99BVKz6ShvZAN1Ybh8XNsrmYyIehrs0yVtItdBzHx2M81KzvoO73/s320/1-therapsid+Gorynychus+DiBgd.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: DiBgd <i>Gorynychus spp</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With large incisors and <i>G</i>. <i>sundyrensis</i> even having double maxillary incisors on both sides, <i>Gorynychus</i> was definitely the apex predator during its time in the Permian ‘Kotelnich’ ecosystem. At around 1.6m/5.25ft in length, it was the largest predator and could subdue any terrestrial, arboreal or semiaquatic prey that was represented in the ‘Kotelnich’ fauna. The only competition it would’ve had would have been the very basal gorgonopsian, <i>Nochnitsa</i> (Nock-neet-zah) that was one of the smallest and most primitive gorgonopsians at ~ 0.76m/2.49ft and was nocturnal while <i>Gorynychus</i> was diurnal.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Triassic Period<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The Triassic began 251.9 mya with an impoverished biosphere due to the P-Tr extinction where some 83% of all genera became extinct and is known as the largest mass extinction of insects. This is why this extinction event is known as the ‘Great Dying’. Regardless that the Triassic is the shortest period of the Mesozoic Era, the therapsids and archosaurs that survived the extinction event, had given rise to mammals, dinosaurs and pterosaurs by the time of the Middle Triassic. The supercontinent Pangaea’s hot and dry climate during the Early Triassic had begun to give way to a more humid climate as the massive continent of Pangaea began to break up into the smaller continents of Laurasia to the north and Gondwana to the south by the Late Triassic 215 mya.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnHL51mHiRhUChP5wAXlCqW-FwGQBgGLgURDxPVkIWaPHVuCNg3obUWbR8p_I0D_ABPVpcWEf5bkWldgny33S3maK0gPPdD3Z2gB-K42mKVWNk5XALlnNxAwrqxva4pipLHWXL-0Rb-Oa/s1600/1-ther+triassic+lystrosaurus-cynodont-archosaur.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnHL51mHiRhUChP5wAXlCqW-FwGQBgGLgURDxPVkIWaPHVuCNg3obUWbR8p_I0D_ABPVpcWEf5bkWldgny33S3maK0gPPdD3Z2gB-K42mKVWNk5XALlnNxAwrqxva4pipLHWXL-0Rb-Oa/s320/1-ther+triassic+lystrosaurus-cynodont-archosaur.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist:Julius Csotonyi Jurassic Period</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">During the Triassic, vascular plants like lycophytes, ginkgophytes, cycadophytes, ferns, horsetails and glossopterids had survived the extinction event, but were being outclassed by the emerging spermatophytes (seed plants) such as, conifers and bennettitales. The seed fern, <i>Glossopteris</i> dominated Pangaea’s southern hemisphere. For marine life during the Triassic, secondary endosymbiotic algae were the most abundant plankton. Modern types of corals first appear in the Triassic where ammonite species were hit hard, but soon recovered and rebounded during the Triassic. Very few fish families survived the extinction event, but remained uniform in what did survive while many aquatic reptile species arose during the Triassic such as the nothosaurs, plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs. Alas however, as so it began with an extinction event, the Triassic also ended with one 201.3 mya going into the Jurassic that greatly reduced the therapsid species numbers, particularly herbivorous kannemeyeriid dicynodonts and the traversodont cynodonts. </span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Cynodontia</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Q7lSE09po5Ff-CHgQ-Ztalvzxo8f4RadS94HgoPTIgZntaTUjYTBOX31yQgjUVq0qzMgjOlBse5Q9hNtTe9HdSNSG1v4renAcAogue6Vpq8hyO8ZQl_Xieq3uWSzGUHOrBTpAnYNPVNO/s750/1-therapsid+cynodontia+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="719" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Q7lSE09po5Ff-CHgQ-Ztalvzxo8f4RadS94HgoPTIgZntaTUjYTBOX31yQgjUVq0qzMgjOlBse5Q9hNtTe9HdSNSG1v4renAcAogue6Vpq8hyO8ZQl_Xieq3uWSzGUHOrBTpAnYNPVNO/s320/1-therapsid+cynodontia+cladogram.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cynodontia</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Cynodontia</i> (Sin-o-don-tee-ah) is Latin in reference to ‘dog teeth’. It is a major clade that led to basal cynodonts that is a sister taxon to epicynodonts and another main sub clade, eucynodonts (true dog teeth) that contained the sub clades cynognathians and probainognathians that finally led to ancestral mammals. As the major clade, cynodonts are still with us in mammalians. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQpBWVQOXebIF301hPBG1cfb7CLORc3hhwUCQg5sIsK1COn4anGLTlnT91CjMe9Xo8DvWkSGVp1KUKKI9qkweGe4C03vhI5_gDMJ9InqIvqHLFEPebjsDyMO8JuMU68q85clQ_bAqM1LE/s965/1-therapsid+Procynosuchus_NT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="965" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQpBWVQOXebIF301hPBG1cfb7CLORc3hhwUCQg5sIsK1COn4anGLTlnT91CjMe9Xo8DvWkSGVp1KUKKI9qkweGe4C03vhI5_gDMJ9InqIvqHLFEPebjsDyMO8JuMU68q85clQ_bAqM1LE/s320/1-therapsid+Procynosuchus_NT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Procynosuchus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The most primitive of cynodonts was the 260 mya, <i>Procynosuchus</i> (Pro-sin-no-sue-cuss) with the Greek name meaning, ‘before dog crocodile’. At 60cm/2ft, it not only appeared like an otter, anatomically, it alludes to the fact that it was built for a semi-aquatic lifestyle, for its wide zygapophyses (vertebra articular processes) allowed for anguilliform locomotion (water propulsion) and a high degree of lateral flexibility. The tail was also long for a cynodont which would have been useful for undulating through water. One primitive feature was its splayed legs. <i>Procynosuchus</i> originated from what is now South Africa, but had radiated out into Pangaea’s Permian Zambia and Germany.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipy70h7jDFXY4mTPUKf40EaId7_5NTzIieze5qbXgdjQEf3V_RpigJNvo40pyoxhhmAXYqmwEEnhi20WUDCURchbbMMvOyMwbbOPnp3fqRxw2hUZ63rLhNrATFlMu4IaaIa6I6hIpcPsA5/s1013/1-therapsid+charassognathus+WillemSvdMerwe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="1013" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipy70h7jDFXY4mTPUKf40EaId7_5NTzIieze5qbXgdjQEf3V_RpigJNvo40pyoxhhmAXYqmwEEnhi20WUDCURchbbMMvOyMwbbOPnp3fqRxw2hUZ63rLhNrATFlMu4IaaIa6I6hIpcPsA5/s320/1-therapsid+charassognathus+WillemSvdMerwe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: WillemSvdMerwevez <i>Charassognathus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Basal and primitive cynodonts like, <i>Procynosuchus</i> and <i>Charassognathus</i> (Cha-rass-o-nay-thus) from 259.1 mya did not lead to mammals but instead, all went extinct by 247 mya. The eucynodont, cynognathians went extinct during the Late Jurassic 150 mya, but showing up during the Early Triassic are the longest living cynodontians. If man doesn’t cause the extinction of mammals, including himself, perhaps they will outlast all cynognathians. Aside from mammals, all other probainognathian cynodonts went extinct by the Early Cretaceous 125.3 mya.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoeJDeSVnOzPssT1CR47nTDrXOp22LFMd1-YBcmtXA-hQdTwlJXnrmxtvmIAhjqqvN6IT3l-dh-MRfV6j8sQezwA0-X9fUekieJHu6Q_Uu9XyQigLitU7aI9IcOpSvXTHg7mItaztKyqe/s702/1-therapsid+Diademodon+mastacus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="702" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoeJDeSVnOzPssT1CR47nTDrXOp22LFMd1-YBcmtXA-hQdTwlJXnrmxtvmIAhjqqvN6IT3l-dh-MRfV6j8sQezwA0-X9fUekieJHu6Q_Uu9XyQigLitU7aI9IcOpSvXTHg7mItaztKyqe/s320/1-therapsid+Diademodon+mastacus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2UOToxc5htB2x4MAZAkdVj_PBV6bk-dnikFbXbMZn1UP9oFsS4OucnwQr7djb8hGj2bz4KQrg7uYUTqZzgltiQCUGzlprrbhnkC04gVz4aySRtqPaimSRzEkdtJDxqXBDS6cztL9dlep/s1200/1-therapsid+diademodon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2UOToxc5htB2x4MAZAkdVj_PBV6bk-dnikFbXbMZn1UP9oFsS4OucnwQr7djb8hGj2bz4KQrg7uYUTqZzgltiQCUGzlprrbhnkC04gVz4aySRtqPaimSRzEkdtJDxqXBDS6cztL9dlep/s320/1-therapsid+diademodon.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Gabriel Ugueto <i>Diademodon</i> skull/body</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">When compared to other Permian/Triassic fauna, cynodonts were small to mid-sized with an average length of 0.76m/2.5ft. The largest cynodonts were in <i>Cynognathus</i> (Sin-no-nay-thus, or, Sigh-no-nay-thus) at 1.2m/3.9ft, the more derived <i>Trucidocynodon</i> (Tru-see-doe-sin-o-don) at 1.3m/4.2ft, the traversodontid herbivore <i>Exaeretodon</i> (Ex-sair-ret-o-don) at 1.8m/5.9ft and <i>Diademodon</i> (Dee-ah-dem-o-don) at 2m/6.6ft in total length. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-fOTXFAbxL9Sf5n0P3d6Ie-mxO7s_s4VlODxFX8te7QAfcCDAmyla5MI6Nf46qfI2TofzTjgIDfMh4_Ec-Nsif5Q0pJmMJfNkkJc0KtyaIg4vIb-NibnSsdeGVehGfIPqIL5CeL1C5K_/s800/1-therapsid+wallaby+epipubic+bone.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-fOTXFAbxL9Sf5n0P3d6Ie-mxO7s_s4VlODxFX8te7QAfcCDAmyla5MI6Nf46qfI2TofzTjgIDfMh4_Ec-Nsif5Q0pJmMJfNkkJc0KtyaIg4vIb-NibnSsdeGVehGfIPqIL5CeL1C5K_/s320/1-therapsid+wallaby+epipubic+bone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wallaby epipubic bone</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Most basal cynodonts at least, were hairy/furred and warm blooded, but still a tetrapod that laid eggs. However the more derived had developed epipubic bones. Originally for cynodonts epipubic bones developed to support abdominal and hind limb muscles for a more erect gait and greater ease of locomotion. However, the epipubic bone came to function later as an abutment for the female pouch by coming up from the pelvis along the ventral surface and that is why it is sometimes referred to as the marsupial pouch bone. So, like today’s opossum, the cynodont epipubic bone’s original service to gait and stride was at the expense of prolonged pregnancies where highly altricial births became the result as in extant marsupials. Marsupials do have a placenta, but due to the epipubic bones, it does not last very long, thus ending in premature births. In having longer full term pregnancies with the placenta in place, only full-term placental tetrapods reversed evolution in the devolution of the bone.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KrzIr2C1W1Tdhfv7jaURsqJNMOyS_SJf9O3XX55HGL67MBPBjnLidQF-6w4Pv1V7_bikZaOz-qWxj1Mss35XV6NcotzDiV5-z7Tflvid2UzsebBS2gZ5itORooIIZ8jUX_0ugjsgBWWy/s448/1-therapsid+placode+cells.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KrzIr2C1W1Tdhfv7jaURsqJNMOyS_SJf9O3XX55HGL67MBPBjnLidQF-6w4Pv1V7_bikZaOz-qWxj1Mss35XV6NcotzDiV5-z7Tflvid2UzsebBS2gZ5itORooIIZ8jUX_0ugjsgBWWy/s320/1-therapsid+placode+cells.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Placode cells on fetus</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The scales, feathers and hair story all share the exact same beta-keratin origins, so it is not too difficult to imagine that one evolved replacing the other. They are all wholly composed of proteinaceous and structurally fibrous keratin. In the embryonic state all three are derived and developed from a collection of cells known as anatomical placodes. Placode cells express the same developmental genes in whether expressing reptilian scales, bird feathers or mammal fur/hair. This tells scientists that there was once a common ancestral origin for all three. Placodes first produce scales then leave the embryo by dying off, but when genetically left turned on, rather than producing scales, will later produce hair or feathers. Just to let ya know here, fur is the exact same thing as hair. We only call it hair when discussing humans; on all other mammals we express it as fur.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">All primitive or derived cynodont dentition (teeth) were fully heterodont (differentiated) and supported a braincase that bulged outwards at the back of the head. Both these features are characteristics of mammals. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTPaXAiPwUTc64aNvkXaNkFMO8lSQgYF1jSUhxf93K8Y03-zNIHNeB8N1apuJVbGynxZIeHcoUl1_N7Q5eEjktQRkddi0yv52jpbMmf-JsjrByd5KOU6CvK5L8fZoZ8rmwNK7aHFjrDAJ/s901/1-therapsid+dvina.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="901" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTPaXAiPwUTc64aNvkXaNkFMO8lSQgYF1jSUhxf93K8Y03-zNIHNeB8N1apuJVbGynxZIeHcoUl1_N7Q5eEjktQRkddi0yv52jpbMmf-JsjrByd5KOU6CvK5L8fZoZ8rmwNK7aHFjrDAJ/s320/1-therapsid+dvina.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dvinia</i> skull and model</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">All basal cynodonts ancestrally were carnivorous, but later more derived cynodonts in the Late Permian such as the 50cm/1.6ft, <i>Dvinia</i> (D-vee-nee-ah) were omnivorous, while Middle Triassic cynodont traversodontids and Late Triassic cynodont tritylodontids evolved into herbivores from earlier carnivorous cynodonts.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdZEMp_nPq9xR_KbgKkMmIG4memtzm1C7GCldxSpDoMxJFO9yOv6gw_yKMdouBwK_RESoJEPOTy_WhpDPTaolJpYs101TaUI98rYjfh9svckxkT71LGk3P3Ow2pkTGx2eHEr8ksNrvmbi/s640/1-therapsid+progaleosaurus+Viergacht.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdZEMp_nPq9xR_KbgKkMmIG4memtzm1C7GCldxSpDoMxJFO9yOv6gw_yKMdouBwK_RESoJEPOTy_WhpDPTaolJpYs101TaUI98rYjfh9svckxkT71LGk3P3Ow2pkTGx2eHEr8ksNrvmbi/s320/1-therapsid+progaleosaurus+Viergacht.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Viergacht <i>Progaleasaurus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The cynodont, <i>Progalesaurus</i> (Pro-gal-e-sawr-us) occurred 252.7-251.2 mya appearing just before the P-Tr extinction only to disappear during it. The name implies ‘before galesaurus’, where <i>Galesaurus</i> (Gay-luh-sawr-us) is Greek meaning, ‘weasel lizard’. This is in relationship to the more basal <i>Progalesaurus</i> in regards to the more derived <i>Galesaurus</i> where both belong to the same family of galesaurids as does <i>Cynosaurus</i> (Sin-o-sawr-us).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Coming from the ‘New Lootsberg Pass’ in the ‘Karoo Basin’ of South Africa with only one fossil discovered, <i>Progalesaurus</i> is a holotype. It was a small carnivore at ~ 60.4cm/2ft long. The skull was only 9.35cm/3.68in in total length and had remarkably large nares (nostrils) for early cynodonts.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Progalesaurus</i>’ discovery increases the number of valid Early Triassic cynodonts to four, shedding light on the tempo of early cynodont diversification after the end-Permian mass extinction. Therefore, has been placed at the base of <i>Epicynodontia</i> outside of the more evolved eucynodont members.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Cynodontia is further divided into the stem based infraorders <i>Epicynodontia</i> (Epp-e-sin-o-don-tee-ah) and <i>Eucynodontia</i> (U-sin-o-don-tee-ah). Eucynodonts are further divided into the two major subdivision clades, <i>Cynognathia</i> (sin-o-nay-the-ah) and <i>Probainognathia</i> (Pro-bain-o-nay-the-ah). </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7W71kZ3pSUddNYJfyKrYMTYAmy_tkfHzQrIna6nSchjuHZgKric-CxA5dkiR45QvwEY47N3T0hGeBlfJsu6kFP1PHJgeOVZiU_coSze9WXQYSo04WyZX0wd82vAFaKCQKW3Y4CS_VXSy/s593/1-therapsid+Thrinaxodon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="593" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7W71kZ3pSUddNYJfyKrYMTYAmy_tkfHzQrIna6nSchjuHZgKric-CxA5dkiR45QvwEY47N3T0hGeBlfJsu6kFP1PHJgeOVZiU_coSze9WXQYSo04WyZX0wd82vAFaKCQKW3Y4CS_VXSy/s320/1-therapsid+Thrinaxodon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: DK <i>Thrinaxodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The epicynodont, <i>Thrinaxodon</i> (Thry-nax-o-don) had a temporal range of 251-247 mya during the Early Triassic. Its fossils come from South Africa and Antarctica when Africa and Antarctica were conjoined during Pangaea. Just after the P-Tr extinction it was one of the few carnivores that had survived and perhaps its fossorial burrowing habits was a main attribute in its survival. Although one of the largest carnivores during its time due to the extinction event in killing off most large carnivores, its length was only ~ 89cm/35in. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With short limbs and a more basal sprawling gait better suited for tunneling than running, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Thrinaxodon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> was an intermediate between more basal therapsids and mammals in displaying primitive features while adopting more derived ones. In addition to the slightly primitive splayed limbs, it also exhibited canine dentition replacement if one was lost or broken, while juveniles possessed a greater number of teeth than adults. Juvenile fossils also displayed parasphenoidal dentition which is unusual for therapsids in general, but has been exhibited in gorgonopsians as well. Parasphenoid teeth define that anterior vomerine teeth are aligned transversely, while teeth on the posterior vomers, as supported by the parasphenoid bone, are arranged in longitudinal rows and increase in number posteriorly. Additionally, teeth are added laterally and shed medially.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQZktbjbVHa3zVH5_9FlY26eeI1nMNnRc4subsAS2gFiJ6_jEC5qB5wgaRbk2Opn_k0DRstTCALRLMOQtEMOW6R3dA5l5YyYQa6QIdfouRV-1mKOVpeg6TJOk-6GfpTV2raM4UHIGKiKv/s1024/1-therapsid+thrinaxodon+skull.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQZktbjbVHa3zVH5_9FlY26eeI1nMNnRc4subsAS2gFiJ6_jEC5qB5wgaRbk2Opn_k0DRstTCALRLMOQtEMOW6R3dA5l5YyYQa6QIdfouRV-1mKOVpeg6TJOk-6GfpTV2raM4UHIGKiKv/s320/1-therapsid+thrinaxodon+skull.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Thrinaxodon</i> skull</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKb1UjmsUqqTrwfCbn2BOT56gen-BOkzA6lW_dFPsth-6l__05RNJZHmeikvLo91rOQdtM8Fpl87HscGTU9SFuH0xFL8TtvAcxMlUYBG73RXhgu1nS5j1taRf2kVSA1jDRrjw-OKjWAbr6/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="320" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKb1UjmsUqqTrwfCbn2BOT56gen-BOkzA6lW_dFPsth-6l__05RNJZHmeikvLo91rOQdtM8Fpl87HscGTU9SFuH0xFL8TtvAcxMlUYBG73RXhgu1nS5j1taRf2kVSA1jDRrjw-OKjWAbr6/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two <i>Thrinaxodon</i> fossils </td></tr></tbody></table></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The many derived features this 251 million-year-old epicynodont brought to the forefront displays numerous mammalian characteristic traits. The snout near the nostrils and maxilla bones were pitted insinuating whiskers and containing a secondary palate which separates the nasal passages from the rest in the mouth of the upper jaw, would have given <i>Thrinaxodon</i> the ability to breathe uninterrupted, even with food in its mouth. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Mastication (chewing) was an apparent greater development of the temporalis muscle [muscle running from the side of skull to the back of the mandible (lower jaw) involved in closing the mouth and chewing] relative to the masseter muscles (muscles running through the rear part of cheek from the temporal bone to the lower jaw on each side closing the jaw in chewing), indicating a strong posterodorsal movement of the mandible. Also, <i>Thrinaxodon</i> juvenile fossils show one of the first occurrences of permanent adult replacement teeth that will erupt under baby teeth in cynodonts.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">A main mammalian character trait shown by <i>Thrinaxodon</i> burrows that had caved in burying the occupants is parental care. In these fossilized burrows the occupants were of differing ages from younger to older juveniles and adults; in other words, these were families. Being in groups like this with various ages shows familial nits.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4-rb96GXYX30ppgytm5chjWZTl49f1rBudJZGQHKzARMi94QQxw2ZyvIhyphenhyphen4lmLgUK1XpPFmLrwcb_eGsRM1-6zmca5eJ1jVFrwvIEKyXqPBgkOrPwZbt5JNUL9YT9QZs-dcNAuMqItFq/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="320" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4-rb96GXYX30ppgytm5chjWZTl49f1rBudJZGQHKzARMi94QQxw2ZyvIhyphenhyphen4lmLgUK1XpPFmLrwcb_eGsRM1-6zmca5eJ1jVFrwvIEKyXqPBgkOrPwZbt5JNUL9YT9QZs-dcNAuMqItFq/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Thrinaxodon</i> in burrow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Ribs were also absent in <i>Thrinaxodon</i>’s abdominal region, making it more flexible living in burrows to turn the thoracic half of the body around in tight fittings. The lack of abdominal ribs also hints to endothermy (warm-bloodedness) that will be explained further next under <i>Cynognathus</i>. Also, for a fossorial lifestyle, the 55.5cm/35in body was much longer than wider, while the tail was shortened.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Even though <i>Thrinaxodon</i> had a slightly sprawling posture, its distal medial femoral condyle (the knee ball joint end of femur located on outside perimeter) articulates with the acetabulum in a way that permits the hind limb to present itself at a 45-degree angle to the rest of the body. This makes a large difference in comparison to the distal medial femoral condyle of pelycosaurs that only allowed the femur to be parallel with the ground. This forced pelycosaurs to assume a sprawling-like posture, where <i>Thrinaxodon</i> could utilize a more upright posture. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_Fv9SieuHYlVXMKafXBTyCgwrhqSZwkuVuH1FQYmecaKc2pxubuQ2GTt33iGIxhlosrqigxuHP4vOD8bksWw0_r22uK1QC0j01LhMaRU3Bps_xTl6xn8s65IDpin6TkVIRq-xQdlSlUg/s1389/1-therapsid+thrinaxodon-broomistega.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_Fv9SieuHYlVXMKafXBTyCgwrhqSZwkuVuH1FQYmecaKc2pxubuQ2GTt33iGIxhlosrqigxuHP4vOD8bksWw0_r22uK1QC0j01LhMaRU3Bps_xTl6xn8s65IDpin6TkVIRq-xQdlSlUg/s320/1-therapsid+thrinaxodon-broomistega.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Thrinaxodon</i> and <i>Broomistega</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">One really unusual <i>Thrinaxodon</i> fossil is what was found inside a preserved burrow in South Africa’s ‘Karoo Basin’ which was composed of floodplain sandstone. It is of a <i>Thrinaxodon</i> individual huddled together with a juvenile temnospondyl amphibian, <i>Broomistega</i> (Brew-me-steg-ah). At first it was a mystery how this odd couple could have been together in death, but with further study on a finished synchrotron radiation scanning, a scenario came out.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Since it was a filled-in burrow, it was the <i>Thrinaxodon</i> individual’s burrow and the semi-aquatic <i>Broomistega</i> was the guest. Whether the amphibian was invited in as some form of symbiotic relationship, or merely barged in and could not be evicted by the epicynodont, the story began to unfold. The two rested together side-by-side with the epicynodont on its back and the amphibian also belly-up. Both were forced and pressed against the burrow’s sides but there was no stiffening of the bones to suggest rigor mortis.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">This pressing together against the burrow’s walls gives away clues that some force entered the burrow and with disarticulated sediment filling the tunnel that force was floodwaters. However, the amphibian was not swept into the burrow; it had already entered, on his own accord but had been injured beforehand with broken ribs that were in the process of healing. It also had two bite marks on the skull roof, but did not match the epicynodont’s dentition. This was not a predator prey relationship. During this period in the region, the Triassic climate was very hot and the <i>Thrinaxodon</i> was most likely aestivating in his burrow when the <i>Broomistega</i> entered to seek refuge from the heat and recuperate from its wounds. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0mkT1RgrM4ZrTjZ_4lSCBlDOiYPCLqM32aTkj9SGpQcJIFjO-zy8AFjS8opyVnLkVIKnIzYb9KAws3bvkzNjGbCxohYeet7ACUTGSdt2roVEoed84nml0AkeF26WUTPfY99Zjt0ZKo1c/s480/1-therapsid+thrinaxodon-B++flood+Gfycat.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0mkT1RgrM4ZrTjZ_4lSCBlDOiYPCLqM32aTkj9SGpQcJIFjO-zy8AFjS8opyVnLkVIKnIzYb9KAws3bvkzNjGbCxohYeet7ACUTGSdt2roVEoed84nml0AkeF26WUTPfY99Zjt0ZKo1c/s320/1-therapsid+thrinaxodon-B++flood+Gfycat.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Gfycat <i>Thrinaxodon/Broomistega</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Eucynodontia</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Eucynodont species saw the extinction of basal cynodonts, including the rise and extinction of cynognathians and proto-mammals to the arrival of true mammals. As previously stated, Eucynodontia as an infraorder has two major subdivision clades as the earlier, Cynognathia and the more derived, <i>Probainognathia</i>.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_q85iTcmthyphenhyphenqfgjxaYDN8N53IBB8EJEwBBaiX-03Fohqa7R0-o-PvMSqIBshk5Mh1mCyUAaatP4NBy_Q4Ck5Kr8G3EWQo-S8CisXKUYoESatyisNOla8d9hp5gndZqpBHEtMzGfmZW4yI/s772/1-therapsid+eucynodontia+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="772" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_q85iTcmthyphenhyphenqfgjxaYDN8N53IBB8EJEwBBaiX-03Fohqa7R0-o-PvMSqIBshk5Mh1mCyUAaatP4NBy_Q4Ck5Kr8G3EWQo-S8CisXKUYoESatyisNOla8d9hp5gndZqpBHEtMzGfmZW4yI/s320/1-therapsid+eucynodontia+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eucynodontia</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Cynognathians are the first of two major subgroups under <i>Eucynodontia</i>. A common cynognathian synapomorphy was a very deep zygomatic arch that extended above the middle of the orbit. They lived from the Early Triassic into the Early Jurassic. Cynognathian speciation exploded and radiated out just after the P-Tr extinction in evolving new adaptations to climatic and environmental conditions then quickly filling the niches left by species that didn’t survive the extinction. However, during the Middle Triassic cynognathian species began going extinct, but a few like, <i>Scalenodontoides</i> (Skale-in-o-daunt-oi-deez) managed to hang on until the very Early Jurassic before going extinct 201.6 mya. Although lately, I’ve heard a few paleontolgists’ mumblings that <i>Scalenodontoides</i> was not a cynognathian, but instead remained phylogenetically as a therocephalian.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Cynognathians are divided under the stem clade <i>Gomphodontia</i> (Gom-foe-don- tee-ah) as a sister taxon to <i>Cynognathus</i></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> which gomphodontians are further divided under the families, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Diademodontidae</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Dee-ah-dem-o-don-tuh-day) from 247.2 to 202 mya in the Early to Late Triassic, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Trirachodontidae</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Tri-rik-ah-don-tuh-day) from 250-237 mya during the Early to Middle Triassic and </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Traversodontidae</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Truh-vers-uh-don-tuh-day) from 242-201.6 mya during the Middle Triassic to Early Triassic. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsDKowOUt4qt_ule2jvu_7g3OSZZYp69ke8QP29-yIOY1WdgFCr6ipLvodsCdg6FPxk5IvA_oP0ORT7q_7RSdYaHo4BV03T114SLyXcZfRuvaTpc9hF-GSsbfjxVC3cC2B9x4i4iYdX6o/s600/1-therapsid+cynognathus+julius+cstonyi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsDKowOUt4qt_ule2jvu_7g3OSZZYp69ke8QP29-yIOY1WdgFCr6ipLvodsCdg6FPxk5IvA_oP0ORT7q_7RSdYaHo4BV03T114SLyXcZfRuvaTpc9hF-GSsbfjxVC3cC2B9x4i4iYdX6o/s320/1-therapsid+cynognathus+julius+cstonyi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius Csotonyi <i>Cynognathus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The basal cynognathian, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Cynognathus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Sin-no-nay-thus), as stated earlier was a larger cynodont from snout-to-vent at 1.2m/3.9ft and was anatomically built like a robust stout dog. The skull made up 30% of the total length. Originating from South Africa in the Early Triassic 247 mya it had spread out into Tanzania, Zambia and throughout Pangaea’s southern hemisphere with fossils found in what is now, Antarctica, Argentina and China. As Pangaea began drifting apart, its southern portion became hot and dry killing off plants and herbivores. With less prey, this predator by the Middle Triassic 237 mya had gone extinct.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As a carnivore, <i>Cynognathus</i> had a mouthful of teeth with wide jaws. Incisors were for nipping, canines were for tearing and cheek teeth for chewing. Variation in the teeth and jaw muscle arrangements showed that it was capable of chewing junks of flesh before swallowing. It also possessed sectorial postcanine teeth with two serrated cusps distal to a recurved apex. For these cusps, just picture a middle long slightly curved cone with two much smaller cones on each side. The hind legs were directly underneath the body, while the forelimbs were slightly sprawled.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnWW5-Dkh2tJ5Bnd9cRJhlsh9aGHC2Lbs7oZPbZIAFao1ugjMwM-5lvhgNidvs6lLydAiyjSIBgqH04PjZYUjgk2AlaDq9zq20Pq5-wKo1ag5TfsCuElDCKm-Z-TQYiDi8l46v_l87iYN/s427/1-therapsid+cusps+distal+to+apex.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnWW5-Dkh2tJ5Bnd9cRJhlsh9aGHC2Lbs7oZPbZIAFao1ugjMwM-5lvhgNidvs6lLydAiyjSIBgqH04PjZYUjgk2AlaDq9zq20Pq5-wKo1ag5TfsCuElDCKm-Z-TQYiDi8l46v_l87iYN/s320/1-therapsid+cusps+distal+to+apex.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serrated cusps distal to apex </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The lack of belly ribs, in the stomach region, alludes to the presence of an efficient diaphragm, an important muscle for mammalian breathing. This is just another element that showed an evolving trend toward mammalian characteristics in cynodonts. <i>Cynognathus</i> ribs didn’t extend into the abdomen, which allowed room for a diaphragm creating greater respiration abilities and also would’ve made the lower body more flexible.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Trirachodontid cynognathians all come from the Triassic southern African continent and China, but just after the P-Tr extinction event quickly spread out over Early Triassic geographical regions. Possessing wide skulls and short narrow snouts, the synapsid temporal fenestrae were large and wide running along the back of the skull.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98UbSPw5j4UponcnA24EVqY98mZveR3_5NWwqqd1mQuN4HxNoFcOqdj4yFiicUIjRn1dWoVEchv3J6k_cpgEShyphenhyphenWrST-02-Z6Gn18zNQRiLUR2lh5iW2cYt5HpZXNrLfuSZUkIwo6Ep16/s567/1-therapsid+Trirachodontidae+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="567" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98UbSPw5j4UponcnA24EVqY98mZveR3_5NWwqqd1mQuN4HxNoFcOqdj4yFiicUIjRn1dWoVEchv3J6k_cpgEShyphenhyphenWrST-02-Z6Gn18zNQRiLUR2lh5iW2cYt5HpZXNrLfuSZUkIwo6Ep16/s320/1-therapsid+Trirachodontidae+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trirachodontid clade</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The Early and Middle Triassic climate was semi-arid with seasonal rainfall where many trirachodontids were fossorial burrowers. They were carnivorous and/or insectivores. <i>Trirachodontididae</i> is divided into two subfamilies which are, <i>Trirachodontinae</i> (Tri-rik-ah-don-tuh-nay) that is composed of three genera and <i>Sinognathinae</i> (Sign-o-nath-uh-nay) composed of two genera. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ74Zi4njP0iEb6sBhm_Chko0QzRUQDuxJARUlTps1rprty7bv8mYP3pzMjliKsA5zgOxquWxqT1oRtMeg3HEqjzuYw4IFNqPEaixJdFHD2NH0UiLceR2BfBknrBko0E02s6nlzBxDcKwu/s800/1-therapsid+Trirachodon+Smokeybjb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ74Zi4njP0iEb6sBhm_Chko0QzRUQDuxJARUlTps1rprty7bv8mYP3pzMjliKsA5zgOxquWxqT1oRtMeg3HEqjzuYw4IFNqPEaixJdFHD2NH0UiLceR2BfBknrBko0E02s6nlzBxDcKwu/s320/1-therapsid+Trirachodon+Smokeybjb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: SmokeyBjb <i>Trirachodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The trirachodontid trirachodontine, <i>Trirachodon</i> (Tri-rik-o-don) in Greek refers to ‘three ridge tooth’ and for good reason. Wow…a lot of ‘trirach’s’ just listed there, huh… Anyway, back to the topic at hand. <i>Trirachodon</i> dentition possessed gomphodont canines that were neomorphic (an altered gene mutation possessing a novel pattern of gene expression), while the cusps of the postcanines were not homologous with the cusps of the sectorial teeth. Sectorial teeth, sometimes referred to as carnassial teeth, are the upper and lower molars modified to allow enlarged and self-sharpening edges to pass by each other. With these teeth it dieted as an omnivore on large insects, small vertebrates and certain vegetation.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Trirachodon</i>’s ~ 249-244 mya fossils were found in the African nations of Namibia in the ‘Omingonde Formation’ and South Africa in the ‘Beaufort Group’. At 50cm/1.6ft, it was rather small. From histology studies of the fossil bones, all the bone elements consists of a moderately vascularized, periodically interrupted and fibro-lamellar bone tissue suggesting that the overall growth of <i>Trirachodon</i> was rapid during favorable seasons, but decreased or ceased during the unfavorable ones. As the environment during these Triassic times of semi-aridity with seasonal rainfall, <i>Trirachodon</i> was sensitive to such environmental fluctuations. As in <i>Thrinaxodon</i>’s case, <i>Trirachodon</i> most likely aestivated in burrows.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Also as <i>Thrinaxodon</i> was living in seasonal floodplains, so too, did <i>Trirachodon</i> and in being communal, it gave and preserved a slew of fossils as twenty individual fossils were found at one dig site that were originally drowned then buried by flood sediment debris. <i>Trirachodon</i> not only lived in burrows, it built them in complex multiple layers much like community living with the main tunnel leading to separate chambers. Scratch marks throughout the tunnels have even been preserved. This was a very social animal. <i>Trirachodon</i> may have constructed more elaborate burrows than <i>Thrinaxodon</i>, but of course they had a few million more years of practice to do so. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xq2JxTisQMCIIn_MfpmdSEvfj66m1RD_YvBDtK8qf8m_ztXiD9DkvIhetwHJv4cQlLyImKmeuTdc77y2JYRMZ5U4CZCaRdJiTxSYzYaMV-gsqC0tGS6vGDDPlvFQOVuD7_W01AnJf2qN/s1024/1-therapsid+beishanodon_+FinwalSMD.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xq2JxTisQMCIIn_MfpmdSEvfj66m1RD_YvBDtK8qf8m_ztXiD9DkvIhetwHJv4cQlLyImKmeuTdc77y2JYRMZ5U4CZCaRdJiTxSYzYaMV-gsqC0tGS6vGDDPlvFQOVuD7_W01AnJf2qN/s320/1-therapsid+beishanodon_+FinwalSMD.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: FinwalSMD <i>Beishanodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The trirachodontid sinognathine, <i>Beishanodon</i> (Bye-shan-o-don) had a temporal range of 251.3-247.2 mya with the fossil found in the Gansu Province of China’s Early Triassic ‘Hongyanjing Formation’ concerning the portion formed during the Triassic’s ‘Olenekian Epoch’. Discovered in 2010, <i>Beishanodon</i> is the second sinognathine genus to be found in China with the first being <i>Sinognathus</i> (Sign-o-nay-thus). Both were assigned as sinognathines based on their dentition characters. The placement of <i>Beishanodon</i> in the subfamily taxon of <i>Sinognathinae</i> was based on the ovoid-elliptical outline of the upper postcanines and a long axis of the postcanine tooth row directed toward the center of the subtemporal fenestra. As China</span><span style="text-align: left;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">s sinognathine trirachodontids, what the <i>Beishanodon</i> and <i>Sinognathus</i> fossils have in common with Africa’s trirachodontids is their large skulls evolved convergently as compared to their small upper postcanine widths. <i>Beishanodon</i> most likely was an herbivore feeding on leaves, roots and stems.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Traversodontidae</i>, as a sister taxon to trirachodontids is a large family clade of herbivorous gomphodontian cynognathians. They ranged from the Middle Triassic to the Early Jurassic 242-201.6 mya in what are now Africa, N. America, S. America, Europe, India and Russia. The family has eight monotypic genera and one polytypic genus in having two species and an additional two subfamilies in <i>Massetognathinae</i> (Mah-say-toe-nay-thu-nay) and <i>Gomphodontosuchinae</i> (Gom-foe-don-to-sue-she-nee). There are at least three genera assigned to <i>Massetognathinae</i>, while <i>Gomphodontosuchinae</i> has at least five genera.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bSDMnUzsKQuh7FgtZkfj7XG77faCNShLT_2BPWVLBeRCvWPc43Ix0BcRWMcOCkD21TNp7rujBAi7xyqaqFxHuhBeVc4OX6SU9TqhuoDvlbn3Ck_laBOGNQMX7Y8OjNBCg_TPMnIRY0AS/s530/1-therapsid+traversodontidae+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bSDMnUzsKQuh7FgtZkfj7XG77faCNShLT_2BPWVLBeRCvWPc43Ix0BcRWMcOCkD21TNp7rujBAi7xyqaqFxHuhBeVc4OX6SU9TqhuoDvlbn3Ck_laBOGNQMX7Y8OjNBCg_TPMnIRY0AS/s320/1-therapsid+traversodontidae+cladogram.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traversodontid Clade</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Traversodontids, as gomphodont members, had short skulls ending in a snout that was much narrower than the back of the skull. The snout tip flared out making it wider than the middle portion of the snout. Traversodontids were herbivores with teeth attuned for masticating vegetation. Set behind the large canines, the wide postcanines were closely spaced, so much so, the crowns touched one another. The maxilla (upper jaw) tooth rows are inset while the maxillae and zygomatic arches extend outward, which is highly suggestive of traversodontids in having cheeks. This family name comes from the buccolingually (affecting the cheek and tongue) expanded postcanine teeth, which are linked to an herbivorous or omnivorous diet.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__J0_HiAmSuqAEvLo26fEY88E_lJdcNiFfgZfYAgKndVpKlLzVubW_EkO8c9pmxdtX-Mvh4w-tkQkp7XHQxrcOMrMriP7lzzjIWU3teB5Z6jHzYid6ynhewOhWTPLQKqpqpGXDKA7No_t/s850/1-therapsid+Andescynodon+skull.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__J0_HiAmSuqAEvLo26fEY88E_lJdcNiFfgZfYAgKndVpKlLzVubW_EkO8c9pmxdtX-Mvh4w-tkQkp7XHQxrcOMrMriP7lzzjIWU3teB5Z6jHzYid6ynhewOhWTPLQKqpqpGXDKA7No_t/s320/1-therapsid+Andescynodon+skull.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Andescynodon</i> skull</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Andescynodon</i> (An-deez-sin-o-don) as the most basal traversodontid gomphodont had a temporal range of 242.8-240 mya from the Middle Triassic of Argentina. Discovered in the ‘Cerro de Las Cabras Formation’. As a tectonically altered region, the formation also exposed megaflora fossils, such as: two families of extinct seed ferns known as, <i>Corystospermaceae</i> and <i>Peltaspermales</i>, extinct members of the horsetail order, <i>Equisetales</i> and among other various floras, the extinct simple leaf genus <i>Gontriglossa</i>. As <i>Andescynodon</i>’s wide teeth suggests an herbivory diet, these may have been a few of the plants it dined on.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Andescynodon</i> was ~ 97.3cm/38.3in in length while the femur was 4.3cm/1.7in, the humerus was 1.4in and the skull was 27.2cm10.7in. The reason I put in hind limb, forelimb bones and the skull length is because one can give a good estimate of the fossil animals’ total body length through allometric (allometry: change in organisms in relation to proportional changes in body size) equations if the fossil is disarticulated and missing anatomical components.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">So, in examining skull length variables in relation to total skull lengths versus limb variables, one can use the allometric equation:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">log y = log bₒ + b1 log x + log e</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The equation utilizes base 10 logarithmic calculations once deriving the power growth equation » y = log bₒ xb1e. With this, bₒ is the y-intercept, b1 is the line’s slope and e represents a probable multiplicative error. For some species with no total length data, I had to utilize this with <i>Andescynodon</i> being one of them. Although it is interpolation, at least it is not guesstimation. For those that enjoy allometric equations, here ya are; for those that don’t, just skip it.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> The postcranial (all parts of the skeleton except for the skull) bones of <i>Andescynodon</i> are similar in their structure to <i>Diademodon</i>’s body anatomy. A trait dissimilar to traversodontids is that <i>Andescynodon</i> had four incisors on each side of the upper jaw (maxilla). Also distinctive from other traversodontids was the diameter thickness in its femoral walls which was 29% of the cross-sectional diameter. The femur as well had a number of radially orientated vascular canals within the thickened bone walls. This is analogous to the thickened femur walls of <i>Thrinaxodon</i> and <i>Trirachodon</i> that were burrowers. Thick femoral walls are also indicative of extant burrowers like the naked mole rat, porcupines and digging lizards such as the Gila monster. However, other than that there are no other anatomical features that would suggest it was a burrower.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The extinct subfamily, <i>Massetognathinae</i> under <i>Traversodontidae</i> contains three genera living during the mid to latter Triassic, where four species of them share the genus name, <i>Massetognathus</i> (Mass-eh-tog-nay-thus), while the two other holotype genera are <i>Dadadon</i> (Da-da-don) and <i>Santacruzodon</i> (San-tah-cruz-o-don). Massetognathines are a sister taxon to gomphodontosuchines.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJHhG-i72fmER61JZjuM3y4I7rOR10Fbredkh5qpb6DtqlAMupXyysfUcZdQKA1xtJ-zrKkWDuUyWny-XIipQATzmi7aQ-xMonxuYLYAyzhyphenhyphenG9aBTqDkrR7BdW67T9bEzdQPYF7zvmynR/s1200/1-therapsid+M.+pascuali+Gariel+N.+U..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJHhG-i72fmER61JZjuM3y4I7rOR10Fbredkh5qpb6DtqlAMupXyysfUcZdQKA1xtJ-zrKkWDuUyWny-XIipQATzmi7aQ-xMonxuYLYAyzhyphenhyphenG9aBTqDkrR7BdW67T9bEzdQPYF7zvmynR/s320/1-therapsid+M.+pascuali+Gariel+N.+U..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Gabriel N.U. <i>M. pasculi</i></td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The four species of <i>Massetognathus</i> are <i>M</i>. <i>terrugi</i> (tuh-rue-ğee), <i>M</i>. <i>ochagaviae</i> (o-cha-gah-vee-ah), <i>M</i>. <i>major</i> (may-jor) and the best known, <i>M</i>. <i>pasculi</i> (pas-quall-lee). All species come from the ‘Chañares Formation’ in Argentina and the ‘Santa Maria Formation’ in Brazil. <i>Massetognathus</i> species lived 235 mya and averaged in length ~ 46cm/18.1in. With the genus name meaning, ‘chewing muscle jaw’ they had incisors, fang-like canines and flat-topped molars covered by low ridges, as herbivores, an adaptation for grinding tough plant stems, tubers and roots.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The differences in the species is that <i>M</i>. <i>terrugi</i> was the most common Chañares terrestrial tetrapod with a rather large skull possessing a more defined sagittal crest. <i>M</i>. <i>ochagaviae</i>, as the most common Santa Maria species: had a higher skull that lifted up as well as consequently lifting the mandible; had a slight dorsally pointed dentary ventral border under the coronoid process and was a cynodont species during its time with the least amount of postcanines. However, the base lateral to the labial margin of upper postcanines extended outward forming an isosceles triangle in an occlusal view. M. major had the largest skull of the four species with a narrow snout possessing fewer teeth than the other three <i>Massetognathus</i> species. Finally, <i>M</i>. <i>pasculi</i> is considered the only valid species for Chañares gomphodonts. Its rotation of the dorsal plate relative to the trochlea exhibited a progressively greater rotation that’s closely related to mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There is direct fossil evidence that <i>Massetognathus</i> species laid eggs; evidence of detailed bone structures indicating that they were endothermic (warm blooded); had dog-like tails, claws and a body covered with hair.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As the other traversodontid subfamily, <i>Gomphodontosuchinae</i>, it was devised to include the distinct dentition relations between six traversodontid genera. The six genera are: <i>Gomphodontosuchus</i> (Gom-foe-don-to-sue-cuss), <i>Menadon</i> (Men-ah-don), <i>Exaeretodon</i> (Ex-ear-ret-o-don), <i>Scalenodontoides</i> (Skale-in-o-daunt-oi-deez), <i>Protuberum</i> (Pro-to-beh-rum) and <i>Ruberodon</i> (Rue-burr-o-don). These six genera had an external crest on the surface of the tooth crowns that functioned by shearing plant food items, while the internal mouth basin facilitated crushing. This dentition configuration of traversodontid gomphodontosuchines represents a vast evolutionary step towards improvement in assimilating plant food processing. Gomphodontosuchine fossil remains come from 235-205.6 mya in what are now India, Brazil, Argentina and Madagascar.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPB1syiYarLOsdthL_jXTVUVQyGs0RrHPJxJ3IIw67m5f_a4L1xerikd_R83r1k11oebZaNqkKc-Qzs3UUTrD_DYRgYcleuc_WD-1sch8bD0LPPj5w74SRJKhLkaTlQgdD_fuyw3BWzvyQ/s2630/1-therapsid+Menadon+Voltaire+Paes+Neto.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="2630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPB1syiYarLOsdthL_jXTVUVQyGs0RrHPJxJ3IIw67m5f_a4L1xerikd_R83r1k11oebZaNqkKc-Qzs3UUTrD_DYRgYcleuc_WD-1sch8bD0LPPj5w74SRJKhLkaTlQgdD_fuyw3BWzvyQ/s320/1-therapsid+Menadon+Voltaire+Paes+Neto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Voltaire Paes Neto <i>Menadon</i> in front</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The gomphodontosuchine species, <i>Menadon</i> besairiei (buh-sair-e-eye) had a temporal range of ~ 232-228 mya with fossils found in Brazil and Madagascar. This is not an unusual circumstance to have the same species found in different parts of the world thousands of miles away from each other. At the time Madagascar was attached to the eastern portion of Africa and Brazil along with eastern South America attached to the western portion of Africa during the existence of Gondwana. So, even though they have not been found yet, <i>Menadon</i> fossils should turn up somewhere in Africa.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Menadon</i> possesses a deep snout that held four upper incisors with the first and second incisors lying horizontally with the three lower incisors also lying horizontally. Unique among traversodontids is that Menadon’s had hypsodont (high crowned) postcanines. In counteracting high wear from masticating abrasive plant roughage, the hypsodont teeth grew continuously much like sloths. At ~ 96cm/37.8in in length, the body was squat with short limbs holding it up. Anatomically in life <i>Menadon</i> kind of looked as if it had the face of a wombat attached to the body of a hairy snapping turtle minus the shell.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Probainognathia</i>:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxOROhC2yutZA-rQNhwjA_YPvPq7k-6hF4vPbq_kr05kHyVw9F0mDeWn0yOrDw4uXM3kTTaIHpDFcz76tCPOEyEYWI-QLk5Dvn16eQUXGxBJxllxSb1FdwcQFQJ5HnczNjnQski_OOnQk/s683/1-therapsid+probainognathia+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="683" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxOROhC2yutZA-rQNhwjA_YPvPq7k-6hF4vPbq_kr05kHyVw9F0mDeWn0yOrDw4uXM3kTTaIHpDFcz76tCPOEyEYWI-QLk5Dvn16eQUXGxBJxllxSb1FdwcQFQJ5HnczNjnQski_OOnQk/s320/1-therapsid+probainognathia+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Probainognathia</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Probainognathians belong to the other major clade of cynognathians that had a temporal range of 247.2-0 mya during the ending of the Middle Triassic to the Holocene’s present. The tritheledontids and tritylodontids are the two most derived probainognathian groups that survived the Tr-J extinction event and it is within these two members that eventually lead to mammals. These Late Triassic-Early Jurassic probainognathians bridge the gap between the most derived theriodonts with the most primitive mammalians.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">By the time probainognathians had evolved, the external and internal morphology of endothermy, hair/fur and whiskers (otherwise known as vibrissae in scientific circles) were well established in eucynodonts. To further express, from the most basal, it appears through the fossil record that all cynodonts had evolved endothermy (warm bloodedness) and had fur and whiskers, so please allow me to elaborate a bit on the evolvement of whiskers, which are actually hair seated in stimulus nerve endings. The pits on cynodont and earlier therapsid snouts are good indicators whiskers had evolved, not all at once but in stages. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBbhaETIee14dBahAwUSrIw4H2May7ErvplQIEQvrzFoPSnfFbyjrcFAlmt_VoP1LMMU4uxQ_t_zNoCQdbVA9-v7EhW1dPWi2DwZE-52ICpZ2-tr-Tif1t7rP3L9POFX8P5-7ZUS5Fddx/s554/1-therapsid+whiskers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="543" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBbhaETIee14dBahAwUSrIw4H2May7ErvplQIEQvrzFoPSnfFbyjrcFAlmt_VoP1LMMU4uxQ_t_zNoCQdbVA9-v7EhW1dPWi2DwZE-52ICpZ2-tr-Tif1t7rP3L9POFX8P5-7ZUS5Fddx/s320/1-therapsid+whiskers.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Therapsid whisker pits</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Deposited sediment material from 300-180 mya that is layered and stratified in South Africa’s ‘Karoo Basin’ is rich in synapsid fossils. Due to the treasure trove of therapsid remains, there is a chronological timetable from older to younger species groups. From well preserved fossil skulls possessing whisker pits and maxillary (upper jaw) nerve canals supplying sensorial stimulation for whiskers are evidence of an evolvement taking place from rudimentary whisker sensing to a more pronounced sensing. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn5m8xxjG2hbJ94sO5efeFqUPSwfRSbOC8ECJ-UnglzrIVFXG979ndQ-Hon7D3LyzMoboXmkGlXzy-hJnVtDUWgPO03XNWcEEEzdPDr93pVT6x-1kG_m3VhsrY__C_UmVWtDLFf4YRFCh/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="320" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn5m8xxjG2hbJ94sO5efeFqUPSwfRSbOC8ECJ-UnglzrIVFXG979ndQ-Hon7D3LyzMoboXmkGlXzy-hJnVtDUWgPO03XNWcEEEzdPDr93pVT6x-1kG_m3VhsrY__C_UmVWtDLFf4YRFCh/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Wits University therapsid whisker nerve</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">By scanning with X-ray computed tomography (CT scanning), Dr. Julien Benoit along with Professors Paul Manger and Bruce Rubidge developed 3-D images of various therapsid cynodontian snouts. After the 3-D modelling, what they found is that already in place in these extinct animal skulls, was a maxillary canal that once housed the trigeminal nerve responsible for facial sensation and motor movement, but also functions as a sensory tool for mammals with whiskers.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_zqquVXGMAQFqDWI8r8pnQw5sXRh1V8vWeSSxSvbuclGW94PD5FF2PnUXqWIBFg5Hvnqyt5bjmcivsJT6CIYu8s2l_U4TFcfdGVM2nrFBVyznkCfQTxZJOTp1Lunq9koagqwGeU1RMdS/s1440/1-therapsid+whisker+evolve.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_zqquVXGMAQFqDWI8r8pnQw5sXRh1V8vWeSSxSvbuclGW94PD5FF2PnUXqWIBFg5Hvnqyt5bjmcivsJT6CIYu8s2l_U4TFcfdGVM2nrFBVyznkCfQTxZJOTp1Lunq9koagqwGeU1RMdS/s320/1-therapsid+whisker+evolve.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whisker evolvement</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As viewed in the illustration above, the maxillary canal and trigeminal nerve were already functioning assets for stem (basal) therapsids to the most derived prozostrodontians and mammals. <i>Prozostrodontia</i> (Pro-zoh-stroh-don-tee-ah) is a cynodont probainognathian clade including mammals and their closest non-mammaliform relatives. In the illustration, please note how the trigeminal nerve (in green) bulks down becoming more streamlined and reduced until reaching its current position in prozostrodontians and extant mammals. MSX2, the same gene in eucynodonts that promoted a large cerebellum and the loss of the reptilian parietal foramen by totally ossifying the skull roof, also is responsible in giving rise to eucynodont hair, whiskers and mammary glands.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There are around twelve basal probainognathian genera in: <i>Lumkuia</i> (Lume-ku-e-ah), <i>Ecteninion</i> (Eck-ten-nee-nee-on), <i>Aleodon</i> (Al-e-o-don), <i>Chiniquodon</i> (Chin-nuh-quo-don), <i>Gaumia</i> (Guh-me-ah), <i>Kunminia</i> (Kun-min-nee-ah), <i>Probelesodon</i> (Pro-be-ell-so-don), <i>Probainognathus</i> (Pro-bain-o-nay-thus), <i>Trucidocynodon</i> (Tru-sid-doe-sin-o-den), <i>Diegocanis</i> (Day-go kay-niss), <i>Therioherpeton</i> (Thar-e-ah-her-puh-ton) and <i>Prozostrodon</i> (Pro-zoh-stroh-don). There are three families of probainognathians in <i>Tritheledontidae</i> (Tri-thell-uh-don-tie-dee), <i>Brasilodontidae</i> (Bra-sil-o-don-tie-dee) and with the final family <i>Tritylodontidae</i>, (Tri-till-o-don-tee-day). Lastly, the subclass under <i>Probainognathia</i> is the clade <i>Mammaliaformes</i> (Mam-mal-e-ah-forms), which are the Mesozoic forerunners directly linked to true mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">It is trending to classify the genera: <i>Aleodon</i> , <i>Chiniquodon</i>, <i>Gaumia</i>, <i>Kunminia</i> and <i>Probelesodon</i> into the family, <i>Chiniquodontidae</i> (Chin-nuh-quo-don-tee-day) due to their close anatomical relationships.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The seven genera tritheledontids are in the following cladogram:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3QunCn4VZrnhyphenhyphen7FC-3VMyTnoCXlMNSCT7HBuz35t3RRBHO5jkKxtnCAzalKNEpua22MCI9-EKLCpb5ZzLnua4Gny-NLLcyGTtyI8naWWL8yUWDodjH_t4RwO-4ISGt1u2HASE9_4Vy69/s300/1-therapsid+tritheledontidae+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3QunCn4VZrnhyphenhyphen7FC-3VMyTnoCXlMNSCT7HBuz35t3RRBHO5jkKxtnCAzalKNEpua22MCI9-EKLCpb5ZzLnua4Gny-NLLcyGTtyI8naWWL8yUWDodjH_t4RwO-4ISGt1u2HASE9_4Vy69/s0/1-therapsid+tritheledontidae+cladogram.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tritheledontid Clade</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The two genera brasilodontids and four genera of tritylodontids are in the cladogram below, but keep in mind that there are five known brasilodontid genera and seventeen tritylodontids. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7L4UI66Az170Ju7Sk1bYf__EkRvS-bNcg4DagSePos59YNOfBDieVDHgg2cWNFY9gocMB9xlTNNLrYPDMr2a014hzhVjB7vaWdSCLWhyiqwIAKVG7bTVyR2QN-sQDOqMP3ogtVieuArP/s401/1-therapsid+brasilodontid-tritylodontid+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7L4UI66Az170Ju7Sk1bYf__EkRvS-bNcg4DagSePos59YNOfBDieVDHgg2cWNFY9gocMB9xlTNNLrYPDMr2a014hzhVjB7vaWdSCLWhyiqwIAKVG7bTVyR2QN-sQDOqMP3ogtVieuArP/s320/1-therapsid+brasilodontid-tritylodontid+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brasilodontid/Tritylodontid clades</td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The current most basal and oldest probainognathian is <i>Lumkuia</i>, which during the Middle Triassic had a temporal range of 247.2-242 mya. Its fossils have been found in the ‘Cynognathus Assemblage Zone’ of the ‘Beaufort Group’ in the South African, ‘Karoo Basin’. At ~ 21.5cm/8.5in, it was small with the skull measuring only 6cm/2.4in. With the small size it was a carnivore/insectivore dieting on small vertebrates and large invertebrates, like insects.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjrYHkw5TQtiPRhqUsJyxoFXIUFBIMCcbXY5b93b3OGR89Qhf7IQP0xBcjSRGxIRvswPxYP4QTQFIkX6jdlQ9GeoVag1oe-tN40y2J94QnAQgsf7BG3_rCxCcxShRsQkVnjOaknVkY6cI/s611/1-therapsid+lumkuia+skull.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="611" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjrYHkw5TQtiPRhqUsJyxoFXIUFBIMCcbXY5b93b3OGR89Qhf7IQP0xBcjSRGxIRvswPxYP4QTQFIkX6jdlQ9GeoVag1oe-tN40y2J94QnAQgsf7BG3_rCxCcxShRsQkVnjOaknVkY6cI/s320/1-therapsid+lumkuia+skull.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHG65SkgWZLSG8QdD3czdOvDTIUqeM__mw3T1_EgPbK5thHBdbuOD70xGdaMYdurEGu2mmv25y6DIuvNF5aptwFuvUmKuvzXJj3Z5gRDlxbQ33Dl_iPL72pJSJ2CJrFO3Y5Xo6JxQL_G9/s800/1-therapsid+Lumkuia+Smokeybjb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHG65SkgWZLSG8QdD3czdOvDTIUqeM__mw3T1_EgPbK5thHBdbuOD70xGdaMYdurEGu2mmv25y6DIuvNF5aptwFuvUmKuvzXJj3Z5gRDlxbQ33Dl_iPL72pJSJ2CJrFO3Y5Xo6JxQL_G9/s320/1-therapsid+Lumkuia+Smokeybjb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: SmokeyBjb <i>Lumkuia</i> skull / head</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Living during the time of <i>Cynognathus</i>, <i>Lumkuia</i> was much more derived with teeth crowns that were high and narrow curving inwardly from the top and it lacked a pineal foramen (a skull roof opening for the pineal eye and nerve). Also absent were costal plates covering the ribs.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGr0I16jJnAa_NFGf_XhRMLsF4O_MHGmGU4Xr_Q-s1iy4sVNR8lsSJ1DSFKTh_M-hkAcsN0sCv95FeN-iOGLIASBwAz32c5c8cU2OPUjAmOKKotkF2YKaWSpaTU-KH3bh387mCwNB8BZq/s2048/1-therapsid+trucidocynodon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGr0I16jJnAa_NFGf_XhRMLsF4O_MHGmGU4Xr_Q-s1iy4sVNR8lsSJ1DSFKTh_M-hkAcsN0sCv95FeN-iOGLIASBwAz32c5c8cU2OPUjAmOKKotkF2YKaWSpaTU-KH3bh387mCwNB8BZq/s320/1-therapsid+trucidocynodon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Gabriel Ugueto <i>Trucidocynodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Another basal probainognathian was, <i>Trucidocynodon</i> that lived during the Late Triassic 220 mya. Its fossils were discovered in Brazil’s ‘Santa Maria Formation’ showing the length to be 1.3m/4.2ft. In anatomical features, it was much like another basal probainognathian in <i>Ecteninion</i> that yet another new family, <i>Ecteniniidae</i> (Eck-ten-nee-nee-e-day) is trending, including these two genera along with the recent 2013 discovery of, <i>Diegocanis</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">This carnivorous weasel-looking, <i>Trucidocynodon</i> was rather large for cynodonts and it most likely was due to environmental pressures in competing with the divergence of larger contemporary South American rauisuchians and archosaurs. The limbs of <i>Trucidocynodon</i> not only stood erect underneath the body, but the forelimbs were digitigrade (walk on toes) and it is the first synapsid to exhibit cursorial limbs (anatomically built for sprint running). This would have allowed it to run down larger prey and in keeping up with other large predators.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Tritheledontidae</i>:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As more derived than the basal probainognathians, tritheledontids (formerly known as ictidosaurs) were highly specialized cynodonts and were exceedingly more ‘mammal-like’ than their predecessors. Tritheledontids had a temporal range of 221.5-189.6 mya showing up in the Late Triassic and dying off in the middle portion of the Early Jurassic. Living only on Gondwana, their fossil remains only come from South Africa and South America.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Tritheledontids were small reaching lengths of no more than 20cm/7.9in and were insectivores/carnivores. As being a transitional bridge from earlier synapsids to mammalians in their jaw bones; in particular in the tritheledontid, <i>Diarthrognathus</i>, the jaw anatomy was primitive when viewing the joint between the quadrate and articular bones, but showed advanced mammalian features in the joint between the squamosal and dentary bones. The articular and quadrate bones were evolving to become middle ear bones and in the transition gave a stronger bite force.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As carnivorous cynodonts, tritheledontids are the divisional line between cynodont and mammaliaform evolution. With the jaw anatomy of the squamosal/dentary jaw joint and quadrate/articular joint as both already functional along with the masseter muscle (muscle running through the rear part of the cheek from the temporal bone to the lower jaw on each side closing the jaw in chewing) in conjunction with opposing muscles holding the jaw in a sling-type fashion, these are true mammalian features. If that isn’t enough to convince skeptics, in addition, tritheledontids had already evolved other mammalian traits such as a prismatic tooth enamel covering and broad cheek teeth. Of course, hair/fur/whiskers, warm-bloodedness and mammal respiration morphology was already in place.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Brasilodontidae</i> family members had a temporal range of 252.3-205.6 mya throughout most of the Triassic. Brasilodontids are transitional basal cousins to tritheledontids and mammaliaforms. Besides the two genera, <i>Brasilitherium</i> and <i>Brasilodon</i>, there are three other genera taxa in, <i>Minicynodon</i> (Min-e-sin-o-don), <i>Pachetocynodon</i> (Puh-nash-toe-sin-odon) and <i>Protheriodon</i> (Pro-thear-e-o-don). All fossils come from South America except for <i>Pachetocynodon</i> fossil remains coming from India.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The tritheledontid, <i>Riograndia</i> had a temporal range of 225.42 mya with its fossils coming from the ‘Caturrita Formation’ of Brazil. The formation is composed mainly of clayey fluvio-lacustrine deposits yielding to more sandy facies with occasional gravel from a permanent year round braided river system. <i>Riograndia</i> had large olfactory bulb casts with a wider cerebral hemispheres region and cerebellum than found in other non-mammaliaform cynodonts. Considered the most basal tritheledontid, the total length of <i>Riograndia</i> was ~ 15cm/5.9 in and was a carnivore/insectivore. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrdn8cMQJojkq8FBuOG7P5NtE2jc2E84CWdGJ9rj23AZUAcoOLhMLwAHBFRsywSSJkHixnBYdXi4hejcXwWRLvINscK1WQWFyoED8Ebx9a_0IQEv6EkSRSBrVtKshehARU3_3N1yJghmq/s1070/1-therapsid+brasilodon-riograndia+jorge+blanco.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="1070" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrdn8cMQJojkq8FBuOG7P5NtE2jc2E84CWdGJ9rj23AZUAcoOLhMLwAHBFRsywSSJkHixnBYdXi4hejcXwWRLvINscK1WQWFyoED8Ebx9a_0IQEv6EkSRSBrVtKshehARU3_3N1yJghmq/s320/1-therapsid+brasilodon-riograndia+jorge+blanco.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist:Jorge Blanco Lft:<i>Brasilodon</i> Rt:<i>Riograndia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The brasilodontid, <i>Brasilodon</i> lived contemporaneously with the tritheledontid, <i>Riograndia</i> in the same faunal ecology of Brazil 227-225 mya during the Norian epoch of the Late Triassic. It was an insectivore with a length only of 12cm/4.7in, while weighing ~ 20g/0.42oz. There were two species in: <i>B</i>. <i>tetragonus</i> (tet-rah-go-nuss) and <i>B</i>. <i>quadranagularis</i> (quad-drang-goo-lair-is).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As seen in other more basal probainognathians, the prefrontal bone, postorbital bone, and postorbital bar are absent in the two <i>Basilodon</i> species. The anterodorsally projected iliac blade (ilium extension) with a reduced postacetabular process, reduction of the pubis anterior and the medially located lesser trochanter is indicative of a mammalian pattern of pelvic musculature, by being functional enough to swing the femur in a nearly parasagittal plane (relating to a situated plane adjacent or parallel to the plane which divides the body into right and left halves). The stapedius (very small muscle stabilizing the smallest bone known as the stapes) is well developed as is the presence of several foramina indicating that the middle ear allowed <i>Brasilodon</i> to hear well.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Tritylodontidae</i>:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Although highly derived cynodonts, tritylodontids were the last family of known ‘mammal-like’ synapsids, lasting up until the Early Cretaceous. Showing up in the initial portion of the Late Triassic, they had a temporal range of 251-113 mya. They appear to have quickly radiated out beyond their South Africa origins by the end of the Triassic with tritylodontid fossil remains being found in South Africa, the South and North Americas, Eurasia and Antarctica. There have been two new recent tritylodontid genera discoveries in: <i>Shartegodon</i> (Shar-teg-o-don) and <i>Nuurtherium</i> (Nu-ur-thear-e-um). Both fossils come from SW Mongolia’s Late Jurassic , 250.8-145.5 mya. Tritylodontids are noted at times as mammaliaforms.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Most likely descending from the <i>Cynognathus</i> lineage, tritylodontids had erect limbs, endothermy morphologies, and a mammalian skeletal anatomy, such as a high sagittal crest on the skull. Also in other derived mammalian traits, on the back of the skull existed huge zygomatic arches for the attachment of large jaw muscles and the secondary palate was well developed. The primary reason tritylodontids aren’t considered mammalian or even mammaliaform to some is that they retained vestiges of the reptilian joint between the quadrate bone of the skull and the articular bone of the lower jaw.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1vHJUbi1ReqavTmDQYuwIjQmVAK-4TZ5uWCUucs5DW4xn36wowzC04IvfvG6YffEMmKTVupXsU2V1jjIy8aJbqH19fKa9jCY2H5tNQ_i9cm1mT7O2O_rxm5Tlw_EUqNfkbFKkn7uvQ9X/s800/1-therapsid+tritylodontid+Kayentatherium+skull.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1vHJUbi1ReqavTmDQYuwIjQmVAK-4TZ5uWCUucs5DW4xn36wowzC04IvfvG6YffEMmKTVupXsU2V1jjIy8aJbqH19fKa9jCY2H5tNQ_i9cm1mT7O2O_rxm5Tlw_EUqNfkbFKkn7uvQ9X/s320/1-therapsid+tritylodontid+Kayentatherium+skull.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tritylodontid <i>Kayentatherium</i> skull</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Tritylodontid dentition differs from most cynodonts in that they did not possess canines and the front pair of incisors was enlarged much like extant rodents. There also existed a large gap between the incisors called a diastema separating the incisors from the square shaped cheek teeth. The upper jaw cheek teeth consisted of three rows of cusps running along the length of each tooth with grooves in between. The lower teeth with two rows of cusps fitted into the grooves of the upper teeth. This is how tritylodontids would grind food much like today’s rat, although unlike rats, tritylodontids had a palinal jaw stroke (front-to-back), instead of a propalinal one (back-to-front). Most tritylodontids were herbivores with some being omnivores. The name, <i>Tritylodontidae</i> refers to the dentition shape in meaning ‘three knob teeth’.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If you might recall the explanation of the pubic bone under </span><i>Cynodontia</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">, like mammaliaforms, tritylodontids possessed epipubic bones, which infers that they either laid eggs as monotremes do, or produced undeveloped fetus births like marsupials do. As well, tritylodontids possessed evidence of diphyodonty (an animal with two sets of teeth as in temporary baby teeth replaced by adult permanent teeth), a trait associated with suckling and therefore the production of milk. There are at least 17 genera of tritylodontids with their sizes ranging from 30-100cm/0.98-3.3ft. We’ll only discuss three out of the seventeen tritylodontids. </span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivckYeaB-AacBDCBxysEjK7yp7D5wq9MObWBGKz9CMsUr1xATkUZX0Gd_71gjtqs1U5ZM62vZVbH5vWWzfpeoYH98q_4fqMefOr7FmwtJ3YabwQSz4bNTZnbGDhuDKiw4iH8k5_fI5Vg5L/s782/1-therapsid+oligokyphus+Michael+Long.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="782" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivckYeaB-AacBDCBxysEjK7yp7D5wq9MObWBGKz9CMsUr1xATkUZX0Gd_71gjtqs1U5ZM62vZVbH5vWWzfpeoYH98q_4fqMefOr7FmwtJ3YabwQSz4bNTZnbGDhuDKiw4iH8k5_fI5Vg5L/s320/1-therapsid+oligokyphus+Michael+Long.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Michael Long <i>Oligokyphus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As a tritylodontid, <i>Oligokyphus</i> (Ol-e-koe-phi-fuss) lived at the very end of the Late Triassic 205.6 mya, survived the Tr-J extinction, while the last species went extinct 283 mya during the Early Jurassic. There were five species in: <i>O</i>. <i>biserialis</i> (bi-ser-e-al-is) from 205.6-201.6 mya, <i>O</i>. <i>triserialis</i> (tri-ser-e-al-is) also from 205.6-101.6 mya, <i>O</i>. <i>lufengensis</i> (loo-fin-gen-sis) from 201.6-196.5 mya, <i>O</i>. <i>major</i> (may-jor) from 189.6-183 mya and <i>O</i>. <i>minor</i> (my-nor) also from 189.6-183 mya.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Each <i>Oligokyphus</i> species differed from other tritylodontids in distinctive dentition with minor differences in tooth cusps and skeletal anatomy from one another. All other known tritylodontids had two principle cusps on the lower postcanines, where in contrast <i>Oligokyphus</i> <i>spp</i>. possessed two longitudinal rows of three principal cusps and a posterolingual (relating to base of tongue) accessory cusp on the lower postcanines. <i>O</i>. <i>lufengensis</i> fossils found in China, England, Germany and Arizona, USA differed a bit from those South Africa <i>Oligokyphus</i> <i>spp</i>. in lacking the anterior cingulum on the lower postcanines. <i>Oligokyphus</i> was a terrestrial animal and its success in radiating out is a tribute to no terrestrial barriers like an ocean yet in existence separating the land regions as they do today.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There were no canine teeth as they were predisposed by the use of very large incisors. The upper and lower postcanine cusps fitted well together serving as an excellent means in masticating plant material and the teeth did not occlude (obstruct). <i>Oligokyphus</i> had a lateral extension of the maxilla replacing the absence of the premaxilla. As far as the body goes, total length was only 50cm/20in, but the body and neck were very flexible due to having an atlas (cervical vertebra supporting the whole head), axis (2nd cervical vertebra serving as a pivoting neck and head support) and a double occipital condyle (occipital bone protuberances functioning in articulation with the atlas vertebra superior facets). In fact, the family name means, ‘small curved animal’. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkVf8-fgbxu-6MW8Bms4MNPSDLyDbt99KNWcNgoKmVbN9apNKzGg1Y7m4UPKyzr0yPFKD5w2Z1b1tGP2zzWfyKM3KQqSWuGs2ZmXlCKfv32NrZz8Xobo8DhZVNi4_2E18vnwdnzkQWeMH/s1060/1-therapsid+dinnebitodon+Gabriel+N.+U..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="1060" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkVf8-fgbxu-6MW8Bms4MNPSDLyDbt99KNWcNgoKmVbN9apNKzGg1Y7m4UPKyzr0yPFKD5w2Z1b1tGP2zzWfyKM3KQqSWuGs2ZmXlCKfv32NrZz8Xobo8DhZVNi4_2E18vnwdnzkQWeMH/s320/1-therapsid+dinnebitodon+Gabriel+N.+U..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Gabriel N.U. <i>Dinnebitodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Dinnebitodon</i> (Den-nah-bite-o-don) at ~ 28.7cm/11.3in was a small tritylodontid with its fossil remains being discovered in Arizona’s ‘Kayenta Formation’ from 189 mya. Other than dentition differences, it resembles its close contemporaneous tritylodontid relative, <i>Kayentatherium</i> (Kye-en-taa-thear-e-um). The <i>Dinnebitodon</i> fossil skull had three incisors on each side of the upper jaw, with the second incisor being large and well developed at 9mm/0.35in by 7mm/0.28in.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Along with the incisors, a young adult <i>Dinnebitodon</i> would’ve had five postcanine teeth with a sixth postcanine erupting in later life. The postcanine teeth shape resembled rounded-off squares with three rows of cusps on each tooth’s occlusal [teeth fitting relations between the maxillary (upper) and mandibular (lower) teeth] surface. With this type of dentition resembling extant animals that diet mainly on seeds, <i>Dinnebitodon</i> may have been more of a granivore rather than strictly a plant eating herbivore.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCP4SQrh7K1DxIwemTM96UyjRXpbXPqP27GobVdw2ZPflI8k2qvdNZtLJZxpkYgVZoX2O_gYUnR2SWvnt7Xoj3jXTL5dquUGSNajKtiXGPb4601SEIgAUhXVxi9KPqbf75rDeqVXr6dd9/s759/1-therapsid+Montirictus+Seishi+Yamamoto_Hiroshige+Matsuoka.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="759" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCP4SQrh7K1DxIwemTM96UyjRXpbXPqP27GobVdw2ZPflI8k2qvdNZtLJZxpkYgVZoX2O_gYUnR2SWvnt7Xoj3jXTL5dquUGSNajKtiXGPb4601SEIgAUhXVxi9KPqbf75rDeqVXr6dd9/s320/1-therapsid+Montirictus+Seishi+Yamamoto_Hiroshige+Matsuoka.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: S. Yamamato/H. Matsuoka <i>Montirictus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The final tritylodontid we’ll discuss here is <i>Montirictus</i> (Mon-tee-rik-tues) that in being the last known surviving tritylodontid living well into the Cretaceous, it had a temporal range of 140.2-136.4 mya. <i>Montirictus</i>’ fossil remains come from the ‘Kuwajima Formation’ of current day, central Japan. The total length of <i>Montirictus</i> was 40cm/15.8in. It also was a bit sturdier and heavier than most tritylodontids weighing around 2.2kg/4.9lb. In <i>Montirictus</i>’ timeframe it coexisted with derived dinosaurs, along with now extinct turtles, lizards and the arrival of the first marsupials.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Its fossil finding disproves thoughts that once mammals appeared they out-competed tritylodontids creating their extinction by the end of the Jurassic. Most likely in still laying eggs, it is an attribute that a tritylodontid could reach a life span down into the Cretaceous. The upper cheek teeth were composed of sub-equal cusps and buccal/lingual cusps that were crescentic shaped. As well, both buccal and lingual anterior ridges along with V-shaped buccolingual cross-sections of two anteroposterior grooves between the three cusp rows were present.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Jurassic Period<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The Jurassic Period spanned 56 million years from 201.3-145 mya. At the beginning of the Jurassic, the supercontinent Pangaea had already begun rifting into two landmasses with Laurasia to the north and Gondwana to the south. Both these landforms became separated by the newly formed Tethys Sea. The rifting created more coastlines and shifted the continental climate from dry to humid, replacing many of the Triassic arid deserts with lush rainforests.</span></div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQayGKf5HGi09yMpTe6eRw9m-xjtZlrK1ReOg1WUy_kxQtnsQWgrP0wFnsdu6JXc-JwEFcni-vhIzrNaSiY2z8wYy1N95YOu6YGYVvf5EE_66xueesrpKNPlro0e2UZ2i0he1tvQhLWbGE/s1920/1-mam+jurassic+evgeny-dvoretckiy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1097" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQayGKf5HGi09yMpTe6eRw9m-xjtZlrK1ReOg1WUy_kxQtnsQWgrP0wFnsdu6JXc-JwEFcni-vhIzrNaSiY2z8wYy1N95YOu6YGYVvf5EE_66xueesrpKNPlro0e2UZ2i0he1tvQhLWbGE/s320/1-mam+jurassic+evgeny-dvoretckiy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Evgeny Dvoretckiy Jurassic Period</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">During the Jurassic with rainy summers and dry winters, terrestrial animals became adapted to a seasonal climate while abundant water could be found in intermittent streams, permanent rivers, ponds and lakes. With a warm humid climate, lush jungles developed, especially in the higher latitudes. As the most diverse floral group, conifer species dominated Jurassic landscapes such as: araucarians (a genus of conifers) and trees from the Pinaceae and Taxaceae families. Shrubby cycadeoids dominated the lower latitude vegetation, while gingkoes and tree ferns made up most of the common forest canopies.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Terrestrial fauna became dominated by ornithiscian, saurischian and theropod dinosaurs. Evolving from theropods, the first avialan birds also appeared during the Jurassic. The appearance of the earliest lizards and the evolution of therian mammals, including primitive placental mammals also arose during the Jurassic. Numerous now extinct turtles inhabited rivers, streams and lakes. Crocodilian archosaurs made the transition from a terrestrial to a permanent semi-aquatic mode of life. The ocean coasts became inhabited by evolved marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs, pliosaurs and plesiosaurs while aerially, pterosaurs were the dominant flying vertebrates.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Several massive batholiths emplaced the long ranging American Cordillera consisting of an almost uninterrupted sequence of mountain ranges forming the backbone orogeny of western North America, Central America and South America. During the Early Jurassic, the USA western interior was covered in the largest erg deposits (vast sea of sand) so far ever recorded geologically for Earth. Today, parts of this vast sand sea can be seen at Zion National Park.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The Jurassic began as the Triassic ended in the Tr-J Extinction collapsing coral reef communities and wiping out all conodont families in the oceans. On land, all less derived therapsids and the larger temnospondyl amphibians went extinct. Except for crocodilians and dinosaurs, all archosauromorphs died out. ~ 76% of all terrestrial and aquatic animal life met its demise. 60% of diverse pollen assemblages disappear. However, with the extinctions it allowed dinosaurs to reign supreme in filling ecological niches voided by the extinctions while aquatic numerous reptiles were able to swim the shallow seas.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In what was the main cause is still open for debate, but it appears as if the world’s largest volcanic event was the culprit, or at least had a strong supporting role in the extinction. With continental rifting going on, the ‘Central Atlantic Magmatic Province’ (CAMP) was being formed by pulsation of huge volcanism 201 mya. We know this because of its current location in the central portion of the North Atlantic Ocean. It created a massive upwelling of volcanic igneous rock covering an area of 11 million km2. The volcanic flow of ~2–3 × 106 km3 lasted for 600,000 years. This also is not only Earth’s largest region of volcanism; it is also Earth’s largest volume of volcanic flow. With the CAMP output of massive CO2 the climate heated up and the oceans acidified with the oceanic waters acting as a sink for the noxious gas converting carbon dioxide into carbonic acid.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The Path to Mammals<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Recent discoveries have shown that stem mammaliamorphs held a much wider distribution in time and geographical range from the Triassic/Jurassic transition to the Jurassic/Cretaceous transition than once believed. No matter the pronounced sauropsid dominance of size and strength during the splitting of Pangaea resulting in the formations of Gondwana and Laurasia, these little rats that could were very successful in speciation that ultimately led to today’s extant lot of mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As mammaliamorphs, tritylodontids are really the kickstart culmination in the transitioning to mammalian traits. So, we’re going to look for a few minutes at 3-D model imaging of dentition microwear and mesowear of tritylodontid fossil teeth.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What these two wear studies’ references infer: the type of plant material herbivorous animals ate, how they masticated their diet and exactly how as herbivores they ingested food as either browsers or grazers. In addition to analyzing tooth type, where microwear detects fine wear damage in scratches and pits of the tooth surface, mesowear images the overall tooth wear from the original shape of the tooth. These microwear and mesowear dentition studies aids the paleontologist in what the ecology of the environment was during the extinct animal’s time and further sets the stage to clade relationships. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">A 07/25/2019 published study on the microwear and mesowear by the researchers, Daniela C. Kalthoff, Ellen Schulz-Kornas, Ian Corfe, Thomas Martin, Stephen McLoughlin and Julia A. Schultz showed that tritylodontids were generalist feeders with none ever being a dietary specialist. In the microwear analysis, fine wear was predominant with numerous pits and to a lesser degree evident fine scratches. There was also coarser microwear evidence such as crude scratches, larger puncture pits and gouges alluding to episodic feeding on harsh food items or was due to exogenous effects (contaminant foods with soil grit and dust particles), or the wear could have been due to both episodic and exogenous conditions. Food items for this type of wear would have been softer vegetative components with low intrinsic abrasiveness, plant reproductive structures such as seeds and even insects; so possibly tritylodontids were not wholly herbivorous, but to a degree were also insectivorous. Behaviors that were ruled out were rooting for food, digging and caching behaviors.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsCpHoZ7KlcGyJ-_KjRhBmp8rPQJA-3bRAk7gdF9UCFfsTvsmwacBRzC2bB4lWgKAeh9tzPYqrGUpbIG4ZMxv2y2TlSyK63jWvtPshiLHkgetnJIM3GFwWE_axkOdtc4hGkfv0kg__oPN/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsCpHoZ7KlcGyJ-_KjRhBmp8rPQJA-3bRAk7gdF9UCFfsTvsmwacBRzC2bB4lWgKAeh9tzPYqrGUpbIG4ZMxv2y2TlSyK63jWvtPshiLHkgetnJIM3GFwWE_axkOdtc4hGkfv0kg__oPN/" width="310" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teeth mesowear</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Below is the scatter and pit plot of the researchers tritylodontid species findings. In the plot, the parameter symbols are: (SP) number of small pits; (LP) number of large pits; (FS) number of fine scratches; (CS) number of coarse scratches. Convex hulls embrace areas taken by taxa with N > 2; symbols represent individual means. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCthmR84huNO3AjQKYSOIPwEIK8-6NliqEVDULQcJQ0DKK9SBc7VRNVBoCaw7yw1be6ZxvSoMxwwNYZ29GrElIjjJlp7aDZ_7X-1uiesJ0OmZQAHkxVmmgyx1Z9amM-GvO8Vrm724y15x/s843/1-mam+microwear+plot.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="843" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCthmR84huNO3AjQKYSOIPwEIK8-6NliqEVDULQcJQ0DKK9SBc7VRNVBoCaw7yw1be6ZxvSoMxwwNYZ29GrElIjjJlp7aDZ_7X-1uiesJ0OmZQAHkxVmmgyx1Z9amM-GvO8Vrm724y15x/s320/1-mam+microwear+plot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Microwear Plot</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">PC1 of the plot is the first principal component and explains ~ 74.5% of variances. PC1 features a high positive loading for the number of small pits. <i>Kayentatherium</i> <i>wellesi</i> and <i>Dinnebitodon</i> <i>amarali</i> plot furthest right on the scatter plot with the highest small pit values, followed by <i>Oligokyphus</i> <i>major</i> with somewhat lower values. <i>Oligokyphus</i> <i>sp.</i> from the USA and the two Russian species of <i>Stereognathus</i> have the lowest small pit values and plot at the left end of the scatter plot. PC3 shows a high negative loading above the cut-off for the number of fine scratches. With the highest values, <i>D</i>. <i>amarali</i>, <i>Kayentatherium</i> <i>wellesi</i> and the single tooth of <i>Tritylodon</i> <i>longaevus</i> tend towards the lower end of the scatter plot. <i>Oligokyphus</i> <i>sp</i>. (US) and <i>O</i>. <i>major</i> can be found at the upper end of the plot. PC2 is not shown, because character loadings were below the cut-off of 0.7, so its numbers did not show up on this graph as it was only negligibly influenced by the number of large pits.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Mammaliamorpha<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKDzecTKbHwv5ZxsUNsqt7_tYaqgaTlGToZrDvX_zjpMSdHJl34_t-78MKCYNQi0kwUMcn51XW-wHvcv9z66lVpKxVjN26rNGKIHUAOA5BT7eAWLiBUPIdXzssDX99G7E0n0Od40P5nHh/s848/1-mam+mammaliamorpha+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="848" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKDzecTKbHwv5ZxsUNsqt7_tYaqgaTlGToZrDvX_zjpMSdHJl34_t-78MKCYNQi0kwUMcn51XW-wHvcv9z66lVpKxVjN26rNGKIHUAOA5BT7eAWLiBUPIdXzssDX99G7E0n0Od40P5nHh/s320/1-mam+mammaliamorpha+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mammalimorpha</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Mammaliamorpha</i> (Mam-mail-e-mor-fah) is a phylogenetic classification in ordering a broad clade consisting of the last common ancestor to tritylodontids and the crown group mammals (true mammals). </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGO6KFwJR5ez3NUpAEppkBiTesbM0Q28gAkcM2ZRyxnsMW2RPpYi9ytSnQxxvdT46sZA4zsgi-KUTH4MXwjNHjMM6RF0Z5DjAYVdTy9i6QpB_6YH0RcXq3MLYAHu7wmspkNL2q2EqWe1w/s1000/1-mam+adelobasileus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGO6KFwJR5ez3NUpAEppkBiTesbM0Q28gAkcM2ZRyxnsMW2RPpYi9ytSnQxxvdT46sZA4zsgi-KUTH4MXwjNHjMM6RF0Z5DjAYVdTy9i6QpB_6YH0RcXq3MLYAHu7wmspkNL2q2EqWe1w/s320/1-mam+adelobasileus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Masato Hattori <i>Adelobasileus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Before we dive into mammals, I would like to give an identity to a rather small mammaliamorph known as Adelobasileus (Eh-dale-o-bah-sill-e-us) that existed 225 mya during the Triassic. This predates tritylodontids by a good 10 million years. With its fossil remains recovered from the ‘Tecovas Formation’ in West Texas, the find only consists of a partial skull. However, the distinct cranial features of the fossil skull, in particular of the cochlea (part of the inner ear shaped as a spiral cavity in the bony labyrinth, thusly intensifying hearing) highly suggests that Adelobasileus was a transitional form in the evolving process of cynodonts into mammals. Many paleontologists feel that Adelobasileus is the common ancestor, or at least a very close relative to the common ancestor of true mammals. But, currently with only scant fossil remains, it may be considered a mammal but outside the crown group of true mammals. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">First off, mammals do not have the market cornered when it comes to viviparity, for live births have been around in the animal world for a long time in both extinct and extant species. Extinct and extant reptiles have been viviparous. Certain amphibian caecilians and fish species are viviparous.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">So, how did mammalians transition from oviparity to viviparity; or put more simply…go from an eggshell (hatchling) to a placenta (live birth)? To begin with, there really isn’t that much difference between an embryo housed in an eggshell or a placenta and thusly, the egg contents of a human female is much like the egg contents of a chicken. The amniotic fluid functions pretty much the same in both, as a gravid eggshell or placenta protects the embryo and fetus from cushioning blows and facilitates the access of nutrients, water and biochemical processes to the embryo and latter fetus. Initially, the amniotic fluid is water derived from the mother, but eventually is replaced by the growing fetus’ urine. Yes, a throwback from our fish origins, we start out in a watery-liquid environment. In fact, the human fetus possesses gills for its first nine weeks before being spoliated and replaced permanently by developing lungs.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">No matter the female amniote, vitellogenin (VTG) is a protein present in the amniote female’s blood, from which the substance of egg yolk is derived. Belonging to a particular group of several lipid transport proteins, VTG is classified as a glycolipoprotein in having the properties of a sugar, fat and protein. VTG precursors provide the major egg yolk proteins that are the source of nutrients during early embryonic development.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">At first, marine vertebrates started off with a single copy of the vitellogenin gene, while the amphibian, reptilian, bird and mammalian lineages each experienced duplications that gave rise to more modern genes. A pseudogene is a section of a chromosome that is an imperfect copy of a functional gene creating a mutant copy. With the exception of monotremes, mammals have all their vitellogenin genes turned into pseudogenes that are a section of a chromosome that is an imperfect copy of a functional gene.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Evidence shows the placenta of mammals, including humans, evolved from much simpler tissues that attached to the inside of eggshells and enabled the embryos of non-mammalian and our distant ancestors, such as birds, reptilians and pelycosaurs, to have access to oxygen as the placenta does to mammalian embryos.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The allantois is the fetal membrane lying below the chorion in most vertebrates and is formed as an outgrowth of the embryo’s gut. So, it naturally functions as storing waste (chiefly uric acid). In egg-laying birds and reptiles it grows to surround the embryo, while in placental mammals it forms part of the placenta. Once the allantois has been established as an extension of the embryonic gut, the umbilical cord then partially develops from the allantois containing remnants of the yolk sac. Sufficiently formed by the fifth week of development, the umbilical cord replaces the yolk sac as the source of nutrients for the embryo and growing fetus.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">That first membrane layering the inside wall of an egg enveloped by a shell is the chorion. The placenta primarily evolved from the chorion to act much like the eggshell in protectively enveloping the fertilized embryo and fetus while mediating the flow of gases and nutrients. The placenta in the beginnings of the first semester of pregnancy utilizes ancient eggshell cell growth genes, then later switches to its species-specific genes.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The placental membrane separates maternal blood from fetal blood with the fetal portion of the chorion. The maternal placenta component, which evolved much later with placental animals, is known as the decidua basalis. In a first phase of embryo growth, placental cells primarily activate genes that mammals have in common with birds and reptiles, suggesting the placenta initially evolved through repurposing genes the earlier mammals inherited from their immediate ancestors when they arose more than 120 million years ago. In a second phase, cells of the mammalian placenta switch to a new wave of pseudogenes that are species-specific. So, shrews activate newly evolved shrew genes from previous gene mutations where humans do the same in activating species-specific newly evolved human genes. That is what aids in making us, well…us.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The placenta is essentially an organ that fuses to the uterine wall to securely hold in place a pregnancy. But yet, it is the only temporary organ produced in mammals as it exits the female’s body upon giving birth, only to develop once again with a new pregnancy.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In tying all this together into a neat knot, globins are heme-containing globular proteins involved in binding and/or transporting oxygen, where heme is an iron-containing compound of the porphyrin class forming the non-protein part of hemoglobin. Today, globins are found virtually in all organism kingdoms. An ancestral hemoglobin gene most likely was present before the divergence of plants and animals 1,500 mya. One-celled life in the beginning was anaerobic, so oxygen was detrimental to it. It seems the initial function of oxygen-binding hemoproteins was to protect cells from oxygen once it had sufficiently appeared in the biosphere as a product of photosynthesis. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The function of embryonic hemoglobin, which appears early during mammalian development, very likely is to protect against free radicals derived from oxygen and nitric oxide, such as peroxynitrite. Hemoglobin has a high affinity for oxygen appearing well before there is an effective system of placental oxygen transfer. Therefore, globin evolution functions, such as the transport of oxygen to blood and intracellular metabolic activity, were acquired much later. The groundwork for this was laid down by whole genome duplications in the vertebrate lineage.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Lactation appears to not only be a eutherian (true mammal) trait as basal mammaliamorphs were already practicing infant nurturing via lactation millions of years before true mammals even appeared. Evidence of tritylodontids in having no teeth to have baby teeth erupt then be replaced by permanent adult teeth strongly suggests lactation. The more derived mammaliaform morganucodont fossils also display this form of tooth replacement. With this evidence, female milking is a mammalian ancestral trait.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Basal and more derived synapsid eggs had shells that were parchment-like, which made the eggs impervious to desiccation. However, the outside of the shells required moisture. Synapsid moms were already nurturing in that they would moisturize their laid eggs with a glandular skin secretion. Mammary glands evolved from these apocrine-like glands that combined multiple modes of secretion while developing in association with hair follicles. Through comparative analysis studies, the research showed the evolutionary origin of milk constituents is a result in which these secretions evolved into a nutrient-rich liquid (milk) long before mammals arose.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Along with the milk secretory constituents, a variety of antimicrobial and protein immunity components were co-opted into the milk. Calcium-binding phosphor-proteins originally had a role in calcium delivery to eggs and in addition, by evolving into large, complex casein micelles, they took on an important role in the transport of amino acids, calcium and phosphorus. As well, an ancestral c-lysozyme lost its lytic functions in favor of a role as α-lactalbumin that modifies a galactosyltransferase to recognize glucose as an acceptor. This led to the synthesis of novel milk sugars, of which free oligosaccharides may have predated free lactose.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Early day mammaliaforms were already endothermic. This required fluid to replace incubatory water losses of eggs, which in turn depended upon very small sized eggs making large eggs an impossible environment for the embryo to grow in. As a result this had a rapid growth effect and limited tooth replacement indicating the delayed onset of feeding and reliance on milk. Thus, milk had already supplanted egg yolk as the primary nutrient source, and by the Jurassic Period vitellogenin genes were being lost. Nipples as the milk delivery system are simply derived sweat glands.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">All primary milk constituents and requirements evolved before the appearance of mammals, with some paleontologists insisting that the milk constituents had origins predating the split of the synapsids from sauropsids. So, as, Ph.D. Olav Oftedal retorts, “Thus, the modern dairy industry is built upon a very old foundation, the cornerstones of which were laid even before dinosaurs ruled the earth in the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods.” </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuw0uO0V9Hk5hsOegngXloY1FP_uyAUCZQDiWeZ-tgHAZgZVOnrIvEwqbyhBhQeANa_Bs7O6zAd-xHXgWmrxefToAWHg-B-wnUPvBBCiyvnhOrNtLVA6OF7i1NuJ3Rd3afHZvd6KDdeVVH/s1517/1-mam+Pseudotherium-argentinus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1517" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuw0uO0V9Hk5hsOegngXloY1FP_uyAUCZQDiWeZ-tgHAZgZVOnrIvEwqbyhBhQeANa_Bs7O6zAd-xHXgWmrxefToAWHg-B-wnUPvBBCiyvnhOrNtLVA6OF7i1NuJ3Rd3afHZvd6KDdeVVH/s320/1-mam+Pseudotherium-argentinus.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jorge Gonzalez <i>Pseudotherium</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">A basal mammaliamorph is <i>Pseudotherium</i> (Sue-doe-thear-e-um) with its holotype fossil coming from the early half of the Late Triassic ‘Ischigualasto Formation’ in Argentina 231 mya. It was 25cm/9.8in long with a very long and flat snout bearing very long fangs near the tip of the snout. The fangs most likely were used to seize invertebrate prey such as insects and other invertebrates. Through high resolution CT scans, the inner ear was pretty much developed and along with other mammalian features, the post-orbital bar was absent, although vestigial postorbital bones are present and there is the presence of turbinals (3 thin curved shelves of bone in the nasal cavity’s sides) that heat inhaled air in endothermic vertebrates.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Mammaliaformes<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Mammaliaforms have a temporal range of 225-0 mya with the clade composed of the mammalian crown group and its ancestors going all the way back to the most recent common ancestor. ‘Crown group’, sometimes referred to as, ‘crown assemblage’ is a collective grouping of all its living representatives along with their extinct ancestors as descended down to the most recent common ancestor of them all. However, extinct side branches of the crown group, like Tasmania’s thylacine that went extinct in 1933 is still part of the marsupial crown group. For mammaliaforms, the origin of crown group mammals extends all the way back to the Jurassic, although there are holotype mammals extending into the Triassic.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Early-day mammaliaforms were small and most stem mammaliaforms possessed the epipubic bone used by the animal in strengthening the torso while supporting the abdominal and hind limb musculature. But the bone obstructed the abdomen in expanding for full term live births. This was in conjunction with tritylodontids as derived clade traits in being synapomorphic. So, all stem mammaliaforms most likely laid eggs, or gave birth to premature young as marsupials do today. Also in the early mammaliforms, the stance was intermediate in slightly being primitively sprawled to being derivatively upright underneath the body.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">By the time mammaliaforms had arrived, mammalian teeth and their physical, structural and mineral arrangements were already set into their sockets so to speak. The mammalian tooth is diphyodont meaning two sets of teeth are produced that includes the set of baby teeth and the second set of permanent or adult teeth. Basically, mammal dentition is either heterodont (varieties in shape) or thecodont (set in jawbone sockets) arranged. Primarily composed of four constituents, the enamel is a chemically derived crystalline calcium phosphate called hydroxyapatite. The other three are the dentin (calcified tissue covered by the enamel), cementum (a specialized calcified compound that cements the root to the alveolar bone by anchoring the periodontal ligament) and the dental pulp that is the only living section of the tooth located in the center. Incisors and canines tear and rip food while molars and premolars grind food through jaw action for more adequate digestion. Originally the cynodont molar crowns had cusps with three points in a straight line called triconodont.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The more derived mammaliaforms later produced cheek teeth crowns with offsetting cusp points called trituberculate that fitted the upper jaw’s cheek teeth to the lower jaw’s cheek teeth. From crystallite discontinuities prismatic enamel evolved from mammaliaforms to compensate for worn or loss teeth not being replaced by spreading out the force of a bite or chewing aiding the tooth from injury or wear.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Meckel’s cartilage is comprised of three distinct regions. The anterior and posterior regions undergo endochondral ossification and contribute to the mandibular development, forming the malleus and incus (ear bones) respectively. The middle region degenerates and gives rise to the sphenomandibular ligament (internal lateral ligament affixed to the lingula of the mandibular foramen). Morphogenetic studies have shown that the developmental potential for ossification of Meckel’s cartilage is conserved in extant mammals. Mammaliaform fossils revealed that this pattern evolved first in the mammaliaform phylogeny. Further, these findings allude to the disconnection of the ear from the mandible had occurred independently in multituberculate mammalians, in monotremes and in therians. The inner ear of mammaliaforms is derived in having a single petrosal bone enclosing the entire inner ear and a promontorium (projecting part) for an elongate cochlear canal. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The evolving separation of the jaw and the ear bones of mammaliaforms allowed the skulls of later mammals to expand sideways and backward enabling bigger brains to develop. Also, in the Meckel’s cave, the trigeminal ganglion that is the first part of the pathway from the whiskers to the brain, occupies that cavity. Later on in primate evolution, from its convex border the trigeminal ganglion splits into three large nerves vis-à-vis the ophthalmic (V1), maxillary (V2), and mandibular (V3) nerves.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpV0avRfXp97H-TKx61hYcSHRdLY1KD0Wlrb_jRtzv_Ha-jP8Yu5EUyT9jkThQwwuOgqfwhvFV21WOof8114B2U6m5CS2LAB3SItOe5nVp7EpmA1E-TV0OPbHBBRnpOuKjg4bNk012UDMc/s1018/1-mam+sinoconodon+jonathan+hughes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpV0avRfXp97H-TKx61hYcSHRdLY1KD0Wlrb_jRtzv_Ha-jP8Yu5EUyT9jkThQwwuOgqfwhvFV21WOof8114B2U6m5CS2LAB3SItOe5nVp7EpmA1E-TV0OPbHBBRnpOuKjg4bNk012UDMc/s320/1-mam+sinoconodon+jonathan+hughes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jonathan Hughes <i>Sinoconodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Thus far, the most basal mammaliaform is <i>Sinoconodon</i> (Sign-o-con-o-don). Although it was a very advanced conodont and closely related to the more basal derived mammaliamorph, <i>Morganucodon</i> (Mor-gan-ew-co-don), <i>Sinoconodon</i> still featured polyphyodont dentition in tooth replacement throughout its life and continuously slowly grew throughout life. But, it possessed one of the traits commonly used to define mammals in an evolved jaw joint between the dentary and the squamosal bones, replacing the primitive tetrapod assemblage between the articular and quadrate bones. These combined primitive conodont and derived mammalian features make it a wholly transitional species with no other extinct or extant animal like it.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Sinoconodon</i> appeared in China’s Early Jurassic, ‘Lufeng formation’ with an age of 193 mya. The jaw articulation and braincase of <i>Sinoconodon</i> compares more to the cynodont therapsids, <i>Probainognathus</i> and <i>Thrinaxodon</i> than to mammals. The reasons researchers could tell that <i>Sinoconodon</i> grew continuously throughout life is that originally the fossils found were first thought to merely be different species of <i>Sinoconodon</i>, but later determined that they were representative of one species at differing growth stages. This demonstrates the transition from therapsid to mammal, where the medial surface of the groove in the squamosal housing the quadrate was lost. Appearing much like a miniature weasel, <i>Sinoconodon</i> was only 15cm/5.9in in total length.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7UXn8TWVvlQuutatroNnIEfokVAQoSLGgba0ZLbFblxQygg8VEyBAyqZBh-ZCPdNI_h7_bvJNZ1SeqtsZEU_MXwUIjCsKEtmyB2ttjFC0BLDJvoDne2whiLvhUFYsbaHYM9h9l0kIXai/s700/1-mam+Morganucodon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7UXn8TWVvlQuutatroNnIEfokVAQoSLGgba0ZLbFblxQygg8VEyBAyqZBh-ZCPdNI_h7_bvJNZ1SeqtsZEU_MXwUIjCsKEtmyB2ttjFC0BLDJvoDne2whiLvhUFYsbaHYM9h9l0kIXai/s320/1-mam+Morganucodon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Encyclopedia Britannica <i>Morganucodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Just mentioned in the above second paragraph, <i>Morganucodon</i> was a more derived basal mammaliamorph and although closely related to mammals, it does lie outside the common ancestry of extant mammals. However, it and its family members of <i>Morganucodontidae</i> (Mor-gan-ew-co-don-tee-day) with dentary-squamosal and articular-quadrate jaw joints are superb examples of mammalian transitional fossils. Tiny at, 9.5cm/3.75in, it had the body form of a shrew. With a temporal range on the Triassic-Jurassic boundary it lived ~ 205 mya in what is now Wales. The Wales fossil was the first to be found, but later fossils have been found in other parts of Europe, North America and the Yunnan Province of China. There are currently five fossil species that have been found of the gnus, <i>Morganucodon</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">It was an insectivore with teeth designed to easily chew on insects with elytra (singular: elytron; chitinous hardened forewings) and most likely preyed on other small invertebrates. The fossil eye orbits are large indicating <i>Morganucodon</i> was nocturnal, while most likely staying in burrows during the day. It still laid leathery eggs, however like monotremes, with the combination of deciduous teeth being replaced by the onset of permanent teeth, along with a toothless stage during infancy, is a strong indication the mothers fed their young through lactation. There is also strong evidence that it possessed specialized skin glands producing nonpolar chemicals such as lipids and oils to keep fur groomed and water resistant; much like most mammals have today. Due to plant material like the conifer, Hirmeriella being found in the same strata near the <i>Morganucodon</i> fossil sites, it likely lived in forested environments.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Docodonta</i> (Doe-co-don-tah) is an extinct large order of mammaliaforms that lived from the ending of the Early Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous 175.6-122.46 mya. The superfamily, <i>Docodontoidea</i> (Doe-co-don-toid-dee-ah) within the order, forms a clade of at least 16 genera and 28 species. Docodonts did not lead to therian mammals, but through convergent evolution did possess similar specific traits such as tooth shape. Docodonts had a series of tall molar cusps along two rows with an anteriorly placed pseudo-talonid (the flat heel of a molar crown used to crush food) to fittingly receive the pseudo-protocone (a corner cusp) of the upper molar. The reason pseudo is added is that they do serve the same purposes in mammalian mastification, therefore the pseudo-protocone is analogous to the protocone, but the anteriorly placed pseudo-talonid is opposite to the posterior talonid basin of true tribosphenic (three peaked molar cusps) mammals. Indeed though, docodonts do show similar physical traits as portrayed in some of today’s mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Primarily, docodonts were small terrestrial and fossorial animals. However, there have been docodont fossils found that show evidence of certain species also being semiaquatic and arboreal. Docodont fossil are found in what once composed the subcontinent, Laurasia in what is now Asia, Europe and North America.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlYsc3i7W1ACv_NrZ_L9kZg5BvEE4pEUjsOO6PLHZtB-ym7_B-2lo4Moq8Ealsidy4qwa7oo4Cuc2zuy71wdlR0aaOYbE3G_sXkHCGQHkgTh4rlX4REtmg33SUU0-ylCWno08yzuh1BnW/s654/1-mam+Castorocauda+mark+klinger2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="522" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlYsc3i7W1ACv_NrZ_L9kZg5BvEE4pEUjsOO6PLHZtB-ym7_B-2lo4Moq8Ealsidy4qwa7oo4Cuc2zuy71wdlR0aaOYbE3G_sXkHCGQHkgTh4rlX4REtmg33SUU0-ylCWno08yzuh1BnW/s320/1-mam+Castorocauda+mark+klinger2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Klinger <i>Castorocauda</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The docodontid, <i>Castorocauda</i> (Kass-tor-o-caw-dah) had a temporal range of 164 mya during the Middle Jurassic radiation of mammaliaforms. The holotype fossil was found in the Daohugou lakebed sediment of the ‘Tiaojishan Formation’ in what is now the Inner Mongolia region of China.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Castorocauda</i>, looking very similar to an extant beaver; in fact, the genus name is Latin for: ‘beaver tail’. It was semiaquatic spending most of its life in freshwater chasing after and dining on small fish with teeth similar to those of Eocene whales and extant seals, while the vertebrae is similar to extant otters. With adaptations highly specialized for an aquatic environment, it evolved these adaptations convergently and is not a direct descendant of beavers, otters or platypuses.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Its fossil had preserved hair that included a very advanced dense pelage, guard hairs, whiskers and underfur. The fossil also reveals the tiny auditory ossicles of the middle ear and a broad tail with scales interspersed with hairs that grew less frequent toward the tip. Although <i>Castorocauda</i> had docodont dentition, in addition it possessed unlike docodont teeth that would have been specialized for capturing slippery prey like fish and aquatic invertebrates, making it a piscivore.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Its legs and feet are anatomically very similar to a platypus’ limbs, which are webbed used for swimming and digging with the forelimbs. Although still considered small at 42.5cm/17in in length and 650g/1.4lb in weight, it has thus far been the largest mammaliaform found.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">A Lagerstätte, or more specific, Konservat-Lagerstätten are sedimentary deposits that exhibit exceptional body form articulated fossils and preserved soft tissue due to quick burial in an anoxic environment. The <i>Castorocauda</i> fossil came from just such an environment. Known as the ‘Yanliao Biota’ of Inner Mongolia/China, it is an assemblage of volcanic tuff and aquatic sediment stratum spanning from 190-146 mya. The ‘Yanliao Biota’ strata were formed during the time of the destruction of the North China Craton and the beginning of heightened subduction activity driving the Paleo-Pacific plate underneath the Asian continent. This resulted in a series of tectonic, paleo-geographic and paleo-environmental changes due to the ongoing and frequent volcanic activities.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9G4_gQ8rjtF_5Fu69Jeyxmt24EmwUzxGxndjuFmDY6ilwwtqlCUMvHUgnm38NJdxAJWsi2sMuTl6Wpxhr-Le6NHkP6x6fCJzVeQMdJOrx0GS4yL0Ne4CCpWKNq9BgpqZrPAJZ1fWd3Gy/s826/1-mam+castorocauda+fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="602" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9G4_gQ8rjtF_5Fu69Jeyxmt24EmwUzxGxndjuFmDY6ilwwtqlCUMvHUgnm38NJdxAJWsi2sMuTl6Wpxhr-Le6NHkP6x6fCJzVeQMdJOrx0GS4yL0Ne4CCpWKNq9BgpqZrPAJZ1fWd3Gy/s320/1-mam+castorocauda+fossil.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yanlio Biota fossils Top <i>Castorocauda</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The ‘Yanliao Biota’ region preserved Jurassic fossils from amphibians to mammals and body parts such as dinosaur feathers, mammalian fur and soft tissue, like the skin of reptiles and pterosaurs. With an average temperature of 15 °C/59 °F, the climate had seasonal intermittent cold temperatures and by credent evidence, may be where feathering, pycnofibers and fur for insulation first arose.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">One last docodont to be mentioned here out of its ~ 24 species representatives is the Middle Jurassic 160 mya, <i>Docofossor</i> (Dah-koe-foss-sur). Found in the province of Hebei in a 160 mya sedimentary layer of China’s ‘Tiaojishan Formation’, the body length from snout to vent was only 9cm/3.5in. Anatomically built like a mole, it most likely acted like a mole in being fossorial.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Having a stubbed tail instead of a long tail that would be a hindrance in tunneling, it was also equipped with strong shoulders and forelimbs ending in shovel-like fingers with flattened claws, while the hind limbs were short and sprawling. With all this being indicative of a subterranean lifestyle, in addition, the phalanges formula on the hands were 2-2-2-2-2 instead of the 2-3-3-3-3 ancestral trait. African golden moles have almost the exact characteristics for its digging and tunneling lifestyle. The golden mole’s anatomy is influenced by the genes BMP and GDF-5, which fuses the phalange (finger) joints together, thus decreasing the size and making them stouter. This perhaps first occurred with <i>Docofossor</i>, as it is the first known fossorial mammaliaform.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The snout was blunt with an overhang from the top down and was used as a spade shovel, while the massive olecranon (convexly curved bony prominence of the ulna), along with a projecting parafibula (third bone of lower leg restricted to the knee area of early mammaliaforms) were also an adaptation for digging forcing the rear knee joints into a bent position.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Haramiyida</i> (Huh-ram-e-yee-dah), a sister group to Mammalia is an order clade of long-lived mammaliaforms in having a temporal range of 216.5-65 mya extending from the Late Triassic all the way to the end of the Late Cretaceous. Haramiyidans are a more primitive group than the multituberculates, in which we will discuss later under Mammalia, but they have so much similarity with multituberculates in anatomy and morphology that many paleontologists feel they are direct ancestors to the multituberculate group; although this trending thought is not conclusive. Some studies however, have even grouped haramiyidans with multituberculates in a clade called, <i>Allotheria</i> (Al-lo-thear-e-ah), although it is now being rendered obsolete as euharamiyidans are now being viewed as basal mammaliaforms. So, currently as it stands haramiyidans rank no further than mammaliaforms. This just proves how transitioning animals are so close in appearance that at times it is very difficult to say they are more primitive or more evolved in characteristics. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6beftREBISa3hCsdfcXeN5pGPGJwxHBXx1NU9rkx8qec9yej97oRc054YIBaoxQnKHtYd9q1qK-EegkWZI4HtHA4akqQ_JJ1TVX5KkL8abcaO37UTFCKJCPPJBnTc1UmfmL5N-2AvlqK/s412/1-mam+euharamiyida+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6beftREBISa3hCsdfcXeN5pGPGJwxHBXx1NU9rkx8qec9yej97oRc054YIBaoxQnKHtYd9q1qK-EegkWZI4HtHA4akqQ_JJ1TVX5KkL8abcaO37UTFCKJCPPJBnTc1UmfmL5N-2AvlqK/s320/1-mam+euharamiyida+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Euharamiyida</i> clade</td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Now with the above said, let’s look at a China haramiyidan subgroup known as, <i>Euharamiyida</i> (U-huh-ram-yee-dah) that typifies the difficult taxonomy. Euharamiyids are a clade of small haramiyidans, averaging no more than 9.7cm/3.8in with a temporal range of 164.7 to 125.45 mya that stretched from the Late Triassic to the Early Cretaceous.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Haramiyidans have been known since 1846, but that discovery along with future others were only of the teeth. As you might well be aware of, an ancient animal no larger than the average mouse will not preserve and weather well in fossilizations. But in China there have been some incredible current fossil finds of these animals. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1giazl_4MnwnpPbeFFxR8djLWtTbTVf6CChJD9wA97SJV1vYws60UwTt0fs20LCsJkhjZ16iCY0i6ZFKILq0eEjGb2pdJh9yJT2cJqZgCS6GnV1NjdkAno-4fF_mtfjHCzRhq1flkEGUW/s1280/1-mam+euharamiyidans+fossils.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1giazl_4MnwnpPbeFFxR8djLWtTbTVf6CChJD9wA97SJV1vYws60UwTt0fs20LCsJkhjZ16iCY0i6ZFKILq0eEjGb2pdJh9yJT2cJqZgCS6GnV1NjdkAno-4fF_mtfjHCzRhq1flkEGUW/s320/1-mam+euharamiyidans+fossils.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lft: <i>Shenshou</i> Rt: <i>Xianshou spp</i>. fossils</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhof0MHBJNiljSCEqT9D_EJ3i3A2x0bGLELMBVhPHlUHl6eftr5pRwJhBvKzqmWApnZ8s4MQCxGiHl2kRZrp6sbwbr-Pij346z2Ktfp_TEq97bzXF9pR5_oMoPTiBydeoyoOMWs8az22R/s2231/1-mam+A.+allinhopsoni-jenkinisi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="2231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhof0MHBJNiljSCEqT9D_EJ3i3A2x0bGLELMBVhPHlUHl6eftr5pRwJhBvKzqmWApnZ8s4MQCxGiHl2kRZrp6sbwbr-Pij346z2Ktfp_TEq97bzXF9pR5_oMoPTiBydeoyoOMWs8az22R/s320/1-mam+A.+allinhopsoni-jenkinisi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lft 2: <i>A. allinhopsoni</i> Rt 2: <i>A. jenkinsi</i> fossils</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The recently discovered genera of euharamiyids are: <i>Shenshou</i> (Sheng-sue) and <i>Xianshou</i> (She-in-shoo). The one <i>Shenshou</i> species is <i>S</i>. <i>lui</i> (loo-ee). Two species were found in the genus, Xianshou which are: <i>X</i>. <i>songae</i> (sawn-gay) and <i>X</i>. <i>linglong</i> (ling-long). Along with these three species are two other 2013 species discoveries in the genus, <i>Arboroharamiya</i> (R-bor-o-huh-ram-ee-yah) in: <i>A</i>. <i>jenkinsi</i> (jen-kin-see) and <i>A</i>. <i>allinhopsoni</i> (al-lin-hop-so-nee). <i>Shenshou</i> and the two <i>Xianshou</i> species lived 160 mya while the two species of <i>Arboroharamiya</i> lived 159 mya, with all the species coming from the ‘Tiaojishan Formation’. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtD6l5IutF1zFbdi0WWATlU9b5JcuUFQxpnqkrsjeiMXOhiBkfSe5DvQtPjX4AVr0YaqunvOKoVAvr6fI81QAtbOaBnBEyzq_H0NytatmoKWLwBlvrJPdDkbSRwggvDLWENs81KRzVxvYA/s1280/1-mam+euharamiyidans+zhao+chuang.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtD6l5IutF1zFbdi0WWATlU9b5JcuUFQxpnqkrsjeiMXOhiBkfSe5DvQtPjX4AVr0YaqunvOKoVAvr6fI81QAtbOaBnBEyzq_H0NytatmoKWLwBlvrJPdDkbSRwggvDLWENs81KRzVxvYA/s320/1-mam+euharamiyidans+zhao+chuang.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Chuang Zhao euharamiyids</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">For the above illustration, identification is from
left: first is <i>X</i>. <i>linglong</i>; 2<sup>nd</sup> from left in background is <i>S</i>. <i>lui</i>;
in the middle is <i>X</i>. <i>songae</i>; the glider is <i>A</i>.<i>
allinhopsoni</i> and the last one to the right is <i>A</i>. <i>jenkinsi</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">All of these species were arboreal (tree dwellers), with <i>A</i>. <i>allinhopsoni</i> possessing a patagia that could glide it from branch to branch. None of the five species were adept at being terrestrial as their pes (feet) were adapted for holding onto tree limbs and branches and were not anatomically equipped for running. With the unique dentition having numerous cusps on the crown, they all most likely were insectivores/granivores (dieting on seeds and nuts).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Overall, the morphology in these five species was mammalian. Although some of the ear bones weren’t evident in the fossils due to the tiny sizes, incredibly most were. Among all the mammalian traits, such as hair, legs beneath the body and warm bloodedness in addition, these five euharamiyid species had a mammal middle ear with the mandible jaw bones migrating in forming the malleus, incus and stapes ear bones turning air vibrations into ripples within the ear fluids.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In considering euharamiyids as mammals it has caused a stir, for it accepts the <i>Allotheria</i> clade as a group within Mammalia putting haramiyidans beyond mammaliaforms as true mammals. This would throw back in time true mammalian lineages’ first appearance during the Late Triassic between 235-201 mya as opposed to the Middle Jurassic 176-161 mya. However, an intensive recent study on an early mammaliform contradicts these findings.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The earliest known mammaliaform recently found in eastern Greenland existed somewhere around 210 mya. It had teeth similar to a mammal, but a jaw bone and ear like a reptile. However, this haramiyidan known as, <i>Haramiyavia</i> (Huh-ram-me-ah-vee-ah) did possess a dentary condyle of the mammalian jaw hinge and the postdentary trough for mandibular attachment of the middle ear; a transitional condition of the predecessors to crown group mammals, but it negates being related to multituberculates or other mammaliaform groups leading to crown group mammals.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiC7SDSXqcdV2lMgQv1sgA3sfhxfFzuVCtWe-5bEP0lv8JuWR4XRSFTAOblByKDrgpfbyzQhyphenhyphenCic0AuEw9PJEtqg_WjK8ba5Sjpt0vCK2B_7A2OLrzNDnnwQYwBh2uULQ5EVpEhX1ogEy/s394/1-mam+haramiyavia+april+neander.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="338" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiC7SDSXqcdV2lMgQv1sgA3sfhxfFzuVCtWe-5bEP0lv8JuWR4XRSFTAOblByKDrgpfbyzQhyphenhyphenCic0AuEw9PJEtqg_WjK8ba5Sjpt0vCK2B_7A2OLrzNDnnwQYwBh2uULQ5EVpEhX1ogEy/s320/1-mam+haramiyavia+april+neander.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: April Neander <i>Haramiyavia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Research studies give quantified detail in its skull evolution and dental function in the forerunners of mammals. Haramiyavia had a unique way of chewing in a back and forth sawing action. Its teeth of multiple cusp-rows were adapted to omnivory or most likely herbivory and are distinctive from the teeth of other early mammal relatives that are presumed to be insectivorous. This makes it as the earliest known herbivorous mammaliform species and haramiyidans as less derived than mammals keeping them in the mammaliform group, but as the sister group to mammalians.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The research findings place <i>Haramiyavia</i> and the haramiyidan lineage members on a more ancestral position in the mammalian evolutionary tree; thus, on a separate branch from mammals. This reaffirms original arguments that the explosion of modern mammal diversification did not occur in the Triassic Period, but millions of years later during the Middle Jurassic.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFOid35Uw8cZAsLura7HUhc0p84-srzjhrooracy9OWKuaNNZ12dCZ3oo421ePpKlTE_FLY6pCOiv7OB9CQpuGqDNtlaOCoZTMhpNFcJmGl7gO_G6Cw3ZgabgYCf34f97QcXZEYWZAaSY/s1440/1-mam+Cifelliodon+Jorge_A_Gonzalez.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1305" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFOid35Uw8cZAsLura7HUhc0p84-srzjhrooracy9OWKuaNNZ12dCZ3oo421ePpKlTE_FLY6pCOiv7OB9CQpuGqDNtlaOCoZTMhpNFcJmGl7gO_G6Cw3ZgabgYCf34f97QcXZEYWZAaSY/s320/1-mam+Cifelliodon+Jorge_A_Gonzalez.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jorge Gonzalez <i>Cifelliodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Found in rock strata of the ‘Yellow Cat Member’ in Utah, USA formed 139-124 mya, is one of the latest and last mammaliforms in, <i>Cifelliodon</i> (Seff-fell-lee-o-don). Its fossil was found among iguanodon, dromaeosaur and ornithopod dinosaur remains in strata forged ~ 130 mya. <i>Cifelliodon</i> belongs to the family, <i>Hahnodontidae</i> ‘Han-no-don-tuh-day’ and is classified under the same order as <i>Haramiyavia</i>, in the order, <i>Haramiyida</i> (Huh-ram-me-eed-ah). Haramiyidans are a group of derived mammaliforms, but are more basal than multituberculates.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Cifelliodon</i> was ~ 50.8cm/20in in body length, which was large for mammals of that time frame. Its mammalian body shape and dentition puts it as a transitional between more basal mammaliaforms and more derived mammals and is one of the closest relatives to the common ancestor of today’s true mammals. CT scans of the skull reveal that it possessed large olfactory bulbs and with tiny eye orbits was more likely in processing smells rather than relying on vision to locate prey items such as, small vertebrates and large insects.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Z5W_2b77npiscCN0ojhVXXA5Pi31qXHrR67w5KrLyyOSJAAGlTKGhzcEoje6pUgpH1uUjoE5RNlTiaI1wnIc0bGkK-ug4E9AFMOFXz-6KktqAbDMgtDWk3gVYbfjKEtaA0fbNnLWE09A/s1035/1-mam+Agilodocodon-Docofossor-Castorocauda_AprilINeander.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Z5W_2b77npiscCN0ojhVXXA5Pi31qXHrR67w5KrLyyOSJAAGlTKGhzcEoje6pUgpH1uUjoE5RNlTiaI1wnIc0bGkK-ug4E9AFMOFXz-6KktqAbDMgtDWk3gVYbfjKEtaA0fbNnLWE09A/s320/1-mam+Agilodocodon-Docofossor-Castorocauda_AprilINeander.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: April Neander <i>Agilodocodon</i> on limb</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As one can see from some of the examples above, mid Jurassic mammaliforms had already brought the mammalian lineage into new environmental folds by adapting and evolving into not just terrestrial, but also into arboreal (tree living), fossorial (subterranean living) and semiaquatic habitats. Besides the arboreal mammaliforms mentioned above, the earliest known arboreal mammaliaform that lived ~ 165 mya is <i>Agilodocodon</i> (Adj-il-lah-dee-koe-don) in what is now China. It had claws for climbing trees and although primarily omnivorous, it possessed teeth adapted for piercing and ripping woody plants to get at the sap to lap up and ingest.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Mammalia<span style="font-weight: normal;">: </span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">So, what defines a mammal is in possessing the cumulative trait phylogenies that all their predecessor therapsids had evolved. This includes fur, being endothermic, three middle ear bones, erect limbs beneath the body supporting an upright posture, a jaw joint composed of the articular bone (located at back of lower jawbone) and quadrate bone (located at back of upper jawbone), diphyodonty tooth replacement with prismatic enamel, ability to breathe while chewing, a secondary bony palate and giving live births, except for monotremes, who lay leathery reptilian eggs. Two mammalian characteristics we haven’t yet discussed are the neotcortex and suckling. All of these traits will be possessed by the animals further discussed. In reference to mammary glands, <i>Mammalia</i> is ‘mamma’, which is Latin for breasts.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The neocortex is derived embryonically in mammals from the brain’s telencephalon, as in anatomical terms it’s the rostral portion of the forebrain. The neocortex (neo for new) is a set of six layers found only in the mammalian cerebral cortex that has increased the abilities in brain functions like higher order sensory perception, motor skills, cognition, analysis to cause and effect, spatial reasoning, self-awareness and communicative ingenuity whether in body movement/facial expressive interpretation or vocalization. The involvement in the neotcortex affected the increase in the size of the brain, in turn affecting a larger skull size. The neocortex gave rise to inhibitory control of aggressive behaviors in response to social pressures, thus creating increased gatherings and social harmony.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Only therian mammals (prototherians, metatherians and eutherians) have the ability to suckle. Without the ability to suckle, of course totally dependent placental infants would die of starvation. Suckling requires a multitude of synchronous activities involving the tensor veli palatine (slender triangular muscle situated in the pterygoid fossa of skull), palatoglossus (mucus covered small fleshy fasciculus muscle that’s narrower in the middle than at either end), mylohyoideus (paired muscle running from the mandible to the hyoid bone forming the floor of the oral cavity of the mouth) and intrinsic tongue muscles that close the fauces (arched opening at the back of the mouth leading to the pharynx). These small mouth muscles work instinctively in conjunction to draw the dorsal surface of the tongue against a tensed soft palate forming a seal between the oral cavity and oropharynx. Depressing the tongue in front of the seal induces negative pressure, thus drawing milk into the mouth. All these functions embryonically evolved physically and physiologically into placental instinct, including humans as well.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-KAzkzgOdsEBOg88QStNZTf_oSVwYpXTUekRVtJHQFA67abTK3DKe3eIa1UE4eeogtbS7HOo9Mxu8zuck7iZK7l6M7EzMZOz7PkC4jQzbPVQLy-zLUAAapTB1qAG-F2mShkL7iuFHkpi/s936/1-mam+suckling+brtc.tamu.edu.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="936" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-KAzkzgOdsEBOg88QStNZTf_oSVwYpXTUekRVtJHQFA67abTK3DKe3eIa1UE4eeogtbS7HOo9Mxu8zuck7iZK7l6M7EzMZOz7PkC4jQzbPVQLy-zLUAAapTB1qAG-F2mShkL7iuFHkpi/s320/1-mam+suckling+brtc.tamu.edu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: brtc.tamu.edu Suckling Capability</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As far as the evolution of mammalian suckling goes, through CT scans, a team of scientists studied the mouth anatomy of the cynodont, <i>Brasilitherium</i>, mammaliaform fossils and extant pouched young marsupials. What they found was the origin of a medial slip of the reptilian posterior pterygoideus (muscle attached to mandible and skull to open and close the jaw) had migrated to the lateral surface of the pterygopalatine boss that supported the lateral edge of a non-muscular soft palate. Equipped with this, suckling arose in mammals after fibers of this slip migrated into the soft palate to form the tensor veli palatine, and the palatoglossus separated from the pharyngeal constrictors.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">All of this added stress onto the pterygopalatine boss that led to the resultant formation of a hamulus (small hooked projection). In losing the transverse process of the pterygoid, the lateral posterior pterygoideus differentiated to form the medial pterygoid. Only the most basal extant mammals in monotremes cannot suckle, which is due to their ancestors modifying the fauces region of the mouth to break down invertebrates between keratinized pads on the posterior end of the tongue and under the ventral surface of a long palatine. In doing so, they lost the tensor veli palatine and palatoglossus, thus negating the ability to suckle.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">To expound a bit more on placental births, which were initially discoursed under <i>Mammaliamorpha</i>, we’ll give a little more detail on globins. If ya might recall, oxygen was detrimental to Earth’s early one-celled anaerobic life. These microbes had developed oxygen-binding hemoproteins as a shield against free oxygen radicals. Although globin proteins are still a defense against free oxygen radicals in amniote embryos, globin functions, due to its affinity to oxygen, also eventually evolved into transporting oxygen to blood.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Four alpha globin genes are found in all mammal species in having multiple copies of these genes, or pseudogenes. But, a functionally active globin gene in one species may be a pseudogene in another. In lower more primitive vertebrates there is a single beta-globin gene, but a number of duplication events in the eutherian lineage have yielded a reel of five genes. As illustrated in the figure below, beta-globin genes evolved by successive duplication of an ancestral gene. In the eutherian lineage, thus gave rise to HBE, HBG, HBD, and HBB (ϵ-, γ-, δ-, and β-globin) genes. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzoliBwDl16-xrl0asq4PGnzesEP2k3WFD31CBLbNFypl5eFI3oIX4SjxX-PscSNK-iSDrNf1KMFt1EhGY59KUezBNS8MwOV4eigtO1pW_eIvbMx6vH850q-fSuc2XjRgoZOqGF9Skfld/s954/1-mam+globin+gene+opazo+et+al..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzoliBwDl16-xrl0asq4PGnzesEP2k3WFD31CBLbNFypl5eFI3oIX4SjxX-PscSNK-iSDrNf1KMFt1EhGY59KUezBNS8MwOV4eigtO1pW_eIvbMx6vH850q-fSuc2XjRgoZOqGF9Skfld/s320/1-mam+globin+gene+opazo+et+al..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Opazoet et al. Globin Genes </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Globin evolution functions, such as the transport of oxygen to blood and intracellular metabolic activity, were acquired much later. The groundwork for this was laid down by whole genome duplications in the vertebrate lineage.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">From the Late Triassic, throughout the Jurassic and into the latter half of the Late Cretaceous, early mammals remained small and secretive while filling terrestrial, fossorial, semiaquatic and arboreal niches. After the Cretaceous/Paleogene extinction event 66 mya, it emptied ecological space once filled by dinosaurs, other reptile groups and even other mammalian groups. Surviving mammals quickly filled the niche voids, even becoming arboreal with bats taking to the air 52.5 mya. Since Cenozoic time, therian mammals have obtained and held dominance in the medium-to-large sized ecological niches.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Even though confined to small eco-spaces, mammals early on radiated out and diversified into new environs. In so doing they developed a broad spectrum range of limb specializations coupled with different locomotor strategies dependent upon their habitat niche. Mammal anatomical locomotion reflects diverse heterogeneity in different patterns of development and growth. This affected the timing of epiphyseal growth plate closure in the long bones of the limbs such as the tibia, fibula, femur, metatarsals and phalanges in the hind limbs and the humerus, radius, ulna, metacarpals, and phalanges in the forelimbs. This genetic shift in timing of the development of anatomical tissue or bone is known as heterochrony.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Examples of radiative heterochrony are <i>Zhangheotherium</i> (Zane-ghee-o-thear-e-um) from 125.2 mya and the 106 mya, <i>Kryoryctes</i> (Cry-or-riss-tees), a fossorial monotreme. <i>Kryoryctes</i> was a subterranean digger; therefore his limbs were short and stout ending in portly claws due to the overall anterior limb mobility of the forelimbs being sacrificed in favor of maximizing the fossorial abduction movement. In contrast, the symmetrodont (Mesozoic mammals characterized by the triangular aspect of the molars), <i>Zhangheotherium</i> had long sprawling limb bones and a large plantar (sole of foot) due to its scansorial habits, which was a form of locomotion and mobility geared for ease of movement through tree branches and on tree trunks. One thing both animals had in common was a lack of agility in terrestrial movement.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">An early mammalian clade order was <i>Eutriconodonta</i> (U-tri-con-o-don-tah) that lived from the Early Jurassic 190 mya to the Late Cretaceous 70 mya. Formerly known as Triconodonta, eutriconodonts were highly successful in competing with dinosaurs for environmental niches. As a group, they have presented some of the best preserved and most complete Mesozoic mammal fossils found to date including bones, soft tissue, fur and even internal organs. There is clear evidence of a diaphragm from a <i>Spinolestes</i> (Spin-o-less-tees) Spain fossil that is just like the diaphragm of mammals today. The fossil also gives detail of its fur down to the cellular structure of compound hair follicles composed of primary and secondary hair endowed with unusually stiff spine-like guard hairs. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTUFMy3K5WYJPI4zOUOvDg9WkT67wMFzY1XkzSERrZ8V1uhMYf7rql_sX-qpwcH-hBF_EgtQTiH8B34VNgtt3CJfRf8Uyljn7i-AQYJbPWtb8VpY3QjfOuZ3PWMhn-kdEM81eOJkfA0VZ/s2048/1-mam+spinolestes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTUFMy3K5WYJPI4zOUOvDg9WkT67wMFzY1XkzSERrZ8V1uhMYf7rql_sX-qpwcH-hBF_EgtQTiH8B34VNgtt3CJfRf8Uyljn7i-AQYJbPWtb8VpY3QjfOuZ3PWMhn-kdEM81eOJkfA0VZ/s320/1-mam+spinolestes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Oscar Sanisidro <i>Spinolestes</i> and fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As early small mammals, with the largest being no more the size of a badger developed a diverse variety of body shapes for terrestrial sprints, fossorial niches, semiaquatic streamlined swimming, arboreal climbing and aerial gliding; they were filling the world’s biological niches. They were insectivores, carnivores, herbivores, piscivores and omnivores while roaming in what are now Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In the eutriconodont family, <i>Gobiconodontidae</i> (Go-bi-con-o-don-tuh-day) was the genus, <i>Repenomamaus</i> from the Early Cretaceous of 125-123.2 mya. The two species were <i>R</i>. <i>robustus</i> (ro-bus-tuss) and <i>R</i>. <i>giganticus</i> (gye-gan-tuh-cuss). They both were the largest of eutriconodonts, but at 1m/3.3ft, <i>R</i>. <i>giganticus</i> is thus far, the largest known Mesozoic mammal. In fact, <i>R</i>. <i>giganticus</i> was larger than most of the microraptorine dromaeosaurids such as, <i>Graciliraptor</i>. Both species’ fossils come from China’s ‘Yixian Formation’. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyJsjQQYh5cLHQndhHO4g6aqeZxmnswpYilV39XoAAiUGoYu0jlrY57bLXMtj_o4YA0G3MUipDVgYC0Vrhtc4StxRWR2FrorC5nBAmSpdOvgKOSXDREgRrLvVIV1uEOMn4Vz0QMNWF6wv/s810/1-mam+repenomamus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyJsjQQYh5cLHQndhHO4g6aqeZxmnswpYilV39XoAAiUGoYu0jlrY57bLXMtj_o4YA0G3MUipDVgYC0Vrhtc4StxRWR2FrorC5nBAmSpdOvgKOSXDREgRrLvVIV1uEOMn4Vz0QMNWF6wv/s320/1-mam+repenomamus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Roman Yevseyev <i>Repenomamaus</i> eating a lizard</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5tytyvjV5qpH00UHAR-7xlbcBITDUN0RjrKo5RHGhAYGdv0o9ul_SPJmWLzLZwCYEuX4D1hfOv2VgMIchENbc99z9AhpRAj3v9CwcUk03Z38Yy4tvwQornhYWtEDd4lzTiP6cp2myGnl/s1000/1-mam+repenomamus_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5tytyvjV5qpH00UHAR-7xlbcBITDUN0RjrKo5RHGhAYGdv0o9ul_SPJmWLzLZwCYEuX4D1hfOv2VgMIchENbc99z9AhpRAj3v9CwcUk03Z38Yy4tvwQornhYWtEDd4lzTiP6cp2myGnl/s320/1-mam+repenomamus_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius Csotonyi <i>Repenomamaus</i> eating a dino</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The bodies of <i>Repenomamaus</i> were proportionately longer than the short legs, while its gait was in a sprawling manner. <i>Repenomamaus</i> possessed a pubic bone dictating that the genus was either egg layers or delivered underdeveloped young. They were carnivorous and/or scavengers as one fossil find of <i>R</i>. <i>robustus</i> showed the skeletal remains of a juvenile <i>Psittacosaurus</i> within the stomach area. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0P9_X1M1RrXlF1Wm5MjffsxT6PaOWv5QaxugUAfOxxkyB6I3DRk_84wbB842xL31JlRTEIZFTrldVOd3lNZWxrXz1IMjcCaKz9JGRPfQaBg_De70ZPKS4d2Y2I85RuWrjqKPnxR8BLQ3/s1000/1-mam+Juramaia+Mark+A.+Klinger.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0P9_X1M1RrXlF1Wm5MjffsxT6PaOWv5QaxugUAfOxxkyB6I3DRk_84wbB842xL31JlRTEIZFTrldVOd3lNZWxrXz1IMjcCaKz9JGRPfQaBg_De70ZPKS4d2Y2I85RuWrjqKPnxR8BLQ3/s320/1-mam+Juramaia+Mark+A.+Klinger.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark A. Klinger <i>Juramaia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Thus far, the earliest true mammal is <i>Juramaia</i> (Jur-ah-my-ah); in fact, the name infers ‘Jurassic Mother’, due to being the most basal eutherian yet, in which eutherians are the most derived placental mammals. It lived during the Late Jurassic, 160.89-160.25 mya in the Jurassic’s Oxfordian Stage strata of what is now the western Liaoning Province of China. <i>Juramaia</i> lived in a temperate forest and with forelimb bones adapted for climbing, it likely was more arboreal than terrestrial. By judging from the shape of its mammalian teeth it was an insectivore. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpkiI59_inESJNuJgxk5C93VtZV4hux1OPzpjUlS5lcOhOQX1FsB4uGB3gcW8T273gFijENMMNqfQdcb_px2stVqoziQ3OXQraKz7H0Z2cLhyF7onOHgsRNHek5c2p5vM28Vv8Z3JmIwT/s893/1-mam+Juramaia+sinensis+fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpkiI59_inESJNuJgxk5C93VtZV4hux1OPzpjUlS5lcOhOQX1FsB4uGB3gcW8T273gFijENMMNqfQdcb_px2stVqoziQ3OXQraKz7H0Z2cLhyF7onOHgsRNHek5c2p5vM28Vv8Z3JmIwT/s320/1-mam+Juramaia+sinensis+fossil.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Juramaia</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Eutherians are the group that evolved to include all placental mammals providing nourishment to unborn young via the placenta. With a mean average length of 85mm/3.4in, the diminutive <i>Juramaia</i> as a eutherian, pushed placental mammal evolution back 35 million year from where it last stood in the split between marsupial and placental lineages. <i>Juramaia</i>’s discovery fills in fossil record gaps by aiding in the updated calibrate of dating mammal evolution with DNA-based methods.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As we can attest to from this lengthy article, the mammalian evolution has been a long and arduous process of stages from the first appearance of synapsids to the true mammal. Mammalian classification has been very difficult while changing significantly over time. As new mammal fossils are constantly being discovered, especially nicely preserved articulated China finds, phylogenetic reviews require new arrangements. To keep it simple, I’m going to use the older theriform classification. Under Crown Group Mammals, I will expound a bit on the newer mammal clades.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There has been and is going to be a lot of terms containing ‘theria’ within their terminology, so let’s make an attempt at explaining each one, then conclude it all with a cladogram.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">First off is <i>Theriiformes</i> (220-0 mya), which is a major mammal subclass primarily referring to mammals most closely related to therians.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Yenotheria</i> (167-0), in replacing <i>Prototheria</i> is a sister sub group of theriiforms and has just recently been proposed to be represented as a basal subclass for extant monotremes and their extinct ancestors.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Holotheria</i> (220-0 mya) is an infraclass that includes the first basal holothere, <i>Kuehneotherium</i> (Que-knee-o-thear-e-um) that is a transitional mammalian from mammaliaform dentition to extant crown therian molars along with the therian descendants of <i>Kuehneotherium</i>’s last common ancestor, such as kuehneotheres and trechnotheres.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As the sister group to holotheres, <i>Allotheria</i> (153-17.5 mya), meaning ‘other beasts’ includes all other mammals besides therians, such as multituberculates and the questionable gondawanatheres in whether they are true mammals, or are euharamiyidans.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Trechnotheria</i> (216.5-0 mya) is all therians arising from Jurassic and Cretaceous extinct mammals that were endemic to Africa and Asia.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Cladotheria</i> (165-0 mya) with the sister genus, <i>Zhangheotherium</i> is a legion group including all living therians plus their ancestors.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With the superorder, <i>Dryolestoidea</i> of Mesozoic mammals related to therians, <i>Zatheria</i> (165-0 mya) includes the common ancestors of the order, <i>Peramura</i>, and its sister clade, the infralegion group, <i>Tribosphenida</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Lastly, is the subclass, <i>Theria</i> (160.57-0), which includes all placental mammals that give live births in <i>Metatheria</i> (marsupials) and <i>Eutheria</i> (placentals lacking the epipubic bone). </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPVjije9ZOJfEzC3joWNftovWs1txqq5q2wEP5HhI0o6YUZITYym0uYA6Yp5uVJsfY738FUn7RErmoU730eWsd9QTOVRahL3Ty6LUtcQVNIrj3TS0bF7-4GmZfJeVXkSRnh2S22IFKHTK/s648/1-mam+therian+archaic+and+extant+clades.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPVjije9ZOJfEzC3joWNftovWs1txqq5q2wEP5HhI0o6YUZITYym0uYA6Yp5uVJsfY738FUn7RErmoU730eWsd9QTOVRahL3Ty6LUtcQVNIrj3TS0bF7-4GmZfJeVXkSRnh2S22IFKHTK/s320/1-mam+therian+archaic+and+extant+clades.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extinct mammaliaforms & archaic/extant therians</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Multituberculata</i>:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Much like the triconodonts, one of the most successful mammal groups during the Mesozoic were the clades of multituberculates. Named for the multiple tubercles (cusps/bumps) on their back teeth, these rodent-like allotheres competed auspiciously with the smaller dinosaurs for ecological niches at least for the last 20 million years dinosaurs existed. Including gondawanatheres, there were ~ 262 species that had radiated out into the entire northern hemisphere of Laurasia and also into certain regions of the southern hemisphere of Gondwana.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Multituberculates, although now extinct, were a highly successful mammal group reaching their diversified peak during the Early Paleocene, then gradually began declining in species numbers during the latter half of the Paleocene and the whole of the Eocene, becoming extinct in the Miocene. Existing for ~ 152.5 million years they had a temporal range of 170-17.5 mya from the Late Jurassic to the Miocene. The oldest known basal multituberculate is <i>Ferugliotherium</i> (Fair-uh-glee-o-thear-e-um) from 70 mya of the ‘Campanian Los Alamitos Formation’ in Late Cretaceous Argentina. What makes it differ from other multituberculates is that it possessed prominent transverse ridges and furrows on the molars. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUQ22Zhc7k2suRJhFTeRC8pyvb4Nhih7HrcB9XLS5wTQlomrQgzrVc-Kon8ozvE8WWjQtjI695paq_U0s_40pQkg7YE_GLTnfJRMDes9aaD1p5S4OLSUyl0uKOrayrUHhnM-xj3ckK9Ti/s2048/1-mam+Rugosodon+past+time+paleo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1672" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUQ22Zhc7k2suRJhFTeRC8pyvb4Nhih7HrcB9XLS5wTQlomrQgzrVc-Kon8ozvE8WWjQtjI695paq_U0s_40pQkg7YE_GLTnfJRMDes9aaD1p5S4OLSUyl0uKOrayrUHhnM-xj3ckK9Ti/s320/1-mam+Rugosodon+past+time+paleo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Past Time Paleo <i>Rugodoson</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Another basal multituberculate is, <i>Rugosodon</i> (Rue-go-saw-don) from 161.2 mya in what is now China. The dentition of <i>Rugosodon</i> indicates it was omnivorous. Even though many multituberculate groups, along with the dinosaurs were wiped out during the K-T extinction event, others survived to live on another 48.5 million years with the genus, <i>Patagonia</i> from what is now Argentina. Going extinct by 17.5 mya, <i>Patagonia</i> has been considered an allothere multituberculate, but the classification recently has been disputed grouping it in with the gondawanatheres that are closely related to multituberculates.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Fruitafossor</i> (Fruh-tah-foss-sore) with long thick claws attached to short stocky forelimbs was a digging mammal existing ~ 150 mya in the USA, Colorado’s Late Jurassic ‘Morrison formation’. This mammal is an early offshoot of mammals related to the therian lineage, even though it wasn’t a therian itself. With a number of prototherian (which includes monotremes) and therian features, anatomical traits include a platypus-like girdle (shoulder) and a vertebral column very similar to therian extant anteaters, armadillos and sloths. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQm4RtQsbbW1xnxWe9o7Ov7zY0uH3EzfmXZ0PDgiT1-p0GrUZdS6ryJcnsoCq43fZqGsQ2rkgpSGI_Hff9oFxmBgg6_eVGd5Zz8xi5maF3-8njOEJH_BiErqXPRWzUvHu1BO6ItZHVsvz/s1200/1-mam+fuitafossor1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQm4RtQsbbW1xnxWe9o7Ov7zY0uH3EzfmXZ0PDgiT1-p0GrUZdS6ryJcnsoCq43fZqGsQ2rkgpSGI_Hff9oFxmBgg6_eVGd5Zz8xi5maF3-8njOEJH_BiErqXPRWzUvHu1BO6ItZHVsvz/s320/1-mam+fuitafossor1.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Gabriel Ugueto <i>Fruitofossor</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Fruitafossor</i>’s claws were used as an aid in leading a fossorial lifestyle, but don’t let the name fool you; it didn’t eat fruit, in fact, fruiting plants weren’t yet even around. Much like today’s anteaters and aardvarks, it used the claws for digging up ant beds and termite mounds. The genus name gets its namesake from the Colorado town of Fruita where its fossil was found nearby. With open-rooted replaceable peg-like teeth, it wouldn’t chew its diet of termites and ants, but instead simply swallow. The teeth possessed no enamel for protection. Its teeth are very much like the colonial insect eating mammals of today which is known as myrmecophagy (mire-me-coff-foe-gee).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">At 27.9cm/11in, <i>Fruitafossor</i> was about as large as the eastern chipmunk. With its powerful short and stout forelimbs, it has been given the nickname of the cartoon character, Popeye.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">An archaic and basal eutherian-like mammal was <i>Eomaia</i> (Oh-my-ah). Living during the Early Cretaceous 125 mya, it gave birth and produced milk, but even though it had features like full-term placentals, its pubic area was too small to give full term births, so is listed as a sister group to therians. However there is still a strong push in considering it a therian.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSdfd5qgfuMncdqHk0WvWkw5wIvB0j6C8Xd9sJMfpl2S4B7Ech7bV3L1W9zzPRfP9iF13M79I1gftaV_9fq-xv0B8z6FrMm4iBefBL2J8UM7j3zZGd8UIj1wnppE70a1fWU8apRkSl5z-/s600/1-mam+eomaia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSdfd5qgfuMncdqHk0WvWkw5wIvB0j6C8Xd9sJMfpl2S4B7Ech7bV3L1W9zzPRfP9iF13M79I1gftaV_9fq-xv0B8z6FrMm4iBefBL2J8UM7j3zZGd8UIj1wnppE70a1fWU8apRkSl5z-/s320/1-mam+eomaia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eomaia</i> fossil (Note: fur)</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Eomaia</i> was only10cm/3.9in in total length and was an insectivore and while being scansorial and arboreal, scampered up and down trees after insects. To climb trees and bushes, it had recurved strong claws attached to tenacious flexor (grasping) muscles. The tail was twice as long as the torso length. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dCM8CvNaoh99LQ1NepFiEWPEXgut08F4lZVpUOoZPPFtoLt5UtZngujMkpdTGIk_vFu-TLLM0LeDVQ8-W5VCWRDlBzyEDfYGXKUyJDaQysHsrHHa3yiHYEpecZZaAWnPz_09icoNQXHd/s799/1-mam+eomaia+s.+fernandez.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dCM8CvNaoh99LQ1NepFiEWPEXgut08F4lZVpUOoZPPFtoLt5UtZngujMkpdTGIk_vFu-TLLM0LeDVQ8-W5VCWRDlBzyEDfYGXKUyJDaQysHsrHHa3yiHYEpecZZaAWnPz_09icoNQXHd/s320/1-mam+eomaia+s.+fernandez.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: S. Fernandez <i>Eomaia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The exceptionally well preserved fossil coming from the ‘Yixian Formation’ of China, details the full skeletal anatomy and fur. Even though it didn’t give full term births, it did give birth to underdeveloped young. Its epipubic bones projected forward much like marsupials. Other metatherian traits included an enlarged malleolus (little hammer) at the bottom of the tibia, a joint between the first metatarsal bone and the entocuneiform bone in the foot, which is offset further back than the joint between the second metatarsal and mesocuneiform bones. These offsetting foot bone joints in the tarsus, aren’t analogous to metatherians as their bone joints are level with one another. <i>Eomaia</i> also had the same metatherian incisor dentition with five upper and four lower incisors.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Cretaceous Period<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Although during the Cretaceous, reptiles in dinosaurs, pterosaurs and crocodilians were the ruling class of life, mammalian clades had taken a foothold into ecological niches that would eventually lead to the Crown Group Mammals. The Cretaceous, named after the Latin word, ‘creta’ for chalk, while always abbreviated with the capitol letter ‘K’ after the German word, ‘kreide’ for chalk, lasted from 145-66 mya. There is a push to roll its beginning up 5 million years to 140 mya, making it still the longest Earth period of 74 million years instead of 79 million years. But, there is no formal agreement yet by the ‘International Union of Geological Sciences’ to do so. Its beginning is based on stratification while its abrupt ending is based on an iridium boundary layer due to a bolide (large meteorite), or maybe a comet or asteroid impact.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKcewN4KjMYhGO_1wTlhHvyugEckNuce1znS9Ob9CXgye9lF0qvlUnAYNx_Zz1PeP7PQIDljL-FuTCCVjn_ksCYIx_Vjnu-9Pn0pxA1oKsNld6LEb_TzeRmlXCKUSJiIP_S5r5zDMQPwK/s2794/1-mam+cre-e-l-mid.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="2794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKcewN4KjMYhGO_1wTlhHvyugEckNuce1znS9Ob9CXgye9lF0qvlUnAYNx_Zz1PeP7PQIDljL-FuTCCVjn_ksCYIx_Vjnu-9Pn0pxA1oKsNld6LEb_TzeRmlXCKUSJiIP_S5r5zDMQPwK/s320/1-mam+cre-e-l-mid.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From lft. to rt. Early-Mid-Late</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The Cretaceous was a warming period forming shallow inland seas. Although substantially different in location during the Cretaceous, the current landform continents were formed as the complete tectonic breakup of Pangea had occurred. In its beginning, Gondwana was still intact, but broke up as South America, Australia and Antarctica rifted away from Africa during the period. In the middle of the Cretaceous, deep sea currents became stagnant creating anoxic conditions as the detritus material was not decomposed. The stagnation of the currents was caused by very gentle temperature gradients arising from the equator to the poles weakening global winds that drive ocean currents resulting in less upwelling of the deep ocean waters promoting stagnation as the resultant. This, later formed dark anoxic shales that laid down petroleum preserves in regions we now call the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Mexico.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Leafed trees and grasses first appear in the Cretaceous although conifer forests still dominated. Angiosperms (flowering plants), first appearing 125 mya begin spreading until becoming predominant 83-72 mya. Of course social insects like bees arise from wasps as well during the same time as angiosperms. Gymnosperm (plants that produce unprotected seeds) taxa begin dwindling with others like plants from the order <i>Bennettitales</i> (Ben-nuh-tee-tales) becoming extinct before the Cretaceous ends.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In the seas, siliceous diatoms, ammonite genera and reef-building rudist clams become common along with modern sharks, rays and teleost (ray-finned) fish. Marine reptiles during the first half of the Cretaceous were ichthyosaurs only to go extinct 90 mya, while plesiosaurs thrived throughout the period with mosasaurs showing up 101 mya. Hesperornithids, ancestral to modern birds first appear in swimming coastal marine shorelines as well as in inland freshwater bodies in search of fish. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2O2mbDluwlOZjwOcqNh-cQHWsPlUSZwFkWsUKarV4DlYR5RMnXYKncDvvSg331_1OV4A1e0kfmvdkM0Q1gyj8uVjcDaJVUEE2Sx1a2mDWolqyo6zjkAy9Z7iBx7ghCmUWUVlCrvP1ka3s/s1920/1-mam+cre+Origolestes-lii+zhao+chuang.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2O2mbDluwlOZjwOcqNh-cQHWsPlUSZwFkWsUKarV4DlYR5RMnXYKncDvvSg331_1OV4A1e0kfmvdkM0Q1gyj8uVjcDaJVUEE2Sx1a2mDWolqyo6zjkAy9Z7iBx7ghCmUWUVlCrvP1ka3s/s320/1-mam+cre+Origolestes-lii+zhao+chuang.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Chuang Zhao Cretaceous with symmetrodont, <i>Origolestes </i>sleeping among dinos</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The first true bird had flown during the Cretaceous with more to evolve. Snakes first appear evolving from monitor lizards still retaining vestigial limbs to slither across terrain and swim coastal shores. Land animals were dominated by the apex archosaurian herbivores and predators like the dinosaurs, but there was a competent level of smaller animals like non-avian dromaeosaurid <i>Microraptor</i> species and of course the mammalian multituberculates that according to fossil records outnumbered dinosaurs in certain ecologies. Towards the end of the Cretaceous derived monotremes existed, true marsupials had evolved from metatherians and eutherians had begun to diversify. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXgGGWVahhZZENYaugIrFHJqTbEmV4sUqzMbhopcPr03vly6Rv3-A-TZwGaAuKLD-nSIiPj5r4E7C9UCFk3Z4KSW5fyNFVJLrt71pm4iHyr1gN6S2Zh9fLyWA2YwlRprT72K0insx9tub/s2000/1-mam+Cre+K-T+Ext+Stocktrek+Images.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="2000" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXgGGWVahhZZENYaugIrFHJqTbEmV4sUqzMbhopcPr03vly6Rv3-A-TZwGaAuKLD-nSIiPj5r4E7C9UCFk3Z4KSW5fyNFVJLrt71pm4iHyr1gN6S2Zh9fLyWA2YwlRprT72K0insx9tub/w200-h125/1-mam+Cre+K-T+Ext+Stocktrek+Images.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit:Ext Stocktrek Images</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The Cretaceous ends abruptly with a large celestial body slamming into what is now the Gulf of Mexico off the coastline of the Yucatan Peninsula creating the 180km/112mi Chicxulub Crater. The Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction abbreviated as the K-Pg (formerly: K-T for Tertiary) erupted suddenly in wiping out three quarters of all plant and animal life ~ 66 mya. The mass extinction was responsible for 75% of all species going extinct. Except for some of the exothermic crocodilians and sea turtles, any tetrapod over 25kg/55lbs did not survive. The extinction in the seas killed off all current sea-faring reptiles as well as destroying ammonites. Mosasaurs soon went also as ammonites were their primary food source. All dinosaurs, except for birds died off due to the mass extinction event. No pterosaur ever flew the skies again. Mammal lines as well were wiped out with 90% of all mammal species vanishing, although the survivors recovered quickly.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71B6j0VN182EKIOe5p4jc4OuvE0nnX2YnBCQ48MeumZGfiQEss5EkDzMwE0vOdG9pt83YH-_g-DzGbTdK5f5F4AgPQ8gPooWLmUhyphenhypheng7Kl2SpCjLs80M8ebzTmQ7vbufMNfo1mAClZ5RE3/s767/1-mam+Cre+K-Pg+Karsten+Schneider.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="767" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71B6j0VN182EKIOe5p4jc4OuvE0nnX2YnBCQ48MeumZGfiQEss5EkDzMwE0vOdG9pt83YH-_g-DzGbTdK5f5F4AgPQ8gPooWLmUhyphenhypheng7Kl2SpCjLs80M8ebzTmQ7vbufMNfo1mAClZ5RE3/w200-h115/1-mam+Cre+K-Pg+Karsten+Schneider.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Karsten Schneider</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What saved all mammal groups from extinction was small size and burrowing habits. Crocodilian survivors that would lead to modern crocodiles, alligators and gavials were semi-aquatic and could withstand semi-torpidity. As well, the survival groups were essentially insectivores, omnivores and scavengers. Predominant herbivores and carnivores didn’t fare well with most of these species going extinct no matter what animal group they were in.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlzGZ3U07bUWZodwPj8bvXvtZwFB-XmwyhKX1g-9b83PVvOXnpFbPHYqds2CJsEVUKvsFmtqvSKOsIRozk-DZSwD9jim3C6x8iTk4NsFI-ZhHpn0T8a5ahii3qZoUL8lT0QX5eGclBKo2/s824/1-mam+chicxulub+impact+Don+davis.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="824" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlzGZ3U07bUWZodwPj8bvXvtZwFB-XmwyhKX1g-9b83PVvOXnpFbPHYqds2CJsEVUKvsFmtqvSKOsIRozk-DZSwD9jim3C6x8iTk4NsFI-ZhHpn0T8a5ahii3qZoUL8lT0QX5eGclBKo2/s320/1-mam+chicxulub+impact+Don+davis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;">Artist: Don Davis</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As the bolide (as big as Mars’ moon, Phobos) slammed into Earth, the immediate impact created a tremendous amount of thermal heat and a supersonic resonance into the atmosphere that immediately radiated outwards in all directions snuffing out all life in its wake. Within seconds gypsum from the sea floor was instantly vaporized from the seismic shockwave and along with molten material was dispersed as aerosol spreading out into the atmosphere. In a matter of minutes after the impact granite bedrock chunks were heated, ejected and flung all over the surrounding terrain and water.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyTlmgcLNRVNXrVpRBv0PQC1c64hXToDdn6hpMZJnzbDOf0-keFUKA40u7m5d6f5H0jv6gBS0xQMrmfDY1MqShXMwj-DwC4WNZDF_ELRzZDs8rBmiwM6sOJgrC9F6B_0gp8LVIeq6Tt4a/s1600/1-mam+crater+pt+impact+NASA-JPL.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyTlmgcLNRVNXrVpRBv0PQC1c64hXToDdn6hpMZJnzbDOf0-keFUKA40u7m5d6f5H0jv6gBS0xQMrmfDY1MqShXMwj-DwC4WNZDF_ELRzZDs8rBmiwM6sOJgrC9F6B_0gp8LVIeq6Tt4a/s320/1-mam+crater+pt+impact+NASA-JPL.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: NAS|/JPL Chicxulub Crater </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Along with the concurrently outpouring of lava from the Deccan Traps of what is now India in belching out carbon dioxide (CO2), the impact also released prodigious amounts of the gas encircling the whole Earth’s atmosphere. At first, this created a cooling effect with the dust and debris circling the atmosphere by blocking out the sun. As a result sea levels dropped and the Earth was put into darkness for two years. But once gravity finally took hold, the dust cleared out settling down back to Earth. But with all the excess CO2 remaining in the atmosphere, a global greenhouse warming effect occurred resulting in sea level increases as verified from Early Cenozoic Era biostratigraphic zonation of calcareous microplankton/nannaoplankton.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">This CO2 is telling, for as the more primitive mammals that survived the K-Pg extinction were small, they began to speciate into larger sizes filling in niches dinosaurs once occupied, but only up until about 10 million years after the K-Pg extinction. In the Paleogene during the Cenozoic Era when the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum occurred, this maximum created an intense global climatic warming and acidification effect also on the oceans brought about by all the en masse carbon released into the atmosphere where the oceans acted as a carbon sink just after the K-Pg extinction. Although it was short-lived the maximum brought about the extinction on average of ~ 40% of all benthic foraminifera species. It also halted the size increases in mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">On islands, the term insular dwarfism is used to describe a decrease in species size. Also, competition with highly successful competitors competing for niches will make for smaller species as in mammals competing with already established contemporaneous dinosaurs. However, it appears that climate is a factor as well. During the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, according to stratified thermal footprints, the Earth’s temperature raised 5-8 °C/41-46.4 °F for a good 10,000 years while staying elevated for 100,000 years. Known as a ‘hyperthermal event’ the climate changed in a relative and rapid elevated temperature increase for 170,000 years. In that time frame, mammals belonging to the same species decreased in size. For instance, the horse size decreased 30%. The reason…the larger the animal is, the more heat is retained; the smaller the less as more heat is given up. It's all about surface area. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Crown Group Mammals<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The extinction changed mammalian fortunes in no longer having to contend with the ruling dinosaurs. The variety of mammalian jaw shapes stayed the same through and just after the extinction event. But gradually, different mammals rose in niche habitats offering new diets while the older species that survived the extinction died off. The extinction eventually took its hold on the more archaic mammals allowing today’s distant relatives and ancestors to fill niches that weren’t previously available, like grazing and eventually evolved into today’s mammals. So through the fossil record between the Cretaceous and Paleocene, an extinction and turnover of mammals occurred with the more primitive groups decreasing while the more derived mammals began increasing. However, this took some time.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Within 100, 000 years after the extinction event, more derived and larger mammals began showing up. By that time, mammal fossils could be found to be as large as 71.1cm/28in. After 300,000 years had passed into the Paleocene from the extinction, the family, Arctocyonidae (Arc-tuh-sigh-on-uh-day) arose with nine species in the genera <i>Chriacus</i> (Kree-a-cuss). Evolving after the extinction, <i>Chriacus</i> with a body length at 1m/3.3ft and tail length of 40cm/15.8in is verification in mammal enlargement. Although it isn’t a direct ancestor, it lies within the lineage range of the common ancestor and early ancestors of the derived hoofed and carnivorous mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Chriacus</i> was omnivorous dieting on fruits, insects, small reptiles and mammals and with ankle jointing that allowed its hind feet to reverse 180 degrees, like squirrels in climbing down tree trunks; it most likely raided the contents of bird nests. <i>Chriacus</i> still possessed more basal and primitive conditions and went extinct during the Eocene. As such its encephalization quotient was no greater than 0.41. The Encephalization Quotient: (EQ = Ei/Ec) helps determine the ratio between species brain sizes designated as (Ei), compared to species with the same body mass designated as (Ec). This process is carried out through scanning fossil endocranial images then comparing them to extant mammals. The EQ of today’s mammal with the same body mass as <i>Chriacus</i> is 1.0. <i>Chriacus</i> possessed less than half the intellect and is most likely a main reason why the family group went extinct by the end of the Early Eocene in that competing against more derived mammals became too much of a challenge.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">A mammal order that survived the extinction was composed of odd genera in, <i>Leptictida</i> (Lep-tic-tee-dah). Leptictids are presently thought to have been the first mammal group to have branched off from basal eutherians. Representative of the order is the genus, <i>Leptictidium</i> (Lep-tic-tee-dee-um). Bipedalism within animal groups is convergent evolution as found in certain extinct archosaurs, man and <i>Leptictidium</i>. It could walk and run upright in kangaroo-like fashion, while its forelimbs ended in hands that were dexterous enough to grasp hold of items as most all other leptictids could, so leptictids are the first known mammals to utilize bipedalism and dexterous fingers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With a temporal range of 70-33 mya, stretching from the Late Cretaceous to the Oligocene, the leptictid clade survived the extinction going on to live a total of 37 million years. The order, Leptictida had a total of seven families, one subfamily and consists of twenty known genera.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uHIboyRXKvpTzenPFgfJyOa47_lx8YWbsBxSTuwWfi6uSDCNU85tGLoDnBhw3pNaFyjD4p45AX_M9srdov-oKCWe-0-MM6fSe9cVYkxo6EmmtHwD08PrGewGFP_Y2GcZROOF4vrxJ22p/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uHIboyRXKvpTzenPFgfJyOa47_lx8YWbsBxSTuwWfi6uSDCNU85tGLoDnBhw3pNaFyjD4p45AX_M9srdov-oKCWe-0-MM6fSe9cVYkxo6EmmtHwD08PrGewGFP_Y2GcZROOF4vrxJ22p/" width="305" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: BBC <i>Lepticidium</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With a total of eight species, the genus, <i>Leptictidium</i> had a temporal range of 50-35 mya. Genus species first appeared in the Early Eocene during the time of a warmed climate and high humidity. Adapted to living in forests, once the Oligocene forests gave way to open plains, they went extinct and as one of the last of leptictids to go, they left no descendants.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Leptictidium</i> could possibly hop as well as run, although its tibia and fibula weren’t fused together fully and the shock of repetitive jumps could have been damaging even though the feet were built to handle jumping locomotion, but other leptictid species were well adapted for both running and jumping. The tips of the phalanges (fingers) were long and tapered while the long tail served as a counter balance during locomotion. Total lengths were from 60-90cm/2-3ft with the tail making up almost half the lengths.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Stomach contents from fossil evidence shows that <i>Leptictidium</i> species were omnivorous with the stomach area showing the remains of leaves, small lizards, small mammals and particularly insects. Upper molar teeth varied in <i>Leptictidium</i> varied from other leptictid species in being more transverse.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Leptictids were part of the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene evolutionary mammal radiation and after ranging throughout Europe, they then dispersed into Asia and North America. Leptictids as placental mammals are considered a paraphyletic clade that led to the infraclass, <i>Placentalia</i> (Plah-sin-tal-e-ah) that is composed of the eutherian extant mammal group that carries fetuses to full term births.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With an elephant shrew-like snout and kangaroo-like body, <i>Leptictidium</i> looked like something out of a ‘Star Wars’ movie as evidenced in the museum exhibition photograph below. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4D1iVF1J3X7yYkgz6xJMFgUyeljbXI1aIBBX1PcT9zPNAy8lUSbT4B8EgaPwoOn8zHzJ1i25NzmUSVF1mgxZsn9UZxrPL9DE7gEZnCJehjmWieVnZEs_FWjy8EBIc7qVgIcZMQwsTcI0C/s900/1-mam+leptictidium+Ghedoghedo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4D1iVF1J3X7yYkgz6xJMFgUyeljbXI1aIBBX1PcT9zPNAy8lUSbT4B8EgaPwoOn8zHzJ1i25NzmUSVF1mgxZsn9UZxrPL9DE7gEZnCJehjmWieVnZEs_FWjy8EBIc7qVgIcZMQwsTcI0C/s320/1-mam+leptictidium+Ghedoghedo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Ghedoghedo <i>Lepticidium</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: normal;">Crown Group Mammals as a clade is a collection of all extant (currently living) representatives including their ancestral </span><span style="font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: 400;">descendant</span><span style="font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: normal;"> lineages leading all the way back to their most recent common ancestor. There are around 6,400 extant species of mammals and unfortunately, we cannot include all of them into this treatise as it is far too long as it is. There are three living orders of mammals in </span></span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: normal;">Monotremata</i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: normal;"> (Mahn-uh-treem-et-ah), </span></span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: normal;">Marsupialia</i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: normal;"> (Mar-sue-pee-ail-e-ah) and </span></span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: normal;">Placentalia</i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: normal;"> (Pleh-sin-tail-e-ah) which are those mammals that give full term live births.</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqL8GK4QK4g5T-Hb1RXRmVlOBy-SD7jeMeZMUzcZMle4wrCh2u-o4EMncdNyKhFKLMraDgCQExaSnufdue-uMWPs6uVJz7zuQ5rj0tSMxGoczfpafbN7NREjdSdijuBPccnA6w-EF5rSXd/s701/1-mam+mammal+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="539" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqL8GK4QK4g5T-Hb1RXRmVlOBy-SD7jeMeZMUzcZMle4wrCh2u-o4EMncdNyKhFKLMraDgCQExaSnufdue-uMWPs6uVJz7zuQ5rj0tSMxGoczfpafbN7NREjdSdijuBPccnA6w-EF5rSXd/s320/1-mam+mammal+cladogram.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crown Group (extinct/extant)</td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br />For sure the above is a very simple diagram, but for understanding purposes with group-clade names changing all the time, below here is a much, much simpler cladogram. Now we’re giving these simplistic diagrams because immediately following will be cladograms that will require a tad more concentration.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The stem and crown group concepts, show relationships to plesions and scions (cf. C. RASKE & J. EFFERIES 1989). Plesion is Greek for, ‘close’ and generally means: although close in similarities, a branch is phylogenetically listed outside the crown group due to splitting off earlier than crown group members. Scion is simply the descendants of a common ancestor, so is looked upon as a monophyletic group that’s an extension of the crown group downwards into the stem group. Other new terminology introduced here: adelphotaxon – (PL: adelphotaxa) a sister taxon; zygotaxon – the monophyletic clade consisting of two adelphotaxa; basal node – the node at the base of a total group (stem and crown); crown node – the node at the base of a crown group.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGXeaT4KSetZRxxBFe20Z9HOMno9_rgQUu9UnSCk2WNYbScq9Dw5kWWZEAP_Z1_j6G6T9Vq1DrODQevUH6vR4-W7bMIXEXlVNh_EYsXZf5iTDROUJD3vdGQ-BR8sh2Cu4ceoMkj62AWfA/s714/1-mam+crown+group+new+terms.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGXeaT4KSetZRxxBFe20Z9HOMno9_rgQUu9UnSCk2WNYbScq9Dw5kWWZEAP_Z1_j6G6T9Vq1DrODQevUH6vR4-W7bMIXEXlVNh_EYsXZf5iTDROUJD3vdGQ-BR8sh2Cu4ceoMkj62AWfA/s320/1-mam+crown+group+new+terms.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crown Group terminology</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZrvBB3xseW8416Q3hDEaO4O2DnHtcxz2wuANwzvrJVkmBfFHvKv2XmU72sMJT-xfsv0r4zn12vuTd5WHfq2xGPNzAbkaj85Hp-4E5h7TN_i59LAeexBgAN1InzKkoeT9uxAydg4HNPYW/s766/1-mam+crown+groups.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="766" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZrvBB3xseW8416Q3hDEaO4O2DnHtcxz2wuANwzvrJVkmBfFHvKv2XmU72sMJT-xfsv0r4zn12vuTd5WHfq2xGPNzAbkaj85Hp-4E5h7TN_i59LAeexBgAN1InzKkoeT9uxAydg4HNPYW/s320/1-mam+crown+groups.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mammal Crown Groups</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">So, with the info provided above, can you decipher the diagram below of crown and stem groups:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrJwNEzgVu5GOv3VC0xAVvjEBMm8U6rXKQL05CcIKJWhXnl_27qaA3KSj4pA4ooc039RyXLd1OmlUmUOOt5tovg_8z7OdWxqRLDf4sE3I4D589sgJMOAcFcxUDvD6XdkNa_5D-sgaEvNv/s660/1-mam+crown-stem+groups.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="660" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrJwNEzgVu5GOv3VC0xAVvjEBMm8U6rXKQL05CcIKJWhXnl_27qaA3KSj4pA4ooc039RyXLd1OmlUmUOOt5tovg_8z7OdWxqRLDf4sE3I4D589sgJMOAcFcxUDvD6XdkNa_5D-sgaEvNv/s320/1-mam+crown-stem+groups.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crown-Stem Groups</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">All extant mammals, except three species have seven cervical vertebrae (neck bones). Two exceptions are the two-toed sloth and the manatee in possessing only six neck vertebrae, while the third exception in the three-toed sloth has nine neck vertebrae. Mammal lungs behave as a sponge in shrinking and expanding and are honeycombed with alveolar sacs. The ribcage along with the diaphragm muscle expand and contract forcing air in and out of the lungs that work much like a blacksmith’s bellows. The heart is four chambered and due to endothermy, mammals have higher metabolic rates. The integumentary organ (skin) is composed of three layers in the outermost being the epidermis, the middle layer as the dermis and the innermost layer is known as the hypodermis.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In eutherians (true mammals), all females have two ovaries and a uterus while virtually all males have testicles that have descended out of the body cavity into a scrotum. In metatherians, marsupial females have two ovaries, but also two uteri while male marsupials possess undifferentiated testicles located in a scrotum lying in front of the penis on the underbelly as anatomically opposed to eutherian male mammals. Marsupial pouches (known as a marsupium) are not universal in all extant Australian and South American marsupial species, such as the pouchless short-tailed opossum and the shrew opossum that utilizes skin folds. Of course, prototherians lay eggs, but contrary to beliefs, once hatched the premature young do lap milk from the mother’s belly, but are very capable of sucking pooled milk from a bowl.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In speaking of extant mammals, you may see monotremes listed as the order <i>Monotremata</i>, or as the paraphyletic subclass, <i>Prototheria</i>, which is now being pushed aside for, <i>Yenotheria</i>, or even under the proposed infraclass, <i>Australosphenida</i> (Auss-tra-los-fin-e-dah).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">For the placentals: <i>Marsupialia</i>, as an infraclass refers to all pouched mammals, but so does the clade, <i>Metatheria</i> but with the addition of all mammals more closely related to marsupials than to placentals. <i>Placentalia</i>, due to the confusion in not including marsupials, which are also placentals, has essentially been supplanted by the clade, <i>Eutheria</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Now, to really add to the confusion, newly proposed eutherian placental mammal groupings based not solely on fossil anatomy and extant mammal morphologies, but as well geographical ecologies, molecular genetics, nuclear mitochondrial datasets, physiologies and inherited common phylogenies have been incorporated into the mix. So, with this new data, new terms in classifications have been incorporated and they are:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOaJaxO_IJDoxg1FLx2z7A6NStD8nkdDCeWSMkPvykQDXHdtCPPEfneuyLhVKq8SasSBfasjZDfPA7xFd44qXVTTsonSV4IOaYK_KIUtHXcc0oehfixOB3EjHRf8zz15pRTGwCie_tW3aP/s722/1-mam+eutherian+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOaJaxO_IJDoxg1FLx2z7A6NStD8nkdDCeWSMkPvykQDXHdtCPPEfneuyLhVKq8SasSBfasjZDfPA7xFd44qXVTTsonSV4IOaYK_KIUtHXcc0oehfixOB3EjHRf8zz15pRTGwCie_tW3aP/s320/1-mam+eutherian+cladogram.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Eutherian Groupings</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Atlantogenata</i> (At-lan-toe-gee-nah-tuh) is one of two magnorders (refers to the Latin word, magnus for large and/or of ranking importance) of major placental clades ranging from the Paleocene to Recent. <i>Atlantogenata</i> is further divided into two superorders which are: <i>Xenarthra</i> (Zee-nar-thra) from 59-0 mya and <i>Afrotheria</i> (Aff-roe-thear-e-ah) from 65-0 mya. Xeanarthran examples are glyptodonts, sloths, anteaters and armadillos, while afrotherian examples are aardvarks, elephant shrews, golden moles, tenrecs, hyrax, sirenians (dugongs/manatees) and elephants.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Boreoeutheria</i> (Bor-e-o-u-thear-e-ah) from the Paleocene to the Recent is the other magnorder of placental mammal clades. In having a common ancestor ~90 mya, it is also further divided into two superorders of: <i>Euarchontoglires</i> (U-arch-on-toe-lears), which is synonymous to <i>Supraprimates</i> (Sue-prah-pri-mates) in meaning ‘beyond the limits of primates’ has a temporal range of 65-0 mya and <i>Laurasiatheria</i> (Lar-is-she-ah-thear-e-ah) with a temporal range of 75-0 mya. <i>Euarchontoglires</i> examples are rodents, primates (including <i>Homo</i> <i>sapiens</i>), lagomorphs and colugos. Laurasiatherian examples are: moles, shrews, bats, perissodactyl/artiodactyl ungulates, cetaceans, pangolins and carnivores.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In both superorders making up <i>Atlantogenata</i>, <i>Xenarthra</i> and <i>Afrotheria</i> are basal sister clades listed as a monophyly group through genetic evidence. As a sister taxa, both these superorders are at the base of mammal radiation which advances the thought that they have their origins as an ancient Gondwanan placental clade. Xenarthrans are endemic to the Americas (North, Central and South) originally evolving and diversifying in South America during the continents long Cenozoic isolation. Their ancestral lineage was fossorial diggers. Afrotherian relationships are based on DNA sequences and comparative anatomy and their fossils are not restricted to Africa, although they appear to have evolved there when it was an isolated continent, then radiated out through land bridges.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In both making up <i>Boreroeutheria</i>, <i>Euarchontoglires</i> and <i>Laurasiatheria</i> are sister groups and most likely split from each other ~ 90 mya. Retrotransposon is a genetic component that copies and pastes them into varying genomic locations by converting RNA into DNA. This retrotransposon transcription process is what <i>Euarchontoglires</i> species are based on in their relationships. <i>Laurasiatherians</i> have pretty much been grouped together by similar gene sequences, there are no real anatomical features to give support. However it has been proven that they evolved on the supercontinent of Laurasia after it had split off from Gondwana.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The above proposed arrangements can even become more difficult, as there is general support in combining <i>Boreoeutheria</i> and <i>Xenarthra</i> to form the clade, <i>Exafroplacentalia</i>, in which is now a push to rename that clade, <i>Notolegia</i> and no, we are not going any further in discussing that.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Yes, mammalian ancestry is a bit of a quagmire, but there are reasons for it that will eventually be ironed out. It has been very difficult in structuring mammalian taxa as the fossils have been very tiny, therefore very scant in remaining articulated due to the ravages of time, erosion, earth movements and demineralization. Interordinal is kind of like the word interstitial in meaning between, so in phylogeny, interordinal relationships refer to taxa in between node and stem taxonomic orders. Unfortunately, the mammal fossil record does not address the issues of interordinal relationships far older than the KT boundary, nor phylogenetic inferences of early placental biogeography, or the actual pattern and progress of morphological evolution viewed on an accurate phylogeny with an authentic time scale.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With these fossil gaps, for future molecular analyses there is a lack of sequenced phylogenies in the missing fossil data. Therefore, there can be no portrait of genomic sharing with previous studies in speciation processes such as lineage sorting, introgression from species hybridization, or simply hybrid speciation. The above concerns can obscure phylogenetic analysis in making some parts of the taxon lineage difficult to resolve; even with genome data, but with every new find puzzle pieces are falling into their respective place. Anyhow for the time being, we are going to keep it simple in utilizing <i>Prototheria</i> (<i>proto</i>: original), <i>Metatheria</i> (<i>meta</i>: transcending) and <i>Eutheria</i> (<i>eu</i>: true). Withal, if you want to look up terms that will be the new future reference then by all means…go for it!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Below is a simple phylogeny, a listing and a very simple cladogram of the extant mammal groups. Please do note that some of these classification terms may be falling out of favor for newer terms as future fossil finds and further molecular genetics prove these terms’ relationships as invalid. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1HOC1dzJ6oB0x_qDt5_VjNsjIRjtncxW0sBb0mte08NPrY8NDSGUGcLnAqKN7qH-YoMLFuNHlXMQ_TCP0CE8cMoJmsFnKcDoMYzydjufQRR2yHYen4PuDIxg0pBz8nyURUY51_ZAu43Y/s1056/1-mam+extant+mammals.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="1056" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1HOC1dzJ6oB0x_qDt5_VjNsjIRjtncxW0sBb0mte08NPrY8NDSGUGcLnAqKN7qH-YoMLFuNHlXMQ_TCP0CE8cMoJmsFnKcDoMYzydjufQRR2yHYen4PuDIxg0pBz8nyURUY51_ZAu43Y/s320/1-mam+extant+mammals.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extant mammals</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgeLyYQMeXMRBEkHFyOTrvSQ10_UzR47F0z3B589CyCvPEi0Eo59YekDC78O-7FdERWfLZwQ2kPfaEsZY3_UCkd655KGUb8QFJ9LuyuX5T4s54JXarZCp3JukuPRP6yz1H6G9ovtUuKX5/s812/1-mam+mammalia+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="812" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgeLyYQMeXMRBEkHFyOTrvSQ10_UzR47F0z3B589CyCvPEi0Eo59YekDC78O-7FdERWfLZwQ2kPfaEsZY3_UCkd655KGUb8QFJ9LuyuX5T4s54JXarZCp3JukuPRP6yz1H6G9ovtUuKX5/s320/1-mam+mammalia+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simple Mammalian Clade</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Now, before we get to the three extant mammal groups comprising the bulk Crown Group Mammals, I’d like to add the cladogram below that in its simplicity, kind of diffuses any confusion that might have arisen with the reader trudging through this. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnx9kmit3oQq4qOVO6cKB3BxFUF4ARtjydiY41VicTQXAnOnHHfsD_D9zlbT3mk3JkiC2Ch3qzuVC2cnfnaXYDkhx-1Qk-R_DAqgQmkqMAPYpREzl0UWSTU2py0QPF8AkkxO3nMVG1zq2/s762/1-mam+monotreme+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnx9kmit3oQq4qOVO6cKB3BxFUF4ARtjydiY41VicTQXAnOnHHfsD_D9zlbT3mk3JkiC2Ch3qzuVC2cnfnaXYDkhx-1Qk-R_DAqgQmkqMAPYpREzl0UWSTU2py0QPF8AkkxO3nMVG1zq2/s320/1-mam+monotreme+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljSBXatb6sVzL-eBJgAxcBbqvt8fElLKhpXdubgQ-TUTnM_ugqnG5LHMwNELAQdNFi0FZr0tWz9thbIinacRbiPJoSmVo7rbXfX0x704tf-7RR5iOQsn5kr0AS38eEX7yLHA1HCk2LFWL/s668/1-mam+crown+group+mammalia+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="563" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljSBXatb6sVzL-eBJgAxcBbqvt8fElLKhpXdubgQ-TUTnM_ugqnG5LHMwNELAQdNFi0FZr0tWz9thbIinacRbiPJoSmVo7rbXfX0x704tf-7RR5iOQsn5kr0AS38eEX7yLHA1HCk2LFWL/s320/1-mam+crown+group+mammalia+clade.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crown Group Cladograms<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i><br />Trechnotheria</i> with a temporal range of 216.5-0 mya is a subclass group clade of mammals extinct and extant related to therians and therefore the crown group of all extant prototherians, metatherians and eutherians. Trechnotherians are noted for their dentition shearing mechanism along with a hypertrophied vallum (ridge) surrounding a fossa (slight depression) of the molars. This dental arrangement eventually led to tribosphenic dentition noted in all derived mammal groups. Each evolutionary radiation of trechnotherians involved successive transformation stages of the molar form through convergent evolution among the various groups. This eventually resulted in the tribosphenic pattern found in the immediate ancestors of prototherians, metatherians and eutherians.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcSv2VbLJdQ5zMaiwsvpA7j1-L6CeHH7HhpMmPUsrs8E-DrI8_O8wvNHKEEDHTaWHsP7N6BIS7CV4iRd97YGdDfMr3p8ovzHLKMIw0CTMgKVFRHBGpCCx8MeGBTR57U7_xddH5-735z7e/s624/1-mam+trechnotheria+cladogram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcSv2VbLJdQ5zMaiwsvpA7j1-L6CeHH7HhpMmPUsrs8E-DrI8_O8wvNHKEEDHTaWHsP7N6BIS7CV4iRd97YGdDfMr3p8ovzHLKMIw0CTMgKVFRHBGpCCx8MeGBTR57U7_xddH5-735z7e/s320/1-mam+trechnotheria+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Trechnotheria</i> clade</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Prototheria/Yinotheria</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4WEw0YadXlaS_e-24lT_k3Zy7zRH61dyXYQ2DZz4RmBc3x8KL3LfuTFKDoW3ZbqxTUNheCC6v0upjMSVlBolRB1HgiI5GUpDMP7_xJgAIvbQDJl2_Y5pwjFX_MqgvHHxA3aD1-nS2vvY/s1601/1-mam+Mammal-phylogeny.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1601" data-original-width="1401" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4WEw0YadXlaS_e-24lT_k3Zy7zRH61dyXYQ2DZz4RmBc3x8KL3LfuTFKDoW3ZbqxTUNheCC6v0upjMSVlBolRB1HgiI5GUpDMP7_xJgAIvbQDJl2_Y5pwjFX_MqgvHHxA3aD1-nS2vvY/s320/1-mam+Mammal-phylogeny.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Prototheria/Metatheria/Eutheria</i> Phylogeny</td></tr></tbody></table> </span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">While the term, <i>Monotremata</i> primarily refers to extant mammals,<i> Prototheria</i> has been relegated to ancestral extinct lineages to extant monotremes. However, it is now being replaced with the infraclass, <i>Australosphenida</i>. Being the limb of the tree to first branch off from the common ancestor to modern extant mammal lineage, monotremes are the most basal and primitive mammals living today. Diverging from the mammalian main line ~ 166 mya, monotremes still retain ancestral primitive theropod characteristics along with modern mammal features. Some primitive traits are: lay eggs, possess a complex pectoral girdle, shortened limbs are held lateral to body due to orientation to the humerus and femur, lack vibrissae (whiskers) and have a cloaca which serves as a single opening for digestive fecal excrement, reproductive, and urinary tracts. Certain modern mammalian features are lactation, hatchlings cannot suckle but can suck, possess a four chambered heart and although it was through convergent evolution, they also possess three middle ear bones as eutherians do. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Prototherian fossils as the common ancestor or even as a close relative to monotremes have been difficult in finding. Plus, for the fossil finds that were discovered and analyzed, due to the scarcity of the remains it has been up and down as to whether they were prototherians or basal eutherians. Herein lies how that up and down rollercoaster ride has gone.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The prototherian fossil record extends back to the early Cretaceous; however origins of the group lie much farther back in time. The monotreme shoulder girdle developed before the shoulder girdles of other extinct and extant mammalian groups. Anatomic evidence, such as the shoulder girdle suggests an origin as long ago as the middle of the Jurassic Period as mentioned earlier in being approximately 166 mya. Primitive features in monotremes reflect an ancient origin, therefore determining the relationships of monotremes should take into account these primitive retentions. But this attempt is problematic because the archaic features reflect an origin far removed from that of living placental and marsupial mammals. Perhaps with future fossil finds, a mechanism may be found to explain how these features could be possessed by prototherians that are closely related to mammals without the primal traits.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As a reminder, the <i>Prototheria</i> subclass and the proposed infraclass, Australosphenida are synonymous. <i>Prototheria</i> originally contained the extinct mammalian orders: <i>Docodonta</i>, <i>Morganucodonta</i>, <i>Multituberculata</i> and <i>Triconodonta</i> along with the extant order, <i>Monotremata</i>. There were common anatomical characteristics among these orders in that the side wall of the braincase was formed by a bone called the anterior lamina, while in therians the wall is formed by the alisphenoid bone. Also, all groups including therians have tribosphenic molar dentition in containing three cusps on each molar.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Recently, the four extinct orders were dropped from Prototheria leaving only the monotremes. This made <i>Prototheria</i> redundant. A bit later, once <i>Australosphenida</i> came into classification, it made <i>Prototheria</i> obsolete, but, <i>Australosphenida</i> has its own dilemmas. Having a temporal range of 210-0 mya, <i>Australosphenida</i> includes all extinct and extant monotremes along with the extinct family members of <i>Ausktribosphenidae</i> (Ausk-tri-bus-fin-ah-day), <i>Henosferidae</i> (Hen-us-fear-ah-dee) and the genus, <i>Kollicodon</i> (Kol-lie-koe-done).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Prototheria</i> is a paraphyletic subclass that includes: docodonts, eutriconodonts, morganucodonts, multituberculates and monotremes. Paraphyletic refers to any group of organisms descended from a common evolutionary ancestor or ancestral group, but doesn’t include all the descendant groups. So monotremes are simply a branch of prototherians, but are not specifically related to the other branched groups. I do like the term, <i>Prototheria</i> because as included with, <i>Metatheria</i> and <i>Eutheria</i>, in meaning: ‘first beasts’, ‘changed beasts’ and ‘true beasts’ respectively, this arrangement rather nicely defines the three living crown groups of mammals of monotremes, marsupials and full-term placentals. Besides, since early ancestral mammal fossil finds are scant for the three living mammal groups, if more fossil finds come to light, it may bear out a justification in retaining these three terms.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With a temporal range of 167 mya during the Middle Jurassic, <i>Ambondro</i>’s fossil was found in the ‘Isalo III Formation’ of Madagascar and is the first known mammal to possess tribosphenic molars. Monotremes, when matured lose their teeth, but juveniles have very similar tribosphenic dentition as <i>Ambondro</i> had. The jaw assemblage along with teeth patterns and wear, had paleontologists group <i>Ambondro</i> as a prototherian ancestral to monotremes. This tiny mammal was no more than 8cm/3in long and most likely dined only on small invertebrates.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Interestingly enough, the fossil bed <i>Ambondro</i>’s remains were found in, also contained the fossils of shoreline invertebrates, crocodilians, plesiosaurs and sauropod dinosaurs. The <i>Ambondro</i> jaw and teeth fossil gives verification that the tribosphenic dentition of interlocking teeth through cusped molars coevolved more than once proving that the monotreme tribosphenic type had evolved separately from the latter therian groups’ tribosphenic dentition as <i>Ambondro</i>’s anatomical jaw features differed from the earliest, but later therian jaw features.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Ambondro</i>, belongs to the basal clade related to prototherians (or the proposed basal subclass, Yinotheria if you prefer) in the family of <i>Henosferidae</i> (Hen-nuss-fear-ah-day). Two other henosferid family members coming from what is now South America are, <i>Henoferous</i> (Heno-fur-us) with Argentina fossil remains and <i>Asfaltomylos</i> (As-fall-toe-my-los) with its fossil remains coming from Patagonia. Henosferous was from ~ 180.1-168 mya while <i>Asfaltomylos</i> was from ~ 178-168mya. Both prototherians lived at a time when Australia was linked to Patagonia, Argentina/Chile allowing for dispersal from one landform to another. Australia is the terrain that monotreme mammals first evolved from prototherians.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Before we start into the extant crown group members, there are innumerable extinct mammal groups that weren’t treated here in this article; maybe some of your favorites were passed up. So if ya would like, below is a listing of most of the extinct mammalian lineages:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prehistoric_mammals</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Monotremata</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Through DNA sequencing, molecular genetics and fossil discoveries, the monotreme line is estimated to have diverged 220 mya from other mammalian lineages. Monotremes diverged from the mammal mainline even before triconodonts, multituberculates and kuehneotheres had and is the only living group of prototherians. Being the first extant mammals to diverge from the main mammalian crown line, monotremes still possess some primitive synapsid and reptilian anatomical characteristics. They retained the egg-laying gene vitellogenin, which produces a protein necessary in eggshell formation that is not found in the metatherians and eutherians. However, in retaining the presence of vitellogenin suggests that a form of symplesiomorphy occurred where the common ancestor of monotremes, marsupials, and full-term placental mammals was oviparous, but was lost in all other extant mammal groups. Symplesiomorphy, meaning together is a form of plesiomorphy (near form) where ancestral character states are shared by two or more taxa.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Through electroreception, monotremes can perceive natural electrical stimuli produced by an organism’s movements. ‘Mono’ and ‘treme’ in monotreme means ‘single opening’ in only have one opening called the cloaca as is the case in reptiles, birds and amphibians. Therians have three for reproduction in the vagina/penis, urination in the urethra and the anus for fecal excrement. The male monotreme uses its penis only for sperm transferal. Monotremes also possessed a gait much like tetrapod reptiles with the legs splayed outwards from the body.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">All modern day monotremes have spurs on their rear legs although in echidnas it is vestigial and only in the male platypus does the spur inject venom. Many non-monotreme extinct mammal groups also had spurs. One more convergent evolution aspect to monotremes is in their suspended ear bones (that were originally jaw bones) evolved independently from therians. Nonetheless, in prototherians the ear openings did not migrate as the openings did in therians, but instead the ear openings remained near the base of the jaw.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Monotreme infants are called puggles and with the mother possessing no nipples will lap or slurp the milk filled with antibiotics secreted by specialized sweat glands onto the mother’s belly or her pouches.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The mammalian line that would eventually lead to prototherians and monotremes, through genetic analyses suggests that the lineage began some 220 mya. However, the oldest prototherian line in the fossil record found thus far is in the 165 mya Inner Mongolia Jurassic lake beds of the mammalian, <i>Pseudotribos</i> (Sue-doe-tri-bos). At only 12cm/4.7 in total length, <i>Pseudotribos</i> was an insectivore dieting on invertebrates such as insects and worms.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielXLHl8W-8jraDzqD-BJkvlKEbOBS_AbyFvmkfmenzuyikGjVa98HYCrw5DSJtnuDNiIsVI2S1u93HBLgzpdUCwIcqZhOHGfkruZR-aKD4edYLVaLn3VLJpTvyb7Fs-Yaz4Fi9rnjtKM4/s2048/1-mam+Pseudotribos+Mark+Klinger.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2030" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielXLHl8W-8jraDzqD-BJkvlKEbOBS_AbyFvmkfmenzuyikGjVa98HYCrw5DSJtnuDNiIsVI2S1u93HBLgzpdUCwIcqZhOHGfkruZR-aKD4edYLVaLn3VLJpTvyb7Fs-Yaz4Fi9rnjtKM4/s320/1-mam+Pseudotribos+Mark+Klinger.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Klinger <i>Pseudotribos</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As one can detect from reading, tribosphenic teeth are important in identifying mammalian species from one another and other mammal groups. This is due to the importance in how mammal chewing evolved in allowing them to facilitate greater and quicker ingestion of nutrients to complement their higher thermoregulation rates. In the word, tribosphenic, ‘tribo’ is Greek meaning: grinding/pounding, where ‘sphen’ is also Greek in meaning: cutter/grinder. In true tribosphenic teeth of marsupials and placentals along with their ancestors, the cutter is in front of the grinder. This combined shearing and grinding dentition arrangement with the cutter in front and grinder in back allowed for more versatile feeding functions. It held great importance for early mammalian diversification and is also why you can enjoy chewing your meal while still breathing. Why in going over this is that the generic name <i>Pseudotribos</i> is Greek meaning: ‘false chewing’. The reason being is that <i>Pseudotribos</i> indeed had tribosphenic molar dentition, but the cutter and grinding tooth elements were arranged in reverse with the grinder in front of the cutter. This form of tribosphenic dentition is more in line with prototherians than to therians and along with its short stout splayed limbs, lends more credence to <i>Pseudotribos</i> in being more ancestral to monotremes than to therians. Regardless, there is an infringing push to link <i>Pseudotribos</i> to therians.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLc2IniwRLKvpZ87aDSa4jnh-MHjJzN74XfagH4EAg9noGYiu4KYoZcyC7qyO8voEUSvqnJ4MURt3qSOX-drkBcayKS9-E-230K8HPvFQruNk40Q3gccwQeszTQKjPQcThAt-ZZR7L_RT/s554/1-mam+Bishops+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLc2IniwRLKvpZ87aDSa4jnh-MHjJzN74XfagH4EAg9noGYiu4KYoZcyC7qyO8voEUSvqnJ4MURt3qSOX-drkBcayKS9-E-230K8HPvFQruNk40Q3gccwQeszTQKjPQcThAt-ZZR7L_RT/s320/1-mam+Bishops+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: WWW<i> Bishops</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The prototherian family, <i>Ausktribosphenidae</i> (Ausk-tri-bose-fuh-nigh-day) has a temporal range of 122.7-112.6 mya and consists of two genera in, <i>Ausktribosphenos</i> (Ausk tri-boss-fee-nose) and <i>Bishops</i> (Bish-ops). The family genera lived during the Early Cretaceous ranging from 125-113 mya. Both were about the size of a house mouse at 9.7cm/3.8in in length. Their fossil remains have only been found in one certain region of Australia known as the Flat Rocks site in Victoria and are related to monotremes, although they left no direct descendants. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikroOfpT5kMYytQrya5ZP9RaOXAZbxKTwL9LrTW3fLvheZu1XonKfEKbHYcWIwnIh-DdTJH7BhfcJPM2nPbRZNPmbgmpAyUlenVDFuxfhIrVPAkwgyvB1D0S_tUhPGDYlp0cDGFOnnu5LJ/s640/1-mam+bishops.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikroOfpT5kMYytQrya5ZP9RaOXAZbxKTwL9LrTW3fLvheZu1XonKfEKbHYcWIwnIh-DdTJH7BhfcJPM2nPbRZNPmbgmpAyUlenVDFuxfhIrVPAkwgyvB1D0S_tUhPGDYlp0cDGFOnnu5LJ/s320/1-mam+bishops.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bishops</i> mandible</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Ausktribosphenids possessed tribosphenic teeth in the prototherian dentition arrangement. A post-dentary trough was present in <i>Ausktribosphenos</i> with six lower pre-molariform teeth alongside the last two being strongly molariform. Bishops also possessed a trough with at least six pre-molars, which is almost non-existent in placental mammals. Bishops is somewhat more advanced in that unlike <i>Ausktribosphenos</i>, it lacked a bone in the mandible (lower jaw). This little bone is important because it is one the bones that formed the ear bones assemblage in more advanced mammals creating keen hearing.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Teinolophos</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Ty-noll-la-foss) from 123 mya was tiny at only 10cm/3.9in in total length, but is closely related to monotremes in being one of the earliest relatives to the platypus. It might have even been a basal platypus minus the beak. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Teinolophos</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> definitely was semiaquatic in possessing semi-webbed feet. Its fossil finds were discovered at the ‘Wonthaggi Formation’ at Flat Rocks, Victoria, Australia.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkdVK5Q3kIZ3WYOuhQ_DwRoW7qgpYO8gqDB6Hk58ULdBMzWSySags2DWbSJviOxYvAaFiKX9nlbILCMXlO2LPsJxf-n81aWC2IuLrVRmYYvWNm81okS2goUFcg5e5aigXMkZk9Eg45UAh/s1024/1-mam+teinolophos_paleozoografica.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkdVK5Q3kIZ3WYOuhQ_DwRoW7qgpYO8gqDB6Hk58ULdBMzWSySags2DWbSJviOxYvAaFiKX9nlbILCMXlO2LPsJxf-n81aWC2IuLrVRmYYvWNm81okS2goUFcg5e5aigXMkZk9Eg45UAh/s320/1-mam+teinolophos_paleozoografica.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: paleozoografica <i>Teinolophos</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Devised molecular clocks suggest that echidnas diverged from the platypus somewhere between 17-80 mya. However, research studies by the scientists: Timothy Rowe, Thomas H. Rich, Patricia Vickers-Rich, Mark Springer and Michael O. Woodburne firmly established <i>Teinolophos</i> in lying within the ancestral monotreme crown pushing the divergence of echidnas from platypuses back to ~ 119-120 mya. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">This Early Cretaceous date is confirmed by High </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography (HRCT) scans on </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Tienolophos</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> fossil remains, in which revealed the presence of a hypertrophied mandibular canal coursing along the entire length of the mandible in a position lateral to the molariform (having molar tooth form) roots, which the ramus (movable hinge joint bone) exits medially beneath a large medial tubercle (bone protuberance). As far as mammals go, the platypus is the only other mammal besides </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Tienolophos</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> that has a hypertrophied mandibular canal along the mandible’s entire length.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDjw9nXxSm-Qs1NcrHrFA0e6e6wXXks74AP-A_Uq0bhkMqQtRRqFuX3l3MzrgHyJuBTUCPSEnsSyRvAUwwNK8h73SWmHJrpKI5aKHRSXYLFcKs3AMoXtYTQIkxWAzVWO1u3xihH-CYGMX/s700/1-mam+monotrematuma+age+of+mammals.ucoz.ru.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDjw9nXxSm-Qs1NcrHrFA0e6e6wXXks74AP-A_Uq0bhkMqQtRRqFuX3l3MzrgHyJuBTUCPSEnsSyRvAUwwNK8h73SWmHJrpKI5aKHRSXYLFcKs3AMoXtYTQIkxWAzVWO1u3xihH-CYGMX/s320/1-mam+monotrematuma+age+of+mammals.ucoz.ru.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: ucoz.ru <i>Monotrmatum</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With a temporal range of 61.7 mya, <i>Monotrematum</i> (Mon-o-tray-mah-tum) is the first monotreme and is classified under the platypus family of, <i>Ornithorhynchidae</i> (Or-nith-or-rink-ah-dye). It is also the only monotreme found thus far outside of Australia and its surrounding oceanic islands. It had an average size of 85cm/33.5in which is around 30.5cm/1ft larger than the extant platypus.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Unlike the extant platypus, <i>Monotrematum</i> retained its teeth into adulthood and as a carnivore, its diet had a larger variety of smaller animals than what the current day platypus diets on.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Due to land connecting Australia to South America via Antarctica, monotremes apparently had dispersals northward through Antarctica to the northern hemisphere as attested to <i>Monotrematum</i>’s fossil remains found in the ‘Salamanca Formation’ of Patagonia, Argentina. At the time, South America, Antarctica and Australia were a part of southern Gondwana. Of course due to Antarctica’s current location in the lower colder latitude, there haven’t been any monotreme fossil finds. But unfortunately when the snows and ice have melted to expose land due to man-induced global climate change, perhaps fossils will be revealed.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEjF3A7cCSbpAJMEgDWWC7XQIoiUxjtuW3d-kILivzswmtBPDIBV_GhEAXFON30TprjjTMEfPhluoFTGKQ5RjZGaoeESsc7cQkRMd5kMmm5kTpRDEtDht74722k_DSnyvetqETGZIsr2f/s1261/1-mam+Obdurodon-dicksoni+Jeanette+Muirhead.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1261" data-original-width="1090" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEjF3A7cCSbpAJMEgDWWC7XQIoiUxjtuW3d-kILivzswmtBPDIBV_GhEAXFON30TprjjTMEfPhluoFTGKQ5RjZGaoeESsc7cQkRMd5kMmm5kTpRDEtDht74722k_DSnyvetqETGZIsr2f/s320/1-mam+Obdurodon-dicksoni+Jeanette+Muirhead.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jeanette Muirhead <i>O. dicksoni</i></td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The first true platypus was in the genus, <i>Obdurodon</i> (Obb-dur-o-don) that had a temporal range of 26-5 mya. There were three species in: <i>O. dicksoni</i> (dik-so-nee), <i>O</i>. <i>insignis</i> (in-sig-niss) and <i>O</i>. <i>tharalkoochild</i> (there-all-coo-child). The odd species name of ‘tharalkoochild’ is an aboriginal wording coming from the creation story of the platypus. It tells of Tharalkoo who was a stubborn young female duck. Her parents warned her not to swim down river because Bigoon the water-rat would have his wicked way with her. Scoffing, she disobeyed and went anyway and sure enough was ravished by Bigoon. By the time Tharalkoo escaped and returned to her family, the other girl ducks were laying eggs, so she did the same. But instead of a fluffy little duckling emerging from her egg, her child was an amazing chimera that had the bill, webbed hind feet, and egg-laying habit of a duck, but with the fur and front feet of a rodent, in which was the first platypus.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">All three <i>Obdurodon</i> species were discovered in Australia but hail from different regions with <i>O</i>. <i>dicksoni</i> fossil remains coming from 23-2.6 mya at Riversleigh of N.W. Queensland, <i>O</i>. <i>insignis</i> from 15.9-11.6 mya in the Tirari Desert of central Australia and <i>O</i>. <i>tharalkoochild</i> from 15-5 mya at ‘Two Tree Site’ fossil beds of Riversleigh in Queensland, Australia. All three, like <i>Monotrematum</i> retained their teeth into adulthood. Also, all three were larger than the modern day platypus with <i>O</i>. <i>tharalkoochild</i> on platypus steroids reaching a length of 1.3m/4.3ft.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlPmkFqSpO-AC9w34n8Q6tcXub4xtpHiCbeDJKRKYhaqcKAeOT08rGKefOQCaZklnpJCm_oNq8fGLtggidPMVWqPuvb2GcoWqxEZUr8jN9xdn1tCFi5odIlxaRTQ5w8IEf_dEFinGZSMI/s580/1-mam+O.+tharalkooschild+peter+schouten.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlPmkFqSpO-AC9w34n8Q6tcXub4xtpHiCbeDJKRKYhaqcKAeOT08rGKefOQCaZklnpJCm_oNq8fGLtggidPMVWqPuvb2GcoWqxEZUr8jN9xdn1tCFi5odIlxaRTQ5w8IEf_dEFinGZSMI/s320/1-mam+O.+tharalkooschild+peter+schouten.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Peter Schouten <i>O. tharalkoochild</i> (inset: molars)</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Unlike the current living platypus, the <i>Obdurodon</i> <i>spp</i>. did not bottom feed on water bottoms, but instead more on the surface, on the shorelines of lakes and rivers and terrestrial as well venturing into the forests back then near shores and banks. All three species dieted on small aquatic and land animals, such as fish including lungfish, crustaceans, and frogs. The wear patterns on <i>O</i>. <i>tharalkoochild</i>’s teeth are suggestive of crushing, instead of shearing, which would have been caused by consuming hard-shelled animals such as turtles.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljpKflS9dEbjzFOGVvpguXvqRpre67TXj2L-H8BPO7DZeWrtYwt83xIqQ1IUfJ2kk1gQZEBV-EzChCjkZKH2Yk3ISElMELNaD3eoTMHrC_U2ReDW9qQChz7_49Pl_TjVKQPBvvPprw8w8/s1200/1-mam+steropodon+dr.+anne+musser.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljpKflS9dEbjzFOGVvpguXvqRpre67TXj2L-H8BPO7DZeWrtYwt83xIqQ1IUfJ2kk1gQZEBV-EzChCjkZKH2Yk3ISElMELNaD3eoTMHrC_U2ReDW9qQChz7_49Pl_TjVKQPBvvPprw8w8/s320/1-mam+steropodon+dr.+anne+musser.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Dr. Anne Musser <i>Steropodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With a temporal range of 105.5-93.3 mya <i>Steropodon</i> (Stir-rop-o-done) and <i>Kollikodon</i> (Koll-lee-o-done) from 99-96 mya are both considered stem monotremes. Stem groups are paraphyletic composed of a total group minus the extant crown group members. Therefore these two species are not ancestral to any living species. If you can recall, under <i>Mammalia</i> we mentioned that the 106 mya <i>Kryoryctes</i> (Cry-or-riss-tees), with short and stout limbs was a subterranean digger. <i>Kryoryctes</i> is also tentatively considered a stem monotreme, but there is some ongoing debate on whether it is ancestral to the echidna lineage as the humerus (long bone in the arm running from the shoulder to elbow) appears similar in morphology to extant echidnas. Of these three, only <i>Steropodon</i> seems to have been semi-aquatic.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJ0iuRgCnIeX-Mg5qusWmMPdI2DjWGQ2GbCfjr92G4yW9tRlKjmZ61-Wiq_Rd85kzVtubnFqMRJb8B3T_C64fLT_F6Z1MIRQl25kFXhzfZvkbWUXhI91SwPXWtCpi16tnXCLHca_wLwTo/s703/1-mam+kryoryctes+Peter+Pridmore.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJ0iuRgCnIeX-Mg5qusWmMPdI2DjWGQ2GbCfjr92G4yW9tRlKjmZ61-Wiq_Rd85kzVtubnFqMRJb8B3T_C64fLT_F6Z1MIRQl25kFXhzfZvkbWUXhI91SwPXWtCpi16tnXCLHca_wLwTo/s320/1-mam+kryoryctes+Peter+Pridmore.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kryocetes</i> fossil bones</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As far as length goes, at ~ 1m/3.3ft, <i>Kollikodon</i> was one of the largest of Mesozoic mammals, where <i>Steropodon</i> was no Mesozoic mammal runt either at ~ 45cm/1.5 ft, while <i>Kryoryctes</i>’ length was also 45cm/1.5ft. All three of the fossil remains come from Australia with both <i>Kollikodon</i> and <i>Steropodon</i> found in New South Wales, Lightning Ridge ‘Griman Creek Formation’ and <i>Kryoryctes</i> remains found in Slippery Rock’s ‘Dinosaur Cove’. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3aWZsaeOHsDqoTcBT1coqmZ8EQGiPlm6c_vgebWBuA5gzcqXq-7dgFLyfkQa8SWP21uKJso-xnAbjyRCBy9pWx9Bir8TONrgclHFGIusSDnOdlecYG90i5XjI4bkS7nsgBtwdDJxR9-C/s666/1-mam+kollikodon+Nix+draws+stuff.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3aWZsaeOHsDqoTcBT1coqmZ8EQGiPlm6c_vgebWBuA5gzcqXq-7dgFLyfkQa8SWP21uKJso-xnAbjyRCBy9pWx9Bir8TONrgclHFGIusSDnOdlecYG90i5XjI4bkS7nsgBtwdDJxR9-C/s320/1-mam+kollikodon+Nix+draws+stuff.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nixdrawsstuff <i>Kollikodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Today, there are only five extant species of monotremes in the platypus and four echidnas. Extant adult monotremes of today lack teeth. But where juveniles have teeth, monotreme lower molars lack a talonid, and consequently there is no basin with facets produced by the wearing action of a protocone (the center of the three cusps of a primitive upper molar), while also absent is the cristid obliqua (tooth crest) connecting the talonid (crushing region of a lower molar) to the trigonid (first three cusps of a molar).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Ornithorhynchidae</i> (Or-nith-or-rink-ah-dye) is the family of platypuses with a temporal range of 61-0 mya. It includes three genera with five species. The ones already mentioned are extinct in, <i>Monotrematum</i> and the three species of <i>Obdurodon</i>. The only extant species of platypus (mainly referred to as the duck-billed platypus) is <i>Ornithorhynchus</i> <i>anatinus</i> (Or-nith-or-rink-us = a-nah-tuh-nus). </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfJbiNCkxhboMaMirhLaTGqlmRT6R22JXPRKAHoDAGxpPcnTpMBXvlZM1spa1lrvEmuaDpDF0oyZdg9jCRMaWPeennMZp6FD6KU5Rso0REqx4RnpshN9jUR2E_6kRmBFGANnFr00C4ETA/s1200/1-mam+platypus+spur.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfJbiNCkxhboMaMirhLaTGqlmRT6R22JXPRKAHoDAGxpPcnTpMBXvlZM1spa1lrvEmuaDpDF0oyZdg9jCRMaWPeennMZp6FD6KU5Rso0REqx4RnpshN9jUR2E_6kRmBFGANnFr00C4ETA/s320/1-mam+platypus+spur.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Platypus spur</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Platypus venom is made in the crural venom glands located on the inner thighs that are connected to hollow spurs on their hind legs’ ankles via a duct. Females have spurs but produce no venom. Even for the males, the venom is normally produced during mating season only, initiated through hormone levels. The venom is a complex blend of nineteen peptides composed of D-amino acids and superadded with a non-nitrogenous composition. However, the venom is not fatal to humans.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The natural range of the platypus is along the eastern coastline river systems of Australia and on the island Tasmania that once linked up to Australia. There is also an isolated population introduced by man on the western side of Kangaroo Island just off the coast of southern Australia. Inhabiting small streams and rivers, the platypus is semiaquatic. It lives over an extensive range from the cold highlands of Tasmania and the Australian Alps to the tropical rainforests of coastal Queensland and as far north as the base of the Cape York Peninsula. Along the banks it digs burrows for resting and nesting.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Unlike its extinct relatives, today’s platypus loses its teeth as adults and only feeds submerged looking for prey on the river bottoms. When diving, it closes its eyes, nostrils and ears relying on electroreception to locate its prey composed of insects and insect larvae, freshwater shrimp, crawdads (crayfish), small shellfish and worms along the river bottom. How it eats is once capturing prey along the river bottom gravel, it surfaces and begins crushing the caught food with the bits of gravel to ingest, then spits out the gravel.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Lower than therian mammals, the platypus maintains an endothermic temperature of ~ 32 °C/90 °F and most likely inherited this lower body temperature from its ancestors that also came from Australia, but during a time when Australia’s climate was subpolar due to its tectonic plate location. More nocturnal and crepuscular, the platypus may still exhibit active diurnal periods.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Below is a short video of a platypus playing with and feeding from its handler:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a6QHzIJO5a8" width="320" youtube-src-id="a6QHzIJO5a8"></iframe></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Echidnas, also known as spiny anteaters make-up the family, <i>Tachyglossidae</i> (Tac-e-gloss-e-dee) encompassing three genera in, <i>Tachyglossus</i> (Tac-e-gloss-us) with one extant species, <i>Zaglossus</i>, (Zah-gloss-us) with three extinct species and two extant species and <i>Megalibgwilia</i> (May-gah-lib-gwah-lee-ah) with two extinct species. <i>Megalibgwilia</i>’s temporal range was 89-50 kya (k = 1,000).</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0mWcbx3BbxUgUGOAhAgUwWc3RyW1DsNc5eoL51w0TsMO5bIHP-6twFyPU15dISqnSh4fEBIcQJHUwHVxynOgzvJ953hPF76Xa0dLNTWNAusDd4-JopObPi18HoByWyPwpRYSPZfam7H-/s640/1-mam+echidna+short-beaked+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0mWcbx3BbxUgUGOAhAgUwWc3RyW1DsNc5eoL51w0TsMO5bIHP-6twFyPU15dISqnSh4fEBIcQJHUwHVxynOgzvJ953hPF76Xa0dLNTWNAusDd4-JopObPi18HoByWyPwpRYSPZfam7H-/s320/1-mam+echidna+short-beaked+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Pavel German <i>Tachyglossus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5g4imLNFtVqyZr2FMuh_3oM7RFtDOkDd9slhiIpoBGDNlBh9PARA52rGR5ngIfuFzhmbtq0nQH8zYkAtjwjoLnCT8SLmmObA_RN-Qqdkj5OFL7ih1-kLbyMTYeQJPTq445ritOZmytDC2/s700/1-mam+echidna+a-z+bartoni+b-z+bruijni.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5g4imLNFtVqyZr2FMuh_3oM7RFtDOkDd9slhiIpoBGDNlBh9PARA52rGR5ngIfuFzhmbtq0nQH8zYkAtjwjoLnCT8SLmmObA_RN-Qqdkj5OFL7ih1-kLbyMTYeQJPTq445ritOZmytDC2/s320/1-mam+echidna+a-z+bartoni+b-z+bruijni.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two extant long-beaked a) <i>Z. bartoni</i> b) <i>Z. bruijni</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The species are the Australian extant: <i>T</i>. <i>aculeatus</i> short-beaked echidna; three extant New Guinea long-beaked echidnas in, <i>Z</i>. <i>bartoni</i> (eastern long-beaked), <i>Z</i>. <i>bruijnii</i> (western long-beaked) and <i>Z</i>. <i>attenboroughi</i> (Attenborough’s long-beaked) along with the two extinct in, <i>Z</i>. <i>hacketti</i> and <i>Z</i>. <i>robustus</i> and the two extinct Australian echidnas, <i>M</i>. <i>ramsayi</i> (ram-say-i) and <i>M</i>. <i>robusta</i> (ro-bus-tuh) </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Tachyglossids are terrestrial within forested and wooded zones. For digging they have large shovel-like claws utilized in burrowing straight down and clawing for prey. For more efficient burrowing, the hind legs point outwards from the body with the claws curling backwards to better shovel dirt backwards. The rostrum is beak-like in being long and narrow and is where up to 400 in Tachyglossus and 2,000 in the long-beaked species electroreceptors are located. Adults have no teeth, so use their long tongue coated with sticky saliva to apprehend prey, where Tachyglossus primarily feeds on ants and termites, Zaglossus in addition to a sticky salivated tongue, the tongue also has small fine spines to snare and feed on various insects, insect larvae and worms. Once food is in the mouth, echidnas break it down with hard pads located on the roof of the mouth and back of the tongue. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxGUM310A9kCMndft9o45AD5X4ZpHWnKLq0dFjFb5uLICqL9eFoozKAPvLo_OAzAyjC5h9wpjXWH89iaFsc7k_IEEIotY7H3sryYXtsKwAViIIbOgB5PTXHda5969WoH2WsI-mQe1qRe7/s1280/1-mam+echikna+short-beaked+babies.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxGUM310A9kCMndft9o45AD5X4ZpHWnKLq0dFjFb5uLICqL9eFoozKAPvLo_OAzAyjC5h9wpjXWH89iaFsc7k_IEEIotY7H3sryYXtsKwAViIIbOgB5PTXHda5969WoH2WsI-mQe1qRe7/s320/1-mam+echikna+short-beaked+babies.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Short-beaked puggles</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The body, after ~ 8 weeks of growth from hatching is covered in coarse fur and keratinized quills (modified hairs). Eight weeks is normally how long the quills harden and mature at which time the mother weans her puggle. Females lay one reptilian-like leathery egg that’s kept in a skin pouch until hatching 7-10 days later.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2iG8EL_l9J-p9LvhfIKc-s6RCARuzWVBIrubn3YO2o6aRf7bI-6M77lVncDvQ_AV0eA-n3aGZaMx1RdckNq8NbDNmqg5MG8Er1MNUrcOzSQaBa6K6Exz55JAsBQ_aKkZI4Jg8YBj_T3h/s1024/1-mam+echidna_spines.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2iG8EL_l9J-p9LvhfIKc-s6RCARuzWVBIrubn3YO2o6aRf7bI-6M77lVncDvQ_AV0eA-n3aGZaMx1RdckNq8NbDNmqg5MG8Er1MNUrcOzSQaBa6K6Exz55JAsBQ_aKkZI4Jg8YBj_T3h/s320/1-mam+echidna_spines.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Echidna keratinous spines</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Much like their relative, the platypus, echidnas maintain a low body temperature of ~ 31 °C/87.8 °F, which is one of the lowest maintained body temperatures in mammals. The body temperature can fluctuate by up to ~ 7 degrees up or down. However, unlike the platypus, echidnas have a low metabolism rate and live in slow-mode fashion, but it appears to aid them in being long-lived for up to 17 years in the wild and up to 50 years in captivity. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLuU1ijTyMWXoQ1D-2Bebtw29JgqcPVfKRoJ7MIaxad65ZWw7DKQD4BFNwX911v1x3FI3e4H7zX06pRw9AU9432eAQHUnekb-krMfTdnWoMSd1h1md6fjcTxGfOL88fnPlj1zKv3EDsx7/s757/1-mam+echidna+short-beaked.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="757" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLuU1ijTyMWXoQ1D-2Bebtw29JgqcPVfKRoJ7MIaxad65ZWw7DKQD4BFNwX911v1x3FI3e4H7zX06pRw9AU9432eAQHUnekb-krMfTdnWoMSd1h1md6fjcTxGfOL88fnPlj1zKv3EDsx7/s320/1-mam+echidna+short-beaked.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large short-beaked echidna</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DBGHglo7WnlLfFzhOxmiMxYPgFR2C9XXL5B26y-_L2mdfTeLFHyOeirSFb-gr3O4Hz4vmYfse7nd4yabyqTPGw5AD0IwiL1Z7GbsFAvlY28VhKoWu8mZiOtzZZ9aJRJnObdFZHqvlC50/s644/1-mam+echidna+lg1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="644" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DBGHglo7WnlLfFzhOxmiMxYPgFR2C9XXL5B26y-_L2mdfTeLFHyOeirSFb-gr3O4Hz4vmYfse7nd4yabyqTPGw5AD0IwiL1Z7GbsFAvlY28VhKoWu8mZiOtzZZ9aJRJnObdFZHqvlC50/s320/1-mam+echidna+lg1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large <i>Z. bartoni</i> echidna</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Echidnas are much larger than we perceive them to be. Maybe sometimes due to the resemblance to the hedgehog, we mistakenly perceive and infer echidnas as the same proportions. Anyway, the extant short-beaked echidna is perhaps the smallest at 38.1-43.72cm/15-18in with a mass of 3.5kg/7.7lbs in adults. Adult long-beaked extant echidnas range anywhere in length from 45.7-99.1cm /18-39in, with a mass of 5-16.5kg/11-36.3lbs.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8xxza4yT2pQUq0aKdqii5KYBDswjCq0WqXiITUX9yEbq860FYSw0kcIZvPyz0c_mMKhpxuERq4J_tkJ5qN8qhiUfGpqn863WuQI4y9W9y8j1N0mdzpehdthvzpzYU5CRvGJddRCw97qD/s1024/1-mam+echidna+z+hacketti.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8xxza4yT2pQUq0aKdqii5KYBDswjCq0WqXiITUX9yEbq860FYSw0kcIZvPyz0c_mMKhpxuERq4J_tkJ5qN8qhiUfGpqn863WuQI4y9W9y8j1N0mdzpehdthvzpzYU5CRvGJddRCw97qD/s320/1-mam+echidna+z+hacketti.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: megafauna.com.au <i>Z. hacketti</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The extinct species were even larger with <i>Z</i>. <i>robusta</i> reaching 65cm/25.6in and <i>Z</i>. <i>hacketti</i> reaching a length of 1m/3.3ft, with a height of 0.6m/2ft, while weighing upwards to 30kg/66lbs. This Pleistocene Western Australia echidna in <i>Z</i>. <i>hacketti</i> is one of the largest known monotremes; even as one of the largest of all prototherians. Its legs were much straighter than other monotremes making it more adept in maneuverability through forests. <i>Z</i>. <i>hacketti</i> fossil remains were found in Mammoth Cave with evidence of incisions and burn marks. Most likely the remains were brought into the cave after being hunted by aborigines, prepared, cooked and eaten. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdP52d0gD-Y9KAanra5AcAhReHtqYBYbNE2OPGmG0w94LbLnOLoI0BP1bK0rHtUTPsjrahuCrWjmb0zhoJj3G0QCfO78rm9eczlkWtwSxa3EOTvhdx0GPxF0UFNCly8SDdPVvfq5bnaLBf/s653/1-mam+echidna+megalib.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="653" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdP52d0gD-Y9KAanra5AcAhReHtqYBYbNE2OPGmG0w94LbLnOLoI0BP1bK0rHtUTPsjrahuCrWjmb0zhoJj3G0QCfO78rm9eczlkWtwSxa3EOTvhdx0GPxF0UFNCly8SDdPVvfq5bnaLBf/s320/1-mam+echidna+megalib.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: WWW <i>Megalibgwilia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Also the fossil remains of the two Megalibgwilia are from Australia, but across the whole continent, while also found in Tasmania. However, <i>M</i>. <i>robusta</i> fossils have only been found in New South Wales, Australia, inferring that it was more endemic. Although <i>Megalibgwilia</i> <i>spp</i>. had longer and straighter legs than the extant species, they were only a little larger than the contemporary western long-beaked echidna. As an insectivore, they ate a variety of smaller insects. Living during the Miocene, <i>M</i>. <i>robusta</i> is the oldest known tachyglossid, while <i>M</i>. <i>ramsayi</i> lived during the Late Pleistocene. Surviving in warmer and wetter climates, all <i>Megalibgwilia</i> <i>spp</i>. became extinct by 50,000 years ago once the climate in Australia became much more arid. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_-ffERJPuaX60_JtvhTKJRi2a_oWqgd9KHqAiM0vH1pZY9_dt92eT1GlSS4F5DUSQkMlUT5dZLD1p1dDrmvVvXTe-LbntsA4n1Jr19fcq-kIt566Nb-JH5aynxmfG9mkSg0CshWdBeEC/s1180/1-mam+echidna_albino+short-nosed.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_-ffERJPuaX60_JtvhTKJRi2a_oWqgd9KHqAiM0vH1pZY9_dt92eT1GlSS4F5DUSQkMlUT5dZLD1p1dDrmvVvXTe-LbntsA4n1Jr19fcq-kIt566Nb-JH5aynxmfG9mkSg0CshWdBeEC/s320/1-mam+echidna_albino+short-nosed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Albino short-beaked echidna</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Echidna body coloration can range from browns to grays to black, even within their own species. Albinism is the congenital absence of pigment in the skin and hair making them white while giving pinkish eyes. Being albino affects virtually any animal; even echidnas. If ya want to click on the link below to watch the 37 second video, you can watch the short-beaked albino in action foraging.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oZRrU5rz4oU" width="320" youtube-src-id="oZRrU5rz4oU"></iframe></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What is intriguing to me is that some folk say that monotremes are living fossils because they are the only extant mammals that lay eggs along with other primitive anatomical features. Yet, just like any other modern day mammal group, they experience rapid eye movement (REMS) while dreaming. Therefore unlike other animal groups, all mammals, even echidnas and the little mouse dream along with having the occasional nightmare. </span></div></span><div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Theria<span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">All therians extinct and extant give birth to their young instead of hatching via a shelled egg. This includes all metatherians that give altricial births, such as marsupials and all eutherians, in which give full-term births, such as all extant and extinct true placental mammals that are, or were indigenous to Africa, the Americas, Asia (including India) and Europe.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In studying the earliest mammals drifting towards modern day eutherian mammals, dentition fossils are very important since the first of mammals were very small. Most were no larger than a mouse, while the few largest were no bigger than a kitten. Jaws and teeth fossils are about the only remains of these creatures left to study. We’re evaluating the Mesozoic here, which is dubbed ‘The Age of Reptiles’ and for good reason. Dinosaurs during this age of time were very successful and competitive, but every niche wasn’t dominated by reptiles and those ecologies are the micro ones that the earliest mammals took up residence in.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In vertebrate animals, neonates (newborns or hatchlings) are either precocial or altricial. Altricial is defined as in newly born or hatched, the young are undeveloped and helpless requiring parental care, whereas precocial neonates just born or hatched are in a developed enough state to feed and fend for themselves. For placental mammals the neonates (newborns) are either precocial ~ capable of its own mobility, or altricial ~ incapable of its own mobility.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">According to an eutherian study conducted by mammologist, Theodore I. Grand, neonates of altricial placentals are categorized into 4 categories and they are ~ I: small brain, weak musculature; II: small brain, strong musculature; III: large brain, weak musculature and IV: large brain, strong musculature. Each mammal species exhibits a distinct mother/infant strategy from the altricial red panda cub (condition I) and the golden lion tamarin (condition III) to the precocial wildebeest calf (condition IV). An example of condition II (small brain, strong musculature) has not been found. This suggests that muscle does not grow in advance of the brain and that the brain acts as a pacemaker of growth. Grand’s model proposes that early growth rates of brain and muscle correlate with nutrition, maternal effort during gestation, lactation and parental care, whereas postnatal muscular growth correlates directly with adult body size and locomotor repertoire.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As far as precocial mammals go, examples are most ungulates, guinea pigs and species of hares. Hares serve an important example when it comes to evolutionary processes, as being closely related to rabbits that are highly altricial, exemplifies the fact that precociality is not a conservative feature within species.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Perhaps viviparity convergently evolved loosely here and there among synapsids rather than being genetically descended down from one ancestral line. This is highly possible as most folks feel that snakes are oviparous (lay eggs) only. While some folks more educated of snake reproduction say no, as snakes are also ovoviviparous in that snakes do give live birth even though the neonates are hatched from eggs inside the mother. However, there are a few snakes, like the more primitive boas that indeed do give live births from a sac or placenta carried inside the mother.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What we do know of placental evolution is that it has evolved through inner familial gene expression as well as convergently. The placenta's wide range of functions are supported by novel genes that have evolved following gene duplication events, while acquisition of gene expression by the trophoblast is required in other mammal placentas. In placentas, high-affinity fetal hemoglobins play a key role in placental gas exchange even if they’re not expressed in the placentas. One of these gene expressions termed the: ERVW-1 gene, expresses the manufacture of the protein, syncytin-1in female placentals that functions within the placenta allowing various fetal life-supporting exchanges between the mother and its offspring. Syncytin-1 proteins, otherwise known as enverins are produced by the retrovirus W, a virus member group that actually makes up 1% of the human genome. So, we always fret about viruses like the H1N1 and coronavirus, but without viruses, there’d be no placental mammals, which of course includes us.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">These fetal hemoglobins evolved following duplications within the beta-globin gene family with convergent evolution occurring in ruminants and primates. In primates there was also a rearrangement of a case of genes in relation to an upstream locus control region. By the expression of sugar and amino acid transporters at the trophoblast microvillus and basal membranes, substrate transfer from mother to fetus is maintained. In contrast, placental peptide hormones have arisen largely by gene duplication, yielding chorionic gonadotropins (group of hormones stimulating gonad activity) from the luteinizing hormone gene and placental lactogens. This process is transpired from the growth hormone and prolactin genes. There has been a stark degree of convergent evolution with placental lactogens emerging separately in families and time frames within ruminant, rodent, and primate lineages, with chorionic gonadotropins evolving separately in equids and higher primates. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Dryolestoidea</i> (Dry-o-les-toid-e-ah) was a superorder containing two orders in <i>Dryolestida</i> (Dry-o-les-tee-dah) from 164.75-17.5 mya and <i>Amphitheriida</i> (Am-fee-thear-id-ah) from 176-161 mya. Dryolestids are a big order containing 37 genera within 9 families, while in the family of, <i>Amphitheriidae</i> (Am-phi-thear-id-day) there were two genera of amphitheriids.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJO02D1ehvxLCnJpae_zI0f4QKHuKUZNGO9PFx41WaQ6Ir8ZYASY6uRCO9L-eQyL4v5URe5TYBctaTlzSBv7_cnRA87Fthq39KsK4Q9b44cpNTB4trUDAhvJlmhXD2ivahyphenhyphenHsW7Yq8Yd6/s758/1-mam+mother+of+all+placentals.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="606" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJO02D1ehvxLCnJpae_zI0f4QKHuKUZNGO9PFx41WaQ6Ir8ZYASY6uRCO9L-eQyL4v5URe5TYBctaTlzSBv7_cnRA87Fthq39KsK4Q9b44cpNTB4trUDAhvJlmhXD2ivahyphenhyphenHsW7Yq8Yd6/s320/1-mam+mother+of+all+placentals.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Karl Tate 'Mother of all Placentals'</td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Considered the mother of all full-term Cenozoic Era extinct and extant full-term placental mammals, this mammal itself did not have its fossils discovered and classified, or its molecular genetics analyzed, nor even its phylogeny traced…it was made-up by a team of scientists utilizing all the physical features of known fossil and extant placental mammals to feed into a new computer program that detailed even the tiniest of details such as the inner ear bones to come up with the very first Crown Group full-term placental mammal that unmistakably, according to the final result, arose approximately 300,000 years after the 66.043 mya extinction K-Pg boundary.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What the researchers utilized was a computer program called the TNT-NN algorithm where non-negative least-squares (NNLS) in the spatial domain are used to solve inverse problems. There are other techniques that are extremely faster, like the Fourier technique, but these techniques produce solutions that violate the non-negativity of moment constraints. Inversions in the spatial domain of TNT results are a fast iterative method that doesn’t violate non-negativity constraints. Iterations are repetitive mathematical computational procedures applied to the result of a previous application usually implemented as a means of obtaining successively closer approximations to the solution of a problem.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibR6Gi0ikweKIL_94BA9RL5sj9i2AGVh9VKP9KWPb0RyqyDe0ML4oP-WnFDHseaE3VD70Ysb3D5vbIVkcDWHQ2HzBuEZERrcYCBmiCR5tVti7el4aPhfi5x6ww1RlEofmIc_RGoqrtEsjm/s733/1-mam+protungulatum+brnz.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="733" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibR6Gi0ikweKIL_94BA9RL5sj9i2AGVh9VKP9KWPb0RyqyDe0ML4oP-WnFDHseaE3VD70Ysb3D5vbIVkcDWHQ2HzBuEZERrcYCBmiCR5tVti7el4aPhfi5x6ww1RlEofmIc_RGoqrtEsjm/s320/1-mam+protungulatum+brnz.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Smithsonian Inst. bronze <i>Protungulatum</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Before the skeptics out there start scoffing, guess what was later found near that extinction boundary in the oldest portion of 65 million year old Paleogene strata from Saskatchewan Canada’s ‘Ravenscrag Formation’. It was a rat-sized and rat looking fossil named, <i>Protungulatum donnae</i> (Pro-tun-gue-luh-tum = don-nee). The genus name means ‘first ungulate’ as it is the forbearer of all ungulates, but it is also the oldest known full-term placenta that lived between 65-64 mya. Exactly as the researchers predicted on their six year TNT testing and results, enlisting over 4,500 anatomical traits and phenomic characters from 4,541 fossil and extant mammals.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">So, as many are pointing out…if ya don’t like the thought of humans and apes evolving from a common primate ancestor, then surely in knowing all modern day mammals (including us) came from a rat-look-alike creature, it has to sting a bit in shortening a few religiously lit fuses.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuXpGGo7iFM5fuq_otZEHC0cnjuLRECTzCnHBeyo6RluKXjqjrfdNMOizqJehVqgd4TSyiNO1G0hPYZjIMdyTMDzx5p862a5KYURYDYeCm1IocX82TvQk2l37H7BM7E_Nf-LcNsjE392Y/s606/1-mam+maelestesskull2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuXpGGo7iFM5fuq_otZEHC0cnjuLRECTzCnHBeyo6RluKXjqjrfdNMOizqJehVqgd4TSyiNO1G0hPYZjIMdyTMDzx5p862a5KYURYDYeCm1IocX82TvQk2l37H7BM7E_Nf-LcNsjE392Y/s320/1-mam+maelestesskull2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Maelestes</i> skull</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What sparked the research was a fossil find coming from Mongolia’s Gobi Desert in the ‘Ukhaa Tolgod’ locality of a shrew-like mammal with the given genera name, <i>Maelestes</i> (Male-s-tees). With a temporal range of 75-71 mya, it had an epipubic bone evidencing that it was not a true full-term placental but a true therian giving birth much like metatherians to undeveloped young as modern marsupials do; although there is no evidence of a pouch. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIGQ8IhVgPpPruFrWYkCwGkB8UiINDpikYtlmgjF_ZU1TN0FsXS1bwylfFNOBz_UsNs_2kOZlHv_Tw_iAHYiHqD5_RBMlQRo1c5AjK8GAZLCGh-m2zPvrhDi7Za9clCWWpVgNs4kcIpPX/s608/1-mam+maelestes+skull+cr+John+R.+Wible.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="527" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIGQ8IhVgPpPruFrWYkCwGkB8UiINDpikYtlmgjF_ZU1TN0FsXS1bwylfFNOBz_UsNs_2kOZlHv_Tw_iAHYiHqD5_RBMlQRo1c5AjK8GAZLCGh-m2zPvrhDi7Za9clCWWpVgNs4kcIpPX/s320/1-mam+maelestes+skull+cr+John+R.+Wible.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skull comparisons</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The <i>Maelestes</i> fossil find is important in understanding the radiating of Cretaceous eutherians and the radiation of full-term placentals post the Cretaceous in the absence of dinosaurian groups. Above is an illustration of a <i>Maelestes</i> skull compared to other Late Cretaceous archaic mammal skulls. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The 150 mya, <i>Fuitafossor</i>, as was introduced under, <i>Mammalia</i> and although not a therian itself, it was an encroaching relative to therians. Its shoulder girdle was characteristic to prototherian monotremes, but it possessed more therian anatomical traits suggesting that it is one of the earliest known mammalians leading to the evolutionary line of modern day mammals. Placental therians are divided into the two major clades, <i>Metatheria</i> and <i>Eutheria</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Metatheria</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmiNUgvR-QHfC1i4n7kPCISuz-OFyxsefB9iJcxSGQxg6RoRowbTDFKGmCzZFNk0n0uEnIH043uSZ8YdZlUaYFoUy-l6ChSYMeOW_sHmplqOlZLkL2qvd4iHXEQuS8BVc_jC-gL06XQJi/s701/1-mam+metatheria+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="496" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmiNUgvR-QHfC1i4n7kPCISuz-OFyxsefB9iJcxSGQxg6RoRowbTDFKGmCzZFNk0n0uEnIH043uSZ8YdZlUaYFoUy-l6ChSYMeOW_sHmplqOlZLkL2qvd4iHXEQuS8BVc_jC-gL06XQJi/s320/1-mam+metatheria+clade.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Metatheria</i> Cladogram</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">To start, where all eutherians whether extinct or extant are full-term placental eutherians, not all metatherians are marsupials. However, all non-marsupial metatherians are more closely related to marsupials than to full-term placental mammals. Let’s get this straight, as many folks confuse and interject the term ‘marsupial’ when it should be ‘metatherian’.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">All metatherians have anatomical features that are similar, but the difference between marsupials and other metatherians is in dentition. Marsupials have tribosphenic teeth where all other metatherians possess varying tooth forms. There are a few other differences, like tooth replacement in more primitive metatherians, but, all more derived metatherians have the same dental formula including five upper and four lower incisors, canine pairs, three premolars, and four molars. There have been some excellent basal metatherian fossil finds from China and Mongolia that has allowed scientists to study skulls in fine detail. The main characteristic in likeness is how the cranial vascularization functions similarly in basal metatherians and advanced marsupials in the skull and neck.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The central nervous system (CNS) in mammals is vascularized through angiogenic (angiogenesis: formation of new blood vessels) vessels growing from a perineural (located around a nerve or bundled nerve fibers) vascular plexus. Growing evidence points to a central role of the brain vasculature in neurogenesis. What is determinately attempting to be said here is that the vascular system (blood/lymph) of the brain, besides carrying oxygen and nutrients also, through contact regulation, interacts with neural stem cells for their propagation and performance.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJc_xEI2jBluasrRAFqFLBuvR9PMTUUKgoIO_QlSoOKwVFiME6sD8dv7K4AMN4H0DJnoEfmLuo08J25gLGUdWAG6kgzSQuX4i0ttkpmqlEcsu1d0cXr54n77r2QPr2rjiNFFKW4eRSulv/s2048/1-mam+didelphis+virginiana.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJc_xEI2jBluasrRAFqFLBuvR9PMTUUKgoIO_QlSoOKwVFiME6sD8dv7K4AMN4H0DJnoEfmLuo08J25gLGUdWAG6kgzSQuX4i0ttkpmqlEcsu1d0cXr54n77r2QPr2rjiNFFKW4eRSulv/s320/1-mam+didelphis+virginiana.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Didelphis virginiana</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Metatherians were the most dominant mammal clade during the Cretaceous, in particular in North America. Today’s American opossum is viewed as dimwitted, in particular for the reason of ‘playing possum’ as it apparently plays dead when threatened. This reaction is not intentional, but is due to a primitive nervous system that short circuits during duress while taking a while to re-circuit then recover. Originating during the Early Miocene, the genus, <i>Didelphis</i> (Di-dell-fiss) consists of six American opossum species. It has been very successful in varying ecologies, with the <i>Didelphis</i> species still radiating out into new environments. From 23 mya being offered up as saber-tooth cat and dire wolf meals to current road kills, <i>Didelphis</i> opossums are still nonetheless successful in perpetuating their reign.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">It was once thought that metatherians diverged from eutherians ~ 148 mya, but in evaluating eutherian 160 mya fossil evidence, through a comprehensive molecular phylogeny analysis, metatherians and eutherians bifurcate the mammalian line in diverging from each other during a mean average of ~ 180 mya. Originating in Late Jurassic Asia, metatherian faunas forming clades radiated outwards becoming widespread over Laurasia in successfully colonizing Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas by the Early Cretaceous. However, for a time metatherians evolved side by side with eutherians, but around 15-20 mya, metatherians were unable to compete with the more progressive latter placental forms and died out except in South America, Australia and its surrounding islands where they were isolated sheltering them from eutherian competition.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Their success in these two continents was most likely due to water barriers from rising seas isolating them in keeping evolving placental forms out. But, while there were still land connections, metatherians began migrations from S. America down into Australia via Antarctica about 50 mya. Around 5 mya, when a land bridge formed between South America and Panama, metatherian marsupialiforms as descended from herpetotheriids (a sister family to all living marsupials) were able to cross up into Central and North America. These are the immediate ancestors to the <i>Didelphis</i> American opossum species of today.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With a temporal range of 112.6-109 mya, <i>Pappotherium</i> (Pap-poe-thear-e-um) is representative of an earlier lineage close to the metatherian/eutherian divergence commencement. It was most likely arboreal and an insectivore. The name itself is ancient Greek coming from ‘pappos’ meaning grandfather and ‘therium’ for beast. Its fossil find comes from Texas’ ‘Glen Rose Formation’.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Most Mesozoic metatherians have been found in North America and Asia living during the Late Cretaceous primarily between 90 and 66 million years ago. Whether metatherians originated in North America or Asia is largely dependent on the prevalence of Cretaceous forms from North America and recent evidence from Asia; for example due to the absence of lower latitude Early Cretaceous tropical faunas. Nonetheless, the oldest metatherian fossil thus far found is in the ‘Yixian Formation’ of Liaoning Province, China. This 125 mya fossil is, <i>Sinodelphys</i> (Sign-o-dell-fees) that is an exquisite slab/counter-slab exhibiting skeletal anatomy fur and soft tissue. It was only 15cm/5.9 in in length, while weighing just 30g/1.1oz. Due to pes (foot) structure it was scansorial and arboreal and most likely was an insectivore dieting on insects and insect grubs.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22ZyhqMUbQTNqnoPJVT6jOSCm0QC7f56zAZZon8Rh3j9HsCfnjTn1utVwXBTHNJ2ibsFAMZp_jTNo7A_UuXI5ouio1wGLYWaFN_1HOfUh_q5zRw6351HvoE75wyrXQYqCKFtxLbFiTOOX/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="186" data-original-width="320" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22ZyhqMUbQTNqnoPJVT6jOSCm0QC7f56zAZZon8Rh3j9HsCfnjTn1utVwXBTHNJ2ibsFAMZp_jTNo7A_UuXI5ouio1wGLYWaFN_1HOfUh_q5zRw6351HvoE75wyrXQYqCKFtxLbFiTOOX/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sinodelphys</i> counter-slab fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In being scansorial, <i>Sinodelphys</i>’ curved claws and foot structure for grasping branches have similar proportions to modern-day climbing animals. This also suggests that it was arboreal spending significant amounts of time in trees. Once evolving climbing abilities, it was able to take advantage of a new habitat and the arboreal life of untapped resources.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEdlvA1FmBQ7aabXrzr8j6dOmMavpwLmeIdekSeAwDVEk3D41T2ndxA5PUuuPWoLXIB3qs7rt6S1ExMpC6-y63oCFfn7ZdOQ99UaOu-zJq5cvHwhlRT-6yPGl6e6PvtvzOyZxvvlJGtsP/s446/1-mam+sinodelphys+BBC.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEdlvA1FmBQ7aabXrzr8j6dOmMavpwLmeIdekSeAwDVEk3D41T2ndxA5PUuuPWoLXIB3qs7rt6S1ExMpC6-y63oCFfn7ZdOQ99UaOu-zJq5cvHwhlRT-6yPGl6e6PvtvzOyZxvvlJGtsP/s320/1-mam+sinodelphys+BBC.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: BBC <i>Sinodelphys</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The order, <i>Deltatheroida</i> (Dell-tah-thuh-roid-ah) is an extinct group that is distantly related to marsupials as basal metatherians that lived from 125 mya to what was thought 66 mya until the fossil remains of the deltatheroidean, <i>Gurbanodelta</i> (Grr-ban-o-dale-tah) was discovered. It lived during the Late Paleocene some 56 mya and is the tiniest of Deltatheroideans at 12cm/4.7in in length. Deltatheroideans carnivorous dental anatomy was not tribosphenic; instead it possessed tritubercular dentition in only having three tubercules (cusps) on the lower mandible molars and not on the upper molars as in tribosphenic. This is what most know of as tricuspid molars and is a more primitive mammalian dental stage, but is what led to tribosphenic dentition. For deltatheroideans, the last molariform deciduous premolar is not replaced in adulthood, with the tooth position referred to as M1/m1. This morphology is shared with marsupials, but not with eutherians. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrYOGO-3aelx5DkuBtsZbG0Wr1nYzhMaMPnS2bNGqL4OmJzVcss9bc4uymrXVhYfZ_rvrOWkHCyYAvGDHCLGSnYI90ev0rn39OZf3eRpPcnjxYeSw4jlk1EvDAW4TIbYfey411n0AIFPr/s1347/1-mam+deltatheridium+vs+arch+midiaou.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrYOGO-3aelx5DkuBtsZbG0Wr1nYzhMaMPnS2bNGqL4OmJzVcss9bc4uymrXVhYfZ_rvrOWkHCyYAvGDHCLGSnYI90ev0rn39OZf3eRpPcnjxYeSw4jlk1EvDAW4TIbYfey411n0AIFPr/s320/1-mam+deltatheridium+vs+arch+midiaou.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Midiaou <i>Deltatheridium</i> vs <i>Archaeornithoides</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The deltatheroidean, <i>Deltatheridium</i> (Dell-tah-thuh-rid-e-um) had a temporal range of ~ 84.9-70.6 mya. It was small at 15cm/5.9in, but was a vicious predator attacking any prey its size or a bit larger. In fact, the juvenile fossil of the 75 mya dinosaur, <i>Archaeornithoides</i> (R-kay-or-nif-oy-deez) had the skull bearing the exact teeth marks that make-up the dentition of, <i>Deltatheridium</i>. The skull and rest of the fossil appear to have been passed through the digestive tract. <i>Archaeornithoides</i> is estimated to be ~ 55cm/21.7 as an adult in which is around 3.5 times larger than <i>Deltatheridium</i> was. This is the second known case of a mammal consuming a dinosaur, only to be predated by the 125-123.2 mya fossil of <i>Repenomamus</i> (mentioned earlier under </span>Mammalia<span style="font-weight: normal;">) that fed on a <i>Psittacosaurus</i> hatchling found in the mammal’s fossilized stomach area.</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHnmAZNrFomvQnbMzZPCsjqK4lSg-usC8CverIT5lmv0WNMhhrFGZK641TaYQO4nzBQo4l9PgW0jyT4LGEQDrKGTK4eUN6MCjcXOmQNus-bWgunR4rSMGbWEOeiXhoj3JHJPc67RPIniH/s1711/1-mam+deltatheridium.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1655" data-original-width="1711" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHnmAZNrFomvQnbMzZPCsjqK4lSg-usC8CverIT5lmv0WNMhhrFGZK641TaYQO4nzBQo4l9PgW0jyT4LGEQDrKGTK4eUN6MCjcXOmQNus-bWgunR4rSMGbWEOeiXhoj3JHJPc67RPIniH/s320/1-mam+deltatheridium.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Deltatheridium</i> head features</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Deltatheridium</i> had large canines for its size and some deltatheroideans possessed large enough canines that they were dubbed as junior saber-tooths. Of course their canines are strictly convergent evolution in comparison to the eutherian feline groups. But with another group of sparassodont metatherians, an order closely related to marsupials, had saber-toothed canine qualities. <i>Thylacosmilidae</i> (Thigh-la-cos-mill-ah-day) was a family of sparassodonts that inhabited what is northern Argentina ~ 9-3 mya. Some grew up to 1.5m/4.9ft long and weighed up to a maximum of 150kg/330.7lbs. For sure their canines were of saber-tooth quality as they were blade-like and used as daggers to down prey once piercing the neck and arteries bleeding out the victim. The canines grew throughout the animals’ lifetime. It appears however, that thylocosmilids were more of scavengers, indicated by an uncanny ability in pulling back with the canines through craniodental features, along with the unique lateral ridge of the canines adding strength to this function.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigIeLP9dFNynFQ4MCRiHB9lUYAFDEPHwaaP96JiypfQULX868n-so-0DBmu7N8Jf2kGOXcjwSytgQgFN2aG88ZRa9a7wZX1LLhteGHDeLrwRJdyLiAt6jtkzfOOI7NqSmgk72DvS-xfQr/s580/1-mam+thylacosmilus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigIeLP9dFNynFQ4MCRiHB9lUYAFDEPHwaaP96JiypfQULX868n-so-0DBmu7N8Jf2kGOXcjwSytgQgFN2aG88ZRa9a7wZX1LLhteGHDeLrwRJdyLiAt6jtkzfOOI7NqSmgk72DvS-xfQr/s320/1-mam+thylacosmilus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Viergacht <i>Thylacosmilus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Marsupialiaformes</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The clade, </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">Marsupialiaformes</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (Mar-sue-pee-e-lee-ah-forms) are a transitional stage between basal metatherians and marsupials and are more derived than the deltatheroideans. </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">Arcantiodelphys</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (R-con-tee-o-dell-fizz), a marsupialiform with a temporal range of 99.7-94.3 mya is thus far the oldest known therian coming from Europe. From France’s basal Cenomanian deposits of the ‘Font-de-Benon Quarry’, at Archingeay-Les Nouillers, Charentes; </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">Arcantiodelphys</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">, with some endemic European evolvement suggests its dentition crushing specializations is a stemming from Asian ancestral metatherians.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Just mentioned above under <i>Deltatheridium</i>, the marsupialiform order, <i>Sparassodonta</i> (Spar-as-o-don-tuh) had a temporal range of 84.9mya with the appearance of the scansorial omnivore, <i>Varalphadon</i> (Vah-ral-fah-don), to the youngest in the aforementioned, <i>Thylacosmilus</i> (Thigh-la-cos-muh-luss) from 3 mya. Some distinguishing anatomical features of sparassodonts are: most had canines protruding the mouth, a pronounced bulge in the snout surrounding the canine teeth, highly reduced epipubic bones that are convergently shared with the extinct marsupial, <i>Thylacine</i> (Thigh-la-sain) and all members were carnivorous with most having a dental formula of <u>4.1.3.4.</u> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> 3.1.3.4. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In expressing the dental formulation, the top numbers represent the amount of upper jaw (maxillary) teeth, while the bottom numbers represent the lower jaw (mandible) teeth. Teeth types are also represented in left-to-right ordered addition. The first far left numbers above and below represent the incisors (I); the second set of numbers above and below represent the amount of canines (C), the third above and below numbers represent the premolars (P) while the far right above and below numbers represent the molars (M). So, in using tooth symbols for the upper teeth we have 4I, 1C, 3P and 4M. For the lower teeth the count is 3I, 1C, 3P and 4M. Now further, the mouth is divided into quadrants with half of the quadrant consisting of teeth in the upper dentition and the other half of the quadrant in the lower dentition. So, one must multiply each number by two to get the total teeth count. This gives a total of 24 upper teeth and 22 lower teeth for a grand total of 46 teeth for sparassodonts.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">You will find literature stating that sparassodonts are marsupials, but that is not the case, for as marsupialiforms they are a bit less derived than marsupials. However, as a sister taxon to marsupials they are indeed close relatives. Except for the North American, <i>Varalphadon</i> mentioned just above, which was omnivorous, all other sparassodonts were carnivorous and endemic to South America. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0b0B5WEkymPEusPppYIB7ZPE2liWnQf7DFHcVDnCs9Z8mmrXl53On56vm3HRqn0DTVOrTxZ9BPee_4wsVqz98qMKuoIaEEfn10syWGZ_CxjyaM23HtfQ65c_3h8TFI6JSS0pkIHAJbfWP/s800/1-mam+Lycopsis_fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0b0B5WEkymPEusPppYIB7ZPE2liWnQf7DFHcVDnCs9Z8mmrXl53On56vm3HRqn0DTVOrTxZ9BPee_4wsVqz98qMKuoIaEEfn10syWGZ_CxjyaM23HtfQ65c_3h8TFI6JSS0pkIHAJbfWP/s320/1-mam+Lycopsis_fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lycopsis</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The sparassodont, <i>Lycopsis</i> (Lie-cop-sis) had a temporal range of 16.3-9 mya. Its fossils discovered in Argentina from the ‘Arroyo Chasicó Formation’ and Santa Cruz Formations’ and the ‘Honda Group’ of Columbia, South America, <i>Lycopsis</i> has three species in <i>L</i>. <i>longirostrus</i> (lawn-gee-ross-truss), <i>L</i>. <i>torresi</i> (tor-e-see) and <i>L</i>. <i>viverensis</i> (vie-ver-in-sis). Belonging to the sparassodont family, <i>Borhyaenidae</i> (Bore-hi-en-ah-day), <i>Lycopsis</i> averaged around 40.64cm/16in in length. Coming from arboreal ancestry it was fully terrestrial but a bit clumsy in speed judging from its fossil anatomy. So, instead of stalking and running down its small to medium intended prey, it most likely waited in ambush to pounce onto its victims. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhtxHO4RxDEGo90cJSnX0WXt-3zLNxIpISl8a5W3sDRdloLlIkrJ8Ygwn_mkcrM1WR8WENzauda6yoW9hQ0OlO0MOfJjDfRDUqovLdpr43-Kin3iSqCCw6m_qwkBHcA5Us4GbSjdaNpRF/s1200/1-mam+lycopsis+%2528bckgrnd%2529+pursuing+prolagostomus+Velizar+Simeon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhtxHO4RxDEGo90cJSnX0WXt-3zLNxIpISl8a5W3sDRdloLlIkrJ8Ygwn_mkcrM1WR8WENzauda6yoW9hQ0OlO0MOfJjDfRDUqovLdpr43-Kin3iSqCCw6m_qwkBHcA5Us4GbSjdaNpRF/s320/1-mam+lycopsis+%2528bckgrnd%2529+pursuing+prolagostomus+Velizar+Simeon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Velizar Simeon <i>Lycopsis</i> pursuing <i>Prolagostomus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Below this paragraph is an illustration of the 98.6 mya, <i>Kokopellia</i>’s upper and lower molars. I’m showing you this because for an innumerable amount of mammal fossils are only composed of teeth. One can see how the components can be difficult to interpret, but paleontologists are well versed in this and can readily interpret whether a jawbone of teeth are cynodonts, multituberculates, monotremes, metatherian, or eutherian. Even due to wear they can tell exactly how the animal chewed. I’ve intentionally left out dentition surface features, such as a hypoconulid and postprotocrista because it is a specialty science in the study of mammalian teeth. I’ve only merely touched base with meta-, para- and protoconids simply because I don’t know much about it either. I mean that’s a ‘mouthful’ of nomenclature for a tooth.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-D-o25zCuKwVfbfRFqt8qKxpth_FBhyUm3fRY_J-i1imm3jRZ7y3PU64FIQ_VA2YtO37PsGG6e1LBE7faO0W4fXKQKI_LlUSV4_ahYhe-1pRFk5QtkiHYlEicWDjKq5jrHDbzH5mtFmn/s566/1-mam+kokopellia+upper-lower+molar+Richard+L.+Cifelli.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-D-o25zCuKwVfbfRFqt8qKxpth_FBhyUm3fRY_J-i1imm3jRZ7y3PU64FIQ_VA2YtO37PsGG6e1LBE7faO0W4fXKQKI_LlUSV4_ahYhe-1pRFk5QtkiHYlEicWDjKq5jrHDbzH5mtFmn/s320/1-mam+kokopellia+upper-lower+molar+Richard+L.+Cifelli.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Richard Cifelli upper lower molars </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In getting back to <i>Kokopellia</i>, it belongs to a group of metatherians that due to the dentition was at first considered a primitive marsupial, but due to further analysis, it is now considered a transitionally evolving marsupialiform into basal marsupials. <i>Kokopellia</i> comes from Utah, USA’s ‘Cedar Mountain Formation’ in its uppermost member of the ‘Mussentuchit Member’. Along with other evolving marsupialiforms species like: the 105.3-94.3 mya <i>Adelodelphys</i> (Ah-dell-o-dell-fizz), the 99.7-94.3 mya <i>Sinbadelphys</i> (Sign-bah-dell-fizz) and the 84.9-70.6 mya <i>Iugomortiferum</i> (I-u-go-mor-tif-er-um), <i>Kokopellia</i> presents the case that marsupials first evolved in North America, then radiated down into South America and the Pacific Rim eventually reaching Australia and New Zealand via Antarctica. But once, the migration took effect, due to being out competed by eutherians, marsupials became extinct in North America only to return once the Pleio-pleistocene Central American bridge was formed.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFj5_6qZRrK0P4Mg8XXkodjtqLjUwhNyupa1ku_1cfNT9MEfo5Txi3U9GS2fjfS30PS5l6h-74nXoSPYhCAMnoxfuBVlXbjqHq4QMOU0nLovh48kuvurq8yqykdPcNbdryFdqFofP3WBNf/s736/1-mam+alphadon+20th+century+fox.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="442" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFj5_6qZRrK0P4Mg8XXkodjtqLjUwhNyupa1ku_1cfNT9MEfo5Txi3U9GS2fjfS30PS5l6h-74nXoSPYhCAMnoxfuBVlXbjqHq4QMOU0nLovh48kuvurq8yqykdPcNbdryFdqFofP3WBNf/s320/1-mam+alphadon+20th+century+fox.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: 20th Century Fox <i>Alphadon</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">On an ending marsupialiform note here, with nine species, the genus, <i>Alphadon</i> (Al-fah-don) was a derived marsupialiform from China. With a temporal range of 99-66 mya, it was around 30.5cm/12in in length. In life, it most likely looked like a modern day American opossum even though it wasn’t closely related. As an omnivore, as evidenced from its teeth, it foraged for fruits, invertebrates and smaller vertebrates.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Marsupialia</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Marsupials have a temporal range of 66-0 mya and take their name from the pouch which is called a ‘marsupium’. Today, there are ~ 272 marsupial species with around 72 species living in the Americas and 200 species in Australasia that are diverse in body form, ecological niches and in radiated environments. From tiger, wolf, rat, and shrew eutherian body forms, most marsupials range in shape and size from a squirrel to a medium sized dog, but there are marsupials outside this range that are tiny to enormous.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJD-5jVcqqpWD8-SL1Z74hu-ywQPd-NDLrJU5gCw1L7FvBfNfg37bZ6yK9QNu3_fSZdzkEGfvt3WyCZ-lTIlFKsp3XoKN_Fteao9ESC_-kKLnOnaBOvCpX2ofbhSYovf9xwHlcoLsyvR3K/s802/1-mam+planigale+narrow-nosed.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJD-5jVcqqpWD8-SL1Z74hu-ywQPd-NDLrJU5gCw1L7FvBfNfg37bZ6yK9QNu3_fSZdzkEGfvt3WyCZ-lTIlFKsp3XoKN_Fteao9ESC_-kKLnOnaBOvCpX2ofbhSYovf9xwHlcoLsyvR3K/s320/1-mam+planigale+narrow-nosed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Planigale</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBZIUmn5PDjKVTelpkPqU97ugMO4MAAcHqBaq3X7RYI-0bdynTLRt4YnuvRmTfexJOC_I2WoZHF4DvFB0iLkUTGWdtHloWgdVAA4_C6BMA7_CimgziOU3tI86coDi-VhyCZXgniQZhmAP/s862/1-mam+diprotodon+Laurie+Beirne.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBZIUmn5PDjKVTelpkPqU97ugMO4MAAcHqBaq3X7RYI-0bdynTLRt4YnuvRmTfexJOC_I2WoZHF4DvFB0iLkUTGWdtHloWgdVAA4_C6BMA7_CimgziOU3tI86coDi-VhyCZXgniQZhmAP/w200-h113/1-mam+diprotodon+Laurie+Beirne.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Laurie Beirne <i>Diprotodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Marsupials range in size from the extant </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Planigale</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (plah-nee-gail), otherwise commonly known as the ‘marsupial mouse’, in barely reaching a length of 12cm/4.7in; while on the other hand, the Australian Pleistocene wombat, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Diprotodon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Di-pro-toe-don) that lived 1.6 mya-44 kya, was the size of a rhinoceros reaching the length of 3.3m/9.9ft, with a height of 2m/6.6ft weighing up to 2,790 kg/6,150 lbs. The smallest known kangaroo is the extant, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Hypsiprymnodon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Hip-see-peer-yim-no-don). It’s known as the musky rat-kangaroo and from head to body, only averages 210mm/8.3in in length. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Procoptodon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Pro-cop-toe-don), one of Australia’s Pleistocene giant short-faced kangaroos that lived 774-15 kya stood on its haunches at 2m/6.6ft, but in standing upright on its feet would’ve reached a height of 3m/9.9ft.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVk8HeUkJERjUgFlgaIlD2E3oCOiHzoO0A3jenRZXcDGE0CMG1UkHLyEmqUprBwIyEKUAx1Uri4siBmjjkSp7eeeDM2tIwL-rDisRdq63105B65OQZjswt-OUCNu27t1ztfKGVcKvDRRaa/s800/1-mam+Hypsiprymnodon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="800" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVk8HeUkJERjUgFlgaIlD2E3oCOiHzoO0A3jenRZXcDGE0CMG1UkHLyEmqUprBwIyEKUAx1Uri4siBmjjkSp7eeeDM2tIwL-rDisRdq63105B65OQZjswt-OUCNu27t1ztfKGVcKvDRRaa/w200-h133/1-mam+Hypsiprymnodon.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hypsiprymnodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">One interesting feature concerning </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Planigale</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> is that in the five species, about the only way to tell them apart is in the different shapes of the respective species’ footpads. A facet tied to </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Diprotodon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> was that it was seasonally a migrant; an unusual feature of Australia’s colonized marsupials. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Hypsiprymnodon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> is a kangaroo that has an omnivorous diet consisting of fruit, fungi and invertebrates such as insects. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Procoptodon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> is the only kangaroo that didn’t hop as its leg tendons couldn’t handle the extra weight stress in hopping. Instead, they shuffled around on large one-toed feet bipedally, much like human mobility. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Protocoptodon</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> even had large musculature buttocks as humans do, which is absolutely key if an animal is to balance while lifting one leg at a time off the ground.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sGk_wUMaSySqkimtd5Px88gP4_WG_y87PSymvn6Jd7X5mJav9gCfh9Qbrfx9OOR4DSwWvmFz3LaqOvrO3PIg34kyhuWgS5cKbsg52kAaAbBAtPiP3ngCD6JMgCCneLFALWnF9SZyH8pa/s520/1-mam+procoptodon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="471" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sGk_wUMaSySqkimtd5Px88gP4_WG_y87PSymvn6Jd7X5mJav9gCfh9Qbrfx9OOR4DSwWvmFz3LaqOvrO3PIg34kyhuWgS5cKbsg52kAaAbBAtPiP3ngCD6JMgCCneLFALWnF9SZyH8pa/s320/1-mam+procoptodon.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Nat. History Museum London <i>Protocopdon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The extinct marsupialiform family, <i>Herpetotheriidae</i> (Her-puh-toe-thear-i-day), as mentioned earlier under, </span><i>Metatheria</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> are the ancestral sister clade to all marsupials. With a temporal range of 66-13 mya, they survived the K-Pg extinction but succumbed to extinction soon after the Middle Miocene Disruption’s sudden cooling effects in climate temperature. </span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMHDNZvmxkxu0JSQ_xVvZgxNGdLcrGzD-L7VckPTeIL11mwis_kyyrGlHgRDn8ORgU0o2eddPk_9S7GmRiDdY3KSdSDMi1Map0px9HKjWGYIuWNjIlAADvazb-QBuWFljpu-a_Evq_OBC/s2048/1-mam+Herpetotherium+Jorge+A.+Gonzalez.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1573" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMHDNZvmxkxu0JSQ_xVvZgxNGdLcrGzD-L7VckPTeIL11mwis_kyyrGlHgRDn8ORgU0o2eddPk_9S7GmRiDdY3KSdSDMi1Map0px9HKjWGYIuWNjIlAADvazb-QBuWFljpu-a_Evq_OBC/s320/1-mam+Herpetotherium+Jorge+A.+Gonzalez.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jorge A. Gonzalez <i>Herpetotherium</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Herpetotheriids were a successful terrestrial group originating in Europe with the 66 mya oldest member in, <i>Maastrichtidelphys</i> (Mass-tree-hit-e-dell-fizz) of the Cretaceous Netherlands to the 20-13 mya youngest in, <i>Amphiperatherium</i> (Am-fee-pear-ah-thear-e-um) from Miocene Europe with fossils found in Belgium, Bosnia/Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Switzerland and the U.K. portion of England and Scotland.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The oldest known marsupial is the 63.3-33.9 mya, <i>Peradectes</i> (Pair-ah-deck-tees). Originating in North America’s Paleocene Colorado Mason pocket beds, this marsupial was a well-travelled little fella, for its fossils have also been found in Paleocene California, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming, Canada, Bolivia, and Peru, but also in the Eocene USA, Canada, Peru France and England. <i>Peradectes</i> fossils have actually been found in 38 locations. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCZL0J0FdvQ6IMlVXF68-G6UN3QvU8V7VDA4vvAhH3lJayH41sJooJuDW71MDo-n6MoPM5Ms5DM_slp32KWKA5tuFa8VsRSBNL9MvHXW1u5P1vj_e3YUJuFnCAxVjxq044x2lOSHS-yF6/s700/1-mam+peradectes+Sch%25C3%25A4del%252C+Seitenansicht%252C+Balkenl%25C3%25A4nge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCZL0J0FdvQ6IMlVXF68-G6UN3QvU8V7VDA4vvAhH3lJayH41sJooJuDW71MDo-n6MoPM5Ms5DM_slp32KWKA5tuFa8VsRSBNL9MvHXW1u5P1vj_e3YUJuFnCAxVjxq044x2lOSHS-yF6/s320/1-mam+peradectes+Sch%25C3%25A4del%252C+Seitenansicht%252C+Balkenl%25C3%25A4nge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGO6bhAd06epe477NonOXLMmeZviP9ojcCvVIGr8s975_Hi0Hz3MCeuS0S04pTzncP1DdFXGlBud5Ia0CFXuJArcKpZ3xqEbeWihr2r3PxEaXmQ4hWVsoq9Dw7XzNwVgTdn0NBsGOWT2EB/s643/1-mam+Peradectes+fossil+Ghedoghedo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="643" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGO6bhAd06epe477NonOXLMmeZviP9ojcCvVIGr8s975_Hi0Hz3MCeuS0S04pTzncP1DdFXGlBud5Ia0CFXuJArcKpZ3xqEbeWihr2r3PxEaXmQ4hWVsoq9Dw7XzNwVgTdn0NBsGOWT2EB/s320/1-mam+Peradectes+fossil+Ghedoghedo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Peradectes</i> Fossils</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">It was a scansorial carnivore, but fossils have been found in dry terrestrial environs, in swamps, alluvial flows and in wet fluvial lacustrine and river channel fills. The genus name is Greek for ‘pouch biter’. It had a distinct marsupial jaw and tooth anatomy along with a prehensile tail and most likely gave rise to didelphids.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">This read is not for listing every marsupial, especially the extant crown group marsupials, but we will mention a few below:</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJDxIdOTk3l8Br8TS_iYdMgXC_lpjEoHJ1eD4LsrN6mwe_zFNgyM0-chi0iFs3148fo0zL6b1cMV6AIM-Y2w5qagO-e_YRSCsngjJsk9mXH2_0p_hTgkzLE6txO8V0kLr_9qcVuGx8jn5/s843/1-mam+Malleodectidae+peter+schouten.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJDxIdOTk3l8Br8TS_iYdMgXC_lpjEoHJ1eD4LsrN6mwe_zFNgyM0-chi0iFs3148fo0zL6b1cMV6AIM-Y2w5qagO-e_YRSCsngjJsk9mXH2_0p_hTgkzLE6txO8V0kLr_9qcVuGx8jn5/s320/1-mam+Malleodectidae+peter+schouten.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Peter Schouten <i>Malleodectes</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Living during the Miocene of Australia some 17-15 mya, the extinct, <i>Malleodectes</i> (Mao-e-o-deck-tees) was a marsupial at ~ 38.1cm/15in in length looking much like a house cat. Its Latin and ancient Greek name implies ‘mallet biter’ due to its huge hammer-like teeth that has not been found inside the mouth of any other animal extinct or extant. Only the snail eating skink, <i>Hemisphaeriodon</i> <i>gerrardii</i>, also endemic to Australia has remotely similar dentition. With the teeth evidence, it has been proposed that <i>Malleodectes</i> was durophagus in that it dieted on hard-shelled animals such as snails and molluscs throughout the wet forest habitat it roamed in. Fossil remains were found in the ‘Riversleigh World Heritage Area’, Queensland.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5Lct-IX5HM_3hdjVuZrcH3CA5_G2c-zZ6TeFO2y1wSbn51VKHODfe_oN8B6LW953O3W74tnCpdKCi6iV52izdn9JoNBa4DHbYa3u_cBf7n2VzJV9o4F1MwIHYDhfp3_MvaNXZQPVWVLY/s884/1-mam+malleodectes+jaws-teeth.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="884" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5Lct-IX5HM_3hdjVuZrcH3CA5_G2c-zZ6TeFO2y1wSbn51VKHODfe_oN8B6LW953O3W74tnCpdKCi6iV52izdn9JoNBa4DHbYa3u_cBf7n2VzJV9o4F1MwIHYDhfp3_MvaNXZQPVWVLY/s320/1-mam+malleodectes+jaws-teeth.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Malleodectes</i> jaws/teeth</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Its huge premolars along with the teeth’s hammer-like shape could have easily cracked and crushed the hardest of shells. <i>Malleodectes</i> appears to have been related to the dasyurids ˗ carnivorous marsupials due to the details of its canines and molars. Although it may have specialized in dining on escargot, it might have supplemented its diet with small vertebrates. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkSHWx0f3QM48ANb4ssLAqHIpJIXxEknS7BbT0V3CZ2Rj1pbu9NwXao8LaXeoG_X5xE0S-uq5904QgMEh80YSJSRI7i8ijeCBVK5SAZPpckY6xe540dM_sje7L-OutJ5_KD5W9ng59i2H/s1183/1-mam+nimbadon+peter+schouten.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1183" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkSHWx0f3QM48ANb4ssLAqHIpJIXxEknS7BbT0V3CZ2Rj1pbu9NwXao8LaXeoG_X5xE0S-uq5904QgMEh80YSJSRI7i8ijeCBVK5SAZPpckY6xe540dM_sje7L-OutJ5_KD5W9ng59i2H/s320/1-mam+nimbadon+peter+schouten.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Peter Schouten <i>Nimbadon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Living 25-12 mya <i>Nimbadon</i> (Nim-bah-don) was arboreal, but not only did it climb trees, it is the largest arboreal marsupial ever known. Discovered also in the ‘Riversleigh World Heritage Area’ of NW Queensland, <i>Nimbadon</i> shared the fate of many other animals that fell into a cave hole and couldn’t escape, for it had no exit but for the hole in the ceiling. Eventually the cave’s rock walls and ceiling had eroded away leaving only the floor with its rich array of doomed fossilized animals.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1NDgl28sGs71Ze9iOXRqsmtjCw_z5qdyR3TrGvMqgiPFGaRUSycTTQqO4sZN2MBa_C7C3_A-QcLpS5X7fQxtPTJivwUg_M71ZoHlzCJxmP2EOXiDhXclUJCAoQ5P54OVoW3q0oyRlHWq/s798/1-mam+nimbadon+fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="798" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1NDgl28sGs71Ze9iOXRqsmtjCw_z5qdyR3TrGvMqgiPFGaRUSycTTQqO4sZN2MBa_C7C3_A-QcLpS5X7fQxtPTJivwUg_M71ZoHlzCJxmP2EOXiDhXclUJCAoQ5P54OVoW3q0oyRlHWq/s320/1-mam+nimbadon+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Nimbadon</i> skeletal</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Nimbadon</i>, like the aforementioned <i>Diprotodon</i> was a diprotodontid and wombat-like, but unlike the other diprotodontids, it was the only one that was koala-like and arboreal. It was an herbivore chewing on soft tree leaves and stems. To aid in walking on land, it could retract its claws. So far there are three <i>Nimbadon</i> species that had an average length of 1m/3.3ft with a hefty weight of 70kg/154.3lb. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqS5ezGC8xdnKD3OxVOu1qGLxOXShF6LmtiCPeDkAMCQE7iyGXRJtZLShzX5boUhjHycVKLk5TJ38AXiBwxZxHvWgquQ4oq7wE5OobORzWrKNXuq7bQ3Ri4ykhkHPK9GRKFt5ldCPrSP7/s625/1-mam+bandicoot+eastern+long-nosed.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqS5ezGC8xdnKD3OxVOu1qGLxOXShF6LmtiCPeDkAMCQE7iyGXRJtZLShzX5boUhjHycVKLk5TJ38AXiBwxZxHvWgquQ4oq7wE5OobORzWrKNXuq7bQ3Ri4ykhkHPK9GRKFt5ldCPrSP7/s320/1-mam+bandicoot+eastern+long-nosed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eastern long-nosed bandicoot</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Showing up in the Late Oligocene between 27.8-23 mya to the present, bandicoots are found in Australia, New Guinea along with the endangered Seram bandicoot of the largest Indonesian island also known as Seram. The bandicoot order, <i>Peramelemorphia</i> (Puh-ram-el-mor-fee-ah) consisting of 14 genera are unusual as marsupials, in that the fetuses are enveloped in a marsupial-type choriovitelline placenta, but in addition, bandicoots also have a eutherian-type chorioallantoic placenta that connects the fetus to the uterine wall. Although the chorioallantoic placenta does provide some nutrients for the fetus, it is too small to wholly sustain the fetus in lacking chorionic villi. Bandicoots are nocturnal omnivores subsisting on plant sprouts and roots, insects, worms, and smaller vertebrates like lizards and rodents. Bandicoot hind legs are longer than the front limbs giving them the ability to hop. Species range in size from 15-56cm/5.9-22in in length. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMWca6byvuDAd3NI_sn_OjplsBWMINOkQWW3dJC-NiyotkYcYK_N4vOJGexqKSf6ldi2z2n4YrnxFtfVwr4xlhvKMTd6ezAjs8WVVG5YvmrGE8HJn_vDGZT2AEGzme1C2K0BSywDSSzb8/s634/1-mam+bandicoot+orphan.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMWca6byvuDAd3NI_sn_OjplsBWMINOkQWW3dJC-NiyotkYcYK_N4vOJGexqKSf6ldi2z2n4YrnxFtfVwr4xlhvKMTd6ezAjs8WVVG5YvmrGE8HJn_vDGZT2AEGzme1C2K0BSywDSSzb8/s320/1-mam+bandicoot+orphan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bandicoot with adopted duck family </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">I like stories like this one above as a western Australian rancher noticed that his momma duck had adopted a stray orphaned bandicoot. She began raising the bandicoot with her ducklings. The rancher began daily checks, where one day he noticed that the little bandicoot was missing. However, the very next day it was with its adopted duck family again. He really has no idea what truly happened, but feels either the bandicoot mother had discovered it and taken it back to her nest where the infant bandicoot then found its way back to its duck family, or the momma duck brought him back after the bandicoot strayed off. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiNGK_WJRzSdzAXxo9-kSf7oWDLVKs6L9i7k1FOu3g_dAE5xwDjZ1Y27v931-JkrZrtbQTaTxGtyLqW-ipnmxzwSr1KwCwMWPp-YE5MycOHHf7BosSUYBXoq6iYuiSG9OCh7AZEeOmlXf/s479/1-mam+southern+marsupial+mole..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiNGK_WJRzSdzAXxo9-kSf7oWDLVKs6L9i7k1FOu3g_dAE5xwDjZ1Y27v931-JkrZrtbQTaTxGtyLqW-ipnmxzwSr1KwCwMWPp-YE5MycOHHf7BosSUYBXoq6iYuiSG9OCh7AZEeOmlXf/s320/1-mam+southern+marsupial+mole..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southern marsupial mole</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The marsupial mole belongs to the family, <i>Notoryctidae</i> (No-tor-rick-tah-dye) with the one genus, <i>Notoryctes</i> (No-tor-ah-tees) consisting of two extant species, and the one genus, <i>Naraborcytes</i> (Nah-rah-bor-ah-tees) consisting of one extinct species. With a temporal range of 20-0 mya, the only marsupial mole fossil find is during the Miocene 20 mya. With a leathery shield over the snout, forefeet possessing two greatly enlarged spade shaped claws for excavating sand/soil and hind feet that are flattened bearing three small claws for shoveling the loose sand/soil behind it and out of the way, the marsupial mole can literally swim through the subsurface where they spend most of their time. Sizes are variable from 12.1-15.9cm/4.8-6.3in with head and body while only having a tail 21-26mm/0.8-1.0in in length. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The tiny eyes are fused shut by the eyelids. Marsupial moles have no ear lobes, but instead just two small holes, one on each side of the head covered by thick fur. On the other end the short tail is stubby and naked. Both the covered ear openings and short tail evolved convergently to full-term placental mole features to fit their fossorial environmental lifestyle. The last five cervical vertebrae are fused giving the head greater rigidity in digging. As in all marsupials there is a pouch on the females, but unlike other marsupials the opening is on the bottom instead of the top to keep sand/soil out when the mother is tunneling.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvdL8OdblM2gD31yoVSZggFvV9O5QRi8DVIIVHoYHfnRdmYUcxjS6Rjp1FEjHGhrcrEf15r2Bst2lS4EMbFmMeMZoYLIJtIBDsantkthrpF7oHcAuMsmJSKgfBTrF8A7HcZ2jm2-GFfdk/s700/1-mam+southern+marsupial+mole+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvdL8OdblM2gD31yoVSZggFvV9O5QRi8DVIIVHoYHfnRdmYUcxjS6Rjp1FEjHGhrcrEf15r2Bst2lS4EMbFmMeMZoYLIJtIBDsantkthrpF7oHcAuMsmJSKgfBTrF8A7HcZ2jm2-GFfdk/s320/1-mam+southern+marsupial+mole+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southern marsupial mole dining on lizard</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The scientific notation for the southern marsupial mole is <i>N</i>. <i>typhlops</i> (tye-flops) while the northern marsupial mole is <i>N</i>. <i>caurinus</i> (core-een-us). These two extant marsupial moles live in the deserts of Australia with the southern marsupial mole inhabiting central Australia where the northern marsupial mole inhabits further northern central Australia bordering the southern marsupial mole’s extent northern boundary. The extinct <i>Naraborcytes</i> actually lived in the NW Corner of Queensland during Australia’s Miocene period not in desert, but in an environ of lush tropical rain forests. All three species are insectivores/carnivores. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusPXUOLENSGa3Vle3nxcIf_nsekj9MDKTF-i5MeqabsBwABamL7T7FDpaxrNZiNfmWja2Rb4vcqM9b0vDX-zQ_v6u6X5NVxkBR4_cMZR5UymcgOG3UgQJxAtW_aLsVc1s2UXzQY1T6srA/s2048/1-mam+southern+Notoryctes-typhlops.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1372" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusPXUOLENSGa3Vle3nxcIf_nsekj9MDKTF-i5MeqabsBwABamL7T7FDpaxrNZiNfmWja2Rb4vcqM9b0vDX-zQ_v6u6X5NVxkBR4_cMZR5UymcgOG3UgQJxAtW_aLsVc1s2UXzQY1T6srA/s320/1-mam+southern+Notoryctes-typhlops.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern marsupial mole dining on centipede</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There has been some questioning if <i>Naraboryctes</i> is truly a marsupial mole due to differences in synapomorphies (derived anatomical characters) the two extant marsupial moles feature anatomically. The two <i>Notoryctes</i> species have considerable polymorphism in tooth number between both species and as well within the same specimen. Nonetheless, reflecting on dentition, the consensus of older studies like the Archer et al. (2011) report, the presence of four molars (typical of marsupials) in each quadrant is also standard in both the extant, <i>Notoryctes</i> and the extinct notoryctid, <i>Naraboryctes</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Their hearing is exceptional and about the only time they will surface is to capture the prey after being located through the sounds the intended victim makes while transporting across the ground’s surface. Occasional flooding will also make marsupial moles surface.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Below is a quick video of <i>N</i>. <i>typhlops</i> digging:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p7uA3YaLPhE" width="320" youtube-src-id="p7uA3YaLPhE"></iframe></div><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Eutheria</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">:</span></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The relative Cretaceous paucity of placentals from North America and their greater abundance in Asia suggests the earliest flowering of the <i>Eutheria</i> clade in an unspecified region of the Old World. Until further discoveries of eutherian fossils are found, this is the prevailing thought. The closest living relatives to eutherians are the marsupials.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Basal eutherians were small, most no larger than a rat and when considering biological implications, their derived high metabolic rate was more pronounced allowing for a more successful existence. For instance, when one region they inhabit runs out of food, they can easily migrate without being noticed to another region where resources are more abundant. Smaller animals also have relatively higher birth and quicker growth rates accelerating maturation processes. Rapid population increases spur the tendency to move and adapt to new environments around the globe. Giving birth to fully developed embryos has also aided in their speciation and spread.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Under </span><i>Metatheria</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> we introduced a time frame of 160 mya of the oldest eutherian fossil thus far discovered. That eutherian fossil was </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">Juramaia</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (Jure-ah-my-ah) with the name referring to the Greek terms for ‘Jurassic Mother’. The fossil discovery was in the western half of China’s Liaoning, Province.</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Also, under </span><i>Mammalia</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> we described a bit about <i>Juramaia</i>, only to refresh it up a bit here. At an average size of 85mm/3.5in, it was a small arboreal animal scampering after insects up in the trees. Its leg and toe anatomy was ideal for climbing and running in trees. <i>Juramaia</i> provides new insight into the evolution of placental mammals by showing that their lineage diverged from that of the marsupials 35 million years earlier than previously thought, while filling gaps in the fossil record to calibrate modern DNA-based methods of dating mammalian evolution. However, even though <i>Juramaia</i> is listed by most as eutherian, it is most likely at best a great, great aunt to eutherians. That’s my conjectured thought, but I’m sticking to it…for now, anyway.</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Shocking as it may seem but before we go any further, most basal eutherians were not full-term placentals as the females had too narrow of openings at the base of the pelvis disallowing full-term fetuses to emerge; much like marsupials. They also possessed pubic bones. However, all eutherians shared in the tibia base (the larger of the two shin bones) in having an enlarged malleolus which is the ankle bone that is hammer head in shape. The joint between the first metatarsal bone and the entocuneiform bone (the innermost of the three cuneiform bones) in the foot is offset further back than the joint between the second metatarsal and mesocuneiform bones (the middle cuneiform bone). Various anatomies of the jaws and teeth are distinct only in both primitive and modern eutherians.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">To refresh, we introduced <i>Eomaia</i> under, <i>Multituberculata</i> that arose 125 mya. I personally list it as an advanced multituberculate due to its age and not as a eutherian or even therian. The main current consensus is that it is a basal eutherian and therefore a therian. The name itself implies ‘dawn mother’. But there is a trend brought forth by the esteemed paleontologist Maureen O’Leary and colleagues that it is only a stem group of therians and at best a sister clade as basal to non-placental eutherians. However, I feel it is too much in age to be a genuine therian, much less a eutherian, but for sure it is more closely related to the therian groups. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Eomaia</i> not only has eutherian traits, but it also has anatomical characteristics of metatherians as well, such as possessing an epipubic bone. Therefore, it is more closely related to therians than the O’Leary team suggests, but too primitive to be a eutherian as most all paleontologists suggest that it is. Hence I feel it is closer to the common ancestor of all therians, just not quite there to be a therian. You be your own judge…</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There are other mammals that could be considered as basal therians, or even as stem eutherians such as <i>Prokennalestes</i> (Pro-ken-nah-less-tees) that also occurred around 125 years ago with a temporal range of 125.45-99.7 mya. Coming from Early Cretaceous Mongolia, <i>Prokennalestes</i> had a dental formula consisting of three molars and five premolars. The lingual cingula (singular: cingulum ~ incisors and canines; lingual: palatal developmental lobe of anterior teeth) are present, but as very short and obscure. Also, a masseteric foramen along with a mandibular foramen that opens in a prominent longitudinal ridge are present.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">From <i>Prokennalestes</i>, direct descendants were the Mongolian, <i>Kennalestes</i> (Ken-nah-less-tees) from 75 mya and the Siberian, <i>Murtoilestes</i> (Mur-toi-less-tees) from 113 mya. More derived non full-term placentals were Japan’s <i>Sasayamamylos</i> (Sass-i-ah-mam-e-los) from 112.6-109 mya, Montana’s, <i>Montanalestes</i> (Mon-tan-nah-less-tees) from 113 mya and Uzbekistan’s, <i>Bobolestes</i> (Bo-bo-less-tees) from 99.7-94.3 mya. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaZKjqpG716EzALXCO3qjXMTIcfQusf65vcf5hqsC6ME9NgIiqwCj7zEx510vjHI9x_jkPdka9-EF4yofjO3ybtdYo7Q6KLUf54ELQIXYBiR53Z88qAAa4St_YEV4PUZVHMz9es4YzTW7/s749/1-mam+Pro-Ken+Richard+Cifelli.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="749" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaZKjqpG716EzALXCO3qjXMTIcfQusf65vcf5hqsC6ME9NgIiqwCj7zEx510vjHI9x_jkPdka9-EF4yofjO3ybtdYo7Q6KLUf54ELQIXYBiR53Z88qAAa4St_YEV4PUZVHMz9es4YzTW7/s320/1-mam+Pro-Ken+Richard+Cifelli.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Richard Cifelli</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">For the above illustration the numbered symbols stand for: (2) coronoid bone, (3) Meckelian sulcus, (4) premolars, (5) back premolar, (6) molar count.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Concerning the mandible in most mammals, there is a circular opening where the mandible nerve runs through. This is called the labial mandibular foramen. Also, the shallow depression near the base of the coronoid and angular processes is the masseteric fossa. In some mammals the masseteric fossa actually perforates the dentary; in those forms the resultant opening becomes known as the masseteric canal. The reason these traits are being mentioned is because most all Cenozoic placentals including humans have them. <i>Eomaia</i> did not possess a labial mandibular foramen and masseteric fossa, but the more derived <i>Prokennalestes</i> did. <i>Eomaia</i> had undeveloped conules on the upper molars, but the more derived <i>Murtoilestes</i> had more pronounced conules just as Cenozoic placentals do.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As well, <i>Eomaia</i> differs from both <i>Prokennalestes</i> and <i>Murtoilestes</i> in having an anteroposteriorly shorter molar trigonid and a longer talonid basin. Eomaia differs from <i>Montanalestes</i> in having a paraconid lower than the metaconid. <i>Eomaia</i> also differs from <i>Montanalestes</i> and all other Late Cretaceous therians and full-term placentals in retaining the primitive Meckelian sulcus (groove) on the mandible, although <i>Prokennalestes</i> retained the sulcus as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The Meckelian sulcus is structurally associated with a Meckel’s cartridge middle ear connection in many Mesozoic mammals. The two older stem eutherians, <i>Prokennalestes</i> and <i>Eomaia</i>, which are related to modern placentals, have clearly preserved the Meckelian sulci. Similarly, the stem metatherian <i>Kokopellia</i> (mentioned under <i>Marsupialiaformes</i>) also has a distinctive Meckelian sulcus. Enlarged Meckelian sulci are also present in the immediate outgroups of the metatherian–eutherian clade, such as the cladotherians. Independent studies of these stem eutherians, metatherians and respective outgroups have all determined that the Meckelian sulci in these forms were grooved from the Meckel’s cartridge; not from other soft-tissue structures. Thus, it can be inferred that Meckel’s cartridge and ear were connected in basal eutherians and metatherians in that Meckel’s cartridge breakdown occurred separately in the eutherian/placental and metatherian/marsupial lineages through at least partially distinct cellular patterns.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With Meckel’s cartridge showing up as early as the Early Cretaceous is a classic example of evolutionary trends. The evolutionary origin of the definitive mammalian middle ear is transformative. As we expounded on much earlier when discussing mammalian ear development, reptiles and pre-mammalian synapsids possess multiple bones in the jaw but only a single bone (stapes) in the middle ear. By comparison, all mammals possess a single dentary bone in the jaw, and multiple bones in the middle ear, namely the malleus, incus and ectotympanic, while not to forget in addition the stapes. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwdWWAmuremERrhIu0aTnsTqoJ2TAKjK4m2GXUxfJNw8_E5zsq2YFmSgerdeCNCdxv4ueoiytBz5cBwE6FX9cg2BjQLjgLP53uqu6rJaVEU8SWmNMYMcTaUxHC4ufpZc6REjYNRDVnidv/s1104/1-mam+meckel+cartridge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwdWWAmuremERrhIu0aTnsTqoJ2TAKjK4m2GXUxfJNw8_E5zsq2YFmSgerdeCNCdxv4ueoiytBz5cBwE6FX9cg2BjQLjgLP53uqu6rJaVEU8SWmNMYMcTaUxHC4ufpZc6REjYNRDVnidv/s320/1-mam+meckel+cartridge.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meckel's cartridge</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">This developmental mechanism for the separation of the mammalian middle ear ossicles from the reptilian jaw has been traced and verified in step by stepped stages genetically and embryonically by a group of U.S. and U.K. researchers led by Karen E. Sears. Using marsupial fetuses and undeveloped pups, they were able to pinpoint the trending migrations of the 3jawbones’ migration from the jaw to the making of the ear bones through the various stages of the fetus and undeveloped pups as the bone migrations are still retained in early marsupial development.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">All these basal therians/stem eutherians show that their clade had originated in Asia and successfully radiated out across northern Europe and into America. They all were Cretaceous inconspicuously small scansorial insectivore tree dwellers and were most likely nocturnal. The reason being for eutherian roots existing in an arboreal niche was most likely to stave off dinosaurian predation. Of course when the avialan dinosaur evolved and utilized trees, it put a wrinkle in these early mammalian strategies although the small size would help in hiding. But before they were to leave the trees and venture forth onto terra firma, their progeny would have to grow in size.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">A couple of more advanced group members belonging to non-full-term placental eutherians are the extinct adapisoriculids and cimolestans. The family, <i>Adapisoriculidae</i> (Ah-dap-uh-sore-uh-cull-ah-day) had a total of eight genera that covered a temporal range of 66.043-40.4 mya. The order, <i>Cimolesta</i> (She-mo-les-tah) had members ranging in temporal ages of 70.6-55.8 mya.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">When it comes to biological reproduction, since reproduction components do not fossilize well, all we can definitively say is that adapisoriculids were dioecious in that there were distinct male and female genders for sexual procreation. Yeah right, like that is almost for all vertebrates from fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Adapisoriculids were small (no more than 15cm/5.9in long) scansorial insectivores and arboreal. Their fossils have been found in Europe, India and northern Africa.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Cimolestans were a large successful group and were non-placental stem eutherians. The anatomy is so common with other eutherian groups in looking like rodents, weasels, squirrels, otters and opossums that cimolestan species originally were confused to be related to other extinct and extant eutherian groups. However, they are a unique eutherian group leaving no descendants after going extinct ~ 33 mya. Part of the larger superorder <i>Didelphodonta</i> (Di-dell-foe-don-tah), cimolestans are remotely related to the eutherian, <i>Carnivora</i> (Car-nee-vor-ah), along with the creodonts, an extinct carnivore group. Cimolestans are more related to full-term placental mammals than they are to marsupials. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvb86XEYRbnWxjWZTYMiE6TVkUwd7XSTsCvrUonA62FxngH-2MeFwHkH8vrAWUISMfVMMU1g3V3yymNJbR2qnv3sU_3sA-0-SlD9ny7sZav3ZmYCvkcWOYG8f9wRGu81OF1jdB3oafXhei/s825/1-mam+cimolestes+internet.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="825" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvb86XEYRbnWxjWZTYMiE6TVkUwd7XSTsCvrUonA62FxngH-2MeFwHkH8vrAWUISMfVMMU1g3V3yymNJbR2qnv3sU_3sA-0-SlD9ny7sZav3ZmYCvkcWOYG8f9wRGu81OF1jdB3oafXhei/s320/1-mam+cimolestes+internet.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Internet <i>Cimolestes</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With a temporal range of ~ 68-56 mya in surviving the K-Pg extinction <i>Cimolestes</i> (See-mo-les-tees) was a cimolestan inhabiting woodlands of Morocco, Belgium, and North America. Being arboreal with a mouthful of dentition geared for consuming insects, in all probability it was an insectivore. In fact, the name refers to ‘bug thief’. With a body length of 20.3cm /8in, it also possessed a prehensile tail that was a bit longer than the body.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Another group of cimolestans was in the family <i>Pantolestidae</i> (Pan-toe-less-tuh-day). Living 63.3-28.4 mya that were otter-like in form geared for a semiaquatic lifestyle. They were piscivorous, as confirmed from fossilized stomach contents, while also consuming other aquatic forms like frogs and freshwater mussels/snails. But, due to the particular dentition patterns they were also most likely insectivores, snatching invertebrates on land.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With strong powerful forelimbs and hind limbs and a rudder-like tail, pantolestids were geared for swimming with ease. The forearms had the radius and ulna bones articulated providing wide rotational movements. With a tail length of nearly 35cm/14in, the body was on average 50cm/20in long.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Latter pantolestids possessed prominent cranial crests combined with strong spinal processes indicating the presence of strong neck muscles where they could constantly hold their heads above the water surface while swimming.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With the oldest pantolestid fossil finds coming from the Paleocene’s Saskatchewan, Canada, Montana and Wyoming, USA’s ‘Green River Formation’, they then spread to Eocene Europe’s France, Belgium and the German ‘Messel’ pit 48-40 mya. From Europe’s dispersal to the youngest fossils found in the ‘Ergilian’ deposits of Mongolia and Kazakhstan 37-33 mya; pantolestids became one of the few examples of European mammals dispersing into Asia during the Grande Coupure, which was an extinction event 33.5 mya between the Eocene and Oligocene marking large scale extinctions and floral/fauna turnovers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">One last cimolestan we’ll discuss here is, <i>Kopidodon</i> (Koe-pid-ah-don) from 47 mya. Its fossils from Germany’s ‘Messel’ pit are very detailed and articulated; even retaining fossilized ear lobe impressions. Originally the ‘Messel Pit’ was the site of a lake bed surrounded by a tropical forest that with slow deposition of mud and dead plant debris formed a slow anoxic stratification in forming oil shale. This process formed very detailed fossils of animals that died in the vicinity. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAnu1UFr5XBEwrnpior2SvE7Fcc1rtkPNIq421f8iuFm7Zj9C3lIzcESgEmZe6dJLB-g04MVV0TYsUpB2eA0BexY9oMS1dRJzm531lOdru2uhgQsSfySkkgmO9aEfVi27Dlv7v9KrOMUL/s800/1-mam+Kopidodon_macrognathus.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAnu1UFr5XBEwrnpior2SvE7Fcc1rtkPNIq421f8iuFm7Zj9C3lIzcESgEmZe6dJLB-g04MVV0TYsUpB2eA0BexY9oMS1dRJzm531lOdru2uhgQsSfySkkgmO9aEfVi27Dlv7v9KrOMUL/s320/1-mam+Kopidodon_macrognathus.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kopidodon </i>fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Kopidodon</i>’s molars were adapted for chewing plants but had huge canines that were most likely used for defense. At 1.2m/3.9ft, it is one of the largest arboreal European mammals ever for the time. The legs and long claws allowed <i>Kopidodon</i> to scamper up and down and through trees with ease. Due to the exquisite preservation of its fossils, its fur impressions were preserved showing a bushy tail making it look either like a squirrel or a red fox in life.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7q25PRZOhunBKmn1Z8gaDceOUwCspzs_h1H8Sw_beeru9iw4fTrNmoDXEkSzp7ch_-K4w6VCDbbfXMWZv7_JI-hdVpyUcFe32K_uqt4pF9HyUhAGlg2N4rr4hHjqwNFriZcSm8qcctDR/s1949/1-mam+phylogeny+of+crwn+grp+extant+mams.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1214" data-original-width="1949" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7q25PRZOhunBKmn1Z8gaDceOUwCspzs_h1H8Sw_beeru9iw4fTrNmoDXEkSzp7ch_-K4w6VCDbbfXMWZv7_JI-hdVpyUcFe32K_uqt4pF9HyUhAGlg2N4rr4hHjqwNFriZcSm8qcctDR/s320/1-mam+phylogeny+of+crwn+grp+extant+mams.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phylogeny of Crown Group Mammals</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Explanation of the above figure: The phylogeny of extant placentals. (a) Topology of extant placentals indicating branches with high (red) or low (blue) ratios of morphological/molecular evolution. Node numbers indicate clades; as follows: 1, Placentalia; 2, Atlantogenata; 3, Boreoeutheria; 4, Xenarthra; 5, Afrotheria; 6, Laurasiatheria; 7, Euarchontoglires; 8, Eulipotyphla; 9, Scrotifera; 10, Chiroptera; 11, Artiodactyla; 12, Pegasoferae; 13, Perissodactyla; 14, Carnivora; 15, Glires; 16, Lagomorpha; 17, Rodentia; 18, Euarchonta; 19, Scandentia; 20, Primates. (b) Averaged molecular partition branch lengths. (c) Averaged morphological partition branch lengths. Source: Royal Society Article ~ Rapid Morphological Evolution in Placental Mammals Post-dates the Origin of the Crown Group.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">There is a lack of definitive Cretaceous full-term placental mammals and may be a result of morphological similarities among stem and early crown eutherians, but there is an avenue for reconciling the fossil record with molecular divergence estimates for full-term placental mammals (<i>Placentalia</i>). Although both molecular data and fossil occurrence patterns predict that placental mammals should be present in Cretaceous beds, as yet no demonstrably Cretaceous placental fossil has been found. However, there is <i>Protungulatum</i>, known from the latest Cretaceous and earliest Paleocene of North America, as mentioned earlier toward the end of </span>Theria<span style="font-weight: normal;">, is the best candidate in having been recovered as a relative of extant ungulates in much research analyses. But a few other paleontologists have contended that it too is a stem eutherian. Only more fossil finds and time will tell.</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Regardless of how rare Cretaceous full-term placentals are, once the Cenozoic time frame kicked in, prototherians, metatherians, eutherians and in particular the extant crown group mammals radiated out and kicked fanny perpendicular in taking over all Earth’s habitable niches. The mammalian class consists of 5,000 species broken down further into 27 orders. The Cenozoic, which is the core of today’s crown group mammals’ origins, really supported a large fauna of extinct mammals. It would’ve been an ordeal to list them all in this treatise. We will not go into extant mammals and their ancestry, so to add to the extinct mammal list provided earlier, here is a list of extant mammals if you want to preview further:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammal_classification</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">But, we will end with some fun facts, so here goes…We start first with an easy one, for if ya read the whole article ya would know what this animal is. Below is a skull photo and illustration of an extinct mammal; can you guess what it is?</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIq9_i6cutEDWG4oPHoaSY-hKugEjwPBpsRy8Pv-yNB-RDYa8RIS_STITXXpxtkCdIE17Q5k_zTHGzwA5e_GDs28ml41hot5DoCihBNj1EFyTPqadz9UCU1XRzpBcipxTAHu3o6f8xkd47/s580/1-mam+thylacosmilus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIq9_i6cutEDWG4oPHoaSY-hKugEjwPBpsRy8Pv-yNB-RDYa8RIS_STITXXpxtkCdIE17Q5k_zTHGzwA5e_GDs28ml41hot5DoCihBNj1EFyTPqadz9UCU1XRzpBcipxTAHu3o6f8xkd47/s320/1-mam+thylacosmilus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Viergacht <i>Thylacosmilus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">If ya guessed it is a saber-toothed cat, like <i>Smilodon</i>, (Smile-o-don) ya guessed wrong, for it is not anywhere close to being a full-term placental felid (cat). Above is, <i>Thylacosmilus</i> (Thigh-lak-o-smile-us) that, as a sparassodont metatherian, was much closer to marsupials than to full-term placental mammals. The saber-like canines in both <i>Thylacosmilus</i> and the felid saber-toothed cats/tigers possessed the extra-large canines through convergent evolution, therefore independently of each other as they weren’t related.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvZthswGQOTm0vggSgXSnYwrWVioCViqB53TjPYVS79JXk2zKaZ2w_QYfgb-wy18mTPjQKq0RBYa5gC4uXB_PpfLRjFAbJJYaiv8OMhSTID2XfysexxHVbc_1crLgvahMpANMcDFJqgeL/s750/1-mam+smilodon++Sorin+Bulucianu.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvZthswGQOTm0vggSgXSnYwrWVioCViqB53TjPYVS79JXk2zKaZ2w_QYfgb-wy18mTPjQKq0RBYa5gC4uXB_PpfLRjFAbJJYaiv8OMhSTID2XfysexxHVbc_1crLgvahMpANMcDFJqgeL/s320/1-mam+smilodon++Sorin+Bulucianu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Sorin Buluciano <i>Smilodon</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Besides, <i>Thylacosmilus</i> most likely wasn’t a killer like, <i>Smilodon</i>, in which it used it canines for stabbing, then killing prey. Due to the mouth musculature strength of <i>Thylacosmilus</i>, the canines were best for horizontal tearing and pulling, rather than for vertical piercing, it most likely was a scavenger utilizing the canines for tearing and ripping apart dead carcasses. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t have wanted to have ticked either one of these two mammals off. Also, saber-toothed cats/tigers could open their mouths up to 128 degrees wide, where <i>Thylacosmilus</i> and felid conical-toothed cats couldn’t and cannot. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgee2nnnW3NZbeZZTJEWEN9FHsssOyafsj9ox9MJYVeBo1geQETh0-xDOkV1opyndmqeP5cycl-oPiFwJZ_AZkjwSAL3v7l32oSFClBzDuTuI1OXORmPXjL324zk8r74UWxVfLG9cswqPWy/s594/1-mam+Smilodon_max+gap+128_degrees.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgee2nnnW3NZbeZZTJEWEN9FHsssOyafsj9ox9MJYVeBo1geQETh0-xDOkV1opyndmqeP5cycl-oPiFwJZ_AZkjwSAL3v7l32oSFClBzDuTuI1OXORmPXjL324zk8r74UWxVfLG9cswqPWy/s320/1-mam+Smilodon_max+gap+128_degrees.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Smilodon</i> mouth gape</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Then there was <i>Barbourofelis</i> (Bar-burr-o-fee-liss) that lived 16.9-9 mya. Originally roaming Africa, it crossed over into Eurasia, then from there to North America when an Early Miocene land bridge opened up between Africa and Europe. <i>Barbourofelis</i> was a filiform carnivoran sister group to the saber-toothed cat family of, <i>Nimravidae</i> (Nim-rav-ah-day) or the subfamily, <i>Machairodontinae</i> (May-care-ah-don-tah-nay) but also possessed the mandible ventrally extended mental process (bony extensions on either side of the lower jaw) just as, <i>Thylacosmilus</i> had.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN36duU3h5tfDJkxDCstt-LzBwpaXdAERi4iC7tM9PHfXQLwHfbVBZtTzQRHFmpvI8fZNOnQzlJcKWmENqJ-yKS_mwe52096P47_IxvGxaJ4c7byOhD7xJNw7qGlWvoj_scf-nVwJR5rS2/s900/1-mam+barbourofelis-roman-uchytel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN36duU3h5tfDJkxDCstt-LzBwpaXdAERi4iC7tM9PHfXQLwHfbVBZtTzQRHFmpvI8fZNOnQzlJcKWmENqJ-yKS_mwe52096P47_IxvGxaJ4c7byOhD7xJNw7qGlWvoj_scf-nVwJR5rS2/s320/1-mam+barbourofelis-roman-uchytel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Roman Uchtyel <i>Barbourofelis</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Since we’re on the topic of cat-like animals there was the family, <i>Thylacoleonidae</i> (Thigh-la-cole-e-in-ah-dee) that roamed Australia 15.97-0.012 mya. Although this marsupial family transitioned to an omnivore to being wholly carnivorous it evolved from herbivorous vombatiforms, the lineage that includes the extant wombats and koalas. As widely distributed across Australia, the family consisted of four genera that ranged in size from a large housecat to a leopard with size increasing from the older to the more derived younger genera. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPGBhSa2oHbuLP57Qp0lRVtmkpHQZIAInrxw1TUN_GgbMLV0WnXVrV1xxQ3aX9dtXtryHNviAKy4IUS2-fVxzi63FzchK5PyGy1bIlrrouu3YcqbvY_apl5mCZ-QQZ7CmETJLhrg-dqmT/s800/1-mam+Barbourofelis_Dallas+Krentzel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPGBhSa2oHbuLP57Qp0lRVtmkpHQZIAInrxw1TUN_GgbMLV0WnXVrV1xxQ3aX9dtXtryHNviAKy4IUS2-fVxzi63FzchK5PyGy1bIlrrouu3YcqbvY_apl5mCZ-QQZ7CmETJLhrg-dqmT/s320/1-mam+Barbourofelis_Dallas+Krentzel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Barbourofelis</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With very unusual dentition, thylacoleonids could take down prey much larger than themselves. Held by a very wide short stout skull, the jaws contained bucktooth-like incisors that acted as chisels digging into flesh then pushing it back toward the secateur third premolars that performed like shears tearing and ripping up food. Studies conducted deem that for their size, thylacoleonids possessed the most powerful bite of any known mammalian carnivore. As well, this family had powerful claws that were retractable suggesting they were not only used for defense, but also allowed a scansorial existence. The thumb had an extra-large claw hidden in a skin sheath when not in use and could have been utilized for disemboweling prey or enemies. The teeth could easily make mincemeat out of flesh and even bone.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Since we just spoke of cats, how about speaking of dogs as another group of carnivores. Do the two illustrations below represent the origins of dogs or bears? </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZh-otpiJ51rmRMX2t7-ZM54phq8QhCYiMqVW87r0lnfgt8XTyhEgst2AyU1uFMOAjikn3iOW2fYtFhvrFyqwS8lLBDi4xrFkkKYhp6ZTCGVOEHks8Akxgl_eyNTtW-o9K4FQE6N_MfXO/s2527/1-mam+Amphicyonid+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="2527" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZh-otpiJ51rmRMX2t7-ZM54phq8QhCYiMqVW87r0lnfgt8XTyhEgst2AyU1uFMOAjikn3iOW2fYtFhvrFyqwS8lLBDi4xrFkkKYhp6ZTCGVOEHks8Akxgl_eyNTtW-o9K4FQE6N_MfXO/s320/1-mam+Amphicyonid+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artists: Julio Lacerda-Roman Yevseyev Amphicyonids</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The animals in the above illustrations are amphicyonids and if ya guessed dog or bear you’d be right either way. In fact, the common name for amphicyonids is ‘bear-dogs’. The family, <i>Amphicyonidae</i> (Am-fee-seen-ah day) with a temporal range spanning over 40 million years of 42-2.6 mya, consisted of three subfamilies with a total of 34 genera. The earliest and smallest ones were no more than 23cm/9in, while the more derived younger ones reached sizes of 2m/6.5ft. As they became bigger, amphicyonids went from in appearance to being more dog-like to bear-like.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Recent research now bears out that amphicyonids did not originate in Eurasia, but first appeared in N. America then crossed over into Europe during the Miocene. Also, an amphicyonid migration occurred via the trans-Beringian route into Russia, then Asia. Although amphicyonids are distantly related to canids (dogs) and ursids (bears), they are very basal caninforms arising from lineages much older than the origins of both bears and dogs.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Can anyone guess what the animal below represents as far as an extant mammal lineage goes?</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeC4RBrUESGeaQrvDYrD4fxTKWo8ER9zuIC7W0K926xkMoKrZgquLUJ_gCr0uN8ICMFEfclfVrryAnNTGAPwe-_qSyzfVGtXCM4wdHIREYqfQu15fFxc2B_uEalXojM5tI2hf9ePr-0zv/s1500/1-mam+Indohyus+Leonardo+alannis.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeC4RBrUESGeaQrvDYrD4fxTKWo8ER9zuIC7W0K926xkMoKrZgquLUJ_gCr0uN8ICMFEfclfVrryAnNTGAPwe-_qSyzfVGtXCM4wdHIREYqfQu15fFxc2B_uEalXojM5tI2hf9ePr-0zv/s320/1-mam+Indohyus+Leonardo+alannis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Leonardo Alannis <i>Indohyus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The illustration above is the mammal, <i>Indohyus</i> (In-doe-hi-us) which belongs to the family, <i>Raoellidae</i> (Rah-l-ah-day). Raoellids lived 48.6-40.4 mya during the Eocene of Pakistan, India and China. They were terrestrial digitigrade (walked on toes while the heel does not touch the ground) artiodactyls, but as well were highly semiaquatic. Just like the capybara of today, they were herbivores that didn’t dine on water plants, instead preferring to graze on terrestrial plants and most likely used the watery environs for escaping predators. What is the amazing significance of this family is that they are closely related as a sister taxon to the completely aquatic cetaceans, which includes porpoises, dolphins and whales. <i>Indohyus</i> possessed an auditory bulla formed from the ectotympanic bone exactly as in whales, porpoises and dolphins. It also had a middle ear space called the involucrum that is only found in cetaceans today.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9cToWJTyBOljDAThQyJN7apvAVadZEU9-TXxbxC3ZCEOW_vS9kCV0N2yCe3wCD33ijGxOJOha-7-DPy4y3XBeL2u-0rX1lRn9YD_ZN6b5Y1SHIz4T-qtRNJTTksNqrlWGzWFW7kwq7Na/s752/1-mam+whale+evolution+R.E.C.H.S.+Biology.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="569" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9cToWJTyBOljDAThQyJN7apvAVadZEU9-TXxbxC3ZCEOW_vS9kCV0N2yCe3wCD33ijGxOJOha-7-DPy4y3XBeL2u-0rX1lRn9YD_ZN6b5Y1SHIz4T-qtRNJTTksNqrlWGzWFW7kwq7Na/s320/1-mam+whale+evolution+R.E.C.H.S.+Biology.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R.E.C.H.S. Biology</td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVaamJU-fhNawOuR9Q4NVvi-6tw4JOhvNltOFnVP9GnwmAX2hx77-z-gaZnCM1sFBzubzKdUymIjxM-GgTxjmTV73iACRuKs8IX2KHkxBXSoh8wpMHYtO3I2lmMeN1UfeVFWFjnwtm_HFr/s1198/1-mam+whale+evolution+scientificillustration.tumblr.com.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVaamJU-fhNawOuR9Q4NVvi-6tw4JOhvNltOFnVP9GnwmAX2hx77-z-gaZnCM1sFBzubzKdUymIjxM-GgTxjmTV73iACRuKs8IX2KHkxBXSoh8wpMHYtO3I2lmMeN1UfeVFWFjnwtm_HFr/s320/1-mam+whale+evolution+scientificillustration.tumblr.com.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">scientificillustration.tumbler-com</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In whale lineage drawings you may well see <i>Indohyus</i> as the forerunner in the cetacean lineage however; <i>Indohyus</i> is not the direct common ancestor to cetaceans as its temporal range is too late, for the first true oceanic whales appeared 50 mya. The direct common ancestor hasn’t as yet been discovered, but <i>Indohyus</i> surely is a sister to whatever was the direct common ancestor. Its fossils possess an involucrum which is a thick bone covering over the middle ear space to enrich underwater auditory vibrations. Before discovering <i>Indohyus</i>’ fossils and some of its immediate predecessors in the cetacean lineage, all other animal groups, extinct or extant, do not possess an involucrum. <i>Indohyous</i> also had heavier limb bones to keep it from floating while wading or submerged in water.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7CtTdv4HMbwPMXDAG_O5XXekvhZH1B2usrEaXzEXZkvaYuT5TgCjOBpwMnpjs1d3dmarE4DCrVtZX6Qt6mbLIJic45pBeHoJ8THvjw_L3LUhXVvnI1h4VBl7bWAs2C3dGXf7Vtp-QyAQ/s1200/1-mam+Indohyus+Lucas+Lima.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7CtTdv4HMbwPMXDAG_O5XXekvhZH1B2usrEaXzEXZkvaYuT5TgCjOBpwMnpjs1d3dmarE4DCrVtZX6Qt6mbLIJic45pBeHoJ8THvjw_L3LUhXVvnI1h4VBl7bWAs2C3dGXf7Vtp-QyAQ/s320/1-mam+Indohyus+Lucas+Lima.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Lucas Lima <i>Indohyus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">So, in quick fashion, we went from <i>Indohyous</i>, a small deer-like artiodactyl that was quite comfortable in being semiaquatic in freshwater to… </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xU5SU80ctgzSdf7oX94ZPAUpXR2rkJoAfdT05gdmVUxoxSXGx_VRoRUQGNlNzfW7COedh7Gc4e3WdG0cbVJzKhZTz9hXHZyQP_YQ0GpjbAOXDaODQ-BibG-QB7z7-GB_9KkxIJUPTakY/s750/1-mam+pakicetus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xU5SU80ctgzSdf7oX94ZPAUpXR2rkJoAfdT05gdmVUxoxSXGx_VRoRUQGNlNzfW7COedh7Gc4e3WdG0cbVJzKhZTz9hXHZyQP_YQ0GpjbAOXDaODQ-BibG-QB7z7-GB_9KkxIJUPTakY/s320/1-mam+pakicetus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit:Mariam Moftah <i>Pakicetus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">…</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Pakicetus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Pak-ah-see-tuss) that was more transitional from land even-toed ungulates to whales with developing webbing between toes, but more closely related to hippopotami wandering shorelines in search of small animals on land and in water for freshwater fish to… </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhs4pMFdlfjp2EoeuOiczKvslqoGqb_W57LP4irGbnF3qxg75rx6PY_rACLzL6XdHFWNW7wNXWRchYeaQGNmcpZPXzxJ_I39hFNc93GRz6bEYsE2HUirwZQzA_LhrkgeIwsZvnK6I8xCI/s600/1-mam+ambulocetus+WwB+New+Dawn.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhs4pMFdlfjp2EoeuOiczKvslqoGqb_W57LP4irGbnF3qxg75rx6PY_rACLzL6XdHFWNW7wNXWRchYeaQGNmcpZPXzxJ_I39hFNc93GRz6bEYsE2HUirwZQzA_LhrkgeIwsZvnK6I8xCI/s320/1-mam+ambulocetus+WwB+New+Dawn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: WwB <i>Ambulocetus</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">…<i>Ambulocetus</i> (Am-be-lo-see-tuss) who by now was nearing total saltwater by inhabiting estuaries and inland bays with limbs that were geared more for swimming strokes than walking, but would still come ashore to ambush terrestrial animals with whale-like teeth to… </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmN6tfBhqoEtLERa84ixwhrYFChEzXWow5SlIOk3HgeyT_FSZKeQe8w8Mj0N2kvVevYCL1buipwDDqzOTGKua1800U442fO_XtyZsUrO_bFnv1ZNbrozRLfbxNycFW-8T5Z-onCcYIH7Tv/s900/1-mam+Rodhocetus+pavel+riha.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmN6tfBhqoEtLERa84ixwhrYFChEzXWow5SlIOk3HgeyT_FSZKeQe8w8Mj0N2kvVevYCL1buipwDDqzOTGKua1800U442fO_XtyZsUrO_bFnv1ZNbrozRLfbxNycFW-8T5Z-onCcYIH7Tv/s320/1-mam+Rodhocetus+pavel+riha.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Pavel Riha <i>Rodhocetus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">…<i>Rodhocetus</i> (Rod-hoe-see-tuss) that by now was almost totally hairless and adept to saltwater environs with the nostrils beginning their migration up the snout and able to swallow underwater, although it could still walk on land to…</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Pe4sero7hmG5l4nfTyCHNYVfpSwWVhak7rQ4ClL8v35Kin-GsCkZ6ZefUyRyCZVs8bjMhwvLwCC-lqCdW0uoQY6S0s0re7ZWe8svrra0Qph8yYTP_Kz1BSoro5aqadJYqBpHCJqFYU2b/s1600/1-mam+basilosaurus+wlkng+w+beasts.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Pe4sero7hmG5l4nfTyCHNYVfpSwWVhak7rQ4ClL8v35Kin-GsCkZ6ZefUyRyCZVs8bjMhwvLwCC-lqCdW0uoQY6S0s0re7ZWe8svrra0Qph8yYTP_Kz1BSoro5aqadJYqBpHCJqFYU2b/s320/1-mam+basilosaurus+wlkng+w+beasts.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: WwB <i>Basilosaurus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">…<i>Basilosaurus</i> (Ba-zuh-low-saw-ruhs) and <i>Durodon</i> (Dur-ah-don), belonging to the family <i>Basilosauridae</i> (Ba-zuh-lo-sawr-ah-day) are the last of whale species to possess vestigial hind limbs and be totally independent of sea environs, but afforded them the chance to spread out into open oceans to...</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWZ_AFMqPJLyEK_ZfWv-VElknpDmri98QVpABGl263_nJxa6lf0Ac2VrnP7WHIiJK5ahFtIQ6OWoott_vxjNGsQxGzdU9IoxEqfIE1MNu-rPijEAs8-90SYXwrtyTI3_ppRTXeb4McDx1/s500/1-mam+caperea+pygmy-right-whale.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWZ_AFMqPJLyEK_ZfWv-VElknpDmri98QVpABGl263_nJxa6lf0Ac2VrnP7WHIiJK5ahFtIQ6OWoott_vxjNGsQxGzdU9IoxEqfIE1MNu-rPijEAs8-90SYXwrtyTI3_ppRTXeb4McDx1/s320/1-mam+caperea+pygmy-right-whale.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Capera</i> pygmy right whale</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">…<i>Caperea</i> (Kay-pre-ah), the extant pygmy right whale that is the sole member left of the oldest oceanic whale family, <i>Cetotheriidae</i> (See-tah-the-ree-day) from ~ 28 mya during the Oligocene, which actually looks like what we would call a whale. The rest of cetothere species went extinct by 2 mya.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">That’s right…as a page-by-page review in a history book, the rock strata filled with the evolution of whales gives in detail account just how the gigantic 30.5m/100ft blue whale through its ancestry started out and evolved from a terrestrial 60cm/23.6in herbivorous artiodactyl four-legged mammal. Below is a quick 4 minute video by Chris Thompson on whale evolution:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SAF5VjaYMdE" width="320" youtube-src-id="SAF5VjaYMdE"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What ancestral lineage does this mammal below represent?</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7BbAu7pQ1tk0kKbZ_H8uBGFM7zm95OHuDmReI6kvXGcg_8EcNd8-NKCds-xFfAi-SmxZK3eMEKcy6WMn6nQtSwEj4mHFHzbmO2CMpbfNFwmv3tWpI5FGlmRkFXqWb1CPTJJlKs0tB5XW/s1728/1-mam+eohippus+daniel+eskridge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1728" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7BbAu7pQ1tk0kKbZ_H8uBGFM7zm95OHuDmReI6kvXGcg_8EcNd8-NKCds-xFfAi-SmxZK3eMEKcy6WMn6nQtSwEj4mHFHzbmO2CMpbfNFwmv3tWpI5FGlmRkFXqWb1CPTJJlKs0tB5XW/s320/1-mam+eohippus+daniel+eskridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Daniel Eskridge <i>Eohippus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">This is <i>Eohippus</i> (E-o-hip-puss), the first horse. The name infers to ‘dawn horse’ as it was one of the first horses in the family, <i>Equidae</i> (Eck-qui-dee). It belongs to the horse family and is described as the first horse living around 56 mya. As one the first horses, <i>Eohippus</i> with four padded toes on the forelimbs and three on the hind limbs dwelled in North American forest habitats and was no more than 76.2cm/30in in total length. But soon, it had company with other, little forest horses evolving, like the 50-45 mya genus with the five species and three subspecies, <i>Hyracotherium</i> (Hi-rak-o-the-ree-um), while in turn was ancestral to the 50-46.2 mya genus, Orohippus (Or-o-hip-pus) that the derived 46-38 mya genus, <i>Epihippus</i> (Ep-e-hip-pus) evolved from which was in size ~ 61cm/2ft tall.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoI7liBl80bVO7_OEg_s_EWNBF5GMQu_vS1WMzbLq6UBYXG-rl9ZGgVI1aOIzW0wzWMHSHvd-03htPGGVwtYn9bnvJyl5qEhX0_5nnJKNaDRmzpaSJUfIFYgOrn8xTk_XSRIsV5cTgu1UO/s485/1-mam+horse+evol+Werner+deGier.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="485" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoI7liBl80bVO7_OEg_s_EWNBF5GMQu_vS1WMzbLq6UBYXG-rl9ZGgVI1aOIzW0wzWMHSHvd-03htPGGVwtYn9bnvJyl5qEhX0_5nnJKNaDRmzpaSJUfIFYgOrn8xTk_XSRIsV5cTgu1UO/s320/1-mam+horse+evol+Werner+deGier.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Werner deGier Horse Evolution</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">There was, for a time, strong consideration in ranking <i>Eohippus</i> into the genus, <i>Hyracotherium</i> under the family, <i>Palaeotheriidae</i> (Pay-lee-o-ther-e-ah-die), but scientists instead felt that with its morphology differences, <i>Eohippus</i> is truly a monotypic species in, <i>E</i>. <i>angustidens</i> (an-gus-tuh-duns).</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ULLq_2BPAXkomWpTkQZ1tz4xCUdnCC_39KL0xdBonYXq0scjMlVqhO3DmUPPjZxfmC7ZgIYfC_mowi5-OeUFw2h1imHUaPR5PvRT5pWsQXWmafWpi5d22OhYqDbNfQk4CoW5BrpZ3AIP/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="263" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ULLq_2BPAXkomWpTkQZ1tz4xCUdnCC_39KL0xdBonYXq0scjMlVqhO3DmUPPjZxfmC7ZgIYfC_mowi5-OeUFw2h1imHUaPR5PvRT5pWsQXWmafWpi5d22OhYqDbNfQk4CoW5BrpZ3AIP/" width="197" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Elizabeth Morales</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The above diagram uses <i>Hyracotherium</i> as the basal horse, which is trending. Please also note that there are many horse species left out of the above family lineages as the illustrations are a simplified version of the horse ancestry.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Except for <i>Epihippus</i>, all of the above early day horses were forest dwellers with dentition of low crowned cusped molars suited for browsers in grinding softer plant material like fruits and leaves. <i>Epihippus</i> dentition was transitioning from lower to higher molar crowns and was primarily supported by the middle hoof (nail/claw), while leaving the dwindling forests adapting to open plains and its vegetation such as grasses. <i>Epihippus</i> probably started subsisting on more forested fibrous vegetation before frequenting open grass fields. Latter plains horses’ dentition showed much higher crowned molars with sharper surfaces for slicing off grasses. Since 4-5 million years ago, the horse diet is primarily composed of grasses. Due to whatever carbon isotope in grasses is trapped in the fossilized teeth and bones is how paleontologists know what diet the horse species were eating.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Savanna grasslands dominated by C4 grasses as they are today, first became widespread much later after horses with high-crowned teeth first appeared. Prior to 7 mya, horses had a C3 based diet and after 7 mya horses started eating C4 grasses. This change in diet occurred when the major drop in the diversity of horses occurred during the late Miocene. The change in vegetation reflected in horses’ diet may be related to a significant reduction in atmospheric CO2 levels toward the end of the Miocene which provided the C4 grasses with an adaptive advantage and led to their expansion at the expense of C3 plants.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The horse essentially evolved in North America, but became extinct there around 10,000 years ago. Once the warmer wetter Eocene climate changed into the colder drier Miocene, flora and fauna, in order to adapt changed as well and this certainly was the case for the equid line. As the forests and woodlands gave way to open plains, the toes as built for soggy forest floors to keep from sinking into muck weren’t as useful in hard packed open plains. So, horse species began changing to accommodate the harder grounds by walking on the middle toe’s hoof (nail/claw) while the remaining outside toes became vestigial remnants. Size also mattered in the open, so began enlarging of the horse’s body size with longer legs and stronger muscles to run away faster from predators while developing a kick for defense. <i>Equus</i>, the only surviving horse genus includes horses, donkeys and zebras.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw44rcHb8n60m_w9J9TIeLcfmKVWKyzTXMi0nCsdaerW1OOOSzMuMY1qvsF_fVu0a1hiLDQFuJX3v5L3cS7lqX5QmkIItY26ETVJH7bBxDLeyPe9ErNuV1wCYVBR5PvveFhgmtSrdr7vEV/s806/1-mam+sifrihippus+vs+equus+danielle+byerley.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="806" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw44rcHb8n60m_w9J9TIeLcfmKVWKyzTXMi0nCsdaerW1OOOSzMuMY1qvsF_fVu0a1hiLDQFuJX3v5L3cS7lqX5QmkIItY26ETVJH7bBxDLeyPe9ErNuV1wCYVBR5PvveFhgmtSrdr7vEV/s320/1-mam+sifrihippus+vs+equus+danielle+byerley.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Danielle Byerley <i>Equus</i>/<i>Sifrhippus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As small as eohippus was, it was not the smallest equid, for that titles belongs to, <i>Sifrhippus</i> (Siff-ra-hip-pus) from the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming, USA 55.8-50.3 mya. Something strange about <i>Sifrhippus</i> is when it first appeared, it was ~ 59.4cm/23.4in lengthwise while weighing 5.4kg/12lbs. However it began to shrink until its length dropped to 46cm/18in long with the weight down to 3.9kg/8.5lbs. Not so strange yet, but towards the end of its existence it had rebounded back up to 74.3cm/29.25in and weighed in at a whopping 6.8/15lbs. What the heck happened?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What happened was heat. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a 175,000 yearlong interval of time some 56 million years ago in which average global temperatures rose by about 10 °C/50 °F. Due to the influx CO2 in the atmosphere and oceans, global warming occurred in which endothermic animal bodies respond by decreasing body size in reducing surface area to manage lowering body core temperatures. During this time, around a third of the mammal species experienced a reduction in size. However, towards the end of the PETM’s effects 50 mya as the climate began cooling, Sifrhippus’ body rebounded in length and mass.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwgHAuU5XL0p7Dz1H5peH2SfHP9_srLHdLeb-rr7ePnMLWzK8YZd8Eo3rL8nY7Q81AzFdSe5bQh9buGN_Jl5iWiPZ1rT-lmu58eeTyXOJzeg2HrLAWmGHruayEUVCNmc7_ur9xpfdGTvR/s601/1-mam+Sifrihippus+Image+Sven+Tr%25C3%25A4nkner.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="601" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwgHAuU5XL0p7Dz1H5peH2SfHP9_srLHdLeb-rr7ePnMLWzK8YZd8Eo3rL8nY7Q81AzFdSe5bQh9buGN_Jl5iWiPZ1rT-lmu58eeTyXOJzeg2HrLAWmGHruayEUVCNmc7_ur9xpfdGTvR/s320/1-mam+Sifrihippus+Image+Sven+Tr%25C3%25A4nkner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Sven Tränkner pregnant <i>Sifrhippus</i> fossil<i> </i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">One exquisite, but sad fossil of <i>Sifrhippus</i> is from the Messel Pit of Germany. Found in 2014, it consists of a pregnant mare with the detailed fetus giving superb information on the horse’s early day reproduction. The 47 mya thirsty pregnant female went to drink from the shore of a lake not knowing that volcanic gases would soon overwhelm her and her unborn baby. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Perisodactyla</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (Peh-ruh-suh-dak-tuh-luh) is the order of all horses, going from </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Eohippus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> to the modern day </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Equus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">. Since perissodactyls comprise all odd-toed ungulates that bear weight only on the middle 3rd toe, including rhinoceroses and tapirs; all odd-toed ungulates walking on one toe hoof (toenail/claw) are distantly related to these early day horses’ perissodactyl sister taxon, Palaeotheriidae (Pal-e-ah-thear-e-ah-dye). Palaeotherids went extinct during the Grand Coupure 33.6 mya. As perissodactyls, they were much like their early day horse relatives in browsing for soft shoots, fruits and leaves from forested floors. Palaeotherids just didn’t have the adaptive capabilities to adjust to a changing cooling climate. Although one palaeotherid genus in, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Palaeotherium</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> resembled tapirs, the European perissodactyl was much closer in relations to the primitive horse lineage. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGqncYv4PVhzVc-yso89FLeePpkYAW9vH_PfVnD64v1CEm3X-xE1fxU1UmaEqCwcVFK6FDIDylqY518htNQ7MrbLaYhIpv1E3_m1dDXzxs5imUOmwrKQZTQUlNGOOSNOI5Qdo-LqgNyFi/s921/1-mam+palaeotherid+palaeotherium.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="921" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGqncYv4PVhzVc-yso89FLeePpkYAW9vH_PfVnD64v1CEm3X-xE1fxU1UmaEqCwcVFK6FDIDylqY518htNQ7MrbLaYhIpv1E3_m1dDXzxs5imUOmwrKQZTQUlNGOOSNOI5Qdo-LqgNyFi/s320/1-mam+palaeotherid+palaeotherium.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Roman Yevseyev <i>Palaeotherium</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Phenacodus</i> (Fah-nac-o-dus) is under the extinct family, <i>Phenacodontidae</i> (Fah-nac-o-don-tuh-day) from which the family was named after. Consisting of seven genera, phenacodontids were very early ungulates that lived from 61-48 mya. Phenacodontids were large herbivorous mammals for their time with <i>Phenacodus</i> having a length and body weight of a small sheep at 1.3m/4.3ft in length and a weight of ~ 101.8kg/224.5lbs. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yAj9Tl5pvoKWJm-HbCIwaLb6U7ZANiPNHqk_R2vf9zyD3BqzOdmuy6SIUUvmYvAoFUUd9enDRbuDG31gdjyXYEfyOV1NYABzK3tlIvNUeDqqPBl3xQl4qkxZQTzl0Em-KtNSKI06mEOV/s2026/1-mam+phenacodus+fossil-life.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="2026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yAj9Tl5pvoKWJm-HbCIwaLb6U7ZANiPNHqk_R2vf9zyD3BqzOdmuy6SIUUvmYvAoFUUd9enDRbuDG31gdjyXYEfyOV1NYABzK3tlIvNUeDqqPBl3xQl4qkxZQTzl0Em-KtNSKI06mEOV/s320/1-mam+phenacodus+fossil-life.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Heinrich Harder <i>Phenacodus</i> fossil/life</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Phenacodus</i>, from 56-48 mya was primarily an herbivore, but with canine dentition, might as well have been an omnivore. With anatomical similarities and environmental adaptive strategies, <i>Phenacodus</i> appears very much horse-like. These shared traits include a digitigrade gait utilizing the larger middle third toe over the other four and dentition composed of bunodont (low rounded teeth) back molars for more efficient grinding of vegetative roughage. Along with its latter contemporary fellow phenacodontid, <i>Meniscotherium</i> (Mah-niss-co-thear-e-um) from 54-38 mya both of these phenacodontids are considered stem perissodactyls. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDVmR0nhtpR-BvwxPhtjM4QY9sQsk6nJ_kNRqRpPVXpPv6yt3yLtLre47yFTCOWyW-SeatPq8lLqEloZWguYnIPwLYXykIRrUl5mEMqAxyxKo3tOiaBUxIGfvIArX-HG6onBZlsTMjCna/s738/1-mam+Diacodexis+Roman+Uchetyl.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDVmR0nhtpR-BvwxPhtjM4QY9sQsk6nJ_kNRqRpPVXpPv6yt3yLtLre47yFTCOWyW-SeatPq8lLqEloZWguYnIPwLYXykIRrUl5mEMqAxyxKo3tOiaBUxIGfvIArX-HG6onBZlsTMjCna/s320/1-mam+Diacodexis+Roman+Uchetyl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Roman Uchytel <i>Diacodexis</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Known as artiodactyls, the other ungulate group is the even-toed ungulates that bear weight on an even number of toes such as: sheep, goats, cows, pigs, deer, antelopes, hippopotamuses, camels and giraffes. All extant artiodactyls walk on the third and fourth toed-hooves (nail/claw) with the other three toes degenerated or vestigial. The first known artiodactyl named, <i>Diacodexis</i> (Di-ah-ko-decks-is) still possessed all five toes, but favored the slightly longer middle two 3rd and 4th toes for weight bearing. It existed for 9.2 million years between 55.4-46.2 mya. It was small at 50cm/1.6ft, but the legs were built for speed running (cursorial) and it was widespread first appearing in Pakistan then dispersing out into Asia, Europe and North America. <i>Diacodexis</i> was a forest floor dweller browser consuming leaves, fruits and other soft plant material.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What group of animals is this extinct mammal illustrated below ancestral to?</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TA0Li_nYXByTCj2PsVPNAMykgDSiWwLy9YuPTze2_qPn7nXDGCwQUbTz4f7rxwV36bEqGZxG8WqTKOxWhyphenhyphenfOccIi6fk1XZ2jsQ-2EMPFfGn1-wu0CzBjni8BZFfixX9Vh8VOBbPnXK3A/s1188/1-mam+moeritherium_mehdi_nikbakhsh.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TA0Li_nYXByTCj2PsVPNAMykgDSiWwLy9YuPTze2_qPn7nXDGCwQUbTz4f7rxwV36bEqGZxG8WqTKOxWhyphenhyphenfOccIi6fk1XZ2jsQ-2EMPFfGn1-wu0CzBjni8BZFfixX9Vh8VOBbPnXK3A/s320/1-mam+moeritherium_mehdi_nikbakhsh.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mehdi Nikbakhsh <i>Moeritherium</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">If ya guessed hippopotamus, you are wrong, but that was a good guess nonetheless, for it not only looked like a hippo it also had their habits of hanging out in bodies of water and eating aquatic and terrestrial soft vegetation. However, the mammal above is <i>Moeritherium</i> (Mare-ree-thear-e-um), one of the earlier known true proboscideans that lived 37-35 mya. Nonetheless though, in <i>Moeritherium</i> having an age range of 37-35 mya nearly double the years after, <i>Eritherium</i> (Ear-e-thear-e-um) lived 60 mya which is the first known proboscidean. It was very small as most mammals were then and only measured 20cm/7.9in tall from the ground to its shoulders, while its length was ~ 50cm /19.7in. Due to the small sizes, it is fairly difficult considering that these two mammals were proto-elephant proboscideans.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EKGZ1wmpWptAdvU7abGd8T7NSF-erufKA4mtZVJvZmOqKvEFRIiNlnNz7rmtXpAd0utyOQOBweniE9Qz6rswZ3eJdxXW8OPH7zLcdS45wuSbaGDnX65y_Y3SpS4ma9Usc8GhT3l8wxUz/s1250/1-mam+eritherium+theworldnews.net+Latvia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="1250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EKGZ1wmpWptAdvU7abGd8T7NSF-erufKA4mtZVJvZmOqKvEFRIiNlnNz7rmtXpAd0utyOQOBweniE9Qz6rswZ3eJdxXW8OPH7zLcdS45wuSbaGDnX65y_Y3SpS4ma9Usc8GhT3l8wxUz/s320/1-mam+eritherium+theworldnews.net+Latvia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: theworldnews.net Latvia <i>Eritherium</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Eritherium</i>’s fossil was found 100km/62.1mi east from Casablanca, Morocco in the ‘Ouled Abdoun’ phosphate basin. It had its mandible’s lower canines jutting outwards about 2.4cm/1in from the mouth; a prelude to elephantine tusks. It is a basal ancestor to all other latter day elephants. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHW1CNqo1dNS42_zVArqEtvUXbbFjwWu4T9cgyW95ryZHtoHDNNACEe0FVJ-U1f7vP3-puFEJyfLbdZ5dh0jFLwhrZRl0xv6r0_UTohxSpW1vr1P7dNE8NvRHuZQxuQZpVS3oVrrLnJgOv/s2048/1-mam+elephant+evolution.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1233" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHW1CNqo1dNS42_zVArqEtvUXbbFjwWu4T9cgyW95ryZHtoHDNNACEe0FVJ-U1f7vP3-puFEJyfLbdZ5dh0jFLwhrZRl0xv6r0_UTohxSpW1vr1P7dNE8NvRHuZQxuQZpVS3oVrrLnJgOv/s320/1-mam+elephant+evolution.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Internet Elephant evolution</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn9EEovcYpQLSJUjovTciRPKqCMZznvGypwyrKIL9HlrsW-Z1f8_walOWgZW5H5RxL5V_9CsUyeGEWKtpptFKaUMFxmXPYOLkzryAs1J58s0MumXmIV-Bj8fAhEfE-JkE1jHfr1srgTR1/s1600/1-mam+elephant+evolution+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn9EEovcYpQLSJUjovTciRPKqCMZznvGypwyrKIL9HlrsW-Z1f8_walOWgZW5H5RxL5V_9CsUyeGEWKtpptFKaUMFxmXPYOLkzryAs1J58s0MumXmIV-Bj8fAhEfE-JkE1jHfr1srgTR1/s320/1-mam+elephant+evolution+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Encyclopedia Britannica Branching evolution</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The order, <i>Proboscidea</i> includes the two extant Indian and African elephants and their extinct kin, like the mammoth and the more distant mastodon. The word ‘proboscis’ literally means trunk. Although today’s elephants are only found in Asia and Africa, extinct forms also lived in Europe, Siberia and the Americas.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What group of animals today derived from this mammal pictured below?</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVa1qVxlgR0QvXywc1FDOdCAdnxZVvFFI4Uo9Azi7Dv73Lzh-uOavbMcw4_pDEmySWrWmI96-1w9J1_TtB9u5asARYCSp97EsCQcOGrWgU3PSBlaRQed5cTBG6DHTavJuGSGmDnL1x89L/s900/1-mam+entelodont+tet+zoo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVa1qVxlgR0QvXywc1FDOdCAdnxZVvFFI4Uo9Azi7Dv73Lzh-uOavbMcw4_pDEmySWrWmI96-1w9J1_TtB9u5asARYCSp97EsCQcOGrWgU3PSBlaRQed5cTBG6DHTavJuGSGmDnL1x89L/s320/1-mam+entelodont+tet+zoo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Tet Zoo <i>Entelodont</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">If ya had guessed that it was a member of the <i>Suidae</i> (Sue-e-dye) family of pigs, ya guessed wrong as looks are deceiving. The mammal in question belongs to the family of <i>Entelodontidae</i> (In-tel-o-don-tah-day) where its eight genera composed of nineteen species existed for 21.23 million years spanning a range from 37.2-15.97 mya.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Although entelodonts were artiodactyls like swine, making them distantly related to pigs, they are much more closely related to hippos, whales and the extinct, <i>Andrewsarchus</i> (An-dru-sar-kus) of Inner Mongolia, China 43-41 mya from the Eocene’s ‘Irdin Manha Formation’. It possessed nearly a .91m/3ft long jaw with wide cheek bones that strong muscles were attached to. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTaHEI4pzeBeXbp4kfjLfpXV9AZ0k-qxVdH2MKdRD7fPxluhXqKUKhYysB8ZJFrUeIw4slokC-ipoBi9W_Hu4DvgqEakladlWP2Hrpuh876Bm0iZK_VA4r-ij14Gq6z684qUMVgY9fsXqu/s1000/1-mam+Andrewsarchus+WwB.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTaHEI4pzeBeXbp4kfjLfpXV9AZ0k-qxVdH2MKdRD7fPxluhXqKUKhYysB8ZJFrUeIw4slokC-ipoBi9W_Hu4DvgqEakladlWP2Hrpuh876Bm0iZK_VA4r-ij14Gq6z684qUMVgY9fsXqu/s320/1-mam+Andrewsarchus+WwB.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: WwB <i>Andrewsarchus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With a carnivorous and scavenger diet, <i>Andrewsarchus</i> would terrestrially scour the countryside in search of capturing easy prey or consuming carcasses, but as well was durophagus combing beaches for shellfish, crustaceans and maybe even turtles that its particular dentition could easily manage. Any dead animal that washed up on shore would have also been consumed. With the estimation of being 1.8m/6ft high and ~ 4.9m/16ft long while weighing up to 800-1000kg/1,764-2,205lbs, <i>Andrewsarchus</i> is the largest terrestrial carnivore mammal known so far. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_r-lOsOgqxZNd2X5aroTzz7WZ5uhKgJjGaHLlCfID4HYfkFAxC8R9LYpnpOyxlcFE5iCNKekP7MylByNZfYWkUXo9THW7zSGreL4avOmcyLyTc8HlLsYj-8N8e1MQsgzyQlHdLVWzKhC/s2195/1-mam+andrewsarchus+Velizar+Simeonovski+and+jawbone.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="2195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_r-lOsOgqxZNd2X5aroTzz7WZ5uhKgJjGaHLlCfID4HYfkFAxC8R9LYpnpOyxlcFE5iCNKekP7MylByNZfYWkUXo9THW7zSGreL4avOmcyLyTc8HlLsYj-8N8e1MQsgzyQlHdLVWzKhC/s320/1-mam+andrewsarchus+Velizar+Simeonovski+and+jawbone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Andrewsarchus</i> skull/feeding Artist: V. Simeonovski</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In going back to entelodonts, they could be vicious looking in appearance and deed as well. With dentition including large canines and heavily built incisors suited for being carnivorous and broad flat molar teeth wear suggesting a diet of plant roughage consisting of roots, tubers, nuts and bark, entelodonts were omnivores. Also as in pigs they most likely would scavenge carrion. So, in not only appearing pig-like, their voracious omnivorous diet was also pig-like.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">It’s in the anatomical structure that relates them to other artiodactyl animal groups. The expanded semi-circular forepart of the skull is specific to entelodonts and <i>Andrewsarchus</i> while being very similar to hippos. The ‘pie-crust’ fracture wear on the dentition also suggests bone crunching as also displayed in <i>Andrewsarchus</i>. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3Fac6niIqZ45VX5HYBRxElDdA4yKA5RFNYB8fT_9YTSaK8BfaLzHF0tiNELRrwdruES0VGIyHgAJE_cSs2m00Mx0_CgagHiGm2GCR9f0clG3MJys3T5_lA72IpF7jEgnmN1l9Nsi5F7v/s2864/1-mam+Bornean_Bearded_Pig+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="2864" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3Fac6niIqZ45VX5HYBRxElDdA4yKA5RFNYB8fT_9YTSaK8BfaLzHF0tiNELRrwdruES0VGIyHgAJE_cSs2m00Mx0_CgagHiGm2GCR9f0clG3MJys3T5_lA72IpF7jEgnmN1l9Nsi5F7v/s320/1-mam+Bornean_Bearded_Pig+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extant Borean bearded pig/Extinct <i>Entelodont</i> Artist: Max Bellomio</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Entelodonts, with a .91m/3ft skull and a humped neck spine to support the neck had a very strong bite as there are fossilized small camel/llama-like camelids 90cm/3ft long that were bitten in half and cached in what is now Nebraska, USA. The bite marks match-up exactly to entelodont dentition. Speculating a bit here, but I’m surmising the camelids were, <i>Poebrotherium</i> (Po-bruh-ther-e-um).</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XzpIkZo1dsp8xF30wymrGWtUErqwFVcurhl_UVFnjgPUeDvZQJYpTQPInmvSP-g0CGUcaRU2Sfc21sgPvkYULnETDDEfk-Rca2D80NP2hGMJDiIDia3nPKkgs-mY3i3ViErgdXfzLL8l/s2048/1-mam+entelodont+%25C2%25A9+E.+Katie+Holm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="2048" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XzpIkZo1dsp8xF30wymrGWtUErqwFVcurhl_UVFnjgPUeDvZQJYpTQPInmvSP-g0CGUcaRU2Sfc21sgPvkYULnETDDEfk-Rca2D80NP2hGMJDiIDia3nPKkgs-mY3i3ViErgdXfzLL8l/w200-h137/1-mam+entelodont+%25C2%25A9+E.+Katie+Holm.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: E. Katie Holm <i>Entelodont</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Entelodonts roamed the terrestrial country sides in open plains, sparse woodlands and seasonal floodplains in North America, Europe and China during the Late Eocene to the Middle Miocene. We know they could be vicious, thus the tagged moniker of ‘hell pigs’. Males would have had intraspecific fights that would’ve included gnawing at heads, while females would’ve head butted each other’s ribs. There are plenty of indications in fossil finds of male facial bone tooth scars that match entelodonts dentition and female healed cracked ribs. If any predator was foolish enough to attack an entelodont or its offspring the wrath of fury would come reigning down on the predator.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3BBuwkOrJuaTdRVsySQGXF9SnCYl3VCD40l2WsbuXqVx3vHVCgxI5Jdzf_TbIBzr1JOO5FOdWtMLcB_shC_Qp99zJd5sP-i1U5K9EnL1_6d4Uc3nkMW3k4btSzq1KB5GucfE5Dwl8BD8/s1740/1-mam+entelodont+Daeodon-Dinictis+Velizar+Simeonovski.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="1279" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3BBuwkOrJuaTdRVsySQGXF9SnCYl3VCD40l2WsbuXqVx3vHVCgxI5Jdzf_TbIBzr1JOO5FOdWtMLcB_shC_Qp99zJd5sP-i1U5K9EnL1_6d4Uc3nkMW3k4btSzq1KB5GucfE5Dwl8BD8/s320/1-mam+entelodont+Daeodon-Dinictis+Velizar+Simeonovski.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Velizar Simeonovski entelodontid <i>Daeodon</i> vs <i>Dinictis </i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The earlier entelodonts were medium sized reaching weights of 150kg/330lbs to the latter larger ones like, <i>Daeodon</i> (Day-o-don) weighing up to 900kg/2,000lbs with a height to the shoulders of 1.8m/5.9ft. With their weight and ominous mouth riddled with slicing teeth of pointed incisors, recurved, pointed, serrated canines and a detachable/movable jaw joint, it could have easily overwhelmed a predator in taking its freshly killed prey.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdSOM_z6GJ__dx-y71YCTJUB9iE4Xg3QstESby4B9JsLGeRbq6xQvTtdroEga7jhMBvwB-pYAP9_wz1awGDXutrM45C6OKAuye_A4dKXb_98SJ7mIiamL00yhNBE1UNDKuNgnlPQcHcvS/s400/1-mam+entelodonts+fighting+WwB.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdSOM_z6GJ__dx-y71YCTJUB9iE4Xg3QstESby4B9JsLGeRbq6xQvTtdroEga7jhMBvwB-pYAP9_wz1awGDXutrM45C6OKAuye_A4dKXb_98SJ7mIiamL00yhNBE1UNDKuNgnlPQcHcvS/s320/1-mam+entelodonts+fighting+WwB.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: WwB two <i>Entelodont </i>males fighting<i> </i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Although there are numerous fossil finds of entelodonts, they are only of individuals, so assuredly entelodonts were not social creatures in grouping into herds preferring instead to strike out on their own living a secluded life. The only time they would come together was in males fighting over females and mating.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What in the world is this mammal below?</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfQSSXNTNkfH4tsAqdpcptc9B7QgcIWqQUtl876rf2eiaqotqd2t0nP5r6ZFdFuyucN6BIOKCCI32NR_RCz49_FS7fQVXDun6bZTFhWAQurquxgBi2gJZGrRylirD-V8jl2TY_BtWRNLD/s800/1-mam+Ceratogaulus+Michael+Long.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="654" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfQSSXNTNkfH4tsAqdpcptc9B7QgcIWqQUtl876rf2eiaqotqd2t0nP5r6ZFdFuyucN6BIOKCCI32NR_RCz49_FS7fQVXDun6bZTFhWAQurquxgBi2gJZGrRylirD-V8jl2TY_BtWRNLD/s320/1-mam+Ceratogaulus+Michael+Long.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Michael Long <i>Ceratogaulus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The above illustration is, <i>Ceratogaulus</i> (Sah-rat-o-gall-us) from 13.6-5.3 mya. Commonly known in science circles as the horned-gopher, it was a rodent and the only rodent that had horns. At 30cm/11.8in, it’s also the smallest known horned mammal. It was a fossorial (burrower) sciuromorph (squirrel-like) with two horns jutting upwards from the nose. Only one other known fossorial mammal in the 29-11.6 mya South American, <i>Peltephilus</i> (Pel-tiff-auh-luss) had horns. It was a 1.5m/4.9 foot long armadillo. Its two horns on the top of its snout were formed by specially developed scutes. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3ES7t0WePYSLfWhen2QTD1w9oVa0g_5hqxojhbmbsSjBcZEuwNCsePOCcm7T9p44jSFG-jhbmSegK6tY5F-dhgjRIho2kjtU3-STMdeGseG7hog3-Tqra7GZIaqJuR3reFIdmPlHfg29/s738/1-mam+peltephelus+Roman+U..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="738" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3ES7t0WePYSLfWhen2QTD1w9oVa0g_5hqxojhbmbsSjBcZEuwNCsePOCcm7T9p44jSFG-jhbmSegK6tY5F-dhgjRIho2kjtU3-STMdeGseG7hog3-Tqra7GZIaqJuR3reFIdmPlHfg29/w200-h160/1-mam+peltephelus+Roman+U..jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Roman Uchytel <i>Peltephilus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Ceratogaulus</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> from 11-5 mya is the youngest species in the family, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Mylagaulidae</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> (My-la-gall-e-day) with species ranging from 28-5 mya in Nebraska. However, 25 out of the 30species of mylagaulids did not possess horns, only five out the 30 did. It was the smaller mylagaulids that grew horns with the reason being most likely for defense. In the species with horns (and yes, they were true horns made from bone), both male and female had them, so they weren’t enticing mates in mating rituals. With the particular positioning at the top of the snout and jutting upwards the horns would have been ideal to ward off curious predators from their burrow openings with two horns stabbing back and forth at them.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaR0tjMLETbDaJWIPxmnnwCyASj9SixLeDlhJn4NobUuAChEUiSHXoO_zPB23pj9L_EmQGMhJrht6yvfYMUVJL7KbRNJ_Hu6xayAUqwSC_CjOQmgAL2nfcdsn7e7aZrmxTjkedzWprMpB9/s960/1-mam+Ceratogaulu+pursued+by+Pseudaelurus+Velizar+Simeonovski.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaR0tjMLETbDaJWIPxmnnwCyASj9SixLeDlhJn4NobUuAChEUiSHXoO_zPB23pj9L_EmQGMhJrht6yvfYMUVJL7KbRNJ_Hu6xayAUqwSC_CjOQmgAL2nfcdsn7e7aZrmxTjkedzWprMpB9/s320/1-mam+Ceratogaulu+pursued+by+Pseudaelurus+Velizar+Simeonovski.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: V. Simeonovski <i>Ceratogaulus</i> pursued by <i>Pseudaelurus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">In fact there is a mechanical reasoning for signifying the horns were used for defense. With the horns being posteriorly positioned, the height of the occipital plate increases, which in turn increased the leverage for lifting the horns. By positioning the horns more posteriorly, a so-called output lever is shortened while the muscles used to rotate the skull dorsally are also attached at the top of the occipital plate. This lengthened a so-called input lever. Thus, the dorsal strike with the horns would be more powerful as the ratio of output to input would be increased. Predation is a main cause of mortality for small mammals, so the benefits provided by the horns induced mechanism to reduce predation surely offsets the substantial energy costs in the evolutionary time spent of developing the horns in a fossorial mammal.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgUcB0aGDd2JO7g2EC3_U-vTUT9-dMa1Nme5IMyqHoDl1jyUss9NdGGJauglX_hO7LR2OHMI_rSWFfhB3Jwyo64Q9ypmKuNGmiWxSopgNggKpZlEvvjQWhhyBtQ2KST7ZyODNWAmbmwvL/s797/1-mam+ceratogaulus+fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="797" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgUcB0aGDd2JO7g2EC3_U-vTUT9-dMa1Nme5IMyqHoDl1jyUss9NdGGJauglX_hO7LR2OHMI_rSWFfhB3Jwyo64Q9ypmKuNGmiWxSopgNggKpZlEvvjQWhhyBtQ2KST7ZyODNWAmbmwvL/s320/1-mam+ceratogaulus+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ceratogaulus</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">With the oldest 28 mya mylagaulid in the genus, <i>Trilaccogaulus</i> (Tri-lac-ko-gall-us) originating in America’s Midwest, other species fossil remains have been found in other parts of North America and in Eurasia.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVI42ZoQu7tQ6XrVMzXvxCOGWF9_7-wPhneSrAYHrxFbdBfvubUea0tccNzx9qD4hxQbBnXc29h2GjYT8hpSMPIGOCNZ2SsQ7G2YGi9S-YOp9HgiWW_9GrfpIZVXEYVjZxsJ4vn08Ulqn/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="230" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVI42ZoQu7tQ6XrVMzXvxCOGWF9_7-wPhneSrAYHrxFbdBfvubUea0tccNzx9qD4hxQbBnXc29h2GjYT8hpSMPIGOCNZ2SsQ7G2YGi9S-YOp9HgiWW_9GrfpIZVXEYVjZxsJ4vn08Ulqn/" width="173" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Icaronycteris</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What animal left the above fossilized skeletal remains?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">If you said bat, you are correct, but of course the long arms and finger bones gave it away, although with the long tail perhaps perplexing ya for just a moment. Yes, it is a photo of a bat fossil, an early bat from 52.2 mya known as, <i>Icaronycteris</i> (Ick-ah-ro-nik-tur-is). Measuring 14cm/5.5in long and 37cm/14.6in from wingtip to wingtip, <i>Icaronycteris</i> is known from four well preserved fossils found in the ‘Green River Formation’ in the state of Wyoming, USA. However, another Icaronycteris species was discovered in France. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkBNQr1xYNdSIjOCFKXVuACFmPITzne7YCPJkaxrNnFjdiG6CBN5dll_pf9-HbhWKMyN_MFsirnHlGlZxswskPaJwMRrUv_F7O1b3fGNbeEofQpUOtVpSTfTM0TafBnnEpelmrUDCPTei/s945/1-mam+bat+icaronycteris+internet.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkBNQr1xYNdSIjOCFKXVuACFmPITzne7YCPJkaxrNnFjdiG6CBN5dll_pf9-HbhWKMyN_MFsirnHlGlZxswskPaJwMRrUv_F7O1b3fGNbeEofQpUOtVpSTfTM0TafBnnEpelmrUDCPTei/s320/1-mam+bat+icaronycteris+internet.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Dinopedia <i>Icaronycteris</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Icaronycteris</i> is a true microchiropteran bat in that it could emit ultrasound and echolocate; the earliest bats couldn’t. Thus far, it is the earliest bat that could echo locate. But it still retained primitive features such as a tail that was longer than its legs and the tail wasn’t connected to the body by an uropatagium (skin membrane).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Other than these two primitive features and a few others like a long tapered flat head, it had already been conforming to the modern bat body form, including the absence of claws on the wing fingers except for the first flexible finger in bearing a claw with the second finger bearing a small immobile claw. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsR166uYcJA_M0eTIFlM1pmyrEgNrM8auZr_lvfx_YveCgMINydaFqoxEsilD75hwiYena6-DLrfdOAalDxvA-ya3YDrWaGJHlGksssliYXXXHz_cNJ4Dqilx8FVo5EkM2CBKUzAtv19t/s463/1-mam+bat+wing+ucmp.berkeley.edu.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="463" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsR166uYcJA_M0eTIFlM1pmyrEgNrM8auZr_lvfx_YveCgMINydaFqoxEsilD75hwiYena6-DLrfdOAalDxvA-ya3YDrWaGJHlGksssliYXXXHz_cNJ4Dqilx8FVo5EkM2CBKUzAtv19t/s320/1-mam+bat+wing+ucmp.berkeley.edu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: UCMP.Berkeley.edu Bat wing</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Some fossils showed moth scales where the stomach would’ve been indicating an insectivorous diet. <i>Icaronycteris</i>’ reversed hind feet anatomy also alludes to the fact that it hung upside down during rest stages. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRveseIjaNWAQDSwZYNgB0xgmkym9gOHF5rnWNEcnanDbeRe2E4cKuqu8UDsJWhgi2eVL24hyHx7U5WIYu26jbxnN_evPPaj4WkTUW9w5fj9hmxrAyskzpKn5yC6b6Bcp5htMiuEFdmZxN/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="295" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRveseIjaNWAQDSwZYNgB0xgmkym9gOHF5rnWNEcnanDbeRe2E4cKuqu8UDsJWhgi2eVL24hyHx7U5WIYu26jbxnN_evPPaj4WkTUW9w5fj9hmxrAyskzpKn5yC6b6Bcp5htMiuEFdmZxN/" width="221" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Onychonycteris</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Onychonycteris</i> (O-nic-o-nic-teh-riss) is the most primitive bat known, but not necessarily the oldest as it also lived 52.5 mya in Wyoming’s portion of the ‘Green river formation’. It still bored five claws on each wing finger which harks back to an arboreal ancestry with the claw tipped fingers along with its limb proportions in maintaining good climbing abilities.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4WKQeap7PplXdN9Tclatfc0GX3xRoG16cHi4LDNY1Qct0Fzq6nF4p8Tiu41msmG1vDUNRBd89TUwM9lIwGaGT24zYcCe7u6J8WOBUFZ-XuFTEF-X7fHfIkIec5LZ6y2uJDJlVBBx3i2h/s714/1-mam+bat+Onychonycteris+skeletal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4WKQeap7PplXdN9Tclatfc0GX3xRoG16cHi4LDNY1Qct0Fzq6nF4p8Tiu41msmG1vDUNRBd89TUwM9lIwGaGT24zYcCe7u6J8WOBUFZ-XuFTEF-X7fHfIkIec5LZ6y2uJDJlVBBx3i2h/s320/1-mam+bat+Onychonycteris+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Onychonycteris</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Although at the present there is some debate, for researchers found some crushed bone structures in the fossil that could be indicative of an echoing larynx, it is still proposed, due to the absence of an enlarged cochlea in which all extant bats use for echolocation that <i>Onychonycteris</i> could not echolocate.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">As a bat that couldn’t echolocate, <i>Onychonycteris</i> most likely couldn’t locate insects during flight, so with the aid of its claws would fly from tree to tree crawl around listening intently for any insect generated sounds like a beetle chewing on a leaf. Two conundrums in considering bats that Onychonycteris doesn’t answer is when bats evolved echolocation for navigation and locating prey and secondly, when did bats actively turn nocturnal, as the eye orbits are too deformed to determine eye size. Larger eyes would perceive better night vision, while smaller beady eyes would’ve hinted to echolocation. Onychonycteris was capable of powered flight, but according to its wing configuration, it would’ve employed an undulating gliding-fluttering flight style.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Although paleontologists are hard at work on it, the origins of bats still remain a mystery, for there is a lack of basal ancestors, stem and proto-bat fossils. <i>Chiroptera</i> (Kai-rop-ter-ruh) is the order of bats and its members fossilized skeletal completeness is the lowest of any previously assessed tetrapod group. Proto-bats are intermediate mammals between the earliest true bats and their nearest stem non-bat relatives.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">A couple of reasons behind the lack of bat lineage fossils is that the stem mammal quadrupeds and proto-bats lived strictly an arboreal life in tropical jungles where fossilization is greatly hampered due to very poor ground acidification conditions. In fact preserved bat fossils come only from ancient lake beds that served as a Lagerstätte (deposits that serve host to extremely well preserved fossils due to anoxic conditions). Plus, whatever dies in a tropical rainforest, especially with thin hair and bones are quickly consumed bones and all, by flora and fauna all due to extreme nourishment competition. Also, perhaps due to the evolved gene ‘BMP2’ changes that is a protein coding gene, can create morphogenetic bone diseases, allowing bone to disintegrate quicker upon death of the species. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgd1w8d4RMZxkccXctG01ke7eX4LKoyMVmQvv7uK76gfTwVf0cR8oH2UvY4ykDoIlYQGiH0owhpRLsSEHzUy5f8Za4_Tm_9-ntwt65cyPo9FSAM7uFQSWw5gMcliTUBvvm7-hMyX1XDr2F/s2048/1-mam+chriacus+marcus+paulo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgd1w8d4RMZxkccXctG01ke7eX4LKoyMVmQvv7uK76gfTwVf0cR8oH2UvY4ykDoIlYQGiH0owhpRLsSEHzUy5f8Za4_Tm_9-ntwt65cyPo9FSAM7uFQSWw5gMcliTUBvvm7-hMyX1XDr2F/s320/1-mam+chriacus+marcus+paulo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Marcos Paulo <i> Chriacus </i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">However, there are some proposals of bat origins like from the paleo-artist, David Peters. In it, he hypothesizes that <i>Chriacus</i> (Kree-a-cuss), who possessed limbs built to walk and climb, is a fairly good tetrapod choice to consider even if there is no substantial evidence. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23SlM5ggySY1PAQxlDne6bH4b6n0VMB8WYW4oWWv6u42zjGRbKXL3pzae8qFnuMG6w5S8_dzoUUAYwSrlIelO2v6BZzhSSkCjTlyuG-sIWP3hQNuzGWy8nz69ukvXkqFIvqKIJHhcsfQZ/s584/1-mam+bat-ancestor+david+peters.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23SlM5ggySY1PAQxlDne6bH4b6n0VMB8WYW4oWWv6u42zjGRbKXL3pzae8qFnuMG6w5S8_dzoUUAYwSrlIelO2v6BZzhSSkCjTlyuG-sIWP3hQNuzGWy8nz69ukvXkqFIvqKIJHhcsfQZ/s320/1-mam+bat-ancestor+david+peters.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: David Peters Bat evolution? </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Chriacus</i>, when it comes to classifying is a rebel without a home. Currently ranked as an arctocyonid, which are species belonging to a family of unspecialized mammals primarily from the Late Cretaceous to Paleocene, I just might suppose <i>Chriacus</i> would be a starting choice in being basal to unique flying mammals.</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Chriacus</i> was about 45cm/17.7in in body length and 1m/3.3ft in total length with tail. It lived in the Paleocene North America in Wyoming where early bats first emerged. It had many adaptations for living in trees such as long fingers and was an omnivore eating fruits, eggs, small mammals and insects. But most importantly, it had compressed claws connected to feet with flexible ankle joints that allowed the hind feet to turn in reverse behind the body much like bats do.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">So in the devised illustration above, what Peters’ interpretation states is that hypothetically, bat ancestors arose from a sister group of <i>Chriacus</i> which was a larger direct ancestor to smaller predecessors.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">What lineage of mammals did this animal below ultimately lead to?</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOUHq4nZkg1YxlzSDvq5PaAQv58IT_ume2raSBYOEo49sdtUqc_7Y0YM7r0lv30wj9My-fw2GNq0MXRyV_44VyHlnDaBBOdCFRDTJVTBObsJf_7Qcc2q_V32GERiOjOIOHNM0WEnrHCVD/s1280/1-mam+archicebus+Xijun+Ni.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOUHq4nZkg1YxlzSDvq5PaAQv58IT_ume2raSBYOEo49sdtUqc_7Y0YM7r0lv30wj9My-fw2GNq0MXRyV_44VyHlnDaBBOdCFRDTJVTBObsJf_7Qcc2q_V32GERiOjOIOHNM0WEnrHCVD/s320/1-mam+archicebus+Xijun+Ni.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Xijun Ni <i> Archicebus</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">The above illustration is a fossil of a small creature that ventured forth up into the treetops equipped with developed binocular vision to confidently jump from limb to limb and cling to with hands possessing an opposable digit in forests 55.8-54.8 mya. With the generic name of, <i>Archicebus</i> (Arc-e-see-bus) this creature is the first known primate that would eventually through many twists, turns, tributaries and dead-ends lead to mankind. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTSXDeBu2XaVgkL60F_aiijmkq_YHxa58qeGU84VCSIgw0phIbML_hA8DiLmFfk2WzlceVHLg45-_81lQZ5CfP6hNATWvnPJGX_Kuph2vQiuQI9qdweXIb0I6OG2BUGGW4OTnBmTJro9m/s580/1-mam+archicebus-fossil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTSXDeBu2XaVgkL60F_aiijmkq_YHxa58qeGU84VCSIgw0phIbML_hA8DiLmFfk2WzlceVHLg45-_81lQZ5CfP6hNATWvnPJGX_Kuph2vQiuQI9qdweXIb0I6OG2BUGGW4OTnBmTJro9m/s320/1-mam+archicebus-fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Archicebus</i> fossil</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"><i>Archicebus</i> will begin our next and last article in the Et Tunc evolutionary series concerning primates. </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></div><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;">Hope ya had a Happy Turkey Day</span></div></span><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;">Hope that ya have a Merry Christmas</span></div></span><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;">And I Surely hope that ya are Staying Safe</span></div></span><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;">BJA</span></div></span><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;">11/30/2020</span></div></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;"> </span></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></h2><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p>B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-40784665675917771352019-03-31T17:34:00.000-04:002020-05-12T16:37:56.170-04:00Et Tunc Nulla Erat X (Dinos 3)<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "algerian"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Et tunc nulla erat X 10</span></b><span style="font-family: "algerian"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">(And Once There
Was)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinos: Part 3 of
3</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Theropod March to Bird</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the following theropod groups it
becomes increasingly difficult in determining what is deemed a dinosaur or a
bird.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Avialae</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: The other
major clade subdivision of eumaniraptorans is, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aviale</i> (A-vee-ale-e) as the sister group of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinonychosauria</i>. The term is Latin meaning ‘bird wings’ and for
sure it represents dinosaurs that took flight leading eventually to birds. With
a temporal range from the Late Jurassic to the present 165-0 mya, avialans
include all the so-called ‘proto-bird’ ancestral dinosaurs directly linked to
birds. As an apomorphy (dependent on physical features) based clad, the general
term for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avialae</i> is: all dinosaurs
that had feathered wings, which entails long forelimbs and fingers used for
flapping flight, along with birds that descended from them.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZl6bSeDpsLEGOuQjLvVTOLp3s4ieGtSlFDDCYLY_WcL-9fV5rooJoNcYbLl3A6tDjJa6-VmUZtl0NGseSPBflqcnUV3XJOhHASsWm0wZfmIVJpkoGO6F89oxz5Aqu8B9A5GStR2H6Qmkd/s1600/1-dino+Avialae+rainbowleo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZl6bSeDpsLEGOuQjLvVTOLp3s4ieGtSlFDDCYLY_WcL-9fV5rooJoNcYbLl3A6tDjJa6-VmUZtl0NGseSPBflqcnUV3XJOhHASsWm0wZfmIVJpkoGO6F89oxz5Aqu8B9A5GStR2H6Qmkd/s320/1-dino+Avialae+rainbowleo.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Rainbowleo <i>Avialae</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The main characteristics of avialans
were first that they are the groups of flying dinosaurs, which of course led to
birds. Secondly, avialans were small and lastly, they had features that were
inherited way back down the dinosaur lineage in possessing feathers,
bipedalism, pneumatized bones, soft tissue air sacs that pumped air into
stiffened lungs, triangular skull shapes, the use of gastroliths for digestion,
nesting techniques, thermoregulation and the theropod manus (hand) digits
(fingers) of I, II and III (1</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, 2</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and 3</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
fingers). Of course, something as mundane as crouching was inherited by
avialans from non-avian dinosaurs, an important contribution to brooding eggs.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6NWe2VAoi0BODJ5LvPIEj1DPdkRnUpUel9p2dswCyVZomppQBYJCaUmnV_o8nj8Eqt9DedMzQ5RKgE0SGNCWIl3z2IPLHEu1ri_SgXCe0u7SjIqkvnS0yebHrSHbzSRGX-YASfX5mJBq/s1600/1-dino+crouching+Royal+vet+coll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6NWe2VAoi0BODJ5LvPIEj1DPdkRnUpUel9p2dswCyVZomppQBYJCaUmnV_o8nj8Eqt9DedMzQ5RKgE0SGNCWIl3z2IPLHEu1ri_SgXCe0u7SjIqkvnS0yebHrSHbzSRGX-YASfX5mJBq/s320/1-dino+crouching+Royal+vet+coll.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theropodal/Bird crouching</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In reference to the above illustration:
[A] While standing, or at the midpoint of a step, for balance, forces applied
by the feet (red) must match the force of body weight (blue) pointing downwards
from the center of mass (yellow/black). [B] When the feet move forward the
center of mass moves forward. [C] This forward motion forces the limb to crouch
in order to maintain balance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a group, avialans shared traits in
having elongated digits (fingers), the skeletal muscles became larger due to
hypergenesis/hyperplasia (increase in amount of organic tissue with cell
proliferation as resultant) in serving against hypothermia in particular in
hatchlings and evolved adaptations for flight or swimming due to vestigiality
as consequential to bipedalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One interesting note here, some
paleontologists like the esteemed, Gregory S. Paul feels dromaeosaurids may
have actually devolved from primitive avialans losing the power of flight while
keeping their feathers. This is similar to the modern ostrich and other ratites
and the time scale fits as primitive avialans came first 22 million year
earlier than dromaeosaurids. In fact, there have been dinosaur finds that have
been very confusing, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Serikornis</i>
or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anchiornis</i> in whether they were
dromaeosaurids or avialans.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCjL2jkf3y4BFyTVo2YX85gJ3d0XOQTY17UbwkgcVDSWttPCXpexRgnrsEcB-LfidGZH3IqeXaKQouE_ZgxwJDlqgr4Gc5Q0o4Ll4utbfe1GcT7pBQAfOfXNCZLc1EwmJMSliCJG1r9r1/s1600/1-dino+dakotaraptor+herschel-hoffmeyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="869" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCjL2jkf3y4BFyTVo2YX85gJ3d0XOQTY17UbwkgcVDSWttPCXpexRgnrsEcB-LfidGZH3IqeXaKQouE_ZgxwJDlqgr4Gc5Q0o4Ll4utbfe1GcT7pBQAfOfXNCZLc1EwmJMSliCJG1r9r1/s320/1-dino+dakotaraptor+herschel-hoffmeyer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Herschel Hoffmeyer <i>Dakotaraptors</i> battling <i>T</i>. <i>rex</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">There are many genera under the clade, </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Avialae</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> with most classified under the
sub clades of </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Avialae</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. The first
subgroup that is the basal most avialan clade leading to birds is in the
family,</span></span> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anchiornithidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (On-chee-or-nith-ah-day)
with nine genera.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Euavailae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(U-a-vee-ale-e), meaning, ‘true winged birds’ are avialan dinosaurs getting
closer on the march to birds. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avebrevicauda</i>
(Hav-brev-e-caw-dah), meaning ‘birds with short tails’ in reference to the
shortened pygostyle, has no more than ten caudal vertebrae. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pygostylia</i> (Pay-gus-style-e-uh) are
avebrevicaudan dinosaurs with short fused caudal vertebrae.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpJfT10TwOMb4cxX3tzLezXISnx9tL2sDYl0SiNo4rMqCNX52gp_fY0ZQsdiYpke1H4LwjQkXydFYEGeBOfXN4oH75OibJvO4uMuwTFuR86zhz-K7LYtDdItk5NJiDi1w7p2406CyF9w1/s1600/1-dino+avebrevicauda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="384" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpJfT10TwOMb4cxX3tzLezXISnx9tL2sDYl0SiNo4rMqCNX52gp_fY0ZQsdiYpke1H4LwjQkXydFYEGeBOfXN4oH75OibJvO4uMuwTFuR86zhz-K7LYtDdItk5NJiDi1w7p2406CyF9w1/s320/1-dino+avebrevicauda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Avebrevicauda</i> Clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The following are the final avialan
sub-clades leading to birds as pygostylians. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithothoraces</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Or-nith-o-thor-ace-eez) taxa had a temporal range
from 130.7-0 mya during the Early Cretaceous down to the present, with the
term, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithothoraces</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> meaning ‘bird
thoraxes’. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Enantiornithes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(In-an-tie-orn-ah-theez) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Euornithes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(U-orn-ah-theez) are the two major subdivisions of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithothoraces.</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Enantiornithes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
means ‘opposite birds’ while </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Euornithes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
means, ‘true birds’ and while both groups became extinct, the euornitheans are
the lineage that led to birds.</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Ornithuromorpha</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Or-na-thur-o-morph-ah) has 13 genera and one subclade in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithurae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Or-na-thur-ee) which has eight genera. The last in
following is the final subclade, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Aves</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Ah-vez), which of course includes all extinct and extant birds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are only three avialan genera and
one family that are not in the direct common ancestry to birds. The genera are:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i> (R-key-op-teh-rix) from
the Late Jurassic 150.8-148.5 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jeholornis</i>
(Jeh-o-lor-nis) from the Late Cretaceous 122-120 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rahonavis</i> (Rah-hun-ah-vees) from the Late Cretaceous 70 mya. The
family is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anchiornithidae</i>
(Ang-key-or-nith-ah-day) from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous 165-122
mya.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKtpA7dnYQIUp5j9mn_tX09F3FYstIdj7STvCUScQ0bIHbaP2AJP6ZN3gv0l_36MOFr1E_3jPafshMMOzEHS0om_A1zBVcCg1HrTlLfzVRmEsAM5-igAGeLl4QCIQOaqisC4CBPfgwTOh/s1600/1-dino+archeopteryx+fossil1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKtpA7dnYQIUp5j9mn_tX09F3FYstIdj7STvCUScQ0bIHbaP2AJP6ZN3gv0l_36MOFr1E_3jPafshMMOzEHS0om_A1zBVcCg1HrTlLfzVRmEsAM5-igAGeLl4QCIQOaqisC4CBPfgwTOh/s320/1-dino+archeopteryx+fossil1.jpg" width="274" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Archaeopteryx</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Archaeopteryx</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is the famed
first bird-like dinosaur found in the famous ‘Solnhofen’ limestone of Bavaria that
we all know, or do we? Since that first time in 1861there has been seven more
fossil findings, but due to some discrete sizes in skeletal structures, like
the length of the cauda (tail) and phalanges (fingers), some paleontologists
have wanted to describe them as different <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i>
species and make a family out of it, calling it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryg</i>i<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dae</i>. I
won’t go into the specific names because other paleontologists feel all the
other fossil remains are still the one and only, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lithographica</i> and
personally, I agree with them. Most likely the skeletal size differences are
the result of regional pressures, sub adults versus fully grown adults,
ontogenetic development variances, or even dimorphism. But remember, the
argument is still contentious and it may well bear out that a family is called
for.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nonetheless that doesn’t take away from
the importance of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i>
discoveries. It is a transitional form of non-avian maniraptorans and birds,
but is more related to maniraptorans, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosaurus</i>
than it is to birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At 50cm/20in long,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Archaeopteryx</i> still was fully feathered with the caudal (tail) and
wing feathers rounding off at the distal ends. One fossil finding under
electron microscopy showed the feathers still retained the pigment, melanin
concluding that the feathering was black. Also, in being bird-like, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i>’ inner ear was more like
modern birds than maniraptoran ears and the brain area dedicated to vision took
up 1/3 of brain size. However, unlike birds it still possessed a full set of
small but sharp teeth, a long bony caudal (tail), gastralia (belly ribs) and
three wing claws functional enough to grasp prey.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYpk7dvIQ1VHKw8CX4XSoJgkp_Xggk_5Glc5RD69UkK6CdiUmeWLx-x43OI2qlEU2euPYOg7zRhqOdZU0fJcyRQuo3Xf-eNbR7mSqbxClZLM56XgH5AL9bN5PM7nMfW9YVtjtirDC9naG/s1600/1-dino+archaeopteryx+Paul+D.+Stewart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYpk7dvIQ1VHKw8CX4XSoJgkp_Xggk_5Glc5RD69UkK6CdiUmeWLx-x43OI2qlEU2euPYOg7zRhqOdZU0fJcyRQuo3Xf-eNbR7mSqbxClZLM56XgH5AL9bN5PM7nMfW9YVtjtirDC9naG/s320/1-dino+archaeopteryx+Paul+D.+Stewart.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Paul D. Stewart <i>Archaeopteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Archaeopteryx</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> most likely
could not sustain powered flight, but it could perform leaping, gliding and
possibly even short flights. The wings were small compared to body size and the
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i> sternum was flat
indicating a lack of strong flight muscles in that with modern birds, flight
muscles are attached to the sternum. The scleral rings show that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i> was diurnal and the
rounded tail and wing feathers support it inhabited forested areas as most
extant forested birds have rounded feathers. In being cursorial (ground
dwelling), it probably also used its hind limb and forelimb claws for scaling
the trunk of trees to glide or to roost during nocturnal hours as larger forest
birds like wild turkeys and the African chicken fowl do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With a length of 0.8m/2.6ft, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jeholornis</i> was the largest avialan until
the latter half of the Late Cretaceous in which the ornithurine, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperornithes</i> reached a length of
1.5m/4.9ft. There are three species in: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J</i>.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">prima</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J.</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">palmapenis</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">curvipes</i>.
Fossil remains have been found from the Chinese, ‘Jiufotang’ and ‘Yixian’
formations detailing that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jeholornis</i>
was an herbivore subsisting primarily on cycad and ginkgo seeds along with
small fruits as witnessed in caprolithes (fossilized fruit). With seeds and
caprolithes found in the crop, gastroliths were also found in the digestive tract.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQogYc1xy0mT4iT0y77khXXAT7AA4joyBE-PQY8uZfyQaf1_X7Io2ua0o3q7Nh5UPsrtnlJ90IiYt51TQEjJ6V4p9Uem4a9fdepuSM2S-BKzm5hmxxIwKchx1OqyI0cNCsO7tJD5_t6kfm/s1600/1-dino+jeholornis+fossil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQogYc1xy0mT4iT0y77khXXAT7AA4joyBE-PQY8uZfyQaf1_X7Io2ua0o3q7Nh5UPsrtnlJ90IiYt51TQEjJ6V4p9Uem4a9fdepuSM2S-BKzm5hmxxIwKchx1OqyI0cNCsO7tJD5_t6kfm/s200/1-dino+jeholornis+fossil.JPG" width="185" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jeholornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Even though the shoulder blades were
more on the sides of the body than on top of the back like birds, the forelimbs
were larger than the hind limbs in </span></span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jeholornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and were more equipped for powered flight than </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archaeopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was. The flight feathers were asymmetrical and
aerodynamic. With a partially reversed first toe, the claw curvature alludes to
the fact that it could perch on limbs. The halluces (singular: hallux ~
innermost digit of vertebrates’ hind foot) were short and along with short hind
limbs, it was not a fast runner. The skull and snout were short, but robust,
with </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">J</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> prima</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> lacking teeth in the upper jaw (maxilla) with three small
teeth in the mandible (lower jaw), while </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">J</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">palmapenis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had teeth in the middle of
the maxilla.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uHc06vPhTaIUzb8lDfistI5JbIXFpQLRbsslmVSpq3ONTV5evbLn-dzIRhv9htB8765ihyphenhyphenxJ2LdKU2vU6PHoZhUCMYxyihof9ee6Y60Bw-uw3RF_mBgNuAH10MaD0O04cu6yYWTHnKQS/s1600/1-dino+jeholornis+Aijuan+Shi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="1190" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uHc06vPhTaIUzb8lDfistI5JbIXFpQLRbsslmVSpq3ONTV5evbLn-dzIRhv9htB8765ihyphenhyphenxJ2LdKU2vU6PHoZhUCMYxyihof9ee6Y60Bw-uw3RF_mBgNuAH10MaD0O04cu6yYWTHnKQS/s200/1-dino+jeholornis+Aijuan+Shi.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Aijuan Shi <i>Jeholornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The most unique trait of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jeholornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was that it had two tail
feathers. The first was at the base of the tail composed of eleven pennaceous
feathers forming a frond that could jut at an upright angle and surely must
have been used for display as sexual dimorphism in the male. The other tail
feathers were located at the end of the caudal tail, were vaned, rounded and
used for flight.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Anchiornithidae</u></i> had a temporal range of 165-122 mya during
the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. Anchiornithids may be the most derived
and closest transitional form of avialans to the most basal of birds. Lightly built
fully feathered carnivorous/insectivorous avialans, with long legs, arms,
fingers and tails, anchiornithids anatomically resembled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i> and even the dromaeosaurid, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Microraptor</i>, but physically on outside appearances looked like
birds. At only 30cm/12in in total length, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eosinopteryx</i>
was the smallest avialan, while <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pedopenna</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yixianosaurus</i> were both the
largest at 1m/3.3ft.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZOzmgIzfvag4j40dReVJVHHViWcgFomH9n-daiL9SQPE62mkHE63N9lVJIW9TWrIx1ZJ0zggFEPSJNLQNitxoZ_J-F1CP1goXqYKhuGTCHE4nHGz2DeHhw6ZbPIwsejkCXupUsJgShsM/s1600/1-dino+anchiornithidae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="322" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZOzmgIzfvag4j40dReVJVHHViWcgFomH9n-daiL9SQPE62mkHE63N9lVJIW9TWrIx1ZJ0zggFEPSJNLQNitxoZ_J-F1CP1goXqYKhuGTCHE4nHGz2DeHhw6ZbPIwsejkCXupUsJgShsM/s320/1-dino+anchiornithidae+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anchiornithidae Clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There is a certainty that all
anchiornithid species possessed pennaceous feathers, although between genera,
there were variances in feathering from being asymmetrical or symmetrical with
short downy tail feathering. Even though they were pennaceous, some species
lacked barbules that would have given a shaggy appearance. With all this
feathering, even those with shorter legs possessed leg feathering where the
feathers were pennaceous and covered down past the ankles. The wing feathers
were symmetrical and slender making it almost useless for powered flight, but
anchiornithids could surely glide.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The distinguishing features were in
having ‘fan-shaped’ posterior neural spines; the acromion margin (bony process
on the scapula) hooked outwards and the inside surface of the proximal part of
the fibula was flat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also,</span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the presence of
furrows on both sides of the phalanges (fingers) is a feature shared by all
anchiornithids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sharing a trait with
most troodontids, the anterior dentary teeth were numerous and more closely
spaced than teeth in the middle of the tooth row.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anchiornithidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> family members
came from what is now the ‘Tiaojishan Formation’ of China and the country, Germany.
The family has nine genera, which are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Serikornis</i>
(Say-ree-kor-niss) from the Middle-Late Jurassic 165-162 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pedopenna</i> (Puh-dop-in-nuh) from the end
of the Middle Jurassic 164 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Caihong</i>
(K-hawn) from the Late Jurassic 161 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anchiornis</i>
(Ang-key-or-niss) from the Late Jurassic 160.89-160.25 mya, of whom the family
is named after; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Xiaotingia</i>
(Zhau-tin-gee-ah) from the Late Jurassic 160 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aurornis</i> (Or-ror-niss) from the Late Jurassic 160 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eosinopteryx</i> (E-oh-sye-nop-ter-ix) from
the Late Jurassic 160 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ostromia</i>
(Oss-trom-ee-uh) from the Late Jurassic 150.25 mya, in which its Haarlem TM
6428/29 fossil was once considered an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i>
species and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yixianosaurus</i>
(Yee-see-en-o-sawr-us) from the Early Cretaceous 122 mya.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSw6DzWcX308yFwMM201rEi8AWzt039T2e0Jm4KgiQitCg_EHRgFldUeOpIl5JBlggoBQtw7D0u5itlc0XTiR4CP5gt0wInIQ_ypa_PteZXGHGUvtSk3e0K-E4gWqxgEtTHN5fNIiIubA/s1600/1-dino+serikornis+EW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="1600" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSw6DzWcX308yFwMM201rEi8AWzt039T2e0Jm4KgiQitCg_EHRgFldUeOpIl5JBlggoBQtw7D0u5itlc0XTiR4CP5gt0wInIQ_ypa_PteZXGHGUvtSk3e0K-E4gWqxgEtTHN5fNIiIubA/s320/1-dino+serikornis+EW.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Emily Willoughby <i>Serikornis</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Serikornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is the oldest
anchiornithid (165-162 mya) and was rather small at 34cm/13.4in. The fossil
find is from the volcanic interspersed with sedimentary rock ‘Tiaojishan
Formation’ of China. Even though it was covered in multiple types of
feathering, the fossil’s skeletal anatomy suggests it was terrestrial and not
arboreal. Fossil feather imprints include wispy bundles along the neckline,
short and symmetrical vaned feathering along the forelimbs along with fuzz
intermingled with long pennaceous feathers on the hind limbs. The tail was
covered proximally by filaments and distally (tail-end) by fine retrices.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKrXWPaYX1seRnYX2hqQz21okSO7g5WvaOrrtyTTczQXC8LnzPXoRSu6nTC2xm_9GPnKxCtQJCYsmxiCk-hMBZNOOMLSyTAvK4nKcvZFLbiZ99GW5y1I9in7Dr47XPO8bohuDXt8z0k0p/s1600/1-dino+serikornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="540" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKrXWPaYX1seRnYX2hqQz21okSO7g5WvaOrrtyTTczQXC8LnzPXoRSu6nTC2xm_9GPnKxCtQJCYsmxiCk-hMBZNOOMLSyTAvK4nKcvZFLbiZ99GW5y1I9in7Dr47XPO8bohuDXt8z0k0p/s320/1-dino+serikornis+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Serikornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Unlike coracoid crests found in other
anchiornithids as in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anchiornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Serikornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’ coracoid was devoid of a
crest. In the hip, the ilium bone’s postacetabular blade is stout and squared,
while the ischium has a narrow and unciform (curved) process. The front four
maxillary teeth are twice as long as the other tiny teeth, but all were sharp
and cone-shaped. The fossil’s cervical vertebrae have small pneumatic cavities
known as camelles system, which is a derived coelurosaurian condition.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_lb-O0ocN4aTJ_DyVDaXUPy4EUsPiGBhYcfFzu_W_dPaFxwN3hu3opzVl3G-8wopt1wcfwJDyBCuPTRu21oBChvVElQRmgq_ztx7A_YbgU7oBLNQa890Dz9QDbXsKXxPSFdz8xY4wyfQ/s1600/1-dino+caihong+Zhao+Chuang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="934" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_lb-O0ocN4aTJ_DyVDaXUPy4EUsPiGBhYcfFzu_W_dPaFxwN3hu3opzVl3G-8wopt1wcfwJDyBCuPTRu21oBChvVElQRmgq_ztx7A_YbgU7oBLNQa890Dz9QDbXsKXxPSFdz8xY4wyfQ/s320/1-dino+caihong+Zhao+Chuang.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Zhao Chuang <i>Caihong</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 40cm/16in long, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caihong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was small; about the size of a mallard duck. The fossil
remains were found by a farmer in China’s Hebei, Province. The full name is, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">C</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">juji</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
with the specific name meaning in general Chinese, ‘big crest’. The genus name,
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caihong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is Mandarin and refers to
‘rainbow’ and for good reason. While sporting a long fan tail,</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Caihong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had a crest of feather
colorations about the head, neck and throat that were a rainbow of iridescent
colors. The iridescence was much like that of the black feathered </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Microraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, mentioned under
microraptorines, but </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caihong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was
displaying iridescence some 41 million years earlier.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The preserved melanosomes’ cell pigments
detail splashes of orange, lite green, burnt red and blue around the cranial
and neck areas that match the iridescence of hummingbird feathers. Aside from
the iridescent feathers, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Caihong</i> is
also the earliest known not just dinosaur, but animal to support asymmetrical
feathering. Although asymmetrical feathering is on modern birds’ wings, they
were on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Caihong</i>’s tail. Only the body
feathering was shaggy and not iridescent.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnaYPFdGxajcj4CiOQKMAtQp4AKYaE2C3sLmbD8b5Gc4tD5_HSO7KB_Ii_NDAZsM571cDwY9R33M5Wswr57nqllX5LF_VdNlxD_TBAp5QfsTCpNZkZ00IeTHEYXKpg6y78Fd6FI1-JoN7/s1600/1-dino+Caihong_feathers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1402" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnaYPFdGxajcj4CiOQKMAtQp4AKYaE2C3sLmbD8b5Gc4tD5_HSO7KB_Ii_NDAZsM571cDwY9R33M5Wswr57nqllX5LF_VdNlxD_TBAp5QfsTCpNZkZ00IeTHEYXKpg6y78Fd6FI1-JoN7/s320/1-dino+Caihong_feathers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Caihong</i> feather fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Caihong</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> had a small
bony crest atop the lacrimal bone of the snout that resembled the protrusive
crest of much earlier dinosaurs. Instead of the typical maniraptoran triangular
skull, it had a long slender snout. The snout had a troodontid trait in that the
strut separating the maxillary fenestra from the antorbital fenestra was
pierced by a connecting channel. The spine of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Caihong</i> was composed of ten neck vertebrae, thirteen back
vertebrae, five sacral vertebrae and twenty-six cauda vertebrae.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eosinopteryx</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">, is the
smallest of anchiornithids, with its fossil remains coming from the western
portion of China’s, ‘Tiaojishan Formation’. the remains were well preserved in
presenting virtually a wholly articulated skeletal anatomy of a young adult
with feather impressions.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJhdxXoZ5TC_yb2eQrfby_EvKcvyxEGKcbwHLQFpsWQuopucomspTlwZ2nw0YtZuuPXhF7Y6bxhOglOpAswcNoHtSacF3K0c-PcGC3K6Pv_w7TsxcjK5ZGCcEsGdiGlq1VmHiKhu6LxyO/s1600/1-dino+Eosinopteryx+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="640" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJhdxXoZ5TC_yb2eQrfby_EvKcvyxEGKcbwHLQFpsWQuopucomspTlwZ2nw0YtZuuPXhF7Y6bxhOglOpAswcNoHtSacF3K0c-PcGC3K6Pv_w7TsxcjK5ZGCcEsGdiGlq1VmHiKhu6LxyO/s320/1-dino+Eosinopteryx+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eosinopteryx</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With uncurved toe claws, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eosinopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was a fast runner and most
likely lived in a forest setting in judging from the surrounding plant fauna
fossils. Although as straight instead of curved, the claws would not afford
tree climbing or predation like curved claws afforded other anchiornithids.
With this in mind, it was primarily an insectivore while occasionally running
after small vertebrates.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwC7gwKMiOitYmG47LoawqwtdpghmYnZCx2LksAq7voI91AtTyleDwWSwcLncSX_86wYiR8jgJ3LeHlyPFK7WbZBo8_zJzono2g6r_jpwL-tkc_owMgpm2pPFhQzMi8Fw7PJM9xA1ywjDh/s1600/1-dino+eosinopteryx_Emily+Willoughby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwC7gwKMiOitYmG47LoawqwtdpghmYnZCx2LksAq7voI91AtTyleDwWSwcLncSX_86wYiR8jgJ3LeHlyPFK7WbZBo8_zJzono2g6r_jpwL-tkc_owMgpm2pPFhQzMi8Fw7PJM9xA1ywjDh/s320/1-dino+eosinopteryx_Emily+Willoughby.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Emily Willoughby <i>Eosinopteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The snout of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eosinopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was blunted and short, even shorter than the diameter
of the eye sockets. Compared to most avialans, the tail was very short when
contrasted to body size. The primary wing feathers were longer than the humerus
(upper arm bone). It had hind wings, but unlike other leg-winged
anchiornithids, its lower tarsals and feet were featherless. With complex wing
bones, it would not have allowed flight.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RjHG3Bq6cMmz8PtPTsqQAvKZ4aTMqAhbePAkSNwjBfjZi77CXbldWhXM7fUOtEeP6oIcwR22pZRhDeGLOpL94k4TqD50OWb8AzZVD8c9CmZ3ZLPkC5L3QUXiR2TYv9RZPsEZH2Rhm4fd/s1600/1-dino+Anchiornis_huxleyi+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RjHG3Bq6cMmz8PtPTsqQAvKZ4aTMqAhbePAkSNwjBfjZi77CXbldWhXM7fUOtEeP6oIcwR22pZRhDeGLOpL94k4TqD50OWb8AzZVD8c9CmZ3ZLPkC5L3QUXiR2TYv9RZPsEZH2Rhm4fd/s320/1-dino+Anchiornis_huxleyi+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Anchiornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Anchiornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> had a length of
40cm/16in and as, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Serkornis</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eosinopteryx</i> it also came from China’s ‘Tiaojishan
Formation’. Over hundreds of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anchiornis</i>
fossils have been discovered with many in impeccable preservation. Embedded in
pyroclastic rock layering that can be split, the fossil remains not only show
detail in the skeletal anatomy, but also in the feathering and skin. The
skeletal structure was very similar to the above mentioned, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eosinopteryx</i>, just a bit larger and also
possessed straight claws in the toes.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjl8z5AK3G7S1p7gk1riweP7KI2RCnqP896ZNCMOSSBvH71jTa5Ky1TJJAgyH-ptI9D1IiT88zcYp7VPd4XZcWOilRfytfJQ9OHgSF1MnVJqzDywexyHZhkNNYwnS8FnSNYC_NZotDAk7/s1600/1-dino+anchiornis+fossil+wing+wht-skn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="1063" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjl8z5AK3G7S1p7gk1riweP7KI2RCnqP896ZNCMOSSBvH71jTa5Ky1TJJAgyH-ptI9D1IiT88zcYp7VPd4XZcWOilRfytfJQ9OHgSF1MnVJqzDywexyHZhkNNYwnS8FnSNYC_NZotDAk7/s320/1-dino+anchiornis+fossil+wing+wht-skn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Anchiornis</i> wing fossil with skin (white)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The long wing (forearm), which measured
80% of the body’s length and manus (hands) were covered in eleven primary and
ten secondary feathers with both forming rounded feather wings. There were
three phalanges (fingers) with claws ending on each wing, but the longest two
fingers were bound together by skin and wing tissue. The very long hind limbs
were covered in long vaned feathers that were not structured for flight and
were most likely a vestigial trait inherited from anchiornithid ancestry. The
toes were layered with small scales. The foot pads, as in birds, were covered
in even smaller scales.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IkcLAK1ZOXinVnqpOkZHLst4cAjB3IMQueKeWhCnDu1eFhGMyvNatYmbIYOwluqHNtxhsyeHHBOwujOm2gxyu3evSB-ijack95F9yLFC7FrSy66wqvOsy7w9cNpumATyUDTEAimpioW_/s1600/1-dino+anchiornis+Zhao+Chuang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1024" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IkcLAK1ZOXinVnqpOkZHLst4cAjB3IMQueKeWhCnDu1eFhGMyvNatYmbIYOwluqHNtxhsyeHHBOwujOm2gxyu3evSB-ijack95F9yLFC7FrSy66wqvOsy7w9cNpumATyUDTEAimpioW_/s320/1-dino+anchiornis+Zhao+Chuang.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Zhao Chuang <i>Anchiornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The feathering impressions of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anchiornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> fossils still retained
melanosomes; pigment cells that give coloration. Through fluorescence
evaluations it was found that the color patterns were gray to grayish black on
the body while the wings were white with distal black spangles. The face had
rufous red speckles with a rufous red crest starting from the forehead exceeding
back to the crown of the neck.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Xiaotingia</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> as well came
from the ‘Tiaojishan Formation’ of China’s, Jianchang County of Liaoning
Province. With a length of 0.6m/2ft, it had long and robust forearms, which at
first was thought to support powered flight. Due to this thinking, it was
proclaimed to be the first bird, trumping <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archeopteryx</i>
of that crown by 10 million years. But as it stands, both cannot claim the
crown, for neither one qualifies to being a bird.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUnFL9OQHU2nMnOz5nU7DQZfAKF8vFWgVUrXL0RYqj2bgHNgO_W91aI1B2R6MIqHKU90sV9vXwsYJDqlAiLKRsonBOd1TEaMSrlz123_fKss0-TizNYqROf4Qp0HcQGdGQbMWdmOZsfPB/s1600/1-dino+Xiaotingia+zheng+Xing+Lida+Liu+Yi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="926" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUnFL9OQHU2nMnOz5nU7DQZfAKF8vFWgVUrXL0RYqj2bgHNgO_W91aI1B2R6MIqHKU90sV9vXwsYJDqlAiLKRsonBOd1TEaMSrlz123_fKss0-TizNYqROf4Qp0HcQGdGQbMWdmOZsfPB/s320/1-dino+Xiaotingia+zheng+Xing+Lida+Liu+Yi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artists: Xing lida & Liu Yi <i>Xiaotingia</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The fossil was so well preserved that the
body feathering still had its structure. In animals, there are no pigments for
blue; plants use anthocyanin to produce blue pigments. Most current mammals
only produce melanin in various forms such as eumelanin and pheomelanin that
can produce a wide range of colors except for blue and green shades. Extant
birds like, flamingoes and cardinals reach their colors through their diet
metabolizing the particular food’s pigment once it reaches the follicles of
their feathers. But most extant animals that are blue or green produce the
coloration through a specific structure that absorbs the whole spectrum of
light, except for wavelengths of blue or green that it reflects back out to an
observer to see. That’s why </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Opheodrys</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(the N. American smooth and rough green snakes) appear green and why the blue
jay is blue. The specific structure of their scales and feathers reflect the
green and blue wavelengths by scale or feather cells dying leaving stringy
molecules of keratin interspersed with air pockets that reflect and scatter the
green or blue wavelengths.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfF6VepSAGn5vARVOVhz96V7tj8xerOCfO4YEQcQHw_iumxx2RLolAweb4qacX5LjsrQDZ_GdB5w9fIvGIwcJ-llQr5ueDltUCS1Le8V-pqq5oP4G-O4OCbWgO25iHupCuZnNZJ0a_pHT/s1600/1-dino+xiaotingia+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="600" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfF6VepSAGn5vARVOVhz96V7tj8xerOCfO4YEQcQHw_iumxx2RLolAweb4qacX5LjsrQDZ_GdB5w9fIvGIwcJ-llQr5ueDltUCS1Le8V-pqq5oP4G-O4OCbWgO25iHupCuZnNZJ0a_pHT/s320/1-dino+xiaotingia+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Xiaotingia</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Now back to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Xiaotingia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s fossil. The body feathers’ specific structure was so
well preserved that it reflected blue. Morphologically, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Xiaotingia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was very similar to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archeopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
but </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archeopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was a meat eater and
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Xiaotingia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> with bulbous teeth was
more of a plant eater or of shellfish or, both. We don’t know if </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Xiaotingia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s diet gave its blue hue, but
the feather structures indicate that it did and still does in the remains.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Euavialae</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avebrevicauda</i></b>
are two avialan subclades that led to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pygostylia</i></b>. I won’t go much into
detail with these two as they are simply a sequential line to pygostylians. All
three have a temporal range of 131-0 mya with a chronological order in
phylogenetically putting the most primitive first, which would be: euavialans
=› avebrevicaudans =› pygostylians. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Euavialae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> literally
means, ‘true winged birds’ and is the major separation between feathered
dinosaurs and modern birds. Besides in the clade <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Euavialae</i> leading to birds through <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avebrevicauda</i>, it holds one genus that was monotypic as a euavialan
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jixiangornis</i>. Many scientists call
euavialans ‘primitive birds’, but as a scientist and junior paleontologist
myself, I’m still going to refer to them as dinosaurs. Under ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Birds</i>’ I’ll give the true definition of
birds with a list of anatomical traits.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdYIT0S1R0osFqcnsWTggwKY1Rqm3ohdN7NeRvTUj5PZoIgPPvI2bwUr8Ea8pwxK2edM5SwLTZ9GO-AESQlDbzzOrpkZ0b0D7sRdOUd0syrwRQ5z04xjVE0dJvLPec39i3QZ7KpLOE3Wu/s1600/1-dino+jixiangornis+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="501" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdYIT0S1R0osFqcnsWTggwKY1Rqm3ohdN7NeRvTUj5PZoIgPPvI2bwUr8Ea8pwxK2edM5SwLTZ9GO-AESQlDbzzOrpkZ0b0D7sRdOUd0syrwRQ5z04xjVE0dJvLPec39i3QZ7KpLOE3Wu/s320/1-dino+jixiangornis+jack+wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood <i>Jixiangornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In having a temporal range of 124.5 mya
during the Early Cretaceous, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jixiangornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Jix-sang-or-nees) was a primitive euavialan and through the current fossil
record was no predecessor to future lineages. The fossil remains came from the
‘Yixian Formation near China’s Beipiao City of western Liaoning, Province.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXKv2om1DbfAdsbIqeLV6BSULURyE6D-_J0L4mIbotfF6cgEd66EKC2CaEVtDjZ_uNhVZQnOqXs9yOnACd-Tn5LsnOLZOWpFxhV5ZegcDhQf-XjfuQY6O1Rjo9ml6ROjSo5M9y1gK_2e3/s1600/1-dino+Jixiangornis+fossil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXKv2om1DbfAdsbIqeLV6BSULURyE6D-_J0L4mIbotfF6cgEd66EKC2CaEVtDjZ_uNhVZQnOqXs9yOnACd-Tn5LsnOLZOWpFxhV5ZegcDhQf-XjfuQY6O1Rjo9ml6ROjSo5M9y1gK_2e3/s320/1-dino+Jixiangornis+fossil.JPG" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jixiangornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 0.8m/2.6ft long,</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Jixiangornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, with long forelimbs (forelimbs were over 130% longer
than hind limbs) indicating its forceful aerial flight was capable of stronger
flight than that of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archaeopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
Even though it was toothless like birds, but unlike more derived avialans still
retaining teeth, it coevolved a toothless snout independently of birds. Unlike
the more advanced pygostylians and birds with short tails, it still possessed a
long tail having 27 caudal vertebrae. The sternum was large, but the keel was
weak.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RqicS1NKRCo1kAdB-87uXAT8SQbDvYhhSwOXt6j4C5VJhdr_YOZcD6CBSxP1eVCoIAtvBm0_klS_0LujMVQNslY9S5QHNAXT06xb-4mOLg3cINeiSc_8SPX5ze2ExesW3tF4mxsDQdcj/s1600/1-dino+avebrevicauda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="384" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RqicS1NKRCo1kAdB-87uXAT8SQbDvYhhSwOXt6j4C5VJhdr_YOZcD6CBSxP1eVCoIAtvBm0_klS_0LujMVQNslY9S5QHNAXT06xb-4mOLg3cINeiSc_8SPX5ze2ExesW3tF4mxsDQdcj/s320/1-dino+avebrevicauda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Avebrevicauda</i> Clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Avebrevicauda</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> literally
means, ‘birds with short tails’ and so named to separate dinosaurs from their
reptilian long tailed ancestors to those with ten or fewer free caudal (tail)
vertebrae. Considered a stem based clade, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avebrevicauda</i>
contains all known avialans that had lost the hyperextended pedal/pes
(foot/feet) digit II (second toe). This is a form of ‘oligodactyly’ when a
digit from a limb never develops and is much more common than ‘polydactyly’
when an extra digit (toe or finger) is developed. Both anomalies are caused
from genetically or familial altercations in the fetal stage. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avebrevicauda</i> clade includes the family,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omnivor</i>o<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pterygidae</i> (Alm-nih-vor-op-teh-ridge-ah-day) and the whole of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pygostylia</i> descendants, that includes
the clade node order, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornithiformes</i>
(Cun-fusch-suh-sor-ah-nith-e-for-meez) and its family and the node based clade,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ornithothoraces</i> along with its
subdivisions.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Omnivor</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">o<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pterygidae</i>: With a temporal range of
125-120 mya during the Early Cretaceous, omnivoropterygids were primitive
avebrevicaudans and most likely were a short and regional occurrence with all
coming from a 120 million year old section of the ‘Jiufotang Formation’ of
Chaoyang, China. Because there are only teeth in the upper premaxillaries,
omnivoropterygids are considered omnivores, hence the name. There are two
omnivoropterygid genera with one species in each and they are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omnivoropteryx</i> (Alm-nee-vor-op-teh-rix)
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sapeornis</i> (Sape-or-niss). There
is an order above <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omnivor</i>o<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pterygidae</i>, but there are no members
outside of the family <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omnivor</i>o<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pterygidae</i>; its name is, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omnivoropterygiformes</i>. Also, due to some
similarities, although there are some primitive differences with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omnivoropteryx</i> to oviraptorosaurs, those
similarities may make <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omnivoropteryx</i>
a junior synonym of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sapeornis</i> and the
name may be abandoned which would also replace the family name of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omnivor</i>o<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pterygidae</i> to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sapeornithidae</i>.
Just keep that in mind for future referencing. Whew…a lot of Omni’s in
there.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXCLaSkj1Khp2nT_hSBqDbAPdQAoSgXojABOrW2p_yUIiMF8I8XOWbgWUWs0YerrrAcX5E9iIWMeMUMRYmk5Hvz7tn6MUXTJfrM9MUr0u-1HQVplFIGe6IuPQlrDFxceu3rTg-qbJQw2_/s1600/1-dino+sapeornis+yike+xu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="620" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXCLaSkj1Khp2nT_hSBqDbAPdQAoSgXojABOrW2p_yUIiMF8I8XOWbgWUWs0YerrrAcX5E9iIWMeMUMRYmk5Hvz7tn6MUXTJfrM9MUr0u-1HQVplFIGe6IuPQlrDFxceu3rTg-qbJQw2_/s320/1-dino+sapeornis+yike+xu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Yike Xu <i>Sapeornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Having a temporal range of 124.5-120 mya
during the Early Cretaceous, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sapeornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
was a larger avialan reaching a length of 33cm/1.1ft. The manus (hands) possessed
three fingers on each forelimb with the outer two fingers having two phalanges
and the middle with three. The skull only possessed a few teeth in front on the
upper premaxillaries. The forelimbs were one and a half times longer than the
hind limbs giving a large wingspan, but the shoulder girdle structuring was ill
adapted to flapping. As far as primitive traits go, the long tail bone was
absent while gastralia were bones present supporting the abdomen.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDEAAgiPtrsI5uyp2q7JT31yT-1G53NGCmchFGv0Jh6rM8VwVU5-fgB3FVGDCL7Y6ekSwka2FsqChV1q4Vo1hL3MmKQymZA_xo-2xW0Lok9B3FfAnyD-9kAKCnFCcxoelO-wYIWOTkM7n/s1600/1-dino+sapeornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="287" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDEAAgiPtrsI5uyp2q7JT31yT-1G53NGCmchFGv0Jh6rM8VwVU5-fgB3FVGDCL7Y6ekSwka2FsqChV1q4Vo1hL3MmKQymZA_xo-2xW0Lok9B3FfAnyD-9kAKCnFCcxoelO-wYIWOTkM7n/s320/1-dino+sapeornis+fossil.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sapeornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sapeornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
fossils coming from the ‘Jiufotang’ and ‘Yixian’ formations in the western half
of Liaoning, China, it probably was an open country animal with the capability
to perch and glide or soar seeking out feeding grounds, as the gastroliths
found in the fossil remains indicate a harder source of diet such as seeds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pygostylia</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Pygostylians
occurred, 131-0 mya from the Early Cretaceous to Present. Pygostylian features
closed the gap in what is a dinosaur and what is a bird. In fact, many esteemed
paleontologists indeed do refer to them as primitive birds. However in my
perspective, perhaps proto-birds, but not birds, at least not in saying they
possess all the same characteristics as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neornithes</i>
(modern birds).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafGQlV0gcfpqL-VQswbdwB7mzqfdU9tZasmSucrOJizus-F9Zg3zCHuYER2wfjVn_Qb6FqCL6gbmlKaaf7cJZVpft5S20H-5PNy0jXS2CDT7Fpb6HSZ_YDJcEfa0A2n85ndRQV1Oz15CQ/s1600/1-bird+pygostyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="514" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafGQlV0gcfpqL-VQswbdwB7mzqfdU9tZasmSucrOJizus-F9Zg3zCHuYER2wfjVn_Qb6FqCL6gbmlKaaf7cJZVpft5S20H-5PNy0jXS2CDT7Fpb6HSZ_YDJcEfa0A2n85ndRQV1Oz15CQ/s320/1-bird+pygostyle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bird anatomy with pygostyle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pygostylians are named for the
pygostyle, a triangular plate shaped distal bone tip of tails formed from the
fusion of the shortened caudal vertebrae supporting the tail feathers and the
muscles controlling the feathers. The intention is to separate out all avialans
with short stubby tails from the more reptilian avialan tails. The more primitive
Pygostylians had longer rod-shaped pygostyles while the more derived from </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithothoraces</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> onwards into birds, had
a plowshare-shaped pygostyle.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Aside from the pygostyle, there’s
considered three other main features of pygostylians and they are: the total
absence of an accessory joint found in most archosauromorphs known as the
‘hyposphene-hypantrum’, a reversed pubic bone and a bulbous medial condyle
(round prominence at the end of a bone) of the lower leg bone known as the
tibiotarsus.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYnZ7XtaR4VVp4Ss-SiuCP34V9WEoi5G1RUzVD6tawrEH0bZosCxxrBkXVGO5ZhgNe1HLbZ8Ms4F1uYHyFdPgUGGQb7QBW839OryKTeuaIG7jK7lD0RRQsdAYTKdib2BLtdU9xsWBDm1Q/s1600/1-dino+pygostylia+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="556" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYnZ7XtaR4VVp4Ss-SiuCP34V9WEoi5G1RUzVD6tawrEH0bZosCxxrBkXVGO5ZhgNe1HLbZ8Ms4F1uYHyFdPgUGGQb7QBW839OryKTeuaIG7jK7lD0RRQsdAYTKdib2BLtdU9xsWBDm1Q/s320/1-dino+pygostylia+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pygostylia</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The clade, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pygostylia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is divided into the order, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Confuciusornithformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">; the family under it, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Confuciusornithidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithothoraces</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
along with its family members.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Confuciusornithiformes</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(Cun-few-shus-or-nith-e-for-meez) contains members that first evolved the
bird-like beak occurring 131-120 mya in the Early Cretaceous. Also, according
to the fossil record, it appears that confuciusornithiforms are the first to
evolve vitellogenesis, commonly called, ‘yolk deposition’ where nutrients being
deposited in the oocyte, or female germ cell involved in reproduction of
lecithotrophic (oviparous animals that lay eggs with little or no other
embryonic development within the mother) organisms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All known confuciusornithiform fossils
lacked teeth in having a beak instead of a snout, but this was independent of
birds. The beak tip ended in a point. Generally, they were very small but with
robust forelimbs supporting long and narrow pennaceous feathers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The order, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornithiformes</i> is divided into the family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornithidae</i>
(Cun-few-shus-or-nith-ah-day) and the most primitive confuciusornithiform, in
the monotypic genus, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eoconfuciusornis</i>
(E-oh-cun-few-shus-or-nees).</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrY3zwMBD5lOyoJsVVoQDlxnoTsxMT75JVxRDnGDjFdr_0cD_6QTOMANB-RQEWWhBCEqOZ_LcGKDSDFOJIPvVXOHY3x_JjRPC1pgiydBhKay5bkpapNVMGmI5Yb0dx3-J0Dx2Zbs440zG/s1600/1-dino+Eoconfuciusornis+Nobu+Tamura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="800" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrY3zwMBD5lOyoJsVVoQDlxnoTsxMT75JVxRDnGDjFdr_0cD_6QTOMANB-RQEWWhBCEqOZ_LcGKDSDFOJIPvVXOHY3x_JjRPC1pgiydBhKay5bkpapNVMGmI5Yb0dx3-J0Dx2Zbs440zG/s320/1-dino+Eoconfuciusornis+Nobu+Tamura.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Eoconfuciusornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Eoconfuciusornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is a primitive
confuciusornithiform and not a confuciusornithid, but is sister to the family.
Occurring 131 mya during the Early Cretaceous, the fossil remains were found in
the ‘Sichakou Beds’ of the ‘Dabeigou formation’ near Fengning, China. The
remains show it had a length of 47cm/18.5in and are of a relatively complete
but compressed skeleton and well conserved actual feathering.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Fj3pI0pY3XpLn2ms-hVwJiMQlbEGi1LxxFoFuWtjdCjkdT2bju5yrsXau1cSWceYxZTgVGTEVV_vUif2xrEUCDQ0pXhTqI12VhPLXogS7GsHaOABtLgFaJrmZPo1uqhgqnycNq_ikfuJ/s1600/1-dino+Eoconfuciusornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Fj3pI0pY3XpLn2ms-hVwJiMQlbEGi1LxxFoFuWtjdCjkdT2bju5yrsXau1cSWceYxZTgVGTEVV_vUif2xrEUCDQ0pXhTqI12VhPLXogS7GsHaOABtLgFaJrmZPo1uqhgqnycNq_ikfuJ/s320/1-dino+Eoconfuciusornis+fossil.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eoconfuciusornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Researchers used both scanning and
transmission electron microscopy to gather microscopic details of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eoconfuciusornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’ feather surfaces and
their internal structure. The scientists had two goals; to see if the feather
filaments were made up internally of keratin and to learn if it was microbody
contaminants like bacteria that were giving the feathers its colors instead of
melanosomes. What they found was that indeed the feathering was composed of
keratin, like in modern birds and it was melanosomes coloring the feathers and
not bacteria. They also discovered that the beak was entirely made up of
keratin instead of bone just like in modern birds.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2cPSUxqxCxZ_NCvtPjH7GUUrIY5fnyU3zEHfuoJ87R3Pce2t6kOc_HznzVaKVEGwLWRSQjK2zMUSRwcKPNSqQI9IbDRO1ZGwOgq3KFAbVYHHWfhm_CXqpQfzBL_gI6g0Hkx8NckW8XzD/s1600/1-dino+Confuciusornis_feducciai++Jaime+Chirinos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="720" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2cPSUxqxCxZ_NCvtPjH7GUUrIY5fnyU3zEHfuoJ87R3Pce2t6kOc_HznzVaKVEGwLWRSQjK2zMUSRwcKPNSqQI9IbDRO1ZGwOgq3KFAbVYHHWfhm_CXqpQfzBL_gI6g0Hkx8NckW8XzD/s320/1-dino+Confuciusornis_feducciai++Jaime+Chirinos.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jaime Chirinos <i>Confuciusornis feducciai</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Confuciusornithidae</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Members had a
temporal range of 131-120 mya during the Early Cretaceous, which contains two
valid genera in: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornis</i>
(Cun-few-shus-or-nees) and the holotypic genus, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Changchengornis</i> (Chan-jing-or-nees). There is another genus in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jinzhournis</i>, but is considered dubious
and a junior synonym with the remains most likely belonging to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornis</i>. About the size of a
pigeon, all three <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornis</i>
species had a length of ~ 50.8cm/20in with a wingspan of 0.7m/2.3ft.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For the genus, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornis</i> there are currently three confirmed species and they
are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">C</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sanctus</i> (sanque-tuce), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">C</i>.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dui</i> (d-u-i) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">C</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">feducciai</i>
(feh-dook-say). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornis</i>
species lived 125-120 mya ago during the Early Cretaceous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There have been hundreds of well preserved
and articulated fossils found in the ‘Yixian and Jiufotang’ formations of
China. In fact, on a 100 meter squared area forty fossils were found in
articulated condition. This was a result of volcanism as all the fossils were
found in tuff sediment, which is the result of compacted volcanic ash.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YCrcj-6QAOFKjc-d8_KZmMN3WBhPof8kRUVn_CoG5wrHskVw4imvdfmQjU_e-nA7lred_JYIdgs2LtbY21yHnFMzTokLtNBTHv7QPOmB-8bkcWvHs-ZYQt2Agyzug3xfS7a-aQAfM71c/s1600/1-dino+confuciusornis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="1021" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YCrcj-6QAOFKjc-d8_KZmMN3WBhPof8kRUVn_CoG5wrHskVw4imvdfmQjU_e-nA7lred_JYIdgs2LtbY21yHnFMzTokLtNBTHv7QPOmB-8bkcWvHs-ZYQt2Agyzug3xfS7a-aQAfM71c/s320/1-dino+confuciusornis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Confuciusornis</i> morphology</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The skull held a pointed toothless beak
and closed orbitals (eye sockets); however, there were jaw bone grooves that
were vestigial remnants of tooth sockets. As far as the closed eye sockets,
they were closed due to the presence of a triradiate postorbital separating the
eye-socket from the lower temporal opening. Also, the nasals were forced to the
sides of the beak due to the beak’s premaxillae stretched out into the frontals
(forehead).</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszPhgzGyIvacy_GHLkmYS4PdB2yxT4SRy7ItDikMd3ciFo6LJPSvgyecfwDAXPtKmteaMStF3-WlVKLeej-j8hAZzby5GJADjlW8PrGpqABtF9mQsYTuQ-bS5UuUGn4kM_eMRGHcVI3aG/s1600/1-dino+confuciusornis+tiny+toe+scales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="990" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszPhgzGyIvacy_GHLkmYS4PdB2yxT4SRy7ItDikMd3ciFo6LJPSvgyecfwDAXPtKmteaMStF3-WlVKLeej-j8hAZzby5GJADjlW8PrGpqABtF9mQsYTuQ-bS5UuUGn4kM_eMRGHcVI3aG/s200/1-dino+confuciusornis+tiny+toe+scales.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Confuciusornis</i> fossil toe scales</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornis</i> species had a pygostyle, there were no tail flight
feathers, but in displaying sexual dimorphism, the male had two extended,
ribbon-like feathers that did not have a keratinous continuous spine running
the full length of the feathers; rather, there were two smaller central spines
with one positioned at the base and the other at the distal end of the feather.
Due to exceptional fossilization, the feathering was analyzed through electron
microscopy for melanosomes.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUS7av1cv_AtN4sgQHIZXo3QO6F5-jGPuNmZIE5MuV3W4AOJ84m52fAK-5r2k5OlQWjO0gXT_DlABHmp5xMQTauGIxMMt44tqs0BOCt144OUdOJZK8CfVfBzdPzmHv9JB8oBoqf5yqH77/s1600/1-dino+confuciusornis_fossils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="223" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUS7av1cv_AtN4sgQHIZXo3QO6F5-jGPuNmZIE5MuV3W4AOJ84m52fAK-5r2k5OlQWjO0gXT_DlABHmp5xMQTauGIxMMt44tqs0BOCt144OUdOJZK8CfVfBzdPzmHv9JB8oBoqf5yqH77/s200/1-dino+confuciusornis_fossils.jpg" width="85" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Confuciusornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With robust beaks, the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Confuciusornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> diet most likely was
predominately omnivorous and insectivorous, but in a fossil where the crop
would have been was a compacted wad of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jinanicthyes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’
(a small extinct fish) skeletal remains. So, it may have been piscivorous as
well.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFQctXJztgOQlukJzJwQCLMKjZ89TQlcayH1lhy2qFrwrJlD-1G6vU6iCY4v0GpnDzZYNY9doNqGLjY5Hbc_vnR451g5awyN_ZKcdsg7W6nFpaUUI-YKGwpXyewdSn4ge4fw79sDQaVRH/s1600/1-dino+confuciusornis+wingbones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="362" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFQctXJztgOQlukJzJwQCLMKjZ89TQlcayH1lhy2qFrwrJlD-1G6vU6iCY4v0GpnDzZYNY9doNqGLjY5Hbc_vnR451g5awyN_ZKcdsg7W6nFpaUUI-YKGwpXyewdSn4ge4fw79sDQaVRH/s200/1-dino+confuciusornis+wingbones.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cofuciusornis</i> wingbone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There are transitional traits in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Confuciusornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> where it is more basal
but yet more derived. Possessing three claws on each manus (hand) with digit I
claw being the largest while independent to the rest of the hands movement and
a basal skull made it more primitive. On the other hand, having a bony sternum
and a pygostyle in place of a long caudal tail made it more derived. What were
distinct characteristics were in the forelimbs with a foramen (bone opening) in
the deltopectoral crest (longitudinal ridge along the humerus) along with the
proximal (humerus) fusing with metacarpals’ (set of bones between wrist and
finger bones) digits II and III (second and third fingers) to the
carpometacarpus (fusion of the carpal and metacarpal bone making a single fused
bone between the wrist and the knuckles).</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As far as flying is concerned, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornis</i> could fly; how well is
still up for debate. The unusually long forelimbs supported primary
asymmetrical flight feathers, its fused wrists and ossified sternum with a
central keel, possessing strut-like coracoid bones which could form a solid
base for wing muscle attachments and its deltopectoral crest which provides
powerful upstrokes all point to the fact it could fly. However, it lacked an
aula (an extension process formed by feathers anchored to the first digit of
the hand as in modern birds), the forearms lacked any quill knobs and the heavily-built
and immobile skull was incapable of the kinesis of modern birds in the ability
to raise the snout relative to the back of the skull.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WzDLL85st89fnzFHumTykAprq3epuD7aCuKHDFt9Dyx1FIzYPlKCbRyMSSCkVUx53DFyjx8emXSVjEUShdyKq8hLLarWnR8ARP8-PsDWXeJmOGPepz6426YwbosZO2WR1Y9MlNY0Jb49/s1600/1-dino+confuciusornis+sanctus-dui.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="514" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WzDLL85st89fnzFHumTykAprq3epuD7aCuKHDFt9Dyx1FIzYPlKCbRyMSSCkVUx53DFyjx8emXSVjEUShdyKq8hLLarWnR8ARP8-PsDWXeJmOGPepz6426YwbosZO2WR1Y9MlNY0Jb49/s320/1-dino+confuciusornis+sanctus-dui.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st: Franz Anthony <i>C</i>. <i>sanctus</i> 2nd: Daniel Bensen <i>C</i>. <i>dui</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Through electron microscopy analyses,
melanosome (organelles containing colors) evaluations showed that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">C</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">sanctus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
had hues of gray, black and reddish browns, while the male ribbon tail feathers
would have been totally black and the wings black with a white row through it.
Through laser fluorescence, details in soft tissue were observed such as the
patagium, which was larger than in modern bird winged patagiums, the tiny
reticulate scales of the toes and foot soles along with fleshy sole pads
supported by the phalanges and metatarsals. The sole and toe scales along with
a reversed digit I (first toe) and toe padding gave stability in perching.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32ZcomJTPOZdEbd2puEggJ9y6sInqRaxY3oB4vo09-6jAwIQbtSwAETWUE9eAy6PRLAs2rPjEzO8aRxm2gZmuKCVrLMPakypTp2Hlug6GabcJdKOxmzZH1PoDXYDcE0X255O-mMkGnZN8/s1600/1-dino+changchengornis+Matt+Martyniuk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="870" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32ZcomJTPOZdEbd2puEggJ9y6sInqRaxY3oB4vo09-6jAwIQbtSwAETWUE9eAy6PRLAs2rPjEzO8aRxm2gZmuKCVrLMPakypTp2Hlug6GabcJdKOxmzZH1PoDXYDcE0X255O-mMkGnZN8/s320/1-dino+changchengornis+Matt+Martyniuk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Matthew Martyniuk <i>Changchengornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Changchengornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> lived 124.6 mya
during the Early Cretaceous although closely related to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornis</i>, it was much smaller at 20cm/8in long. It is a
holotype with the fossil remains coming from the ‘Chaomidianzi Formation’,
known previously as the lower section of the ‘Yixian Formation’ of china was
very much like the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornis</i>
species in physiology and anatomical traits. As in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confuciusornis</i>, the male had the two ribbon-like tail feathers, the
foot structure was adapted for perching; it possessed the same three fingered
claws and the beak was toothless and both had a long pygostyle.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwuc0LRwaIcgc7ZIvjC3PUmnADsC_qsRCI7EbLCunXEjcTJYvTniuoapTJO9aYmzcvDPUwOE8AqbCIgiWn621ROST6djlZs4pg9iLTlnfaG3_uQ4gUkEE6ouJQMgrjraHh9p6rSPkvu-w/s1600/1-dino+changchegornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwuc0LRwaIcgc7ZIvjC3PUmnADsC_qsRCI7EbLCunXEjcTJYvTniuoapTJO9aYmzcvDPUwOE8AqbCIgiWn621ROST6djlZs4pg9iLTlnfaG3_uQ4gUkEE6ouJQMgrjraHh9p6rSPkvu-w/s320/1-dino+changchegornis+fossil.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Changchengornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The unique traits in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Changchengornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was more in the skull
region where the slightly hooked beak was more pointed and at the top of the
cranium was a head crest, but also the deltopectoral crest (a bone ridge near
anterior end of the proximal humerus) was not pierced as in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Confuciusornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. With the difference in
the beak form, there is debate on whether it was an omnivore, insectivore,
insectivore or even a piscivore.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithothoraces</span></u></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">~ One way to
look at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ornithothoraces</i>
(Or-nith-o-thor-ace-eez) is that when it comes to evolution, this group is kind
of like the halfway house between dinosaurs and birds. Technically, this means
nothing but perception and perception is not always reality, for a ‘halfway’
perceived evolved species leads to teleology as if one particular taxon group
is ‘predestined’ to evolve into another taxon. This halfway house rule of thumb
is not scientific in application, however, in turning the page towards
descending speciation it does give the layman, as myself, a clearer picture of
relationships.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGU2ayPxA-kWjsCy8sMVLT_kMPTH3TvXPcJ37pqJPmaPjMZqHR8hiLQ-gL8M9zsAvzckJhuIG_DRShmAyYxftLL1uMo6a-2fbEoickfFJXIy3TSpHI-Bo9qTxLBOCT2cuq6pAbRywYn0z/s1600/1-dino+ornithoraces+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGU2ayPxA-kWjsCy8sMVLT_kMPTH3TvXPcJ37pqJPmaPjMZqHR8hiLQ-gL8M9zsAvzckJhuIG_DRShmAyYxftLL1uMo6a-2fbEoickfFJXIy3TSpHI-Bo9qTxLBOCT2cuq6pAbRywYn0z/s320/1-dino+ornithoraces+cladogram.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ornithothoraces</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithothoraces</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
clade has a temporal range of 131-0 mya years ago from the Early Cretaceous to
Present. The range may be pushed farther back, as the enantiornithean, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Noguerornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> comes from not yet
conclusive rock strata age tentatively dated at 145.5mya. As mentioned earlier,
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithothoraces</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is divided into two
major subdivisions composed of enantiornitheans and euornitheans. These two
divisions separate out the line that dead ended (</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Enantiornithes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">) and the line (</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Euronithes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">)
that became extinct but led to birds. The common ancestor to both these groups
making up </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithothoraces</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is the
enantiornithean, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithothoracines’ skeletal anatomy
included a keeled sternum (breastbone), elongated coracoids (hook-like
structures on lateral edge of scapula), the shoulder’s glenoid joint and
semi-rigid ribcage had been modified from earlier avialans. Also, there was an
absence of gastralia (Singular: gastralium dermal bones found in ventral body
wall of reptiles), the scapula terminated distally into a sharp point and the
pygostyle, although primitive, fused the most distal caudals into a short tail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In various literature and even a few
early periodicals, you might come across the name, enantiornithean as,
‘enantiornithine’ and that also goes for euornithean as, ‘euornithine’. This
infers that they are subfamilies but they are not. So, the ‘ine’ suffix is
wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Enantiornithes</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(E-nan-tee-or-nah-theez) ~ Enantiornitheans are the most speciose avialans of
the Mesozoic found around the globe, except Antarctica and were widespread in
the Early Cretaceous Asia and Europe coexisting with relatively modern birds
for nearly 24 million years until the Cretaceous/Paleogene Extinction. All of
them possessed teeth and clawed fingers and besides the teeth and claws, the
main difference between enantiornitheans and birds was in the articulation
between the scapula and coracoid. This entails the shoulder bones where the
concave/convex socket joint involving the scapula and coracoid in
enantiornitheans operated exactly the opposite or in reverse as do modern
birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Evidence shows that there wasn’t much
parental care concerning enantiornitheans, much unlike modern birds’ devoted
parental care. With enantiornithean hatchlings hatching from eggs laid on the
ground, they would soon have to scamper up trees before being eaten by other
animals. Within a week they had feathers and we know this from observing the
many hatchlings that were encased in tree sap that fossilized into amber. These
amber fossil finds show exquisite detail of feathers, skin and scale features
such as morphologies and coloration.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFA6MdtNdo-3VS_xSHmtCOXfPNtYz1IuN3gXdX4nhbqvdjIRtb_rUpbPGStcniyIGW0H1EArBHGUnCB_VFWjkX_pu221l0ahHxpswawTbBB7aqrsrvw5cWooOB8Bo4gEuoVOgPB3VuKCh/s1600/1-dino+enantiornithes+chick+chnz+acad+scinces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFA6MdtNdo-3VS_xSHmtCOXfPNtYz1IuN3gXdX4nhbqvdjIRtb_rUpbPGStcniyIGW0H1EArBHGUnCB_VFWjkX_pu221l0ahHxpswawTbBB7aqrsrvw5cWooOB8Bo4gEuoVOgPB3VuKCh/s320/1-dino+enantiornithes+chick+chnz+acad+scinces.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enanriornithean chick encased in amber</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There are multitudes of
enantiornitheans, so we’ll break them down by the cladistic families. There are
five families of enantiornitheans and they are: </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pengornithidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Pen-go-r-nith-ah-day) from 130.7-120 mya during the
Early Cretaceous; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bohaiornithidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Bo-ha-e-or-nith-ah-day) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Longipterygidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Lon-gip-ter-ige-ah-day) both from 125-120 mya; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Avisauridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (A-vah-sawr-ah-day) from 125-66 mya during the Early to
Late Cretaceous and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gobiopterygidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Go-bee-op-ter-ige-ah-day) from 122-120 mya during the Early Cretaceous.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Before getting into enantiornithes
families, first off we’ll touch base on the holotypic basal enantiornitheans.
There are at least 52 species of enantiornitheans, but we’ll start with nine
holotypic genera in: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Protopteryx</i>
(Pro-top-tuh-rix) from the Early Creataceous 131 mya;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iberomesornis</i>
(I-beh-roe-matsor-neez) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eoalulavis</i>
(E-o-ah-lu-lay-viss) both from the Early Cretaceous125 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Liaoningornis</i> (Leh-ow-ning-or-neez) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eoenantiornis</i> (E-o-en-an-tee-or-neez)
both from the Early Cretaceous 124.6 mya;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinornis</i> (Sign-or-neez), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cathayornis</i> (Kuh-they-or-neez), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eocathayornis</i> (E-o-kuh-they-or-neez)
with all three from the Early Cretaceous 120 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flexomornis</i> (Flex-o-mor-neez) from the Late Cretaceous 96 mya. Even
though <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cathayornis</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eocathayornis</i> have similar names, they
are only similarly related. Sometimes these holotypes are grouped into a clade
as, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Euenantiornithes</i>.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuR0uv7rW94FLYj9XzeBmjTWZ5q80l-PmmP2VXLaHX0uRry4qrBIWAyYqeZZ_t04KtH8C1B6x2LcplRdKkB5tdN_M3zruRd8d8GEG8-qiuena-Q1ghL2sXRV3OZ1ZbEd_fxxze6a5J61y/s1600/1-dino+protopteryx+cr-Goombasaurusrex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="550" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuR0uv7rW94FLYj9XzeBmjTWZ5q80l-PmmP2VXLaHX0uRry4qrBIWAyYqeZZ_t04KtH8C1B6x2LcplRdKkB5tdN_M3zruRd8d8GEG8-qiuena-Q1ghL2sXRV3OZ1ZbEd_fxxze6a5J61y/s320/1-dino+protopteryx+cr-Goombasaurusrex.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Goombasaurusrex <i>Protopteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With conical and unserrated front teeth
extending almost midway into the middle of both the upper and lower jaws, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is the most primitive of
enantiornitheans. Found in the ‘Huajiying Formation’ of Hebei Province in
northern China, it was small at only 10cm/4in. Diet is uncertain but most
likely was an insectivore of very small invertebrates.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWmcz0k4Upfc0y3JmoGAfOw9I44h0XNAZZGYSgmxDMBCpqPg-a9Ugo0khKjpsNoxs_yLGoCLBWsDB0CWrNwVv2xIXn7Dc9kV7XR7-n_tRTWOme-NEhmjT6-lqe8OjN2URnx30CGv-Z4WZ/s1600/1-dino+protopteryx+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWmcz0k4Upfc0y3JmoGAfOw9I44h0XNAZZGYSgmxDMBCpqPg-a9Ugo0khKjpsNoxs_yLGoCLBWsDB0CWrNwVv2xIXn7Dc9kV7XR7-n_tRTWOme-NEhmjT6-lqe8OjN2URnx30CGv-Z4WZ/s320/1-dino+protopteryx+fossil.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Protopteryx</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With the anatomy in the fossil remains
showing it was built for flight, it was a forest dweller according to the flora
the fossil was found in. However this is a bit of a conundrum, for to maneuver
amongst trees in flight, it had to be an acrobatic aerialist. In order to
really achieve this it needs a tail to act as a rudder. It had two extended
ribbon-like feathers that were primitive. The two tail feathers weren’t capable
of assisting in flight as at the base the two tail feathers were needle-like
thin while distally only had barbs at the tips. The main feature of the tail
feathers were that they were scaly, so they were used either for display, or
sensory perception, but not for flight.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kLRVTWWk5hCeJ7qh03WgOKi0eNH1Ts_oQN5kxrZh9Q1Z0cu4wRkxPxhX6_S6AWVgX9Rqp-3S8I5-HWZg6Ox0CkbUmamuOVnU7eyp4BY6kp7gdFCIipr0JD6fVA1V8R15uM7WoCqn632X/s1600/1-dino+protopteryx-eonantiornis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="603" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kLRVTWWk5hCeJ7qh03WgOKi0eNH1Ts_oQN5kxrZh9Q1Z0cu4wRkxPxhX6_S6AWVgX9Rqp-3S8I5-HWZg6Ox0CkbUmamuOVnU7eyp4BY6kp7gdFCIipr0JD6fVA1V8R15uM7WoCqn632X/s320/1-dino+protopteryx-eonantiornis.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A. <i>Protopteryx</i> B. <i>Eoenantiornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">However, the short wings covered in
asymmetrical pennaceous flight feathers, for such a small enantiornithean, it
quite possibly could have been acrobatic enough to fly amongst trees. The body
was covered in down feathering in which the barbs were laminar instead of
hair-like as in true birds. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
also possessed a procoracoid (an anterior extension of the coracoid bone), a carina
(a ridge of cartilage in trachea occurring at the division between the two
bronchi) of the sternum, an external tuberosity humerus and deltoid crest; all
of which are found in modern birds. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
was very small at ~ 12cm/4.7in long.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85vTbRkIR1VhPr7a6IUSi6BFaXuZA4D7Q6dOiC0W6fw20_ThcfOnTzZ14epogElCJCUj4Eq6U_38J9mVsK47nDUKe-pH2llywYx0ZQ1ZasxRgtVIgdtC2P3ZAsZhE8kFD_B0IAXNAzXN2/s1600/1-dino+Iberomesornis-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85vTbRkIR1VhPr7a6IUSi6BFaXuZA4D7Q6dOiC0W6fw20_ThcfOnTzZ14epogElCJCUj4Eq6U_38J9mVsK47nDUKe-pH2llywYx0ZQ1ZasxRgtVIgdtC2P3ZAsZhE8kFD_B0IAXNAzXN2/s320/1-dino+Iberomesornis-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sculptors: José Manuel & Benito Álvarez <i>Iberomesornis</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Iberomesornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> fossil remains
were discovered in Spain’s Early Cretaceous, La Huérguina Formation. Due to
bacterial metabolism of the iron carbonate deposits in the formation, the
remains were exceptionally preserved, even preserving soft tissue in other
dinosaurs like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pelecanimimus</i>.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It was small, around the size of a house
sparrow with a length of ~16cm/6.3in. With short wings and a wingspan, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Iberomesornis</i> possessed a claw on each
wing. Equipped with superb flight agilities and perching ability in utilizing
curved toe claws, it most likely caught small insects on the wing to swallow in
flight and/or small ground invertebrates to eat while perched.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsJKOljOEdZew1b1vqfrJJYe4hJIsuAEZ70-FBKLywGhb8wVzOfKZoSyMJec_5sbrQREW1uXmnlnNHZB0z7cRVp0ZOmLq-u7UYvBTO3KHdHXXbFXL0wUVxp9MI2dnWxbrV5w9efKtldcu/s1600/1-dino+eoalulavis+Pedro+Salas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="637" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsJKOljOEdZew1b1vqfrJJYe4hJIsuAEZ70-FBKLywGhb8wVzOfKZoSyMJec_5sbrQREW1uXmnlnNHZB0z7cRVp0ZOmLq-u7UYvBTO3KHdHXXbFXL0wUVxp9MI2dnWxbrV5w9efKtldcu/s200/1-dino+eoalulavis+Pedro+Salas.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sculptor: Jose Salas <i>Eoalulavis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Eoalulavis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> fossil remains
also came from Spain preserved in the Konservat-Lagerstätten deposits. Due to
an anoxic environment, these deposits also exhibit exceptional fossil
preservations even of small soft bodied invertebrates. Found sandwiched between
two limonite layers, the fossil remains of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eoalulavis</i>
also consist of primary and secondary feathers along with some body tissue. The
fossil also reveals a ‘bastard wing’ otherwise known as the alula, which is a
small feathered projection on the anterior edge of the digit I wing joint and
as in modern birds, is used for flying at slow speed and landing.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrU34kuoj3CLUVKvrG-ZuwMer7EQtvI3v6Mq2x-ntPFMlhC3FxBkp_bvg9tBiohf2lFhxoHH5SfL7L8Izh8TNG4ExJGQ-ZXXnCUuZstZyF0o7YHMzDZ8L1QkiWDqpGPQLu-hYpTF-MxI9I/s1600/1-dino+lianoningsornis+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrU34kuoj3CLUVKvrG-ZuwMer7EQtvI3v6Mq2x-ntPFMlhC3FxBkp_bvg9tBiohf2lFhxoHH5SfL7L8Izh8TNG4ExJGQ-ZXXnCUuZstZyF0o7YHMzDZ8L1QkiWDqpGPQLu-hYpTF-MxI9I/s320/1-dino+lianoningsornis+jack+wood.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood <i>Lianoningornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Lianoningornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, meaning, ‘bird
of Liaoning’ was a small enantiornithean at ~ 10cm/4in. With the sternum
(breastbone) deeply keeled allowing for the attachment of stronger and more
well-developed pectoral muscles, it was an advanced enantiornithean. With its
shoulders situated for a high degree of motion, it was one of the best flyers
of its time. This theropod was capable of strong flapping flight and
maneuverability in and between trees. The metatarsals (foot bones) were fused
distally and proximally, but not lengthwise up or down the foot.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRl4kEXtZx_riSIIgTGCMJEcwTvpi4H2QtoMc1NkMStkFNNESwVmTJafx8DHcmAucZbHSurnAIazM-IChf2xIahN6Qm73_ly5t7tm7CBjBY5V1252XYQ1nEilD1c_JnkQJpIOjmXA0xRaR/s1600/1-dino+eoenantiornis+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="418" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRl4kEXtZx_riSIIgTGCMJEcwTvpi4H2QtoMc1NkMStkFNNESwVmTJafx8DHcmAucZbHSurnAIazM-IChf2xIahN6Qm73_ly5t7tm7CBjBY5V1252XYQ1nEilD1c_JnkQJpIOjmXA0xRaR/s200/1-dino+eoenantiornis+jack+wood.jpg" width="163" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood <i>Eoenantiornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 10cm/4in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eoenantiornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was small minus the tail which was only 1cm/0.4in
long. The wings were short with long claws extending from the three fingers. With
a short blunt snout. The wings show that it was readily capable of flight, but
was not acrobatically inclined; instead was more of a straight flyer getting
from point A to Point B. Landings may have also been a bit clumsy necessitating
the gripping of tree bark with the forelimb and hind limb claws, then climbing
to a preferable perch. The eye sockets were large and the small toothed snout
was blunt.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uKPZVs8hDpnqjo5vLMGPXwZLyzN-SgJ0_FL_MXJQSgF4b8ObZ4r5bFwFyAI5J7SO6uMOIRAWg2sggQ5OJVxrhxivX74t3gwQdBu8sD2iTAKWz_xa8rpW9lcBRYd3getRF5xRUJWsKNrX/s1600/1-dino+Eoenantiornis_fossil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uKPZVs8hDpnqjo5vLMGPXwZLyzN-SgJ0_FL_MXJQSgF4b8ObZ4r5bFwFyAI5J7SO6uMOIRAWg2sggQ5OJVxrhxivX74t3gwQdBu8sD2iTAKWz_xa8rpW9lcBRYd3getRF5xRUJWsKNrX/s320/1-dino+Eoenantiornis_fossil.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eoenantiornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The environmental flora of </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Eoenantiornis</i></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">’ home range and
time span consisted of forests of gingko and conifers inner dispersed with
meadows, lakes and streams. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At home on
the ground as much as in trees, this enantiornithine most likely was an
omnivore with a diet of insects and seeds.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fBh_Bpz6UoJdrkSGmhB_WO-Z0abUJf2vW4HOLmld1fyDzvWy08bhwMucaIIRZjAd762pH1Mj8HaJxfCafvh8ijeOxnKjtBvPiCHPMshxyq5iGZwCIltQOhGVxDXy89CDMUBHwi3kVZOd/s1600/1-dino+sinornis+santensis-danneart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="985" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fBh_Bpz6UoJdrkSGmhB_WO-Z0abUJf2vW4HOLmld1fyDzvWy08bhwMucaIIRZjAd762pH1Mj8HaJxfCafvh8ijeOxnKjtBvPiCHPMshxyq5iGZwCIltQOhGVxDXy89CDMUBHwi3kVZOd/s320/1-dino+sinornis+santensis-danneart.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Danneart <i>Sinornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Sinornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> quite literally
was a dinosaur on the inside concealed as a bird on the outside. Like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i> when compared to the body
it had a proportionally short toothed snout and in the forelimbs the manus
(hands) and carpi were separate. Also of the manus, the metacarpals articulated
freely with the distal end of the phalanges (fingers) supporting claws. The
pelvic girdle was free and not ossified as in true birds. Further, the pelvis’
lilac blades were erect with the ischium blade-shaped instead of the bird’s
strap-shape. Analogous not only with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archeopteryx</i>,
but with older theropods the pubis directed ventrally terminating distally into
a hook.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvai6vkSNsiHYdTGVdHdq7bMRfOwJJHhWKRmdrv2yw4DG_qyHpX2sgcaSBbAChO_Zafw-9ZInoHuQsrAF8o8V-6JfGT-CxxtPhMYxy-jB9I6o5iETQr_h9yzAipHC2v8e-ZrLu17WcOJu/s1600/1-dino+sinornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvai6vkSNsiHYdTGVdHdq7bMRfOwJJHhWKRmdrv2yw4DG_qyHpX2sgcaSBbAChO_Zafw-9ZInoHuQsrAF8o8V-6JfGT-CxxtPhMYxy-jB9I6o5iETQr_h9yzAipHC2v8e-ZrLu17WcOJu/s320/1-dino+sinornis+fossil.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sinornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">But, on exterior appearance, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was transitional from primitive
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archaeopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> wings to true birds in
having advanced avian characteristics. With modified wrist bones it could fold
and tuck the pennaceous feathered wings close to the body during flight posing
much like a speeding bullet or at rest to entrap body warmth. Breast bone and
shoulder structures served as anchors for aerobic flight muscles. With a
reversed toe, it was capable of perching, but with the forelimb claws it also
could climb. Primarily, it was an insectivore, catching small insects on the
wing, in trees or on the ground.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFQ4oeV-DpsiXQH3nkz20gELNBee4HgUIICrja1S1SFDGIUMgUPp5HqFv8WCC1UOwalLgV_3B-HMLbe5QF90XIe5H2RwBR3kGgBcuFd4H0s31kqAwQMnh10UQBelpsBUVdzJ86RcK1Ilmm/s1600/1-dino+cathayornis+Leaubellon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="683" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFQ4oeV-DpsiXQH3nkz20gELNBee4HgUIICrja1S1SFDGIUMgUPp5HqFv8WCC1UOwalLgV_3B-HMLbe5QF90XIe5H2RwBR3kGgBcuFd4H0s31kqAwQMnh10UQBelpsBUVdzJ86RcK1Ilmm/s320/1-dino+cathayornis+Leaubellon.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Leau Bellon <i>Cathayornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 16cm/6.3in in total length, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was once thought to be
synonymous to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cathayornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, but after
further study, it was found that indeed they were two separate species with
differences in wing digits and claws, the pelvis and pygostyle. As well, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cathayornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was larger in adult size.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0ELQU4tWMjbjBJYFb2nU_64GDy1EnS3JlfMxsIavDJh46TwNFY-UEnKGbRU0jajcAFFo9Lm5ixODQht7xs3X9_MPbKpWj8nMpJJNItWd21sfmvs7igck7Qvtm9u9ywliOTrNMIy9kq1L/s1600/1-dino+eocathayornis+Scott+Reid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0ELQU4tWMjbjBJYFb2nU_64GDy1EnS3JlfMxsIavDJh46TwNFY-UEnKGbRU0jajcAFFo9Lm5ixODQht7xs3X9_MPbKpWj8nMpJJNItWd21sfmvs7igck7Qvtm9u9ywliOTrNMIy9kq1L/s320/1-dino+eocathayornis+Scott+Reid.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Scott Reid <i>Eocathayornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Eocathayornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> was found in
the ‘Jiufotang Formation’ of northeast China and had a body length of
13cm/5.1in. The fossil remains are of 3-D impressions sandwiched between two
slabs and is not a mold or cast of permineralization. Still, there is a lot of
detail.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eocathayornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> skull traits
show the premaxilla had a long slender nasal process. There were four pointed
small teeth anchored in the premaxilla. Each tooth had a constriction at the
crown’s base, which is typical of all toothed enantiornitheans. As in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cathayornis</i>, the cranial tip of the premaxilla is hooked and
edentulous (toothless). The maxilla’s pointed dorsal process was caudally
inclined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Claws were present on the three digits
(fingers). The relatively short sternum had a pair of long caudo-lateral
processes and a low and caudally distributed keel. Even though this was a
primitive enantiornithean, traits of the scapula were advanced and along with
the forelimb and feathering wing structure, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eocathayornis</i>
was quite capable of powerful flapping for flight.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFfTOtUFsspsBxG0gU8IYGEZ2YAVA0Vo4Vbub5V8XNJDv0jMYNzSYQ9AmieBUIIcuFJMPR3X84yjo7EXNciX9YdHAcmUlpYfPyvnOh3hhO7AmrHxYbUDwzcmF8zvsKJsbkjzpyAh_pGry/s1600/1-dino+flexomornis+Jack+Wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="733" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFfTOtUFsspsBxG0gU8IYGEZ2YAVA0Vo4Vbub5V8XNJDv0jMYNzSYQ9AmieBUIIcuFJMPR3X84yjo7EXNciX9YdHAcmUlpYfPyvnOh3hhO7AmrHxYbUDwzcmF8zvsKJsbkjzpyAh_pGry/s320/1-dino+flexomornis+Jack+Wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood <i>Flexomornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Flexomornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is one of the
few enantiornitheans that lived outside of Asia, as its fossil remains were
found in Texas, USA. Living during the ending of the Late Cretaceous 96 mya, it
is one of the more derived basal enantiornitheans linking the Asian ancestral
origins. It lived along an ancient shallow sea shoreline in what is now an
ancient riverbed near Lake Grapevine and most likely fed on small marine
vertebrates and invertebrates. It would have also been a scavenger scouring the
coastal shorelines for carcasses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The name, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flexomornis</i> is in reference to its unique flexed shoulders. In all
appearances it looked like a modern bird, but still retained teeth, forelimb
distal phalanges (fingers) and claws. As evidenced by the diagnostic scapula,
it had a slight variance in muscle attachments than the older enantiornitheans.
This would infer that it was a large enantiornithean at ~ 33cm/13in from head
to tail tip.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxP2NeakGZJxUH2aZMbVvGJu9PLddIYdO4uIXqBlCXWfxm6nNdvMNQZEtcrE1KLTgWJ73Ocpad-zmjfJxQEhu8NpTvSitTAR5NQsWmPfwgqKftlaM7O4xbvHO2BChsZIlcOkySLYkh5dkH/s1600/1-dino+gobipteryx+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="469" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxP2NeakGZJxUH2aZMbVvGJu9PLddIYdO4uIXqBlCXWfxm6nNdvMNQZEtcrE1KLTgWJ73Ocpad-zmjfJxQEhu8NpTvSitTAR5NQsWmPfwgqKftlaM7O4xbvHO2BChsZIlcOkySLYkh5dkH/s320/1-dino+gobipteryx+jack+wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist:Jack Wood <i>Gobipteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">For the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gobipteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> researchers are in the process of assigning it to its
own family as, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gobipterygidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and
even its own order as, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gobipterygiformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">;
this, even though there is only one species in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gobipteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">minuta</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
Apparently researchers feel that closely related gobipterygid forms will be
discovered later on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Around the size of a current partridge
at 30-33cm/11.8-13in, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gobipteryx</i>,
which occurred 72 mya, had a toothless beak formed by the fusion of premaxillae
bones. The scapula was long and was well suited to anchoring flight muscles. In
addition, the scapula contained a prominent glenoid labrum (a
fibrocartilaginous structure that rims the cavity of the shoulder blade) that
tapered backwards ending in thin rods.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkkOkn7n2qUOV-XZ7rqd8-whRYLMxJ_KBL31OXqXrTONsmQubm0BDPrfsvEVaPFjl3Ur0ZL7M3DD5-M8wHRvR8M4eTHXfF2xcIOsTZ3QvNzV-4if0rKquED3iUfLu5tifNqetqe6MkRFK/s1600/1-dino+Gobipteryx_fossil+eggs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1024" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkkOkn7n2qUOV-XZ7rqd8-whRYLMxJ_KBL31OXqXrTONsmQubm0BDPrfsvEVaPFjl3Ur0ZL7M3DD5-M8wHRvR8M4eTHXfF2xcIOsTZ3QvNzV-4if0rKquED3iUfLu5tifNqetqe6MkRFK/s320/1-dino+Gobipteryx_fossil+eggs.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gobipteryx</i> fossilized eggs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With fossils found in the Gobi Desert of
Mongolia, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gobipteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> cracked eggs and
fully developed embryos were found. These fossils provide evidence that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gobipteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> hatchlings possessed
superprecocial development in that they were capable of flight immediately upon
hatching. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pengornithidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Pengornithids
come from China’s, ‘Huajiying Formation’ and the ‘Jiufotang Formation’. These
were one of the most primitive groups of enantiornitheans with numerous
mandibular (lower jaw) small teeth and on the other end possessed stout legs.
With a temporal range in the Early Cretaceous of 130.7 mya, all pengornithid
fossil species have come from the ‘Huajiying’ and ‘Jiufotang’ formations of
China’s Liaoning and Hebei provinces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Along with a shortened tail ending in a
rounded pygostyle, pengornithids’ main skeletal feature was a hooked outgrowth
of the shoulder blade. Most all, enantiornitheans had four long backward
projections coming from their breastbones; pengornithids only had two.
Pengornithids retained some primitive traits in an elongated fibula and
retaining metatarsal V (5<sup>th</sup> toe). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pengornithids had the ability to fly,
but the feature noted best by them is their capability to vertically climb.
Stiff tail feathers, as in woodpeckers were present acting as a prop while the
feet were adapted to hold onto branches with the claws well enforced to anchor
into bark. With these features pengornithids were predominately insectivores
after insects, grubs and other invertebrates hidden amongst the bark; although,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eopengornis</i> is suspected of also
being more of a ground dwelling carnivore, due to its recurved teeth. Most were
also aerobatic flyers as evidenced in the short fan tail of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chiappeavis</i> fossil.</span><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pengornithidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: this is the
most basal family of enantiornitheans consisting of four genera; they are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eopengornis</i> (E-o-pen-gor-neez) from 130
mya in the Early Cretaceous; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pengornis</i>
(Pen-gor-niss), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parapengornis</i> (Par-ah-pen-gor-neez)
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chiappeavis</i> (Chi-ap-pay-viss) all
three from 120 mya in the Early Cretaceous.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9hnZQ7vO_DRn6FvV3DYxHmi8KTVP7BVqlRl3sFFogBaSMypyUZ_epWOKNwLDRrAylL7K3ISrQwJvzE5bnoTAEwBhOmPq0uLeWkUYdrjQiUbq3wCZnVkP3fKksVbew7C8ooNFYnNV9-v-/s1600/1-dino+parapengornis+scott+reid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="469" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9hnZQ7vO_DRn6FvV3DYxHmi8KTVP7BVqlRl3sFFogBaSMypyUZ_epWOKNwLDRrAylL7K3ISrQwJvzE5bnoTAEwBhOmPq0uLeWkUYdrjQiUbq3wCZnVkP3fKksVbew7C8ooNFYnNV9-v-/s320/1-dino+parapengornis+scott+reid.jpg" width="204" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood <i>Parapengornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Parapengornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> at ~ 28cm/11in
in length it was not just the largest pengornithid, but was also the largest of
enantiornitheans. Its tail vertebrae were fused and easily could have been used
as a prop in climbing trees while searching for insects and grubs. The teeth
were sharp and slightly recurved excellent for grabbing and peeling away bark
then seizing an invertebrate hiding underneath. The claws on the forelimbs and
hind limbs were ideal for clinging to trees. It also had two ribbon-like
feathers extending past the pygostyle like the more primitive holotype
enantiornitheans. These traits lend evidence to evolving into diverse
ecological niches and the qualitative amount of locomotive methods among
enantiornitheans.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWkb9SdQDj452fPA4Itb5WNKsYNEY-006Y_0jgJ9R9mKrUR0Gmljn1z3lHD2ZPRmqTatQG14dlQLUDO0vx9PW1kME9kHWuZ5v37T_nxL1lZF33WtR4cNkMouZikHDm93QIaywBquMxKla/s1600/1-dino+parapengornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="616" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWkb9SdQDj452fPA4Itb5WNKsYNEY-006Y_0jgJ9R9mKrUR0Gmljn1z3lHD2ZPRmqTatQG14dlQLUDO0vx9PW1kME9kHWuZ5v37T_nxL1lZF33WtR4cNkMouZikHDm93QIaywBquMxKla/s320/1-dino+parapengornis+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Parapengornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Of course </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Parapengornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is inferred to have lead an arboreal life by the anisodactyl
foot morphology with the reversed first digit, but in addition, the metatarsal
of digit I (first toe) is more than 30% longer than pes digit II’s (2</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
toe) digit III’s (3</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> toe) metatarsal. In the pelvic region, the
craniodorsal (direction inferring towards the head and back) ramus (branch of
bone) is very long in approaching the length of the ventral ramus. The cranial
four cervical (neck) vertebrae are short and could not have been used to hammer
trees like woodpeckers do.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Until the discovery of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parapengornis</i> with published results in
June, 2015, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pengornis</i> was the largest
enantiornithean at 25cm/9.8in. But only for a brief few months as its results
were published through the internet in January, 2015. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pengornis</i> fossil remains come from the ‘Jiufotang Formation’ of
Dapingfang, Liaoning province, China.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRDhXztqZDXjtfQVJsVSGYAK24yFWUVR1hFGbirl1ItMfLQFR-n_C8rViNnwZTRJRb51QyzXz1TGePD3ISxg4PbBDUslz_FtQnhDD10h0pQmiNxI70tRo2NN4QG9LIqFasLwNR7Pe9tTk/s1600/1-dino+pengornis+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="600" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRDhXztqZDXjtfQVJsVSGYAK24yFWUVR1hFGbirl1ItMfLQFR-n_C8rViNnwZTRJRb51QyzXz1TGePD3ISxg4PbBDUslz_FtQnhDD10h0pQmiNxI70tRo2NN4QG9LIqFasLwNR7Pe9tTk/s320/1-dino+pengornis+jack+wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood <i>Pengornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Pengornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> shared a few
skeletal traits with the more advanced ornithurines, which were: a globular
humeral head that projects further proximally than the deltopectoral crest, a
hooked acromion (plural: acromia), which is a bony process on the scapula
(shoulder blade) and heterocoelous (vertebrae having saddle-shaped articular
surfaces) cervical vertebrae. Whether this is a form of convergent evolution or
genetic inheritance is still being debated.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0V0Crqvl6mR7kvKhNKB3gwBb2SSePFMQ12otCAnoUPQVB5q9bCe9ZWZ-MjoFwksrYcqXMTGWkLSlEpW9k0J9p7ZyQ7U6z4prvcDESD-wT2w-QW3aRsI_vdVXLpi7DgBaBOsvcazyXQm7n/s1600/1-dino+Pengornis+Zhou-Clarke-et-Zhang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0V0Crqvl6mR7kvKhNKB3gwBb2SSePFMQ12otCAnoUPQVB5q9bCe9ZWZ-MjoFwksrYcqXMTGWkLSlEpW9k0J9p7ZyQ7U6z4prvcDESD-wT2w-QW3aRsI_vdVXLpi7DgBaBOsvcazyXQm7n/s320/1-dino+Pengornis+Zhou-Clarke-et-Zhang.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pengornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Some morphological features of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pengornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’ skull were: premaxillae were
entirely unfused and the 13 small dentary teeth were brachyodont (short crowned
teeth as in mammals) and unrecurved; the premaxillary process tapers rostrally
to articulate with the premaxilla and the maxilla formed ~ ½ half of the facial
margin on each side. Also, for the backbone, the cranial cervical centra were
heterocoelous (vertebrae having saddle-shaped articular surfaces), while the
caudal vertebrae were amphicoelous (vertebrae concave at the anterior and
posterior ends). With the teeth type, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pengornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
may have predominately feasted on a diet of hardened exoskeleton arthropods
such as beetles and spiders.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4V5j64IIpDjTh-_DZV0A17UvQst4pmnU5rozCtAVwyzZE2ySk5N9uz2WIxTik4KS41JXLJQ3qBSIS917sx6HAGZOuNMHPzNhLOQ6twTM5XuGoojXkOxbZpzZ-mwQG-sLsapoAYPZUlUFc/s1600/1-dino+bohaiornthidae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="400" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4V5j64IIpDjTh-_DZV0A17UvQst4pmnU5rozCtAVwyzZE2ySk5N9uz2WIxTik4KS41JXLJQ3qBSIS917sx6HAGZOuNMHPzNhLOQ6twTM5XuGoojXkOxbZpzZ-mwQG-sLsapoAYPZUlUFc/s320/1-dino+bohaiornthidae+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bohairnithidae</i> Clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Bohaiornithidae</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Fossil
specimens all come from the ‘Yixian’ and ‘Jiufotang’ of China. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eoenantiornithes</i> is the monotypic sister
to bohaiornithids. As in most enantiornitheans, bohaiornithids did not have a
toothless beak as birds, but a snout with teeth. However, the teeth varied from
other enantiornitheans in being larger, more robust and more conical, but with
only the occlusal end (tip of the tooth) recurving instead of the whole tooth
curving backwards. The teeth are indicative of a possible durophagus diet of
hard shelled creatures, like molluscs, but due to size, with no bohaiornithid
any larger than a medium-sized pigeon, it is highly unlikely they were taking
on shellfish. Perhaps there were other much smaller hard shelled arthropods
they were feasting on like small crustaceans or larger crabs molting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bohaiornithids possessed long and thin
lateral trabeculae (bony projections on posterior end of sternum) that extended
backwards and outwards. The scapulae (shoulder blades) slightly curved
downwards creating a convex top edge and lower concave edge. Digit II, the
second innermost toe of the pes (feet) were the thickest, while digit III as
the middle toe was the longest. Male bohaiornithids also possessed the two tail
ribbon feathers that were iridescent in life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are currently eight known genera
of bohaiornithids that all came from Early Cretaceous China and they were: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zhouornis</i> (Zow-or-neez) from ~125.4-120
mya during the Early Cretaceous; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sulcavis</i>
(Sul-cay-viss) from 125-121 mya during the Early Cretaceous; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shenqiornis</i> (Shen-key-or-neez) from 122
mya during the Early Cretaceous; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Longusunguis</i>
(Lon-gus-un-giss) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parabohaiornis</i>
(Par-ah-bow-hay-or-neez) both from 120.3 mya during the Early Cretaceous and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bohaiornis</i> (Bow-hay-or-neez), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fortungauvis</i> (For-toon-gau-viss) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Linyiornis</i> (Lin-yee-or-neez) with all
three from ~ 120 mya during the Early Cretaceous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X9vHLfRDUzsLkwQ7TxFDOqucym7s5W8OXa8MafjtBlvuizvWYulUGajk7SYBIKL36SwRk1T23PBrU2IYCOrOld6P7W5GkVkoabhl3nQ6TpX6M6vAAOrjX94dODh_Ej7ySBfQ6JJodsm_/s1600/1-dino+sulcavis+Stephanie+Abramowicz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="1000" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X9vHLfRDUzsLkwQ7TxFDOqucym7s5W8OXa8MafjtBlvuizvWYulUGajk7SYBIKL36SwRk1T23PBrU2IYCOrOld6P7W5GkVkoabhl3nQ6TpX6M6vAAOrjX94dODh_Ej7ySBfQ6JJodsm_/s200/1-dino+sulcavis+Stephanie+Abramowicz.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Stephanie Abramowicz <i>Sulcavis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sulcavis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> fossil remains
from the Liaoning Province of China exemplifies the diversity of teeth forms in
enantiornitheans in bearing ornamented tooth enamel and is another
enantiornithean with teeth that would aid a diet in consuming hard food such as
insects, small fish and even shellfish. The dental ornamentation were grooves
on the inside surface of the robust tooth. The teeth were tough, not for
tearing flesh or chewing, but for snatching then crunching exoskeletons and
afterwards swallowing whole.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bBSOAm8eU1hXku7iG4f3zlVbQ2keLUTDy5EHvkLOMHTuP6R_oV7QL3VbqrSZ_Sr2sEbSHXlKg3QTqeb3NfDZ5xHH_6B4Y9ehUA7w3V3ZdUPjDZSmjeadkRbLFBbAsmeDtIvoa1nHlg2r/s1600/1-dino+Sulcavis-skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="1100" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bBSOAm8eU1hXku7iG4f3zlVbQ2keLUTDy5EHvkLOMHTuP6R_oV7QL3VbqrSZ_Sr2sEbSHXlKg3QTqeb3NfDZ5xHH_6B4Y9ehUA7w3V3ZdUPjDZSmjeadkRbLFBbAsmeDtIvoa1nHlg2r/s200/1-dino+Sulcavis-skull.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sulcavis</i> fossil skull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At ~ 25.5cm/10in long, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sulcavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was an accomplished flyer even
though it had no sternum. With no sternum, the gastralia (dermal bones found in
the ventral body wall) ran right up to the coracoids (paired ventral bones of
the pectoral girdle). However, with no true sternum, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sulcavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> demonstrates how the sternum evolved for flight by
enlarging and fusing the gastralia. It still had two claws on each extended
forelimb while supporting the wings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Other anatomical characteristics of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sulcavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> were: the skull was longer than
the cervicals; the posterior portion of mandible was set deeper than anterior
end; posterior portion of quadrate (squarish bone which articulates the jaws) was
straight; the retroarticular (cartilage bone that forms at the posteroventral
tip of Meckel’s cartilage where the interoperculomandibular ligament attaches) directionally
descends and pes metatarsals (foot bones) II and III aligned with I.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVkSff03Fn0VibHf3xIOMO-qFz4i_4NkLNwEO7MSNHX4h_zSl561V09qmre3EM4F0TwJQ0E_bfvMtrT2M5rMGDE7vC2xjTx3WeaP6dOJJ1w3tJYWfwR6QbSR9VdCpUz-cfU8uFXioUiMv/s1600/1-dino+Bohaiornis+male+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="442" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVkSff03Fn0VibHf3xIOMO-qFz4i_4NkLNwEO7MSNHX4h_zSl561V09qmre3EM4F0TwJQ0E_bfvMtrT2M5rMGDE7vC2xjTx3WeaP6dOJJ1w3tJYWfwR6QbSR9VdCpUz-cfU8uFXioUiMv/s200/1-dino+Bohaiornis+male+jack+wood.jpg" width="173" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood ♂ <i>Bohaiornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An adult <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bohaiornis</i> fossil found in the ‘Jiufotang Formation’ is also from
the Liaoning Province of China. It was a male showing sexual dimorphism with
the two ribbon-like tail feathers. With the presence of gastroliths in the
thoracic region concerning <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bohaiornis</i>
fossil finds and in conjunction with the dental morphology and claws alludes to
the fact that it led a raptorial life in that it was equipped for grasping and
seizing prey. This is a rare trait not just for enantiornitheans, but for
avialans as well. The gastroliths found in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bohaiornis</i>
are a different occurrence than that found in herbivorous/insectivorous
enantiornitheans in shape, number and color. Raptorial birds of today consume
generally a few rounded stones, which is consistent with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bohaiornis</i> gastrolith fossil finds.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At ~ 47cm/18.5in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bohaiornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was one of the largest bohaiornithids. Its dentary
(upper jaw bone) was straight and half the length of the mandible (lower
jawbone). Another couple of unique traits were that the sternum was markedly
wider than long while the acrimon (process on the outer end of the scapula
extending over the shoulder joint) is very robust. The nasal cavities were also
very broad.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FsfMBQfNqI9kHKOHr43LL6_U_Unn2ROY2XNv1GHDPSU8EfUtQkGeaStM-mstQOUh8Yc4BCTtOuJar90svDN5ugsTlgxPQApAQNYUCpL1EYUkWPkZFbSL40wxVP1r7TDUvfMeiZVIQVUl/s1600/1-dino+bohaiornis+female_eloymanzanero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="886" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FsfMBQfNqI9kHKOHr43LL6_U_Unn2ROY2XNv1GHDPSU8EfUtQkGeaStM-mstQOUh8Yc4BCTtOuJar90svDN5ugsTlgxPQApAQNYUCpL1EYUkWPkZFbSL40wxVP1r7TDUvfMeiZVIQVUl/s200/1-dino+bohaiornis+female_eloymanzanero.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Eloy Manzanero ♀ <i>Bohaiornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One fossil specimen had small rounded
pebbles in its thoracic region. Along with its cranial and dental morphology,
and the number and distribution of teeth, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bohaiornis</i>
most likely lived a raptorial ecology feeding on small vertebrates and large
arthropods like spiders and insects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Longipterygidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: With a 125-110
mya span of known longipterygid species, they’ve only been found in the ‘Jiufotang’ and ‘Yixian’ formations of China. Where pygostyles are usually a series
of short fused vertebrae, longipterygids had an unusually long pygostyle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Making up over 60% of the skull, the
snout was extremely long with the tip of the snout supporting teeth in the
premaxilla (upper front jaw) and rostral portion of the dentary (lower jaw).
The shape of the snout was straight, but slightly concave just behind the
nostrils and ended in a point. The feet were some of the most specialized of
enantiornitheans where all the toes were of the same length. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Currently there are seven genera listed
under the longipterygid family clade with one species within each genus. The
genera are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Longirostravis</i>
(Lon-gee-row-stray-vis) from ~125 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shanweiniao</i>
(Shan-way-now) from 122 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boluochia</i>
(Bwaw-lwaw-chuhr-uh) from 121.6 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Longipteryx
</i>(Lon-gip-ter-ix) from 120.3 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Camptodontus</i>
(Camp-toe-don-tus) from 120 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shengjingornis</i>
(Shen-jing-or-nis) from 120 mya and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rapaxavis</i> (Rah-pax-uh-vis) from 113 mya.
All lived during the Early Cretaceous in what is now the ‘Jiufotang’ and ‘Yixian’ formations of China.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcZsLNP6QD5XuA9jemB7ealisu6ZuUhv04VmURaCxzCbHBdRSpD5qkZd2aAy5_x-0GZb8iE5qZOOVHHKxiTOKBGuR4BT8RsWBygYhGrOBR5iqSKX5tPA8F0FPlvPIkLLjPzukE-AotdtD/s1600/1-dino+Longirostravis+cr+PNG-clipart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcZsLNP6QD5XuA9jemB7ealisu6ZuUhv04VmURaCxzCbHBdRSpD5qkZd2aAy5_x-0GZb8iE5qZOOVHHKxiTOKBGuR4BT8RsWBygYhGrOBR5iqSKX5tPA8F0FPlvPIkLLjPzukE-AotdtD/s320/1-dino+Longirostravis+cr+PNG-clipart.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: PNG Clipart <i>Longirostravis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As the earliest known longipterygid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Longirostravis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> from its cranial
morphology, provides the first evidence among avian theropods of a probing
feeding behavior in foraging for food. This specialized type of feeding
behavior had not been taken advantage of among other basal bird lineages which
is now a main source of feeding habits among shorebirds and woodpeckers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The word, ‘longirostravis’ is Latin
meaning, ‘bird with a long rostrum’. The rostrum, or snout was long and
slightly curved at the tip while supporting five pairs of small conical teeth.
Most likely the snout was used for probing in mudflats to get at small
crustaceans or shellfish. The sternum was unusually shaped and was much like
moose horns with a pair of three-pronged projections. No more than 17.8-22.9cm/7-9in,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Longirostravis</i> was no bigger than the
extant bobwhite quail.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrYDToTMWBgT32mUxj5wu9esxOE6WsZBwprQKAElxQo2XpDR-lEpiZX_sRHwR9-ZTAaL_5vcIFt9NeCC1NBsJmnNAsvDE5iEu0KTkxmoXuS1rqSxHSJFNokVkH6aiJ3VnDbRtWcIt9_au/s1600/1-dino+shanweiniao+Scott+Reid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="445" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrYDToTMWBgT32mUxj5wu9esxOE6WsZBwprQKAElxQo2XpDR-lEpiZX_sRHwR9-ZTAaL_5vcIFt9NeCC1NBsJmnNAsvDE5iEu0KTkxmoXuS1rqSxHSJFNokVkH6aiJ3VnDbRtWcIt9_au/s320/1-dino+shanweiniao+Scott+Reid.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Scott Reid <i>Shanweiniao</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Meaning ‘fan-tailed’, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Shanweiniao</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had tail feathers arranged
in the pygostyle that could be fanned out to serve as a rudder giving a much
stronger flight capability. The wing structure was also patterned to create
strong lift from taking off and strong uplift during flight. Due to narrow
spacing in between the tail feathers one study concludes that the tail feathers
were more rachis (central shafted in pennaceous feathering) dominated. The wing
feathers most likely allowed dexterous maneuverability within trees.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4U34GwB3LGJUGTvJbuwc_Ac418GBKZQZvp5p-ans5oyUOyzw0uBnUEHcmlOtNX9F_0EF7L9VI1HG7ET_7_ZmoKPDulOMekzE3hPlbrmQrr1rZMfxPuSFyFNC_fqONwlocVm7ypCnE5u_h/s1600/1-dino+shanweiniao_Sydney+Mohr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4U34GwB3LGJUGTvJbuwc_Ac418GBKZQZvp5p-ans5oyUOyzw0uBnUEHcmlOtNX9F_0EF7L9VI1HG7ET_7_ZmoKPDulOMekzE3hPlbrmQrr1rZMfxPuSFyFNC_fqONwlocVm7ypCnE5u_h/s320/1-dino+shanweiniao_Sydney+Mohr.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Sydney Mohr <i>Shanweiniao</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As in the unique longipterygid
characteristics in having a long snout, the rostrum just exceeded 62% of the
total skull length. The whole of the cranium shape was elongate as well. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Shanweiniao</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> most likely probed tree bark
for insects and grubs and was small at around 8cm/3.2in minus the tail feathers.
The teeth decreased in size from front to back.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS5wBxAtxsOW5NoIvY4Q1_T-oE_BGue18Zny5QsKcayI5EQuTgPPUkjNYAXfGYkbgj8OJfPofxddtPlFm_qDXmqMVXc9flCLhlN9DdH_pkL9DS8OOdY0d0bDeHeZlnsllZyAWLBKGgTG4/s1600/1-dino+boluchia+daniel+benson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS5wBxAtxsOW5NoIvY4Q1_T-oE_BGue18Zny5QsKcayI5EQuTgPPUkjNYAXfGYkbgj8OJfPofxddtPlFm_qDXmqMVXc9flCLhlN9DdH_pkL9DS8OOdY0d0bDeHeZlnsllZyAWLBKGgTG4/s320/1-dino+boluchia+daniel+benson.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Daniel Bensen <i>Boluochia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Boluochia</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is closely
related to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Longipteryx</i> and was once
thought to be a juvenile specimen of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Longipteryx</i>,
but the fourth metatarsal on each foot diverges significantly from the others,
causing the outer toe to be separated from the rest when perched. This is a
feature among longipterygids that is only found in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boluochia</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Longipteryx</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boluochia</i> represents the more basal lineage of longipterygids in
possessing larger manus (hand) claws and bigger teeth than the more derived
other longipterygid members. At ~19.1cm/7.5in,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Boluochia</i> was about the size of the extant wood thrush.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkoAREDY01N8wY8_Ygr47mhyphenhyphenY9G85yZ3buYhi63z-zH6HmKdOV1b5dm74Zux1TfjE4dSkPJFOd640RAjoxyNk2ZPfEZA3TynHw4jBect9He1GxZe2U8jk3Lg-GmkYlEr5IsDlkFei3qhW/s1600/1-dino+Longipteryx+Nix+Illustration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="907" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkoAREDY01N8wY8_Ygr47mhyphenhyphenY9G85yZ3buYhi63z-zH6HmKdOV1b5dm74Zux1TfjE4dSkPJFOd640RAjoxyNk2ZPfEZA3TynHw4jBect9He1GxZe2U8jk3Lg-GmkYlEr5IsDlkFei3qhW/s320/1-dino+Longipteryx+Nix+Illustration.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Nix Illustration <i>Longipteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Longipteryx</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> means ‘long-winged
bird’ and at 15cm/5.9 long excluding the tail, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Longipteryx</i> had proportionally long wings as compared to the body
that supported two long separate fingers ending in claws and a stubby thumb on
each wing. Unlike most other avian theropods of its time, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Longipteryx</i> had bone extensions called, uncinate processes that
strengthen the rib cage by extending out caudally from each rib.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Longipteryx</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> is the dinosaur
theropod equivalent of a modern day kingfisher as it was a well-equipped
aquatic feeder to dive, nab small fish or crustaceans, then fly back up to
perch on a tree and consume its meal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The enantiornithean, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Camptodontus</i> is not to be confused with
a beetle genus of the same name and the species name for an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Astragalus</i> plant. The term means, ‘bent
tooth’, but is currently the unofficial name for this distinct enantiornithean.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8gcWmstO5XyPPTtxZLlmmRnahAIqxm8GASwjWg7RuuF6jxEWrDfOYxD9UirbfYoU7LCoXko9YbHqnCcRuFDzNn3vzP2qwewsQorQbB5R6T1-l15xuAO8u9563zeiBHWlXIpKIHzulJhf/s1600/1-dino+camptodontus+Jos%25C3%25A9+Carlos+Cort%25C3%25A9s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="429" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8gcWmstO5XyPPTtxZLlmmRnahAIqxm8GASwjWg7RuuF6jxEWrDfOYxD9UirbfYoU7LCoXko9YbHqnCcRuFDzNn3vzP2qwewsQorQbB5R6T1-l15xuAO8u9563zeiBHWlXIpKIHzulJhf/s320/1-dino+camptodontus+Jos%25C3%25A9+Carlos+Cort%25C3%25A9s.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: José Carlos Cortés <i>Camptodontus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With the body form of a duck, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Camptodontus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was 25cm/9.8in long with a
wingspan of 50cm/20in. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Camptodontus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
surely was an aquatic theropod frequenting shorelines in search of small to
mid-sized fish. The legs were short and the forelimbs supporting the wings had
claws. The head was long for its body including an extremely long snout
supporting large recurved teeth in the jaw tips that protruded from the jaws.
The well preserved fossil remains display a close relationship to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Longipteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsXVG8bviWwRE5kGG7ls2UkzDmDmvYRKgaqfCI_OG9NHZz5_zb2fUybHCTSiVn6LnXPlB21v25ifP_xzIdbgiHsLdjIYhKNSMgVOXzYgADqHt4RlH-GCxYY5knvUAYQSiFdBMln71sVB_/s1600/1-dino+shengjingornis+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="461" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsXVG8bviWwRE5kGG7ls2UkzDmDmvYRKgaqfCI_OG9NHZz5_zb2fUybHCTSiVn6LnXPlB21v25ifP_xzIdbgiHsLdjIYhKNSMgVOXzYgADqHt4RlH-GCxYY5knvUAYQSiFdBMln71sVB_/s320/1-dino+shengjingornis+jack+wood.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood <i>Shengjingnornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The body length of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shengjingornis</i> was 20cm/7.9in with a wingspan a little over the
body length at 22cm/8.7in. In contrast to the body, the legs were long distally
ending in curved claws, while each of the wings possessed three short curved
claws. The wing features, including a cake-like sternum, indicates it was a
strong flapping theropod. With a bent downward snout ending in rather large
sharp conical teeth just in front of the nasal alludes to a fact that this
longipterygid was a specialized feeder. But what it fed on is strictly speculative;
however, it is possible that it was well equipped to probe tree bark for
insects, grub worms and other invertebrates. Or, but this is really stretching
it, skim the surface of bodies of water to ensnare and trap small fish, aquatic
insects and crustaceans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9zDKECdytSkPRBDjeW8UxnxFPxfSVUi7sbo9KH5lCt_05hvpE7ES7qAkEQXQP556Za2etPqYC1NwjWX32VUmKqRBJjxQeJg9Hg2y3TAkYH4sJLB1jR_-DuXgfUEqHXDAhiAJ2H6ufiaR/s1600/1-dino+shengjingornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9zDKECdytSkPRBDjeW8UxnxFPxfSVUi7sbo9KH5lCt_05hvpE7ES7qAkEQXQP556Za2etPqYC1NwjWX32VUmKqRBJjxQeJg9Hg2y3TAkYH4sJLB1jR_-DuXgfUEqHXDAhiAJ2H6ufiaR/s320/1-dino+shengjingornis+fossil.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Shenjingornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In addition to its unusually shaped
sternum, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Shengjingornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> also
possessed a Y-shaped furcula, a caudally distributed keel and a caudally
concave coracoid. These unique morphological features indicate that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Shengjingornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> held an intermediate
evolutionary position among its longipterygid relatives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3TkE2D7LsDuTyrsVsGDT7gVpXLHiThtc1G5PQdWwWMaj807otHvCRs9TwpV6mk0VpkpEiyByHSbq0P9oZ7t_CeYuWS8JukEV9QswHDF7YLNWrzWCYl_2VJvMb3EsWWdPnHm_yQNCFLnH/s1600/1-dino+rapaxavis+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="455" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3TkE2D7LsDuTyrsVsGDT7gVpXLHiThtc1G5PQdWwWMaj807otHvCRs9TwpV6mk0VpkpEiyByHSbq0P9oZ7t_CeYuWS8JukEV9QswHDF7YLNWrzWCYl_2VJvMb3EsWWdPnHm_yQNCFLnH/s320/1-dino+rapaxavis+jack+wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood <i>Rapaxavis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Rapaxavis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> was another
smaller longipterygid with a body length of 17cm/6.7in supported by a larger
tail 30cm/11.9in long and by a wingspan of 25cm/9.9in. The long part of the
tail consisted of two ribbon-like feathers that made up most of the tail length
and was sexually dimorphic featured only in males.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YESr1l6rDJCndsTqjBrm8Ri9bvob5NVe3TOna_Xiwg3krPpYsMTpjxVWm_wMVY4-Nh_j3oCQqRlzVityej6PoSW0oNNoGtTqK725u2Wn2zFCGe2q5pv3foboaIGiUKBiqBwDyXxJSm-Q/s1600/1-bird+Rapaxavis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="565" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YESr1l6rDJCndsTqjBrm8Ri9bvob5NVe3TOna_Xiwg3krPpYsMTpjxVWm_wMVY4-Nh_j3oCQqRlzVityej6PoSW0oNNoGtTqK725u2Wn2zFCGe2q5pv3foboaIGiUKBiqBwDyXxJSm-Q/s320/1-bird+Rapaxavis+fossil.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rapaxavis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The fossil remains reveal the
caudolateral processes of the quadrangular-shaped sternum possessed two
prominent branches forming a V-shape ending into one small xiphoid (lowest
division of sternum) branch. As a character of enantiornitheans, a procoracoid
is absent. Although gastralia were preserved in the proximity of the pelvic
girdle, there is no evidence of uncinate (hook shaped) processes that usually
accommodate gastralia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One item noted in the fossil remains of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rapaxavis</i> is that it is the only
exception within the whole clade of enantiornitheans that the derived manus
(hands) lack unguals (pertaining to claws, nails or hooves), even though it
possessed keratinous sheaths of the pedal unguals. Also, like the
enantiornithean <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Concornis</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rapaxavis</i> possessed a pair of paracoracoidal
ossifications (pectoral bones). No one as yet knows the exact function of these
bones and within the entire clade of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avialae</i>,
these are the only two species that possess this unique ossification.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5m8g5SfeT6UEHUlEMH_CBnKTRKZWSQXno1wu3w23Nhahj1DRnfGgtpfjT2urh7MRI_ZnRJ3yZg2BTUgSbYcD3fFPwne2G9sC-H2wHkDSNvFE8WJXpyCR4VigMOA7GiyN1NRAK6xzLIFSj/s1600/1-dino+rapaxavis+skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="602" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5m8g5SfeT6UEHUlEMH_CBnKTRKZWSQXno1wu3w23Nhahj1DRnfGgtpfjT2urh7MRI_ZnRJ3yZg2BTUgSbYcD3fFPwne2G9sC-H2wHkDSNvFE8WJXpyCR4VigMOA7GiyN1NRAK6xzLIFSj/s320/1-dino+rapaxavis+skull.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rapaxavis</i> skull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The name, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rapaxavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> means ‘grasping bird’ and equipped with long legs and
curved claws that were well suited for grasping and perching on limbs, it too,
could navigate efficiently while flying through forests. It was most likely a
forager of invertebrates, especially insects collecting them in arboreal and
ground settings.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5-kQJYT4_NParjERK7SX1wPoardvvvxtlgA3xfrv7SBNAFInsneVUv28Ci3VfSG9RjWMYsxkJMMwIjn9ZKO5GRJsCJS_OVqBZLOBvPRq6kheoZWWvhRn1Fk7qmuBzncRtEeGNU1WWBu7/s1600/1-dino+avisauridae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5-kQJYT4_NParjERK7SX1wPoardvvvxtlgA3xfrv7SBNAFInsneVUv28Ci3VfSG9RjWMYsxkJMMwIjn9ZKO5GRJsCJS_OVqBZLOBvPRq6kheoZWWvhRn1Fk7qmuBzncRtEeGNU1WWBu7/s1600/1-dino+avisauridae.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One last, enantiornithean I would like
to discuss before going to birds, is in the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Euenantiornithes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
six genera family of, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Avisauridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (A-vuh-sor-uh-day);
it is </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Halimornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. The avisaurids
temporal range was from 125-66 mya ending during the last extinction of
dinosaurs.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With a temporal range of 80 mya during
the Late Creatceous, a body length of 17cm/6.7in, a wingspan of 40cm/15.8in and
with the fossil remains found in Alabama’s ‘Mooreville Chalk Formation’,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Halimornis</i>, as in most all avisaurids,
was among the largest, most diverse and last of the enantiornitheans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoA6ry9rRiShedDx92LdgBCL_v9QxHGvwaT5msYhu0henJB1m3dZQ2IvUg1rYEakmNfhlnzKJE5bdrPmJXXuWneiCa24AXpU1-aYlkapZKPgobmysd1jz1_E2UEoRo-WfSVkXFMH25OrOZ/s1600/1-bird+halimornis+scott+reid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoA6ry9rRiShedDx92LdgBCL_v9QxHGvwaT5msYhu0henJB1m3dZQ2IvUg1rYEakmNfhlnzKJE5bdrPmJXXuWneiCa24AXpU1-aYlkapZKPgobmysd1jz1_E2UEoRo-WfSVkXFMH25OrOZ/s320/1-bird+halimornis+scott+reid.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Scott Reid <i>Halimornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Halimornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (How-lee-mor-nis)
flew and glided among the air currents above the ancient Western Interior
Seaway’s coastline 80 mya. It is the only enantiornithean that would be
considered an ocean going species. The holotype fossil was found in sedimentary
rock that would’ve been miles away from land. It also had unique wings that
would’ve made it adept at swimming. The diet, most likely consisting of fish
filled a small niche during this time period.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbfVKFtoIYu2MzGEct9PGyiBgrBDBmKPx2p3BcGASJykfgE8y09c6LN8EJg43F0CsbgpJVnnY49xveAgNhFl-DQ5umHkw3tvwYG7AcHBWm-nCsB3da3oNrXNal5XkrPUWWDV1oPbeGcPk/s1600/1-bird+belone+Chung-Tat+Cheung.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="1200" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbfVKFtoIYu2MzGEct9PGyiBgrBDBmKPx2p3BcGASJykfgE8y09c6LN8EJg43F0CsbgpJVnnY49xveAgNhFl-DQ5umHkw3tvwYG7AcHBWm-nCsB3da3oNrXNal5XkrPUWWDV1oPbeGcPk/s320/1-bird+belone+Chung-Tat+Cheung.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A young hatchling enantionithean encased in amber</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">We’ll leave enantiornitheans with a
newly discovered Burmese amber fossil find of a 99 mya hatchling initially
designated in the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Belone</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
Coming from the ‘Hukawng Valley’ in northern Myanmar, the fossil measures no
more than 7.6cm/3in and is one of the most complete amber fossils coming from
Mayanmar. Already possessing tiny conical teeth, it was no more than a few days
or couple of weeks old. With great detail, the wings, feathers and skin have
been preserved. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Belone</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> has already
been assigned to a genus of needlefish, so the naming for this theropod
enantiornithean will eventually change.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Birds</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It has gotten to the point with many new
discoveries and anatomical analysis that maybe the phraseology shouldn’t be
bird-like dinosaur, but dinosaur-like bird.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdcxKHsGHGQgBneuinX_tVNmY5dUqNhAuXCquCNapPYnbkvVoXzK-M9R0zxJeUWsfY-KIEPhX0A_O9yLvF4bz3BhzShDGxp4bSpDeRW0AyCuGlsM3_Tt0uaoIr9NpS_yFZ6fZVo2cIFaR/s1600/1-bird+evo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="525" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdcxKHsGHGQgBneuinX_tVNmY5dUqNhAuXCquCNapPYnbkvVoXzK-M9R0zxJeUWsfY-KIEPhX0A_O9yLvF4bz3BhzShDGxp4bSpDeRW0AyCuGlsM3_Tt0uaoIr9NpS_yFZ6fZVo2cIFaR/s320/1-bird+evo.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theropodal evolution to bird</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As paleontologist, Mark Norrel has
stated, “Many of the animals that were thought to look like giant lizards only
a few years ago are now known to have been feathered, to have brooded their
nests, to have been active, and to have had many other defining bird
characteristics, like wishbones and three forward-facing toes. To this list we
can now add that the precursors of birds were also small, primitive members of
a lineage that later grew much larger long after their divergence from the
evolutionary stem leading to birds.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The common ancestor to modern birds
diverged from other paravians around 95 mya. Molecular biology confirms this.
Anatomy confirms this and paleontology confirms this…not only did birds
speciate from ancestral dinosaurs...birds are dinosaurs. In fact, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T. rex</i> is more closely related to the
chicken in genetics and time than it was to the earliest true dinosaurs. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gallus</i> jungle fowl appeared 50 mya,
while <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T. rex</i> reined 68-66 mya; the
first dinosaur appeared 231.4 mya. So as you see, there is only a difference of
16 million years between <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T. rex</i> and
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gallu</i>s jungle fowl, while <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T. rex</i> showed up 163.4 million years
later after the first dinosaurians appeared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genes in birds are very much like
dinosaur genes, it’s just the sequence that varies in what genes have been
switched on and what has been switched off. Bird embryos carry an exacting
average of caudal (tail) vertebrae as dinosaurs had. As the embryo further
develops, the gene for tails is switched off with the tail vertebrae being
absorbed for building blocks somewhere else in the developing fetus. Chickens
early on in fetal development possess tiny teeth that barely erupts the gum
line, but then are switched off from further development and are absorbed. On a
regular basis, molecular biologists inject a viral component into developing
chicken embryos that maintains the switch, switching it from off to stay on,
thus further developing the embryo’s teeth. Upon hatching, the chick has a
well-stocked mouth of teeth that not only appear shaped as theropod dinosaur
teeth, but in positioning, are recurved backwards like theropods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Female birds grow a special type of bone
in their limbs between the hard outer bone and the marrow. Called the medullary
bone, it is rich in calcium and is used up in making eggshells during breeding.
The female birds that produced it reabsorb calcium when they have finished laying
eggs in rebuilding the medullary for the next breeding season. Medullary bone
has also been found in many theropod fossils from allosaurs, tyrannosaurs and
tenontosaurs, which also aids in determining the sex of the fossil remains. The
medullary also has shown up in female subadult fossils indicating sexual
maturity was reached before adulthood, just like in humans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The skeletal anatomy, morphology,
physiology and behavioral evidence conclusively place birds within the
evolutionary radiation of theropod dinosaurs. With respect to growth and
energetic physiology, the first birds were simply feathered dinosaurs. The
evolution of the novel bird pattern in modern forms occurred later in the
group’s history. As the result, modern birds are the most speciose amniote with
well over 10,000 species.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5Mw4fnr6Pcr9dQl1QBv-l9qtRYg8-J7WD5p2TnZJTOSOA8g2qK8vwTb7l9k6G_PyJPuNqgcFvQ9E8dmsXZZygv9IQzAhhHvQLIQdXb3f_b0at4YByHc-rJADh0KPWHM6nBaU0TGyJ_MP/s1600/1-bird+flightfeathers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5Mw4fnr6Pcr9dQl1QBv-l9qtRYg8-J7WD5p2TnZJTOSOA8g2qK8vwTb7l9k6G_PyJPuNqgcFvQ9E8dmsXZZygv9IQzAhhHvQLIQdXb3f_b0at4YByHc-rJADh0KPWHM6nBaU0TGyJ_MP/s320/1-bird+flightfeathers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although ornithischian filaments and
theropod proto-feathers are not obvious in birds, dinosaurs were the first
animal to support feathers. Reptilian scales evolved 320-310 mya; dinosaurs
retained them and passed scaled legs over to birds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, with over 10,000 extant species,
with this much diversity, birds by far outnumber extant mammals and reptiles
two to one, so let’s get to ‘em.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Euornithes</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (E-u-or-nah-theez)
~ is the clade leading directly to modern birds. This is the line of theropods that
became what we think of as birds. So, all feathered and toothless theropods
capable of flight and all modern birds with the exceptions of penguins and palaeognaths
(flightless ostrich-like birds) belong to this group. Therefore, it also
includes the most common recent ancestor to all modern birds. The temporal
range is from 130.7 mya to the Present.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Euornitheans are the first true birds;
in fact <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Euornithes</i> means ‘true bird’.
Feathers, a short fused pygostyle, toothless beaks, clawless forelimbs, hollow
bones, wrist joints positioned for flapping wings, a bastard wing, air sacs, tridactyl
feet/hands, homeothermy, cranial kinesis, smaller size, female medullary bone, brooding
and perching all first evolved in earlier theropods to culminate into an animal
we call bird. These adaptive evolvements were originally not intended for
flight, but through natural selection and speciation came together and gave us
the bird.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1S7PQQ0XZzO3BZPYECnSRKpnBgwdSYqIRzfBa85LyUMsEnPbP28Oiec_XU-9xqdKodohgn13roNJ77h7CadLrxkMjnghKr-HqCgzhjD3wot7WUitOJvUqQXhaJOz9DARpKlZJ6Y24MULt/s1600/1-bird+evolution+hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="664" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1S7PQQ0XZzO3BZPYECnSRKpnBgwdSYqIRzfBa85LyUMsEnPbP28Oiec_XU-9xqdKodohgn13roNJ77h7CadLrxkMjnghKr-HqCgzhjD3wot7WUitOJvUqQXhaJOz9DARpKlZJ6Y24MULt/s320/1-bird+evolution+hands.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evolution of the theropod manus (hand)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dactylos is Greek rooted referring to
finger or toes. Therefore to wit: Oligodactyly ~ less than (<) five digits;
Polydactyly ~ more than (>) five digits. In birds as oligodactyl, digit V (pinky
finger) on the outside of the hand appears first during embryonic development,
but evolves and develops into digit IV (ring finger). It is also shown in
studies that in digit I (thumb), an embryonic finger begins to develop but
quickly disappears. So, final finger development of the embryo is in the
fully-formed digits II, III and IV (the index, middle, and ring fingers). This
of course was inherited from their theropodal ancestry in having tridactyl (three
digit) manus (hands) and pedes (feet). Therefore, in euornitheans and
henceforth onward, all birds are distally three digited.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The avian respiratory system plays a
role in thermoregulation while the lungs are much smaller when compared to other
vertebrates, but are supported by nine theropod inherited air sacs that play a
big role in respiration. Due to air sacs allowing for a unidirectional flow of
fresh air into the lungs, the lungs are constantly supplied with oxygen. So as
air sacs fill, the lungs are also filling, but as air sacs and the lungs empty,
the air sacs empty into the lungs keeping them oxygenated with a constant
supply of fresh air.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSj9b80XP_4mirRkbbKEmNvANwRXBJnSFmQuiTGikGUCkhobNRr_CkhW8wcC2H8R2GNhTVMzTmIbNH3fTOmRF47x_XHgapD5SMnKJPlR4aczgjdkjnFae0utS2Ju3M_0OhwuO_tu2ciLY-/s1600/1-bird+air+sacs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="604" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSj9b80XP_4mirRkbbKEmNvANwRXBJnSFmQuiTGikGUCkhobNRr_CkhW8wcC2H8R2GNhTVMzTmIbNH3fTOmRF47x_XHgapD5SMnKJPlR4aczgjdkjnFae0utS2Ju3M_0OhwuO_tu2ciLY-/s320/1-bird+air+sacs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bird air sacs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There are around four holotypic species
of euornitheans with one added holotypic species as a sister subgroup to the ornithuromorphan
clade. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithomorpha</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Or-nith-o-mor-pha)
is the most inclusive clade containing extant birds. With a temporal range of
130.7 mya to the Present, it is divided into three holotypic genera, one
holotypic genus as a sister subgroup, two families and one holotypic genus as a
sister subgroup to the clade, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithurae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Or-nith-ew-ray or Or-nith-ree). Ornithurines are further divided into two related
holotypic genera, one clade and all the thousands of species contained in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Aves</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (A-veez), which includes all modern
birds. I would like to note here that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Neornithes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Nee-or-ni-theez</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">) is becoming the
more popular term in replacing </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Aves</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The basal euornithean holotypic genera
are, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeorhynchus</i> (Are-kay-o-rin-cuss)
from 125-120 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jianchangornis</i> (Jeye-uh-chan-gor-nee-is)
from 120 mya;</span> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Zhongjianornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(Zhone-gee-jeye-or-nis) from 120 mya and Chaoyangia (Chai-yang-nee-uh) from
120mya. The ornithuromorphan genus sister group is Schizooura (Ski-sue-u-rah)
from 120 mya. These are the most primitive euornitheans; a few even retained a
few teeth and small manus (hand) claws. But even though they are considered
proto-birds, they had more in common morphologically, physiologically,
anatomically and in physical functionality with modern birds than with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinornis</i> or any other enantiornithean.
All their fossils originate in China.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With the fossil remains coming from the ‘Yixian
Formation’, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeorhynchus</i>’ fossils
display well preserved complete skeletons measuring 20cm/7.9in long. Even
associated with the head, neck and tail regions, feathering was preserved. It
is one of the earliest known ornithuromorph that had a toothless β-keratin beak
(proteins made from both fibrous and matrix components).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cMGCOzE4QXO5z0skP3o_25mCneh88WCRDPAvBgVZGgXJMe6pRV9wuGJ9LzWRR9ScWOSqvuIO9ozLcyq4GMzEQMJ_CbhkZCL8ldfCyZbt7IqwnVdJgovgXtm3dMZmeSUwxNs-37srdXnn/s1600/1-bird+archaeorhyncus+brian+choo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="828" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cMGCOzE4QXO5z0skP3o_25mCneh88WCRDPAvBgVZGgXJMe6pRV9wuGJ9LzWRR9ScWOSqvuIO9ozLcyq4GMzEQMJ_CbhkZCL8ldfCyZbt7IqwnVdJgovgXtm3dMZmeSUwxNs-37srdXnn/s320/1-bird+archaeorhyncus+brian+choo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Brian Choo <i>Archaeorhynchus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Formed by the fusion of the two clavicles,
the U-shaped furcula (wishbone) was robust and in addition with a strengthened
keel for flight muscle attachments along the length of the breastbone suggest
that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archaeorhynchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was a strong
flier. It had three fingers ending in small slightly curved claws. The
phalangeal formula was 2-3-2 showing that the middle finger had three phalanges
where the two outside fingers had two each. The forelimbs were larger than the
hind limbs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Numerous gastroliths (stomach stones)
were found and with the amount shows that the stones were intentionally
swallowed and not incidental. This suggests that it was an herbivore.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTiq4X7oH59Jih5i-QDu6eRefeqjbPZKfRJCYKVR8X13kEOx5f6fY2h4pTnDf7zYwpCw4jw2rCAWPuMwQ9Oj_GwMoMdx4AIzUK8XyJiAHiR1DeRQyQQ3wTuncOSQNAfr4BmtAfF67Du9_/s1600/1-bird+archaeorhynchus+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1037" data-original-width="1600" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTiq4X7oH59Jih5i-QDu6eRefeqjbPZKfRJCYKVR8X13kEOx5f6fY2h4pTnDf7zYwpCw4jw2rCAWPuMwQ9Oj_GwMoMdx4AIzUK8XyJiAHiR1DeRQyQQ3wTuncOSQNAfr4BmtAfF67Du9_/s320/1-bird+archaeorhynchus+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Archaeorynchus</i> fossil with feather pigment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">What is most exciting about the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archaeorhynchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> fossil finds is that one
of them still possessed preserved lung tissue showing it to be very similar to
modern bird lungs. It also had slender curved vertebral ribs that were not
attached to the breastbone, but were fully secured at their base.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BpqKALUJhHPYHxZjgPJ_lYaKVwaNLJL3igabHeqHoD54z7Xdg4MCV0hDPQo-rnCTJm9NhwzjUc4yJZwDUG-lvAu-4v85MVEcZqvTynk81m4KWOWZ3kn9EYlF4F_PmNpOuUPXwDcG62Ut/s1600/1-bird+jianchangornis+scott+reid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="506" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BpqKALUJhHPYHxZjgPJ_lYaKVwaNLJL3igabHeqHoD54z7Xdg4MCV0hDPQo-rnCTJm9NhwzjUc4yJZwDUG-lvAu-4v85MVEcZqvTynk81m4KWOWZ3kn9EYlF4F_PmNpOuUPXwDcG62Ut/s320/1-bird+jianchangornis+scott+reid.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Scott Reid <i>Jianchangornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jianchangornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, with its complete
skeletal fossil remains found in the ‘Jiufotang Formation’ represents a
subadult with a body length of 34cm/13.4in and a wingspan almost double that of
64cm/25.2in. The mouth was lined with 16 tiny conical teeth on the dentary
(anterior bone of the lower jaw). A predentary bone (extra bone in lower jaw
extending the dentary) is present. Manual digit I extends beyond digit II by ~
3cm/1.2in with an enlarged metacarpal I taking up most of the length.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoi-qpMhndimUWgvW0rs0yjb5o_nilOntEHvIOC_weRIOl_mQ9l7REsZFP-z1iOiPCBKG9tx7gdCecojy-5EsM-tl1QjwuhR4ZiiPXscM4tfXqwJj5lb5m9rGj-oDCCVgsq1Ad-JP9DPBb/s1600/1-bird+jianchangornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="429" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoi-qpMhndimUWgvW0rs0yjb5o_nilOntEHvIOC_weRIOl_mQ9l7REsZFP-z1iOiPCBKG9tx7gdCecojy-5EsM-tl1QjwuhR4ZiiPXscM4tfXqwJj5lb5m9rGj-oDCCVgsq1Ad-JP9DPBb/s320/1-bird+jianchangornis+fossil.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jianchangornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With a triangular skull and with teeth
for grasping are a good indication that it was a piscivore eating small fish by
foraging along lake shorelines either by inspecting shorelines for washed up
dead fish or by swimming and snagging live prey. With its leg lengths it would
have been a good surface swimmer, but not very effective in being a wader. In
possessing long wing feathers giving an advantage for a large surface area, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jianchangornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> would have been a strong
flier.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceCMPZZyxy0cWubEhIKyzxgaBJQm0NQvtYoGXlMjUa-yZfEQ-QS4hLOQfOo-9Wfw5VdZ9xnHZA0Zhy8-TuwHS_egEYoPK6GjYwKPHDDsWtC_iUpalfE6RKA3AK_OiBIiFfpjSt2_g5Lhf/s1600/1-bird+zhongjianornis+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="505" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceCMPZZyxy0cWubEhIKyzxgaBJQm0NQvtYoGXlMjUa-yZfEQ-QS4hLOQfOo-9Wfw5VdZ9xnHZA0Zhy8-TuwHS_egEYoPK6GjYwKPHDDsWtC_iUpalfE6RKA3AK_OiBIiFfpjSt2_g5Lhf/s320/1-bird+zhongjianornis+jack+wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood Z<i>hongjianornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The length of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Zhongjianornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was ~ 33cm/13in which was a moderate size for basal
euornitheans. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Zhongjianornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
represents one of the most basal known birds thus far. It predates the
pygostylian, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Confuciusornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and even
predates the split between enantiornitheans and euornitheans. However, there
were more numerous similarities between it and the other basal euornitheans.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyt2nAzvVA1_YkmrR-bBMebEdSS_dFOMSzYLpRvj7WmsS652cp3fmcrTPVuCrowbD35n3t7yf_f2Ye94rS7epR-gi5fLm0Ag_4OnYInO6wFO4pu6XuXXVF3A58mjQO-6yjUvUurogmuRZ-/s1600/1-bird+zhongjianornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyt2nAzvVA1_YkmrR-bBMebEdSS_dFOMSzYLpRvj7WmsS652cp3fmcrTPVuCrowbD35n3t7yf_f2Ye94rS7epR-gi5fLm0Ag_4OnYInO6wFO4pu6XuXXVF3A58mjQO-6yjUvUurogmuRZ-/s320/1-bird+zhongjianornis+fossil.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Zhongjianornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The jaws of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Zhongjianornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> were toothless while the beak was pointed. The
fossil was found in ‘Jiufotang Formation’ sediment that once was a lake bed,
possibly suggesting that it was aquatic and with the shape of the beak was
piscivorous. Nonetheless, the feet possessed large claws instead of webbing, so
if it was a piscivore, it would dive to snatch fish near the surface or in very
shallow waters.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuGN_ZFBG0depIOEWqfK9o4h_P5MFjmu2dpPli80dEUJx-UjY7tcTO7Pn5-vSHbNiehQ-PxENCUPEm6ELUj427axSEpMr4b22CYhfijkjs9vHJEl1HvLuyOWLPM2c7yddCqdU9Xa3Ky80/s1600/1-bird+chaoyangia_%25C2%25A9+Daniel+Bensen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1114" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuGN_ZFBG0depIOEWqfK9o4h_P5MFjmu2dpPli80dEUJx-UjY7tcTO7Pn5-vSHbNiehQ-PxENCUPEm6ELUj427axSEpMr4b22CYhfijkjs9vHJEl1HvLuyOWLPM2c7yddCqdU9Xa3Ky80/s320/1-bird+chaoyangia_%25C2%25A9+Daniel+Bensen.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: ©Daniel Benson <i>Chaoyangia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Chaoyangia</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, with its
fossil also found in the ‘Jiufotang Formation’ as other basal euornithean
discoveries and physiologically possessing related features to euornitheans,
even close similarities to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zhongjianornis</i>
anatomically, was unique in having two dorsal processes on the ischium, the curved
bone forming the base of each half of the pelvis. Including the tail, at ~ 16cm/6.2in,
it was comparable to the small size of a house sparrow.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rhZN9RtJag5L3vjMD5c3RRLVRaumL3IF2R8dx1a179hdGRH7kZnMJHEslDmBUMHcPx53VL6yjeQyr_yym-pmxO4jXHBI30O4DgfGSJK-6jr-UvqcebFKTiN3flf0oLsknmIWaWv8m7QG/s1600/1-bird+chaoyangia+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="377" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rhZN9RtJag5L3vjMD5c3RRLVRaumL3IF2R8dx1a179hdGRH7kZnMJHEslDmBUMHcPx53VL6yjeQyr_yym-pmxO4jXHBI30O4DgfGSJK-6jr-UvqcebFKTiN3flf0oLsknmIWaWv8m7QG/s320/1-bird+chaoyangia+fossil.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Chaoyangia</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The keel, an extension of the sternum
(breastbone) was well developed. Apophyses (singular: apophysis) are normal
bony outgrowths arising separately from other bone centers fusing eventually
with the bone over time during maturation. Uncinate hooked processes are
extensions of bone that project caudally from the vertical segment of each rib.
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Chaoyangia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s fossil displays ribs
with uncinate apophyses. When compare to other primitive birds, the metatarsals
were significantly fused. The dentary (anterior portion of lower jaw bone) were
straight and toothed.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNow4_CIN-mn0_9-XYIloWxC0-KdlC3RgJqgRBow4slnQlKRPNY8KqaAm9jXyuExcBr9nNABNaKiVj8AEnpzx1ayUrRZPZxd383C8MboSc3YlLbW8MxrfVJ9W9ZE9sh1eqd8l9sjtwBfoF/s1600/1-bird+schizooura+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="505" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNow4_CIN-mn0_9-XYIloWxC0-KdlC3RgJqgRBow4slnQlKRPNY8KqaAm9jXyuExcBr9nNABNaKiVj8AEnpzx1ayUrRZPZxd383C8MboSc3YlLbW8MxrfVJ9W9ZE9sh1eqd8l9sjtwBfoF/s320/1-bird+schizooura+jack+wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood <i>Schizooura</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With similar anatomical characteristics
to ornithuromorphs, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Schizooura</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is a
sister group to that clade. Being one of the larger euornitheans, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Schizooura</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, which means ‘split tail’ was
55cm/21.7in long, including the tail and had a wingspan of 65cm/25.6in. The
arrangement of the tail feathers were such giving the appearance of being
split, but in superficially resembling the ribbon tail feathers of earlier
avialans, the tail feathering actually fanned out during flight as in modern
birds, but forking down the middle. The tail fan would have been somewhat of a
hindrance for flight, so most likely served as a display.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDiey1wVToSAdxjufZqIDmAPmmkENPfde0JTYX2SMwRFX6HRac6vEcdJgJyEguRpfElMYeDNMC3FrwnftePW7z-qxYt1_ZBjpu5Ufws8ySkPrY7RSfHXcYac_PALr2GWKVOqZbLfvLQxu/s1600/1-bird+Schizooura+fossil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="422" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDiey1wVToSAdxjufZqIDmAPmmkENPfde0JTYX2SMwRFX6HRac6vEcdJgJyEguRpfElMYeDNMC3FrwnftePW7z-qxYt1_ZBjpu5Ufws8ySkPrY7RSfHXcYac_PALr2GWKVOqZbLfvLQxu/s320/1-bird+Schizooura+fossil.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Schizooura</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Also from the ‘Jiufotang Formation’, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Schizooura</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> frequented forest within the
trees and ground. The broad rounded wings would have allowed it navigate
through forests and with its long legs and short robust toes would have made it
ideal to forage on the ground for grain and seeds and perhaps a few arthropods.
The skull was triangular ending in a pointed and toothless beak.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Two other basal euornitheans have been
discovered and they are: <i>Patagopteryx</i>
(Pat-ah-gop-tuh-rix) and <i>Vorona</i> (Voe-roe-nah).
Their fossil remains were found outside China proving to be a bit unusual in
form anatomically.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xgj-FDX_wqf7N5LBKwFHFXojo4zeKFSf0P0_YhxgxuEOWcVCdoMljNr0Krs-tETbmkRUuPN0n-i1PsYZuZfjmIEpe2GNWjJt9SzQEAf4DofZ15uuh16Hx94FdimH2eBlvkiF6Ce56dIE/s1600/1-bird+patagopteryx-jaime-chirinos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="700" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xgj-FDX_wqf7N5LBKwFHFXojo4zeKFSf0P0_YhxgxuEOWcVCdoMljNr0Krs-tETbmkRUuPN0n-i1PsYZuZfjmIEpe2GNWjJt9SzQEAf4DofZ15uuh16Hx94FdimH2eBlvkiF6Ce56dIE/s320/1-bird+patagopteryx-jaime-chirinos.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jaime Chirinos <i>Patagopteryx</i> following sauropods </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Patagopteryx</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> was found in Patagonia,
Argentina’s ‘Santonian Bajo de la Carpa Formation’ in strata from 80 mya. It
was a heavily built basal and large euornithean at 60cm/23.6in long.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGAUnTFNZpammzntyambuvASMkIOZKDLdMHmRCRcON2vp-BF9VN0qryJKz5YEDktKNvAlgNS_Tb0B1L6hty-VN0blL86bQKzCyNsF2ZMwFwrXmVNQ-Rxo46mWdS01B0AREOacE4XZzIpA/s1600/1-bird+patagopteryx+%25C2%25A9+Dorling+Kindersley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="474" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGAUnTFNZpammzntyambuvASMkIOZKDLdMHmRCRcON2vp-BF9VN0qryJKz5YEDktKNvAlgNS_Tb0B1L6hty-VN0blL86bQKzCyNsF2ZMwFwrXmVNQ-Rxo46mWdS01B0AREOacE4XZzIpA/s320/1-bird+patagopteryx+%25C2%25A9+Dorling+Kindersley.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Patagopteryx</i> internal anatomy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2jpvMYR-F5nqLFy5ozGS838cnN8PHR3ZSqSLRrZcA2w46AiIxvAVvKIsqxA2XwoksCNSGDW17EY6B8bzQ0FvQFQhRbf44fvfj4RFy-4eBbdDOfEKml4nkf3pkdSdecWOXqqhrIfTN-5s/s1600/1-bird+Patagopteryx+skeleta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2jpvMYR-F5nqLFy5ozGS838cnN8PHR3ZSqSLRrZcA2w46AiIxvAVvKIsqxA2XwoksCNSGDW17EY6B8bzQ0FvQFQhRbf44fvfj4RFy-4eBbdDOfEKml4nkf3pkdSdecWOXqqhrIfTN-5s/s320/1-bird+Patagopteryx+skeleta.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Patagopteryx</i> skeletal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This euornithean had stout robust hind
limbs with fused bones in the feet that had four facing forward toes. Along
with short femurs, all this alludes to the fact it was a runner, as its wings
were reduced and would’ve been incapable of lifting the 2.2kg/5lb body of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Patagopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. It also devolved the
wishbone for flight muscle attachment. Termed ‘secondary flightless’, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Patagopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is one of the earliest
birds to lose the ability of flight, even though the ancestors it came from
flew.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Patagopteryx</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> could’ve been
an herbivore, or a carnivore, or even an omnivore as its hard beak could’ve
sufficed any diet. Also, the second toe had a curved claw, but unlike
velociraptors it wouldn’t have been useful as a weapon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Due to the fragmentary 70 mya fossil
remains from the ‘Maevarano Formation’ in Madagascar, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vorona</i> phylogenetic classification is difficult to determine,
but it’s clearly a basal euornithean and may later after further study, or
other fossil finds even be classified as a basal ornithuromorph.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WTJitYiyvwevuqvmTtMMoq_zdd-zfGKwj-UxAlDHALCnDoCBMp5ltnZb4itmV-R39ArsscIhCtsiJE8KKWLsqr2sp5-r8Ax-LA-gUSjZAbRyYBa3Gh4T20QbQEw0RSwtgn4J9_x5jL6N/s1600/1-bird+gargantuavis_hyrotrioskjan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="1280" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WTJitYiyvwevuqvmTtMMoq_zdd-zfGKwj-UxAlDHALCnDoCBMp5ltnZb4itmV-R39ArsscIhCtsiJE8KKWLsqr2sp5-r8Ax-LA-gUSjZAbRyYBa3Gh4T20QbQEw0RSwtgn4J9_x5jL6N/s320/1-bird+gargantuavis_hyrotrioskjan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Hyrotrioskjan <i>Gargantuavis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">We’ll finish off with one odd
euornithean and that is, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gargantuavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Gar-gan-choo-a-veez). With a temporal range between 73.5-71.5 mya it was found
in Europe in three local southern French sites and one in northwestern Spain.
During the Late Cretaceous, this region of present day Europe was an isolated
island called the, Ibero-Armorican Island in the prehistoric Tethys Sea.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By far in being the largest euornithean,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gargantuavis</i> was ~ 2.2m/7.3ft in
total length and weighed in at ~ 140 kg/310 lbs. It thus far, is the largest
known bird of the Mesozoic Era. With reduced wings, it was nonvolant (incapable
of flight) as considered secondarily flightless. Even though it had a rather
broad pelvis, the hips were narrow and bird-like, still though, the girth of
the hips prevented the two ilia (singular: ilium which is the upper part of
bone forming each half of the pelvis) from meeting. The acetabulum (hip socket)
was set close to the front rather than more towards the middle of the pelvis.
Osteological studies on its remains show that it had a rapid early growth spurt
followed by an extended period (~ 10 years) of slow cyclical growth before
attaining skeletal maturity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sedimentary and mineralogical studies
affirm that its habitat consisted of episodes of semi aridity and seasonal
climate. This, in conjunction with living on an isolated island archipelago
land mass, natural selection evolved <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gargantuavis</i>
into unique traits. This fact, made it difficult to classify as it had no
lineage and was not related to the ratites such as the extinct moa or extant
ostrich. However, the bone studies showed an avian/euornithean nature in
osteological features.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithuromorpha</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> is the most
inclusive clade containing extant birds and was the most derived avian group
during the Early Cretaceous. Ornithuromorphans range from 130.7 mya during the
Early Cretaceous to the Present. From the primitive ornithuromorph to modern
birds, ornithuromorphan birds have a temporal range from 130 mya to the
Present.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhvGOVG-GsT-eKyMRs0jgzeP16rrGLaOx1hHkasoY6YATK1MTxHZCHAoopsD9396Ih62ff7nCyLp0WygVgwvCJ0j9o0CiVrxZsBvU6l6aLE0OL7hte0B-ljwcSHc2SqSthrjWHJboTHnl/s1600/1-bird+ornithuromorpha+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="449" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhvGOVG-GsT-eKyMRs0jgzeP16rrGLaOx1hHkasoY6YATK1MTxHZCHAoopsD9396Ih62ff7nCyLp0WygVgwvCJ0j9o0CiVrxZsBvU6l6aLE0OL7hte0B-ljwcSHc2SqSthrjWHJboTHnl/s320/1-bird+ornithuromorpha+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ornithomorpha</i> cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Most all the basal ornithuromorph fossil
finds come from China and Inner Mongolia. In basal ornithuromorphs, bone
histology studies of subadults show that sexual maturity occurred in females
prior to skeletal maturity, in which required at least a year to reach
adulthood. This is exemplified by the finding of medullary evidence while bone
growth was still maturing in fusing. This leads extant bird maturation
strategies to go all the way back to non-ornithurine avialans during the Early
Cretaceous. In other words, like humans, birds sexually mature first before
attaining adulthood.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Currently, there are around twenty known
basal holotypic ornithuromorphs and two families with their genera. Some holotypes
are: </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ambiortus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Am-be-or-tus) from
130 mya; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yumenornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (U-men-or-niss)
from 125 mya; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eogranivora</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (E-aw-gran-e-vor)
from 125 mya; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Changzuiornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Chun-su-e-or-niss) from 122.1 mya; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bellulornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Bell-ull-or-niss) from 120.5 mya; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gansus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Gan-souss) from 120 mya; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Iteravis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (I-tur-a-vuh)
from 120 mya; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jiuquanornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Jee-kin-or-niss) from 119 mya; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Changmaornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Chun-ma-or-niss) from ~102.5 mya; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Apsaravis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(App-sar-a-vuh) from 78 mya and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Alamitornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Al-uh-me-tor-niss) from 70 mya. There is some questionable research on whether
the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Iteravis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> fossil is actually
another fossil specimen of, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gansus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
Further research will determine the actual classification.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6Km_WV4dEK3WEt7Aj9V8JOaG_B_TX4DrWf3iaRCv41d_NQynumVyLwe6RbCea9ub7g_dODHzbKcYDHmOTLt3iCGyO3JeFcRWKKrmR0iFPS03T5MKfCU-s-F7rV9twXIbUKEKIVjPzhQI/s1600/1-bird+Eogranivora+nobu+tamura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="611" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6Km_WV4dEK3WEt7Aj9V8JOaG_B_TX4DrWf3iaRCv41d_NQynumVyLwe6RbCea9ub7g_dODHzbKcYDHmOTLt3iCGyO3JeFcRWKKrmR0iFPS03T5MKfCU-s-F7rV9twXIbUKEKIVjPzhQI/s320/1-bird+Eogranivora+nobu+tamura.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Eogranivora</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Discovered in the Early Cretaceous’
Aptian Stage of China’s ‘Yixian Formation’, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eogranivora</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
means, ‘early granivore’ (diet of seed/grain) with its specific name,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">edentulata</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> in reference to ‘edentulous’
(toothless). The scientific name infers that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eogranivora</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was granivorous with the diet consisting primarily of
seeds and grain with a toothless beak. The fossil remains sustained evidence of
the crop containing seeds while there were preserved gastroliths in the
ventriculus (gizzard). It still retained earlier basal euornithean vestiges of two
small slightly curved claws on each manus as phalanges II and III.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Initially, the fossil remains of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eogranivora</i> was first misidentified as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hongshanornis</i>, but after further
observations it was noted that the remains detailed longer wings, was
edentulous, had stouter shorter legs with the backward pointing digit I (commonly
known as the perching toe while technically known as the hallux) and the first
metatarsal were missing, thus having only three forward pointing toes in digits
II, III and IV. This, as compared to modern birds, suggests that it was more
terrestrial rather than arboreal. However, the legs wouldn’t have had the
efficacy to run fast, but with fairly developed wings it would’ve flown off
instead trying to outrun any danger.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_P_79Lr41dlj5dykxqOrB6iD99RFRxXlSYRMjsUOS6lRuRiKGFjBvoWFZbuugsT-7dWmrs5ewrsp2eJP15fIScx-2eATH1Jm9BYRL_55e_y34ndxbzH3ReLbYynp1ukmnwoD19G9mZh3r/s1600/1-bird+eogranivora+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="359" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_P_79Lr41dlj5dykxqOrB6iD99RFRxXlSYRMjsUOS6lRuRiKGFjBvoWFZbuugsT-7dWmrs5ewrsp2eJP15fIScx-2eATH1Jm9BYRL_55e_y34ndxbzH3ReLbYynp1ukmnwoD19G9mZh3r/s320/1-bird+eogranivora+fossil.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eogranivora</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Eogranivora</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> had a length of
25cm/9.8in which was around the size of a pigeon. In the skull, the maxilla
tapers rostrally articulating dorsally with the premaxilla. In the dorsal beak
the long and narrow nasals were medially separated from the dorsal surface of
the premaxilla.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With the evolution of flight, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eogranivora</i> is a direct link of Early
Cretaceous birds to modern birds and has produced associations into the trophic
habits and digestive abilities of early birds and their closest relatives to
extant birds. Information from its fossil reveals the changes in the digestive
system that occurred with the evolution of flight, through the structural
changes of a lighter digestive system.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeI5Acf9Ss8vKelk6A9Dul4xsUF8C6SO_171Di22Rm50Aoj_E1NZrjNjoW-SXaC_ZHO2IS8hnUo64qibwig-mUzWLXucQrEjox34Mmo7U3hyb6bc5iHngD6JTe2dFCexi7Lmp8lg-qEjY/s1600/1-bird+gansus+Mark+A.+Klingler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeI5Acf9Ss8vKelk6A9Dul4xsUF8C6SO_171Di22Rm50Aoj_E1NZrjNjoW-SXaC_ZHO2IS8hnUo64qibwig-mUzWLXucQrEjox34Mmo7U3hyb6bc5iHngD6JTe2dFCexi7Lmp8lg-qEjY/s320/1-bird+gansus+Mark+A.+Klingler.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark A. Klingler <i>Gansus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gansus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
fossils were found in an ancient lake bed in the province of Gansu, China. At
30.5cm/12in long it was an aquatic freshwater bird that waded through water
much like a duck and as a piscivore dove for fish. Some fossils still retained
the webbed imprints and remains of fish in the gut region. On average the body
length was 30.3cm/11.9in.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although the wings were slender and
incapable of vigorous flight, they still retained flight feathers and were just
long enough with a stout sternum to be volant (capable of flight), but short
enough to be held back against the body during dives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With elongated manus (hands), the
wing-bones of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gansus</i> were thin,
indicating with unstiffened wings, a more gracile flight pattern rather than a
strong burst of flapping. The pedes (feet) had interdigital webbing, making it
one of the first birds to utilize more efficient aquatic propulsion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5atcOFfarDR2fSfdhJFh4OgZqNkY9eaciYFcLupLatZ4vW6CvP2p-SMNMk9Y0wm39dSN6MRtbjQj6eC-VmgGiGKvtVOaMIIJrqfcFw12rqDfxbjd62LIE4Vy8BuN02SQsdsvkGf7dZS2/s1600/1-bird+gansus+fossil1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="1024" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5atcOFfarDR2fSfdhJFh4OgZqNkY9eaciYFcLupLatZ4vW6CvP2p-SMNMk9Y0wm39dSN6MRtbjQj6eC-VmgGiGKvtVOaMIIJrqfcFw12rqDfxbjd62LIE4Vy8BuN02SQsdsvkGf7dZS2/s320/1-bird+gansus+fossil1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gansus</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Showing similarities with today’s
grebes, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gansus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> pelvic limb length
proportions are in stride with extant birds. However, in being three to four
separated diversions away from modern birds, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gansus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is no direct ancestor to extant birds. But it surely had
phylogenetic relations with the direct ancestors to modern birds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhbkEh91zoMqhS0sxdrxJuMTLkTIoYBcFaEn0YYzbYTrO2UVIAqxJr6apWb1mZJbHTiWGycMgRXrg-hpMEnXYiRoYORqi5T4V1B1uSMGnjCMyn_2IF-bW4FjDxczJbhlnQWWx3G06HFlr/s1600/1-bird+A+Iteravis+B+Gansus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="1047" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhbkEh91zoMqhS0sxdrxJuMTLkTIoYBcFaEn0YYzbYTrO2UVIAqxJr6apWb1mZJbHTiWGycMgRXrg-hpMEnXYiRoYORqi5T4V1B1uSMGnjCMyn_2IF-bW4FjDxczJbhlnQWWx3G06HFlr/s320/1-bird+A+Iteravis+B+Gansus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Earlier, we mentioned the comparison
between </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gansus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Itreavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> fossils and how initially
researchers first thought they were one and the same species. In comparing the
above comparison between one of the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gansus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
fossils and the fossil of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Itreavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
you can see how at first it was misidentified.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSh1D2B0BgbNR0l_fYBRuccWQQp_G5UgjAwMRDCXdTAUc4YddwpuB6LmLswgpBHADUWt28fvqQGrrwxADJwhB4zcpDDY9v8Dc-R53cO1026tLzh_YDyubaiP3zcBtDG9C2oYoeZV9Ipdo/s1600/1-bird+ambiortus+scott+reid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="450" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSh1D2B0BgbNR0l_fYBRuccWQQp_G5UgjAwMRDCXdTAUc4YddwpuB6LmLswgpBHADUWt28fvqQGrrwxADJwhB4zcpDDY9v8Dc-R53cO1026tLzh_YDyubaiP3zcBtDG9C2oYoeZV9Ipdo/s320/1-bird+ambiortus+scott+reid.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Scott Reid <i>Ambiortus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The holotype fossil remains of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ambiortus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> came from the ‘Andaikhudag
Formation’ of central Mongolia, which has strata dated from 136.4 to125 mya.
The fossil is estimated to be ~ 130 million years old, in which also contains
wing impressions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At 40.1cm/15.8in, including the tail, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ambiortus</i> was a smaller ornithuromorph.
Classifying it has been tough as its fossil showed morphological similarities
with enantiornitheans and ornithuromorphs. However, further studies
conclusively put it in as a basal ornithuromorph as it was overall more derived
than earlier forms. Yet, coming from 130 mya strata does push ornithuromorphs
back another 5 million years plus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some ornithuromorph features in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ambiortus</i> are: possessing a rectangular
medially projecting procoracoid, coracoid with a lateral process, U-shaped
furcula, curved scapula, rounded deltopectoral crest and a sternal keel just
reaching the rostral margin of the sternum. It was closely related
morphologically to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apsarvis</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ornithuromorphan family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hongshanornithidae</i> (Hun-shawn-or-nith-ah-day)
had a temporal range of 130.7-120 mya. Hongshanornithids were small ranging in
size from 10.2-11cm/26-28in which includes the tail. The legs were long in
comparison to the body and most likely were shorebirds. All possessed a snout
with teeth mostly in the upper maxilla and lower dentary and still possessed
forelimb claws. As far as relations to other ornithuromorphs, hongshanornithids
were most closely related to the other ornithuromorph family, the songlingornithids.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are five holotypic genera in the
family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hongshanornithidae</i> and they
are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeornithura</i> (Are-kay-ore-nith-ura)
from 130.7 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tianyuornis</i> (Tea-an-you-or-niss)
from 125 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hongshanornis</i> (Hun-shawn-or-niss)
for which the family is named after, from 122 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Longicrusavis</i> (Lawn-guh-crew-say-viss) from 122 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parahongshanornis</i> (Pah-rah-hong-shawn-or-niss)
from 120 mya. All lived during the Early Cretaceous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The fossil remains of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hongshanornis</i> were collected in the
lacustrine deposits of the ‘Yixian Formation’ of Liaoning Province, China. With
a body and tail length of 18cm/7.1in and a wingspan of 32cm/12.6in, it was on
the smaller end in ornithuromorph size. The fossils are detailed in showing miniscule
teeth impressions in the front of the mouth and one small thumb claw on each
wing. Some of the fossils still retain bone tissue and feathering. Even though
the tiny rounded teeth and claws show a persistent remnant of ornithuromorph
dinosaurian ancestry, the reduction in amount and size prove that ancestral
theropodal dinosaurs had radiated out in setting the anatomical plan of birds.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnZFH2XPIDNDfsSNaTQ1DKPJXlB26r93Ce2-C5RK3Hm48ZW0X2o8wHnpK4RhWNJdlMzFhS6hP3fYlVqRGCBK9dOXZQRGi1ahTHpUS0I2YbEqZbBatug0mcHk7wZ81F6i9V-qjTCopZIj2/s1600/1-bird+hongshanornis+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="443" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnZFH2XPIDNDfsSNaTQ1DKPJXlB26r93Ce2-C5RK3Hm48ZW0X2o8wHnpK4RhWNJdlMzFhS6hP3fYlVqRGCBK9dOXZQRGi1ahTHpUS0I2YbEqZbBatug0mcHk7wZ81F6i9V-qjTCopZIj2/s320/1-bird+hongshanornis+jack+wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood <i>Hongshanornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Hongshanornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> flit and flew
about much like small birds do today. Due to the flight anatomical arrangement
of the wings, it could also continuously flap at slow speeds while alternating
and flexing the wings at high speeds. Its tail fanned and was most likely a
shore bird with its long thin legs.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZWcsiQo9JOKF3jr_FI0X5tdNOR2tM_pfcN1nUQBEYgWPMz3gJHhZ6JpAW83_G6VW6MFiHkI_TTEZ5ZVJzOd6kDMqFmroQA5AXfPVMGwg9o1Lupbbg08VrcL-vQJxF4YfL8RSn6Q_tGl2/s1600/1-bird+hongshanornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1291" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZWcsiQo9JOKF3jr_FI0X5tdNOR2tM_pfcN1nUQBEYgWPMz3gJHhZ6JpAW83_G6VW6MFiHkI_TTEZ5ZVJzOd6kDMqFmroQA5AXfPVMGwg9o1Lupbbg08VrcL-vQJxF4YfL8RSn6Q_tGl2/s320/1-bird+hongshanornis+fossil.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hongshanornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hongshanornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
rounded skull lowly constricts into a pointed rostrum (beak-like projection).
In the fossils, ribs are preserved articulating with the sternum. Proximal ends
of the thoracic ribs are robust while the expanded proximal portion abruptly
narrows towards the much thinner shaft. As in most ornithuromorphs, the furcula
is U-shaped.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hongshanornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> most likely had
a generalist diet relying on insects, invertebrates along shores of aquatic
environments, invertebrates living within the shore mud and with the evidence
of gastroliths in one fossil, hints to the fact that it supplemented its diet
with plants.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAnyXSvVzLDkZMz-iVejig4oveQo1-Ua6mvXL2YUSfGyxGBiS9YAUiAUFTwZTSCoFOWiHpVurSk28GAQBYu7ywgQO7cieeuZiVs_5Lpp2vn0zb076Oo3QC96Wt3nWzysyevzh1u0OYO1k/s1600/1-bird+longicrusavis+Stephanie+Abramowicz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="721" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAnyXSvVzLDkZMz-iVejig4oveQo1-Ua6mvXL2YUSfGyxGBiS9YAUiAUFTwZTSCoFOWiHpVurSk28GAQBYu7ywgQO7cieeuZiVs_5Lpp2vn0zb076Oo3QC96Wt3nWzysyevzh1u0OYO1k/s320/1-bird+longicrusavis+Stephanie+Abramowicz.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Stephanie Abramowitz <i>Longicruavis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Longicrusavis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> was ~
14.5cm/5.7in in body length with its fossil remains coming from the ‘Yixian
Formation’ of Liaoning Province, China. Closely related to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hongshanornis</i>, it too had long skinny hind limbs, but unlike <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hongshanornis</i>, its rostrum was more
robust and the skull was triangular in shape as opposed to being rounded. The
nearly complete fossil includes carbonized feathering with visible coloration
around the skull and forelimbs. The snout was long and thin; however it was
evolving into a beak with no teeth or evidence of alveoli (teeth sockets) in
the mandible. It also possessed large eye sockets.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5AokjZStAlh98myAfArHAm5XBzTyjuBtcdZJywjOcCWEGTE0iFB-sQLlXq356J_VLVfaerblU6Yg2wkS7z6u-vH65k-_EnLQmIpIHsD5E-ruJqjq5HaigRigieIAqvkIk-8XVIe2clbH/s1600/1-bird+longicrusavis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="510" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5AokjZStAlh98myAfArHAm5XBzTyjuBtcdZJywjOcCWEGTE0iFB-sQLlXq356J_VLVfaerblU6Yg2wkS7z6u-vH65k-_EnLQmIpIHsD5E-ruJqjq5HaigRigieIAqvkIk-8XVIe2clbH/s320/1-bird+longicrusavis+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Longicrusavis</i> Fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With the hind limbs being substantially very
long in relation to the forelimbs, as in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hongshanornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
suggests that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Longicrusavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
frequented shallow lake shorelines. The name actually highlights this in
meaning, ‘long shin bird’. Teeth were present in the maxilla and premaxilla.
All this would imply that it went after insects frequenting the shorelines and
invertebrates living along shorelines. For improved flight, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Longicrusavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had evolved long fanned
tail feathers.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Songlingornithidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Song-lin-gor-nith-ah-day)
family members had a temporal range of 125-75 mya. Songlingornithids are
characterized by having a pair of medial fenestrae (openings) in the caudal
margin of the sternum. The metatarsals are also fused into a tarsometatarsus (fused
lower leg bone of birds and some non-avian dinosaurs). Also, songlingornithids
possess on the premaxilla at the tips of the lower jaws ossicles (tiny bones)
of unknown functional significance. Most all songlingornithids come from the ‘Jiufotang
Formation’ of Liaoning Province, China with one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yanornis</i> species coming from the ‘Yixian Formation’ and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hollanda</i> coming from Mongolia’s ‘Barun
Goyot Formation’. Only <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hollanda</i> comes
from the Late Cretaceous, the rest come from the Early Cretaceous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are four songlingornithids and
they are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yanornis</i> (Ya-nor-niss) from
124-120 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Songlingornis</i>
(Song-lin-gor-niss) from120 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yixianornis</i>
(Yix-e-an-or-niss) from 120 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hollanda</i>
(Ho-lawn-duh) from 75 mya.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicA6zkScuxD9QGMxogkscfaIR5OBqQeb5HlqiHiXt6js8Uo-_DPLhQeRxwGrOqWltapJHbCj6GJECWQx8x_jliqKOFTyhmckiiNWa4LT46ZJQvnsVYnHdhlGxFTXJCRbDpt59gCAqWZ2IM/s1600/1-bird+yanornis+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="449" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicA6zkScuxD9QGMxogkscfaIR5OBqQeb5HlqiHiXt6js8Uo-_DPLhQeRxwGrOqWltapJHbCj6GJECWQx8x_jliqKOFTyhmckiiNWa4LT46ZJQvnsVYnHdhlGxFTXJCRbDpt59gCAqWZ2IM/s320/1-bird+yanornis+jack+wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood <i>Yanornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Yanornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> was one of the
first songlingornithids to show up 124 mya ago. Its fossils, all found in the ‘Jiufotang
Formation’, show that it lived in a forested section near bodies of water.
Capable of flying, it also spent a lot of time frequenting shorelines on the
ground and was most likely a wader. Rather small, it measured no more than
10cm/3.9in in body length.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJ7_14zWfMhNyEqBkcjsm8V4NRMZyqFBUAs7pjP3MvtZwNUABCySwecNQilCfnbbS-b964vsv24riVhjBIYjlvwOgmPVa-1WNrqlKVUzMagUhT-rL2CRD-vcqno4tUGdmgqEW4YJg34wT/s1600/1-bird+Yanornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1024" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJ7_14zWfMhNyEqBkcjsm8V4NRMZyqFBUAs7pjP3MvtZwNUABCySwecNQilCfnbbS-b964vsv24riVhjBIYjlvwOgmPVa-1WNrqlKVUzMagUhT-rL2CRD-vcqno4tUGdmgqEW4YJg34wT/s320/1-bird+Yanornis+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Yanornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It had at the tip of the snout a
toothless beak where the rest of the snout contained ten teeth in the upper
jaws with twenty in the lowers. Although in the fossils there is an absence of
the prefrontal bone and the skull wasn’t diapsid (common traits of ornithuromorphs),
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yanornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’ scapula (shoulder blade)
and coracoid (paired bones in shoulder assembly) however, had evolved the basic
assemblage as in modern birds; therefore, it was capable of lifting its wings
far above its back for efficient up stroking.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9OJ8XE_ryzh4rK1Bgae-441GhQCQTrQ-OIaZntOV4fUp3d5JsC3ok6NgOKJxTBtz8ylZi0WzYMf9RaeqjAB0wOWb6eIxQyjQi7NJTbmuRMoMACU3TLmWA6CWEa8se7NH3RbMcwuUHP8v/s1600/1-bird+yanornis+fish-crop+digested-stomach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="798" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9OJ8XE_ryzh4rK1Bgae-441GhQCQTrQ-OIaZntOV4fUp3d5JsC3ok6NgOKJxTBtz8ylZi0WzYMf9RaeqjAB0wOWb6eIxQyjQi7NJTbmuRMoMACU3TLmWA6CWEa8se7NH3RbMcwuUHP8v/s320/1-bird+yanornis+fish-crop+digested-stomach.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Yanornis</i> fossil with predigested fish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There was initial debate on what the
diet of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yanornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was. In one fossil
find there was evidence of gastroliths leading some researchers to declare it
an herbivore. But later studies in proving the stones weren’t gastroliths, just
random stones in the intestines that impacted from incidental sand ingestion.
But a more recent finding of another fossil that showed fish remains in the
crop and digested fish in the stomach, conclusively pointed out </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yanornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was a eater of small fish; a
piscivore.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCP5xDO7yNBF4mDRuCG-1M1_AR4ouXO2aWZ3gJHPzmwZrTwrteYH0x4SmHz5Xork8TOiaiOw8Gg5gu2JCDex2DwxNFqqpjH6f0aHcIANcBhUawa6msMQyM3XK4rD-eBx5CKYmb7knLdh1D/s1600/1-bird+hollanda+luis+chiappe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="440" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCP5xDO7yNBF4mDRuCG-1M1_AR4ouXO2aWZ3gJHPzmwZrTwrteYH0x4SmHz5Xork8TOiaiOw8Gg5gu2JCDex2DwxNFqqpjH6f0aHcIANcBhUawa6msMQyM3XK4rD-eBx5CKYmb7knLdh1D/s320/1-bird+hollanda+luis+chiappe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Luis Chiappe <i>Hollanda</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Hollanda</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> was ~ 40cm/15.8in
and with its very long legs and toe configuration would’ve appeared as a
smaller roadrunner that also could run fast; hence it was a ground dweller. The
lithology of the strata <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hollanda</i>’s
fossil came from, portrays an environment that would’ve consisted of sand dunes
stabilized by a covering of vegetation with a continuous water supply that
formed shifting streams and ponds.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This songlingornithid appearing towards
the end of the Late Cretaceous shows that basal/primitive ornithuromorphs, even
though they all went extinct by the end of the Cretaceous, held a long
succession rate due to their evolutionary ability to fill ecological niches
whether it was in the air, water or ground. Through natural selection, they
adapted quickly in the geological record. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hollanda</i>
was a ground dweller and likely spent most of its time near bodies of water in
a semi-arid environment in search of small vertebrates like lizards and
invertebrates like large insects. It would run before it would fly away from
danger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Initially, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hollanda</i> was considered more advanced and placed as a sister group
to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ornithurae</i>, but later studies
proved it was phylogenetically related to the more primitive ornithuromorphs as
a basal songlingornithid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithurae</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> is Greek
meaning ‘bird tail’ and includes the common ancestor to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ichthyornis</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperornis</i>,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Limenavis</i>, all other basal holotypic
ornithurans and of course all modern birds (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neornithes</i>).
The ornithuran temporal range is from 121 mya to the Present. Most all
ornithurans were aquatic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithurans have autapomorphies that are
distinctive features as derived phylogenetic traits originating from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ornithurae</i> common ancestor. The ornithuran
cladogram includes all taxa more closely related to extant birds than to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i> morphologically,
physiologically, phylogenetically and for sure, anatomically. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Most ornithurans had reduced wings that
could not support aerial transit opting to forego flight for an aquatic life.
The wings were used for paddling or held tightly up against the body for diving
to lessen resistance then utilized for maneuvering underwater. All ornithurans
either had lobed or webbed feet for aquatic propulsion in being the first line
of dinosaurs to enter into marine environments. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All the ornithurans’ adaptations to an
aquatic life indicate a long evolutionary history prior to their Late
Cretaceous life. As a monophyletic clade, ornithurans, even though they were
water fowl in both freshwater and marine, they are the closest relatives to all
living birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Late Cretaceous toothed ornithuran
birds, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ichthyornis</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperornis</i> fossils preserve remains
that are essentially indicative of modern bird bone tissue demonstrating the
fact that the unique growth strategy of living birds evolved during the
Cretaceous before <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neornithes</i>.
Furthermore, histological analysis of most basal birds from the Early
Cretaceous (ex: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sapeornis</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jeholornis</i>) and basal ornithuromorphs from
the Late Cretaceous reveal slower forming bone tissue and lines of arrested
growth (LAGs) indicating that the fully modern growth strategy evolved within
the clade <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ornithuromorpha</i>’s early
basal representatives.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw0cpZuAu3YKxLeSqdntMQSGCY4eavV5HjTTkOvM_G5xPhZUaNlElH3q-Htx1QiVD9ZKqCNYk0yuHzNRIvJwJSVyynPjUXQwmEfXCJESgxlMpSz1yV3SCYz-zvbT4TSk_VQkCibkP1iLU/s1600/1-bird+ornithurae+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="110" data-original-width="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw0cpZuAu3YKxLeSqdntMQSGCY4eavV5HjTTkOvM_G5xPhZUaNlElH3q-Htx1QiVD9ZKqCNYk0yuHzNRIvJwJSVyynPjUXQwmEfXCJESgxlMpSz1yV3SCYz-zvbT4TSk_VQkCibkP1iLU/s1600/1-bird+ornithurae+cladogram.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Under </span><b style="font-size: 14pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ornithurae</i></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, currently there
are around twenty plus species, but essentially there’s one basal holotype in, </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Ichthyornis</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> (Ick-the-or-niss) from
93-83.5 mya; </span><b style="font-size: 14pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperornithiformes</i></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> (includes all hesperornithiforms) where there
is one distinct hesperornithiform holotype in </span></span><span style="font-family: "cambria math" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">⇒</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chupkaornis</i> (Choop-kah-or-niss) between
89-85 mya; one subgroup clade in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperornithes</i></b>
(Hess-per-or-nah-theez), which consists of six holotype genera and one family
in </span><span style="font-family: "cambria math" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">⇒</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Enaliornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(E-nal-e-or-niss) from 99.6-93.5 mya;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pasquiaornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(Pas-qwee-a-or-niss) from 93 mya with two species;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Baptornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Bap-tor-niss)
from 83.5-80.5 mya;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Brodavis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Brod-a-vis)
from 80.5-66 mya consisting of four species;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Judinornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(Ju-dee-nor-niss) from 70 mya;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Potamornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(Poe-tah-mor-niss) from 66 mya;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hesperornithidae</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Hess-per-or-nith-ah-day)
from 85-82 mya with five genera </span><span style="font-family: "cambria math" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">⇒<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fumicollis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(Fu-me-col-liss) lived between 86-82 mya;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Parahesperornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(Par-ah-hess-per-or-niss) lived between 85-82 mya;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hesperornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(Hess-per-or-niss) from 82-78 mya;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Asiahesperornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(A-Shah-hess-per-or-niss) from 70 mya:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Canadaga</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(Can-ah-day-gah) from 67 mya. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finally, in rounding out <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ornithurae</i> there is one holotype sister
group, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Limenavis</i> (Lye-men-nay-viss)
to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neornithes</i> (Nee-or-nuh-theez) or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aves</i> (Ah-vez), whichever name you
prefer.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-m981Hfq4VOvog8FgcciYxHCvXW5L7uyQ3Jk699MoXfzAK2VMw2iFIN_aiyn_xZ2t5Osa3xFNptNpPdCIxB-JpdBKBnJu0kzk4n_5HGn797E3eyNhuwnfxV4-Othe9FnKpg-nI311lZt/s1600/1-bird+icthyornis+jack+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1200" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-m981Hfq4VOvog8FgcciYxHCvXW5L7uyQ3Jk699MoXfzAK2VMw2iFIN_aiyn_xZ2t5Osa3xFNptNpPdCIxB-JpdBKBnJu0kzk4n_5HGn797E3eyNhuwnfxV4-Othe9FnKpg-nI311lZt/s320/1-bird+icthyornis+jack+wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jack Wood <i>Ichthyornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The basal ornithuran, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ichthyornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was a seabird with the name
meaning, ‘fish bird’, which didn’t refer to its seafaring ways, but instead, to
its bi-concave fish-shaped vertebrae. Fossil remains have been found in the
chalk beds laid down during the Western Interior Seaway from Alberta and
Saskatchewan, Canada and in the U.S. from Alabama, Kansas, New Mexico and
Texas.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At 24cm/9.4in long and a wingspan of
43cm/17in, it was the ecological equivalent to present day seagulls and
skimmers. This most basal ornithuran is the only ornithuran to have flight
wings. With teeth only in the middle section then back towards the end of the
mouth of the upper and lower jaws, the toothless jaw tips functioned as a bird
beak. This allowed it to bite like a little dinosaur and peck like a bird. Teeth
shape was more flattened than rounded with a broadening base while the tips
lacking any serrations slightly curved backwards.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulgFxD70Jvfr5B-V-QA91ukmwyUrwF8SEcbB6beh-aSdqVQfHTAGPpWXatihZz6XmiYA6Fonj115pyMqQOZ7W8gmeof0HnMuWBeHnt0ea9wAquRa2lw3hQNTUzV7VWLl2-KzbuqNFNL6x/s1600/1-bird+ichthyornis+skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1600" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulgFxD70Jvfr5B-V-QA91ukmwyUrwF8SEcbB6beh-aSdqVQfHTAGPpWXatihZz6XmiYA6Fonj115pyMqQOZ7W8gmeof0HnMuWBeHnt0ea9wAquRa2lw3hQNTUzV7VWLl2-KzbuqNFNL6x/s320/1-bird+ichthyornis+skull.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzfPtwoKflQh9IKIIubck53zAZigPiKNLRprnmCvImcfkDbf1IIm-HadG3bpbIR2HohyqOM4iiFfaN-mRqyYfDBWA51tNf60GGd4mD58Ql-iCLj-_USu5jL8UjUElfqc1x3dtCVipYDqx/s1600/1-bird+ichthyornis+skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="1600" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzfPtwoKflQh9IKIIubck53zAZigPiKNLRprnmCvImcfkDbf1IIm-HadG3bpbIR2HohyqOM4iiFfaN-mRqyYfDBWA51tNf60GGd4mD58Ql-iCLj-_USu5jL8UjUElfqc1x3dtCVipYDqx/s320/1-bird+ichthyornis+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ichthyornis</i> skull & Skeleton<i> </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">For flight muscle attachment, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ichthyornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had an enlarged sternum
(breastbone) indicating very strong and long flight capabilities. The skull per
body size was larger than its dinosaurian ancestry; a trait found in modern
birds with relative larger brain size to accommodate the need for more brain
processing during flight. It still retained more muscular jaws than modern
birds, however less than dinosaurian ancestors did; an in between holdover from
its theropodal lineage. It also on the foot possessed the jointed
tarsometatarsal characteristic of modern birds.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Ta9WTVkLxNzOxZMwM_1vI-g3QTK8UNy_qcRJamrCIwXdhwR8AyzOXUfH2G4_-qu0lkQ6liTozq-ncjVI89m3yIWEWsVBYCdJDQzcYgzAF3x4IfN0A7lFPkERyE19Y3ckw1_iHi9zVrPm/s1600/1-bird+ichthyornis-jaime+chirinos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="900" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Ta9WTVkLxNzOxZMwM_1vI-g3QTK8UNy_qcRJamrCIwXdhwR8AyzOXUfH2G4_-qu0lkQ6liTozq-ncjVI89m3yIWEWsVBYCdJDQzcYgzAF3x4IfN0A7lFPkERyE19Y3ckw1_iHi9zVrPm/s320/1-bird+ichthyornis-jaime+chirinos.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jaime Chirinos <i>Ichthyornis</i> stealing fish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Its diet was primarily fish and most
likely it would take any ample opportunity as a thief in stealing fish captured
by other piscivores as shown above. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ichthyornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
might as well have surveyed the beaches for any stranded small molluscs or dead
fish to scavenge.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5eKOGls8uRMKzTtEY-9x8Bz1h9bhMxYPR6WJQR9GF3FWtsXbjxxNU_1XTOKlIbzzG3v-no1bqIXAT1v-4BkxOtT3S9RFclewWbFFGToZq5YNKpp_nfKiD3IH3mrnjfXeejHPaK4SQN7R/s1600/1-bird+icthyornis+michael+hanson-BA+Bhullar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="860" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5eKOGls8uRMKzTtEY-9x8Bz1h9bhMxYPR6WJQR9GF3FWtsXbjxxNU_1XTOKlIbzzG3v-no1bqIXAT1v-4BkxOtT3S9RFclewWbFFGToZq5YNKpp_nfKiD3IH3mrnjfXeejHPaK4SQN7R/s320/1-bird+icthyornis+michael+hanson-BA+Bhullar.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artists: Mike Hanso, BA Bhullar <i>Ichthyornis</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The hesperornithiform, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Chupkaornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is one of the rarer Asian
ornithurans with the fossil remains coming from the marine and sedimentary
strata of the ‘Kashima Formation’ in the ‘Yezo Group’ near Hokkaido, Japan.
Therefore, it dwelled in shallow coastal waters and is phylogenetically an
ancestral sister clade to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Brodavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sL09ZVejRf-e02qed3cNU3vpIKWMa8oZoI_jXsCvWzV2YmJ6A102jHov1j0lc41OfEyGayeV1R0bUv7SJqBkz5iQcgDSFQbcRSEeRD_qCI4Dyh7wzD-Yxb9arKlhTA9oP-9lPupqfwYz/s1600/1-bird+Chupkaornis+MasatoHattori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1500" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sL09ZVejRf-e02qed3cNU3vpIKWMa8oZoI_jXsCvWzV2YmJ6A102jHov1j0lc41OfEyGayeV1R0bUv7SJqBkz5iQcgDSFQbcRSEeRD_qCI4Dyh7wzD-Yxb9arKlhTA9oP-9lPupqfwYz/s320/1-bird+Chupkaornis+MasatoHattori.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Masato Hattori <i>Chupkaornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Around the size of a duck ~ 58.4cm/23in,
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Chupkaornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was adapted to diving in
ocean coastal waters. To assist its evolutionary leap from flying to diving,
the wings were reduced to flippers, the hind limbs developed lobed feet
interlaced with thin webbing, with the surface of the first digit of the fourth
toe showing a distal articulation and the pelvis was morphologically modified
with a dorsally directed antitrochanter (articular surface on the ilium of
birds). All these features gave limbs geared for aquatic foot propulsion.
Although there is no evidence of what it ate, but stochastic processes allude
to the fact it was fish and small marine invertebrates.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hesperonithes</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was a highly
specialized clade of aquatic hesperornithiforms that inhabited marine and
freshwater environments. They were so specialized that the hind limbs developed
for propulsion through liquid mediums would have been useless for walking on
land and most likely were used only for shoving the body ventrally while on
terrestrial environments. Even the hip and knee joints were shaped such that hesperornitheans
could not move them dorsoventrally. The bones were dense making the animal less
buoyant for diving purposes. Morphologically, hesperornitheans had similarities
closest to modern day diving ducks and grebes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The snouts were long and narrow, further
narrowing towards the tip which was tipped with a slightly hooked beak. Inside
the mouth the jaws were lined with small sharp teeth set in a longitudinal
groove unique only to hesperornitheans. The beak tip was toothless. All
hesperornitheans come from the Late Cretaceous and diverged from their and
birds common ancestor during the Early Cretaceous.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16LYmyTynveG9YCDcmdWtgJ1f9N9qte_5FIBghBiK-cVY96_3fpBSREy7MXYwF84QjZMNQ3gShrRDk2WZ8aznsKje9DgermPI3G6Iy2tMqbxiONDnsSwGiHglXW-zRTjaptYIOIRniKy2/s1600/1-bird+Enaliornis_NT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16LYmyTynveG9YCDcmdWtgJ1f9N9qte_5FIBghBiK-cVY96_3fpBSREy7MXYwF84QjZMNQ3gShrRDk2WZ8aznsKje9DgermPI3G6Iy2tMqbxiONDnsSwGiHglXW-zRTjaptYIOIRniKy2/s320/1-bird+Enaliornis_NT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Enaliornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Enaliornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is a hesperonithean
while representing the most primitive taxon of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperinithiformes</i>. Due to this, it is currently the oldest known
diving bird. There are three species that occurred between 99.6-93.5 mya just
into the beginning of the Late Cretaceous. From near present day Cambridge,
England, the fossils come from the former lake beds of the ‘Cambridge Greensand
Formation’ composed of marled shales and sandstones. The species are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E.</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">barrette</i>,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E.</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sedgwicki</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E.</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">seeleyi</i>. In size, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Enaliornis</i> was ~ 54.9cm/21.6in and was more like its earlier smaller
sized ornithuran relatives than its larger later hesperonitheans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is no evidence of a toothed snout
and the wings with a length from shoulder to the distal end of the body, shows
signs of the beginnings of atrophying in displaying vestigial evolvement toward
diving purposes as opposed to flying. The toes, although not webbed were
heavily lobed as the shapes of the distal tarsometatarsal trochlea (an
anatomical structure acting as a pulley) present.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kcxNp1WjGAoGmJt2_u_EqCXta92U87Bxr33WcuwtLnwUcWyNOR6mnDFslMMnI2a5YVJK0TRLv88grg1B3sPrAO1YE-KS4ElGShMSZX69cV7T3z0HHK9_mP7lUvcn2T5OrmpaZVKqwxkx/s1600/1-bird+enaliornis+braincase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kcxNp1WjGAoGmJt2_u_EqCXta92U87Bxr33WcuwtLnwUcWyNOR6mnDFslMMnI2a5YVJK0TRLv88grg1B3sPrAO1YE-KS4ElGShMSZX69cV7T3z0HHK9_mP7lUvcn2T5OrmpaZVKqwxkx/s320/1-bird+enaliornis+braincase.jpg" width="163" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Enaliornis</i> Braincase air pockets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">What appears as interesting is the
extensive pneumaticity (air spaces within bone) of the skull. The rostral margin
of the ventral lamina (bone plates forming a vertebra’s wall surface) of the
cranial base is bent due to the resistance of the basisphenoid’s (cranial base)
edge. The fossa (shallow depressions in bone) appears formed by the squeezing
of the ventral lamina of the base against the dorsal lamina.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqTLbMQfvCSTlgdOZP2AAzuGrTOZX4-kYKamJ6Y1wXjFkdArfLuQjg-I0agL30yAyrceMgTK-TnyMNVDB3ho38IQHkXhtnifR202MH13Bfe1OacuCmBNx1ItbtmkrsXM3cB09U5E7ZVNX/s1600/1-bird+baptornis++based+Gunnar+Bj%25C3%25B6rkman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="441" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqTLbMQfvCSTlgdOZP2AAzuGrTOZX4-kYKamJ6Y1wXjFkdArfLuQjg-I0agL30yAyrceMgTK-TnyMNVDB3ho38IQHkXhtnifR202MH13Bfe1OacuCmBNx1ItbtmkrsXM3cB09U5E7ZVNX/s320/1-bird+baptornis++based+Gunnar+Bj%25C3%25B6rkman.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Gunar Björkman <i>Baptornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Baptornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, which has only
been found in the Niobrara chalk stratum of Kansas, was similar to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperornis</i>, but it was a much smaller
bird overall with a length ~ 70-90cm/27.6-35.4in and perhaps slightly less well
adapted to an aquatic existence. The wings were somewhat larger and the legs
and feet slightly less modified for swimming than in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperornis</i>. A coprolith (fossilized excrement) most likely derived
from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baptornis</i> as it was associated
with its fossil, contains remains of a small fish species of the teleost genus,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Enchodus</i> that was common in the
Niobrara Sea. This, along with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baptornis</i>
fossil remains having only been found in formations of former sea sediment,
supports the view that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baptornis</i> was
a marine piscivore.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mNEq0ZeAAUkNHs_nva2BNNeaGjL3WmajpZc_wQgiSmGLGzWSRXPBDx8g_0FuZnsfZQhdR2ooFegaRBYMnn-bXtRBhUJIH-hvNUbdukazHdUd2fio3LVyg8tOHnraX_teMC-ms-u7jsFP/s1600/1-bird+seaways+100+mya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="728" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mNEq0ZeAAUkNHs_nva2BNNeaGjL3WmajpZc_wQgiSmGLGzWSRXPBDx8g_0FuZnsfZQhdR2ooFegaRBYMnn-bXtRBhUJIH-hvNUbdukazHdUd2fio3LVyg8tOHnraX_teMC-ms-u7jsFP/s320/1-bird+seaways+100+mya.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Baptornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> existed during
the rise in ocean waters creating North America’s large inland sea, the ‘Western
Interior Seaway’ that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico through the Midwestern
U.S. and Canada ending in the Arctic Ocean. Existing from the mid-Cretaceous to
the earliest of the Paleocene, this interior seaway was home to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baptornis</i>. With fossil remains found in
Sweden where the former, ‘Turgay Strait’ (also known as the, ‘Turgai Sea’) once
met the ancient North Sea, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baptornis</i>
also occurred there. In fact it may have swam and dove the entire Holarctic.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsxRKlJ5ir-7AA4ffYKYxHyr5lh-a8Ip2oknG4yQt-nDXDGIXB7hrvGeOv_hRMGIohECGO7fmXQDGVYpmXF8tDQA3LpSfYOldCJoZ7wpb_IQwTHcGIbdnTL2U_ucOOmx0PCbgbVDP1JTi/s1600/1-bird+baptornis+skeletal_Martin%2526Tate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1600" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsxRKlJ5ir-7AA4ffYKYxHyr5lh-a8Ip2oknG4yQt-nDXDGIXB7hrvGeOv_hRMGIohECGO7fmXQDGVYpmXF8tDQA3LpSfYOldCJoZ7wpb_IQwTHcGIbdnTL2U_ucOOmx0PCbgbVDP1JTi/s320/1-bird+baptornis+skeletal_Martin%2526Tate.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Baptornis</i> skeletal Martin & Tate et al</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Physically, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Baptornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was shaped much like a plesiosaur with a long neck and streamlined
short body. Although the wings carried all the flight bones, they were greatly
reduced in size becoming vestigial and unable to support flight. With the hind
limbs naturally positioned under the body and not firmly along the sides of its
body, the feet could’ve pointed forwards to manage small hops or waddle on dry
land. Unfortunately there have been no remains of the beak in the fossil
discoveries, but as in other hesperonitheans most likely possessed teeth to
grasp its slippery and pelagic prey. Known as pachyostosis, its bones were thickened
to lessen buoyancy for more efficient diving.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Baptornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> consists of
numerous adults and juveniles. They have been found along ancient coastal
shorelines and deep out into ancient sea sediment. This suggests that this
basal hesperornithean was migratory or at least frequented northern islands to
breed as that is where most of the juvenile fossils come from.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzVwZVwiHty8k-YpXctu6YJsVs6O_6aqQe4MMHH3jaVM8s3OPPbKfvAeXLTxUcUNSQrqiExTzZlMF4LWiMQUbK7kGGGK9WqHaQN8bCxLKP2ARojf8T9Pi0Niu-WbJPuEGiX9HiFKLNY98/s1600/1-bird+brodavis+matthew+martyniuk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzVwZVwiHty8k-YpXctu6YJsVs6O_6aqQe4MMHH3jaVM8s3OPPbKfvAeXLTxUcUNSQrqiExTzZlMF4LWiMQUbK7kGGGK9WqHaQN8bCxLKP2ARojf8T9Pi0Niu-WbJPuEGiX9HiFKLNY98/s320/1-bird+brodavis+matthew+martyniuk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Matthew Martyniuk <i>Brodavis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Brodavis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> fossil remains
have been found in North America and Asia from the ‘Frenchman Formation’ of
Canada, the ‘Hellcreek Formation’ and ‘Sharon Springs Formation’ of S. Dakota
USA and the ‘Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. There are four species in: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">B</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">americanus</i>,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">B</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">baileyi</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">B</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mogoliensis</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">B</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">varneri</i>. With the
fossils discovered in lakebed sediment it is the only hesperornithiform that
lived in freshwater ecosystems. This genus averaged ~ 82.3cm/32.4in in length.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although there is very little evidence
of pachyostosis (bone thickening) to negate buoyancy, anatomical features still
point to a diving existence along with lobed feet. With thinner bones than its
hesperornithean relatives and wing bones that had not yet begin to radically reduce
in size as nowhere near a vestigial stage, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brodavis</i>
most likely was volant (could fly). All these examples add up to the fact that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brodavis</i> could have lighter bones in
freshwater environments because freshwater is less buoyant than seawater and
with lakes as much smaller bodies of water than seas, it could also frequent
other lakes through flight to satisfy its piscivorous diet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All members in the family, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperornthidae</i></b>
evolved for a specialized aquatic life along coastal sea shores as well as into
deeper offshores. The hind limbs were adapted to propel through aquatic
environments, while the wings had become vestigial being incapable of flight.
On land however, the hind limbs are attached to the sides of the ilium and
would be useless for walking, so at best hesperornithids scooted across solid
terrain on their bellies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Most hesperornithid species come from N.
America, but there have also been recent discoveries in Sweden and Kazakhstan
where the ‘Turgay Strait’ once was and a very recent 2018 Saratov Province,
Russia find of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">H</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rossicus</i> from the sandstone of the ‘Campanian
Rybushka Formation’.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNSynebwf9hG8UN2-SIM_9cgblWvCREtK2NHWVI513amXTb2q0jeXtYD7frS6DamrtZMGQwaV51Yz2iUD3V2Y0NPR2HNiAFOCf0NyqZW77FZjPw3c6bXtcJUb9ZddW1aY8Vo1W8JGMdvZ/s1600/1-bird+turgai-turgay+strait+azolla+fndtn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="455" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNSynebwf9hG8UN2-SIM_9cgblWvCREtK2NHWVI513amXTb2q0jeXtYD7frS6DamrtZMGQwaV51Yz2iUD3V2Y0NPR2HNiAFOCf0NyqZW77FZjPw3c6bXtcJUb9ZddW1aY8Vo1W8JGMdvZ/s320/1-bird+turgai-turgay+strait+azolla+fndtn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Turgay Strait</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There are five genera of hesperornithids
and they are: </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Fumicollis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> a holotype
from the ‘Niobrara Chalk’ of Kansas; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Parahesperornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
from the upper ‘Niobrara Chalk’ of Kansas; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hesperornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
from the U.S. and Canada’s original provenance of the ‘Interior Western Seaway’,
Sweden and Russia’s ‘Campanian’ bedrock; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Asiahesperornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
from Kazakhstan’s ‘Turgay Strait’s sedimentary bedrock and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Canadaga</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> from Canada’s Bylot and Devon Islands.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaW6vZGyppSYzPmvoj3x4UdWY-Zjyo9YJ_uzqjnvrOO1a7VVJM237WFGGEfpC8fGnh7K7g12kop3ViVcJuQaB9EYqY16x4n7i0D3jSGYkeLIAzAFq2TbPdTy3RZTd2LsH3WLgA-0IUEpFy/s1600/1-bird+hesperornis-jaime+chirinos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="900" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaW6vZGyppSYzPmvoj3x4UdWY-Zjyo9YJ_uzqjnvrOO1a7VVJM237WFGGEfpC8fGnh7K7g12kop3ViVcJuQaB9EYqY16x4n7i0D3jSGYkeLIAzAFq2TbPdTy3RZTd2LsH3WLgA-0IUEpFy/s320/1-bird+hesperornis-jaime+chirinos.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jaime Chirinos <i>Hesperornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Currently discovered, there are around
eleven </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hesperornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> species and they
are: </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">H</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">altus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">H</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">bairdi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">H</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Chowi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">H</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">crassipes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">H</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">gracilis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">H</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">lumgairi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">H</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">macdonaldi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">H</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">mengeli</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">H</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">montana</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">H. regalis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">H</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">rossicus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hesperornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> species were
rather large averaging ~ 1.8m/5.9ft in length. Although they possessed a
keratinized beak, except for the premaxilla being edentulous (toothless) the
mouth was rowed with small sharp conical teeth. The beak was used in snatching,
while the teeth were utilized in grasping slippery marine prey. The beak had
small pits in the upper palate that allowed teeth from the lower jaws to lock
into the pits preventing the beak from opening disavowing any thrashing prey to
escape.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZevNfuJ-eTGp5KSzM1-PXQ1GiPILewAeM4u91mdbTfGUAjpaKeTbjP3IOApsiw-gG-ybOxu1OcVuxq1uQnVjDwrRHicKEdPblP6S1SeVXdonGPpxJS9yVy_egaZtrSKebqp9r4NeWWGL/s1600/1-bird+h+regalis+john+conway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="461" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZevNfuJ-eTGp5KSzM1-PXQ1GiPILewAeM4u91mdbTfGUAjpaKeTbjP3IOApsiw-gG-ybOxu1OcVuxq1uQnVjDwrRHicKEdPblP6S1SeVXdonGPpxJS9yVy_egaZtrSKebqp9r4NeWWGL/s320/1-bird+h+regalis+john+conway.jpg" width="274" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: John Conway <i>H</i>. <i>regalis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With the hind limbs, the femur and tibia
of the leg were encased within the body cavity with only the ankle on down to
the foot exposed. This made the heavily lobed feet stick out sideways
perpendicular to the body. This arrangement was excellent for propelling
through a liquid medium, but too clumsy and awkward for walking on land.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTr0HHhQHdKRib4ZPYQfBzaYw18PCvcb8cBrTIzGUrqG3clypiJW7gIKX4ut1iSMVYJX9LCaNOJ5WOovFSKkR2ZKEsnkfnPtvFHHq-nPZoxT_I9C4TbsPZ5NVz287XxQTqyMyU5J5ZJshe/s1600/1-bird+hesperornis+snatch-caught.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="1233" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTr0HHhQHdKRib4ZPYQfBzaYw18PCvcb8cBrTIzGUrqG3clypiJW7gIKX4ut1iSMVYJX9LCaNOJ5WOovFSKkR2ZKEsnkfnPtvFHHq-nPZoxT_I9C4TbsPZ5NVz287XxQTqyMyU5J5ZJshe/s320/1-bird+hesperornis+snatch-caught.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artists: Julio Lacerda & Henry Sharpe <i>Hesperornis</i> as thief & prey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The vestigial wings would have been only
useful for steering or acting as a rudder while swimming and diving. The
sternum had no keel that is present in birds of flight. The skeletal anatomy
was solid throughout to counter buoyancy during diving. The neck of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hesperornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was long and flexible
enabling greater ease in capturing darting fish. The lower jaws were not fused
as they were united by cartilage for greater flexibility. The forelimbs
would’ve been completely covered in skin and feathers.</span><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hesperornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was a true
piscivore predator, but no doubt was an opportunist in scavenging washed up
dead fish and even torment other animals in stealing their fish prey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It appears at times however that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperornis</i> was itself on the menu. Discovered
in the ‘Pierre Shale Formation’ of South Dakota, among other predigested
animals, the partially digested remains of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperonis</i>
was found in the gut cavity of a large <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tylosaurus
proriger</i> fossil.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3ONoARD6E2jWO-7FiTGcW0RlA8Safw6p63bXcTJnZYTKeNKEdLmIsfk_5v1_HJx3eblYccq2nEr_PQrB9zcmOurbF0bSVq6ZYAlazzjJHGffi5keQQ6JAaEuXvQnrSiExYIYWgsfldl9/s1600/1-bird+hesperornis+skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="643" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3ONoARD6E2jWO-7FiTGcW0RlA8Safw6p63bXcTJnZYTKeNKEdLmIsfk_5v1_HJx3eblYccq2nEr_PQrB9zcmOurbF0bSVq6ZYAlazzjJHGffi5keQQ6JAaEuXvQnrSiExYIYWgsfldl9/s320/1-bird+hesperornis+skull.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzd0a_I9usHdtq3UbHDpyZqw-l7GcTtk0nHQveC9cIT8_uXpiJAJ1z6Qa5NtIPs3-yr3Ow2w8i3vtIrL8ZefzXvEpcD8DbtRfEYyZc80wc3jJhcVfjR9ZjoVK8RlxN00otqodspKIZr5T/s1600/1-bird+hesperornis+skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="1047" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzd0a_I9usHdtq3UbHDpyZqw-l7GcTtk0nHQveC9cIT8_uXpiJAJ1z6Qa5NtIPs3-yr3Ow2w8i3vtIrL8ZefzXvEpcD8DbtRfEYyZc80wc3jJhcVfjR9ZjoVK8RlxN00otqodspKIZr5T/s320/1-bird+hesperornis+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hesperornis</i> fossils</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Hesperornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">’ northern
realms today would be considered cold waters, but during the Late Cretaceous
the waters were subtropical to tropical waters. Even though it is considered to
have lived in marine waters, fossils of the youngest specimens were found in
the ‘Foremost Formation’ an inland freshwater stratification. As well, the one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">H</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">altus</i>
fossil was found in freshwater deposits at the base of the ‘Judith River
Formation’ in present day Montana. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperornis</i>
genus countered its avialan ancestry that was trending in smaller sizes to
accommodate flight. In foregoing flight for an aquatic lifestyle, later
hesperornithids began increasing body size and one of the last hesperornithid
species to appear was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canadaga</i> was
the largest one of all in the lineage to modern birds. From 1.5m/4.9ft to a
whopping 2.5m/8.2ft, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canadaga</i> played
second fiddle in size to no other. Almost half that size was the neck.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwfSLGEcPy2BoP7bWRs7h_To51yvFF8d9NEcNEReqz8PCwMIN7bSc5_HfI8woXJK-acGo8raSvPe37eS39dMOglW9yuU65UvD0Ko2CZ1kksNM3q2e6g5mydx8jRKY7xczSdKQzlQflvWx/s1600/1-bird+canadaga+can+mus+nature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="700" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwfSLGEcPy2BoP7bWRs7h_To51yvFF8d9NEcNEReqz8PCwMIN7bSc5_HfI8woXJK-acGo8raSvPe37eS39dMOglW9yuU65UvD0Ko2CZ1kksNM3q2e6g5mydx8jRKY7xczSdKQzlQflvWx/s320/1-bird+canadaga+can+mus+nature.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Canadian Museum of Nature <i>Canadaga</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Canadaga</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> lived in the
shallow seas of the Arctic and even though these waters were much warmer then,
it still got cold during the winter. At present, this is the only Cretaceous
bird found in Arctic sediments.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrojWGSh48j3yMCEK8cP9xAUU4uaZDhi3rkhmk5a9Sx3_ezDsDQCkfyV4nTVvok7yanNlb8Jku2JJ23zGH0n5yB171AcKKD1EvpAeZBIqF-etMYUhijoygq8hsSYUYTGvAOvG-dhmfsq_F/s1600/1-bird+canadaga+A+vntrl+B+dorsal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="379" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrojWGSh48j3yMCEK8cP9xAUU4uaZDhi3rkhmk5a9Sx3_ezDsDQCkfyV4nTVvok7yanNlb8Jku2JJ23zGH0n5yB171AcKKD1EvpAeZBIqF-etMYUhijoygq8hsSYUYTGvAOvG-dhmfsq_F/s320/1-bird+canadaga+A+vntrl+B+dorsal.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Canadaga</i> vertebrae A)Ventral B) Dorsal</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The solid central part of a vertebra
where arches and processes are attached is known as the centrum. With the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Canadaga</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> vertebrae fossils’ centrum
having lengths between 25.45mm/1.0in to 26.65mm/1.1in makes for a big bird. The
distinction from other hesperornithids is in each cervical vertebra’s
transverse process (a vertebral lateral bony projection) possessing a cavity at
the base. The femur is slightly arched craniocaudally (from the cranial to the
caudal end), a feature unique to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Canadaga</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
Also in the leg, the patellar (kneecap) sulcus (angled narrow grove) was
distinctively pocketed.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Before venturing into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neornithes</i>, the last ornithuran we’ll
discuss is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Limenavis</i> (Li-men-nay-vis)
in which the 70 mya fossil comes from the ‘Allen Formation’ at Salitral Moreno,
Argentina. The fossil has been difficult to classify. The remains, definitely of
a bird, were originally put down as a basal ornithuran. However, later analyses
found it to be much more advanced than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ichthyornis</i>
and classified it as a carinate bird (birds possessing a keel or ‘carina’).
Thus, as one of the first true birds, scientists gave it the name, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Limenavis</i> in meaning, ‘threshold bird’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Based on the results of the phylogenetic
analysis and identification of autapomorphies, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Limenavis</i> is now considered to be the closest species to the common
ancestor of the crown clade, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neornithes</i>
of all living birds. Some paleontologists are even suggesting its anatomical
features may put it as a direct common ancestor linked to paleognathes.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1tUH3L4_rlK9VlU1s1Z3BN08Xl_MUmRcoWGza0pgjnlLh7XGIvbeDHM4B92WZZ6eLrfMXCEGnCq8ceoxzk1T6m0qyQeQ6-TGPnXs-0897SMfkdcWhnYpm1DgqlQgCWAUe7qoNdsOAp1D/s1600/1-bird+limenavis_+quilmesaurus+alexander+lovegrove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1024" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1tUH3L4_rlK9VlU1s1Z3BN08Xl_MUmRcoWGza0pgjnlLh7XGIvbeDHM4B92WZZ6eLrfMXCEGnCq8ceoxzk1T6m0qyQeQ6-TGPnXs-0897SMfkdcWhnYpm1DgqlQgCWAUe7qoNdsOAp1D/s320/1-bird+limenavis_+quilmesaurus+alexander+lovegrove.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Alexander Lovegrove <i>Limenavis</i> being flushed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Its distinctive wing bone features, such
as the truncate contact of the ulna’s dorsal trochlear surface with the ulnar
shaft and the loss of a tubercle adjacent to the tendinous groove on the distal
ulna are also found in extant birds. Inhabiting forests along the Atlantic
shorelines of Patagonia, it flew about with its wingspan of ~ 43cm/17in
wingspan in search of insects, while also in the process of avoiding its much larger
dinosaur cousins. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Limenavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> itself
was around 43cm/17.4in long.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Neornithes</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">/<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aves</i></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIjA610f-LKNMhyphenhyphenkySObMIjigpW8h2E6pbDqpO56vYx4hlmMVwyxGLtjYs2psBHk8leqUM_jnVEnlBmSWi9NywnqyObgcw7z55r6f8rhe-ybc6LA4SUs-gU40M0cbak9X4v6ELUUbelNh/s1600/1-birds+modernB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="712" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIjA610f-LKNMhyphenhyphenkySObMIjigpW8h2E6pbDqpO56vYx4hlmMVwyxGLtjYs2psBHk8leqUM_jnVEnlBmSWi9NywnqyObgcw7z55r6f8rhe-ybc6LA4SUs-gU40M0cbak9X4v6ELUUbelNh/s320/1-birds+modernB.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neornithean Cladogram Top: Paleognaths Bttm: Neognaths</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Neornitheans are the most recent common
ancestors to modern birds including all their descendants extinct and extant. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Neornithes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is divided into the two
superorders: </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Palaeognathae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Pay-lee-og-nuh-thee)
consists of the flightless ratites and the tinamous and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Neonagthae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Nee-og-nuh-thee) consists of all other extinct and
extant flying birds. The ratites include birds like the ostrich, emu,
cassowary, rheas, kiwi, the extinct moa, elephant bird and the extant family, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tinamidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Tin-ah-me-dee). Tinamous are
capable of flight (albeit poor fliers), but are more closely related to
ratites, especially in possessing the more primitive reptilian palate in the
upper mouth as the ratites have.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9zpDQtGkYNBxAHAnfb1w02KjWq_U8enAAu30UdT5i8RecSoL7LMPRpQIl8Q6Xu-XsTOQMjtJfxlicvyw3juZ9qesoxVJU0F37f2l25lDVsc85BpU4G61l1LUSL7mbLUGEaH6Tid_k7Of/s1600/1-bird+chicxulub+Franco+Tempesta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="1200" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9zpDQtGkYNBxAHAnfb1w02KjWq_U8enAAu30UdT5i8RecSoL7LMPRpQIl8Q6Xu-XsTOQMjtJfxlicvyw3juZ9qesoxVJU0F37f2l25lDVsc85BpU4G61l1LUSL7mbLUGEaH6Tid_k7Of/s320/1-bird+chicxulub+Franco+Tempesta.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Franco Tempesta Chicxulub Imoact </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">65 mya, Earth was struck by an iridium
enriched asteroid/meteorite and along with profuse volcanic activity on the
Indian subcontinent in the building of the Himalayas, the events created
wholesale catastrophe for established life. The impact also caused coastal/inland
damaging tsunamis as evidenced by megatsunami deposits and sediment around and
beyond the 161km/100mi Chicxulub crater of the Yucatan Peninsula. This
Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction was another devastating occurrence to
life on Earth with 95% of all established marine life vanishing and 70% of all
terrestrial life… gone. This includes fauna as well as flora. It ended the
reign of all non-avian dinosaurs. The only dinosaurs to escape its wrath were
neornitheans.</span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="520" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dcp0JhwNgmE" width="924"></iframe>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1c9Pfo9zUX9iVRh6Msu9-kF6PYQI_UAhHVFihqrRiFYOy15Sd6nm9VUukz86MkxUzraPLqr9tycely3lBugtPxtGW-csx8Adz8Mh6hYoEvYIVvhu-vq5yd5UdVcsrLLjWa26xDRaJz9g/s1600/1-bird+cenozoic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="439" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1c9Pfo9zUX9iVRh6Msu9-kF6PYQI_UAhHVFihqrRiFYOy15Sd6nm9VUukz86MkxUzraPLqr9tycely3lBugtPxtGW-csx8Adz8Mh6hYoEvYIVvhu-vq5yd5UdVcsrLLjWa26xDRaJz9g/s320/1-bird+cenozoic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cenozoic Era</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Cenozoic Era, known as ‘new life</span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">’, came
after the extinction boundary. It’s divided into three periods as earliest, the
Paleogene, then Neogene and Quaternary and lasted just after the asteroid
impact boundary 65 mya down to the present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even though the K-Pg impact had an effect on global climate along with
continental drift playing its part, overall the planet was a continuation of
the Mesozoic with tropical to semitropical environments only to begin cooling
in the Neogene with resultant ice ages.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">No tetrapod weighing over 25kg/55lbs survived
beyond the extinction boundary. With bird lineages decreasing in length, this
smallness is what most likely aided birds in their survival beyond the
extinction boundary.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Able to hide in
small burrows, tree holes or shelter in what marsh and wetland environments
offered, gave small neornitheans a concealed advantage to extreme exposure
limits. Within 10,000 years, neornithean survivors soon after the extinction, dispersed
and radiated out filling ecological niches left vacant by those species that went
extinct.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Along with birds, 50% of crocodyliforms 80%
of Cretaceous turtles, the order <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Squamata</i>
(lizards and snakes), freshwater tetrapods such as amphibians and all the small
mammalian lineages except the Asian forms survived through the K-Pg extinction
event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Palaeognathae</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Palaeognaths,
meaning ‘old jaws’, as just mentioned above is due to the fact that they share
a primitive bony palate (mouth roof). Their temporal range is from ~ 100mya at
the beginning of the Late Cretaceous to the Holocene of the present. The palate
is defined with five unique distinctions and they are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo7; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
large vomer articulates with the premaxillae and the maxillopalatines
anteriorly, while the vomer fuses to the ventral surface of the pterygoid with the
palatines fusing to the ventral surface of this wholly pterygovomer
articulation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo7; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
palatine is also fused into a rigid joint with the pterygoid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo7; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
fusion with the pterygoid prevents the palatine from articulating medially with
the basisphenoid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo7; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Articulation
on the pterygoid for the basipterygoid process of the basicranium is diverted
to the articulation between the pterygoid and quadrate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo7; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
pterygoid/quadrate articulation includes the quadrate’s orbital process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Palaeognaths also share a similar pelvis
anatomy and patterned grooves in the keratinous covering of the beak. For most
palaeognaths, the male is the one who incubates the eggs laid down by the
female in the nest he arranged. More than one female may lay eggs only in one
male’s nest and she may have been fertilized by another male. Only in ostrich
species and one species in the genus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apteryx</i>
(App-ter-rix), the great spotted kiwi does the female assist the male in
incubation. Most palaeognaths have lost their keel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Except for kiwis’ exceptional brain/body
ratios, paleognathes have very small brains compared to body size. Palaeognaths
are known for their large sizes with the extant ostrich reaching 2.7m/9ft in
length and emus up to 2.3m/7.5ft. But kiwis’ range of sizes is only
36-56cm/14-22in, while the dwarf tinamou is only 15cm/6in in total length. When
it comes to mobility, the larger palaeognaths use speed with ostriches capable
of reaching 60kph/35mph while the extinct bush moa, with a walking speed of 3-5kph/1.75–3mph,
could sprint up to 69kph/43.9mph.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There have as yet been no Cretaceous palaeognath
fossil finds, but we do know that the extant five species of kiwis (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apteryx</i> of New Zealand), the three
species of cassowaries (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Casuarius</i> of
northeastern Australia and New Guinea), the emu (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaius</i> of Australia), the two species of rheas (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pterocnemia</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rhea</i> of South America) and the ostrich (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Struthio</i> of Africa) are all closely related.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRHI4-F0vkP1vKd6jCKY_EbhTAX54wSf18Rp-kmq-hulkS2rVL_tV9eWeX3ZRDaCJ4-39P1QiOFQpjdfiX5RUEo2uA3JyWl2QiypLI_lSO6BXJXsgot5scr0N_bAO9uT2HYq92DyAieLG/s1600/1-continental-drift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="575" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRHI4-F0vkP1vKd6jCKY_EbhTAX54wSf18Rp-kmq-hulkS2rVL_tV9eWeX3ZRDaCJ4-39P1QiOFQpjdfiX5RUEo2uA3JyWl2QiypLI_lSO6BXJXsgot5scr0N_bAO9uT2HYq92DyAieLG/s320/1-continental-drift.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Continental Drift</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The super continent of Pangea began to
split 200 mya during the beginning of the Jurassic into Gondwana and Laurasia. Gondwana
gave rise to palaeognath species. 150 mya, at the ending of the Jurassic, Gondwana
begins splitting into what would become the continents of Africa, South
America, India, Antarctica, and Australia. This splitting dispersed palaeognath
species and cut off from their ancient origins began to evolve from
environmental isolation. By 140 mya in the Early Cretaceous, Madagascar along
with India had split from Antarctica. Madagascar got locked in onto the African
continental plate. By 80 mya in the Late Cretaceous, New Zealand had split and
drifted from Australia.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5HVdiZGr3UCLI4H3dUors7hMaCwlG84ph2bsEAcDIIfrV2AYOkGHNHncqPlAZ070MDoH0T0Qog-zAO4WlPC44KbRJZcQy_nXfMs8DPbaakvO_AuS3XV2krvKGbJEUr3bNLZ3hVrBfqqb/s1600/1-bird+Gondwana+griem+2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5HVdiZGr3UCLI4H3dUors7hMaCwlG84ph2bsEAcDIIfrV2AYOkGHNHncqPlAZ070MDoH0T0Qog-zAO4WlPC44KbRJZcQy_nXfMs8DPbaakvO_AuS3XV2krvKGbJEUr3bNLZ3hVrBfqqb/s320/1-bird+Gondwana+griem+2007.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gondwana breakup Griem 2007</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Even though there have been no
Cretaceous palaeognath fossils yet discovered, with the rifting and breakup
creating isolated continents out of Gondwana, it is fair to say that the close
palaeognath relationships on each of the segmented continents arose from a
common ancestor when these landmasses were one whole landmass conjoined as
Gondwana.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, there is also a controversial
analysis that has become the prevailing thought due to its undeniable bare
knuckle molecular genetic results. Due to recovered nuclear genome fragments
from extinct elephant birds, identified homoplasies (singular: homoplasy ~ independently
a gained or lost trait) in morphological traits of palaeognaths and reconstructed
morphology based phylogenies, including fossil species evaluations provided
stable divergence time estimates enabling a valid argument regarding
correlation with geological events. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, a few researchers have proposed a
new evolutionary scenario from this data that contradicts the traditional view.
The ancestral <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Palaeognathae</i> were
volant (capable of flight), as estimated from their molecular evolutionary
rates and originated during the Late Cretaceous first in the Northern
Hemisphere. They migrated aerially to the Southern Hemisphere and explosively
speciated around the K-Pg boundary. They then extended their distribution to
the Gondwana derived landmasses, such as New Zealand and Madagascar by overseas
dispersal. Gigantism subsequently occurred independently on each isolated
landmass.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The earliest palaeognath species thus
discovered come from the Paleocene and Eocene 61.7-0 mya and are classified
under the two families, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lithornithidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Lith-orn-ah-day) from 61.7-40 mya and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rheidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Ree-ah-dee) from 56-0 mya, in which rheids are still around today in South
America. Also, from ~ 58.7-48.6 mya,</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
Diogenornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Dye-oge-en-orn-nis) was a stem group casuariiform related to
extant cassowaries and emus as well as a sister group to lithornithids. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lithornithid fossils come from the Upper
Paleocene to the Middle Eocene in what is now North America and Europe. They
all were volant (capable of flight), although with long hind limbs and strong
tridactyl feet, some were more prone to running before resorting to flight.
Lithornithids are distinctive palaeognaths in retaining a fully developed
hallux (innermost digit of hind foot, or big toe) unlike their palaeognath descendants
whose feet evolved for running speed. Most lithornithids possessed perching
feet, well developed keels, pectoral girdle elements and proportionally large
wings allowing for soaring flight akin to that of modern birds such as storks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once the Pleistocene arrived heralding
in the ‘Ice Age’, all the subtropical/tropical climates and environments left
the North American continent and with that period change, so too, lithornithids
followed suit in becoming extinct. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are five genera of lithornithids
and they are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fissuravis</i> (Fis-sure-a-vis)
from Germany’s ‘Walbeck’ fissure strata 61.7-58.7 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lithornis</i> (Lith-orn-nis) from Montana’s ‘Bangtail Quarry’ 56-40
mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paracathartes</i> (Pair-ah-cath-art-teas)
from Wyoming’s ‘Willwood Formation’ ~ 55mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pseudocrypturus</i> (Sue-doe-crypt-ur-us) from Wyoming’s Green River
Formation’s ‘Fossil Butte Member’ 52mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Calciavis</i>
(Cal-see-a-vis) from Wyoming’s ‘Green River Formation’ 51 mya. The ‘Green River
Formation’ of Wyoming is composed of lake bed sediment and is the richest
former lake bed for fossils worldwide with its varve layers presenting a
continuous six million years record.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKclbL8hrXBDHRsYk7gEvCfOnQ1t5r0kOQnIfjJNBhoRTUP8iGp-zucrJGYqfVoHIyQYLSApUP8INg08R2DmFQFt3lz5_q85LTMCGi-G8arWNi6oI1N5sb1rjfdgK7Qy8FoUJVTlOlz9P/s1600/1-bird+calciavis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="1600" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKclbL8hrXBDHRsYk7gEvCfOnQ1t5r0kOQnIfjJNBhoRTUP8iGp-zucrJGYqfVoHIyQYLSApUP8INg08R2DmFQFt3lz5_q85LTMCGi-G8arWNi6oI1N5sb1rjfdgK7Qy8FoUJVTlOlz9P/s320/1-bird+calciavis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Velizar Simeonovski <i>Calciavis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Fissuravis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is the oldest
lithornithid discovered so far and is the only European one as well. Its fossil
was found inside a fissure of bedrock filled with sediment debris, thus the
source of the generic name. At ~ 40cm/15.8in, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Calciavis</i> is the latest species of palaeognath to emerge. Its two fossils,
besides bone detail, also revealed exceptional skin, foot scales and feather
impressions. It may have coexisted with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pseudocrypturus</i>,
but the variance in sizes shows they filled different niches.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuwbQZdEicRGhMcalooM-2EvQhLesJF1CJuWT9m0mdCpzDnyIz8ApURprJB8MCYGRupPeWT_tyDBxEv34_cpDbBm5e5TMh4Xb33iy6Nlk3GIso_O2tW0gwACz3rg-oOIrsGQVh4fzULCZ/s1600/1-bird+pseudocrypturus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1406" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuwbQZdEicRGhMcalooM-2EvQhLesJF1CJuWT9m0mdCpzDnyIz8ApURprJB8MCYGRupPeWT_tyDBxEv34_cpDbBm5e5TMh4Xb33iy6Nlk3GIso_O2tW0gwACz3rg-oOIrsGQVh4fzULCZ/s320/1-bird+pseudocrypturus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Piotr Gryz <i>Pseudocrypturus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Pseudocrypturus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> was ~
35cm/13.8in long. It had a long narrow beak, long legs and a very short tail,
much like the modern day tinamou, hence the generic name in reference to ‘false
tinamou</span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">’
and the specific name, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cercanaxius</i>
(sir-can-ax-e-us) meaning, ‘worthless tail’. Even with a so-called ‘worthless
tail’ it could still fly and could perch on tree limbs. However, it likely
spent most of its time wading along shorelines foraging for small fish and
invertebrates.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmBE-j5xqIHwUQhk1ap2rurAPaJnIC9Q2WlhZX9Da1Jif053_2UMb21UsAGA_GvfKELj8Op4_Z-8Qw4Pi9Mpny68WnfZXhmNbXDYpVBMsgucOv3eT7GmFZruiN7Ejkwo2U5TqQzJ3Nc0F/s1600/1-bird+paracathartes+scott+reid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="434" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmBE-j5xqIHwUQhk1ap2rurAPaJnIC9Q2WlhZX9Da1Jif053_2UMb21UsAGA_GvfKELj8Op4_Z-8Qw4Pi9Mpny68WnfZXhmNbXDYpVBMsgucOv3eT7GmFZruiN7Ejkwo2U5TqQzJ3Nc0F/s320/1-bird+paracathartes+scott+reid.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Scott Reid <i>Paraacathartes</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Paracathartes</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, with a length
of ~ 1.1m/3.7ft is the largest lithornithid discovered so far. Multiple fossils
have been discovered including one having five individuals and three eggs
fossilized together that were covered up and encased in a volcanic explosion’s
debris. The egg shells are very ratite-like. Nest sites were also preserved in
the fossil site.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Paracathartes</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was different
among the other lithornithids in having shorter and more robust wing elements
and a deeper keel relating to a flight style more akin to that of extant
tinamous making it far more terrestrial than the other members. With this in
mind, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paracathartes</i> could be the
intermediate between the other lithornithids and the flightless ratites of
today, or it simply is an isolated example of convergent evolution.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNnrfLo4_sraOEKJMc_5GwiCfhBWRMrQZvpv970_W9BaB7FNqlmUPMPUw0AwVtZ0Hsass1RZQcunsC_Y1k2UBpCezzAGeNrFnmgFmzQEmmvaMUi1h230KcgM3ryMBCBozyEi3UYexqYjW/s1600/1-bird+diogenornis+geraldo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1163" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNnrfLo4_sraOEKJMc_5GwiCfhBWRMrQZvpv970_W9BaB7FNqlmUPMPUw0AwVtZ0Hsass1RZQcunsC_Y1k2UBpCezzAGeNrFnmgFmzQEmmvaMUi1h230KcgM3ryMBCBozyEi3UYexqYjW/s320/1-bird+diogenornis+geraldo.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Geraldo <i>Diogenornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Diogenornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
fossil comes from the ‘São José de Itaboraí Basin’ of Brazil and after a
thorough reevaluation, a study placed it out of the rhea relations replacing it
as a stem group to the Australian ratites such as the extant cassowaries and
emus. Although it was flightless, it possessed larger wings than do current
ratites, but shared in the affinity to run and in possessing narrow beaks. The
wings were in a transitional period between its flying ancestors and flightless
predecessors. As an herbivore, it utilized the narrow beak in picking off
fruits/seeds and slicing leaves, but in supplementing its diet as an
insectivore used it in probing for and stirring up insects. It lived in
forested habitat making running more ideal than flight for a large bird. Its
length was 90cm/3ft. </span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As in the extant cassowaries and emus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Diogenornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’ maxilla ended in a point,
the tibiotarsus (bird’s leg bone corresponding to the tibia that’s fused at the
lower end with some tarsus bones) with the condyles medalis (a rounded articulating
protuberance on the inner side of the lower extremity of the femur) aren’t
undercut proximally and the shape of the trochlea fibularis (a projection from
the lateral side of the calcaneus between the tendons of the peroneus longus
and brevis) was large and oval. Along with these shared traits coming from
Paleocene South America, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Diogenornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’
relations to Australian ratites corroborates a Gondwanan origin of these birds
and the close relationship among the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Causauriiformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
in the extant </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rheidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (rheas), </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Casuariidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (cassowaries), and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dromaiidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (emus) families along with
the importance of the Transantarctic biotic interchange of birds between South
America and Australia in the beginning of the Cenozoic.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyHzG4J9gT5vsHdM4Lk1DVODcncwzE79MoQAl68IPCtATMkozD6QnsSCa30XdbPcjJoV0zJzmAYWJe3UDB_Fieaa1iLpFD4XSGBVtnR1urOUiZULh2_LbOH8TPybxnnrPs0ao9GuW3NRf/s1600/1-bird+moa_model+izzat+design+lmtd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyHzG4J9gT5vsHdM4Lk1DVODcncwzE79MoQAl68IPCtATMkozD6QnsSCa30XdbPcjJoV0zJzmAYWJe3UDB_Fieaa1iLpFD4XSGBVtnR1urOUiZULh2_LbOH8TPybxnnrPs0ao9GuW3NRf/s320/1-bird+moa_model+izzat+design+lmtd.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Izaat Design Lmtd. Moa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Concerning the nine species of moas as
endemic to New Zealand, most were hunted to extinction within a hundred years
after the arrival of Polynesian settlers (the Māori) 1300-1400 CE. The last
more isolated pockets of islander moas became extinct just 600 years ago. The
largest, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dinornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, (Dee-nor-nis)
reached 3.6m/12ft in total length. Moas were an apex herbivore of the New
Zealand islands. The moa temporal range is from 17-0.0006 mya.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Moas, as ratites were flightless, but in
addition did not even have vestigial wing remnants as all other ratites did and
do. In reproduction, moas laid one 18cm/7in sized egg into a scratched out
earthen nest. Laying just one egg and in the addition of studies on the moa
cortical bone growth rings, alludes to the fact that moas were K-selected.
Species strategies in r/K selection are the concerned modes of successful
reproduction utilizing combinations of traits that trade-off between quantity
and quality of offspring. In having many offspring with minimal parental care
is r-selection. K-selection is in having minimal offspring with much more attended
parental care.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9dQ7qW_lTIdtHq4nhWV3R0x799eGQCSDoJKpFeAk_Ltqjmzf7afojp7QMN8NWQxFUygz8eUCZ6_j836feD6WjCSlvERY1G3XEiQHQDoX4pTURzTcWSwuVsBWZjXAvoOwh_7MnOMJ-bjRy/s1600/1-bird+moa+sameerprehistorica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="938" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9dQ7qW_lTIdtHq4nhWV3R0x799eGQCSDoJKpFeAk_Ltqjmzf7afojp7QMN8NWQxFUygz8eUCZ6_j836feD6WjCSlvERY1G3XEiQHQDoX4pTURzTcWSwuVsBWZjXAvoOwh_7MnOMJ-bjRy/s320/1-bird+moa+sameerprehistorica.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Sameer Prehistorica Man compared to Moa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As far as diet went, moas feasted upon plant
parts including twigs, leaves, fruits, seeds, ferns, mosses and fungi. We know
of this due to the analyses of their fossilized gizzard contents and their
fossilized coprolites (poop). To aid one in understanding ecological balance,
once man had eradicated moas, the beech tree forests started disappearing. Why?
Because the fungi spores that were ingested and pooped (excreted) out onto the
forest floors by moas, would set up its mycelium underground that dispersed
downwards and outwards retaining water and nutrients within the soil’s
subsurface. Whenever a natural event occurred like a drought or severe storm
that killed off beech stands, the retained water and nutrients gave the beech
trees a life line to repopulate in the area that was hit by the disaster. Since
man drove the moa to extinction, beech tree stands have dwindled in their
radiation throughout the New Zealand islands, which in turn has hampered other
life forms that depended on the beech tree forests all simply because of moas
being taken out of the chain link to fertilize and spread the forest floors
with mushroom spores.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkiXtBj1S-qazWISnfKmpFfj9Av7F2M8iuyw0vNCx1cpEvJ555F6h1zQ9KEl-eKiaeSh5gGHypKlzPeT2UoA80smBF4sIZ4Vdp9qnrUOozli8bMEFvQThgpeHLHA6L9Ep3w88HV47ppvX/s1600/1-bird+Haasts+eagle_moa+John+Megahan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="749" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkiXtBj1S-qazWISnfKmpFfj9Av7F2M8iuyw0vNCx1cpEvJ555F6h1zQ9KEl-eKiaeSh5gGHypKlzPeT2UoA80smBF4sIZ4Vdp9qnrUOozli8bMEFvQThgpeHLHA6L9Ep3w88HV47ppvX/s320/1-bird+Haasts+eagle_moa+John+Megahan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: John Megahan Haast’s eagle attacking a pair of moas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Also, Earth’s largest eagle, the Haast’s
eagle, with females measuring 1.4m/4.7ft in total length while averaging
12.5kg/ 27.6lbs went extinct just after all moas died off. The reason being is
that moas were this eagle’s only prey as no other species inhabiting the
islands were large enough to sustain the eagle. Until human colonization
introduced rodents, feral cats and dogs, the only other placental mammals in
New Zealand were three species of bats. Haast’s eagles with strong flight
muscles could have reached speeds of 80kph/50mph in surprising and attacking a
moa.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-7Il_sfMGMw_KgSFaxXIofOYUJVFKLk0HOjF-K00_4Y60WjaR4B7HOQSCfBTFFmdmuyV6WhweqGjvlKzsjEcDVyI6xHWqmAkZR68D69sidoMTYb8Byk59lFYHazBleipgjYFe7a_gbC6/s1600/1-bird+moa+foot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="936" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-7Il_sfMGMw_KgSFaxXIofOYUJVFKLk0HOjF-K00_4Y60WjaR4B7HOQSCfBTFFmdmuyV6WhweqGjvlKzsjEcDVyI6xHWqmAkZR68D69sidoMTYb8Byk59lFYHazBleipgjYFe7a_gbC6/s320/1-bird+moa+foot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moa foot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Due to the recent extinction of moas,
there have been found in caves fossilized remains that still retained soft
tissue and bone. The picture above is evidence of a </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dinornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> foot that was so well preserved DNA could be extracted
from it. However, some deviant folk have taken the photo and misrepresented it
as a </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Troodon</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> foot. That is a
difference of time in some 60 million years between the two species’ temporal
range. The bogus claim went viral for a while, so just be cautious in what you
read in internet claims.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-FobHeqAd2AMrlpaBQB30IetVOgUIa7hRnqEcNGiGcpc8aQhFGeei1Iq6YeBggGHgAIOk33OG5VrTEl1kvVhYsc_H7xbAQKTsM8RhwCLct6FITRC2bsOcYrm4hxPUSUdIfn0DBkiDCk9/s1600/1-bird+moa+skeletal+cmprsn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-FobHeqAd2AMrlpaBQB30IetVOgUIa7hRnqEcNGiGcpc8aQhFGeei1Iq6YeBggGHgAIOk33OG5VrTEl1kvVhYsc_H7xbAQKTsM8RhwCLct6FITRC2bsOcYrm4hxPUSUdIfn0DBkiDCk9/s320/1-bird+moa+skeletal+cmprsn.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palaeognaths: kiwi, ostrich, moa skeletons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The elephant bird of Madagascar was
another huge palaeognath that also went extinct due to man once he arrived on
the island. There were three genera in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Aepyornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Eep-pee-or-nis) </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Mullerornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Mule-lur-or-nis) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Vorombe</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Vo-rom-be),
Perhaps the largest, but most definitely the heaviest bird ever, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Vorombe</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> stood 3m/9.9ft tall and weighed
730kg/1,600lbs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJF7hdhRRwASenfPX1KvjfjOyhiMTaQq_YyVu_0u5k7DbtuCGsNmwELhBAI7ht84qXXKM35n7tTd_ogu6Nh41f_ICGW057B0eAm2YKxu65bze_Rx-FLzr_Kzf3VcsgLuXaddZoS2_73yQ/s1600/1-bird+elephant+bird+brian+choo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="754" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJF7hdhRRwASenfPX1KvjfjOyhiMTaQq_YyVu_0u5k7DbtuCGsNmwELhBAI7ht84qXXKM35n7tTd_ogu6Nh41f_ICGW057B0eAm2YKxu65bze_Rx-FLzr_Kzf3VcsgLuXaddZoS2_73yQ/s320/1-bird+elephant+bird+brian+choo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Brian Choo Elephant Bird (<i>Aepyornis</i>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Elephant birds, as explained earlier under
</span><b style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Palaeognathae</i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
did not evolve due to vicariance. Vicariance is the geographical separation of
a species population, typically by a physical barrier such as a mountain range
or enlarged river, or yes, even continental drift resulting in a pair of
closely related species, but no longer same species as the isolated population
experiences variant environments from the original population.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mt</i>DNA (mitochondrial DNA) analyses and hybridized enrichment of
in-solution RNA arrays of elephant birds, they did not evolve as isolated from
an original population during the breakup of Gondwana, but rather via the
flight migration of a direct ancestor originating from New Zealand some 50 mya
ago well after New Zealand had rifted then drifted from Australia.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxvlBaU7jEvrM80LOwOs-H7RRjd6huLlN9iwEWvFpIKk4fbpjcFf9cQjZ9BMgdWu4gWEJSwoHza-y9btRIEnvAkrwX4Z7ht0XS-BfApuQd8CmJHaNn0Uhn636zFZHz0RxM5zapYo3rZ8G/s1600/1-bird+vicariance-flight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="994" data-original-width="1280" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxvlBaU7jEvrM80LOwOs-H7RRjd6huLlN9iwEWvFpIKk4fbpjcFf9cQjZ9BMgdWu4gWEJSwoHza-y9btRIEnvAkrwX4Z7ht0XS-BfApuQd8CmJHaNn0Uhn636zFZHz0RxM5zapYo3rZ8G/s320/1-bird+vicariance-flight.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vicariance vs. <i>mt</i>DNA in distribution</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the illustration above, Dr. Kieren
Mitchell from the University of Adelaide illustrates his team’s findings as
compared to vicariance. Vertical category A displays the breakup timeframe of
Gondwana. Vertical category B displays the vicariance phylogenies and vertical
category C displays the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">mt</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">DNA
resultant phylogenies. The palaeognaths are color coded the same as the
landmass they originated from, so the elephant bird and ostrich are gray as
Madagascar and Africa are and the kiwi and emu are red as New Zealand is. From
top to bottom in category C, the taxa are moa, tinamou, elephant bird, kiwi,
emu, rhea, and ostrich.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Molecular dating uses differences in DNA
sequence from one species to another to estimate how long ago the species
diverged. This type of technique accounts for genetic changes or mutations that
accumulate over a rated time. Thus, the greater the difference in genetic
sequence, the farther back the divergence of the speciation dates.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the illustration below, also from Dr.
Mitchell’s team, shows species divergence and phylogenetic position of the
elephant bird from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mt</i>DNA
sequencing. In mya the blue numbers are the time of divergence. Blue arrows
mark the minimum date for the evolution of a flightless lineage as evidenced in
fossils and the species description in red are those that are extinct.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18viYgqcsMK23h1zSTtThCE8uPvIFT5wo1dpB8ymFEuEEGtXemkvYmYlAkXRJb7Zxy_lU0Iw9UNPonKYSx1eaaOL_f1o0fJRjiBcoVrgV3VQMLUuDVbx5ZedVjN-KDIaHlWDBNA-8FU3w/s1600/1-bird+palaeognaths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1103" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18viYgqcsMK23h1zSTtThCE8uPvIFT5wo1dpB8ymFEuEEGtXemkvYmYlAkXRJb7Zxy_lU0Iw9UNPonKYSx1eaaOL_f1o0fJRjiBcoVrgV3VQMLUuDVbx5ZedVjN-KDIaHlWDBNA-8FU3w/s320/1-bird+palaeognaths.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palaeognath genetic positioning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Adding morphological characters to this
molecular data set actually increased support for the relationship between
elephant birds and kiwis. So, it turns out that the largest ratite, the elephant
bird has its closest relation as a sister taxon to the smallest ratite, the
kiwi. The elephant bird most likely attained its large size due to insular
gigantism from being isolated on an island body and the kiwi obtained smallness
in filling a niche by not competing for the ecological niche filled by the moa that
had already experienced insular gigantism.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPd5d43NQnWxOAXmt4iYCzw7h3SZn_5pqCVIzMRmaU7h38aVTduaOjnmDzrk2jtTA2RsJ2ouMcnA7D1ILP0RBEvs13dgW1rdpR04oVU0QUCzMNEXDElZcZ_j937uMaUOZ5H-EjRGAp1yW/s1600/1-bird+elephant+bird+egg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="624" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPd5d43NQnWxOAXmt4iYCzw7h3SZn_5pqCVIzMRmaU7h38aVTduaOjnmDzrk2jtTA2RsJ2ouMcnA7D1ILP0RBEvs13dgW1rdpR04oVU0QUCzMNEXDElZcZ_j937uMaUOZ5H-EjRGAp1yW/s320/1-bird+elephant+bird+egg1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephant bird egg compared to a chicken egg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In considering eggs, whether from an
extinct or extant animal, it is simply an amazing thing, as an elephant bird
egg at 30.5cm/12in long and 71.1cm/28in in circumference is the largest egg
thus known, but is almost as large as its closest adult relative, the 40cm/16in
long kiwi. The elephant bird egg can hold up to 11L/2.9Gal in volume which is
160 times greater than a chicken egg in equivalency. There are well over 40
elephant birds eggs housed in public facilities and private domains. National
Geographic actually has an egg with the embryo fully intact and articulated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZdLMIQBsNo26HFynxt9aDfkt3dlhO1g58DKEv-OuUowfIY29doKo547lepVBY7F20Uh83riVxexk5V7rVWPSdatgTXMntEe_KuRSJ7mrYhAwnCw25EtCxdmafACF6BrvmgumdZ9gpOsq/s1600/1-bird+elephant+bird+egg-kiwi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="754" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZdLMIQBsNo26HFynxt9aDfkt3dlhO1g58DKEv-OuUowfIY29doKo547lepVBY7F20Uh83riVxexk5V7rVWPSdatgTXMntEe_KuRSJ7mrYhAwnCw25EtCxdmafACF6BrvmgumdZ9gpOsq/s320/1-bird+elephant+bird+egg-kiwi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephant bird egg compared to an adult kiwi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The vestigial wing bones of an elephant
bird follow the classic vertebrate forelimb plan, but displays vestigial flight
adaptations in joints modified for folding and locking wings, fused wrist bones
and digit reductions. Like kiwis, elephant bird brain endocasts showed reduced
optic lobes pointing to a nocturnal existence. This large bird was an herbivore
foraging for fruits, especially fruit with endocarps and the coconut palm.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5YACYv6Cv5WS1S3y3sl9AycQbbLIUQrwPWO83FfKWcTZmOHszPCjNmxQH5XAftPn3NACtDxyklLVe82G7EhEf5Do9lb1u6Bbgu4QxSzTPOpD7LyK4sB4zc26JylsMNydjaCxrrWaeLjp/s1600/1-bird+elephant+bird+wingbone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5YACYv6Cv5WS1S3y3sl9AycQbbLIUQrwPWO83FfKWcTZmOHszPCjNmxQH5XAftPn3NACtDxyklLVe82G7EhEf5Do9lb1u6Bbgu4QxSzTPOpD7LyK4sB4zc26JylsMNydjaCxrrWaeLjp/s320/1-bird+elephant+bird+wingbone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cast of elephant bird wingbone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">New evidence shows that man arrived on
the island of Madagascar, 10,000 years ago and initially appeared to coexist
with elephant birds. However, there is extensive evidence that these early
people hunted, butchered the meat, poached and ate the eggs. δCarbon-13 and δOxygen-18
are stable isotopes found in eggshells. Once analyzed, these stable isotopes in
charred elephant bird eggshell fragments can give reference from what
topographical region and time zone they came from. Therefore, they can indicate
that they were transported from their region of origin to another foreign
region.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, in setting up a biogeographical
layout, these charred egg fragments show that the eggs were transported then
cooked over a fire. The commonality of these fragment study findings indicates
that these early people relied heavily on the eggs, but in coexisting for
thousands of years, did not hunt adults that extensively. Perhaps due to a
cyclic climate change or a depletion of natural habitat, but not this time
solely due to predation by man did the elephant bird go extinct with the last
one expiring by the mid-17<sup>th</sup> century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Current palaeognaths, as ostriches and
rheas have long wing feathers that attach to long tridactyl two-clawed hands.
Emus and cassowaries have very short wings with a substantially reduced
single-clawed carpometacarpus and poorly ossified (fused) splint for the alula.
Kiwis have stick-thin wings where the manus (hands) are monodactylous (one
digit), elephant birds are the same as kiwis but thicker and of course much
larger, while moas had no wings at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of the extant palaeognaths, rheas are
the basal most branch. Tinamous and moas share a common ancestor, with kiwis
more closely related to emus and cassowaries. Also as previously stated, pretty
much the largest bird ever known, the extinct elephant bird of Madagascar has
for its closest relative, the smallest extant palaeognath in the kiwi. The
sister group to all modern palaeognaths is the ostrich family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Struthionidae</i> (Strut-the-on-ee-dye). The
overall direct line to a common ancestor for palaeognaths may go back to 120
mya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With two extant species, rheas come from
South America and have a temporal range of 126 thousand years ago to the
present. However, in the family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rheidae</i>
(Ree-ah-dye) there are extinct species and subspecies that go back 56 mya, such
as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">R</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fossilis</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">R</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pampeana</i>. Though somewhat smaller, rheas
are very similar in appearance to ostriches, their closest relations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a ratite, they are flightless, but
use their reduced wings for balance and act as an airfoil for changing
direction. The legs are used for running speed in utilizing the legs length and
muscle strength. Rheas are omnivorous in dieting on primarily broad-leafed
plants, fruit, seeds and roots while complementing the diet with insects like
grasshoppers and carrion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Males are polygamous, mating with two to
twelve females and after courtship, builds a nest by scratching a pit in the
ground layering it with grass and leaves. The females then lay up to 60 of their
fertilized eggs in the nest where the male incubates and tends to the
hatchlings. In fending the hatchlings, males will charge at anything he deems
threatening to his brood.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QMXdtliGZN6nJigQJsBAGvofADN6FknDxl75rRYvve384DCTe0UF4GePu7tYtymNQR7Mc8o7dEQAKBVS9N_Xt_0MoytjggOzZKAPlHyMlf9M1g8Z7_dWxTNOTwj1dfRLk9UJ1ebEkvdE/s1600/1-bird+rheachicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="533" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QMXdtliGZN6nJigQJsBAGvofADN6FknDxl75rRYvve384DCTe0UF4GePu7tYtymNQR7Mc8o7dEQAKBVS9N_Xt_0MoytjggOzZKAPlHyMlf9M1g8Z7_dWxTNOTwj1dfRLk9UJ1ebEkvdE/s320/1-bird+rheachicks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There are nine extant genera of tinamou
and have a temporal range of 10 mya to the present in quite possibly having
lithornithids as being directly ancestral to. The earliest decisive tinamiform
fossil found was in Argentinean Patagonia during the Miocene’s Burdigalian
Stage 17.5-16.3 mya of the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crypturellus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Krip-tu-rail-us). The extant species come from Mexico, Central and South
America.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like most extant palaeognaths, tinamous
are ground birds and as previously stated the male tends to the eggs and
hatchlings. But the females lay some unique, fancy and pretty eggs into the
male’s nest. Unlike most bird eggs, tinamou eggs are glossy and show hues of
vivid color. The reason being is that they are smooth instead of pitted and do
not get color from pigmentation, but from iridescence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggV-WKHiGGcBT5PLXu_XxcDddjSAEL9XNq_C6Ldq-JmjEU6YDzetak4LhGTIVUTGj-GIZcKgA9LdoOgaSqTvZLrrPpzGR6QNgY6kCe00B4wmBVJQe7T97PXsbaS_4zrvNZ-_LtrRHWgyNw/s1600/1-bird+great+tinamou+eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="641" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggV-WKHiGGcBT5PLXu_XxcDddjSAEL9XNq_C6Ldq-JmjEU6YDzetak4LhGTIVUTGj-GIZcKgA9LdoOgaSqTvZLrrPpzGR6QNgY6kCe00B4wmBVJQe7T97PXsbaS_4zrvNZ-_LtrRHWgyNw/s320/1-bird+great+tinamou+eggs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Along with the eggshell being made up of
calcium carbonate, the last thing the female does prior to laying her egg is
coating it with a layer of calcium phosphate giving the egg its smoothness and
iridescence. The smoothness gives the glossy appearance and the iridescence
gives it the colorful hues. At differing angles, the normal blue color
underneath can turn shades of varying colors. No one knows the underlining
reason for this tinamou egg attribute, but the ones that did the egg testing
and analysis feel that it may aid in attracting females to lay their eggs in a
nest with eggs giving off their colorful hues laid previously. With more eggs
in a nest, it might be a strategy that more will succeed in hatching due to a lessening
of predation if very few eggs were only in a nest.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Neognathae</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Neognaths
possess a differing jaw structure than paleognaths, so the term refers to ‘new
jaws’ even though the palaeognath jaw is apomorphic (more derived) between the
two and is not indicative to comparative evolution. With over 10,000 extant
species, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neognathae</i> covers virtually
all living birds from hummingbirds and penguins to vultures and eagles along
with their direct common extinct ancestors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbct8HmfB3tW9bVeHql7jsQAipkb1qGNgpVvHbUNd_5piUDHMQTY3sOFj3MDGISRsikBUn8YD8dvnRsAepSRWViFPki7dO-N2dEUcK8TjEVHZ_mkvfj8mnzO1IGfkm_1a-V-EGaBTmi4k/s1600/1-bird+neognath+paieognath+upper+jaw+skulls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="492" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbct8HmfB3tW9bVeHql7jsQAipkb1qGNgpVvHbUNd_5piUDHMQTY3sOFj3MDGISRsikBUn8YD8dvnRsAepSRWViFPki7dO-N2dEUcK8TjEVHZ_mkvfj8mnzO1IGfkm_1a-V-EGaBTmi4k/s320/1-bird+neognath+paieognath+upper+jaw+skulls.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: marysrosaries Neognath upper jaw vs. Palaeognath</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Neognath palatal mobility is due to
these three modifications:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Loss
of the basipterygoid articulation with the cranium.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
developed process of the pterygoid/palatine joint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Reduced
vomer, or lost entirely doesn’t reach caudally to the pterygoid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Molecular dating points to a neornithean
Cretaceous radiation where the lack of Cretaceous fossils suggests a Paleocene
radiation after the K-Pg extinction. Except for a few near-complete articulated
fossils, but mostly a spattering of some isolated bones, there has been some
concern sprinkled with a dose of consternation as to why there hasn’t been a
trove of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neornithes</i> Cretaceous fossil
finds. Neornitheans should’ve been well established at least by 95 mya leading
into neognaths. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As has been suggested by paleontolgists,
Roger Cooper and Richard A. Fortey, some neorinthean clades did originate deep
in the Late Cretaceous but maintained a low Mesozoic diversity. Also, paleo-ornithologist,
John L. Cracraft states that the lack of neornithean fossils before the K-Pg
extinction event could be the case that much of Cretaceous neornithean
evolution took place in the Southern Hemisphere, where the fossil record has
been far less thoroughly sampled. For whatever is the reason, I’m quite sure of
it that in the not so distant future with more fossil finds and sharp minds,
this conundrum will be solved. Anyway, there is fossil evidence of an explosive
diversification of modern bird families to fill in the biological niches left
vacant after the K-Pg extinction.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6ctj-aCviCe-OUrb4bFddvFEZkVMB_x3S57WX5Flm8MMUgPrJXYPG4Zq3fEz2Zf4__pqmAml2nCt6V8gnA4111XZJyuRVFwhF9Ph4oBORKbzGQsRNyIxuYv7_yiCrSKrFoilC31PE-8a/s1600/1-bird+vegavis+monica+serrano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="920" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6ctj-aCviCe-OUrb4bFddvFEZkVMB_x3S57WX5Flm8MMUgPrJXYPG4Zq3fEz2Zf4__pqmAml2nCt6V8gnA4111XZJyuRVFwhF9Ph4oBORKbzGQsRNyIxuYv7_yiCrSKrFoilC31PE-8a/s320/1-bird+vegavis+monica+serrano.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Monica Serrano <i>Vegavis</i> being chased</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vegavis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Vague-ah-viss), a volant (capable of flight) herbivore just outside the waterfowl crown group
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anseriformes</i> (Ann-sar-uh-for-mees), had a temporal range of 68-66 mya. This 60cm/23.6in long Antarctica bird
resembled a duck with long legs and though not directly ancestral, is closely
related to modern ducks and geese.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPgZJnw-xMPfvkvVM1G2ObXJ9ZXah2FNd0skWpfiiUSzRUE_u3ZheppWHczQ1ZIrytGqo5VlyMqcn2NiJqWa0M3DrDX93YDTU10IycEBOhnEwVIBjXmbthyphenhyphenMWxe16d1lXLNr0tiGu2azq/s1600/1-bird+vegavis+nicole+fuller+sayo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPgZJnw-xMPfvkvVM1G2ObXJ9ZXah2FNd0skWpfiiUSzRUE_u3ZheppWHczQ1ZIrytGqo5VlyMqcn2NiJqWa0M3DrDX93YDTU10IycEBOhnEwVIBjXmbthyphenhyphenMWxe16d1lXLNr0tiGu2azq/s320/1-bird+vegavis+nicole+fuller+sayo.jpeg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nicole Fuller Sayo <i>Vegavis</i> syrinx</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The fossil find from the ‘López de
Bertodano Formation’ was discovered on Vega Island, Antarctica, hence the
generic name, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Vegavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. But, oh what a
fossil find this fossil gem was. In fact, it was of two fossil specimens beside
each other. Because of the intricate and fragile nature of the two fossils
embedded in a matrix of sediment concretion, 3-D CT scans were performed. Once
the scans were evaluated, it revealed in the second fossil a syrinx which is a
bird’s vocal organ, equivalent to a human’s larynx. This is a very rare find
for the syrinx, composed of very fragile cartilage tissue and mesoderm cells,
is rarely fossilized and was still intact in its original position down the
neckline along with some large soft tissue.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The syrinx has an asymmetrical third
segment to it and with the soft tissue acting as a resonator, suggests that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vegavis</i> was capable of producing deeper
toned honks just as ducks and geese do today.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCQG2Tg68UfvgZZezsgXXMhwHf1o6GazVyduVpX24yjqOa_Ii3uEbh8sGJyQ6cKwkH7IfPvVc_DawGnHeAYAbWBI0V9CMlwm-MtuqohxGZR07Bqta3IIXMI0ZGlioppHFqeq_wHtC2ehv/s1600/1-bird+vegavis+syrinx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1128" data-original-width="1270" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCQG2Tg68UfvgZZezsgXXMhwHf1o6GazVyduVpX24yjqOa_Ii3uEbh8sGJyQ6cKwkH7IfPvVc_DawGnHeAYAbWBI0V9CMlwm-MtuqohxGZR07Bqta3IIXMI0ZGlioppHFqeq_wHtC2ehv/s320/1-bird+vegavis+syrinx.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Vegavis</i> scanned syrinx</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Where the syrinx is positioned right at
the trachea’s Y-junction of the bronchial tubes leading into the lungs, higher
up in the throat birds also have a larynx. The syrinx probably evolved to reinforce
the split in the trachea, or as most call it, windpipe. Regardless, it evolved
into a bird’s major voice box taking over the duties of the larynx and is the
single reason birds can produce their songs. No other animal, whether fish,
amphibian, reptile or mammal has a syrinx; only the bird evolved one. For this
reason, the syrinx is considered an evolutionary novelty.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Birds can also harmoniously sing without
interruption in taking a breath, due to their one way entry and exit air
passages where there is always a constant flow of fresh oxygenated air. In
humans, breathing is much more imperfect. When we exhale and begin to inhale,
we actually inhale a bit of the spent exhaled air, contaminating the fresh
inflow of oxygenated air. For this and other reasons as dealing with trachea
musculature, the human larynx converts only 3% of energy spent into sound where
the bird syrinx, as far more efficient, converts 100%.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEblBeg19FfKEd6PMiiNrvN4t-WsMTzKQ4_I9gf8FPUC8p49ZHHGaFuqboxfqrkHfxLvvnUr341zRPfkCoPlcZPEaBId3rz1J_-zYoBpBl4cpzAuBsKrNffblc0dRTTaySxIthDKWWESs/s1600/1-bird+RespiratorySys-CL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="800" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEblBeg19FfKEd6PMiiNrvN4t-WsMTzKQ4_I9gf8FPUC8p49ZHHGaFuqboxfqrkHfxLvvnUr341zRPfkCoPlcZPEaBId3rz1J_-zYoBpBl4cpzAuBsKrNffblc0dRTTaySxIthDKWWESs/s320/1-bird+RespiratorySys-CL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The advancement witnesses in the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Vegavis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> fossils attest that neognaths
were well on their way to modern bird forms before the K-Pg extinction,
implying with physical fossilized proof that at least some groups of neognath
modern day birds first came from the Cretaceous. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genyornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(Gee-nye-or-niss) also belonged to the duck/goose clade of anserimorphs, which
mainly represents extinct and extant water fowl. However, at 2m/6.6ft in length
and weighing ~230kg/507.1lbs, this was one big goose on steroids. With a
temporal range of ~ 126-30±5 kya (thousand years ago) in what is now Australia
appears to have simply vanished after 30,000 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With vestigial wings, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genyornis</i> was flightless relying on its
strong leg muscles and stout hind limbs for rapid mobility. Unrelated to other large
flightless birds, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genyornis</i> had a
short dentary symphysis and a dorsally directed pterygoid process on the
quadrate, a squarish bone that is articulated by the jaws and homologous with
the incus bone of the middle ear in mammals. Also, eggshell studies show
similarities to megapodes (Australasian land fowl, such as mallee fowl). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With fossils and eggs found in
collective sites, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genyornis</i> was
social. Studies on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genyornis</i> eggshell
fragment piles show that they were heated or cooked on one side going as far
back as 47,000 years ago and too, there are ancient aboriginal stone art drawings
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genyornis</i> preserved still today.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtTnSyOywL3Gsk8S9Rlaw-bay-Hsk96an28v_DEg4O6ANbnWu2Zw-P58JyQ6ocCRA3vK9JH4PyROUYhz-9Bqb9trApZr8KmxFoAGtkCSyXzbw2TvrXSX96RF4pB3DJLPJI55pnTZKJT6q/s1600/1-bird+genyornis-megalania+Peter+Trusler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1184" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtTnSyOywL3Gsk8S9Rlaw-bay-Hsk96an28v_DEg4O6ANbnWu2Zw-P58JyQ6ocCRA3vK9JH4PyROUYhz-9Bqb9trApZr8KmxFoAGtkCSyXzbw2TvrXSX96RF4pB3DJLPJI55pnTZKJT6q/s320/1-bird+genyornis-megalania+Peter+Trusler.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Peter Trusler <i>Genyornis</i> & <i>Megalania</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Genyornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, along with
other fauna became extinct pretty much at the same time, which coincides with
man’s arrival into Australia some 50,000 years ago. Due to climate change,
Australian geographies converted from tree/shrub savannah with occasionally
rich grasslands to desert scrub with the interior becoming very arid. As a more
specialized herbivore, this put <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genyornis</i>
in a stressful situation. Already hurting from the ecological pressures, with human
predation and poaching eggs, along with man’s systematic burning of grasslands
and tree stands, it pushed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genyornis</i>
over the edge into extinction. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genyornis</i>
also had to contend with Australia’s competitive and predatory megafauna.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Palaeognath ratites weren’t the only large
flightless birds, for as in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genyornis</i>,
neognaths also had their fair share of big ‘uns…and no, ‘Big Bird’ of Sesame
Street fame doesn’t count. Once the reign of dinosaurs were over, other
reptiles, mammals and the last of the dinosaurs in birds were now able to fill
the void in ecological niches in which for some, gave latitude for size
increases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Below are a few more huge
neognaths.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJu2edrrQiNDYiVc_56LI5p4M8Nnx5ajDNS1VccYKg5meZQ1jwZwcu1ZBoy3jDwyVgwq5M5eN55MR2ouYOyDYXHErhfjk9OVu1Tmqx92nxMcCQ00iHHXcjWV4ssmzkRl4O9DVRW95Kl-y/s1600/1-bird+dromornis+Jaime+Chirinos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="720" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJu2edrrQiNDYiVc_56LI5p4M8Nnx5ajDNS1VccYKg5meZQ1jwZwcu1ZBoy3jDwyVgwq5M5eN55MR2ouYOyDYXHErhfjk9OVu1Tmqx92nxMcCQ00iHHXcjWV4ssmzkRl4O9DVRW95Kl-y/s320/1-bird+dromornis+Jaime+Chirinos.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jaime Chirinos <i>Dromornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Dromornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Dro-mor-niss)
was closely related to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genyornis</i> and
also belongs to the water fowl clade of anserimorphs. As well, flightless with
stub-like wings, it was larger than its cousin standing at 3m/9.9ft tall. The
size rivals that of the elephant bird. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromornis</i>
belongs to an exclusive Australian group of big birds colloquially called ‘Mihirung
paringmal</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">’,
which is aboriginal meaning, ‘giant bird’. The dubbed common name is, ‘thunder
bird’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The temporal range for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromornis</i> is 8 mya-30 kya, but the Australian
family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromornithidae</i>
(Dro-mor-nith-ah day) had a temporal range of 25 mya-3 kya. Dromornithids are
in the genera, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genyornis</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromornis</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Barawertornis</i> (Bah-rahweir-torn-iss), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bullockornis</i> (Bull-loc-corn-iss) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ilbandornis</i> (Ill-ban-dorn-iss). The earlier dromornithids were much
smaller than the latter as in, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Barawertornis</i>
having a total length of ~ 1.7m/5.6ft.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromornis</i>,
the species was dimorphic with the males more robust, stout and heavier than
the females, but both sexes were much the same size in length. With the huge
and powerful beak, some earlier research statements inferred that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromornis</i> was a carnivore, however later
analyses proved the beak lacked carnivory features while showing features
favorable to an herbivory diet. This bird was indeed a generalist herbivore
eating fruit, nuts, various plant foliage and roots.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYe-LBCgWy2WFrq-uFDQ8IYfkKl-y73TKX4sYVkA35jWKZMVv8pQHwZ2OgBK9e_0ZfvyO42iOALzXAIwAqsy_ELmRcocqpg8EeQT1ux-M51Y2jtpDU5jirGT3nrHdw2wGLy4hMF-QMCQAY/s1600/1-bird+Gastornis-Taringa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="900" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYe-LBCgWy2WFrq-uFDQ8IYfkKl-y73TKX4sYVkA35jWKZMVv8pQHwZ2OgBK9e_0ZfvyO42iOALzXAIwAqsy_ELmRcocqpg8EeQT1ux-M51Y2jtpDU5jirGT3nrHdw2wGLy4hMF-QMCQAY/s320/1-bird+Gastornis-Taringa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Taringa <i>Gastornis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Gastornis</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Gas-tor-niss) was
dispersed almost worldwide with fossils being found in western-central Europe,
North America and Eastern Asia with a temporal range of 56-45 mya. It had a
length of 1.8m/6ft and weighed around 90.7kg/200lbs. Its extinction after 45 million
years ago is suspected to be due to global climate warming and stiff resource
competition from growing mammalian populations. It was also an anserimorph. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJeotVLC0MWHszygU5i0yC6jz6xBMszXtrrHVYMrYIyhLXZHCYrVdxIpvGKu-Vhg-6A4ARL4-BqvLQNQ2ecobbZG9UnflvWAjbqC1EMrUOUUst9jXr01psNB81k0Kqfj00AfJQGTV0goW/s1600/1-bird+gastornis+skeleton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="243" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJeotVLC0MWHszygU5i0yC6jz6xBMszXtrrHVYMrYIyhLXZHCYrVdxIpvGKu-Vhg-6A4ARL4-BqvLQNQ2ecobbZG9UnflvWAjbqC1EMrUOUUst9jXr01psNB81k0Kqfj00AfJQGTV0goW/s200/1-bird+gastornis+skeleton.jpg" width="138" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gastornis</i> skeletal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gastornis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> fossil remains
were first discovered in France in 1855. Meanwhile, a couple decades later,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Diatryma</i> (Die-ah-tree-mah) fossil
remains were unearthed in New Mexico, USA. Now let’s remember, back then and
with a big pond between the two nations called the Atlantic Ocean, there was no
rapid communication in the WWW, even on radio or TV, so both generic names
stuck as implying that both <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gastornis</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Diatryma</i> were distinct species.
However, as early as 1884, through writings and observation comparisons of the
remains, obvious similarities were beginning to be noted and by 1980 after more
fossils had been found and closely evaluated, there was so similar a degree in
anatomical form that it was decided to drop the genus, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Diatryma</i>, and use the genus,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Gastornis</i> since it was the one first discovered. There is still articles
out there on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Diatryma</i>, so just
remember that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gastornis</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Diatryma</i> are one and the same.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Another snag in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gastornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is that again, since it was big with a huge powerful
beak, initially it was thought it must have been carnivorous going around the
forests chasing down little mammals and gobbling them up. But, a carnivory
biochemical jaw analysis did not pan out as so and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gastornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> possessed an herbivore foot with no carnivore claws,
while calcium isotope studies of its bones show no evidence of it in being a
meat eater.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The eggs of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gastornis</i> were unique in that instead of being round or even oval,
they were oblong and measured 25.4cm/10in long by 10.2cm/4in in diameter.
Besides the numerous anatomical fossil remains, also discovered have been its
feathers from a ‘Green River Formation’ fossil find and footprints from France
and Washington State, USA.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9505CJFrdiYH0azzUaI7YFLgg5Sfzbrk9GF4NTFZVo9JPv4bX-4NgG2KjQVqzRm5Pf47ByKj5Z9rGQ_pjQQfkgL7Yn2RBkvVHCCBVT2GHEmLgdTZMwrAvDGVZLDhy-YMdIpk_qPrCJsV/s1600/1-bird+Phorusrhacos+dinoanimals.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="585" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9505CJFrdiYH0azzUaI7YFLgg5Sfzbrk9GF4NTFZVo9JPv4bX-4NgG2KjQVqzRm5Pf47ByKj5Z9rGQ_pjQQfkgL7Yn2RBkvVHCCBVT2GHEmLgdTZMwrAvDGVZLDhy-YMdIpk_qPrCJsV/s320/1-bird+Phorusrhacos+dinoanimals.com.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: dinoanimals.com <i>Phorusrhacos</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Known as the ‘terror bird’, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Phorusrhacos</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Foe-roos-ray-cuss) is
related to the extant seriemas, falcons, parrots and passerines of the order, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cariamiformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Kah-rye-am-uh-forms). As an
apex predator of Cenozoic South America from Patagonia 12 mya, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Phorusrhacos</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> truly was a huge bird
carnivore. Coming from Argentina’s strata of the ‘Santa Cruz Formation’, this
bird was 2.5m/8.2ft long and weighed ~ 130kg/290lb.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phorusrhacos</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">, with greatly
reduced wings was flightless and stood on long stilted-like legs looking
somewhat like an extant red-legged seriema with a huge beak. Its vestigial
wings had the forelimbs manus ending in a hooked claw. Ya might note that the
generic name doesn’t end in ‘ornis’, which is Greek for ‘bird’, as most other
large flightless neognaths do. That is because the first <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phorusrhacos</i> fossil discovery in 1887 consisted only of a partial
lower jawbone and was mistakenly identified as coming from a mammal. That was
soon corrected in 1891 after more fossil finds collaborated in what the jawbone
really came from, but the generic naming stuck.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXpDWs1ZfDjR287iJIDX-683wTWksuD3luF9HKf1qFmcJRPmfECduKIpiB68KwhOK2EpcEQ2ovuv1Z_vAokedjc1kxsnW9i2AExLnptCou0ZIpy3zcDJN0kk4VhSOgczU_XboMWlyoqV3/s1600/1-bird+phorusrhacos+skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="587" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXpDWs1ZfDjR287iJIDX-683wTWksuD3luF9HKf1qFmcJRPmfECduKIpiB68KwhOK2EpcEQ2ovuv1Z_vAokedjc1kxsnW9i2AExLnptCou0ZIpy3zcDJN0kk4VhSOgczU_XboMWlyoqV3/s320/1-bird+phorusrhacos+skull.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Phorusrhacos</i> skull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With the weaponry </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Phorusrhacos</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had, there was a number or combination of ways it
would take down its prey. In hunting down smaller mammals and reptiles, one way
is in utilizing the pointed and hooked beak as it chased larger prey, it could
easily stab through the head entering the brain or the cervical vertebrae
snapping the neck instantly in bringing down its victim. For neutralizing smaller
prey, just as extant seriemas do today, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Phorusrhacos</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
may have picked up the prey and slammed it down on the ground in a repeated
process. This would also be beneficial in tenderizing the prey in smushing the
meat and breaking bone.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But with mid-size to smaller prey, I
would like to include that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phorusrhacos</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,</span> with its long legs may have pounced onto the prey and while bearing down, with
its weight sinking claws into flesh, pinned the prey securely to give it a few
shots with the pointed tipped beak. This is how the extant secretary bird
catches its snake prey and with the long legs in both birds, it keeps the body
away from the dangers of a struggling or defensive prey. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phorusrhacos</i> most likely would not have passed up the opportunity
to scavenge any carrion it came by either. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nonetheless, the wings’ hooked claws
would not have been too much of an advantage in seizing prey as it would’ve
brought the head and torso too close to a defensive prey’s retaliation. The
wings’ hooked claws if used at all would’ve been for combating a fellow
competitor during mating or territorial rights.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuMYEAYPN6xNXdw80QnjbLSFdCdD3NA__aciBstYWAWfvm1USDQuPNLitJhDy4oo3eMUgXev0X-92QyWggpXO9q_HgWwJk_yz2CbzjAxgXm-q5Ub16qevkrUxQNGTJniZyp5YU25rLRf_/s1600/1-bird+titanis+jaime+chirinos1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="802" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuMYEAYPN6xNXdw80QnjbLSFdCdD3NA__aciBstYWAWfvm1USDQuPNLitJhDy4oo3eMUgXev0X-92QyWggpXO9q_HgWwJk_yz2CbzjAxgXm-q5Ub16qevkrUxQNGTJniZyp5YU25rLRf_/s320/1-bird+titanis+jaime+chirinos1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jaime Chirinos <i>Titanis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There was later other fossil finds in
what is now Florida and Texas, USA that had very similar anatomical features as
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Phorusrhacos</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, but given their latter
temporal range of 5-2 mya, a more robust/stout legs and body while possessing
two wing claws instead of the one long hooked claw, it was designated a new
genus as, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Titanis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Tye-tan-nis).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In fact there followed many other fossil
finds that closely resembled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phorusrhacos</i>,
but with a few distinguishing features it soon was revealed the super family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phorusrhacoidea</i>
(Foe-roos-ray-koi-dee-ah) was needed and devised. With 18 genera of ‘terror
birds’, below is the member listing under the superfamily, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phorusrhacoidea</i>:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Jciy-CBnkdP-F6UmprleuQpbtDRpmTl21k7_T7N61zXqx8pofpKc80l4NM0hFMDDxXg-8CEOWOQYnGuGWMujogEF4GWSqaX2GZPYsDlsWB_ua3chT8Tw1fP4FOwHS6rCCOCSZHelKcd6/s1600/1-bird+phorusrhacids+cr.+manasataramgini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="640" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Jciy-CBnkdP-F6UmprleuQpbtDRpmTl21k7_T7N61zXqx8pofpKc80l4NM0hFMDDxXg-8CEOWOQYnGuGWMujogEF4GWSqaX2GZPYsDlsWB_ua3chT8Tw1fP4FOwHS6rCCOCSZHelKcd6/s320/1-bird+phorusrhacids+cr.+manasataramgini.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Manasataramgini Terror Birds </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Superfamily</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phorusrhacoidea</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lavocatavis</i> – Middle Eocene Glib Zegdou
Formation of Algeria<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phorusrhacidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Patagorhacos</i> – Early Miocene Chichinales
Formation of Rio Negro Province, Argentina.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Subfamily</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brontornithinae</i> — species standing over
2.3m/7.5ft high. Some monophyly placement dispute in Phorusrhacidae<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brontornis</i> [Early to Middle Miocene
(Santacrucian-Laventan) Santa Cruz and Monte León Formations, Argentina]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paraphysornis</i> [Late Oligocene to Early
Miocene (Deseadan) Tremembé Formation of São Paulo State, Brazil]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Physornis</i> [Middle to Late Oligocene
(Deseadan) Sarmiento Formation of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Subfamily</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phorusrhacinae</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>— species 3.3m/9.9ft high, but somewhat
slender and decidedly nimble<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Devincenzia</i> [Late Oligocene to Early
Miocene (Deseadan) Fray Bentos Formation of Uruguay]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kelenken</i> [Middle Miocene (Colloncuran)
Collón Cura Formation of Río Negro Province, Argentina; largest known
phorusrhacid]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phorusrhacos</i> [Early to Middle Miocene
(Santacrucian) Santa Cruz Formation of Argentina)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Titanis</i> [Early Pliocene to Early
Pleistocene (Blancan) of Florida/Texas]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Subfamily</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Patagornithinae</i> — intermediate sized/very
nimble species, standing ~1.7m/5.6ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Patagornis</i> [Early to Middle Miocene
(Santacrucian-Laventan) Santa Cruz Formation of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina]
– includes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Morenomerceraria</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Palaeociconia</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tolmodus</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Andrewsornis</i> [Middle to Late Oligocene
(Deseadan) Agua de la Piedra Formation of southern Argentina]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Andalgalornis</i> [Late Miocene to Early
Pliocene (Huayquerian) Ituzaingó Formation of northwestern Argentina]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Subfamily</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Psilopterinae</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>— species standing 70–100cm/2.3–3.3ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eleutherornis</i> [Middle Eocene (Bartonian)
of Rhône, France and Baselland, Switzerland]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paleopsilopterus</i> [Middle Paleocene
(Itaboraian) Itaboraí Formation of Itaboraí, Brazil; identity as a phorusrhacid
dubious]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Procariama</i> [Late Miocene to Early
Pliocene (Huayquerian-Montehermosan) Cerro Azul and Andalhuala Formations of
Catamarca Province, Argentina]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Psilopterus</i> [Middle Oligocene (Deseadan)
Santa Cruz Formation and Late Miocene (Chasicoan) Arroyo Chasicó Formation of
southern and eastern Argentina]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Subfamily</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mesembriornithinae</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>— <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>medium-sized
species standing 1.2-1.5m/ 3.9-4.9ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mesembriornis</i> [Late Miocene to Late
Pliocene (Montehermosan) Monte Hermoso Formation of Argentina]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genus</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Llallawavis</i> [Late Pliocene
(Chapadmalalan) Playa Los Lobos Allo Formation of northeastern Argentina]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is a documentary on South American
‘terror birds’. At nearly fifty minutes it is a bit lengthy, but if ya have
time, it’s well worth it:</span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="541" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nDX3Tmectpo" width="964"></iframe>
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With a temporal range of 58.7-2.5 mya,
the family, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pelagornithidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Pal-ah-gor-nith-ah-day) consisted of seabirds dispersed all over the Late
Paleocene-Early Pleistocene world. Fossils have been found in coastal rock from
Belgium through Togo to Antarctica. Also known as false-toothed birds, pelagornithids
had pointed tooth-like projections jutting from the edges of the beaks. Unlike
true teeth and more like bone, these beak teeth contained Volkmann’s canals
that are micro channeled tubular arrangements interconnecting haversian canals
to one another. These tooth-like points were outgrowths of the premaxillary and
mandibular bones.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj633P9atzL3imgswWbvvwnarL7uuLdjbIPw7EH6pBjZSUK9t6p75d2SuMKE_KI1ngJAnW2KAKQ5qD_YFd3RiQKWZPCT52G9lkKEvvXJ1o49-xDbAYQ7FnBnnsitc3KeXYsiP3wiCIMRq-S/s1600/1-bird+Pelagornis+chilensis+Mark+Witton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="560" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj633P9atzL3imgswWbvvwnarL7uuLdjbIPw7EH6pBjZSUK9t6p75d2SuMKE_KI1ngJAnW2KAKQ5qD_YFd3RiQKWZPCT52G9lkKEvvXJ1o49-xDbAYQ7FnBnnsitc3KeXYsiP3wiCIMRq-S/s320/1-bird+Pelagornis+chilensis+Mark+Witton.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton <i>P</i>. <i>chilensis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">From the smallest pelagornithid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Odontoptila</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (O-don-top-till-ah) at about
the size of today’s white-chinned petrel in having a wingspan of ~1.5m/4.6ft,
to the largest pelagornithid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pelagornis
sandersi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Pail-ah-gor-nee = san-der-see) with a wingspan of 6.1-7.4m/20-24ft,
pelagornithids were the largest birds to ever fly.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFefnqgb2pQju-L15Mnw7YHJ-qmKuUWkmREnTPyx2jOv3_tMB2fc110r8cDyZAn7XCBxcxIYOcm4c6wHKLSN9MqkGAfn-pZHtzytMvwlOF64k6bNYC-UP_qQ3BTimk_P6DLyMGSi5F-jFV/s1600/1-bird+pelagornithidae+jose+vega.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="600" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFefnqgb2pQju-L15Mnw7YHJ-qmKuUWkmREnTPyx2jOv3_tMB2fc110r8cDyZAn7XCBxcxIYOcm4c6wHKLSN9MqkGAfn-pZHtzytMvwlOF64k6bNYC-UP_qQ3BTimk_P6DLyMGSi5F-jFV/s320/1-bird+pelagornithidae+jose+vega.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jose Vega a pelagornithid</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">To have such a large size and still get
by in overcoming gravitational pull for liftoff to fly while remaining
airborne, pelagornithids employed two strategies in anatomy and aerodynamics. Pelagornithids,
in dropping body mass possessed extremely thin-walled bones that were
extensively pneumatized with air sacs leading to the lungs. This allowed the
birds to remain below critical wing loading which is 25kg/m2-5lb/ft2 for
powered bird wing flight. In addition, pelagornithids in utilizing attachment
positions for muscles responsible in holding the upper arm straight and outstretched
were well-developed and they also had a glenoid joint unmatched by any other bird
in holding the wings rigid. While less developed in older Paleogene forms, this
was especially prominent in Neogene pelagornithids. This anatomical arrangement
allowed pelagornithids to successfully practice dynamic soaring, which is a
flying technique used to gain energy by repeatedly crossing the boundary between
air masses of significantly different velocity. Dynamic soaring is explained in
the video below.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduaixoBZvSX9DfbWDah-PEHz82f4QiUhRbFsNzUbXhu2-vaPxEUQuatthANg5vVYBrLoxtGYuTHLk-VRXGlsefMSWjC-9kdzyPHuuu7pdTC2KE0sTTVJqxiXySxlp_vmFGY_Sbt5LW06Y/s1600/1-bird+Pelagornis_miocaenus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="1200" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduaixoBZvSX9DfbWDah-PEHz82f4QiUhRbFsNzUbXhu2-vaPxEUQuatthANg5vVYBrLoxtGYuTHLk-VRXGlsefMSWjC-9kdzyPHuuu7pdTC2KE0sTTVJqxiXySxlp_vmFGY_Sbt5LW06Y/s200/1-bird+Pelagornis_miocaenus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>P</i>. <i>miocaenus</i> skeletal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There have been several hypotheses
presented on what the reasoning(s) were for the extinction of this successful
bird’s reign. From over competition with newer oceanic species, such as the
radiation of pinnipeds (seals) and cetaceans (whales) to loss of breeding
grounds to predation and habitat destruction due to rising oceanic waters are
some. But most recent studies reveal a negative ecological change in the ice
age commencement and plate tectonic shifts changing ocean currents that created
the colder Antarctic circumpolar current and closed the Isthmus of Panama that
most likely had the greatest impact over the demise of pelagornithids in
failing to adapt. Also, primitive dolphins of the family, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Kentriodontidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Ken-tree-ah-don-tuh-day) or the shark-toothed
whales of the family, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Squalodontidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Squaw-lo-don-tuh-day)
with similar pelagornithid oceanic feeding patterns, flourished
contemporaneously with the pelagornithids, but became extinct around the same
time.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5DxGuXJHlj9gbSQaFUJYwQQZFvP48_E_yN_GhCh4XbgxKcuWPdBMbYp0XzGePJ3n7E19S8_CGyREkANjtnYz76mnFB_xZL9N3V_utWO9HVtHb0N3wBD6C5mkDzTTkzpr4cKeg05yeW9a/s1600/1-bird+pelagornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="853" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5DxGuXJHlj9gbSQaFUJYwQQZFvP48_E_yN_GhCh4XbgxKcuWPdBMbYp0XzGePJ3n7E19S8_CGyREkANjtnYz76mnFB_xZL9N3V_utWO9HVtHb0N3wBD6C5mkDzTTkzpr4cKeg05yeW9a/s320/1-bird+pelagornis+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As mentioned earlier above, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">P</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">sandersi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
belonged to the family of birds with the longest wingspans ever, while at,
6.1-7.4m/20-24ft it had the largest wingspan of any pelagornithid yet
discovered. As in all pelagornithids, its false-teeth weren’t composed of
enamel or any other hardened material, so were fragile as numerous fossils
attest to in broken pseudo teeth. This alludes to the fact that food had to be
soft-bodied like cephalopods or scaleless small fish. This would make good in
utilizing the pseudo teeth for snatching prey just below the surface and
swallowing whole, but not for tearing or chewing prey. As in being related to
pelicans, a pelagornithid’s mouth was mechanized to open wide. Inside the eye
sockets of some pelagornithid fossils, salt glands were evident, in particular
in younger ones.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">P</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sandersi</i> lived during the Oligocene 25
mya off the coast of what is now South Carolina, USA. It had short stumpy legs
ending in webbed feet with no hallux (big toe) and most likely hopped towards a
cliff whenever it was ready to take-off and become airborne. In performing
dynamic soaring, it has been estimated that it could reach speeds up to
70kph/37mph and filled the oceanic niche that pteranodons had left vacant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="520" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iZkVBCgmZ_E" width="924"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the direction of rooted phylogenetics,
basal penguins first show up as the most recent common ancestor 70-68 mya, a
few million years before the K-Pg extinction. This occurred within the regions
of what is now southern New Zealand and Byrd Land, Antarctica. Penguins didn’t
come directly from flying birds, but their basal ancestral flightless seabirds
did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As wing propelled divers, by 60 mya
penguins were already adapted to a marine life. Further, through molecular
genome studies, a descendant of the basal penguin, designated as ‘Penguin One’
gave rise to all modern penguins. Somewhere around 40 mya, ‘Penguin A’ evolved
giving rise to the giant penguins in the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Aptenodytes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (App-ten-o-dye-tees), which includes the two extant
species, the Emperor and King penguins. This ‘A ’genus split off from a branch
that lead to all other latter penguin species. ‘Penguin B’~ 37.8 mya gives rise
to the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pygoscelis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Pee-goss-sul-lis), which includes the three extant brush-tailed penguin
species. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA bears out the fact that ‘Penguin C’ from
~ 25 mya gave rise to the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sphenicus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Suh-fin-cuss) that in turn gave rise to penguins closer to the equator in the
four extant species, the African, Galápagos, Humboldt and Magellanic penguins.
The cold oceanic currents, such as the Humboldt and Cromwell allow the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sphenicus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> species to survive, in which
their ancestors traveled up into.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Finally,
~ 5.35 mya a direct ancestor for the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eudyptes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(U-dip-tees), gave rise to the extant seven species of crested penguins.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SQFlliw8zozAN8fwVWEVUdElXrqwmVP3GUZn3iEc2FcKqYrteauIeLmuUXTaAMR93-zHLnRAY7Sjt_OE31DMzdU9FdYnPyCbmU6a3kBprDijaSWFxcmjwDG36XoeaYw_DEWR6Ru8EBrw/s1600/1-bird+penguin+Hedwig+Reunes-Vanhaevre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SQFlliw8zozAN8fwVWEVUdElXrqwmVP3GUZn3iEc2FcKqYrteauIeLmuUXTaAMR93-zHLnRAY7Sjt_OE31DMzdU9FdYnPyCbmU6a3kBprDijaSWFxcmjwDG36XoeaYw_DEWR6Ru8EBrw/s200/1-bird+penguin+Hedwig+Reunes-Vanhaevre.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Hedwig Reunes-Vanhaevre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since they were now an oceanic bird,
basal penguins had begun the process of devolving back to heavier bones filled
with marrow. Thinner bones with air filled cavities for flight advantages were
no longer viable for a watery environment, but added weight for submergence and
countering buoyancy was. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The earliest penguin fossil finds combines
primitive and derived characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Incorporating fossil calibration points, DNA sequences, maximum likelihood,
and Bayesian analysis, penguin calibrations imply a radiation of modern (crown
group) birds in the Late Cretaceous 74 ± 3 mya.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKzwL47j6N-Dl1YZQ3JonapwkeUq9U3Sa9im1A-9QUDNt5_oURGEAEJ1V0071oBuLi769PFz3Lf8cVGqKfnjKUdocpxr6TFnxIGgzRrffC-6Op1zYggjLhYiEsJX09RrvNdQQz7cIykmr/s1600/1-bird+penguins+prehistoric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="811" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKzwL47j6N-Dl1YZQ3JonapwkeUq9U3Sa9im1A-9QUDNt5_oURGEAEJ1V0071oBuLi769PFz3Lf8cVGqKfnjKUdocpxr6TFnxIGgzRrffC-6Op1zYggjLhYiEsJX09RrvNdQQz7cIykmr/s320/1-bird+penguins+prehistoric.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some prehistoric penguins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ancestral penguins survived the K-Pg
extinction event that killed off the big, non-avialan dinosaurs and then
rapidly blew up in body size. Quite possibly, this rapid evolution and
diversification in the southern oceans was in response to the sudden demise of
large marine reptiles, which initiated an ecological vacant niche that large
penguins obliged in filling that role.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTMqUNGATwKur1OqUn3J4d0XHJbwZTPkq_fgVSie-ZwraooBtlnjwmUpEICPRZ1B7XOjJ87t0B7kTl8tNUoKncqH5xgsW6sYOU7zaGT4L9igZhlrSr3c-LSuNtTTUdyUWjSLkTT7NvJEC/s1600/1-bird+penguin+w+tuatahi+slack+et+al.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1293" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTMqUNGATwKur1OqUn3J4d0XHJbwZTPkq_fgVSie-ZwraooBtlnjwmUpEICPRZ1B7XOjJ87t0B7kTl8tNUoKncqH5xgsW6sYOU7zaGT4L9igZhlrSr3c-LSuNtTTUdyUWjSLkTT7NvJEC/s200/1-bird+penguin+w+tuatahi+slack+et+al.jpg" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Slack et al <i>Waimanu tuatahi</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Waimanu</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (We-mah-nuh),
occurring 60 mya was one of the more transitional primitive penguins.
Discovered in New Zealand’s ‘Kokoamu Greensand’, two species of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Waimanu</i> in, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">W</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">manneringi</i> (1m/ 3.4ft
tall) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">W</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tuatahi</i> (80cm/30in tall) have been found and studied. Rather than a
stubbier modern penguin beak, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Waimanu</i>
species had a long narrow pointed beak. Shorter than a modern bird’s wing when
compared to body size, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Waimanu</i>’s
flipper as equivalent to a wing was significantly longer relative to the body
than today’s extant penguins’ flipper. It also could fold in the two wrists and
elbow joints. However, the flipper bones had already been transitioning into
the flattened anatomy, but not as quite as they are in extant penguins. The hind
limb bones indicate an upright posture like extant penguins employ. The feet
were short and stubby, but unlike the characteristic waddle of the penguin
gait, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Waimanu</i> was more of a cormorant
stride. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Icadyptes</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (I-kaah-diptz)
occurring in what is now Peru from the coastal desert marine rocks of the,</span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Otuma
Formation’ lived ~ 36 mya and was around 1.5m/4.9ft in length. It is the ancestral
apex sphenisciform in beak length possessing one that reached 20cm/8in long.
Still possessing the basal ancestral long pointed beak, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Icadyptes</i>’ beak was exceptionally long and is known as the spear-like
beak penguin.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2R1UxECIcJpmwbvKDe0l5XqTApNFxtl_herGlOKdqmhK1XcRsyeMEobApDc1GPtW-xOxoDTwPsFn72pCzI-Pt7o2X_7N1jSs_myfft5OYfa7VjBp3N4tUShNy5st6QMqOKxyAI-gnQSHU/s1600/1-bird+penguin+icadytes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="750" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2R1UxECIcJpmwbvKDe0l5XqTApNFxtl_herGlOKdqmhK1XcRsyeMEobApDc1GPtW-xOxoDTwPsFn72pCzI-Pt7o2X_7N1jSs_myfft5OYfa7VjBp3N4tUShNy5st6QMqOKxyAI-gnQSHU/s320/1-bird+penguin+icadytes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Icadyptes beak comparison</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Peru 36 mya had a tropical climate with
warm seas. With </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Icadyptes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> already
established there during that time, shows that penguins had already adapted to
warm climates by 40 mya. The hyper elongate spear-like beak was held by a narrow
skull affixed to a robust cervical column. Unlike the thick rugose rhamphotheca
(thin horny sheath composed of modified scales of a bird’s bill) of extant
penguins, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Icadyptes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’ beak had a thin,
sheet-like rhamphotheca lamination.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Palaeeudyptinae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
(Pay-lee-oi-dip-sha-nee), fossils found from the Middle/Late Eocene to the
Middle Miocene is an extinct penguin sub-family group that had some of the
largest penguin members to ever swim the oceans. The fossils were discovered in
what is now: Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand and the western side of South
America. The decline and eventual extinction of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Palaeeudyptinae</i> species coincides with the competing forces of
cetacean and pinniped mammal groups and in addition, the coming of colder
climates and ice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a mid-evolutionary lineage <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Palaeeudyptinae</i> species were more
primitive than today’s penguins in transitioning modern characteristics but
still retaining anatomical features from their seabird ancestors. While
ancestral wing feathering had already been lost, the semi-rigid flipper
assemblage had not occurred as in today’s penguins. For propelling capacity
while diving, the ulna (long bone in forearm) and radius (shorter bone in
forearm) had already flattened for increased capacity. The elbow and wrist
joints however, still retained degrees of flexibility as opposed to the rigidly
locked joint mechanisms in extant penguins.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDuxa-gCvqiOr1DzeNxRho0_kwwLOOuZFvEWMfVGFnf5uOJBKZXRAqonT5oE-bp2wWi4iz3jEVLh7AfRrzlRrDWqV9-rfx9CpWTST0VUO3yuK_5SJmM04Tt87R-bweP5C-kY0bmi2XeAD/s1600/1-bird+penguin+anthropornis+Discott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="900" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDuxa-gCvqiOr1DzeNxRho0_kwwLOOuZFvEWMfVGFnf5uOJBKZXRAqonT5oE-bp2wWi4iz3jEVLh7AfRrzlRrDWqV9-rfx9CpWTST0VUO3yuK_5SJmM04Tt87R-bweP5C-kY0bmi2XeAD/s320/1-bird+penguin+anthropornis+Discott.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Discott</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Two genera belonging to the subfamily, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Palaeeudyptinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> were</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Anthhropornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (An-throp-or-niss) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pachydyptes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Pac-he-dip-tees). Thus far, the discovery of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anthhropornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> details the largest
penguin ever to swim the seas. At 1.8m/5.9ft, it was huge and for comparison,
today’s largest penguin, the emperor stands at 1.2m/3.9ft tall. Since they were
almost 1.9m/6ft tall the genus name refers to, ‘man-sized bird’. A characteristic
feature held onto is inherited from its flying bird ancestry in having a bent
wing folded by a ligament. There are two species in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">A</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">nordenskjoldi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> as being
slightly the larger and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">A</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">grandis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. The fossils were discovered off
the coast of Antarctica on Seymour Island from the ‘La Meseta Formation’ and in
New Zealand.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgtqowvarrfygowtgCI30X1QQrCeFBAonTldyh2oTdjtTdnH5TjzWIACqg6MWQvO4VgppDpmGbl-31JriWAM9ShEknSKsVDj8scApmM28J-DYKUjX7SH6Qe1k-Q2zQ21BB4qtkSp-Zx3q/s1600/1-bird+penguin+pachydyptes+humerous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgtqowvarrfygowtgCI30X1QQrCeFBAonTldyh2oTdjtTdnH5TjzWIACqg6MWQvO4VgppDpmGbl-31JriWAM9ShEknSKsVDj8scApmM28J-DYKUjX7SH6Qe1k-Q2zQ21BB4qtkSp-Zx3q/s320/1-bird+penguin+pachydyptes+humerous.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Where </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anthhropornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was close to being as long as a VW Beetle automobile,
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pachydyptes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Pac-he-dip-tees) was
about as wide as one. This penguin was massive in girth with a weight of up to
100kg/220.5lbs, but a height of only 1.5m/5ft. This is not conclusive as the
mass was calculated by only a few bones contained in the fossil find, but
experts in reconstructing fossils agree that the estimate is close if not
accurate. It’s not just from the bone sizes in determining the weight, but also
in the wing bones, the width shows signs of being extremely stocky in girth.
The wing bones are 35% longer than and nearly twice as thick as an emperor
penguin’s.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We’ve gone over a lot of giant penguins,
but in the tiny <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eretiscus</i> fossil from
22 mya of Patagonia, Argentina, there was room for some small penguin niches as
well. Originally named <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Microdytes</i> in
meaning, ‘tiny diver’ but named changed after it was found that a water beetle
had already been given that genus name. The current and now permanent name
change is, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eretiscus</i> in meaning, ‘tiny
rower’. We’re only talking about millimeters here, or one-fortieth in inches
difference, but this penguin is around the size of the extant blue penguin at
46cm/18.1in and 1.5kg/3.3lbs in weight so, it may or may not be the smallest
penguin ever known, but it is currently the smallest penguin fossil ever known.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhph_HCtzXzOqp4_yDkHZsq-B-AhhmX8jpROPPJnTqW6uQKlrSiqucdJkuRqz4ziUopvdrcZW5BP4HBSSIGQK8ohMOalMz2vGvDr-22577mTyccS1IdA6LV7PJjrcp4w_G3eiMH-rcpcDBG/s1600/1-bird+penguin+blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="653" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhph_HCtzXzOqp4_yDkHZsq-B-AhhmX8jpROPPJnTqW6uQKlrSiqucdJkuRqz4ziUopvdrcZW5BP4HBSSIGQK8ohMOalMz2vGvDr-22577mTyccS1IdA6LV7PJjrcp4w_G3eiMH-rcpcDBG/s320/1-bird+penguin+blue.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Blue Penguin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although the colder Pleistocene climates
and glacier advances may have contributed to primitive penguin species extinctions
who evolved in warm climes, the peaking of glacial advance-retreat cycles in
the Pleistocene appear to have been a driver of extant penguin evolution.
According to a 2017 Bayesian study combining fossil and extant species data,
the results show that 12 of the 18 living species likely arose just in the last
2 million years.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To answer the question, “Do penguins
have knees?”…yes they do; in fact the structural penguin leg configuration is
the same as that of a human leg consisting of a femur, tibia and fibula.
However, the femur is short and points outwards and upwards before joining the
tibia and fibula at the knee joint. With this configuration, it’s like a human
walking on stilts. Also, with the knee joint up so high, there is an illusion
developed by fur covering and hiding the joint and most of the leg making the legs
look very short and the gait appear as stiff legged.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWqS9CBdpNgSJopwsN4xVB9crIIRKQIo7pSq0fcNzfjwQ88-RrEodINMTc4IczaV_iR1DVQK4sS16m6gilx3XWr-zkAwt_C0A_C8VLvLMvDQoanWghn_8XAf3LF2lMt2ScwmIJ8NUer5m/s1600/1-bird+penguin+knee+andrew+shiva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="720" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWqS9CBdpNgSJopwsN4xVB9crIIRKQIo7pSq0fcNzfjwQ88-RrEodINMTc4IczaV_iR1DVQK4sS16m6gilx3XWr-zkAwt_C0A_C8VLvLMvDQoanWghn_8XAf3LF2lMt2ScwmIJ8NUer5m/s320/1-bird+penguin+knee+andrew+shiva.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The penguin knee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In fact, this same characteristic
penguin waddle has been found in a yet unnamed new penguin fossil discovery
that comes from New Zealand’s ‘Waipara Greensand Formation’ from sediment rock
that is 61 million years old. At 1.5m/5ft in total length, this penguin was
large and shows the fact that penguins were enlarging early on in their
evolutionary history pushing back its diversity well before the K-Pg
extinction. This Waipara penguin fossil had already evolved flattened flipper
(wing) limbs much like modern penguins displaying a morphology much more
derived than </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Waimanu</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-NKGfyJ40DCnGLpsHvPTMmC6XHfRfbOtiN07D7Q1gx93mDu-LvKN2FYwvtSq5T6nml57CiEBVM9u9XGmP2DXF1d3IMQ8hyvOOPBDvZj4kw-bxPrMedfXLgEzuOVZ0x9X-f1ialuF0dY7w/s1600/1-bird+penguin++61+mya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-NKGfyJ40DCnGLpsHvPTMmC6XHfRfbOtiN07D7Q1gx93mDu-LvKN2FYwvtSq5T6nml57CiEBVM9u9XGmP2DXF1d3IMQ8hyvOOPBDvZj4kw-bxPrMedfXLgEzuOVZ0x9X-f1ialuF0dY7w/s320/1-bird+penguin++61+mya.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 61 mya penguin foot versus extant emperor penguin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">From their basal ancestors, extant
penguins inherited the ability to navigate the oceans by the sun’s location and
recognizing landmark features of coastlines and the ocean bottoms.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENqLiffRhd7bwLhmUvHcAne-bBqbj7ct-BoDc9R5VvKKQCMaoHjXpoijerlGLzw9NImHS5Ly2ASpCwJZU4bupH9Ru80X_vg6JehGhwt2OAkgI36O06RZP5XK1b9mJinzRCsWVqfJXybls/s1600/1-bird+Hoatzin+pair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENqLiffRhd7bwLhmUvHcAne-bBqbj7ct-BoDc9R5VvKKQCMaoHjXpoijerlGLzw9NImHS5Ly2ASpCwJZU4bupH9Ru80X_vg6JehGhwt2OAkgI36O06RZP5XK1b9mJinzRCsWVqfJXybls/s320/1-bird+Hoatzin+pair.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hoatzin pair</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hoatzin species were once widespread and
were found in Europe and Africa as well as one species currently still living in
South America confined along the Amazon drainage basin and the Ornico. The
current species is the only extant member in the family </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Opisthocomidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (O-piss-tho-calm-i-die). With an oversized crop used
for fermentation, the hoatzin is a folivore subsisting on leaves, but may
complement the diet with flower petals and fruit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The oldest known fossils come from
Europe near Romainville, France. The fossil was found in sediment that was
deposited at the very end of the Eocene 34 mya. The genus name is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Protoazin</i> (Pro-toe-ah-seen). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Namibiavis</i> (Nuh-mib-e-a-viss) comes from
what is now Namibia, Africa and was found in Middle Miocene deposits laid down
16 mya. Genetic research alludes to the fact that the hoatzin is the last
surviving member of a bird line that branched off in a separate direction from
the rest of bird lines 64 mya and dispersed throughout the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hoatzins do not fly well, so for those
who argue that opisthocomids evolved in one land and flew over vast oceans to
populate different lands will have a problem. In my opinion, hoatzins dispersed
early on when continents and land bridges were much closer and not later on in
the Cenozoic when huge oceans separated the current continental
distributions.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8raf5xcophsOARybHcjdW0HC35MtOZ-rHOpplvbzxPt1JVe82ywSKF_ff4Z0hR1odteJA0tbJNcooe5DTRPZH8wt_m22MrPBD_shS-CiIMTgjEDk4QrQHhWr7nFrkUd2sntzoppzhk1ag/s1600/1-bird+hoatzin+chick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="553" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8raf5xcophsOARybHcjdW0HC35MtOZ-rHOpplvbzxPt1JVe82ywSKF_ff4Z0hR1odteJA0tbJNcooe5DTRPZH8wt_m22MrPBD_shS-CiIMTgjEDk4QrQHhWr7nFrkUd2sntzoppzhk1ag/s320/1-bird+hoatzin+chick.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoatzin chick with forelimb claws</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hoatzin chicks have functional claws on
the second and third digits but lose them as they mature into adults. The
forelimb claws in conjunction with the hind limb claws are used by the chicks
to clamber over the thick branches when seeking shelter or to escape predation.
Also, hoatzin nests are usually over a body of water and if necessary, a chick
will drop into the water body and swim submerged to escape any danger. Musculoskeletal
remodeling of forelimbs in hoatzins incorporates functional consequences of
changing morphology by manipulating anatomical parameters. Due to the chicks
requiring a variance of climbing techniques and swimming over flight, once
matured, the hoatzin is a poor flier. As well though, the crop is so large that
it has displaced flight muscles and keel size.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsq4cx9m9uAmwv-ExQ_spvG7BOLPIBhodwyk5FpjsqJrriK7lOYqiX_311mxOQynlKs5BIwhlNQNjNb6kczzqSsFYAqSiA12IkC5uHGzh_g1kbxexGapVD6tRmEHj0vziQzfbO-V9zjho/s1600/1-bird+horned+screamer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="822" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsq4cx9m9uAmwv-ExQ_spvG7BOLPIBhodwyk5FpjsqJrriK7lOYqiX_311mxOQynlKs5BIwhlNQNjNb6kczzqSsFYAqSiA12IkC5uHGzh_g1kbxexGapVD6tRmEHj0vziQzfbO-V9zjho/s320/1-bird+horned+screamer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A horned screamer’s claws</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hoatzin chicks are the most well-known
birds to have forelimb claws, but there are other extant birds with their young
bearing claws, such as the turaco while the horned screamer retains two spurred
claws on each wing throughout life. These are cases of switching on the
theropodal gene for forelimb claws due to secondary adaptations. But when a
bird that usually never has claws then one individual of a species does, say
like a duck, then that is a true mutation.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QQKfe86w_BH7u8tzyYezfA2LucaMuB7yXREGGMozcjKvWv6s7EfEF-fBan6fw0oXFE21wbBBMcXuPiaJcO1CJihVjxByxzDhwJqISVKZhO4k1xfB86MwGdoQajGmIisY04NVrhSBNVhh/s1600/1-bird+duck+claws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="800" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QQKfe86w_BH7u8tzyYezfA2LucaMuB7yXREGGMozcjKvWv6s7EfEF-fBan6fw0oXFE21wbBBMcXuPiaJcO1CJihVjxByxzDhwJqISVKZhO4k1xfB86MwGdoQajGmIisY04NVrhSBNVhh/s320/1-bird+duck+claws.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A duck with forelimb claws</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although it has been expounded on in
modified terms throughout the millions of years, birds and mammals both
inherited the reptile brain. One might think that birds and humans are so
vastly different and that may be so anatomically, but when it comes to brain
power…evolution, no matter how distant the ancestor, both human and bird shared
a common archosaurian predecessor that gave us similar mental components of the
brain to think, react, experience emotive forces and simply to just have fun.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is true that in the developing embryo
of a bird and human, the pallium (layers of grey and white matter covering the
upper surface of the cerebrum in vertebrates) in birds is derived from the
lower surface of the roof of the fetal forebrain, while in mammals, including
humans, the neocortex is derived from the developing fetal brain’s upper
surface. That is an extrapolation of convergent evolution and not associated
gene evolution. The neocortex along with the archicortex and paleocortex, in
which all three are cortical parts of the cerebral cortex, are involved in
higher functions such as sensory perception, generation of motor commands,
spatial reasoning, conscious thought, and vocally lingual communication.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, in birds and mammals and again,
this includes humans, the same genes are responsible for the proteins in the
developing embryonic forebrain that produce the proliferation and arrangement
of neurons. It just so happens that this occurs on the lower surface of the
pallium in birds and on the upper surface with mammals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOL33LXpGKaqglSAqyNJIgFuUy-1MBrvTA2LeA-P4xvXqjks7mJ1Pf-ma-Cj2seTEiF3WdcgjbEIjwEbvD79AUkqHPEv2vdxSQbxdtXDeedHbW06KEsefxZ8PsVNTWfi40TFpn0wKMXWRx/s1600/1-bird+crow+brain+tony+angell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="512" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOL33LXpGKaqglSAqyNJIgFuUy-1MBrvTA2LeA-P4xvXqjks7mJ1Pf-ma-Cj2seTEiF3WdcgjbEIjwEbvD79AUkqHPEv2vdxSQbxdtXDeedHbW06KEsefxZ8PsVNTWfi40TFpn0wKMXWRx/s320/1-bird+crow+brain+tony+angell.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Tony Angell a crow’s brain </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although the bird pallium of the
forebrain is three layered into a hyperpallium, the neural connections are
distributed in patchy centers rather than layers in devising environmental
perceptions. Wherein the mammal’s neocortex connections only consist of six
layers of intricate neural cell interconnections with no networking patches in
perceiving the surrounding world. But, the patchy hyperpallium of the bird’s
forebrain is homologous to the mammal’s layered neocortex as both were derived
then springboarded from the ancestral upper surface of a reptile’s embryonic
brain. The result; both function the same in the accessing, integrating,
interpreting and resultant action in the flood of information coming from their
environment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In thinking, requisitions required for
the brain to interpret and interpolate are the chemical messages, the
electrical pathways and the mechanical apertures to produce them. Both the bird
brain and mammalian brain utilize the same genes, neural electrical
transmitters, enzymes and hormones as messenger carriers such as adrenalin,
corticosterone, dopamine, opioids and the FoxP2 gene that is critical to
stimulating nerve development and connectivity in social animals for language
and song learning. Just as in humans, birds can reconsider sensory information
by rewiring neural circuits that loop between the thalamus and pallium.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9k8HAQMFwzIxyakaF0PgxoMJ1SwVWyE71KjDGmhwuyeO0nYUTui5Mp13vs_bVkfBkIUAWOYV8v2qd9H2G1BASRcg_427lD_BcKBQwtXL7zQaWskQMS6S0qbuPfULHnZHgltt2vvaQAsM/s1600/1-bird+crow+neural+loops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="511" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9k8HAQMFwzIxyakaF0PgxoMJ1SwVWyE71KjDGmhwuyeO0nYUTui5Mp13vs_bVkfBkIUAWOYV8v2qd9H2G1BASRcg_427lD_BcKBQwtXL7zQaWskQMS6S0qbuPfULHnZHgltt2vvaQAsM/s320/1-bird+crow+neural+loops.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Tony Angell neural looping</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Just as in most humans, in most birds,
socialization is critical for the species as a whole. Play is an important
action in social animals as a means to learning, exercise and relief of stressful
tension. Chickens, cranes, cuckoos, ducks, gulls, hawks, hornbills, owls,
parrots, pigeons, songbirds, swifts and even woodpeckers all play. However, I
will only dwell a bit on the social behaviors of corvids, the family of crows,
ravens, magpies and jays, but in particular on crows and ravens.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wild crows play and play a lot, even
adults. It appears to bolster their insight as a motivation to explore, solve
problems, assess situations, sharpen their ability to think of the past to plan
for the future, or simply to frolic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Washington State, crows were seen
flying in formation on a cold winter day only to break formation and dive bomb
to the top of a water tower where warm air was rising from it. As the warm air
rose, the crows would spread their wings allowing the rising warm air currents
to glide them upwards until the rising warm air was saturated enough with the
surrounding cold air that it would no longer support any more lift. From there
the crows dove back down repeatedly to the top of the tower to rise but once
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A crow at play will pick up a stick and
poke another with it, until the one being poked grabs the stick away from the
poker, switching roles in turning the poked into the poker. On the tips of
branches or wires tied to branches, crows have been seen grabbing the branches
and wires with their beaks or feet then head knob until they begin bouncing up
and down. Ravens have been seen bobsledding down snowy hillsides either on
their backs or belly and once down the hill fly back up to do it again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFz-6FS-DQe5gX0d7q5RFF2itOBvpzWI2JXfW3fAI_R3gCMAvUQgADzFxUZm_pN3rGsFJD-U2gkDjFbBrt6BxWsOuy-wnMZCvqbSrPdC8iVctKr1Ia3jN0jPlRgnaOWwt3xatv7MZT_zX/s1600/1-bird+ravens+surfing+CO+winds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFz-6FS-DQe5gX0d7q5RFF2itOBvpzWI2JXfW3fAI_R3gCMAvUQgADzFxUZm_pN3rGsFJD-U2gkDjFbBrt6BxWsOuy-wnMZCvqbSrPdC8iVctKr1Ia3jN0jPlRgnaOWwt3xatv7MZT_zX/s320/1-bird+ravens+surfing+CO+winds.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Tony Angell Ravens wind surfing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A favorite game of raven play in
Colorado’s Rocky National Park is to surf the wind when strong winds slam into
a cliff or mountainside causing updrafts. Ravens have been witnessed by human
crowds in picking up a thin sheet of bark with their feet then flying towards
the top of the cliff or mountain they enter into the updraft and wind surf down
through it. They will do this for hours on end.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These forms of play activity builds,
re-circuits and refines synapses in the bird’s brain developing required social
skills. This neurobiology of play, as in mammals rewards brain circuits with
new chemistries. Important regions of the social brain affect certain sections
of the forebrain such as the amygdala, which acquires and retains memories sorting
out the pleasant from unpleasant emotional experiences and the septum which
integrates the information from those memories and the hippocampus that affects
social bonding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As far as emotional sympathy or even
sadness goes, the bird’s brain can also analyze situations calling for these
symptoms. Harpy eagles of Brazil are monogamous and mate for life. When one
loses a mate, they will mourn by incessantly crying out in screeching. While
back to crows, these birds have been seen lining up to view a fallen associate
as the victim of car hit. It’s almost like in a human’s funeral, where
congregants line up to view the deceased at a funeral for the last time. Crows
have even been seen helping an injured crow move by two other crows holding the
injured one up from both sides. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By no means did I go over all the
extinct bird-like and bird fossils. To see a more detailed listing, click on
the link below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/List_of_fossil_bird_genera.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/List_of_fossil_bird_genera.html</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
Summation</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, down through the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archosauromorph</i> line from crocodilians
through dinosaurs and finally, to birds we’ve covered this evolution through
the study of fossils.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fossils reveal that dinosaurs originated
in what is now South America, and geologically soon afterwards first diverged
into sauropodomorphs, then ornithischians and theropods before dispersing
across the Triassic world more than 220 million years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fossils reveal a lot; much more so than
as simply a species identifier. Youth variations versus adults, what they ate,
whether they chewed or swallowed food whole, how they digested what they ate,
body coverings in skin, scales and feathering, environmental conditions they
existed in, temperature ranges and how they nested; all are revealed in
fossils. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jukH_w-H9oWI30riSUiPZ32SlE7eZqmNfe390Dz2JPzL6v7w4KXSdYHY3_rXi25tPG2J-CpRuYI3_6BwpU9JxjkbqclmjA6WN2wTYqtpVINXRf2sCj_G8FigbBDQjXm2oVOl5a1aSlkz/s1600/1-dino+t-rex+trichnomas+arrows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="380" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jukH_w-H9oWI30riSUiPZ32SlE7eZqmNfe390Dz2JPzL6v7w4KXSdYHY3_rXi25tPG2J-CpRuYI3_6BwpU9JxjkbqclmjA6WN2wTYqtpVINXRf2sCj_G8FigbBDQjXm2oVOl5a1aSlkz/s200/1-dino+t-rex+trichnomas+arrows.jpg" width="135" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>T</i>. <i>rex</i> jaws infected by trichomonas (arrows) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Even diseases and wounds are determined
in what the dinosaur went through from infections to arthritis to broken bones
and wounds. Activity-related bone fractures have been documented in
ceratopsians. Periostitis (inflammation of periosteum tissue that surrounds
bones) has also been documented in the shoulder blade of a ceratopsian.
Triceratops horn healing and rejuvenating after being injured from an earlier </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">T</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">rex</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
attack attests to this evidence. Also in the basal plesiosaur, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lagenanectes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, the basioccipital (bone in
the base of the cranium) and atlas intercentrum (forming the connection of the
vertebral column with the skull) are pathologically deformed due to an osteomyelitis
infection.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5PPn7DPxliQ1PXmKekgCH1CAr7GxzDZ-y7RywyFqmbHn164ACTNGiADnLCHy0p4CLeDVzG3WoYFOcJvmunu1wTxNuIlTyYyqNtDWDVWopXNFILoAp6AMLcIr68yDat9hqUpd3bhPsGxR/s1600/1-dino+Trichnomas+Chris+Glen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="908" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5PPn7DPxliQ1PXmKekgCH1CAr7GxzDZ-y7RywyFqmbHn164ACTNGiADnLCHy0p4CLeDVzG3WoYFOcJvmunu1wTxNuIlTyYyqNtDWDVWopXNFILoAp6AMLcIr68yDat9hqUpd3bhPsGxR/s200/1-dino+Trichnomas+Chris+Glen.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist Chris Glen <i>T</i>. <i>rex</i> with trichomonas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T</i>.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rex</i> skull fossil shows structurally
different holes bored through the jaw and skull. These are not tooth puncture
wounds and appear to be holes bored by a parasite and in particular the
parasite, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Trichomonas</i> that affects
birds today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQ8JuxE8wVWTMTpzjhTv0XYfn92FSKTuAQywsa-bUGgbpfHrSK3Nt1uDIJsisp9KNyn0BCe49OYvwD9Rgfl8DspB01xqy7j2LT00hsSf8VOZeQf8M1e1Oz-giITsi8DkPiW4uLnCM_T-S/s1600/1-dino+Maiasaura+Jan-Ake+Winqvist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="900" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQ8JuxE8wVWTMTpzjhTv0XYfn92FSKTuAQywsa-bUGgbpfHrSK3Nt1uDIJsisp9KNyn0BCe49OYvwD9Rgfl8DspB01xqy7j2LT00hsSf8VOZeQf8M1e1Oz-giITsi8DkPiW4uLnCM_T-S/s200/1-dino+Maiasaura+Jan-Ake+Winqvist.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jan-Ake Winqvist <i>Maiasaura</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fossils also give us a window to peer
into dinosaur parental care. ‘Two Medicine Formation’s Egg Mountain in northern
Montana displays parental care in a nesting colony site of the dinosaur, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maiasaura</i> (My-uh-sawr-uh). Numerous nest
sites, eggs and young were found. The eggs were arranged in dug out earthen
nests that were an adult’s body length in distance from each other. The baby
fossils displayed skeletons that still were composed of more cartilaginous
material than bone tissue, too much so that they could not yet walk. This
alludes to the fact of altricial conditions, so parental care would’ve been
necessary for young survival. Also, in the different stages of the baby and
young ages, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maiasaura</i> youth grew
extremely fast as comparable to bird hatchlings and fledglings. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course fossils give details of
anatomical structuring. The dinosaur vertebral column consists of the cervical
(neck), dorsal (back), sacral (hips), and caudal (tail) vertebrae. Saurischian fossils
tell us that dinosaur vertebrae sometimes possessed features known as
pleurocoels (hollow depressions on the lateral portions of the vertebrae) that
are perforated creating an entrance into the air chambers within the vertebrae,
serving the dinosaur in decreased bone weight without sacrificing strength. Pleurocoels
were filled with air sacs in furthering weight deduction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPox6_wUvICA_F0AS_soQAt1bI5ve99zmBQ2jHa6n9O2TtTYu3yQoO1fkv_D_qVEIT4gpXJD0LaO5vpQtTXRH-Ex8hV1jBHLsWyEFBcehm9IOjEpNAnG8bds7twVy4z3RIB3vQWsx2ljBo/s1600/1-dino+pneumaticity+apatosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="875" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPox6_wUvICA_F0AS_soQAt1bI5ve99zmBQ2jHa6n9O2TtTYu3yQoO1fkv_D_qVEIT4gpXJD0LaO5vpQtTXRH-Ex8hV1jBHLsWyEFBcehm9IOjEpNAnG8bds7twVy4z3RIB3vQWsx2ljBo/s320/1-dino+pneumaticity+apatosaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pneumatic pleurocels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As the largest known land vertebrates,
sauropod dinosaurs’ pleurocoels and air sacs may have reduced the animal’s weight
by over a ton, a handy evolutionary adaption in animals that grew to over 30
meters in length. In many hadrosaur and theropod dinosaurs, the caudal
vertebrae were reinforced by ossified tendons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Going all the way back to the avialans 125
mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sapeornis</i> lacked teeth as an
adult in the lower jaw, while <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jeholornis</i>
was in the process of reducing teeth; changing the typical dinosaur snout into
an atypical bird beak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Latter enantiornitheans were trending
towards stronger flight just like the euornithean progenitors of modern birds.
Through convergent evolution, the enantiornithean, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mirarce</i> (Mir-r-say), though totally separate from the euornithean
line of modern birds had evolved highly refined adaptations for advanced
flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The fossil of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mirarce</i> shows it still retained more primitive enantiornithean
anatomical features, but also had evolved a more deeply keeled sternum for
stronger flight muscles to attach to and unlike its enantiornithean relatives
in possessing a U-shaped furcula (wishbone), its furcula was more V-shaped as
in euornitheans and modern birds. However, by the time the K-Pg extinction
came, all enantiornitheans had become extinct, even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mirarce</i> who lived 76-74.1 mya.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxwZFrBjecTbpbh0Nm8CZgRJioUcH-itl6Jp3RURLfFc_uDG5h1Vz0tmaV-74BfxCn7LjWVJhvHCoI5ckeFe6LLcz6AsviivMLYM2sJOJdLJ6OoHOKcqdAdoDMjkbPR7EyFI3KPKwmeim/s1600/1-bird+mirarce-utahceratops+Brian+Engh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1334" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxwZFrBjecTbpbh0Nm8CZgRJioUcH-itl6Jp3RURLfFc_uDG5h1Vz0tmaV-74BfxCn7LjWVJhvHCoI5ckeFe6LLcz6AsviivMLYM2sJOJdLJ6OoHOKcqdAdoDMjkbPR7EyFI3KPKwmeim/s320/1-bird+mirarce-utahceratops+Brian+Engh.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Brian Engh <i>Mirarce</i> atop <i>Utahceratops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Once you put all that is known of
vertebrate fossils, it becomes a page-by-page book with chapters leading into
the next building up a story through time in how little-by-little, bit-by-bit
one ancestral extinct animal evolved into a more modern one due to evidenced
environmental change and natural selection pressures.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The most costly mobility expense in
energy is flight. We just touched base, but it is truly an exciting event in
seeing how ornithuromorph fossils had already provided the pathway for modern
birds to inherit a specialized digestive system that is lightweight, efficient
and capable of sustaining the energetic demands of powered flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The most unique inherited feature of
birds is in having feathers that enabled flight, provides insulation,
camouflage protection and visual communication. Modified feathers aid in
swimming, sound production, water repellence, tactile sensation, hearing, and
body support. Theropdal adaptations for flight include fusion and reinforcement
of lightweight bones and the presence of a keeled sternum in supporting flight
muscles, homeothermy (warm-bloodededness), produce external eggs, and
demonstrate complex parental and reproductive behaviors. Other reptilian and
most likely theropodal shared features include nucleated red blood cells, a
single middle ear bone, and a single occipital condyle on the back of the
skull. Birds uniquely possess vocalization usage to mediate social
interactions, have distinctive bills/feet and are able to detect and react to
magnetism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNdTxFQWYuS3ERv6FVGlvezzEDzmCLHT-dOkwLC9eMZBwXkfDzMl0IcBpyebz8w0xYCaEAkOkiaI6dD4RLUAHWq0OkhOmDSQ1vYezzd7LWMokQk4O-CtqpV_bRoi6OSLMYo__XzygCcn8/s1600/1-bird+beaks-feet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="526" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNdTxFQWYuS3ERv6FVGlvezzEDzmCLHT-dOkwLC9eMZBwXkfDzMl0IcBpyebz8w0xYCaEAkOkiaI6dD4RLUAHWq0OkhOmDSQ1vYezzd7LWMokQk4O-CtqpV_bRoi6OSLMYo__XzygCcn8/s320/1-bird+beaks-feet.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Ikononet. com Distinctive bird beaks and feet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In ‘Et Tunc Nulla Erat VII’, from large
toads to pterosaurs to even early day mammals, we mentioned how dinosaurs were
preyed upon by other animals, but dinosaurs surely had other animals, besides
other dinosaurs on their menu lists as well, as is the case in the picture
below.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigeTZ-j3WsbcEiH_EqPzRYre_oUVQmLmkLDbLrbCidMiYXREPzmcleE4m1YOK9JAjUbf1HeuNszNYjo6SLK0NisP2BpPkjiE9kJZ8WumQTiavmubkFWYygoICBdewsE8x0IUj0qxUSv4nZ/s1600/1-dino+Carcharodontosaurus-Ornithocheirus+luis+v+rey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="353" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigeTZ-j3WsbcEiH_EqPzRYre_oUVQmLmkLDbLrbCidMiYXREPzmcleE4m1YOK9JAjUbf1HeuNszNYjo6SLK0NisP2BpPkjiE9kJZ8WumQTiavmubkFWYygoICBdewsE8x0IUj0qxUSv4nZ/s320/1-dino+Carcharodontosaurus-Ornithocheirus+luis+v+rey.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Luis V. Rey Carcharodontosaurs/Ornithocheirus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I’ll leave you with Spain’s 129.4-126.3 million-year-old
‘La Huérguina Formation’s newly 2018 discovered fossil of a recently hatched
juvenile enantiornithean. Due to the fossil’s exceptional detail, researchers
know it was an enantiornithean, but due to its very recent discovery, have not
as yet assigned it to a genus or species nomenclature.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3F81XlGAclF_hMy64GovdZS_MgRWXsYL9a7_v6JiYpc7qUdgvLibd8L8ccmhAfBwNDXATjx5_tRerxk5vFXGHo3mOsMLwf1jnidnWk4lNQBvv2KNd_QPcaMMdafqRFDarYuNwkyfWIko2/s1600/1-bird+Enantiornithean+juvenile+Raul+Martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3F81XlGAclF_hMy64GovdZS_MgRWXsYL9a7_v6JiYpc7qUdgvLibd8L8ccmhAfBwNDXATjx5_tRerxk5vFXGHo3mOsMLwf1jnidnWk4lNQBvv2KNd_QPcaMMdafqRFDarYuNwkyfWIko2/s320/1-bird+Enantiornithean+juvenile+Raul+Martin.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The enantiornithean hatchling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">For those that still don’t think birds
came from dinosaurs…have ya ever stared back into the eyes a shoebill stork…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BY_Z6fDSi8uDgE5Q507coWfbg1XLjNI8q6rT7ffVxXLjPbDjlYLxOH9otU8Yk5RMDhauNFkWX4wpq_NP698fCXsyji3rKJbm_yYR0tIZEfJHKlxfPEosOg7ha2LPn0Xpy1dg9ESgfu_-/s1600/1-bird+shoebill+stork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="423" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BY_Z6fDSi8uDgE5Q507coWfbg1XLjNI8q6rT7ffVxXLjPbDjlYLxOH9otU8Yk5RMDhauNFkWX4wpq_NP698fCXsyji3rKJbm_yYR0tIZEfJHKlxfPEosOg7ha2LPn0Xpy1dg9ESgfu_-/s320/1-bird+shoebill+stork.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shoebill Stork</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">For the next ‘Et Tunc Nulla Erat’
series, we’re gonna go back in time, revisit and pick up the synapsids that
eventually lead to mammals.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Happy Birding<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">03/31/2019<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-48274377884254667342018-12-06T18:19:00.001-05:002018-12-09T11:30:06.011-05:00Et Tunc Nulla Erat IX (Dinos 2) <br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "algerian"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Et tunc nulla erat IX </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">(And Once There
Was)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinos: Part 2 of
3<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Theropoda</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Theropods’ temporal range is from
231.4-0.0 mya first appearing in the Late Triassic all the way to the present
as birds. The term ‘theropod’ means “beast footed” but the term ‘bird footed’
would have been more befitting since the pes (foot) are more comparable and the
theropodal end result is birds. This dinosaur group is mainly characterized in
having three-toed limbs, hollow bones and derived from a carnivorous ancestry.
Most theropods were carnivorous with recurved sharp teeth, but some evolved
into herbivores, scavengers, insectivores and primary piscivores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Theropods are a very extensive and
diverse bipedal group of dinosaurs and in the innumerable cladistic structuring’
and phylogenetic rearranging. It can become confusing, as in the very
simplified clade list of divisions and subdivisions below. So, as revisions
continue to grow due to more fossil finds of new theropods, we’ll be presenting
clades in a much more facilitating manner.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDMh4vl1QmBX30dQBzfe7z-MKBo8fdTIUF33YZgpvpiu2J1IJUdUItMGMem2cQjCfFkyi0Qqq4bX9ecXgfLJSfT5w6Vcvum8KmmAPivAc2nm43dGutjBnO549bkUKnHn6F1_t4_pO_89Q/s1600/1-dino+theropoda+clades.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="296" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDMh4vl1QmBX30dQBzfe7z-MKBo8fdTIUF33YZgpvpiu2J1IJUdUItMGMem2cQjCfFkyi0Qqq4bX9ecXgfLJSfT5w6Vcvum8KmmAPivAc2nm43dGutjBnO549bkUKnHn6F1_t4_pO_89Q/s320/1-dino+theropoda+clades.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Theropoda</i> divisions</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the Middle Triassic, theropods
evolved from lagosuchian ornithodirans. If you might recall, lagosuchians were
small lightly built archosaurs notable for slender legs and well developed feet
which was a prelude for primitive theropod features. The hind limbs were larger
than the forelimbs, but as facultative quadrupeds, could move bipedally with induced
speed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Theropodal archosaurian ancestries were
ectotherms (cold blooded), but as active hunting terrestrial predators, (opposed
to lying in wait ambush semi aquatic predators as in extant crocodilians),
paleontological evidence and crocodilian oxidative metabolism points to the
fact that these early terrestrial archosaurs had the potential for improving
body heat. The theropod line and indeed dinosaurians in general took advantage
of this. For sure the avian bird-line theropods had developed endothermic
metabolism. Unlike mammalian endothermic down to the cellular in burning fuel
for generating heat, dinosaurs, like birds produced internal heat through
increased oxidative capacities. Other theropods were at least mesothermic (not
quite ectothermic but not quite endothermic either). This is evident from the
high muscular tissue content in theropods and other dinosaur lines. With
multiple strong and effective muscles, dinosaurs were active making them the
dominant animals during the Jurassic and Cretaceous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The transformation from an ectothermic to
an endothermic metabolic state occurs by the interaction between the increased
basal uncoupling of aerobic metabolism from energy production demand. Increased
oxidative capacity and increased uncoupling of mitochondria witnessed in
developing bird embryos is a process controlled by tyrosine-based thyroid
hormones via its effect on PGC 1alpha (key regulator of energy metabolism) and
adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) gene expression. Most likely, this was the
same molecular mechanisms for theropod endothermic capabilities.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETVKG8kJwCenjmUoGp39PaLiIrn6fIhGNv5XSim8_JHBbNVbc9MRbew3AvWJFpkxn5upvA5okJsDf5nb46WMDtz5zQ_5oC5D2qVYliLxp2dLZXqW3R2sGHrASTtusDdHVhTWWF2FmW3Rr/s1600/1-dino+Eoraptor+skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="1600" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETVKG8kJwCenjmUoGp39PaLiIrn6fIhGNv5XSim8_JHBbNVbc9MRbew3AvWJFpkxn5upvA5okJsDf5nb46WMDtz5zQ_5oC5D2qVYliLxp2dLZXqW3R2sGHrASTtusDdHVhTWWF2FmW3Rr/s320/1-dino+Eoraptor+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eoraptor</i> skeletal anatomy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It appears that theropods originated in
what is now southern South America. Living 231-228 mya ago, </span></span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eoraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (E-oh-rap-tor) was one of the
earliest lines of basal theropods and was found in Argentina’s ‘Ischigualasto
Formation’ composed of muddy siltstones. At 1m/3.3ft long, this animal was
slender and as lightly built running digitigrade (moving on its digits rather
than the whole foot) in an obligate bipedally upright position, it was designed
for speed.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVZtZtBu5fIuFy0y_6YvnjvFtv1GJ3_t9KkD-d91aI8YQs-MEboADsw1-iKTuF4gRa4Jb5-_YTxD8-fBpEuK6Ka2O9Sd4UCAer2beNHgaQXIf7gRi9mDQnc07WXrW0xJTlEU-Qmxn7ETU/s1600/1-dino+eoraptor+cr+KN3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="700" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVZtZtBu5fIuFy0y_6YvnjvFtv1GJ3_t9KkD-d91aI8YQs-MEboADsw1-iKTuF4gRa4Jb5-_YTxD8-fBpEuK6Ka2O9Sd4UCAer2beNHgaQXIf7gRi9mDQnc07WXrW0xJTlEU-Qmxn7ETU/s320/1-dino+eoraptor+cr+KN3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: KN3 <i>Eoraptor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Obligate or habitual bipedalism today is
a rarity as seen only in humans and kangaroos, but theropods were virtually all
bipeds. The only one I know of that could choose to walk as an occasional
quadruped was, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Spinosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> as long as
the pelvis could align and the manus wrist bones wouldn’t be crushed in the
overbearing weight. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eoraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s long
tubular bones, such as the femur were hollow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dentition was heterodont consisting of
serrated, recurved teeth in the upper jaw, as later theropods would possess and
leaf-shaped teeth in the lower jaw, like the teeth of basal sauropodomorphs. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eoraptor</i> with its speed and agility
could easily overtake any of its small prey then immediately immobilize them
with its forelimbs’ formidable claws. But, due to its leaf-shaped herbivorous
teeth in the lower jaw, it is considered to be more as an omnivore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eoraptor</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was close in
relations to the 231.4-225 mya family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Herrerasauridae</i>
(Huh-ree-ah-ruh-sawr-ruh-day) with multiple shared features such as the
saurischian lizard pelvis, but it is now phylogenetically been determined that
herrerasaurids were not ancestral to any later dinosaurian groups. It currently
is being proposed that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eoraptor</i> may
be the common ancestor to all dinosaur groups with more emphasis towards the
sauropodomorpha line. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eoraptor</i> went
extinct during the Triassic/Jurassic extinction.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9MepPw-TU2Hg6RLJCuITdMUA4YrQQskjQ0q8-8kMpia8rbF9mIdmW30uUArOC_mXtxGOw9ML24R-8WLhDeSnNz16KbjLNx_TWfhDJqoUGavpQsed7-8JzlrrN_G56L1U0HjU-dlgXX7-/s1600/1-dino+eodromaeus+paul+sereno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="573" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9MepPw-TU2Hg6RLJCuITdMUA4YrQQskjQ0q8-8kMpia8rbF9mIdmW30uUArOC_mXtxGOw9ML24R-8WLhDeSnNz16KbjLNx_TWfhDJqoUGavpQsed7-8JzlrrN_G56L1U0HjU-dlgXX7-/s320/1-dino+eodromaeus+paul+sereno.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Paul Sereno <i>Eodromaeus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A basal theropod was </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eodromaeus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (E-o-dro-may-us). Occurring
231.4-229 mya during the Late Triassic of Argentina, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eodromaeus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was relatively small at 1.2m/3.9ft in total length. The
main features to this primitive theropod were: it being a biped carnivore with
smaller forelimbs ending in hands that were transitioning from five to three
digits, as digits IV and V were shortening to the point of becoming vestigial.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfzuI2wwOn5Tw7W7KLypWguYqzahF_F2M8DZf_rNha2lF4dNySUpKhkMyqs1Y5Tkj0i8s4VN51zCOloF-K8JhAUG3pMYNUebVF9Jl-GAfSYIIpU6itBXsg0EGmz0ymUm6g6HCwemxs0Y3/s1600/1-dino+tawa+Jorge+Gonzalez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1600" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfzuI2wwOn5Tw7W7KLypWguYqzahF_F2M8DZf_rNha2lF4dNySUpKhkMyqs1Y5Tkj0i8s4VN51zCOloF-K8JhAUG3pMYNUebVF9Jl-GAfSYIIpU6itBXsg0EGmz0ymUm6g6HCwemxs0Y3/s320/1-dino+tawa+Jorge+Gonzalez.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jorge Gonzalez <i>Tawa</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXBjuglAwR4ldSABOleeBolbfC-8AyBwbWIexQWRgLmIEiAnRB4aV0_KFSwXjbx132CVtooxuFpVbIrr9_LFZECb_-q57K17SHz75fi8wQO3PTqWYyWmc3bS18QLzQkxcoknBPYD2IS8l/s1600/1-dino+air+sacs+national+science+foundation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="999" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXBjuglAwR4ldSABOleeBolbfC-8AyBwbWIexQWRgLmIEiAnRB4aV0_KFSwXjbx132CVtooxuFpVbIrr9_LFZECb_-q57K17SHz75fi8wQO3PTqWYyWmc3bS18QLzQkxcoknBPYD2IS8l/s200/1-dino+air+sacs+national+science+foundation.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theropodal cavity air sacs </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tawa</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Tah-wah)
occurred 215 mya during the Late Triassic and was one of the first N. America
early theropods to have lived in what is now New Mexico. At 2.5m/8.2ft long, it
had a very slender build as compared to other earlier theropods, but was a
trait to be characteristic of its descendants. The femur being longer than the
lower tibia and fibula leg bones was a unique feature, but the main
characteristic was that the neck vertebrae contained air sacs which were</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> almost
identical to the air sacs of birds.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9y9ha9wAQSX6JEoMbLnZ7DL_idauGc2vE-1QjJt5VPk9C8vl97aZW7A3tHTR8llauX1Oq9D5bDJCzUNKn6mrlWrmP9f0BB3pvGXKb66rp4Gx9zmlR8rd5nFo3KuKTeDgmnBOyRRuDPj-/s1600/1-dino+daemonosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="800" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9y9ha9wAQSX6JEoMbLnZ7DL_idauGc2vE-1QjJt5VPk9C8vl97aZW7A3tHTR8llauX1Oq9D5bDJCzUNKn6mrlWrmP9f0BB3pvGXKb66rp4Gx9zmlR8rd5nFo3KuKTeDgmnBOyRRuDPj-/s320/1-dino+daemonosaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: apsaravis <i>Daemonosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The name, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Daemonosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Day-mow-no-sawr-us) literally termed means,
‘prominent tooth’, but loosely termed means ‘buck tooth’ and for good reason.
At 1.5m/5ft long, this theropod may have been small, but considering its bite,
you would not want to tangle with it. What makes this theropod unique among
theropods is that its short skull bore large and sharp conical maxillary and
premaxillary teeth that protruded out from the tip of the mouth. There was a
lack of fusion between the braincase bones, but the fossil remains were of an adult
as the neurocentral sutures of the vertebrae were fused. Perhaps with the teeth
projecting outwards as they did, it was necessary to have unsown suturing and
expandable skull bones to accept the biting force of this animal. With its
unique skull traits, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Daemonosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
was an early theropod that went extinct during the Triassic/Jurassic extinction
period and left no genetic lineage.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiL8_6vrOOXkoKSgeXYLirsca46dVMseMu64irUjUAb0xUSqJlfVTgmaWQukASwLuK8dMIA7EisEISBMh40NyFG4PjAU5ma1qCEaVa2x5vEjsFO-u625inRaiea-mtfvIvWEVs1EGjmdy/s1600/1-dino+tachyraptor++Maur%25C3%25ADlio+Oliveira.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1572" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiL8_6vrOOXkoKSgeXYLirsca46dVMseMu64irUjUAb0xUSqJlfVTgmaWQukASwLuK8dMIA7EisEISBMh40NyFG4PjAU5ma1qCEaVa2x5vEjsFO-u625inRaiea-mtfvIvWEVs1EGjmdy/s320/1-dino+tachyraptor++Maur%25C3%25ADlio+Oliveira.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Maurillo Oliveira <i>Tachiraptor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tachiraptor</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Tack-he-rap-tor)
occurring in the Early Jurassic 200 mya was not a raptor, as the name might
imply to readers. It preceded the raptor family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosauridae</i> (Drom-me-ah-o-sawr-ah day) by 74 million years and
is not directly related. However, it represents a very primitive basal member
to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neotheropoda</i>, therefore, it is an
unequivocal stem group to averostrans, the ‘bird snout dinosaurs’, in which
we’ll dwell on a bit later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At 1.5m/4.9ft long, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tachiraptor</i> ’s fossil remains were found in Venezuela and it is
considered a ‘ghost linage’ to birds. This shows that theropods were radiating
out from their place of origin in southern South America. Early theropod
species also began appearing in N. America during the connection between the
two present continents of N. and S. America. Also, Pangea at the
Triassic/Jurassic border connected these two continents to Asia and Africa.
Once land bridges were cut off by continental plate tectonics further into the
Jurassic and Cretaceous, theropod species as isolated evolved into newer
forms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Postulating the spread from the earliest
dinosaurs originating from what is now Argentina and later into what is now N.
America, aids greatly in the understanding of the geological evolutionary role
played on dinosaurs by confirming the equatorial zone of the supercontinent
Pangea’s influence over the development of early dinosaurs through ecological
and geographical isolation via natural selection.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivb6hgRV_9ng4YUTg6_kFbTST5tYej0ezNwp72VG71gwtywxm-ms0aVfoDd7_9ISD344T8LEXlKo8TzC60Fkq5-wadBUUaWN0c9XWY5FE887VUhvpg2UgAvUJI7-Up7cTooHdR0z5sUQ1d/s1600/1-dino+neotheropoda1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="528" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivb6hgRV_9ng4YUTg6_kFbTST5tYej0ezNwp72VG71gwtywxm-ms0aVfoDd7_9ISD344T8LEXlKo8TzC60Fkq5-wadBUUaWN0c9XWY5FE887VUhvpg2UgAvUJI7-Up7cTooHdR0z5sUQ1d/s320/1-dino+neotheropoda1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Neotheropoda</i> simple Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Neotheropoda</span></span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: This is a
major clade that includes all the theropod groups that survived the
Triassic/Jurassic extinction, namely the ceratosaurs, noasaurids,
abelisauroids, and the coelophysoids. Neotheropods’ revealed traits were size
increases of ilium surface attachments and enlarged pelvic muscles, while
reducing pedal (foot) digits I and V making the foot tridactyl while walking on
three toes. Also, there was a further reduction in manus (hand) digits IV and V
making the digits either vestigial or obsolete in later forms. These distal
limb features would now be the prevailing trait of theropods.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiny_jNiSFXBoCVmxjJ01fCdfiLfeba5XJOap4NlIQRWpNs3ZF41LpK2P6gvsLn56GP1e89LfyfVoERooQRXC_XWbyxIZN4CxbaCbS7hceBXz3EIqf7okef-NcHVbgdf5_6-DP2scIgVywb/s1600/1-dino+coelophysoidea+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="726" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiny_jNiSFXBoCVmxjJ01fCdfiLfeba5XJOap4NlIQRWpNs3ZF41LpK2P6gvsLn56GP1e89LfyfVoERooQRXC_XWbyxIZN4CxbaCbS7hceBXz3EIqf7okef-NcHVbgdf5_6-DP2scIgVywb/s320/1-dino+coelophysoidea+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Coelophysoidea</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Coelophysoidea</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> ~ (See-luh-phi-soy-dee-uh)
is an older sister group to averostrans and were small slender dinosaurs that
had radiated out globally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coelophysoids
appeared 220-183 mya during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic. Coelophysoids
were direct descendants of the earliest dinosaurs but with smaller slender
builds, dentition for capturing insects/small reptilian prey, definitive feathering
and hollow bones. As a predecessor, they passed these genetic traits onto coelurosaurs.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoJW9YNnIFihzRqqGQ6rsAoaZiapLb8JB06YAhZwSJMjdE0eueZI0QqvCUP4-H63alp4J5Y6Snw6Rv2BCzFHPYloKzYqUdyEZYvdpJTzoNlc6Y1FQEFgyJRuIS27DUtFti275y7VJ-Mdu/s1600/1-dino+procampsognathus+alain+beneteau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="530" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoJW9YNnIFihzRqqGQ6rsAoaZiapLb8JB06YAhZwSJMjdE0eueZI0QqvCUP4-H63alp4J5Y6Snw6Rv2BCzFHPYloKzYqUdyEZYvdpJTzoNlc6Y1FQEFgyJRuIS27DUtFti275y7VJ-Mdu/s320/1-dino+procampsognathus+alain+beneteau.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Alain Beneteau <i>Procompsognathus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Procompsognathus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Pro-comp-sog-nath-us)
had a temporal range of 210 mya during the Late Triassic and was a small and
slender theropod at 1m/3.3ft long. It was a very refined and lightly built
dainty theropod as the name, taken from the Greek words, ‘kompsos’ and
‘gnathos’ attest to in meaning, ‘elegant jaw’ when put together respectively.
Long hind limbs, short forelimbs ending in large clawed hands, a long slender
snout filled with many tiny teeth and a stiffened tail are key features of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Procompsognathus</i>. This theropod dieted
on insects and small animals like lizards and the young of other smaller
dinosaurs. The fossil remains come from what is now Germany when the country
was a relatively dry and inland environment. The name <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Procompsognathus</i> does not mean it is a direct descendent of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Compsognathus</i>. It only implies that with
some similarities, the former came long before the future one.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_g3Huzz1aUg04b5b2_JUQZ4eR11LScVd13pJScJ5jNB_2TAflsMK_bKePbXnJQyKKraS1JmcrzYqViuZrg0Wa0QynS-iXwMp6IyRCnK0abaHXnNhZSRZ7c9fYpc6b8qk7x6SG9-GNMBC7/s1600/1-dino+Dilophosaurus+fossil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="1280" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_g3Huzz1aUg04b5b2_JUQZ4eR11LScVd13pJScJ5jNB_2TAflsMK_bKePbXnJQyKKraS1JmcrzYqViuZrg0Wa0QynS-iXwMp6IyRCnK0abaHXnNhZSRZ7c9fYpc6b8qk7x6SG9-GNMBC7/s320/1-dino+Dilophosaurus+fossil.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dilophosaurus</i> fossil</td></tr>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Dilophosaurus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Di-lo-fo-sawr-us),
once considered a ceratosaur, then a basal coelophysoid and now is under dilophosaurids which are considered as a sister group to averostrans. It had two cranial crests that
sat atop the skull just below the neck and measured 7m/23ft long. The crests
were formed from extensions of the lacrimal and nasal bones and would’ve been
only useful as displays. There was no sexual dimorphism so both sexes supported
crests. With a temporal range of 193 mya in the Early Jurassic, its fossil
remains were discovered in Arizona, U.S. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dilophosaurus</i>
had a weak bite and it was incapable of biting through bone as most theropods
easily could. It most likely, in conjunction with its manus distal claws used
its teeth to immobilize and kill smaller prey, then pick flesh off the bones.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3E1uqgUOshCrBAmeEKaFsc5rV0niVTNayI_ZuJ96m-RIm5F8-XN1p0Xle2eZTDzfHzr8ACvnuhxDQRJCVGgcsBo0aJQ9WlQPVtC2lULEVEqsyKYAtV_Q56Tlhvdhf9NRgGbMnsE-nS-7/s1600/1-dino+averostra+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="763" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3E1uqgUOshCrBAmeEKaFsc5rV0niVTNayI_ZuJ96m-RIm5F8-XN1p0Xle2eZTDzfHzr8ACvnuhxDQRJCVGgcsBo0aJQ9WlQPVtC2lULEVEqsyKYAtV_Q56Tlhvdhf9NRgGbMnsE-nS-7/s320/1-dino+averostra+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Averostra</i> simple Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Averostra</span></span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
(Ay-vee-ros-truh): With the term standing for ‘bird snouts’, averostrans were
composed primarily of two main groups and one subgroup in being the
ceratosaurians and tetanurans. The tetanuran line gave rise to the orionideans,
the largest of theropod groups. Through biomechanical studies, it’s been shown
that in the later and larger averostrans, the skull narrowed laterally but was
deep vertically. This shows averostrans were more dependent on strong repeated
bites in the skull withstanding the up and down pressures and forces from
repeatedly biting down hard into larger prey. But, in being narrower, the skull
was not equipped in resisting side to side pressures and forces due to
possessing a weak muscular and fragile jaw bone not capable to grip for the
shaking of prey.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqbhRyppIoIB66_XL2uLm7ovUxuP0lxaAQPB4igizDKuPs04r51KyKjc-e-dqUeZBDhSkckmPm_R4zG5b_YJ-VICwrLAnODE1sej6KwLb76pBSJVnjtxyXxQ5Xr0_sBeDlEtqRHyJ2wbB/s1600/1-dino+ceratosauria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="545" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqbhRyppIoIB66_XL2uLm7ovUxuP0lxaAQPB4igizDKuPs04r51KyKjc-e-dqUeZBDhSkckmPm_R4zG5b_YJ-VICwrLAnODE1sej6KwLb76pBSJVnjtxyXxQ5Xr0_sBeDlEtqRHyJ2wbB/s320/1-dino+ceratosauria.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ceratosauria</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Ceratosauria</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
(Seh-rat-o-sawr-ee-ah) ~ This is a clade of theropods that shared a common
ancestry to all the non-avian dinosaur groups, but possessed hollow bones as
did the maniraptoriforms, which includes birds. Diverging from the dinosaur
bird groups in the Early Jurassic, ceratosaurians arose 185 mya while dying out
66 mya at the end of the Late Cretaceous. An original ceratosaurian feature was
the complete fusion of the astragalus and calcaneum ankle bones. Known as the
tibiotarsus, this astragalus and calcaneum fusion to the tibia would survive
through the latter theropod line all the way to birds. Three main groups of
ceratosaurians were in the families: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ceratosauridae</i>,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Noasauridae</i> and the more derived <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Abelisauridae</i> (Eh-bel-ah-sawr-ah-day).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqb_IPp_gNsB8uJRDl1QFOWf7WapvZdStOulVNKPRlRNbTpEGpaPUyJ_CcR-XhMZMpEYNLOLHbSmTjFC9L1heQlSqFamA-KsBrnAlkJNRZMw9zo8NrGOTlLugiYi6fZwE9B8ndqa_7eeT0/s1600/1-dino+berberosaurus+Karkemish00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqb_IPp_gNsB8uJRDl1QFOWf7WapvZdStOulVNKPRlRNbTpEGpaPUyJ_CcR-XhMZMpEYNLOLHbSmTjFC9L1heQlSqFamA-KsBrnAlkJNRZMw9zo8NrGOTlLugiYi6fZwE9B8ndqa_7eeT0/s320/1-dino+berberosaurus+Karkemish00.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: karkemish00 <i>Berberosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A basal ceratosaurian was the 185 mya
Early Jurassic, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Berberosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Ber-ber-o-sawr-us)
and it may be the earliest of ceratosaurians. At 5m/16.4ft, its fossil site was
found in the continental series ‘Toundoute Group’ of Morocco. It was a biped
carnivore giving distinction to the later form theropod morphologies and
osteological anatomy in its vertebrae arrangement, metacarpals and hind
limbs.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GPtf8r9RS4o-nZ4DEbITmV6O3m8Pzj3Ttc21aDZzrO1EXA-Ej1YcYbR1Yy1q0zPunQXTLULHt-lAXUQcO52b7Nx8avV5yg4E-1p6ujZ-_z-AriwyVEoyL5OAdYywGi3Y0tN2xhpnYZ3U/s1600/1-dino+Limusaurus-inextricabilis+Yu+Chen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1412" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GPtf8r9RS4o-nZ4DEbITmV6O3m8Pzj3Ttc21aDZzrO1EXA-Ej1YcYbR1Yy1q0zPunQXTLULHt-lAXUQcO52b7Nx8avV5yg4E-1p6ujZ-_z-AriwyVEoyL5OAdYywGi3Y0tN2xhpnYZ3U/s320/1-dino+Limusaurus-inextricabilis+Yu+Chen.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Yu Chen <i>Limusaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ceratosaurians were primitive predatory
theropods with the exception of the 161-157 million year old noasaurid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Limusaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Le-moo-sawr-us); it was an
herbivore in its adult stage. Isolated as the only known Asian ceratosaurian, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Limusaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> through the process of aging
underwent a drastic transformational morphology. Juvenile teeth were lost and
replaced with a beak in the adult stage changing the diet as an omnivore to an
herbivore.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnAAiSTzz1uzzElsi2_hbiAbvS6uQb9s34nelSCLdxl4iIpZZHRP8m0FY5KHgTAv5SDhfWovI6bOhAlppIbvSv_zIhmS7lsmOGLhQpkDcUKYu06PtveU87hBZ3sg6qRJGu5Of-E0pOpp7/s1600/1-dino+Ceratosaurus+cr+vaderxl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1100" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnAAiSTzz1uzzElsi2_hbiAbvS6uQb9s34nelSCLdxl4iIpZZHRP8m0FY5KHgTAv5SDhfWovI6bOhAlppIbvSv_zIhmS7lsmOGLhQpkDcUKYu06PtveU87hBZ3sg6qRJGu5Of-E0pOpp7/s320/1-dino+Ceratosaurus+cr+vaderxl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: vaderxl <i>Ceratosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Two ceratosaurians were the
ceratosaurid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ceratosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (in which </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ceratosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> derives its name) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Genyodectes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Jin-yo-decks) where both supported head
crests, although it’s only purported that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Genyodectes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
had crests. In addition, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ceratosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
sported a nose horn with large nasal passages and small osteoderm armor running
down its spine. Similar to birds, the sacrum and pelvic bones were fused
together. Ceratosaurs at 5.3m/17.4ft long had radiated out into Utah/Colorado
U.S., Tanzania and Portugal. The temporal range during the Late Jurassic was
153-148 mya. It was ancestral to abelisaurids and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carnotaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Car-no-tar-us), which also possessed high crested brow
ridges. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carnotaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> also made </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">T. rex</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> look like it had Arnold Schwarzenegger
arms as this 8.25m/ 27.1ft long dinosaur’s vestigial forelimbs were tiny.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQJe60-r7VpXeZmmamhcw3IeqOZKS0-PbZcgFHXjqKH850nR8ooM_KM2nLXYFgFYdRSCxNDp0VE4UgfuKzEFcGNJg2BNFSY64Rzb84wjDj77-TB82gN-Wl9diNFcH8zsh6mmIO7ZBC4Ke/s1600/1-dino+genyodectes+teratophoneus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1018" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQJe60-r7VpXeZmmamhcw3IeqOZKS0-PbZcgFHXjqKH850nR8ooM_KM2nLXYFgFYdRSCxNDp0VE4UgfuKzEFcGNJg2BNFSY64Rzb84wjDj77-TB82gN-Wl9diNFcH8zsh6mmIO7ZBC4Ke/s320/1-dino+genyodectes+teratophoneus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: teratophoneus <i>Genyodectes</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the superfamily </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Abelisauroidea</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Eh-bel-ah-sawr-oi-dee-ah) are the two sister group
families of noasaurids and abeilosaurids. Noasaurids appeared from the Late
Jurassic until the Late Cretaceous 161-69 mya, while the temporal range of
abelisaurids was from the Middle Jurassic until the end of the Late Cretaceous
170-66 mya.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJnNCnArguhZUx7U56FxXaFADOL-gTFF1l7tRkOdWRW41p-6gAJxAc_5xYndaXxm29Asmy9UkoD32FcySEPYgT5fstYtuk0JlM0HA28pwji3vHpLQAo_hUjyzIBTrnxrgsspyLMR3bx-H/s1600/1-dino+abelisaurids+cpurple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="908" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJnNCnArguhZUx7U56FxXaFADOL-gTFF1l7tRkOdWRW41p-6gAJxAc_5xYndaXxm29Asmy9UkoD32FcySEPYgT5fstYtuk0JlM0HA28pwji3vHpLQAo_hUjyzIBTrnxrgsspyLMR3bx-H/s320/1-dino+abelisaurids+cpurple.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: cisiopurple <i>Abelosaurids</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the family, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Abeilosauridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> some unique characteristics were in the skull having
ornamentation of brow ridges/horns with grooves and pits, very short but tall
skulls due to the vertically lengthened premaxilla blunting the front of the
snout, hind limbs comparable to ceratosaur legs and vestigial forelimbs.
Abelisaurids formed a transitional intermediate relationship between </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ceratosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carnotaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and were closely related to both.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1n75aI5Gl9Pps-huc2K3x1nSGkyZWO5GSgkuadoBc1R80zZ42opZoRctqPCCvXbhWh1UWoJE2h6qec_7DAAQBNFcMuGW9y3mnFxyCRsa5nPoSXIuQHay3rBoOqqdkmZdazfxZ6QyB-2N/s1600/1-dino+Xenotarsosaurus+WayneDBarlowe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="850" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1n75aI5Gl9Pps-huc2K3x1nSGkyZWO5GSgkuadoBc1R80zZ42opZoRctqPCCvXbhWh1UWoJE2h6qec_7DAAQBNFcMuGW9y3mnFxyCRsa5nPoSXIuQHay3rBoOqqdkmZdazfxZ6QyB-2N/s320/1-dino+Xenotarsosaurus+WayneDBarlowe.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Wayne D. Barlow <i>Xenotarsosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The abelisaurid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Xenotarsosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Zee-no-tar-so-sawr-us) at 5.4m/18ft long occurred
in the Late Cretaceous 95mya. Found in Argentina’s ‘Bajo Barreal Formation’, it
had the unique ceratosaurian feature in showing a complete fusion between the
astragalus and calcaneum ankle bones. With this complete fusion without any
visible suturing and further fusion of the astragalus/calcaneum element to the
widened distal end of the tibia, there is a prevailing thought to remove </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Xenotarsosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> from the family, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Abelisauridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and list it as a basal
neoceratopsian with uncertain affinities. However, due to its’ remains showing
numerous </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carnotaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> features, as
skull traits, it is still listed as an abelisaurid.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRq6aOSAwJ6OfLPVV8gpuGtXv02EI8VFV28DXfa-ZXmwL22PsmlnajMpt8FXSDactVupDhIaa0O7qqsAX3bDsu8lBXfpaqv2cvlTzfMGCYSx8z2Gnq-HjM2tsSIPPVPRHS_SGtmiAYSrmY/s1600/1-dino+carnotaurus+damir+g.+martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRq6aOSAwJ6OfLPVV8gpuGtXv02EI8VFV28DXfa-ZXmwL22PsmlnajMpt8FXSDactVupDhIaa0O7qqsAX3bDsu8lBXfpaqv2cvlTzfMGCYSx8z2Gnq-HjM2tsSIPPVPRHS_SGtmiAYSrmY/s320/1-dino+carnotaurus+damir+g.+martin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Damir G. Martin <i>Carnotaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One odd derived abelisaurid that
occurred in the Late Cretaceous 72-69.9 mya ago was </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carnotaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. At 9m/29.5ft it had a very muscular neck with the
deepened skull supporting thick bull-like horns just above the eyes. Also, the
forelimbs were vestigial while the hind limbs were long and slender adapted for
running. The horns, measuring 15cm/5.9in were formed from the frontal bones and
most likely were sheathed in keratin. With the neck musculature, thick skull
and horns, most likely the head was used as butting weapons against
conspecifics (members of the same species). The eye orbits were small, so the
eyes were better equipped to avoid injury during ramming bouts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dDZY3TifU7iroKwyn2PATULY6x1vpNJhzSBLHN963rAjDmIKslNLp8Sayu3ZqvAXerMOgG6vBtTS1ESp_BR5W0-j7FoNmlUd8bZDoOcWTHVDdomRNxVqcBuz3sgbwyHCOjzV4_WDDhp8/s1600/1-dino+noasaurus-saltasaurus+philip+hood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1024" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dDZY3TifU7iroKwyn2PATULY6x1vpNJhzSBLHN963rAjDmIKslNLp8Sayu3ZqvAXerMOgG6vBtTS1ESp_BR5W0-j7FoNmlUd8bZDoOcWTHVDdomRNxVqcBuz3sgbwyHCOjzV4_WDDhp8/s320/1-dino+noasaurus-saltasaurus+philip+hood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Philip Hood <i>Noasaurus</i> attacking <i>Saltasaurus</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Noasaurids are defined as all theropods
closer to the ceratosaurian noasaurid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Noasaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(No-ah-sawr-us) than to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carnotaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
Unique features of noasaurids are a low rectangular arrangement of the mid
caudal neural spines, a coracoid (a structure stationed anteriorly on the
scapula) that is almost double the width than its length, a stout humeral head
and the tibia possessing a flat anterior at the distal end.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXYi-6lhiWQSxLlyHPfggt_BZ5iIecNW47m2d1n9HcVHn3j04jJ9mT5ZIpxs1iikqzQpdzMORA88Z_7AG2OPcGgplawURaFxGVghmbj3YQuRBylTATKc3sZDPMBZL43fh-E9WEXb0vOLD/s1600/1-dino+masiakasaurus-pixeldust-studios.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXYi-6lhiWQSxLlyHPfggt_BZ5iIecNW47m2d1n9HcVHn3j04jJ9mT5ZIpxs1iikqzQpdzMORA88Z_7AG2OPcGgplawURaFxGVghmbj3YQuRBylTATKc3sZDPMBZL43fh-E9WEXb0vOLD/s320/1-dino+masiakasaurus-pixeldust-studios.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Pixel Dust Studios <i>M. knopfleri</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Masiakasaurus
knopfleri</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: May-shuh-kuh-sawr-us = nop-fleur-eye) was a 1.9m/6.2ft noasaurid
that lived during the Late Cretaceous 70 mya. It had heterodont teeth along the
jawlines while the front teeth projected forwards. The species name, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">knopfleri</i> was used due to the two
paleontologists always jamming out to the rock band, ‘Dire Straits’ while
working on the Madagascar fossil dig. Mark Knopfler was the band’s leader.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZx5dDBpnO03gU3miZ9pjZ-yIgoqH_Nio4uUu9coZQe8rgyJRnSdda2Iqj1cGDHwETMm1K2TtlJQ9jJCJFMYEwOVUdBr_kNH27EjVty3eeBcN69oQnJ0wsdZLWC79b028hZ-xFtwjgrwR7/s1600/1-dino+tetanurae_orionides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="787" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZx5dDBpnO03gU3miZ9pjZ-yIgoqH_Nio4uUu9coZQe8rgyJRnSdda2Iqj1cGDHwETMm1K2TtlJQ9jJCJFMYEwOVUdBr_kNH27EjVty3eeBcN69oQnJ0wsdZLWC79b028hZ-xFtwjgrwR7/s320/1-dino+tetanurae_orionides.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tetanurae</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tetanurae</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Tet-nur-ee):
The name refers to ‘stiff tails’ and is a clade including megalosauroids
(temporal range: 170-93 mya), allosauroids (temporal range: 175.6-70 mya),
tyrannosauroids (temporal range: 165-66 mya) and maniraptoriforms (temporal
range: 167-0 mya) which includes maniraptors, ornithomimosaurs and birds.
Tetanurans are those dinosaurs more related to birds than to their
contemporaneous ceratosaurian cousins. In tetanuran evolution, there were
multiple parallel diversifications of multiple lineages. Tetanurans are
identified by two skull types. The first is more primitive being three times
longer than tall and ends in a blunter snout than the second. The first skull
also, along the lacrimal, nasal and frontal bones was ornamented with horns,
crests and spikes. In the second skull type, it’s also longer than tall, but
much lower and with less elaboration of ornamentation. Tetanurans and the
ceratosaurian line diverged and split during the Late Cretaceous more than 200
mya. But the biggest transition from primitive theropods to the most derived
occurs within the tetanuran clade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From tetanurans onwards, as big and
diverse a clade as it was, only birds still exist just like modern humans are
the only hominid that still exists, but with a much shorter temporal range than
that of tetanurans. We’ve got a long way to go to match the success of
tetanurans who roamed Earth for 100 million years. The oldest known hominids
are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Orrorin tugenensis</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sahelanthropus tchadensis</i> in that both
lived ~ 6 mya.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2e_xPzWl-nbtIjmptbOf7_F_xAuT5KaBWGMtWkFzl3uYielnDWwx7-Sv4WV-7G6QrHM0-fj5lPlA2lBUuiAs_F5yI58ylSuWmExH_bwWsmHo-OzQ1WPyB8O3gt7NZMDjZH72nnisXvuOP/s1600/1-dino+crylo-dilopho-sino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="1000" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2e_xPzWl-nbtIjmptbOf7_F_xAuT5KaBWGMtWkFzl3uYielnDWwx7-Sv4WV-7G6QrHM0-fj5lPlA2lBUuiAs_F5yI58ylSuWmExH_bwWsmHo-OzQ1WPyB8O3gt7NZMDjZH72nnisXvuOP/s320/1-dino+crylo-dilopho-sino.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artists: Lft. Durbed <i>Crylophosaurus</i> Mid. DinoEsculturas <i>Dilophosaurus</i> Rt. Alain Benetean <i>Sinosaurus</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Two basal tetanurans were the previously
discussed, Antarctic Elvis Presley crested, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cryolophosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and its sister taxon, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Sye-no-sawr-us)
that lived during the Early Jurassic 201-196 mya. As a medium sized dinosaur,
at 5.6m/18.4ft, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was
closely related to the North American </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dilophosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
so much so that it was, until recently, once considered to be an Asian
dilophosaurid. Just like the ceratosaur crest, the sinosaur crest was too
fragile for defense so likely was used for display purposes and/or species
recognition.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbepbE7SGKNCPDSysys4ZKSw8NWKn4cR6scfuIGVrSUzwhEtddlf5-rhOw9FjNe2viDiz767HQSOwc9RstQw4gCZahTQwt5eA-q8_3VEZTm5cbQMLEmaHVRTam3Tsc_llSlwR8ddIyF6TI/s1600/1-dino+orionides+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="757" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbepbE7SGKNCPDSysys4ZKSw8NWKn4cR6scfuIGVrSUzwhEtddlf5-rhOw9FjNe2viDiz767HQSOwc9RstQw4gCZahTQwt5eA-q8_3VEZTm5cbQMLEmaHVRTam3Tsc_llSlwR8ddIyF6TI/s320/1-dino+orionides+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Orionedes</i> simple Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Orionides</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
(O-rye-o-nye-dees): This is a major tetanuran theropod clade that had a
temporal range from the Middle Jurassic to the present 175.6-0.0 mya. The
tetanuran clade includes most of the theropod groups, including birds. Large tetanurans
are contained in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Orionides</i> node,
such as allosaurids, spinosaurids and carcharodontosaurids that reached lengths
of 18m/59ft. The spinoraurid, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spinosaurus
aegyptiacus</i> (Phonetics: Spy-no-sawr-us = e-gyp-tuh-cus) is the largest
terrestrial predator of all times.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Orionides</i> is comprised of the two clades, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Megalosauroidea</i> (Meg-uh-lo-sawr-oi-dee-uh) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avetheropoda</i> (Ay-vee-the-rop-o-duh), along with these two clades’
most recent common ancestors and descendants.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiphuMfQGRPCJzlbePjqFJOqbmCMGF0A6yE750WeTMV7DCetKAH5wIFPcUd2qf0C8ugrAED_QonqiN20ztpdmEGo2SbxNh7MSkiQQSteH90tMwROsqjbECXToRh1B7k8c2WklYhGuzyeo/s1600/1-dino+megalosauroidea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="657" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiphuMfQGRPCJzlbePjqFJOqbmCMGF0A6yE750WeTMV7DCetKAH5wIFPcUd2qf0C8ugrAED_QonqiN20ztpdmEGo2SbxNh7MSkiQQSteH90tMwROsqjbECXToRh1B7k8c2WklYhGuzyeo/s320/1-dino+megalosauroidea.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Megalosauroidea</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Megalosauroidea</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">:
Megalosauroideans temporal range was during the Middle Jurassic to the Late
Cretaceous 170-93 mya. This clade is the sister group to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avetheropoda</i>. Just to note, the term, ‘Spinosauroidea’ is
synonymous to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Megalosauroidea</i> and is
sometimes used in place of. The three genera members of the family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Piatnitzkysauridae</i> (Pee-ut-nits-kee-sawr-ah-day)
are basal megalosauroids composed of: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Condorraptor</i>
(Con-door-rap-tor), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Marshosaurus</i>
(Marsh-o-sawr-us) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Piatnitzkysaurus</i>
(Pee-ut-nits-kee-sawr-us), in which gave the name to the family. This gives the
real definition of piantnitzkysaurids as those megalosauroids that are more
closely related to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Piatnitzkysaurus</i>
than to the other megalosauroids. Piatnitzkysaurid shared traits were in
having, among others, vertically ridged paradental plates, anteriorly inclined
posterior dorsal neural spines and a humerus with a canted (bent forward and
away from body) distal condyle (rounded knob of humerus bone). Piatnitzkysaurus
synapomorphies (distinguishing features) from the more derived megalosauroid
are: a small or absent anterior process of the maxilla, moderately developed
axis diapophyses (diapophysis ~ singular; transverse process of a vertebra) and
an absence of axial pleurocoels (hollow depressions on lateral portions of vertebrae).</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdnZna6Qb70u42AQuASdVl-5U9JUYqiuaHSgRIhGY4hLswbSxGOV7_lYSy18Bz7FVNcVn6f9JHMbIMUszotNpXTpnPYOlWiNYR_s1g3g5Mbe4HNLKvzXU6pIANYVt82KTwfwfQFGiX7xt/s1600/1-dino+piatnitzkysaurus++De+Agostini+Picture+Library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1024" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdnZna6Qb70u42AQuASdVl-5U9JUYqiuaHSgRIhGY4hLswbSxGOV7_lYSy18Bz7FVNcVn6f9JHMbIMUszotNpXTpnPYOlWiNYR_s1g3g5Mbe4HNLKvzXU6pIANYVt82KTwfwfQFGiX7xt/s320/1-dino+piatnitzkysaurus++De+Agostini+Picture+Library.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: De Agostini Picture Library <i>Piatnitzkysaurus</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The sister group to Piatnitzkysaurids
is, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Megalosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Meg-uh-lo-sawr-e-uh) and it is composed of the basal megalosaurid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Streptospondylus </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">(Strep-toe-spon-dill-us)
that occurred in the Late Jurassic 161 mya and the two major sister families of,
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Megalosauridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Meg-uh-lo-sawr-uh-day) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Spinosauridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Spy-no-sawr-uh-day) that occurred respectively in the Late Jurassic 170-148
mya and in the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous 148-93 mya.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssdJ8bSfP90ZPhi1QM4a-16egrD5vP5yF7NoYwxgzNJenTeizy5XRopxfH98A0o_AoxjbaIneZInYz-2C9XjL14Y2_UWq4MA4EDCyi5X5CGGNLDiIeCLg5ZbSk-SMdEeSV5qr054XpBVt/s1600/1-dino+torvosaurus1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="1600" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssdJ8bSfP90ZPhi1QM4a-16egrD5vP5yF7NoYwxgzNJenTeizy5XRopxfH98A0o_AoxjbaIneZInYz-2C9XjL14Y2_UWq4MA4EDCyi5X5CGGNLDiIeCLg5ZbSk-SMdEeSV5qr054XpBVt/s320/1-dino+torvosaurus1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist illustration: Sergey Krasovskiy <i>Torvosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One megalosaurid was, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Torvosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Tor-voe-sawr-us) that
existed in the Late Jurassic 153-148 mya and was the largest carnivore of the
Jurassic Period with a length of 10m/33ft. Its narrow snout, with a kinked
profile just above the large nostrils, had in its front most snout bone (premaxilla),
three flat teeth oriented outwards with the front edge of the teeth crown
overlapping the outer side of the rear edge of the preceding crown. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Torvosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was an apex predator in Late
Jurassic N. America and Portugal and most likely scavenged other predator kills
and hunted either in packs or solitarily other larger dinosaur herbivores.
There are two species in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">T</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">tanneri</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (tan-nur-ree) of USA, Colorado
and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">T</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">gurneyi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (grr-nee-ah) of Portugal. In the Late Jurassic N. America
and Europe were connected where </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Torvosaurus
</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">evolved as one species. Once the continents split, it evolved through
isolation and natural selection as two separate species.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The oldest clutch of fossilized dinosaur
eggs was found in what is now western Portugal and were laid down by a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Torvosaurus</i> mother between 152-145 mya.
In addition to the eggs being shown to be single layered, the eggs also housed
fossilized embryonic stages.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLG9V6_MvhfI_toFPOowfNLQ5FD6MVAKjnAt6nFLQqRls3wv07aaCXiFCPjTroDwXUETSOasquyAD2ch4IJHcGcCfKL_YGFrXh5I-tIwOBcl_2txwQ6AakiHWoF5z2qtM6MY7nOs8m6sJ/s1600/1-dino+spinosaurus+davide++bonadonna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLG9V6_MvhfI_toFPOowfNLQ5FD6MVAKjnAt6nFLQqRls3wv07aaCXiFCPjTroDwXUETSOasquyAD2ch4IJHcGcCfKL_YGFrXh5I-tIwOBcl_2txwQ6AakiHWoF5z2qtM6MY7nOs8m6sJ/s320/1-dino+spinosaurus+davide++bonadonna.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: David Bonadonna <i>Spinosaurus aegypticus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Spinosaurids first appeared in the Late
Jurassic 148 mya and went extinct 93 mya in the Late Cretaceous. Spinosaurids
had elongated crocodile-like snouts with very little if any serrated teeth that
were conical in shape. The conical teeth were excellent for grabbing onto
slippery prey, such as fish, in which spinosaurids were the most aquatic of large
dinosaurs in being semiaquatic. Also, the largest carnivore ever was in the
spinosaurid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Spinosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">aegypticus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> reaching a length of
18m/59ft. The major characteristic of spinosaurids was in the sail that the
dorsal vertebral spines of the back supported. In fact, the term, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Spinosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> refers to ‘spine lizard’.
These spines were nearly 2m/6.5ft tall. Along with the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Spinosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> that occurred 112-92.5 mya,
there were four other spinosaurid genera in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Baryonyx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Bar-ee-on-iks) 130-125 mya, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Siamosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Sye-am-o-sawr-us) 130 mya,</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Suchimimus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Su-ko-mie-mus) 125-112 mya, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Irritator</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Ear-re-tay-tor) 110 mya and occurring ~ 119 mya was </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ichtyovenator</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Ick-thee-o-ven-a-tor) that
had two separate sails down its back. The sails of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ichtyovenator</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> were separate with the first as the highest ending
abruptly with the second sail from the separation rising down towards the tail.
This is an indication that the sails of all spinosaurids were for display
purposes for mating recognition and/or for appearing larger.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Through oxygen isotope studies of
spinosaurid bones, as compared to other theropod fossils and extant
turtles/crocodiles, the spinosaurid isotopic ratios were much closer to living
turtles and crocodiles than to other theropod remains alluding to a semiaquatic
lifestyle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main source of prey for
spinosaurids was fish, but they were also opportunistic and if aquatic prey
wasn’t available would hunt down terrestrial prey. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baryonyx</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spinosaurus</i>
both ate fish, but where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baryonyx</i> was
more of a carnivore than a piscivore, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spinosaurus</i>
was more of a piscivore than a carnivore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are four other genera listed under
the family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spinosauridae</i>, but due to
scant fossil material are only suspect spinosaurids as they might be synonymous
to established spinosaurids or are simply nomen dubium.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzuFz3cx-5QzuGZFrX0rEVSpr3LpeA1t3SRasFvjTTg6MnxKMpeGhg0dRkWleI3m6Ge7SVEiHx2AD2EQKNI-yn0w2HcBWQfU10hY4_DtVbbVY-3h463u3kN5oMILOhn6UoTZNRJLWsB2A/s1600/1-dino+avetheropoda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="939" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzuFz3cx-5QzuGZFrX0rEVSpr3LpeA1t3SRasFvjTTg6MnxKMpeGhg0dRkWleI3m6Ge7SVEiHx2AD2EQKNI-yn0w2HcBWQfU10hY4_DtVbbVY-3h463u3kN5oMILOhn6UoTZNRJLWsB2A/s320/1-dino+avetheropoda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Avetheropoda</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></u></i>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4RrzOeHfA5-i4TOa8unD82eCNhcLlrYTAyiy0LS_v6B6upuRtvyoIa76dWhk9LqhND6_BG6zatyK4yIkCs1DzFwbHtnHCAL_aKtHhIcW2T4IXHrlM5c6GG0VZSI1CsYjagHfDe5uNuH1/s1600/1-dino+avetheropoda+kin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="600" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4RrzOeHfA5-i4TOa8unD82eCNhcLlrYTAyiy0LS_v6B6upuRtvyoIa76dWhk9LqhND6_BG6zatyK4yIkCs1DzFwbHtnHCAL_aKtHhIcW2T4IXHrlM5c6GG0VZSI1CsYjagHfDe5uNuH1/s320/1-dino+avetheropoda+kin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Avetheropoda</i> clade with <i>Allosauroidea</i> ousting <i>Carnosauria </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Avetheropoda</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Avetheropods
first occurred in the Late Jurassic 175.6 mya and still exist in the present as
extant birds. As the sister taxon to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Megalosauroidea</i>,
avetheropods refers to ‘bird footed dinosaurs’ and it is in a section of this
clade that contains the major path to birds with its most common ancestors and
all of its descendants. The famed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosaurus</i>
is also an avetheropod, although it was not in the direct line to birds. The
simple relationship grouping below shows the avetheropod major groups.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The first sectioning of avetheropod
relations is in the two clades, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Coelurosauria</i>
(Phonetics: See-lure-o-sawr-ree-uh) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Allosauroidea</i>
(Phonetics: Al-lo-sawr-oi-dee-uh). You will find at times <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carnosauria</i> in place of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Allosauroidea</i>.
I’m even using it in the tetanuran clade. That’s fine as both are still
acceptable, but as time moves on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Allosauroidea</i>
is going to be the permanent term.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Avetheropod shared characteristics are
in possessing extremely complex vertebrate air sac chambers and in the loss or
only a vestigial single metacarpal of the manus digit IV making the manus (hand),
like the pes (foot), functionally tridactyl.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eW-EiPquUWLeswfIZaTIYJWHl-991gsnzeMlVbT3QusSZqQuGXL0NY3xF4dpDE4JM54zitZIjJ7bP_i_3EytgUga49qGftDrC1-RQPHXldcF2cfhsF0B7IWsKU7CkcnNgUY8JM_Fc4Vq/s1600/1-dino+Allosauroidea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eW-EiPquUWLeswfIZaTIYJWHl-991gsnzeMlVbT3QusSZqQuGXL0NY3xF4dpDE4JM54zitZIjJ7bP_i_3EytgUga49qGftDrC1-RQPHXldcF2cfhsF0B7IWsKU7CkcnNgUY8JM_Fc4Vq/s320/1-dino+Allosauroidea.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Allosauroidea</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Allosauroidea</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> ~ occurred in
the Middle Jurassic 175.6 mya to the Late Cretaceous 70 mya. It appears that
there was a co-evolutionary race between herbivores and allosauroids, for as
when herbivores started increasing in size and inheriting newer weaponry in
spikes, clubs and bony plates, allosauroids began their increases in size,
speed and agility. The two main derived sister taxa (plural for taxon) of
allosauroids are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Metriacanthosauridae</i>
(Phonetics: Met-rih-ah-kanth-o-sawr-uh-day) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Allosauria</i> (Phonetics: Al-lo-sawr-e-ah).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAT7g95dnEv_b9oBgL_SG4XuxrR7r_fPkDfSYhtUg2BuJbZCnr5etUQtCbQ7AeiNQ57_0TzCyM-zwbbLdggXBAfK-PZcOzfrVvNQRMEwleHmVj1Kd9_GvQmRPIdDUTayiCzPA1DCknG7W/s1600/1-dino+Metriacanthosauridae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="724" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAT7g95dnEv_b9oBgL_SG4XuxrR7r_fPkDfSYhtUg2BuJbZCnr5etUQtCbQ7AeiNQ57_0TzCyM-zwbbLdggXBAfK-PZcOzfrVvNQRMEwleHmVj1Kd9_GvQmRPIdDUTayiCzPA1DCknG7W/s320/1-dino+Metriacanthosauridae+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Metriacanthosauridae</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The primitive allosauroid members all
belong to the family, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Metriacanthosauridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
Currently comprising six genera, metriacanthosaurids ranged in size from
4.5m/15ft to 10.8m/35.4ft long. The synapomorphies shared with the more derived
allosauroids were: a fused distal end of the ischium, a manus shorter than the
forearm, the laterosphenoid (lateral form of cranium’s sphenoid bone that is
ossified cartilage) was articulated on the frontal and postorbital skull bones,
sub-rectangular and sheet-like neural spines of the middle caudal vertebrae while
the manus lacked digit V as well as the phalanges of digit IV.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unique features of metriacanthosaurids
were: a pronounced ventral keel on the anterior dorsal vertebrae, a straight
posterior margin of the iliac post-acetabular process at the ventral inflection
point, a ventrally curved ischial shaft and a bulbous fibular crest on the
tibia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Allosauria</i>
order consists of two sister taxa in the family of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Allosauridae</i> and the order of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carcharodontosauria</i>
(Phonetics: Car-care-o-don-toe-sawr-e-uh). Occurring 155-146.8 mya during the
Late Jurassic, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Allosauridae</i> consists
of three genera in: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Allosaurus</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Epanterix</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saurophaganax</i> (Sawr-o-fag-uh-nax). There are three species of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Allosaurus</i> in: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fragilis</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">europaeus</i>,
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lucasi</i> with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fragilis</i> being the more famous. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Epanterias</i> lived 146.8 mya at the end of
the Late Jurassic and was large at 12m/40 ft. The largest allosaurid however,
was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saurophaganax</i> at 13m/43ft in
length living 150 mya in the Late Jurassic.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Hz6qPhm8EogDbNtavQkvBo_J8acIkM8XOXAKez1-02kqyp-kvFHSobSHDEA2QG0px084VPlPkpD4rzFkfWfbH65bW23BqSmSLosWZf9uvOjqnmSbutSqtOmEgGIDyMhcLN9eI0JzKoGm/s1600/1-dino+allosaurus+fragilis+atrox1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Hz6qPhm8EogDbNtavQkvBo_J8acIkM8XOXAKez1-02kqyp-kvFHSobSHDEA2QG0px084VPlPkpD4rzFkfWfbH65bW23BqSmSLosWZf9uvOjqnmSbutSqtOmEgGIDyMhcLN9eI0JzKoGm/s320/1-dino+allosaurus+fragilis+atrox1.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: atrox1 <i>A. fragilis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Allosaurid anatomy was typical of large
tetanuran theropods, but all teeth were serrated with five teeth seated in the
premaxillary and sixteen in the maxilla. Also, digit I of the manus formed an
opposable thumb. All allosaur fossils come from N. America’s ‘Morrison
Formation’. It is mainly composed of shallow sea and alluvial sedimentary rock.
Allosaurid fossil remains are found in the basin portion of the formation
formed from the uplifting of the Rocky Mountains.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMGJPJ40491s8T0zI69vmzv4ln_001_xQK2pqf1-awv-0DBdUKFqBxsr5nuCc82LRttmQwfzvNdq0QpDzq3dH55zK70KBDbyCRcocqXLr0gs0n2Hx_z2LP5kKyrhFHZHuyy0LkCtfF08o8/s1600/1-dino+saurophaganax+manuel_gil_jaramillo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="1234" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMGJPJ40491s8T0zI69vmzv4ln_001_xQK2pqf1-awv-0DBdUKFqBxsr5nuCc82LRttmQwfzvNdq0QpDzq3dH55zK70KBDbyCRcocqXLr0gs0n2Hx_z2LP5kKyrhFHZHuyy0LkCtfF08o8/s320/1-dino+saurophaganax+manuel_gil_jaramillo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Manuel G. Jaramillo <i>Saurophaganax</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One other suspect allosaurid found in
the midsection of the Morrison Formation in what is now Oklahoma was, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Saurophaganax</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. Being larger than the
other allosaurids, it is also much rarer in fossil finds. The scenario in lack
of fossils supports the idea that larger predators have smaller populations,
due to the fact that larger animals are restricted to population growths as not
to restrict food sources. However, as big as </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Saurophaganax</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was, it could easily steal a meal from a much smaller
predator’s kill. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Saurophaganax</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is
Oklahoma’s state fossil.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Carcharodontosauria</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> encompasses the
two families of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neovenatoridae</i>
(Nee-o-vuh-nay-tor-uh-day) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carcharodontosauridae</i>.
Neovenatorids had a temporal of 128-93 mya in the Early-Late Cretaceous. As
compared to other allosauroids, their shoulder blades were much wider and
shorter while the ilium was pocketed with cavities. Neovenatorids have had
fossil discoveries in China, northern Africa, S. America and N. America.
Neovenatorids consist of five genera plus the unranked file of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Megaraptora</i> (Meg-uh-rap-tor-ah) that has
another five genera. One with coelurosaurian characteristics has just been
discovered in Australia, but with controversial relations to other allosauroids
as they also have basal coelurosaurian anatomical traits. With the discovery of
the as yet unnamed Australian fossil find dating back to 110 mya in the Early
Cretaceous, its age makes it the oldest and most primitive megaraptoran.
Therefore the evolution of megaraptorans originated in Australia and radiated
out during the Gondwanan connection if it is finalized as a true maegaraptoran.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfWcPiJuCzoq3-Vhn8N4CspXTfJBhQv8qrjLqZO2IEB7GFPzbsmLGLX4F1crRVDuI7lGs57A3nWvilAgK29u0eBsMM-DpRPsFKHZyPGiUmQ9Wl0kgEdAKxwMWvtBrrL_cu0WUzriEz-6L/s1600/1-dino+siats+Jorge+Gonzales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfWcPiJuCzoq3-Vhn8N4CspXTfJBhQv8qrjLqZO2IEB7GFPzbsmLGLX4F1crRVDuI7lGs57A3nWvilAgK29u0eBsMM-DpRPsFKHZyPGiUmQ9Wl0kgEdAKxwMWvtBrrL_cu0WUzriEz-6L/s320/1-dino+siats+Jorge+Gonzales.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jorge Gonzalez <i>Siats</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Siats</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (See-atch) is a
neovenatorid with remains discovered in the ‘Cedar Mountain Formation’ of Utah,
U.S. from the Late Cretaceous 98.5 mya. The term, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Siats</i> comes from the Native American, Ute tribe meaning ‘man eating
monster’ in their mythology. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Siats</i>
autapomorphic unique traits were a subtriangular cross section of the distal
caudal vertebrae, broad neural spines on the dorsal vertebrae and a
transversely concaved acetabular rim of the iliac (relating to ilium) pubic
peduncle. As one of the largest known N. American theropods, it reached a
length of 11.9m/39ft and filled the large carnivore gap in N. America between
the earlier carcharodontosaurs and the latter tyrannosaurs.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuiWZjoOLC8lo3NwunL7RKssq1JoJutK-SVnuQLEh2k3vZbG7JPSXyKO_qT2JuIUHrNhuYvaz-WdBSxvqR1092u9rJvJv4i4cqLVcvb1-d4NdDzK_X0o4WLf7c3OtwkxbSPs30ajx54nd/s1600/1-dino+gualicho+julio+lacerda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="700" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuiWZjoOLC8lo3NwunL7RKssq1JoJutK-SVnuQLEh2k3vZbG7JPSXyKO_qT2JuIUHrNhuYvaz-WdBSxvqR1092u9rJvJv4i4cqLVcvb1-d4NdDzK_X0o4WLf7c3OtwkxbSPs30ajx54nd/s320/1-dino+gualicho+julio+lacerda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julio Lacerda <i>Gualicho</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Another neovenatorid was the Late
Cretaceous 90 mya, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gualicho</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Gwah-lee-cho). This 6.5m/21.3ft long neovenatorid had already possessed the
reduction of forelimbs ending in only two fingers. The arms were about the size
of a child toddler’s. This is an indication that allosaurians were evolving
reduced forelimbs just as tyrannosauroids were, but independent of each other.
Coming from what is now Argentina, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gualicho</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
lived at a time when Argentina was a part of northern Patagonia after having
split off from the supercontinent, Gondwana. Although </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gualicho</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is a neovenatorid, it doesn’t fit nicely into any taxa
grouping and is considered ‘mosaic’. Its anatomy suggests two things: either both
megaraptorans and neovenatorids were carnosaurs, or that these two groups were
a grade of theropods more closely related to coelurosaurs than to carnosaurs.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8l4yKF76Yk7KYcmx6kouyk9wrp4IOVR3YJNqnGN0B7yMSO6xQRara2QKUDuagO5Wcsuejlhkk0dkvf-7Q-qJMaifizQUwZyNSAUHKgsA5kogBQ7hsZFmh-Frpa1ZMI1YdQOKUpWi0ylju/s1600/1-dino+Giganotosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1024" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8l4yKF76Yk7KYcmx6kouyk9wrp4IOVR3YJNqnGN0B7yMSO6xQRara2QKUDuagO5Wcsuejlhkk0dkvf-7Q-qJMaifizQUwZyNSAUHKgsA5kogBQ7hsZFmh-Frpa1ZMI1YdQOKUpWi0ylju/s320/1-dino+Giganotosaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Damir G. Martin <i>Giganotosaurus</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Carcharodontosauridae</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> ranges from the
Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous 154-89 mya comprising nine genera, one
subfamily (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carcharodontosaurinae</i>)
with one genus and within the subfamily one tribe (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giganotosaurini</i>) with three genera. The defining term of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carcharodontosauridae</i> is
caecharodontosaurians that are closer in relations to, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carcharodontosaurus</i> than to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Allosaurus</i>.
Carcharodontosaurid features were foremost, no matter their size, a distinctly
oversized head in comparison to their body, in which their fossil skulls are
the largest of any dinosaur group. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Acrocanthosaurus</i>
(Ak-row-can-tho-sawr-us), living in the Early Cretaceous 116-110 mya and
measuring 11.5m/38ft in total length had a head measuring 1.3m/4.3ft. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giganotosaurus</i> (Jig-uh-not-o-sawr-us)
lived 98-97 mya during the Late Cretaceous was 13m/43ft long and had a head ~
1.8m/5.9ft in total length. The skulls were not heavy though as they were
filled with large fenestrae that decreased weight. Like most of the larger and
later derived theropods, their forearms were much smaller than the hind limbs,
but the carcharodontosaurid forelimb was robust with strong muscles as muscular
attachments attest in the arms’ fossil bones.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9u-WXQW8-TiKiOs2dLObsQEDPmE2UnAWb1Qt58xM6aB6doi0jKtgTCK2ws-IimAQp_oaNM70AvYblNiMNp37CMduxa2_xIaiU-aR-blIu8cslY9s9QXTxB-RpZ83R84JOsUrzuXRQMlmZ/s1600/1-dino+acrocanthosaurus+xing+lida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="673" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9u-WXQW8-TiKiOs2dLObsQEDPmE2UnAWb1Qt58xM6aB6doi0jKtgTCK2ws-IimAQp_oaNM70AvYblNiMNp37CMduxa2_xIaiU-aR-blIu8cslY9s9QXTxB-RpZ83R84JOsUrzuXRQMlmZ/s320/1-dino+acrocanthosaurus+xing+lida.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Xing Lida <i>Acrocanthosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Acrocanthosaurus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> had a row of
tall neural spines at least 2.5 times that of the vertebra that ran the length
of the back from the neck to down to the upper tail. These spines may have
served as a fat reservoir and temperature control. There might only be a
hypothesis of thermoregulation in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Acrocanthosaurus</i>,
but in<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Giganotosaurus</i> there is very
good evidence that it was at least homeothermic. The fossil bones’ oxygen
isotope patterns indicated an even heat distribution throughout the body which
would have created a stable core temperature giving a metabolism between that
of a mammal and a reptile. This in turn would have benefitted a rapid growth
rate and an increase in cursorial (running) speed. In calculating the kinetic
running speed limit in the time it would take for one of its sized legs to gain
balance after the retraction of the other leg, it was found that the speed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giganotosaurus</i> could safely obtain was
14m/45.9ft per second or an astounding 50km/hr-31mph. In running, the heavily
stiffened tail acted as a counterbalance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One other carcharodontosaurid was, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Concavenator</i> (Con-kah-veh-nay-tuhr) that
arose 130 mya in the Early Cretaceous. This medium sized 6m/20ft long theropod
had some interesting features. Fossil remains of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Concavenator</i>’s posterolateral surface of the ulna (forelimb)
possess homologous quill knobs, an anatomical trait found only in extant
animals with large quilled forelimb feathers. Fossil impressions also reveal
wide rectangular scales located underneath the tail and feet resembling extant
birds’ covering of scutes and plantar pads on their undersides. The main trait
though, is just in front and above the pelvis an extension of two elongated
presacral vertebrae and along with a series of shorter, but more elongated than
the rest of the neural spines, most likely supported a sail. The elongated
spine row originated just in front of the hips and terminated at the base of
the tail. From thermoregulation to fat storage, there is much speculation on
why this hip sail evolved, so I’m going to throw in another.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnV6j5nYDaNVf4uEkRhD1As4PD1gbnhuTVe-OVODXl0avSMrZlApIv9elcllLgMqTM7Nyc9gMAY3ndsr-QTsC29yWPaWhU3o_YDg2q30efABYPmC3RMPj-Sks_Z1MNQQqbCXLUqyCNUXx/s1600/1-dino+concavenator+by+frank+lode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1280" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnV6j5nYDaNVf4uEkRhD1As4PD1gbnhuTVe-OVODXl0avSMrZlApIv9elcllLgMqTM7Nyc9gMAY3ndsr-QTsC29yWPaWhU3o_YDg2q30efABYPmC3RMPj-Sks_Z1MNQQqbCXLUqyCNUXx/s320/1-dino+concavenator+by+frank+lode.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Frank Lode <i>Concavenator</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One thought of mine is in the body plan.
Vertebrates have bilateral symmetry creating only one sagittal plane; basically
creating a mirror image from both body halves when bisected. For a lying in
wait ambush predator, the sail could’ve acted in a way as camouflage,
distorting the potential prey’s viewpoint recognition of the predator’s general
body outline. This would’ve given </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Concavenator</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
an advantage of pouncing on and subduing prey at much closer range exerting
less energy in the encounter as opposed to a chase and encounter.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Convenator</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Acrocanthosaurus</i>,
other orinidans, such as the spinosaurids, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Metriacanthosaurus</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Becklespinax</i> all had sails, so
they inherited it from a common ancestor ruling out convergent evolution.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNymIgBiOZPE0fT22EUmPDjoplnwQQKWm2O8gDZho8kmHKF4a-mIHZy9d0dlVO5ERH6RMfCPqwmTKnX_vOW8fqSG-KzUQGcOEKkjnZhcvL0nenq6UONJZRmqNhvMCRBsj6oyDDR6bL2tmy/s1600/1-dino+coelurosauria+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="824" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNymIgBiOZPE0fT22EUmPDjoplnwQQKWm2O8gDZho8kmHKF4a-mIHZy9d0dlVO5ERH6RMfCPqwmTKnX_vOW8fqSG-KzUQGcOEKkjnZhcvL0nenq6UONJZRmqNhvMCRBsj6oyDDR6bL2tmy/s320/1-dino+coelurosauria+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Coelurosauria</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Coelurosauria</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> ~ had a
temporal range of 165-0.0 mya during the Late Jurassic to the present. This
subgroup of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Orionides</i> comprises the
compsognathids, tryrannosauroids, ornithomimosaurians and maniraptoriforms
which include birds. The generic term, ‘coelurosaurus’ is a blanket moniker
referring to the smaller coelurosaurians and does not represent any individual
species. Although most were small, coelurosaurian sizes ranged from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parvicursor</i> (Par-vee-cur-sor) at
39cm/29.5in long to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosaurus</i>
(Tie-ran-no-sawr-us) at 12.3m/40ft long with a potential of reaching
13m/42.7ft.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Virtually all of the smaller
coelurosaurians from the most primitive to the most derived possessed
feathering over parts or the entire body. Even some of the larger
coelurosaurian fossil remains show evidence of feathering. Although there is no
direct evidence that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyarannosaurus</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rex</i> possessed feathers, there is
indirect evidence that it did. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dilong</i>
(Di-long), occurring 126 mya in the Early Cretaceous was a basal tyrannosauroid
in the direct line to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rex</i> and it had feathers. The feathering
was simple filaments and would’ve given the 2m/9.9ft long, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dilong</i> a shaggy appearance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByjXsaMuWUwRQ71ItqYMfLAQNk-oaFu9jaEnrw8Sv602VDEiOzwNal16_ZuiZU3ngVCTSBFzwHFq1gEssy9VTtTUxMm3VUBYZWWfnGwkCLpTe8oJQFwwSxHsSOtJJF45dtb6qhpZfjVOM/s1600/1-dino+yutyrannus_huali+cheungchungtat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="803" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByjXsaMuWUwRQ71ItqYMfLAQNk-oaFu9jaEnrw8Sv602VDEiOzwNal16_ZuiZU3ngVCTSBFzwHFq1gEssy9VTtTUxMm3VUBYZWWfnGwkCLpTe8oJQFwwSxHsSOtJJF45dtb6qhpZfjVOM/s320/1-dino+yutyrannus_huali+cheungchungtat.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Cheung Chun Tat <i>Yutyrannus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The recently discovered fossil remains
of, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yutyrannus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (U-ty-ran-nus) was
even a more evolved ancestral tyrannosauroid in direct relations to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">T.</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">rex</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and it had feathers all over its body. This 9m/29.5ft long tyrannosauroid lived
124.6 mya during the Early Cretaceous and is the largest known theropod with
direct evidence in donning feathers. Even the name, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yutyrannus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> means ‘feathered tyrant’. The feathers of these two
theropods would have served as insulation. While </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dilong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was cloaked in feathers and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yutyrannus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was tucked in a tuft of plushy feathering, there are
some </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">T</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">rex</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> scale impressions from fossil remains, but as yet no feathers.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Distinguishable traits found in all
coelurosaurians are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">sacrum
(vertebrae series attached to hips) longer than in other dinosaurs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">tail
stiffened towards the tip<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">bowed
ulna (lower arm bone)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">tibia
(lower leg bone) that is longer than the femur (upper leg bone)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">an
intramandibular joint inherited from primitive to derived forms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Basal coelurosaurians were smaller than
their allosauroid, megalosauroid and tyrannosauroid outgroups, but were also
larger than their ornithomimosaur, oviraptorosaur and alvarezsaurid outgroups.
So, coelurosaurs trended towards miniaturization as well as gigantism.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZqJXZUmBjhJLscLlkalbSGKcw2MqShLRO_I0iR0C2TEV5_FQhcGco7dR81hAcvg1ish-MY3wg256cmEgITCCUQsDnqCb1l2Ts65L9j386-UsFSuqCdg48gDTnjLF6QNMnu8Oz2BD4g4z/s1600/1-dino+Zuolong_salleei+Michael+B.H..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="1600" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZqJXZUmBjhJLscLlkalbSGKcw2MqShLRO_I0iR0C2TEV5_FQhcGco7dR81hAcvg1ish-MY3wg256cmEgITCCUQsDnqCb1l2Ts65L9j386-UsFSuqCdg48gDTnjLF6QNMnu8Oz2BD4g4z/s320/1-dino+Zuolong_salleei+Michael+B.H..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Michael B.H. <i>Zuolong</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Zuolong</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Zu-o-long),
occurring 161.2-155.2 mya in the Late Cretaceous ‘Shishugou Formation’ of China
is the most basal coelurosaurian found thus far. It was 3.1m/10ft long and
despite its coelurosaur primitiveness, it may turn out to be more derived than
tyrannosauroids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There was some initial speculation that,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bicentenaria</i> (By-sin-ten-ah-ree-ah)
was a direct ancestor to all coelurosaurians. Living 90 mya in the Late
Cretaceous, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bicentenaria</i> most
definitely is not the true ancestor to all coelurosaurs, as it is ~ 70 million
years too late for that since coelurosaurs were already an established
diverging group during the Late Jurassic 165 mya. But its fossil finds are
unique as it is a transitional form in possessing both primitive and derived
coelurosaurian anatomical traits.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicen7PRet7Zl9ZtzMCm3Pdx8tq0BA_HJo7pCDH4E_BnhPwG36viI29DEuRyzcyNhG-Z3fd-EYLKGwdvW1IZ9SOATz7xgPDQcFv2jDDlhC0GXxYZRc_MOvJOfwNQwHrjsk7BJGYdT5ZuqND/s1600/1-dino+bicentenaria+flesh-skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="1581" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicen7PRet7Zl9ZtzMCm3Pdx8tq0BA_HJo7pCDH4E_BnhPwG36viI29DEuRyzcyNhG-Z3fd-EYLKGwdvW1IZ9SOATz7xgPDQcFv2jDDlhC0GXxYZRc_MOvJOfwNQwHrjsk7BJGYdT5ZuqND/s320/1-dino+bicentenaria+flesh-skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration Artist: Christian Masnaghetti <i>Bicentnaria</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This 2.5-3m/8-10ft coelurosaur possessed
primitive plesiomorphic traits such as having long slender tridactyl pes and
manus (feet and hands) that were fashioned for speed running and grasping,
while possessing ziphodont teeth, the laterally compressed, curved and serrated
dentition allowed for slashing, grasping and seizing. A few of the more derived
autapomorphies were in the humerus bearing a deep fossa on its surface, premaxillary
teeth with mesial denticles only at the base of the crown and a spoon-shaped retroarticular
process [ventral end of zygomatic arch (cheek bone)] was dorsoventrally
depressed and transversely wide.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The fossils, including subadult and
adult remains were found as washed up into a pile in the Late Cretaceous
Argentine sediment of the ‘Ezequiel Ramos Mexia Reservoir’ in Argentina’s
Patagonia region. The name,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Bicentenaria</i>
refers to Argentina’s bicentennial years as a nation. There had been
speculation that it was a social animal due to the pile up of fossil bones, but
once geological and taphonomic (taphonomy: the paleontology branch dealing with
the processes of fossilization) considerations were employed, the fossils were
individuals that had previously died in separate places when afterwards parts
of their remains were washed away and heap deposited during separate time
frames.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vu5JGpORsqnqUH9k2l7IXPo-3eufMNBQzg9L0gpH7RxHR6-_Nu49oS7YpTqXpfDH7E08L_wb2qvLY-vD90H9EGu3UacryKOndGwEwkRY8K10UH2KGB3-VU4RLzMBd_NbA_zuPxo5w7lx/s1600/1-dino+huaxignathus+tom-miller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="980" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vu5JGpORsqnqUH9k2l7IXPo-3eufMNBQzg9L0gpH7RxHR6-_Nu49oS7YpTqXpfDH7E08L_wb2qvLY-vD90H9EGu3UacryKOndGwEwkRY8K10UH2KGB3-VU4RLzMBd_NbA_zuPxo5w7lx/s320/1-dino+huaxignathus+tom-miller.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Tom Miller <i>Huaxiagnathus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Compsognathidae</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Com-sog-nah-thuh-day)
is a family of coelurosaurians that had a temporal range during the Late
Jurassic to Early Cretaceous 151.5-108 mya. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Huaxiagnathus</i>
(Wash-ag-nuh-thuse) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinocalliopteryx</i>
(Sye-no-cal-ee-op-ter-ix) were by far the largest at 1.8m/5.9ft and 2.4m/7.8ft
long respectively, while most were just under or at 1m/3.3ft in total length.
In being the largest, these two compsognathids were also two of the earliest
compsognathids, showing that this group overall were trending towards miniaturization
as compsognathid species were some of the smallest dinosaurs found so far.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-urs8N0xNzFoC6_ZHo3L8Ro7Mt-bS0sUz1-6ea1C6yz7f9IHL-ZTcKr1Q3xjw_DNwShG9fHJ9wtN5HoMsA0BW8vnoEIDh6Bc35nbqsnTi2KDr2Lj1A4MPKrwauXcpvDiUHBUxWci8a8F/s1600/1-dino+sinocalliopteryx-sinornithosaurus-confusciusornis+Cheung+Chungtat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="791" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-urs8N0xNzFoC6_ZHo3L8Ro7Mt-bS0sUz1-6ea1C6yz7f9IHL-ZTcKr1Q3xjw_DNwShG9fHJ9wtN5HoMsA0BW8vnoEIDh6Bc35nbqsnTi2KDr2Lj1A4MPKrwauXcpvDiUHBUxWci8a8F/s320/1-dino+sinocalliopteryx-sinornithosaurus-confusciusornis+Cheung+Chungtat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Cheung Chun Tat <i>Sinocalliopteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In being small, compsognathids had the
generic smallish coelurosaurian characteristics of large eyes, a three-fingered
manus (hand) and an S-shaped neck and rigid long tail. Scales, filamentous
feathering and skin impressions have been found among their fossils. Even
though they had bird features their genetic line went extinct before the Late
Cretaceous began.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The specific characteristic trait of
compsognathid anatomical features was the shared feature in the distal end of
the manus. As in all coelurosaurians, digit I is longer than all the other
metacarpal digits, but in compsognathid manus morphology, the metacarpal in
digit I is stockier and shorter than in other coelurosaurians. With
compsognathids, there is also a projection from digit I.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Compsognathid diets most likely
consisted of small vertebrates and large insects. They appear to have been
especially fond of small lizards as the remains of lizards have been found in
the digestive tracts of several compsognathid fossils.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WHFJMZnroygyMrl4s00SdudcXrfZE4SXlG3QxjAxrr1-ChOT99FFWOl7CfJUT6LpmzGQXtv3Z07sFpOUgpBM0hg9MjSe79-N6wZyLG6AuQAy4Az5IQRn4kl86my5W89qch7u_bZieov6/s1600/1-dino+Sinosauropteryx+skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1375" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WHFJMZnroygyMrl4s00SdudcXrfZE4SXlG3QxjAxrr1-ChOT99FFWOl7CfJUT6LpmzGQXtv3Z07sFpOUgpBM0hg9MjSe79-N6wZyLG6AuQAy4Az5IQRn4kl86my5W89qch7u_bZieov6/s320/1-dino+Sinosauropteryx+skeletal.jpg" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sinosauropteryx</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 1.1m/3.6ft, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinosauropteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Sye-no-sawr-op-tear-icks) and not to be confused
with the aforementioned, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinocalliopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
was a compsognathid that roamed open Early Cretaceous habitats 124.6-122 mya.
Its fossil finds are very important due to the fact the remains still retained
the feathering pigmentation, giving us evidence of its coloration. The pigments
of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinosauropteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> fossils come from
the bristly filamentous feathering that weren’t for flight, but served as
insulation and for camouflage. Melanosomes, the pigment that gives coloration
to bird feathers, were found buried within the structure of the fossil
feathers.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The two pigment storing melanosomes
found were eumelanosome and phaeomelanosome embedded in the protein structuring
of the feathers revealing darker striping down the tail. As melanosomes, these
two pigments are organelles enclosed by their own membrane bound in the
proteins of cells. Eumelanosome gives black pigmentation to the fossil while
the phaeomelanosome gives a burnt orange with both colors alternating down the
tail. Other colors, produced by pigments such as, carotenoids and porphyrins
add more vivid colors, but due to the fact they’re not melanosomes, they
degrade much easier over time and will not contribute to a fossil find.
Eumelanosome pigment was also found along the orbitals of the eye sockets and
nasal bridge masking the animal.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBk34Px1RRxpeWfWpYX2scWxbZss2mZcm3pMWuYtPT1cnO0IT-g0TrmIZS6Nafg93eXES0AbtbKiXisC0IUVSB39fjDZDaj1cTQhvVNMZQg6WxOWILHACEr5aG-XUCol7Fx99McMXVcIQ/s1600/1-dino+sinosauropteryx+feathers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="1188" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBk34Px1RRxpeWfWpYX2scWxbZss2mZcm3pMWuYtPT1cnO0IT-g0TrmIZS6Nafg93eXES0AbtbKiXisC0IUVSB39fjDZDaj1cTQhvVNMZQg6WxOWILHACEr5aG-XUCol7Fx99McMXVcIQ/s320/1-dino+sinosauropteryx+feathers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fossilized <i>Sinosauropteryx</i> feathering<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Along the body torso there was also
evidence of countershading with a darker dorsal side (the back) over a lighter
ventral side (the belly). This color scheme would aid </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinosauropteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> as camouflage from predators and prey with diffuse
sunlight reigning down where there is little vegetation and shrubbery to hide. Feather
coloration would have starkly shifted from dark to light, with paler plumes
running across its chest distorting an observer’s view with </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinosauropteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and its open environment
backdrop. It is with this camouflage and its agility, quickness and speed that
gave this small dinosaur an advantage in the open sunny habitat it lived in, in
what is now northeastern China.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sinosauropteryx</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> fossils also
reveal that females had two oviducts instead of just one as found in birds.
This is evident in a well preserved fossil that had two developed eggs
side-by-side where two oviducts would have been.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBYMV6PNRBESFqXF3iaQx-KS2ORD6Hj1F9_ckfHMVV1IblROUwOtEbE-WUjJfewT93-2JMOa4aK1429DpynBfKhSViaN1RMS_1HE4thzFTHT-g-szgBmlBs8A95qBHkpz2NJlfJXJjbZA/s1600/1-dino+Sinosauropteryx_w%2527_Dalinghosaurus+bob+nicholls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="800" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBYMV6PNRBESFqXF3iaQx-KS2ORD6Hj1F9_ckfHMVV1IblROUwOtEbE-WUjJfewT93-2JMOa4aK1429DpynBfKhSViaN1RMS_1HE4thzFTHT-g-szgBmlBs8A95qBHkpz2NJlfJXJjbZA/s320/1-dino+Sinosauropteryx_w%2527_Dalinghosaurus+bob+nicholls.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Bob Nicholls <i>Sinosauropteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Apparently, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinosauropteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was fond of lizards, for numerous fossils have the
remains of lizards in the digestive tract, in particular, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dalinghosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, which was a small lizard contemporaneous to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinosauropteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> as found in fossil
sediment containing both animals. One fossil find had the remains in the gut
region of, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinobaatar</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, a small
mammal. A further note on this little 35cm/13.8in multituberculate mammal is
that it lived beyond the Cretaceous surviving the K-Pg extinction, living into
the Eocene finally becoming extinct 34 mya. It was an arboreal herbivore that
made it as a species nearly 100 million years. When you know that, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Homo</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">sapiens</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
have only been around for ~ 200 thousand years, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinobaatar</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had quite a long success story.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSagVaBft3nnN_lJGLphGp6PKmUdGDfRCZ1l5jmeIoE50QSPMgfR2jBSH4Jk7NIhHG5JFN_uSXrts-0-ErSG-GAx8nGbYXS1hQrWMVuPM58fJ3r5Qx9TrsoBujJTX05Kfimpwv6NQ8jRSo/s1600/1-dino+tyrannoraptora+clade1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="876" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSagVaBft3nnN_lJGLphGp6PKmUdGDfRCZ1l5jmeIoE50QSPMgfR2jBSH4Jk7NIhHG5JFN_uSXrts-0-ErSG-GAx8nGbYXS1hQrWMVuPM58fJ3r5Qx9TrsoBujJTX05Kfimpwv6NQ8jRSo/s320/1-dino+tyrannoraptora+clade1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tyrannoraptora</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tyrannoraptora</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Tuh-ran-o-rap-tor-uh)
is the sister group to compsognathids. Occurring 170-0 mya in the Middle
Jurassic to the present, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannoraptora</i>
is further divided into the two clades of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosauroidea</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maniraptoriformes</i> (Man-ih-rap-tor-rih-formz).
Under tyrannosauroids, tyrannoraptorans are an inclusive clade to all non-avian
coelurosaurians that are more related to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosaurus
rex</i> and under maniraptoriforms; this clade represents closer relations to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Passer domesticus</i> (the modern pigeon).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YsZb0yx0OL0nchJYsp150aNGEHgCA7MVcfVeQ-_7idIw_6cPs-4b-i8hrAenNV4rjbJVPxnOhAlrzTBuMPSyqx8_hu8s96EDTRB7Xd7m8FuS9Ct8rHVenc6BBPBOjGEenG1_eaXbsSPe/s1600/1-dino+aorun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="1056" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YsZb0yx0OL0nchJYsp150aNGEHgCA7MVcfVeQ-_7idIw_6cPs-4b-i8hrAenNV4rjbJVPxnOhAlrzTBuMPSyqx8_hu8s96EDTRB7Xd7m8FuS9Ct8rHVenc6BBPBOjGEenG1_eaXbsSPe/s200/1-dino+aorun.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Aorun</i> skull fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Two tyrannoraptorans that were not in
the direct, but as an indirect line (cousins) of tyrannosaur descendancy was, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aorun </i>(Aw-roon) occurring 161.5mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ornitholestes</i> that occurred 154 mya.
Both of these Late Jurassic tyrannoraptorans were small with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aorun</i> no more than 1m/3.3ft long and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ornitholestes</i> (Or-nith-oh-less-tees) at
best was 3m/9.9ft in length. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aorun</i> is
the oldest and most primitive of tyrannoraptorans. The fossil remains were of a
sub adult that was no more than 1-yr-old, so the adult form would have been
larger than demonstrated in the fossil find from the ‘Shishugou Formation’ in a
remote part of Xinjiang, China. The fossil had very thin metacarpals in manus
digits, III and IV approximating the hands of later more derived non-avian
tyrannoraptorans. The thumb claw is large and curved while the other two finger
claws are smaller exhibiting a straight underside. The tiny skull was just
higher in height as a U.S. quarter.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmuK3nLfipBjnG1Vi0qGA39RRPTEQ-8mpeCI-UMYILQLJc6UPg2P8Q2jkyovbpIg3hW_iQLYHLEKHle63DpVhJRj_9rpNYM59-hIgto1zJGH79SK4AcGLFBkxGfpDE56Gi382IqLTNqKo/s1600/1-dino+Ornitholestes+Charles_R._Knight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="960" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmuK3nLfipBjnG1Vi0qGA39RRPTEQ-8mpeCI-UMYILQLJc6UPg2P8Q2jkyovbpIg3hW_iQLYHLEKHle63DpVhJRj_9rpNYM59-hIgto1zJGH79SK4AcGLFBkxGfpDE56Gi382IqLTNqKo/s320/1-dino+Ornitholestes+Charles_R._Knight.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Charles R. Knight <i>Ornitholestes</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Built for speed and agility, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornitholestes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> did not possess any
strength for brute force as its latter day tyrannoraptorans would possess.
Chasing after small vertebrate and larger insect prey, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornitholestes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> most likely didn’t use its mouth and teeth to capture
prey due to the small mouth and skull. It most likely was dependent on its
longer forelimbs to seize small prey then, once captured, deliver a killing
bite with its conical and slightly serrated frontal teeth. The back teeth were
recurved making it easier to slice through meat, so may have also scavenged on
larger carcasses.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The first major division of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannoraptora</i> is with the two sister
groups, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosauroidea</i>
(Tuh-ran-o-sawr-oi-dee-uh) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maniraptoriformes</i>
(Man-ih-rap-tor-rih-formz).</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpZUIKWnzpbRFuVlZTCfoCZt6t5XmEzMkwHxfEGx8ZSWwBfgxUcDUAIlfYk5IR2clCQzkRvQGgogwHo1EywK75OVYemkxL7BzkKMw_gqmJRz5YyZVh1-6-RQOxDekWLLN32i8BBA88T7D/s1600/1-dino+tyrannosauroidea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="745" data-original-width="755" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpZUIKWnzpbRFuVlZTCfoCZt6t5XmEzMkwHxfEGx8ZSWwBfgxUcDUAIlfYk5IR2clCQzkRvQGgogwHo1EywK75OVYemkxL7BzkKMw_gqmJRz5YyZVh1-6-RQOxDekWLLN32i8BBA88T7D/s320/1-dino+tyrannosauroidea.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tyrannosauroidea</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tyrannosauroidea</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> ~ The temporal
range for tyrannosauroids was during the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous
165-66 mya. Their special evolved features are in the skull and pelvis. Where
earlier tyrannosauroids had a long, low and lightly built skull, later forms
had taller and more massive skulls. Still there were similar distinct features,
such as possessing a very tall premaxillary bone while the nasal bones were
fused together. The tyrannosauroid pelvis had a concave notch at the upper
front end of the ilium with a sharply defined vertical ridge on the outside
surface of the ilium extending upwards from the acetabulum (hip socket). Also,
a huge ‘boot’ on the end of the pubis was more than half as long as the shaft
of the pubis itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Beginning in the Jurassic Period,
tyrannosauroids originated on the Laurasian supercontinent, but when Laurasia
split from Gondwana in the Middle Jurassic it left tyrannosauroid species
isolated to further evolve from the rest on the northern continents that later
separated from Laurasia during the Cretaceous. By the end of the Cretaceous,
tyrannosauroids radiated outwards becoming dominant predators in the Northern
Hemisphere culminating in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosaurus
rex</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNmu5g99ybpHceuskyUyLSUkOzd_0GmQEN9EuFd8ejA3CmUbqS5gIN930YB3-gyXhMsHQFfpxc7GuOjV_KznpyFyQm35jaOIFalyRYUwDIwmBqQGd5sJljSo9fpLjxlAJ9U9-mBODiG4q/s1600/1-dino+tyrannosauroidea+Teratophoneus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1023" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNmu5g99ybpHceuskyUyLSUkOzd_0GmQEN9EuFd8ejA3CmUbqS5gIN930YB3-gyXhMsHQFfpxc7GuOjV_KznpyFyQm35jaOIFalyRYUwDIwmBqQGd5sJljSo9fpLjxlAJ9U9-mBODiG4q/s320/1-dino+tyrannosauroidea+Teratophoneus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Teratophoneus Tyrannosauroids</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In more derived forms, tyrannosauroids
trended towards larger sizes and smaller forelimbs. In the more basal
tyrannosauroids, long filamentous pennaceous structures, sometimes referred to
as protofeathers and branching downy feathering were found in their fossil
remains. Downy feathering covered most of the body in these fossils finds and
was most likely used for insulation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One of these basal tyrannosauroids with
insulation feathering features was the afore mentioned, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dilong</i> (Dye-long). Occurring 126 mya in the Early Cretaceous, this
tyrannosauroid at 2m/6.6ft was just a bit larger than today’s average human and
at 5kg/11lbs weighed no more than a regular sized turkey. As transitional, it
is in anatomical appearance a derived coelurosaur, as well as a very primitive
tyrannosaur. In body appearance, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dilong</i>
resembled juvenile tyrannosaurs, but had much longer forelimbs that could
support weight if it chose to stand on all fours.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO58aOtf-1Y-By2RWRDx6giUeBl36rmP_wf8QejaXMNlV2dCDS26zAzWywQ3_syXEWW0NmhLm8FHYY-k9mfAGkqRViMW0IioZkU5AR_eqKykog60uey7wAtOtPRRa-wcMTSGj-dfsVBaMr/s1600/1-dino+dilong+AMNH+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO58aOtf-1Y-By2RWRDx6giUeBl36rmP_wf8QejaXMNlV2dCDS26zAzWywQ3_syXEWW0NmhLm8FHYY-k9mfAGkqRViMW0IioZkU5AR_eqKykog60uey7wAtOtPRRa-wcMTSGj-dfsVBaMr/s320/1-dino+dilong+AMNH+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: American Natural History Museum <i>Dilong</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The anterior teeth of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dilong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> were D-shaped in cross-section
giving it a cookie cutter bite. With sure balance and dexterity as its body,
tail and hind limbs anatomically show, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dilong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
could easily reach speeds of 32kph/20mph in chasing down its prey, which likely
consisted of smaller dinosaurs and larger lizards.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpctRsRcFN_xYAyTPyBlUuXJwWmePAHahTLxUG72A9R-HLLzUwSVFNgFrKlZRxkVqI9stXwlHMi-c0-Bz0Hv2qcr063JeaFvX0VXW12MZqLXaZROYsFrOtugX8ecLNbiux9PPvfpJCGAsi/s1600/1-dino+timurlengia+todd+Marshall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="799" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpctRsRcFN_xYAyTPyBlUuXJwWmePAHahTLxUG72A9R-HLLzUwSVFNgFrKlZRxkVqI9stXwlHMi-c0-Bz0Hv2qcr063JeaFvX0VXW12MZqLXaZROYsFrOtugX8ecLNbiux9PPvfpJCGAsi/s320/1-dino+timurlengia+todd+Marshall.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Todd Marshall <i>Timurlingia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A recent 2016 Uzbekistan fossil find in
the ‘Bissekty Formation’ of a tyrannosauroid bore out some interesting evidence
that the brain size had increased before the body size of tyrannosauroids and
later tyrannosaurs. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Timurlingia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Tim-ur-len-gee-uh) was only 3.5m/11.5ft long, but already had the brain size
of a horse according to its braincase. Occurring 90 mya in the Late Cretaceous,
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Timurlingia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> exemplifies that
tyrannosaurs diversified upon a genus-to-genus basis with the lighter and
longer limbed hunting down more swift smaller prey and the more derived shorter
limbed genera with more brute force hunting down larger prey.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqKn38NCIPNkmJcGHvt4inQ8mAY8J5MBoewpbdifdpDfeI-lsDK_U_umNtUEGtQ6Wbyz6V6Zv9w3vQ8seZhb_o-OcQiS9KVc31F5Oo9flAyNsTs270ejZESC_u1f9Nqojl8-Z1Lc86Hhs/s1600/1-dino+Dryptosaurus+Durbed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="1600" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqKn38NCIPNkmJcGHvt4inQ8mAY8J5MBoewpbdifdpDfeI-lsDK_U_umNtUEGtQ6Wbyz6V6Zv9w3vQ8seZhb_o-OcQiS9KVc31F5Oo9flAyNsTs270ejZESC_u1f9Nqojl8-Z1Lc86Hhs/s320/1-dino+Dryptosaurus+Durbed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Durbed <i>Dryptosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxrQLBw6YJAei6DMhBzSWYHRfMUgfcKxFc9P3mm84BJ-e1K-TWcl0rf2lWlOgUNXALYeG2U-SHMcZJ41OlzCWLfjlRHGpWe1JKW92LFBVZAKHJwjaS_yOKVj0YyeO51HgeGwY9bwReOOS/s1600/1-dino+Dryptosaurus+claw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="1000" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxrQLBw6YJAei6DMhBzSWYHRfMUgfcKxFc9P3mm84BJ-e1K-TWcl0rf2lWlOgUNXALYeG2U-SHMcZJ41OlzCWLfjlRHGpWe1JKW92LFBVZAKHJwjaS_yOKVj0YyeO51HgeGwY9bwReOOS/s200/1-dino+Dryptosaurus+claw.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dryptosaurus</i> claw</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Basal tyrannosauroids began increasing
in size evolving finally into tyrannosaurids. At 7.5 m/24.6ft, one of the last
most derived tyrannosauroids that wasn’t quite a tyrannosaurid anatomically
was, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dryptosaurus</i>. Living 67 mya in
the Late Cretaceous in what is now the eastern USA, this tyrannosauroid’s only
anatomical disposition to tyrannosaurs was its longer forelimbs. Its larger
hands also had three fingers with 20.3cm/8in claws attached to each finger in
conjunction with surangular (all jaw bones muscularly connected) lateral teeth.
Equipped as such, this tyrannosauroid was merciless to its prey. It was also
feathered at least on the anterior body portion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Along with, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dryptosaurus</i>, the tyrannosauroid, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Appalachiosaurus</i> (Ah-pah-lay-chee-oh-sawr-us) are the only two
tyrannosauroids found in the eastern U.S.; the rest of tyrannosauroid fossil
finds as tyrannosaurids were found in the western half of the USA. As a
juvenile at 7m/23ft long, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Appalachiosaurus</i>’
77 mya fossil remains were found in Alabama in the ‘Demopolis Chalk Formation’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryzw7CgVl4KKlgKxyVPDt8wqcptF9nUjfl4tPWm-shElCCrjwZLWfWoSVEQHuJL86pvo48aZy5XMMXgLKouA3KlPDQFzsad87uujsqRUs7CWceumX6XMTl_UykB1Cjjynn177R0bC39eC/s1600/1-dino+appalachiosaurus+sbpaleoartist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1271" data-original-width="1600" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryzw7CgVl4KKlgKxyVPDt8wqcptF9nUjfl4tPWm-shElCCrjwZLWfWoSVEQHuJL86pvo48aZy5XMMXgLKouA3KlPDQFzsad87uujsqRUs7CWceumX6XMTl_UykB1Cjjynn177R0bC39eC/s320/1-dino+appalachiosaurus+sbpaleoartist.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: sbpaleoartist <i>Applalachiosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The first beakdown of a tyrannosauroid
family was in the more primitive, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Proceratosauridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Pro-seh-rat-o-sawr-ah-day) grouping. with a temporal range of of 165-120 mya
during the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous, as a family,
proceratosaurids were a difficult taxon as they had coelurosaur, ceratosaur
(hence the nomenclature) and primitive tyrannosauroid affinities in anatomy.
However, in having enough specific anatomy traits to list them as a separate
taxon, they were, through maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses,
phylogenetically grouped together. Some main characteristics are: a cranial
crest formed by the nasal bones starting at the junction of the premaxilla and
nasals, a short and shallow concave step on the anterior margin of the maxilla,
a short ventral margin of the premaxilla, a ventrally concave ischium and just
ventral to the contact of the pubis and ilium the pubis retained a convex
tubercule (knob).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although proceratosaurids shared similar
anatomical body traits with the more derived tyrannosaurs, they were generally
smaller with distinct skull differences. First off the crests were distinct,
the dentition was odd in having small premaxillary teeth, but large lateral
teeth and the skull as a whole was highly pneumatized in the nasal, jugal,
maxillary and cranial bones. Like the primitive tyrannosauroids,
proceratosaurids also had longer forelimbs and fingers. Currently, five genera
make up the family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Proceratosauridae</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACrx0M7Z7FgjsbYo9ASqsfRADQ-jADKHYRtJnAYp8mEF5KkEkMAqF6ZJ90TOyTB9ccGM3EqSBI5euMlwB1sHcEG5yDEs1JcNUaM2GxAa6Jrmi0OzaoQvvdvEka33NXCsWiHO2bF3vZcdU/s1600/1-dino+guanlong+raul+martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="491" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACrx0M7Z7FgjsbYo9ASqsfRADQ-jADKHYRtJnAYp8mEF5KkEkMAqF6ZJ90TOyTB9ccGM3EqSBI5euMlwB1sHcEG5yDEs1JcNUaM2GxAa6Jrmi0OzaoQvvdvEka33NXCsWiHO2bF3vZcdU/s320/1-dino+guanlong+raul+martin.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Raul Martin <i>Guanlong</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One proceratosaurid was, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Guanlong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Gwon-long) which lived 160 mya
in the Late Jurassic’s ‘Shishugou Formation’ of China. The above illustration portrays a </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Guanlong </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">sub-adult and adult scene of how their fossil remains were interpreted. The juvenile became trapped in a muddy watery pit, perhaps a foot track made by a large sauropod. The adult apparently attempted a rescue and became mired in the mud as well, with both dying by suffocation as the mud sunk them under. The fossil remains were found with the juvenile underneath the adult.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 3m/9.9ft, <i style="font-size: 14pt;">Guanlong</i> lived 92
million years before its relative, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tyrannosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
evolved. But unlike the tyrannosaurs, it had three forelimb fingers instead of
just two with the forelimbs, although shorter than the hind legs were much
longer than the tyrannosaurs. It was closer in relations to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dilong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> than to any tyrannosaurid. Having
found two fossils remains of a six-yr-old juvenile and a 12-yr-old adult,
paleontologists discovered that the crest was restricted to the forward portion
of the snout in the juvenile where it extended to the back of the head in the
adult. The cranial crest most likely, due to its fragility was merely for
display. There is fossil evidence that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Guanlong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
possessed integument feathering.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5AzLM6JKF4bDS032wY1uD_YcSi0Mzr2MCzt9FQwiTNvSWv7XWsZOavUosMaN-pyGBcL3FPGQg6Kjw5mU-DKLtyRe1RhU17rCU24Ex5sQTWsjja5mCaP_zf1nBYEhA9xh1get4J_OBtsN/s1600/1-dino+tyrannosauridae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="500" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5AzLM6JKF4bDS032wY1uD_YcSi0Mzr2MCzt9FQwiTNvSWv7XWsZOavUosMaN-pyGBcL3FPGQg6Kjw5mU-DKLtyRe1RhU17rCU24Ex5sQTWsjja5mCaP_zf1nBYEhA9xh1get4J_OBtsN/s320/1-dino+tyrannosauridae+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i style="font-size: 12.8px;">Tyrannosauridae</i><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Cladogram</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tyrannosauridae</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: This is the
family that pinnacled into one of the largest and best known land predators of
all time in, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosaurus</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rex</i>. Tyrannosaurids appeared in the Late
Cretaceous 80-66 mya. Although some tyrannosaurids technically support crests,
they are not as elegant or elaborate as other crested dinosaurs as either being
a row of bony bumps on the nasal bones as in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alioramus</i> (Ah-lee-oh-ray-mus), or as a prominent horn in front of
each eye as in Albertosaurus (Al-bear-toe-sawr-us). Also, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tarbosaurus</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosaurus</i>
had a small crescent-shaped crest behind each eye on the postorbital bone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExgGC1-1kCfp_aKy8HsCr-zt5gj4qm_fjxgXrfHWPS_sXLTeYijRvZ0_rcWIRuRarKUOoXJkeCqAu7tSUiYtmTnEwOdREyRSEhWnQ3FxOKRE6CCk5g4E6MRWK2gd-am_iucMYVzFe0fdq/s1600/1-dino+Tyrannosaurid+species+Mariomassone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="685" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExgGC1-1kCfp_aKy8HsCr-zt5gj4qm_fjxgXrfHWPS_sXLTeYijRvZ0_rcWIRuRarKUOoXJkeCqAu7tSUiYtmTnEwOdREyRSEhWnQ3FxOKRE6CCk5g4E6MRWK2gd-am_iucMYVzFe0fdq/s320/1-dino+Tyrannosaurid+species+Mariomassone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyrannosaurid species</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tyrannosaurids essentially had binocular
vision veering away from stereoscopic vision as most actively hunting predators
in any animal group do. There is still some ongoing argument that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">T</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">rex</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
was more of a scavenger than a hunter due to its size hampering locomotion, but
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">T</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">rex</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had one of the most sophisticated forms of binocular vision
than any predator dinosaur, which would make it more of a hunter than a
scavenger, in which scavengers rely more on stereoscopic vision for depth
perception. However, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tarbosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> did
have orbits for the eyes that faced more sideways than they did in front, but
fossil evidence proves that this tyrannosaurid relied more on the sense of
smell rather than sight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1efhHBZDiymlUjrewi-H0zKEx0Tzjoax7_0rFXXUvT5Mzc_JNIPaMLin_z_rrleduzrTPDq7s13vJj5XXJizO3mapxGBOIpZkYJ3msro_5YGSFf8yFl5VQKRZDm6mRGF_1Z-L6Onljei/s1600/1-dino+T.+rex+eyes+faced+forward.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1157" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1efhHBZDiymlUjrewi-H0zKEx0Tzjoax7_0rFXXUvT5Mzc_JNIPaMLin_z_rrleduzrTPDq7s13vJj5XXJizO3mapxGBOIpZkYJ3msro_5YGSFf8yFl5VQKRZDm6mRGF_1Z-L6Onljei/s320/1-dino+T.+rex+eyes+faced+forward.JPG" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>T. rex</i> binocular forward vision</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As in modern crocodiles, tyrannosaurids
had flat snout scales that at the center were covered with small keratinized
patches. In crocodiles, these scales cover bundles of sensory neurons that
detect thermal, mechanical and chemical stimuli. It is thought that the
tyrannosaurid snout scales also covered sensory neurons to identify objects and
measure temperature ranges of their nests and to mechanically and gingerly move
eggs and hatchlings.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tyrannosaurids were at least
homeothermic in regulating their own core body temperature putting them between
ectothermic and endothermic animals. Histological growth rates in
tyrannosaurids and in particular in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosaurus</i>
bear out that the young had pronounced growth rates whereas in adult forms
growth halted. This is viewed in endothermic mammals and birds of today in
limiting growth only in the immature stages. Indeterminate growth as seen in
ectothermic vertebrates where growth continues throughout life is not evident
in tyrannosaurid fossils, thus through studies it appears that tyrannosaurids
maintained a constant temperature of the body’s core that was no more than 4-5
°C/7-9 °F higher than the extremities such as the tibia of the lower leg.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As in most cases though, there normally
is an exception to the rule. Albertosaurines did have a rapid juvenile growth
rate, but once reaching adulthood, although very slowly, still continued to
grow throughout the adult stage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tyrannosauridae</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is further
divided into three groups which comprise two subfamilies, one tribe, eleven
genera and thirteen species. The two main divisions are in the subfamilies, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosaurinae</i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">, or</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><i>Tyrannosaurine </i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Albertosaurinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> which both are sister clades. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Albertosaurinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> consists of two genera in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gorgosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Gor-guh-sawr-us) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Albertosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> with one holotype species in each genus. Albertosaurines
had a temporal range of 76.6-68 mya during the Late Cretaceous and were lightly
built with flatter skulls, shorter ilia and proportionally longer tibia when
compared to tyrannosaurines. Albertosaurine adults measured ~ 9m/30ft.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb75gZ_M-u42md4AePsCr99xfZJbUJyhm-Ka0EvIa9svO0RZzW8WECSWb7kwlI_lmKL88MuzqJdwOMFUA6yOZmDdNHqSUZZ2w4HAbPc3YXuJ-6O8FXa05DGbCkq5wiQNO13Nd0HWWDT-8/s1600/1-dino+gorgosaurus+philip+whiteley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="840" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb75gZ_M-u42md4AePsCr99xfZJbUJyhm-Ka0EvIa9svO0RZzW8WECSWb7kwlI_lmKL88MuzqJdwOMFUA6yOZmDdNHqSUZZ2w4HAbPc3YXuJ-6O8FXa05DGbCkq5wiQNO13Nd0HWWDT-8/s320/1-dino+gorgosaurus+philip+whiteley.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Philip Whiteley <i>Gorgosaurus</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Both albertosaurines are from what is
now N. America, with </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gorgosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
living in lush floodplains near the inland sea of the ‘Western Interior Seaway’,
while </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Albertosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> lived in areas
where the seaway had receded comprising several environments due to the
recession and transgression of the waters before the final recession. These
coastal habitats included lagoonal, estuary and tidal flat environments.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOzi35N1KPYj2LnYeJ4Nrd8sQ1Uu0XLWW-bVqs37cfhqueplDDcBXH7NkcE1awFjJVNZNTGBVIb_hsVVbbMU1GjeS2FJqineJ99EcODSn8EhrcU_qIh7Algh97FV6gk3ZiO0KmyPQWvZh/s1600/1-dino+albertosaurus+steve+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="900" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOzi35N1KPYj2LnYeJ4Nrd8sQ1Uu0XLWW-bVqs37cfhqueplDDcBXH7NkcE1awFjJVNZNTGBVIb_hsVVbbMU1GjeS2FJqineJ99EcODSn8EhrcU_qIh7Algh97FV6gk3ZiO0KmyPQWvZh/s320/1-dino+albertosaurus+steve+white.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Steve White <i>Albertosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As the sister group to albertosaurines, </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Tyrannosaurinae</i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> includes the tribe, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Alioramini</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Ale-ee-ur-ray-muh-nee)
consisting of two genera and three species in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Alioramus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">remotus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Ale-ee-ur-ray-mus = ruh-mo-tus), </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">A</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">altai</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (al-tai) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Qianzhousaurus sinensis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Kin-zao-sawr-us = sigh-nen-sis). The two
species of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Alioramus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> occurred 70 mya
in the Late Cretaceous and were from what is now the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Q</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">sinensis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’
almost complete remains were discovered in southern China within the city of
Ganzhou at a construction site.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Vr-vnluDBUdH85AUJQsw-4dkoPCLHJqVkLCNUWyGSKti4tXyqz_tnGX4gD-kIeRGmJMMkrT6mGybs2ZAfoQf48JjnAUL_60m6GCpn619NQwmENbSB5mKy3OfO5ll3oU7WUv5yIvV-2iC/s1600/1-dino+qianzhousaurus+chuang+zhao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1190" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Vr-vnluDBUdH85AUJQsw-4dkoPCLHJqVkLCNUWyGSKti4tXyqz_tnGX4gD-kIeRGmJMMkrT6mGybs2ZAfoQf48JjnAUL_60m6GCpn619NQwmENbSB5mKy3OfO5ll3oU7WUv5yIvV-2iC/s320/1-dino+qianzhousaurus+chuang+zhao.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Zhao Chuang <i>Qianzhousaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Qianzhousaurus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> lived somewhere
between 72-66 mya during the Late Cretaceous, which was contemporaneous with
other tyrannosaurids that had the more typical tyrannosaurid bulky skull and
heavily muscled and powerful deep set jaws. The smaller, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Qianzhousaurus</i> at no more than 6m/20ft had to compete against these
much larger and stronger tyrannosaurids and the clue as to how it did lies in
its nickname of ‘Pinocchio rex’. This tyrannosaurid had much weaker jaws and
brute force than its other contemporary tyrannosaurids, but it had a much
longer snout. This indicates that it left the much larger prey to the other
tyrannosaurids while it filled a niche in pursuing smaller prey.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGs0P-9nUIZISNUuytzlHNxaHrlFNl54zRrpBBT5YfBquk8R9gMG_Yh8xOz-rhpWferr4mbnjwaW2Hih2mqZ5RHYFmh9oNavuKGAytoOJ10Xdjq9QzHuWGIsF7ZX5KNj8JpOO3qnMRA7er/s1600/1-dino+daspletosaurus+cr+BBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="720" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGs0P-9nUIZISNUuytzlHNxaHrlFNl54zRrpBBT5YfBquk8R9gMG_Yh8xOz-rhpWferr4mbnjwaW2Hih2mqZ5RHYFmh9oNavuKGAytoOJ10Xdjq9QzHuWGIsF7ZX5KNj8JpOO3qnMRA7er/s320/1-dino+daspletosaurus+cr+BBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: BBC <i>Daspletosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The remaining seven genera are all
direct tyrannosaurids with </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Daspletosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Das-plet-o-sawr-us) containing two species giving a total of eight species.
With a temporal range of 77-74 mya ago in the Late Cretaceous and up to 9m/30ft
long, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Daspletosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> species were
apex predators. They lived alongside another apex predator in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gorgosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">; a distinct difference in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Qianzhousaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’ situation where it
filled a lesser niche in competition with other contemporaneous tyrannosaurids,
like </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tarbosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUgROWVAXaD-3bPPqaxNjVWEhz3180vZM9ITUrWmVZpbfH8dhVUFJNsT5LSudA_wjbZxzXI15RvSZX8THSxi2M9IhiO7D8qmvrNz5CkmUAVgsSxUwJUoGOE7pYwPJucQLIn1ImQzxd7nX/s1600/1-dino+lynthronax+lukas+panzarin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="766" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUgROWVAXaD-3bPPqaxNjVWEhz3180vZM9ITUrWmVZpbfH8dhVUFJNsT5LSudA_wjbZxzXI15RvSZX8THSxi2M9IhiO7D8qmvrNz5CkmUAVgsSxUwJUoGOE7pYwPJucQLIn1ImQzxd7nX/s320/1-dino+lynthronax+lukas+panzarin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Lukas Panzarin <i>Lynthronax</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The oldest tyrannosaurine fossil found
thus far is, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lythronax</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Lye-thru-nax), whose temporal range is in the Late Cretaceous 80 mya. This
primitive tyrannosaur was 7.3m/24ft long and had </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">T</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">rex </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">skull</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">traits with forward facing orbitals for
binocular depth perception as well as the skull itself being short and wide.
The serrated teeth were banana-shaped meat cleavers able to chop through the
toughest of dinosaur hides and just like </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">T</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">rex</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, would’ve been able to carve out
large chunks of flesh and bone to swallow whole. In being a primitive
tyrannosaurine, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lythronax</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had
shortened forelimbs, but were still larger than the more derived
tyrannosaurines; however, its postcranial morphology was very similar to that
of the later tyrannosaurs giving a much earlier insight into tyrannosaur
evolution.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5n9gJvZaPOfKF12q5ZraqQA5D-FG8zCB0ZSmHESzzkIZaaUz2Sz7RsLMEW2-v9BNeAw9MAswHAlahNX7ouDauRbAIH5Bk-M6wNmj5MiAP_yYRRc32vJomynJfQ2WIk_oFZkhGIjaqvZC1/s1600/1-dino+Nanuqsaurus+Paleocene+executor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5n9gJvZaPOfKF12q5ZraqQA5D-FG8zCB0ZSmHESzzkIZaaUz2Sz7RsLMEW2-v9BNeAw9MAswHAlahNX7ouDauRbAIH5Bk-M6wNmj5MiAP_yYRRc32vJomynJfQ2WIk_oFZkhGIjaqvZC1/s320/1-dino+Nanuqsaurus+Paleocene+executor.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: paleo executor <i>Nanuqsaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Occurring 69.1 mya during the Late
Cretaceous, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Nanuqsaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Nah-nuk-sawr-us) was a 6m/20ft tyrannosaurine theropod that lived in what is
now called the North Slope Borough of Alaska, USA. It is considered a highly
derived tyrannosaur and is the sister taxon to the clade of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tarbosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tryrannosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. Although temperatures weren’t as cold in northern
Alaska as they are today, Late Cretaceous Alaska, as part of the ancient
subcontinent, Laramidia would have experienced cold snowy and long periods of
dark winters. Food sources would’ve been scarce, so during the more bountiful
summer months, with its smaller size and perhaps an ability to store fat, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Nanuqsaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> managed to survive the
harsher winter months supplemented by scavenging any carcasses it came
across.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The most derived tyrannosaurines were
the two sister genera of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosaurus</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ta</i>r<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bosaurus</i>. In fact, when <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tarbosaurus</i>
fossil remains were first found, scientists indeed thought that it was another <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rex</i>
fossil due to the vast similarities. The main differences between the two, is
that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tarbosaurus</i> snout was
thinner than the wider <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rex </i>snout and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tarbosaurus</i> forelimbs along with total body length were a bit
shorter.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Uvs8YIzfgSXkmn2CN4qDsab-6DF1T1Q2i4LJ57SMqJGEool-mUzoX4n7-SCjpUPAP0gU3ATy3mLLQ6VYMs4JR_PybdUnXqYDIgwgjzL_XBUT3ehdtn6hELo94qgeoLVUC-MktphRZMpJ/s1600/1-dino+tarbosaurus+skin-fthrd+james+kuether.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="1600" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Uvs8YIzfgSXkmn2CN4qDsab-6DF1T1Q2i4LJ57SMqJGEool-mUzoX4n7-SCjpUPAP0gU3ATy3mLLQ6VYMs4JR_PybdUnXqYDIgwgjzL_XBUT3ehdtn6hELo94qgeoLVUC-MktphRZMpJ/s320/1-dino+tarbosaurus+skin-fthrd+james+kuether.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: James Kuether <i>Tarbosaurus</i> bare skin/feathered</td></tr>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tarbosaurus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> lived 70 mya
while <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosaurus</i> lived 68-66 mya.
With both coming from Late Cretaceous, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tarbosaurus</i>
remains come from southern Mongolia, while <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosaurus</i>
finds are from western North America. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tarbosaurus
</i>being older, some paleontologists have hypothesized that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rex</i>
evolved from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tarbosaurus</i>, speculating
that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosaurus</i> taxon line
migrated from Asia into N. America from Siberia. To bear this out, more fossils
will have to be discovered and evaluated in what occurred in between the two
theropods’ timeframes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTsgzGkdcxScXxAGSI34kfMM3PPJHUe2AYFTDGwMrxJQ4W59MxT9qVINNbzzhlZo8CR0WlbKIu5aNIr5wa-Vufuyj1KU7jb_st3hL4ZyrueUe8NbGvBpzCcrS8VAg4Hu5Z9lfgP8n6joS/s1600/1-dino+t_rex_feather_skin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="479" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTsgzGkdcxScXxAGSI34kfMM3PPJHUe2AYFTDGwMrxJQ4W59MxT9qVINNbzzhlZo8CR0WlbKIu5aNIr5wa-Vufuyj1KU7jb_st3hL4ZyrueUe8NbGvBpzCcrS8VAg4Hu5Z9lfgP8n6joS/s320/1-dino+t_rex_feather_skin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>T. rex</i> skin fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As of yet, there is no direct evidence
that either </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tarbosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> nor </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tyrannosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> possessed any type of
feather covering. But due to close phylogenetic relations of tyrannosaurids
that did possess feathers, most paleontologists consider it likely that there
were at least on some parts of the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">T. rex</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
body…feathering. Scales and scale impressions have been found in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">T</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">rex</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
fossils including small mosaic scales. Even bare skin impressions have been
found that would allude to feathering.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMrMM40OWKnEYKzkNPyHKvnFNpl_Ol_ck6irze8tj3oTCsbHl0YtrY6R0D72Do2plj5IBOrTB4NhO9A4U8n04lRCsRHEQWPdL6Qrjj-XurhfvKRYr4IcHtPLmgAsUXREUTDBDLiRZm1e6/s1600/1-dino+t+rex+r+j+palmer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="1600" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMrMM40OWKnEYKzkNPyHKvnFNpl_Ol_ck6irze8tj3oTCsbHl0YtrY6R0D72Do2plj5IBOrTB4NhO9A4U8n04lRCsRHEQWPdL6Qrjj-XurhfvKRYr4IcHtPLmgAsUXREUTDBDLiRZm1e6/s320/1-dino+t+rex+r+j+palmer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist, R.J. Palmer version of <i>T. rex</i> feathered</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Back under ceratopsids we discussed a
bit on the duels we perceive that might have occurred between </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">T. rex</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> and </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Triceratops</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> and who would win the battle as we assume a fifty
percent chance of either one winning. But we neglect the begging query as why
would </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">T</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">rex</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> fight a </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Triceratops</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
when it only had a 50-50 chance? The deal is...</span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">T</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">rex</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> wouldn’t. He or
she would only fight </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Triceratops</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> if
the odds were in its favor. It most definitely was and here is why...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhxLZDGscXF2NoyjViAr4ZPrSLpAxTxHc70uEc6ydoiRTxkd9I6v9J7Wz3OQ_2NyZJPo0KGsR05EYx6ENQhLHKROLxMOlr6JTIG3teXM38wwd1Kb6_8cntt6WIiqNtr4LAxPoqaH9OqCG/s1600/1-dino+T.rex+vs+Triceratops+Vlad+Konstantinov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="1600" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhxLZDGscXF2NoyjViAr4ZPrSLpAxTxHc70uEc6ydoiRTxkd9I6v9J7Wz3OQ_2NyZJPo0KGsR05EYx6ENQhLHKROLxMOlr6JTIG3teXM38wwd1Kb6_8cntt6WIiqNtr4LAxPoqaH9OqCG/s320/1-dino+T.rex+vs+Triceratops+Vlad+Konstantinov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Artist: Vlad Konstantinov <i>T. rex</i> vs. <i>Triceratops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">T</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rex</i> had a bite force of 562.5kg/sq. cm
or 8,000 lbs/sq. in, while in the initial bite, the teeth’s tip exerted an
astounding 30,302.3kg/sq. cm or 431,000 lbs/sq. in. That’s equivalent to the
same pressure as having 33 full grown African elephants stacked atop one
another atop your head. With this biting force supplemented by sixty razor
sharp 30.5cm/12in serrated teeth, T. rex could slice through any tough dinosaur
hide and chomp through bone to get at the marrow. So in getting back to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rex</i>/<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Triceratops</i> battles mentioned earlier
under ceratopsids, in one quick bite hold, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T</i>.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rex</i> could have easily sliced through
and severed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Triceratops</i> head and
flung it; with a frill or no frill.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9srXv0-aRRdFUkKBgdaQTJql_V-5bjsVbyWc5xK6xleE6p1iCMLu4kYzhfylhXVgEUSzms5BvQ0HssY0y9zxYKgInrId50f3jstunm8yQ8Z4ATpSwqRMl1c9veqIzQHQlBlS3ikO1INCw/s1600/1-dino+maniraptoriformes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="891" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9srXv0-aRRdFUkKBgdaQTJql_V-5bjsVbyWc5xK6xleE6p1iCMLu4kYzhfylhXVgEUSzms5BvQ0HssY0y9zxYKgInrId50f3jstunm8yQ8Z4ATpSwqRMl1c9veqIzQHQlBlS3ikO1INCw/s320/1-dino+maniraptoriformes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simple <i>Maniraptoriformes</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Maniraptoriformes</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> ~ Quickly
radiating out into new lands, basal coelurosaurs were predators of various
Jurassic and Cretaceous environmental biomes. This created a rapid
diversification and evolvement to fill in niches that never before were
available to theropods. It also generated omnivorous and even herbivorous
theropods filling in regions where small herbivores were absent. In regions
where there were large herbivores but no large carnivores, the smaller
theropods began enlarging their bodies. In ecology, this is known as ‘niche
partitioning’ and is the process by which competing fauna utilize a biome
differently than another species allowing a steady coexistence. This is the
setting where the maniraptoriforms’ story unfolds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As the sister taxon to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tyrannosauroidea</i>, maniraptoriforms
consist of two clades in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ornithomimosauria</i>
(Or-nith-uh-my-mo-sawr-ee-ah) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maniraptora</i>
(Man-uh-rap-tor-ah). Maniraptoriforms had a temporal range from the Late
Jurassic to the present from 167-0 mya. Maniraptoriforms consist of the clades
that led directly to birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According to the cranial portion of the
skulls, maniraptoriforms contained in the clade, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maniraptora</i> (Man-uh-rap-tor-uh), all had brains that were at a
minimum twice as large as the more basal coelurosaurs. Typical features are in
having small phyllodont (leaf-shaped) teeth or no teeth at all in the more
derived and, except for the most basal, often lacked grabbing claws, or no
claws at all in the more derived. This would suggest that early in their
evolvement, maniraptoriforms were trending on the whole toward an herbivorous
diet. They all possessed feathering, even in some, broad pennaceous feathers
branching off from a shaft. The tiny alvarezsaurid, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shuvuuia</i> (Shu-vue-ee-ah) possessed a form of keratin consistent to
that of modern day birds, while the ornithomimosaur, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pelecanimimus</i> (Pel-ee-can-eye-mime-us) fossil finds bear impression
evidence to the skin’s collagen fibers suggesting that under a feathered cloak,
the body was without scales just as in birds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzeBVR4qdMkq_JzJjtPHRBqV5TLNVAbxKqZ8-LmtKsDbQM0_ReeBnzlk2BwYOlmVDcN631i0aFoLoWZDhddmLTMN9e1R8t1-5gKGkndPeujHuEpMNHSFBznb3fMBCrVjv49x2t-_ByAyt/s1600/1-dino+ornithomimosauria+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="656" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzeBVR4qdMkq_JzJjtPHRBqV5TLNVAbxKqZ8-LmtKsDbQM0_ReeBnzlk2BwYOlmVDcN631i0aFoLoWZDhddmLTMN9e1R8t1-5gKGkndPeujHuEpMNHSFBznb3fMBCrVjv49x2t-_ByAyt/s320/1-dino+ornithomimosauria+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ornithomimosauria</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithomimosauria</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> ~ Called
ornithomimosaurs, or ornithomimosaurians, but commonly known as ‘ostrich
dinosaurs’ occurred 140-66 mya during the Early-Late Cretaceous. They are the
most basal of maniraptoriforms with their taxa line coming to an end 66 mya.
Compared to the large eyes the skulls were small. While they experienced a
reduction in tooth size, the slender necks lengthened. The forelimbs were also
long with the manus distal ends terminating into powerful hooked claws, used
most likely for reaching and grasping. The hind limbs were also long and
powerful with the pes (feet) ending in hoof-like claws making ornithomimosaurs one of
the swiftest of dinosaur runners. Even though there are numerous fossils
detailing ornithomimosaurs as prey, with their hind limbs, they weren’t totally
defenseless. Just as ostriches can today in gutting a lion or even a human with
their pes claws, the larger ornithomimosaurs could have done the same to their
predators. Even a well-placed kick could do damage.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtTta1EuthyphenhyphenbeUEzjM-Y7BJy2u-PMNwtfpybbEL79xaKBq1n50OaTUIJFz0qiD1ghjQ-T9whXbh4LH4anaumpmyYMTZlIk3TLoYTCp7vAxZ_HLszI1BeJv51IqTaq6XP4CIcfzZJTpmz1/s1600/1-dino+Deinocheiridae+skltl+arms.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtTta1EuthyphenhyphenbeUEzjM-Y7BJy2u-PMNwtfpybbEL79xaKBq1n50OaTUIJFz0qiD1ghjQ-T9whXbh4LH4anaumpmyYMTZlIk3TLoYTCp7vAxZ_HLszI1BeJv51IqTaq6XP4CIcfzZJTpmz1/s320/1-dino+Deinocheiridae+skltl+arms.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Deinocheirus</i> forelimbs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Judging from ornithomimosaur fossil
finds containing gastroliths, for the most part, it alludes to the fact they were herbivores, but some could also have been omnivores preying on small
vertebrates and large invertebrates such as insects.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithomimosaurs make up for a large
group of species, with nine holotype genera and with two families in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinocheiridae</i> (Dee-in-no-care-ah-day)
having three genera and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ornithomimidae</i>
(Or-nith-o-mi-muh-die) having eleven genera.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Found in South Africa’s ‘Kirkwood
Formation’ that was laid down during the Early Cretaceous, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nqwebasaurus</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> (Nuh-qway-ba-sawr-us)</span> from 140 mya is the most basal ornithomimosaurian
found thus far. As the earliest ornithomimosaur and coelurosaur from Gondwana,
it was a 90cm/35.4in long three-year-old subadult. It had small reduced teeth
and utilized gastroliths for digesting plant material. The hands were
three-fingered including an opposable tipped with a claw. The well preserved
fossil remains were found in the ‘Kirkwood Formation’ of South Africa making it
the only African coelurosaur found.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKHCadfTEE4mWYUaWGsh-1Y155QVJkkRMnPWr7etAKs1OUUnAANKl8bsiFUAmatSBXjYEYPwDUF-tnI6bVw5P2Umb_0Nj-97YGWVsrynn4BUVOV-ovn0mW1nerz2rRNRaUkRmwI-BCFDP/s1600/1-dino+Nqwebasaurus+Riley+Chandler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="500" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKHCadfTEE4mWYUaWGsh-1Y155QVJkkRMnPWr7etAKs1OUUnAANKl8bsiFUAmatSBXjYEYPwDUF-tnI6bVw5P2Umb_0Nj-97YGWVsrynn4BUVOV-ovn0mW1nerz2rRNRaUkRmwI-BCFDP/s320/1-dino+Nqwebasaurus+Riley+Chandler.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Riley Chandler <i>Nqwebasaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The ‘mimo’ in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithomimosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> refers to the Latin word, ‘mimicus’ meaning
mimic. So, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithomimosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, means
‘bird mimic’, which in essence means they appeared to be birds but weren’t.
Tooth reduction is an obvious evolutionary pattern in ornithomimosaurs, with </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Nqwebasaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> having reduced teeth as
compared to other contemporaneous coelurosaur groups, while the latter
ornithomimosaurian holotypes in the 130 mya </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pelcanimimus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(pelican mimic) had more reduced teeth than </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Nqwebasaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and the 130 mya, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Harpymimcus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (harpy
mimic) only had small cylindrical teeth in the lower jaw. By the time the
ornithomimid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gallimimus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (chicken
mimic) arrived 70 mya, its beak was totally toothless.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZ2sjgs6VVPUjXNjRMqH0sRNd363TPorey-Qp48JGGcdyNa6rrwE0r5hJRhJya8lZy3A8r23R29ILRUroF0KWbU6kkYjSUTHzTbH7bxbqk_uKtHfyR09_Cv0kVM2FxeEDtDZFf40xm5tV/s1600/1-dino+deino-ornitho+clades.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZ2sjgs6VVPUjXNjRMqH0sRNd363TPorey-Qp48JGGcdyNa6rrwE0r5hJRhJya8lZy3A8r23R29ILRUroF0KWbU6kkYjSUTHzTbH7bxbqk_uKtHfyR09_Cv0kVM2FxeEDtDZFf40xm5tV/s1600/1-dino+deino-ornitho+clades.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Deinocheridae-Ornithomimidae</i> Clades</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Deinocheiridae</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> members
occurred between 115-66 mya during the Late Cretaceous of Asia. Best known for
their forelimbs, deinocherids had the longest arms of any other biped theropod.
In general body anatomy, they were bulky but lightweight due to hollow bones.
The three genera that make up the family are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bishanlong</i> (Bay-shan-long) from the ending of the Early Cretaceous
115-100 mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Garudimimus</i>
(Gah-rue-die-mime-us) from the beginning of the Late Cretaceous 98-83 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinocheirus</i> (Dee-in-no-care-us) from
the ending of the Late Cretaceous 71-69 mya.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6WPiiTyMtBpY7TYejDHXXJxh5aG_WnufMnOzpYsOoIEqilXhKSAmuuD3njJAXOS3rs1u8EBgqLAdafWJ82CFiBWqOWfNA-0mD0iDeSMo6VVVs68VivGI0ee-AK_h43PPphvFD1IHijyh/s1600/1-dino+deinocheirus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="720" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6WPiiTyMtBpY7TYejDHXXJxh5aG_WnufMnOzpYsOoIEqilXhKSAmuuD3njJAXOS3rs1u8EBgqLAdafWJ82CFiBWqOWfNA-0mD0iDeSMo6VVVs68VivGI0ee-AK_h43PPphvFD1IHijyh/s320/1-dino+deinocheirus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Damir Martin <i>Deinocheirus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The largest ornithomimosaurian was the
deinocheirid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Deinocheirus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> at
11m/36ft long while weighing 6,350kg/14,000lb. The Gobi Desert fossil finds in
Mongolia prove this ornithomimid to be one unique theropod. Most
ornithomimosaurs were lithe built for speed, but this huge humpbacked
ornithomimosaur was a slow moving gargantuan. It also had a duck-billed shape
beak mounted on a horse-shaped skull. The last twelve back vertebrae supported
bulky neural spines that became increasingly longer from front to back with the
last one being 8.5 times longer than the centrum portion. This made the central
to rear half of the back look hump-like. The spines supported interconnecting
ligaments supporting the large abdomen. The forelimbs are the largest of any
bipedal theropod.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Deinocheirus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> fossils have
been found in sediment that were near rivers, small lakes and in mudflats. With
at least 1,400 gizzard stones 8-87mm/0.32-3.3in in diameter found in fossil
remains and also with the large abdomen, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinocheirus</i>
ate soft plants and in particular with the duck-billed snout it foraged for
water plants and browsed near the ground. It had no teeth but fish vertebrae
and scales have been found mixed in with the gastroliths and whether the fish
were ingested incidentally or not, makes it an omnivore. The musculature
working the jaws were weak, so if it preyed on any land animals they would’ve had
to been small, as the jaws were too weak to seize any prey with any larger size
to it. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinocheirus</i> also had
vertebrae spines in the middle of the back that supported a hump and like
camels, it presumably stored fat.</span><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithomimidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is the last of
the two families of ornithomimosaurians to radiate out into its own group. With
a temporal range confined to the Late Cretaceous 92-66 mya, ornithomimids are
known for their ostrich-like appearance in having large eyes, small heads and
relatively long slender necks. With muscled long hind limbs, the legs were
powerful terminating in a long foot with short but strong toes bearing
hoof-like claws. As mentioned earlier, ornithomimosaurs were the fastest of
dinosaurs, but ornithomimids were the fastest of ornithomimosaurs. The body’s
skin was feathered rather than scaly.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGMnyeBz97jL6FzkFLrmfrOncYpSa-WihxWdCAEUTV6ImD6of_J5ywh78Lhw0g0jcD1fguHjKKyOM1_bUhNgOXc6eekf53iPfZ-JnAcKDMha5COMj9anYXUwtqYIXxy-QxqyzXuiDsiRY/s1600/1-dino+struthiomimus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="776" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGMnyeBz97jL6FzkFLrmfrOncYpSa-WihxWdCAEUTV6ImD6of_J5ywh78Lhw0g0jcD1fguHjKKyOM1_bUhNgOXc6eekf53iPfZ-JnAcKDMha5COMj9anYXUwtqYIXxy-QxqyzXuiDsiRY/s320/1-dino+struthiomimus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mohamad Haghani <i>Struthiomimus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlnQ39CWfYrLxqs_tsYTzFWY5nEv2x2YndVbM3ya0OF7_dm7BOO8iuSQ1cdxuXzyqwkQUkT8Qp8YTLt2Obb3HV5UljGcngaKIer35rLjqSBjPe77CqKBVHlQppWp0Hq9KLdI1jJ88A5UK/s1600/1-dino+Struthiomimus+skeleton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1600" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlnQ39CWfYrLxqs_tsYTzFWY5nEv2x2YndVbM3ya0OF7_dm7BOO8iuSQ1cdxuXzyqwkQUkT8Qp8YTLt2Obb3HV5UljGcngaKIer35rLjqSBjPe77CqKBVHlQppWp0Hq9KLdI1jJ88A5UK/s320/1-dino+Struthiomimus+skeleton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Struthiomimus</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Another ornithomimid besides the
aforementioned, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gallimimus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Struthiomimus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Stru-fee-o-mime-us) which
stands for ‘ostrich mimic’ and had a temporal range of 77-66 mya towards the
end of the Late Cretaceous. At 4.3m/14ft long and 1.4m/4.6ft tall, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Struthiomimus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was the fastest runner of
ornithomimids, therefore the swiftest of all dinosaurs with anatomical studies
showing maximum speeds of up to 80kph/50mph. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Struthiomimus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was a gregarious herbivore. The anatomy supports an
herbivorous diet in that the structure of the shoulder girdle was construed as
to not allow the arms to reach in elevation, nor was the shoulders optimized
for reaching to the ground. The II and III manus digits were equal in length
and could not function independently suggesting that in life they were bound to
work as a single unit by skin covering. The whole manus (hand) could not be
fully flexed, so all this alludes to the fact that the manus was used as a hook
and clamp for bringing plant material in reach of the mouth. This hand
adaptation would also have served as the forelimb’s wing feather support.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5KK7m6djc5loj3imB0wIE9ZD4YS8eBtg4MK-9WgoMdwu9tOQ6q_NvPEbT1qgsVmjUtKk1UfZt2ljmIxKBaTVNBUvAL2EA4PgmuwopXvgqCUK9WC5Yo8mgt_XJNkZIX0PTeXXHyFc4uBy/s1600/1-dino+maniraptora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="604" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5KK7m6djc5loj3imB0wIE9ZD4YS8eBtg4MK-9WgoMdwu9tOQ6q_NvPEbT1qgsVmjUtKk1UfZt2ljmIxKBaTVNBUvAL2EA4PgmuwopXvgqCUK9WC5Yo8mgt_XJNkZIX0PTeXXHyFc4uBy/s320/1-dino+maniraptora.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Maniraptora</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Maniraptora</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> ~ Genetically
borrowed from their coelurosaur ancestry, maniraptorans and early birds
inherited an increase in the size of the brain’s proportion devoted to the
cerebrum. The cerebrum is that part of the brain responsible for the
integration of complex sensory and neural functions and the initiation and
coordination of voluntary activity in the body. However, there was much
convergent evolution in maniraptoran groups as well, but have enough
synapomorphies (common anatomical structures) to be phylogenetically united. With
this understanding, keep in mind that maniraptorans as deeply nestled within
coelurosaurs, are a branched clade closer in genetic relations to extinct and
extant birds than they are to ornithomimosaurs.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Typical maniraptoran anatomical features
were: a fused clavicle (shoulder blade) and sternum (breast bone), a bird pubis
that points downwards rather than forwards, a shortened or absent tail ending
in a stiffened pygostyle, a manus (hand) longer than the pes (foot) in the most
derived and are feathered. With a unique modified wrist bone found only in
maniraptorans called the, ‘semi-lunate carpal’ it originally made the wrist
more flexible, but later on in the most derived maniraptorans, it made it
possible for flight. Thus, the maniraptoran clade contains the only group of
dinosaurs that evolved the capability of flight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The temporal range for maniraptorans is
from the Late Jurassic 167-0 mya. The major clades of maniraptorans are the: alvarezsauroids,
therizinosaurs and the pennaraptorans which includes the avialan groups in
which birds are a part of.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmDLZYBPuWdpmzlvKCAO-0ybhzpCGMYV9c-IPbLpSJZALY_fvsohouE1Y-INLeRK99AWOlaox0_vCMJcwGnoMiOktRexqYic0yLJy71G2O2SvGNcBauiW_M9KVmsuAy3grHTOb3dZDE6F/s1600/1-dino+alvaresauroidea+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="550" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmDLZYBPuWdpmzlvKCAO-0ybhzpCGMYV9c-IPbLpSJZALY_fvsohouE1Y-INLeRK99AWOlaox0_vCMJcwGnoMiOktRexqYic0yLJy71G2O2SvGNcBauiW_M9KVmsuAy3grHTOb3dZDE6F/s320/1-dino+alvaresauroidea+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Alvarezsauroidea</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZlT4UY8yWpgQnxSMUpwzFxDDklZGB-RV70BfDK2qVsNCk16oO04Q1jgSJ_js7V6yfZEJIzMDoeF1QBV8PxosolLrS2JPhuSPm6g_n6uz8eMfQC0cqMWc8-7mPVgDSBUaGPmrk98_uV3E/s1600/1-dino+alvaresaurid+sizes+Matthew+Martyniuk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="990" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZlT4UY8yWpgQnxSMUpwzFxDDklZGB-RV70BfDK2qVsNCk16oO04Q1jgSJ_js7V6yfZEJIzMDoeF1QBV8PxosolLrS2JPhuSPm6g_n6uz8eMfQC0cqMWc8-7mPVgDSBUaGPmrk98_uV3E/s320/1-dino+alvaresaurid+sizes+Matthew+Martyniuk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Matthew Martyniuk Some alvarezsauroid sizes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The most basal of maniraptorans are from
the clade, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Alvarezsauroidea</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Al-vuh-rez-sawr-oid-dee-ah) occurring in the Late Jurassic to the Late
Cretaceous 160-66 mya. The oldest and most primitive alvarezsauroid is </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Haplocheirus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Hap-lo-chair-us) predating
any other maniraptoran member species by 63 million years. It roamed through
the Late Jurassic northwestern China semi-arid lands 260 mya. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Haplocheirus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was ~ 2m/6.6ft long with
fossil exposing an almost complete individual. It had not yet developed the
specific developed manus (hand) as the more evolved Cretaceous South American
and Asian maniraptorans show with the singly enlarged digit as it still
retained the use of two fingers with a well-developed thumb that became
vestigial on most of the latter maniraptoran forms. It was covered in downy
insulating feathers and possessed a deep keel (extension of the sternum). With
long legs ending in three toes it was a swift runner and walked in digitigrade
(walking on toes) fashion just as birds do.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFohJGK9pe6NuGTwcFbmZozxUqD6AR4h6IUDq2sOzTyf9_7PNwt6lt8azDiYCk71OAlBdE8uuozBhLs0yE8LGJ9z74jGKXj__mCvtUauegXPA04EgNb0SJHPBNuivuh9FtYXOOmZDBwrra/s1600/1-dino+haplocheirus+Portia+Sloan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="695" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFohJGK9pe6NuGTwcFbmZozxUqD6AR4h6IUDq2sOzTyf9_7PNwt6lt8azDiYCk71OAlBdE8uuozBhLs0yE8LGJ9z74jGKXj__mCvtUauegXPA04EgNb0SJHPBNuivuh9FtYXOOmZDBwrra/s320/1-dino+haplocheirus+Portia+Sloan.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Portia Sloan <i>Haplocheirus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Like most Jurassic theropods, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Haplocheirus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had relatively normal-sized
curved and serrated front maxillary teeth. But the distinguishing dentition
feature is that the back teeth rapidly decreased in size while the roots of the
teeth became circular in cross section. There were at least 30 teeth in the
maxilla and judging by this, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Haplocheirus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
most likely preyed on small animals and larger insects.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpwXgSu0lMZzAgl2KnO-kCDUKBMPtLIwaUEXWZetk0ytaaea_KbY7by71tkGiNXbLO9furLGuiKzJOxh2knzx0sdQauq_Gh_GMfsChLD4tZC5Czl7zySS4F7Fpt8F_t42eaPqP4IRmL24/s1600/1-dino+alvarezsauridae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="731" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpwXgSu0lMZzAgl2KnO-kCDUKBMPtLIwaUEXWZetk0ytaaea_KbY7by71tkGiNXbLO9furLGuiKzJOxh2knzx0sdQauq_Gh_GMfsChLD4tZC5Czl7zySS4F7Fpt8F_t42eaPqP4IRmL24/s320/1-dino+alvarezsauridae+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Alvasauridae</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">All other alvarezsauroids belong to the </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Alvarezsauridae</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> family. This family is
comprised of twelve genera with the two subfamilies, </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Patagonykinae</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> (Pat-ah-go-nee-key-nee) and </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Parvicursorinae</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> (Par-vye-kur-sor-uh-nay) in which has the two
sister tribes,</span></span> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ceratonykini</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
(Suh-rat-toe-nee-key-nee) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mononykini</i>
(Maw-no-nee-key-nee). Alvarezsaurids had a temporal range of 89-66 mya during
the Late Cretaceous. Evolving from a primitive maniraptoran branch,
alvarezsaurids were trending toward smaller body sizes and shorter forelimbs
with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parvicursor</i> (Par-vee-kur-sor)
being no longer than 39cm/15.4in when fully grown. Alvarezsaurids only had one
developed digit ending in a large claw. The other fingers, except in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Linhenykus</i> were vestigial nubs. This
claw is presupposed to have been used in digging for insects, in particular to
dig through termite mounds. Although the forearms were significantly short, the
strong arm and breast muscles were adapted for tearing and digging.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3R6P-9EEC1TRf09Xm8mfWx2G3O3gQMtPDUadiW1CC-gA7LsawVJZ1UOjWx351wHfRMmRLlIu86BBeMHhW5Z8S25CjAVTgkk-cxnV4IdbhFsY1z_HmzQ2B2rMu0lWvJFkVXulWRp8yHMb/s1600/1-dino+parvicusor_remotus+maniraptora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3R6P-9EEC1TRf09Xm8mfWx2G3O3gQMtPDUadiW1CC-gA7LsawVJZ1UOjWx351wHfRMmRLlIu86BBeMHhW5Z8S25CjAVTgkk-cxnV4IdbhFsY1z_HmzQ2B2rMu0lWvJFkVXulWRp8yHMb/s320/1-dino+parvicusor_remotus+maniraptora.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Ezekiel Vera <i>Parvicusor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Patagonykinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
members are composed of the largest alvarezsaurids, with </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Patagonykus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Pat-ah-go-nee-cuss) at 2m/6.6ft in length and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bonapartenykus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Bo-nuh-par-tuh-nee-cuss)
at 2.6m/8.5ft long. Both occurred in what is now, the Patagonia region of
Argentina during the Late Cretaceous, with </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Patagonykus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
from ~ 89 mya and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bonapartenykus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> from
72 mya. They were primarily insectivores but also could handle small vertebrate
prey. Both </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Patagonykinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Parvicursorinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> members came from a
common coelurosaurian ancestor when their respective continents were connected
and diverged when continental drift separated them.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMJvnq3aSzMPUTk5JHnT2rDa-TFjyS-y_L654T8Wa5Zuqt_smA_FWcjAXFhEVxB2WzAZi2RXY3gxJB7ZhLBgZifE7FUjrmXGxhgap3_JkJBjKswwmfBF5kR-2g-3-ynpHyQNkXGjNbxm_/s1600/1-dino+Patagonykus_Kabacchi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="591" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMJvnq3aSzMPUTk5JHnT2rDa-TFjyS-y_L654T8Wa5Zuqt_smA_FWcjAXFhEVxB2WzAZi2RXY3gxJB7ZhLBgZifE7FUjrmXGxhgap3_JkJBjKswwmfBF5kR-2g-3-ynpHyQNkXGjNbxm_/s320/1-dino+Patagonykus_Kabacchi.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Patagonykus</i> skeletal anatomy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Patagonykus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is a basal
alvarezsaurid anchoring the subfamily, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Patagonykinae</i>.
With primitive features for an alvarezsaurid, the last sacral centrum is
ball-shaped caudally, a condition that is also found in the caudal vertebrae
like the earlier coelurosaurs. But it possessed the derived alvarezsaurid,
‘pinched’ middle toe.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEg3YE_cNsChg2BXzvrLIlt5vmUPXd_ZIOoQBxPhkNFd3mpwC9teuQYUgkFqPAqAE8if1Gw-Qtl7j75YxyF-RSgq2LftzQpqRiCNY0-XgqgrSplLYwoWekfwXEff2P9-yu80Ut-lxYK0j5/s1600/1-dino+Bonapartenykus-Gabriel+Lio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="675" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEg3YE_cNsChg2BXzvrLIlt5vmUPXd_ZIOoQBxPhkNFd3mpwC9teuQYUgkFqPAqAE8if1Gw-Qtl7j75YxyF-RSgq2LftzQpqRiCNY0-XgqgrSplLYwoWekfwXEff2P9-yu80Ut-lxYK0j5/s320/1-dino+Bonapartenykus-Gabriel+Lio.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Gabriel Lio <i>Bonapartenykus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2B2QNDdCFq7HZd_r8Y5tQc5oasthGArN8Qh98QXzfoQSB-RWKRT0Cdtsd867xGsKIgJIPGYsCE76r1S1P7RB_2A7G0yivP9hSBglOAQxjkQMZGhYo3SsOUOnWKjY7Z5B7RQrUDBK93Bnd/s1600/1-dino+Bonapartenykus-ultimus-egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="675" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2B2QNDdCFq7HZd_r8Y5tQc5oasthGArN8Qh98QXzfoQSB-RWKRT0Cdtsd867xGsKIgJIPGYsCE76r1S1P7RB_2A7G0yivP9hSBglOAQxjkQMZGhYo3SsOUOnWKjY7Z5B7RQrUDBK93Bnd/s320/1-dino+Bonapartenykus-ultimus-egg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bonapartenykus</i> fossilized egg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">An interesting feature of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bonapartenykus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’ fossil remains is two
eggs that were still retained in the oviducts of the female individual. Nearby
of the specimen fossil site were found a nest of eggs that were contaminated
with a fungus that killed the eggs; a clue that the mother had died post to
just laying the eggs and unaided, the eggs were exposed to the fungal
infection. The eggs are very unique dinosaur eggs and thus have been
categorized under the oogenus (fossil eggs), </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Arriagadoolithus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YLrtewevHQ_u8Yxxv9qhF2ORCCQJ7YULECrbOV7ntunjRgTui-UgLA9xXk4pDlBnZMjCMUIzgp4MWVibOJHZ79tMaxdo2x78kd9NUDiP5xyFCErUq_-lFUmwocA76J5BJVsWPTlY4ItJ/s1600/1-dino+Alvarezsaurus+Karkemish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1600" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YLrtewevHQ_u8Yxxv9qhF2ORCCQJ7YULECrbOV7ntunjRgTui-UgLA9xXk4pDlBnZMjCMUIzgp4MWVibOJHZ79tMaxdo2x78kd9NUDiP5xyFCErUq_-lFUmwocA76J5BJVsWPTlY4ItJ/s320/1-dino+Alvarezsaurus+Karkemish.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Karkemish <i>Alvarezsaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Alvarezsaurus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is the sister
member to the subfamily, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parvicursorinae</i>.
As a basal alvarezsaurid it had a longer tail, a curved scapula, an unfused
astragalus and calcaneum unlike the more derived alvarezsaurids, but possessed
typical alvarezsaurid features in its limb structures and its caudal vertebrae.
It came from Late Cretaceous Argentina 86-83 mya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parvicursorinae</i>
(meaning: small runner) tribe members were all small swift sprinters. The name
refers to an arctometatarsalian condition where the middle metatarsal (MT-III)
is extremely pinched by the flanking two, MT-II and MT-IV. All were most likely
primary insectivores, but with their minute pegged teeth they possibly could
have snagged very small vertebrates and gulped them down as the jaw muscles
were too weak to contend with any animal of size. They all occurred during the
Late Cretaceous of Asia and N. America 84-66 mya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Parvicursor</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> is the only <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parvicursorinae</i> member that does not
belong to a tribe but is the holotype sister to the tribe, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mononykini</i>. Living 72 mya in the Late Cretaceous only weighed ~
162g/5.7oz and as previously mentioned, was 39cm/15in in total length; pretty
small considering our preconceived notion of dinosaur size.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7wAVh60jK4bHRTQphBsP6FrdCzUedeJPbyMeWiWUdKKzoKFu13ZwJdoEP-lFqFnWDbonBlBnLGummJnrNCnoVMAcZUh4gfFbaWR1SC6KnrVfkSWKyOl6z3QwgTggLBFFE9B7CpJoUS5N/s1600/1-dino+Ceratonykus_NT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="800" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7wAVh60jK4bHRTQphBsP6FrdCzUedeJPbyMeWiWUdKKzoKFu13ZwJdoEP-lFqFnWDbonBlBnLGummJnrNCnoVMAcZUh4gfFbaWR1SC6KnrVfkSWKyOl6z3QwgTggLBFFE9B7CpJoUS5N/s320/1-dino+Ceratonykus_NT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Ceratonykus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Ceratonykini</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is comprised of
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ceratonykus</i> (Suh-rat-toe-nee-cuss), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Xixianykus</i> (Zee-ee-awn-ee-cuss) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albinykus</i> (Al-bin-e-kus) where all
members are most related to the last common ancestor of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ceratonykus</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ceratonykus</i> was 1.5m/4.9ft in length and
with long legs was adapted to running in desert habitat. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Xixianykus</i> was 50cm/20in long and with legs that were 20cm/8in
long, it had the longest leg to body ration of any dinosaur. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albinykus</i>’ length is unknown due to
incomplete but well preserved fossil remains. However, in life it could have
stood comfortably fitting neatly in the palm of a human hand. The fossil
remains were positioned in a crouching position with feet tucked underneath the
body much like birds do today. Apparently a sand-slide doomed the individual
burying it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzoYn2ynzWRQvt18QLLuFJ6O5aAUIosc_ab9e8Jp77yGU2Wp6ZLl32Ozh2VUkztZiBN5OFav5OMdjUyG8RMI_tN6WTI3qRvNuRrDrgcnyhuZL3iO3v6QOpTf9aRJljA2KbxFnTDTJgdcPr/s1600/1-dino+albinykus+Matt+Van+Rooijen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="564" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzoYn2ynzWRQvt18QLLuFJ6O5aAUIosc_ab9e8Jp77yGU2Wp6ZLl32Ozh2VUkztZiBN5OFav5OMdjUyG8RMI_tN6WTI3qRvNuRrDrgcnyhuZL3iO3v6QOpTf9aRJljA2KbxFnTDTJgdcPr/s320/1-dino+albinykus+Matt+Van+Rooijen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Matt van Rooijen <i>Albinykus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Mononykini</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is comprised of
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mononykus</i> (Maw-no-nee-cuss), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albertonykus</i> (Al-bear-toe-nee-cuss), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Linhenykus</i> (Lin-he-nee-cuss) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shuvuuia</i> (Shu-vu-ee-ah). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mononykini</i> members are more closely
related to the common ancestor of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mononykus</i>
than they are to other alvarezsaurid species. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mononykini</i> species all lived between 84-68.5 mya during the Late
Cretaceous coming from what is now Asia and North America.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Sg5we3s2M88bkONo96Xy0_WZuvTPC4f5UAnwth7bhpHz5KLqk7Cw8Va2E0ZrfEkzSWWPKZmz1s-4Au2t87PJa41Iur4YlcXcV3_KmguWnTcv_RvJtwoFC-wXeQWCHkJvxweqDAlQrB1w/s1600/1-dino+mononykus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Sg5we3s2M88bkONo96Xy0_WZuvTPC4f5UAnwth7bhpHz5KLqk7Cw8Va2E0ZrfEkzSWWPKZmz1s-4Au2t87PJa41Iur4YlcXcV3_KmguWnTcv_RvJtwoFC-wXeQWCHkJvxweqDAlQrB1w/s320/1-dino+mononykus.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: M. Haghani <i>Mononykus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Occurring 70 mya in the Late Cretaceous
Mongolian floodplains, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Mononykus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was
nimble and with a light skeleton and long legs was built for speed, which was
useful on the flat mainly featureless terrain it lived in. With large eyes, it
most likely sought out prey during cooler darkness when most of its predators
were inactive. Prey consisted of insects and small vertebrates that it could
snag with its small pointed teeth. It had a long thumb spike in digit I of the
manus (hand) and a pubic bone that was triangular in cross section. In the
pelvis, the ischium and ilium were fused together</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02Lwo7-KlgeE17trafLhYqhZQ54urVLNzrpdD_cYEu3nKS6hIv3ZqrDhe6NC3SEqkWexPGaK1fSCa4oh2YUk2bVZYwlVecigY2kiMVqUB6Cr83vYJdA0J-VIhyGH9J8JAFfELpPtFwDxX/s1600/1-dino+mononykus+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="800" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02Lwo7-KlgeE17trafLhYqhZQ54urVLNzrpdD_cYEu3nKS6hIv3ZqrDhe6NC3SEqkWexPGaK1fSCa4oh2YUk2bVZYwlVecigY2kiMVqUB6Cr83vYJdA0J-VIhyGH9J8JAFfELpPtFwDxX/s320/1-dino+mononykus+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mononykus </i>skeletal anatomy </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtosB_zyqfaM8HfCpSbR91y5K6ME12beldtSWdyjwsYnImV5wGBIwwTT9KQ12UwZ2M5BvQKuPhKYSfa6-0-8CfGBskZZYKrzRnYg3KEvBJP-hiDtKzkHT1veLOz8GjyBeVetHP9r4-b2QL/s1600/1-dino+Albertonykus_Karkemish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1600" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtosB_zyqfaM8HfCpSbR91y5K6ME12beldtSWdyjwsYnImV5wGBIwwTT9KQ12UwZ2M5BvQKuPhKYSfa6-0-8CfGBskZZYKrzRnYg3KEvBJP-hiDtKzkHT1veLOz8GjyBeVetHP9r4-b2QL/s200/1-dino+Albertonykus_Karkemish.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Karkemish <i>Albertonykus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Albertonykus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> occurred 68.5
mya during the Late Cretaceous with its fossil remains coming from the
‘Horseshoe Canyon Formation’ of Alberta, Canada. It measured only 70cm/2.5ft in
total length. It also preyed on termites, but not the mound termites as the
Asian alvarezsaurids did, as mound or earthen termites did not appear in N.
America until the Eocene. As <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albertonykus</i>
had arms too short for digging, they however would have been ideal for breaking
the bark of trees to get at wood termites that were present in N. America as
attested to termite burrows in petrified wood that lived during <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albertonykus</i>’ time. It surely would have
accepted any other bark-living insects along with their grubs and larvae.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Albertonykus</i> is a pertinent fossil find
for it supports the fact that alvarezsauroids originated in S. America then
dispersed to Asia with the more derived species migrating to N. America when
the continents were connected.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMYP7SC6oNumoHt213k_Nmei8hhBT3HSsDONzGEWqEKOxMb2-J1pdssvLJzIZRdEYTBg-zrcgFd-kfDSwLGuYV7Uiv3Sdk7pi4FtGhPbb5An_iapGAHvx1lHUTiXVO8r_2fkIgRK657Tf/s1600/1-dino+Linhenykus_Julius+T.+Csotonyi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMYP7SC6oNumoHt213k_Nmei8hhBT3HSsDONzGEWqEKOxMb2-J1pdssvLJzIZRdEYTBg-zrcgFd-kfDSwLGuYV7Uiv3Sdk7pi4FtGhPbb5An_iapGAHvx1lHUTiXVO8r_2fkIgRK657Tf/s320/1-dino+Linhenykus_Julius+T.+Csotonyi.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius T. Csotonyi <i>Linhenykus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Occurring, ~ 79.5 mya years ago in Late
Cretaceous Mongolia, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Linhenykus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> at
90cm/35.4in was a typical small alvarezsaurid with its single digit II long
finger ending in a heavy claw. But rather than having any vestigial digit nubs
it had no remnants of any other digits; all other digit metacarpals were
absent. As a latter basal alvarezsaurid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Linhenykus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
in retaining some archaic features, but having some distinct characteristics
unique among its own from the more derived species represents a mosaic pattern
in evolution. It most likely was an insectivore.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With a temporal range of 75 mya in Late
Cretaceous Mongolia, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shuvuuia</i> was no
longer than 60cm/2ft long. Its forelimbs were unusually short but terminated with
the manus supporting a massively enlarged digit I (thumb) and not quite
vestigial, but reduced digits II and III. Living in localized fluvial plains of
what is now the Gobi Desert, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shuvuuia</i>
scampered about chasing down insects or small vertebrates it could seize with
its minute teeth that weren’t serrated or capable of biting into tough flesh.
Once prey was captured it would be swallowed whole. It also, as other
alvarezsaurids, most likely used the singular manus claws to dig into termite
mounds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unique among the non-avian dinosaurs, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shuvuuia</i>’s lightly built skull was
capable of performing prokinesis where the upper jaw can flex independently of
the skull’s braincase. One fossil find showed that the body was coated with
small hollow tube-like structures resembling the rachis (central vane) of
modern bird feathers.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeRcJi5YY_eAkTBFQ1xCBEbwenSUxJQz7JKNf9k6KYqN8oXXIQiiqh_ME18y3ZsCUfgLqhhJnI0lEvF63OsgMrzrq-fVgimWKMaQbjELJKvF4TrBtFwnTZxD2lIp4F5vvc8y85PAenaPB/s1600/1-dino+Shuvuuia+Nattawut+Wongta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeRcJi5YY_eAkTBFQ1xCBEbwenSUxJQz7JKNf9k6KYqN8oXXIQiiqh_ME18y3ZsCUfgLqhhJnI0lEvF63OsgMrzrq-fVgimWKMaQbjELJKvF4TrBtFwnTZxD2lIp4F5vvc8y85PAenaPB/s320/1-dino+Shuvuuia+Nattawut+Wongta.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nattawut Wongta <i>Shuvuuia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Shuvuuia</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> morphologically
is very similar to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mononykus</i>, but differs
1) in having cervical centra less compressed laterally bearing large pneumatic
foramina, 2) deltopectoral crest of humerus continuous with humeral head, 3)
femoral and tibiotarsal shafts bowed mediolaterally, 4) medial border of distal
end of tibiotarsus with a sharp ridge, 5) medial margin of the ascending
process of the astragalus less notched with lesser degree of co-ossification of
proximal tarsals and metacarpals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just to mention, there are two more
alvarezsaurids that are not as yet fully classified. The first is, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alnashetri</i> (Al-nah-shet-ree) that
occurred during the Late Cretaceous 97 mya in what is now the northern edge of
Patagonia. Its age makes for it to be a primitive alvarezsaurid and its
location puts it nestled within the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Patagonykinae</i>
tribe. However, the inclusion is based on a polyatomic phylogeny within a
single anatomical region of the ankle and may create false results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The genus, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kol</i> with the species name, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">K</i>.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ghuva</i> (gah-vuh) is a recent Mongolian
fossil find represented by a well preserved foot displaying the typical arctometatarsalian
‘pinched’ middle toe. It is an alvarezsaurid, but until more fossil
discoveries, it isn’t clear to what tribe it belonged to.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlXQ2Dp8C2wtVjxb9aQrh8AQt4oWS31Srhe5AJFcg3S7iAlKi8tWB-hvkwWxBeUHB4_495UoonJETvSDMcoLGeoUcqZOLyJLwBfCbHgEsTeP32gPWT_bEysuSmRT9YO_q1zDlZO7j8s_N/s1600/1-dino+therizinosauria+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="600" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlXQ2Dp8C2wtVjxb9aQrh8AQt4oWS31Srhe5AJFcg3S7iAlKi8tWB-hvkwWxBeUHB4_495UoonJETvSDMcoLGeoUcqZOLyJLwBfCbHgEsTeP32gPWT_bEysuSmRT9YO_q1zDlZO7j8s_N/s320/1-dino+therizinosauria+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Therizinosauria</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Therizinosauria</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Ther-ih-zign-o-sawr-ee-ah) ~ The therizinosaurian clade order is composed of
one superfamily, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therizinosauroidea</i>
and one family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therizinosauridae</i>.
Within the whole clade there are 12 genera and 14 species. In the genus, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nanshiungosaurus</i> (Nan-she-ung-sawr-us)
there are currently listed two species in, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">N</i>.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">brevispinus</i> (bre-vis-pi-nus) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">N</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bohlini</i>
(boh-lee-nee), but with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">N</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bohlini</i> being much older and larger, it
may later be designated its own genus. The therizinosaurian temporal range is
from 130-70 mya during the Early-Late Cretaceous.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTLrejD-6C2S3OicBBBPS9PH2lnWwSavYtBg5jzyzBWp1SqQlNmc0-KlxBwMSv06p778iINiHU9ML2eq5aBTds62iw9qvgJaT5ghVg6gZxJr5yAOOCSmh01KBJEnnb-q3M9wpS6DhyIXy/s1600/1-dino+therizinosaurus1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTLrejD-6C2S3OicBBBPS9PH2lnWwSavYtBg5jzyzBWp1SqQlNmc0-KlxBwMSv06p778iINiHU9ML2eq5aBTds62iw9qvgJaT5ghVg6gZxJr5yAOOCSmh01KBJEnnb-q3M9wpS6DhyIXy/s320/1-dino+therizinosaurus1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Raul Lunia <i>Therizinosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">For sure, among all the picks to choose
from, therizinosaurs are the oddest of dinosaurs. First off, they came from
flesh eating coelurosaurian theropods, even though a feast for them would be a buffet
filled with dandelions, cycad leaves and conifer needles. They evolved the
longest necks of any theropod and long forearms ending in the longest claws of
any dinosaur, which were used for grasping vegetation and secondarily for
ripping the guts open of an offending predator. The forelimbs also had a unique
range of motion allowing therizinosaurs to have the farthest forward reach
degree of any other known theropod. Another unique feature is that from shortened
metatarsal foot bones, the more derived therizinosaurians began walking on four
toes instead of the theropodal three middle toes.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even though the skulls were small, CT
scan results of fossil skulls show that therizinosaurs had an acute sense of
smell, hearing and balance. The torsos were wide and with unique hipbones
pointing backwards, were one of the first theropods to develop the familiar
‘bird-like’ pubis, even though they are a non-avian maniraptoran.
Therizinozaurians lived in lush forests of Eurasia North America with latter
species moving into more harsh tundra regions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglORH7x1SaIriiJnufry-cqIRcX0UedlDJv_WUhIS-X66bPOYYwXFS3UvCE4mel9KPPfOLMNTHCoHt3J37iLdHYqAm2vTSGQj5AEuKAW5UV8Yr1oG9elYWjpatz1aaLn42MXyKxt8iFa-1/s1600/1-dino+falcarius+skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="800" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglORH7x1SaIriiJnufry-cqIRcX0UedlDJv_WUhIS-X66bPOYYwXFS3UvCE4mel9KPPfOLMNTHCoHt3J37iLdHYqAm2vTSGQj5AEuKAW5UV8Yr1oG9elYWjpatz1aaLn42MXyKxt8iFa-1/s320/1-dino+falcarius+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Falcarius</i> skeletal anatomy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5fSa0CAt48yoBO_oi-baxrfF4QXgviN9xuqFWGnPYcsyhaa5aZFY22RPRzBVEOoantDhQPhYCk8cnr4DjfktgGp9gZpC26fXvdUh8iD13Tq83kcmeo2gDDAL5N8sX7W8RVnW1hwSO7mm/s1600/1-dino+falcarius_utahensis+apsarvis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5fSa0CAt48yoBO_oi-baxrfF4QXgviN9xuqFWGnPYcsyhaa5aZFY22RPRzBVEOoantDhQPhYCk8cnr4DjfktgGp9gZpC26fXvdUh8iD13Tq83kcmeo2gDDAL5N8sX7W8RVnW1hwSO7mm/s320/1-dino+falcarius_utahensis+apsarvis.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Apsarvis <i>Falcarius</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The most basal therizinosaurian was, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Falcarius</i> (Fal-care-ee-us) that had a
temporal of 126 mya during the Early Cretaceous. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Falcarius</i>, the elongated neck and forelimbs were already an
attribute. Its dentition alludes to an omnivorous diet, although the
leaf-shaped teeth point to the transitioning of a more herbivorous diet. This
therizinosaurian, at 3.7-4m/12.1-13.1ft long was much smaller than the more
derived forms in which some latter species would top over 9.1m/30ft. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDAs_mg4s4hBC-rOaP0wTSk7PpP2oYCoFZTtG1yt9nO8QqGcMArhThITUieQhZdyGKJbYvYxodoevK6u5F_M9jS2CCfMo4E7SH-51rS6-AGeZZPOTq02QaB1JVhXXLVnRTQv8epGNLUdB/s1600/1-dino+jianchangosaurus+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="754" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDAs_mg4s4hBC-rOaP0wTSk7PpP2oYCoFZTtG1yt9nO8QqGcMArhThITUieQhZdyGKJbYvYxodoevK6u5F_M9jS2CCfMo4E7SH-51rS6-AGeZZPOTq02QaB1JVhXXLVnRTQv8epGNLUdB/s200/1-dino+jianchangosaurus+fossil.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jianchangosaurus</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a sister to therizinosauroids, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jianchangosaurus</i> (Jee-en-chan-go-sawr-us)
occurred 126 mya in the Early Cretaceous and is considered more derived than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Falcarius</i>, but more primitive than the
basal therizinosauroid,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Beipiaosaurus</i>.
It was another smaller therizinosaurian measuring only 2m/6.6ft long, but had
fully made the transition over to an herbivorous diet. The dental morphology in
which the tooth surfaces facing the outside of the mouth is convex, teeth on
the lower jaw possesses the reversed morphology, where the surface of the tooth
facing the outside is concave. This maximized biting stresses during occlusion
in cutting and masticating fibrous plant material.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgqmrMlqn2exgPwrm8v7OnAzf1TqXA287lNxu_Tn3ZPzD3aiM-SFZ3xKvrUg45VyXmdcKjAcRgdSlUdcxNqmUge7LjuCyYr2dqjb9fQqJGIQN2gVj98isxxFs50y_GAkjvjIYXorRfQrj/s1600/1-dino+Beipiaosaurus-skull_neck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="588" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgqmrMlqn2exgPwrm8v7OnAzf1TqXA287lNxu_Tn3ZPzD3aiM-SFZ3xKvrUg45VyXmdcKjAcRgdSlUdcxNqmUge7LjuCyYr2dqjb9fQqJGIQN2gVj98isxxFs50y_GAkjvjIYXorRfQrj/s320/1-dino+Beipiaosaurus-skull_neck.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Beipiaosaurus</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRiKEDyzd9_0jssJtq2JYXzCif_kY_yci_t9egO_Kzf0nFcgGLNvMjlgH3Use6iLaaEYCCdC0o2PDsrOpGS57O6SiUjGiEhQGFOBGAV2yUVts0FOW2yQHwFD0Ady8u2Ad4Q68QErfLZ_gl/s1600/1-dino+Suzhousaurus+Michael+B.+H..JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1600" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRiKEDyzd9_0jssJtq2JYXzCif_kY_yci_t9egO_Kzf0nFcgGLNvMjlgH3Use6iLaaEYCCdC0o2PDsrOpGS57O6SiUjGiEhQGFOBGAV2yUVts0FOW2yQHwFD0Ady8u2Ad4Q68QErfLZ_gl/s200/1-dino+Suzhousaurus+Michael+B.+H..JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Masato Hattori <i>Suzhousaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><i style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Beipiaosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
(Be-o-pee-uh-sawr-us) is the basal most primitive therizinosauroid and is from
the Early Cretaceous 124.6 mya. From direct fossil evidence, <i style="font-style: italic;">Beipiaosaurus</i> is one of the largest
dinosaurs in possessing feathered covering and had the longest feathers of any
dinosaur yet found. There were two kinds of feathering with a downy covering
and the very large 12.5cm/5in quilled feathering that rose up through the down.
Reaching a length of 2.2m/7ft, it still had reduced inner toes, but the fourth
was enlarging, therefore transitioning to the four toes latter forms were
walking on. The only teeth it possessed were in the cheek portion of the jaws. Its
head and toothless beak were also larger than the more derived forms with the
skull measuring about as large as the thighbone.</span></span></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMXCw0XaVF-V6-0sSzHjLmQUHOLDHEnL09ZrmcECbUf4pE1GyUt5IO0QjDZ01RwdECXWGIIudKV1gYArIThOu1FVxkfGEBmk0m9TAMFJwSzkmJKu1sDZNrJmAXbq0Czn97uSQxp9h_Zpf/s1600/1-dino+nothronychus-Anness+Publishing+NHMPL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="900" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMXCw0XaVF-V6-0sSzHjLmQUHOLDHEnL09ZrmcECbUf4pE1GyUt5IO0QjDZ01RwdECXWGIIudKV1gYArIThOu1FVxkfGEBmk0m9TAMFJwSzkmJKu1sDZNrJmAXbq0Czn97uSQxp9h_Zpf/s200/1-dino+nothronychus-Anness+Publishing+NHMPL.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Anness Publishing <i>Nothronychus</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The therizinosaurid family consisted of
five genera with two<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Nothronychus</i>
species making for six species total in the family clade. The family temporal
range was 94-66 mya during the Late Cretaceous. All therizinosaurid species
possessed four weight bearing walking toes and the characteristic opisthopubic
pelvis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Suzhousaurus</i> (Suz-how-sawr-us), living in the Early Cretaceous ~
113 mya, was sister to and basal to the therizinosaurids. It lived in what is
now China and is the closest relative to the two species in the N. American, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nothronychus</i> (Noff-ron-ee-cuss) genus.
This primarily verifies that therizinosaurs, along with other dinosaurs,
regularly traversed a transitory land bridge connecting Asia to North America.
Therizinosaurs were already enlarging body size in, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Suzhousaurus</i>, which had reached 6.5m/21ft in total body length. The
distinguishing feature of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Suzhousaurus</i>
was its anteriorly straight and flattened ilium while the flattened pubis
curved forward forming a shaft that had a hollow front edge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURDogMjrspwOOsyJW0XyRVbfSlzV0xOfbKUDF3inPfjqYa3tyKRMVQMdfW9U1Sa8MsgSuzjiUvnOCy2nAo1e3EurClWcowc9Ulu7UeQcGeFKqESf-T0s_ANzne7Ieo2rcwc-TbzanXZwO/s1600/1-dino+Therizinosaurus+dinoraul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="940" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURDogMjrspwOOsyJW0XyRVbfSlzV0xOfbKUDF3inPfjqYa3tyKRMVQMdfW9U1Sa8MsgSuzjiUvnOCy2nAo1e3EurClWcowc9Ulu7UeQcGeFKqESf-T0s_ANzne7Ieo2rcwc-TbzanXZwO/s320/1-dino+Therizinosaurus+dinoraul.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: dinoraul <i>Therizinosaurus </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1atcHF2h-kYtsEnQH_dSLuK2vw0JzQlD2LrMlnMBwGo8-dgXj4yvXVR72Vvo9qM_qv3i3KUWvFGKZMt7N6OGtmFdLAey9mDa-WK2tUAtjNzUDdWk263V1zU_cs-HW6YDfhD01K-Jsc-MV/s1600/1-dino+Therizinosaurus_claw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="1600" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1atcHF2h-kYtsEnQH_dSLuK2vw0JzQlD2LrMlnMBwGo8-dgXj4yvXVR72Vvo9qM_qv3i3KUWvFGKZMt7N6OGtmFdLAey9mDa-WK2tUAtjNzUDdWk263V1zU_cs-HW6YDfhD01K-Jsc-MV/s320/1-dino+Therizinosaurus_claw.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Therizinosauridae</i> fossilized manus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCKKtIMPp32lE1dndLQB_mRT2SV6r4C0urQ_IZnLlUtOyFPCYqMqsj6ZJuliN-DO2O4qQTQ0HJqGnNL4hcrdBhqWLTgGIiA7MEKXRpA3c91hxfHrNrnBdpzFa4pvlrLrL6YZ_RDShySdQ/s1600/1-dino+therizinosaurus_vlad_konstantinov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCKKtIMPp32lE1dndLQB_mRT2SV6r4C0urQ_IZnLlUtOyFPCYqMqsj6ZJuliN-DO2O4qQTQ0HJqGnNL4hcrdBhqWLTgGIiA7MEKXRpA3c91hxfHrNrnBdpzFa4pvlrLrL6YZ_RDShySdQ/s320/1-dino+therizinosaurus_vlad_konstantinov.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Vlad Konstantinov <i>Therizinosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Therizinosaurus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, in being the
namesake of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therizinosauridae</i> and therizinosaurians
overall, was the most derived and largest form of therizinosaurians. It had a temporal
range of 70 mya in the Late Cretaceous. With a bulky body and perhaps lumbering
gait walking on four digits, in which digit one was reduced to a dew claw, it
reached a length of 10m/33ft, making them not only the largest
therizinosaurian, but also the largest maniraptoran. Found only in the earlier
and contemporaneous ornithischians and contemporaneous and later bird-line, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therizinosaurus</i> had a fully developed
opisthopubic (pubic bones pointing backwards) pelvis. At 1m/3.3ft, it also had
the longest claws on each of the three digits of their forelimbs than any other
dinosaur. In fact, in ignoring claw to body size ratios, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therizinosaurus</i> claw is the largest of
any known animal. If we do look at body size ratio, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therizinosaurus</i> with a 8.2-10% body/claw ratio, then today’s
armadillo mops that up with a 22% body/claw ratio. The point is that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therizinosaurus</i> had the biggest
claws.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYEfFLu995b35tBo6orrL9_ouv__PSeJF9OLqld9cEb78Zj5HiFUI9_9yPh2BncVM6o1s6_0BW8xmushLwd-Z6iCEtXlL2BIhO-bSP7bmsZ6i_CQrPraSyZJzWeKGoNls25e14V051Flt/s1600/1-dino+Therizinosaurus+Pavel+Riha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="692" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYEfFLu995b35tBo6orrL9_ouv__PSeJF9OLqld9cEb78Zj5HiFUI9_9yPh2BncVM6o1s6_0BW8xmushLwd-Z6iCEtXlL2BIhO-bSP7bmsZ6i_CQrPraSyZJzWeKGoNls25e14V051Flt/s320/1-dino+Therizinosaurus+Pavel+Riha.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Paval Riha <i>Therizinosaurus</i> fetus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Therizinosaurus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">’ were large
herbivores competing for plant food with various sauropods in what is now,
Mongolia. Seventeen clutches of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therizinosaurus</i>
eggs were found in near proximity of one another in the Gobi Desert and points
to the fact that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therizinosaurus</i> was
indeed social and gregarious; at least during nesting.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcs1vB_82TGIUrvwPAsUZ0YU4eZgIbGdQS2XQiHYnSAaoUcpKpSBjLELABEd3L8ofv4TDyVE8KwG0bDHkNOVuO8AUU1v34LAVYN8V0awWwW_p9vriONdUiTN9LoEd8dzX5LVWsr5gk-LYF/s1600/1-dino+therizinosaurus+fossil+eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="1600" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcs1vB_82TGIUrvwPAsUZ0YU4eZgIbGdQS2XQiHYnSAaoUcpKpSBjLELABEd3L8ofv4TDyVE8KwG0bDHkNOVuO8AUU1v34LAVYN8V0awWwW_p9vriONdUiTN9LoEd8dzX5LVWsr5gk-LYF/s320/1-dino+therizinosaurus+fossil+eggs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Therizinosaurus</i> fossilized eggs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the maniraptoran clade, therizinosaurs
were the sister group to pennaraptorans. As defined, the clade, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pennaraptora</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Pen-nuh-rap-tor-ah) is the
most recent common ancestor of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Oviraptor
philoceratops</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Deinonychus
antirrhopus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Passer domesticus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(the house sparrow), along with all descendants thereof. The temporal range for
pennaraptorans is from 167-0 mya during the Jurassic to the present. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anchiornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (An-chee-or-niss) occurring
160.89-160.25 mya during the Late Jurassic, so far is the earliest
pennaraptoran discovered.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaoPdCfuR_sTA5BWwCeIJesChNIkY4LfUGA84t4-d20LoyObkEbLOhxwp0x7Q98D8AEitFbtQmFccBN-7CHxOshDU_au-UkcACoxaMzdoAvJoBqqdgguPncB75vdfQT8kabPRztDYWlvF/s1600/1-dino+pennaraptora+smpl+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="449" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaoPdCfuR_sTA5BWwCeIJesChNIkY4LfUGA84t4-d20LoyObkEbLOhxwp0x7Q98D8AEitFbtQmFccBN-7CHxOshDU_au-UkcACoxaMzdoAvJoBqqdgguPncB75vdfQT8kabPRztDYWlvF/s320/1-dino+pennaraptora+smpl+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simple <i>Pennaraptora</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although it represents a very small
portion of the dinosaur form, the pennaraptoran order, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Oviraptorosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (O-vye-rup-tore-o-sawr-ee-ah) is comprised of at
least 33 genera, 36 species and with 3 extra species listed as suspect
oviraptorosaurian but not diagnostic, so are ‘nomen dubium’ due to scant fossil
material. There is one primitive family in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caudipteridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Kaw-dee-tear-ah-day) one superfamily in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caenagnathoidea</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Suh-nawg-nah-thoi-dee-ah) that contains the two families, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caenagnathidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Suh-nawg-nath-uh-day) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Oviraptoridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (O-vee-rap-tor-uh-day).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If someone today spotted an
oviraptorosaurian they would swear they saw a bird, but they did not. The
temporal range for oviraptorosaurians was 130-66 mya all in the Cretaceous
Period. They are close relations to birds but did not form a direct line. They
could not fly, but were fully feathered, except for the hind limbs, which were
scaled like modern birds. Even though the shortened tails did not end in a
pygostyle like birds, it was fully feathered with a bony structure at the
distal end of the tail that acted much like a bird’s pygostyle in supporting
long flight tail feathers. The ulna (long forearm bone) also was quilled with
long feathering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">They had evolved shortened rostrums
(snouts), massive beak-like mandibles, extensive pneumatized skulls with the
more primitive forms having only four pairs of premaxillary teeth while the
latter forms had no dentition. Some supported a bony crest atop the skull. The
forelimbs were ~ half the size of the hind limbs while the manus (hands) were
long and tridactyl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj212R89gbWHtWxiXnXvM77hFGKR41XX_HqalLyMcrOkPGkVe1LM_HMZQbybC_zzYhu5rmPqPWBFbS28Kc6igtczUC0DiAxhuIdEF3cwFuuUagVQ7TaYTv_KAlmVPj55nKtRMFbSVSQvW5n/s1600/1-dino+caudipteryx+dongi+Matt+Martyniuk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="857" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj212R89gbWHtWxiXnXvM77hFGKR41XX_HqalLyMcrOkPGkVe1LM_HMZQbybC_zzYhu5rmPqPWBFbS28Kc6igtczUC0DiAxhuIdEF3cwFuuUagVQ7TaYTv_KAlmVPj55nKtRMFbSVSQvW5n/s200/1-dino+caudipteryx+dongi+Matt+Martyniuk.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Matt Martniuk <i>Caudipteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Most oviraptorosaurians were no more
than 2m/6.56ft long and ranged in size from, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Caudipteryx</i> (Caw-dip-teh-rix) at 1m/3.3ft long to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gigantoraptor</i> (Gye-gan-toe-rap-tor) that
was by far the largest oviraptorosaurian at 8m/26.3ft long. Even so that most
were small, they all had a massive and large shoulder girdle when ratioed to
body size.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVn0lyCigx7FKAWTber_Rm6M145-944O42KHQagPhaYDm3fDUxholhp2h1fB47LIx54YobZUy3caRBG36G6_JOw5vIqfTI-EG0QghNEKFuiXbGR9Vk7jBNXBfjUl0OcqoGoHu4_ZtD-og/s1600/1-dino+gigantoraptor+nest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="907" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVn0lyCigx7FKAWTber_Rm6M145-944O42KHQagPhaYDm3fDUxholhp2h1fB47LIx54YobZUy3caRBG36G6_JOw5vIqfTI-EG0QghNEKFuiXbGR9Vk7jBNXBfjUl0OcqoGoHu4_ZtD-og/s200/1-dino+gigantoraptor+nest.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: M. Haghani <i>Gigantoraptor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Protarchaeopteryx</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Pro-tar-key-op-ter-ix),
with a temporal range of 126.4 mya in the Early Cretaceous is either the
precursor to oviraptorosaurians or is the most primitive of this order clade. In
fact, it is closely related to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Incisivosaurus</i>
and if more fossils are found, they may even be one and the same, or at least
in the same genus. Coming from what is now China, its anatomy had hollow bones,
a furcula (wishbone), long legs for running and although the manus (hands)
supported three fingers ending in sharp curved claws similar to its
coelurosaurian carnivorous predecessors, it most likely was an herbivore or at
best an omnivore.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQyNP7fDi5FJH_pFfFa6lKrcvMD5XjxuVQfmhpbnXVZigAScIffkvEhR-j6pbv2kc39dOOsVbgYjfw2hwE2Shc809reQCJydIFSI0ejaIRUsIUpQVvFnPmX3CphKwfZD1rbsouRSTFyy8/s1600/1-dino+Proarchaeopteryx+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="826" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQyNP7fDi5FJH_pFfFa6lKrcvMD5XjxuVQfmhpbnXVZigAScIffkvEhR-j6pbv2kc39dOOsVbgYjfw2hwE2Shc809reQCJydIFSI0ejaIRUsIUpQVvFnPmX3CphKwfZD1rbsouRSTFyy8/s320/1-dino+Proarchaeopteryx+fossil.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Protarchaeopteryx</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 1m/3.3ft long, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protarchaeopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was the first dinosaur fossil find with solid
proof of dinosaur feathering back in 1996, with the fossil exhibiting fine
detail. They were not flight feathers, but were vaned symmetrically on the
short tail and extended feathers were on its forearms. The body feathering most
likely for insulation and the tail and forearm feathering was for display. All
extant flightless birds have symmetrical tail feathers and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protarchaeopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s skeletal structuring would not have supported
flight. However it may have endeavored an arboreal lifestyle jumping from limb
to limb and parachuting to the ground.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a bit of a conundrum, the name, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Protarchaeopteryx</i> literally means
‘before <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i>’. The only
problem with that is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i>
lived ~ 25 million years before <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Protarchaeopteryx</i>
ever showed up in the fossil record. Don’t be too alarmed, for this isn’t a
glitch. This is quite possible in the fact that both came from a common
ancestor with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archaeopteryx</i> evolving
at a much quicker pace than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Protarchaeopteryx</i>’s
more direct phylogeny. Look at horseshoe crabs, which really aren’t crabs in
belonging to the subphylum, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chelicerata</i>
and in being so, are more related to spiders. But where horseshoe crabs, who’ve
virtually remained unchanged physiologically and anatomically for the past 450
million years, the spider lineage has seen its line go from aquatic livelihoods
to terrestrial ones and have diverged into nearly 40,000 species.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLgVRdcbtkC4EjZdTqyQS0TDIvQR3cpXHi3G7jJjkFdSbyRn3wfZ78VzixF-7cfS28GxldC27T9sRNyei5B3LjOK6iwXtLPKqIjmIuU7c9jn0mMHQyqlVp4BE6-KJiwoxFaoBBtkfD2dM/s1600/1-dino+incisisosaurus_pablo+lara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLgVRdcbtkC4EjZdTqyQS0TDIvQR3cpXHi3G7jJjkFdSbyRn3wfZ78VzixF-7cfS28GxldC27T9sRNyei5B3LjOK6iwXtLPKqIjmIuU7c9jn0mMHQyqlVp4BE6-KJiwoxFaoBBtkfD2dM/s320/1-dino+incisisosaurus_pablo+lara.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Pablo Lara <i>Incisisvosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The earliest oviraptorosaurian so far
discovered is, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Incisivosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(In-sise-ee-vo-sawr-us). Occurring 126 mya in the Early Cretaceous,</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Incisivosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had a mouthful of
variant teeth consisting of molars, premolars, incisors and canines for
breaking into and grinding hard plant food material. The premaxillary bones
anchored two large bucktoothed incisors used for gnawing much like today’s
rodents. These prominent incisiform buckteeth is what gives this dinosaur its
genus name.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WLbgs3JPVE9k0Bi5eUoTDB0ZsM6utOTySPouCuW0Umc3gsAj6yIzaD-xwlHy1FTJLFjVvMMOVDhVbUh8PErip0uoqtbTXPtTPN7QVobivYSto13WMe08suRAD8-lLUPnZpxUyuzzRbZC/s1600/1-dino+incisisosaurus+head+skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="1600" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WLbgs3JPVE9k0Bi5eUoTDB0ZsM6utOTySPouCuW0Umc3gsAj6yIzaD-xwlHy1FTJLFjVvMMOVDhVbUh8PErip0uoqtbTXPtTPN7QVobivYSto13WMe08suRAD8-lLUPnZpxUyuzzRbZC/s320/1-dino+incisisosaurus+head+skull.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Eudagraphics <i>Insisisvosaurus</i> head/skull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The dentition of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Incisivosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> would not have been adequate enough for a carnivore,
so it can safely be said it took up an herbivorous diet of rough foods from
nuts, twigs, saplings and tough cellulosic leaves. It used the buckteeth for
gnawing at cellulosic material and probably to crack nut-like food to get at
the seed contents. The molars were for masticating to initiate digestion. It
also swallowed small stones to utilize as gastroliths.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Coming from what is now China, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Incisivosaurus</i> was 1m/3.3ft long and is
included as the possible primitive ancestor to the more derived oviraptorosaurians.
With a short cervical (neck) and slender lower jaw supporting a long fenestra
this transitional maniraptoran shared in the traits of more derived
oviraptorosaurians, while retaining more primitive ornithomimosaur features
with reduced olfactory lobes and expanded optic lobes. This <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Incisivosaurus</i> transitioning illustrates
that many of the avian traits were not present in early members of the oviraptorosaurian
group. This slices oviraptorosaurian away from the direct line of birds proving
that the bird-like characteristics among later oviraptorosaurs were convergent
evolving independently.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishwLG2dfKd0hFTXX9KnNtvreHoTKNQq_gmkLcRlG4FVYQ8DGRTN0aXmtQM0t0WULjLfYfKXxr4HZUU1yXfZbfF-nRhuiMpvFjt0k-tKTq0vHVhJOvl2EbNZmnAWNp8jcEodH1B5CV-mu1/s1600/1-dino+caudipteryx+EW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="800" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishwLG2dfKd0hFTXX9KnNtvreHoTKNQq_gmkLcRlG4FVYQ8DGRTN0aXmtQM0t0WULjLfYfKXxr4HZUU1yXfZbfF-nRhuiMpvFjt0k-tKTq0vHVhJOvl2EbNZmnAWNp8jcEodH1B5CV-mu1/s320/1-dino+caudipteryx+EW.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Emily Willoughby A <i>Caudipteryx</i> family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Occurring 124.6-120 mya, the most basal
family of oviraptorosaurians was, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caudipteridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Caw-dee-tear-ah day) with fossils found in Early Cretaceous China from the Yixian
and Jiufotang Formations. The distinguishing characteristic, besides full body
downy feathering was a unique styled dagger-like pygostyle which anchored a fan
of quilled feathers. There are three species in the family in being, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caudipteryx zoui</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, (Caw-dip-tuh-riks =
zoo-we) </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">C</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">dongi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (dawn-gey) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Similicaudipteryx
yixianensis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Suh-mil-uh-caw-dip-tuh-riks = see-icks-e-in-nin-sis). With
minor differences between species such as body size, forearm primary feather
lengths, breastbone size and minor variations in the forelimb and hip bones,
caudipterids were very similar in anatomy, possessed long sharp and bulbous
deep rooted dentition and along with gastrolith fossil finds suggest an
omnivorous diet. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">C</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">zoui</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was the largest at 1m/3.3ft, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">C</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">dongi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
was .70m/2.3ft long and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">S.</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">yixianensis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was ~ 1m/3.3ft in length.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KcrRF6Bp573S463g6ZIFJOu0cuWOL34IPsKoonm_4QTAzj66nFdXbQxQHKJI8HA_BUsXkrApTPHBcyQLoUy-bMO3zyv6cRsxVPqVJuyb99pCmfF-L5G3JeDIUr3V-hNgKsTBaxiiKOmF/s1600/1-Dino+Caudipteryx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="975" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KcrRF6Bp573S463g6ZIFJOu0cuWOL34IPsKoonm_4QTAzj66nFdXbQxQHKJI8HA_BUsXkrApTPHBcyQLoUy-bMO3zyv6cRsxVPqVJuyb99pCmfF-L5G3JeDIUr3V-hNgKsTBaxiiKOmF/s320/1-Dino+Caudipteryx.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 3 <i>Caudipteryx</i> species</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With pennaceous and symmetrical tail
feathers and forearm primary and secondary feathers, caudipterids could not fly,
utilizing instead long hind limbs for moving the light body via swift running.
However, no matter if they couldn’t fly, caudipterids were exhibiting a
transitional progression towards feathered flight putting them into a more
direct line to birds. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Similicaudipteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
juvenile fossil specimens have been found and exhibit the characteristic
caudipterid feather traits of downy body coverings and symmetrical vaned
feathering on the tail and forelimbs. The vane feathers of the juvenile fossils
though, showed a ribboning effect in the vane feathers.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKgoqUi-uycK5W9MVwnnlnFwm_bTAIYOJRo7IlP99CUUCRYnGlzS39eG_oy-3GiRf5mGVEuRUyA_bLsOEeMDQ_Qur9POtiSk78akA1iPSyf2uGq3tS-WwBHKRXJYRJuS5AklEK7IbRX50/s1600/1-dino+similicaudipteryx++juv+fethr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="603" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKgoqUi-uycK5W9MVwnnlnFwm_bTAIYOJRo7IlP99CUUCRYnGlzS39eG_oy-3GiRf5mGVEuRUyA_bLsOEeMDQ_Qur9POtiSk78akA1iPSyf2uGq3tS-WwBHKRXJYRJuS5AklEK7IbRX50/s320/1-dino+similicaudipteryx++juv+fethr.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artists: Xing Lida/Song Qijin <i>Similicaudipteryx</i> adult/juvenile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As an expert in bird feather development,
Richard Prum studied the fossils and explains that the apparently ribbon-like
structure of the juveniles’ feathers were consistent with pennaceous feathers
in the midst of moulting. In modern birds, new vaned feathers emerge from the feather
follicle enclosed in a ‘pin feather’, which is a solid tube covered in keratin.
Usually, the tip of this tube will fall away first, leaving a structure
identical to that seen in the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Similicaudipteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
fossil. Later, the rest of the sheath falls away when the entire feather has
fully developed.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Prum also noted, as did Xu and his team
who unearthed the fossils, that the structure of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Similicaudipteryx</i> feathers is fundamentally different from other
prehistoric birds with ribbon-like tail feathers. In those other species, the
ribbon portion is formed from a flattened and expanded rachis (central quill)
of the feather, with the feather barbs expanding out at the tip. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Similicaudipteryx</i>, however, the ‘ribbon’
portion is the same width as the vaned tip. This is consistent with what is
seen in bird feathers in the process of moulting. Prum concluded that rather
than representing an instance of feathers changing in form as the animal aged,
this specimen represents the first known fossil evidence of feather moulting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuUKoD6Yn04TtnSM7_ukSzTejlkMoPgGsc5Zx2fPBC3otAMTUJy2B5JxZiuITyBpx6Bdu2hX0IaS-Fuued4oEuoBxErzpByvvFZgexQtahYtIeoVSWBxhnZtBlrbu9wfd7KHMcsvpTqia/s1600/1-dino+similicaudipteryx+Sydney+Mohr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="780" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuUKoD6Yn04TtnSM7_ukSzTejlkMoPgGsc5Zx2fPBC3otAMTUJy2B5JxZiuITyBpx6Bdu2hX0IaS-Fuued4oEuoBxErzpByvvFZgexQtahYtIeoVSWBxhnZtBlrbu9wfd7KHMcsvpTqia/s320/1-dino+similicaudipteryx+Sydney+Mohr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Sydney Mohr <i>Similicaudipteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Remiges (bird wing flight feathers) and
retrices (Bird tail rudder flight feathers) had already evolved in caudipterids
even though the feathering first served as display and insulation rather than
for flight.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqduM8WTqB4L0oSILUCjFm9cJF131LuUwIXqfDlQnhHVoP4P7Q_uf514p8MKLXb1Mf-Bify64CBEfYQTQoVQeETSvmhBdBH0LeOAjk-9vryc6smgxXnIJpvQxi1d_M6If5dF4n7NHT_Lg-/s1600/1-dino+caenagnathidae+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="454" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqduM8WTqB4L0oSILUCjFm9cJF131LuUwIXqfDlQnhHVoP4P7Q_uf514p8MKLXb1Mf-Bify64CBEfYQTQoVQeETSvmhBdBH0LeOAjk-9vryc6smgxXnIJpvQxi1d_M6If5dF4n7NHT_Lg-/s320/1-dino+caenagnathidae+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Caenagnathoidea</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The superfamily, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caenagnathoidea</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Suh-nog-nah-thoi-dee-ah) has one basal
caenagnathoid and two family groups that ranged from 125-66 mya during the
Cretaceous and lived in what is now N. America and Asia. The main features were
in the skull that supported short parrot-like beaks and often times a bony
crest atop the cranium. They are defined as the descendants of their two most
recent ancestors, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Oviraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(O-vur-rap-tur) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caenagnathus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Suh-nog-nah-thuse).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This superfamily is characterized by
members having the sacral centra and caudal centra possessing pleurocoels,
which are a set of hollow depressions on the vertebrae’s lateral portions.
Also, the skull displays a fused mandibular symphyses with the mandibular rami
as bowed mid-length from a dorsal view and the rostrodorsal (region near back
of the beak) margin of the dentary (anterior bone of lower jaw) is concave
while the palatal shelf of the maxilla has two longitudinal ridges with a
tooth-like ventral process.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEaYmwj_JcAcSUm2CyrW2m2X4Tw16muV7V2Y-sh3wt99m-GBT1awGHrVugbKpKefbCaC6Ge9lfMXdLOySQwC2ktlh7FI4MyJaEVPfw_Iohw9PRzAPn4n5bNI08GLkcsO9WMSoqDmBTenV_/s1600/1-dino+avimimus+apsaravis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="800" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEaYmwj_JcAcSUm2CyrW2m2X4Tw16muV7V2Y-sh3wt99m-GBT1awGHrVugbKpKefbCaC6Ge9lfMXdLOySQwC2ktlh7FI4MyJaEVPfw_Iohw9PRzAPn4n5bNI08GLkcsO9WMSoqDmBTenV_/s320/1-dino+avimimus+apsaravis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Apsaravis <i>Avimimus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The most basal caenagnathoid was </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Avimimus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (A-vee-my-mus) that occurred in
the Late Cretaceous 70 mya in what is now Mongolia. At 1.5m/4.9ft long it was
very bird-like in appearance. It did possess very small premaxillary teeth and
was either an herbivore, or insectivore or both as an omnivore. The foramen
magnum (the hole in the skull allowing the cervical column to connect with the
brain was proportionately large compared to the rest of the skeletal anatomy.
The hind limbs ended in bird-like three toes and the forelimbs were short with
the manus (hand) bones fused together as it is in birds today. Due to the
ilium’s position being oriented almost horizontally, the hips were exceptionally
broad and anchored a long tail. This is the primary reason in the thinking that
it couldn’t fly. Coming from the ‘Barun Goyot Formation’ shows that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Avimimus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> lived in an arid environment
full of sand dunes and intermittent streams.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Caenagnathidae</i> there were eleven genera with twelve species and two
specimens that are listed as ‘nomen dubium’. Caenagnathids had a temporal range
during the Late Cretaceous 91-65 mya. Distinct features were in possessing long
and shallow jaws (even the term: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Caenagnathus</i>,
the genus the family is named after, means ‘recent jaws’). Inside the lower
jaws bore a complex series of ridges and tooth-like processes, as well as a
pair of horizontal, shelf-like structures. The jaws as well were hollow being
air-filled, while supporting a fused dentary symphysis bearing distinct vascular
grooves. All, but the most basal caenagnathid possessed bony crests above the
skull. Caenagnathids were primarily herbivores, but most likely omnivores and
depending on which species, dieted on vegetation, invertebrates, eggs,
carcasses, small reptiles and young dinosaurs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The presence of prominent notches (ulnar
papillae) on the ulna (bone of the forelimb) indicates the presence of long quilled
feathers on the arm. Ulnar papillae, or quill knobs are raised bumps or scars
on the ulna bone exhibiting where muscle or tendons were attached to articulate
feathering. In an Alberta, Canada fossil find of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apatoraptor</i> (Ah-pat-o-rap-tur) the ulnar papillae are well
preserved. It gives evidence that this 74 mya Late Cretaceous caenagnathid and
its relatives could wave its short but strong feathered arms vigorously in
showing off for display.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoENaT3pxbtwLviT5b5MRBI8wii-ZgDK0W3za3wmimMBb8Nnp6VDiAu-s4SaIR8LpXMpcLKTwys6V6YzYrZUhmuM6fiCXVyIxC1cLasI-u2Y43FDYpBGF3ey6JIyxlJ7tTIbw1rFjl0z8/s1600/1-dino+Beibeilong-sinensis+zhao+chaung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoENaT3pxbtwLviT5b5MRBI8wii-ZgDK0W3za3wmimMBb8Nnp6VDiAu-s4SaIR8LpXMpcLKTwys6V6YzYrZUhmuM6fiCXVyIxC1cLasI-u2Y43FDYpBGF3ey6JIyxlJ7tTIbw1rFjl0z8/s320/1-dino+Beibeilong-sinensis+zhao+chaung.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Zhao Chuang <i>Beibeilong</i> nesting </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Caenagnathids made ringed nests in the
earth and laid their eggs circular in fashion inside and on the edge of the
nest. </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Beibeilong</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> (Bay-bay-long) with
a temporal range of ~ 93.9 mya in the Late Cretaceous is only known from a nest
of eggs and a fully developed embryo. After a careful phylogenetic analysis, it
was determined that the embryo was nested inside the family, </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Caenagnathidae</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> belonging to a genus of
its own. The embryo was dubbed, </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Baby Louie’.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WUCJpbIZax4rSN3CBh_IEb9LroTPkLPnrblYiePDV4UZXUnS1PT8A5XmCoHUQIXeeKrqLpIgsHOb4RT-2gbDRKv0Awf2YyzMUfTypiRemIb_u_S8PQqzLRAn547W06fpfrj4ks13Hb1a/s1600/1-dino+Beibeilong+Babylouie+vlad+rimbala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1600" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WUCJpbIZax4rSN3CBh_IEb9LroTPkLPnrblYiePDV4UZXUnS1PT8A5XmCoHUQIXeeKrqLpIgsHOb4RT-2gbDRKv0Awf2YyzMUfTypiRemIb_u_S8PQqzLRAn547W06fpfrj4ks13Hb1a/s320/1-dino+Beibeilong+Babylouie+vlad+rimbala.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Vladimir Rimbala ‘Baby Louie’ fossil </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Caenagnathasia</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Suh-nog-nath-a-sha),
occurring 90 mya in the Late Cretaceous is so far the most primitive and
smallest caenagnathid at 0.61m/2ft long and did not possess a crest. The
relatively smooth beak bore a rounded and blunt tip, which is different than
other caenagnathids, but all caenagnathid beaks varied, showing an evolvement
to fulfill particular ecological niches. Although its fossils were found in
Asia, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Caenagnathasia</i> is more closely
related to the North American Campanian-Maastrichtian caenagnathids exhibiting
a migration from Asia into N. America.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbtlf1w2GJU0sKlzL6mEYATrhCNF7c9E1bKbIFLwF4wjwO6NOrpltLDEWrQ4C5WYhOaP88Dgj7M1hWly2jbgpJbYW6JAn5_aVzoEAeNEScasBNMduFtP7uXDRbp3CBsa6XvDiTCohdek9/s1600/1-dino+gigantoraptor+lewis+rey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="915" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbtlf1w2GJU0sKlzL6mEYATrhCNF7c9E1bKbIFLwF4wjwO6NOrpltLDEWrQ4C5WYhOaP88Dgj7M1hWly2jbgpJbYW6JAn5_aVzoEAeNEScasBNMduFtP7uXDRbp3CBsa6XvDiTCohdek9/s320/1-dino+gigantoraptor+lewis+rey.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Luis Rey <i>Gigantoraptor</i> fending</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 8m/26ft long and 5m/16ft tall, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gigantoraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Gee-gan-to-rap-tor) is
not only the largest caenagnathid; it is also the world’s largest known
feathered dinosaur. Living in the Late Cretaceous 85 mya, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gigantoraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> most likely had feathering as the other caenagnathids
did, but not as much due to size inducing gigantothermy, such as ostriches in
having bare skin on the hind limbs and neck. So feathering was decreased for
insulation, but some still remained for displaying and the brooding of eggs and
young. It hailed from what is now Mongolia.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kzZiALlvCkWdNN7a92NhT3sfZ0uJyFdw42ktXOLlMXFb3NvR_I60E_Qv93IdEWdYqvJt7pqDUlDTlaKFPizNRhFxYmVcJtbS5Eyj071mzz95QlWWS5a_ZBUQsvMwwHjTBKnPbCNtCH7b/s1600/1-dino+Gigantoraptor+skeleton+kabacchi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kzZiALlvCkWdNN7a92NhT3sfZ0uJyFdw42ktXOLlMXFb3NvR_I60E_Qv93IdEWdYqvJt7pqDUlDTlaKFPizNRhFxYmVcJtbS5Eyj071mzz95QlWWS5a_ZBUQsvMwwHjTBKnPbCNtCH7b/s320/1-dino+Gigantoraptor+skeleton+kabacchi.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gigantoraptor</i> skeleton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The thighbone was relatively short with
the slender and elongated lower hind limb fibula and tibia bones supporting a
pes (foot) ending in three large and strongly curved toe claws. This suggests
that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gigantoraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was an excellent
runner. The forelimbs ended in elongated slender hands. Digit I (thumb) of the
manus (hand) was short but strongly divergent. The frontal portion of the
caudal (tail) vertebrae possessed long neural spines and was heavily
pneumaticised with deep pleurocoels, while the middle section is somewhat
stiffened by long prezygapophyses (superior articular vertebra processes). The
caudal distal (end) was lightened with spongy bone. The jaws were toothless
ending in a horny beak with the lower jaws fused into a broad shovel-like
mandibula.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFtwqS_95cKI0M-HYM8as2hWhevOvyuS62yoEgLDX4CHFc53sXyYqGHVZR9MbP6YaGvO5gstVVkKZk2RxoLydU92Uv_XKSNgOOkiSP1aqbvKInCa0zLvdDuLmIxs1xoVrjvdOECo5L-hj/s1600/1-dino+oviraptoridae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFtwqS_95cKI0M-HYM8as2hWhevOvyuS62yoEgLDX4CHFc53sXyYqGHVZR9MbP6YaGvO5gstVVkKZk2RxoLydU92Uv_XKSNgOOkiSP1aqbvKInCa0zLvdDuLmIxs1xoVrjvdOECo5L-hj/s320/1-dino+oviraptoridae+clade.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Oviraptoridae</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoDsnixNjdVZNZRenEeeymeoqshT6JJoao6Tde1p4GZiDrpZT0ggk6to8VmHyBKJJ3jVBycFzNGCplZzwfVeN_SkXwqKKC2MIbsyK0jiIIdApTGk6l82ASQNhBxK-joc2Y2UpzB_nths_/s1600/1-dino+oviraptor_by_esther+vanhulsen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="1024" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoDsnixNjdVZNZRenEeeymeoqshT6JJoao6Tde1p4GZiDrpZT0ggk6to8VmHyBKJJ3jVBycFzNGCplZzwfVeN_SkXwqKKC2MIbsyK0jiIIdApTGk6l82ASQNhBxK-joc2Y2UpzB_nths_/s200/1-dino+oviraptor_by_esther+vanhulsen.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Esther van Hulsen <i>Oviraptor</i> beak</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Having close relations to caenagnathids,
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Oviraptoridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (O-vee-rap-tor-uh-day)
had a temporal range in the Late Cretaceous 84-66 mya. They were small with
most being between 1-2m/3.3-6.6ft long coming from Asia and in particular from
what is now, Mongolia in the Gobi Desert. As caenagnathid relatives, the jaws
were edentulous (no teeth), but instead, oviraptorids had two small bony
conical projections protruding from the roof of the mouth. Most likely, all
were herbivores as their beaks attest to an excellent tool for shearing
vegetation, but may have been also omnivorous. The jaws ended in a short horny
beak with the deep set mandibles possessing fenestrae (openings). The nostrils
were set high and far back from the snout tip. In the four genera, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Oviraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Citipati, Banji</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rinchenia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and the recently found,</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Huanansaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
there was a prominent midline cranial crest. All told there are 18 genera, 18
species and one ‘nomen dubium’ specimen.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnn-FJ5AyiXRrOvLWvSXUwBzREydHzZ64ASY4j4e22BQGnAMUgJuEK3vPBdMnGN-Dh42rK54EPbo1CUTLG54QvLPx-mbLPdQ9ZYrtSgdmHrgFR3ifWaZMcQuaqkM51uGHRpoRE9linbPc/s1600/1-dino+oviraptor+Julius+T+Cstonyi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="737" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnn-FJ5AyiXRrOvLWvSXUwBzREydHzZ64ASY4j4e22BQGnAMUgJuEK3vPBdMnGN-Dh42rK54EPbo1CUTLG54QvLPx-mbLPdQ9ZYrtSgdmHrgFR3ifWaZMcQuaqkM51uGHRpoRE9linbPc/s320/1-dino+oviraptor+Julius+T+Cstonyi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius T. Cstonyi <i>Oviraptor</i> nesting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Occurring 75 mya in the Late Cretaceous,</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Oviraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (O-vee-rap-tur) is the oldest
oviraptorid and defines the family members as those most closely related to it.
At 2m/6.6ft long, due to fossilized nest sites of eggs, developed embryos,
hatchlings and adults, we know that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Oviraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
brooded nest contents and probably cared for the hatchlings and young. As in
all oviraptorids, feathering covered the entire body and in addition, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Oviraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> possessed a set of rib
processes that kept the ribcage rigid, such as that found in extant birds.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFbYPwTueWowfBkgbnxngfrOv5NqudugpAK5j1h_AEmBDn2cDYcnrai-arv1wp97jRdu6U3ATIFIQJ_TD54sjzs5eWqWwNxxpSJgxlEzB2Way_PxZeYmZMr6nqTtncKmW_UprWAee9eVB/s1600/1-dino+oviraptor+dennis+wilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="920" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFbYPwTueWowfBkgbnxngfrOv5NqudugpAK5j1h_AEmBDn2cDYcnrai-arv1wp97jRdu6U3ATIFIQJ_TD54sjzs5eWqWwNxxpSJgxlEzB2Way_PxZeYmZMr6nqTtncKmW_UprWAee9eVB/s320/1-dino+oviraptor+dennis+wilson.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Dennis Wilson <i>Oviraptor</i> near full term hatchling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Oviraptor</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> was primarily
an herbivore, but supplemented its diet with animal protein as the remains of a
lizard were found in the gut area of an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oviraptor</i>
fossil. Also, as its fossils have always been near at what were once bodies of
water, it may have strolled along shorelines and banks to locate mussels to
crack and pry open with its beak.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6K89ARtHoPObZFQR2oz0yKtQHkiN4WaAgSY6ZOaC6iXSKVVmaV_q29MOkWQADJZCMUsHkLvLXeqWvzxIzx5tEGhyphenhyphenZteRXd0nV0KyNJvF8m5TgmpurwdEWgcJj8p0WqIrnQoGkTujRNJfV/s1600/1-dino+khaan+nathane+rogers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1280" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6K89ARtHoPObZFQR2oz0yKtQHkiN4WaAgSY6ZOaC6iXSKVVmaV_q29MOkWQADJZCMUsHkLvLXeqWvzxIzx5tEGhyphenhyphenZteRXd0nV0KyNJvF8m5TgmpurwdEWgcJj8p0WqIrnQoGkTujRNJfV/s320/1-dino+khaan+nathane+rogers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nathane Rogers <i>Khaan</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Khaan</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">’s (Kahn) temporal
range was during the Late Cretaceous ~ 75 mya with fossil remains coming
from<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the ‘Djadochta Formation’ of
Mongolia. At 1.1m/3.6ft, it lacked the expansion of the third metacarpal as
seen in other oviraptorids. Dieting on vegetation, it also supplemented its
diet on small vertebrates. It appears that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Khaan</i>
was sexually dimorphic. On some fossil specimens the caudal (tail) vertebrae
have reduced chevrons and this trait is analogized as a female feature in
increasing room for the laying of eggs. Chevrons are a series of bones on the
underside (ventral) of reptile tails protecting nerves and blood vessels. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Khaan</i> was crestless.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZwUWzPfna_QyIACRmBLgT2eV7QPICUH4x_aX7XSO5RHUSjJ2ZP-cGJUka1BH5ApnAHx93CAJDOaRrm5J5ZDp-1llzjeLjLdiO-7WeuA2KuY7Ogn95_1URIhts8sv4iq3LJqVKTVCX6al/s1600/1-dino+Huanansaurus-Chuang+Zhao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="710" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZwUWzPfna_QyIACRmBLgT2eV7QPICUH4x_aX7XSO5RHUSjJ2ZP-cGJUka1BH5ApnAHx93CAJDOaRrm5J5ZDp-1llzjeLjLdiO-7WeuA2KuY7Ogn95_1URIhts8sv4iq3LJqVKTVCX6al/s320/1-dino+Huanansaurus-Chuang+Zhao.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Artist: Zhao Chuang <span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><i style="font-size: 12.8px;">Huanansaurus</i><br />
<i><br /></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO09fxjIlav_2a0PA4hCWG5p80dh85Nq0n2r1GOEuLBp6Lbb2mQUR83PZvbXqF4nP2p-5gPoQcphGRa5G_s8QpdPy8z9eBtapQ6zkzfmhXIMQ_P8PiIh-seVby10okAKXjpMmURYGgx-c-/s1600/1-dino+Huanansaurus+skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="580" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO09fxjIlav_2a0PA4hCWG5p80dh85Nq0n2r1GOEuLBp6Lbb2mQUR83PZvbXqF4nP2p-5gPoQcphGRa5G_s8QpdPy8z9eBtapQ6zkzfmhXIMQ_P8PiIh-seVby10okAKXjpMmURYGgx-c-/s200/1-dino+Huanansaurus+skull.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Huanansaurus</i> skull fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another oviraptorid is in the 2015
recently discovered Chinese fossil of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Huanansaurus</i>
(Hah-nan-sawr-us). Found during the construction of a railroad station in
Jiangxi, Province, it had a temporal range in the Late Cretaceous 72 mya. At
24cm/9.5in long, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Huanansaurus</i> had
some distinct features in the quadrate bone’s lower condyles being positioned
behind the upper head. As crested, on the roof of the skull’s rear, the
transverse nuchal crest wasn’t as prominent as in the front. The mandible
(lower jawbones) is angular in form making up an outer side opening in the
lower rim. In having a concave rim, the dentary (anterior bone of the lower jaw)
covers the outer side opening of the lower jaw. The dentary bone is highly
pneumatised.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLT0u5spLZl8ty8oxZjHHL7GPkrNdr1lKxn_O8qC3jjTvDPUiTup47aPk9P31IYGkASfhYUmPgGPeuO-CVjCKIX_z-Fp0mtwEkeCB_evMGekOFLAkCdbcvM9V8iTu79uZ7GzDnQoaHKYSd/s1600/1-dino+banji-Ville+Sinkkonen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1259" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLT0u5spLZl8ty8oxZjHHL7GPkrNdr1lKxn_O8qC3jjTvDPUiTup47aPk9P31IYGkASfhYUmPgGPeuO-CVjCKIX_z-Fp0mtwEkeCB_evMGekOFLAkCdbcvM9V8iTu79uZ7GzDnQoaHKYSd/s320/1-dino+banji-Ville+Sinkkonen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Ville Sinkkonen <i>Banji</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The last oviraptorid to be discussed
here is the most derived in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Banji</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Ban-gee)
that lived 66 mya at the end of the Late Cretaceous in what is now Jiangxi
Province, China from the ‘Nanxiong Formation’. Being a juvenile and not fully
grown, the fossil is only 65cm/26in long. However, the adults would not have
been much larger. Compared to other oviraptorids, the nasal cavity is unusually
large that followed the crest’s curve almost to the eye orbit (socket). It was
a crested oviraptorid which was formed by the nasal bones and premaxillae with
the sides sporting a series of vertical striations along the sides. The crest
ended in a stepwise caudal bearing two longitudinal grooves. Lightly built, it
is thought as other oviraptorids that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Banji</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
was primarily an herbivore, but would also have chased down small
invertebrates.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjylyyWRpPWSxiHPFzEY8yheCq1rM68KxtZZbKAk-eFV75UEq_XdjcAIH9zMoNwt-voj3ENKPnepIbuEs0ch9f9vQPcObPDpvNDOxcX4zo9EZmeRNFztACXsi-vATONAS-jYm3mYhdVSGO/s1600/1-dino+paraves+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="500" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjylyyWRpPWSxiHPFzEY8yheCq1rM68KxtZZbKAk-eFV75UEq_XdjcAIH9zMoNwt-voj3ENKPnepIbuEs0ch9f9vQPcObPDpvNDOxcX4zo9EZmeRNFztACXsi-vATONAS-jYm3mYhdVSGO/s320/1-dino+paraves+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Paraves</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Paraves</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Purr-aves) ~
With a temporal range from the Middle Jurassic to the present 165-0 mya, the
ancestral paravian is the earliest common ancestor to birds and its stem
lineage is more related to birds than to the oviraptorosaurs. We usually think
of dinosaurs as gargantuan, but instead of enlarging, paravian ancestors
started shrinking in size 200 mya in the Early Jurassic. In this evolving
miniaturization, paravians also evolved new adaptations four times faster than
other dinosaur groups. One case of this paravian paedomorphism is in progenesis
where sexual development is accelerated. The exceptions though are in the
dromaeosaurids and troodontids where the former went through three independent
stages towards gigantism, while the latter, the troodontids went through one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWF9abKJEbBYs5X4tSz9qkcZdBq6YjuSKN3G_fOvA3loG6Ipf48kQGC74iiqli0CNcPJq_9p1-gLjYwI7tdPUvNJRnGBRBhIVpjeg3-oAIOBVxj5FIRqv-Utm35kBEIteDTezMBZnSq6qB/s1600/1-dino+dramaeosauridae+cladeogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWF9abKJEbBYs5X4tSz9qkcZdBq6YjuSKN3G_fOvA3loG6Ipf48kQGC74iiqli0CNcPJq_9p1-gLjYwI7tdPUvNJRnGBRBhIVpjeg3-oAIOBVxj5FIRqv-Utm35kBEIteDTezMBZnSq6qB/s320/1-dino+dramaeosauridae+cladeogram.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dromaeosauridae</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This major clade is the crown group to
modern birds, but as branch based there are no extant species or genetic
material from their descendancy into their avian ascendants, even though all members
of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Paraves</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> are a direct lineage to
birds. Like the theropods before them they were bipeds with most walking on
three toes. The basal or, earliest paravians, like the dromaeosaurids and
troodontids developed a hyperextended ligament that held digit II (second toe)
well above the ground, forcing them to bear weight on just digits III and IV.
Digit II distally ended in a sickle shaped claw that became a formidable weapon
and tool in hooking to gouge, but not necessarily in slicing. As weakly keeled
on its underside, the claw was used more for climbing by puncturing and
gripping. The climbing could have been performed on an object like a leaning
tree trunk or on a large prey while they were hunting in packs. For smaller
prey it would have been used for pinning it down as extant raptors do today.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqo1UOd7z4v3QKEfuEALBI9qH81DyJ7Ip5-zObhP_6fQxiCXXF00YenrFM-Wbcz_48_2Z64KyIJBSC-hICs6RclAHrsT56oP7Gm5Z2JMaMY6MkrCkmRHWp0z_eg4lxecSZvyHo8_8e0ti/s1600/1-dino+balaur_bondoc+emily+willoughby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="997" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqo1UOd7z4v3QKEfuEALBI9qH81DyJ7Ip5-zObhP_6fQxiCXXF00YenrFM-Wbcz_48_2Z64KyIJBSC-hICs6RclAHrsT56oP7Gm5Z2JMaMY6MkrCkmRHWp0z_eg4lxecSZvyHo8_8e0ti/s320/1-dino+balaur_bondoc+emily+willoughby.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Emily Willoughby <i>Balaur</i> <i>bondoc</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The highly modified hallux (digit I or,
first toe) became fully reversed in paravians. Of the paravian belonging to the
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Avialae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> clade that will be discussed
later, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Balaur</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">bondoc </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">(Bah-la-wur = bon-doc) took the hind limb’s digit I to a
whole new level by having digit I</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">run
parallel to digit II. Its digits I and II were held as retracted bearing
enlarged sickle-shaped claws on each digit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All paravians were covered in feathers
and in most cases the legs and feet were covered. They were the first to evolve
true wings and in some forms...flight. In the most basal, the wings usually
bore three large flexible fingers ending in claws, while in later more derived
forms, the fingers became fused stiffening the forelimbs which is the case for
all modern birds. Also, as borrowed from the earliest of coelurosaur ancestors,
an increasingly asymmetric wrist joint evolved that modern birds would inherit
as well. The importance to this wrist was that it allowed for a strong
musculature flapping of the wings and along with the forelimb elongation,
eventually led to flight.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kNjPAotIEdDbRqRvAVDbyIqovNFc9OmVFySsJUMQS0adbDGHb43vN5DaoKwuzYaUbkcZwgpjo9sHvDwsILNh9AsZcX4FeE9jJYWX-4OlR09uKrYryFMA-gC05d0ax5Vbb4eoboA2DxKK/s1600/1-dino+microraptor_delirio88.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="977" data-original-width="818" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kNjPAotIEdDbRqRvAVDbyIqovNFc9OmVFySsJUMQS0adbDGHb43vN5DaoKwuzYaUbkcZwgpjo9sHvDwsILNh9AsZcX4FeE9jJYWX-4OlR09uKrYryFMA-gC05d0ax5Vbb4eoboA2DxKK/s320/1-dino+microraptor_delirio88.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: delirio88 <i>Microraptor</i> in flight</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Flight developed independently among the
paravian groups with one of the earliest in being, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Microraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (My-crow-rap-tur). Analysis from extensive anatomical
studies proved that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Microraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was
capable of powered launching and flapping flight. But for most species, free
flight was not obtained and were either flightless or gliders from heights to
ground.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Paraves</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> is divided up
into two basal paravian families and one clade. The two families are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anchiornithidae</i> (An-kee-or-nith-ah-day)
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scansoriopterygidae</i> (San-soh-ree-op-tuh-rig-uh-day)
while the clade is, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eumaniraptora</i>
(U-man-ee-rap-tor-uh). In the family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anchiornithidae</i>
there are currently ten genera and in, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scansoriopterygidae</i>
there are at present three genera. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eumaniraptora</i>
includes the order, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinonychosauria</i>
(Die-non-ih-ko-sawr-ree-ah) that consists of the two families, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaesauridae</i> Dro-mee-o-sawr-ah-day and
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Troodontidae</i> (Troh-o-don-tuh-day). As
a eumaniraptoran sister clade to deinonychosaurians, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avialae</i> (A-vee-l-ee) is in the direct line of dinosaurs to what we
call birds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JAh7TaPCElmti7_meA8y544fLzqWCA2r0Qt1NrVz4qHNDSURpw9TLBFt-BGMFaGp8nN4Q7Krt0xOGJV7zSTYPvjYx1eUA8T87W5R1yJerQ3lWyMtj27cxvHXkcCbYsuXnGIYg3iVGy4s/s1600/1-dino+anchchiornithidae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JAh7TaPCElmti7_meA8y544fLzqWCA2r0Qt1NrVz4qHNDSURpw9TLBFt-BGMFaGp8nN4Q7Krt0xOGJV7zSTYPvjYx1eUA8T87W5R1yJerQ3lWyMtj27cxvHXkcCbYsuXnGIYg3iVGy4s/s1600/1-dino+anchchiornithidae+clade.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Anchiornithidae</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anchiornithids had a temporal range of
165-122 mya in the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and due to their phylogenetic
taxonomy might just very well be the most basal family of the bird line, even
though none could fly. Fossil finds have mainly been found in China’s Late
Jurassic deposits, although </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yixianosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Yi-chow-o- sawr-us) was found in China’s Early Cretaceous ‘Yixian Formation’
and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ostromia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s (Oss-trom-ee-uh) remains
were discovered in Germany’s Late Jurassic Bavarian deposits attesting to a
rapid Laurasian dispersal of eumaniraptorans. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sharing features of other paravian
groups, the more derived eumaniraptorans and basal avialans, anchiornithids
were a transitional group in leading to birds. In fact, the term, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anchiornithidae</i> refers to ‘near birds’.
Anchiornithids are known for their long forearms, hind limbs and hands. They
were lightly built, small and fully feathered. With much variety in feathering
between genera, it is certain they possessed pennaceous feathers, although it
is uncertain if the feathering possessed barbules on the forelimbs making them
unspecialized for flight. Most had pennaceous feathers also running down the
legs giving this eumaniraptoran family the dubbed moniker, “four-winged
dinosaur.” Most had a feather vaned tail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As in some avialans, the inside surface
of the acromion margin (a bony process on the scapula) is bent hooking
outwards. The small anterior dentary (mandible) teeth are more numerous and
spaced closer together than the teeth in the middle of the tooth row, much like
their eumaniraptoran cousins the troodontids. As in alvarezsaurids,
therizinosaurids and avialan species, the inside surface of the fibula’s
proximal part is flat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A genus of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anchiornithidae</i> is, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Serikornis</i>
(Say-ree-kor-niss) that lived ~ 161-160 mya during the Middle Jurassic in what
is now China in the ‘Tiaojishan Formation’. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Serikornis</i>
had more than one feather type composed of short and symmetrical vaned forelimb
feathers with both fuzz and long pennaceous feathers on the hind limbs. The
tail is covered proximally by filaments and distally by fine rectrices (larger
tail feathers). While the neck was covered in wispy feather bundles, the body
possessed a pennaceous-like feather covering.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4mNAvRHmnFGZYDXTMKV1v2sGq_mxQuvBIqNWvYLAQAjYcRRRwWMGwdL6ioWFfjqPGsuWODhuEngu3qUHHxk62yizITJ0dZ2Jaf7UUXD9TyRsOWX3K2HIf8HLq_pyGZcaqJU_V_5npCuE/s1600/1-dino+serikornis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="540" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4mNAvRHmnFGZYDXTMKV1v2sGq_mxQuvBIqNWvYLAQAjYcRRRwWMGwdL6ioWFfjqPGsuWODhuEngu3qUHHxk62yizITJ0dZ2Jaf7UUXD9TyRsOWX3K2HIf8HLq_pyGZcaqJU_V_5npCuE/s320/1-dino+serikornis+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Serikornis</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Serikornis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was ‘four-winged’, its skeletal anatomy and the complete
absence of barbules on the feathers, the microstructure allowing feathers to
resist air pressure during flight, attest it could not fly. However, it
assuredly had the ability to flap its wings to increase hopping height and from
a higher elevation had the capability to glide down.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A main distinguishing feature of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Serikornis</i> is in its dentition, which
are small when thinking dinosaur teeth, but the anterior maxillary teeth were
larger than any other anchiornithid. From luminography scans, the cervical
vertebrae showed small pneumatic cavities. This 60cm/23.6in long basal anchiornithids
was most likely an insectivore and carnivore in dieting on large insects and very
small vertebrates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another anchiornithid was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eosinopteryx</i> (E-oh-sigh-nop-tur-ix)
which lived during the Middle Jurassic 160 mya. The virtually complete
articulated fossil remains were also, as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Serikornis</i>’
remains, found in China’s ‘Tiaojishan Formation’. The holotype fossil is of a
nearly fully grown subadult measuring 20cm/12in long. The adult would not be
much larger, if at all, than that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZCos-cQEXoHRNeuo9A0KU6pAvSi_Pgs2Lc2e_XKETWvRqJmfqz7JpWc5cENV3BNlLlugL2_J9zpyFtEV_1pdC3v3Uldm5Jjm4eDvhOlNKOKqCy4Z6Vz5L_G3xmCYf29rDVVwFnKZNXaE/s1600/1-dino+eosinopteryx_Emily+Willoughby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZCos-cQEXoHRNeuo9A0KU6pAvSi_Pgs2Lc2e_XKETWvRqJmfqz7JpWc5cENV3BNlLlugL2_J9zpyFtEV_1pdC3v3Uldm5Jjm4eDvhOlNKOKqCy4Z6Vz5L_G3xmCYf29rDVVwFnKZNXaE/s320/1-dino+eosinopteryx_Emily+Willoughby.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Emily Willoughby <i>Eosinopteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Fully feathered, if </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eosinopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> were alive today and if spotted by most anyone, they
would say it was a bird, but they would be wrong, for it was very much a non-avian
dinosaur. It however lacked the fully developed tail feathering that would have
allowed for steering, so it would’ve been rudderless during flight. The wing’s
primary feathering was twice as long as the humerus (upper arm bone) in which
the arm structure was not designed for flapping. The hind limbs’ lower tarsals
were featherless. The feet and toes were very slender and distally lacked any
curved claws for defense, predation or climbing. However, the straight pedal
claws would have allowed for swift cursorial terrestrial running.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The skeletal anatomy, which lacks a
keel, is much like troodontids and so much so, it was originally classed as
one. But numerous features such as a very short snout, a short tail and an
unusual arrangement of wing bones placed it as an anchiornithid. With its
dentition of unserrated, but sharp teeth, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eosinopteryx</i>
could have easily chased down and seized struggling insects and small
vertebrates while crunching them in the mouth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWgTcrtZ9_lA5JLymYP-4muosxFG6CaP8UI0BcY1ubxC_ugXdeQEcFI98WG7WVQhKNEQ5xn_5wKMSc7z4mE3d0gPq4yGlsjCmp_pqMecN-kH01ZxXb5lT8jIKxXlkfNNKpc_HxM5wCIeH/s1600/1-dino+caihong+Zhao+Chuang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="934" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWgTcrtZ9_lA5JLymYP-4muosxFG6CaP8UI0BcY1ubxC_ugXdeQEcFI98WG7WVQhKNEQ5xn_5wKMSc7z4mE3d0gPq4yGlsjCmp_pqMecN-kH01ZxXb5lT8jIKxXlkfNNKpc_HxM5wCIeH/s320/1-dino+caihong+Zhao+Chuang.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist Zhao Chuang <i>Caihong</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There has been a new anchiornithid just
described this year (2018) that was first discovered by a Chinese peasant in a
quarry near the small village, Nanshimenzi and handed over to scientists in
2014. The new anchiornithids is, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caihong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Kay-hong) which literally translates in Chinese to, ‘rainbow’ and for good
reason. A microscopic evaluation of the body, tail, neck and head feathering
impressions revealed melanosome nanostructures that are similar to organelles
that produce iridescence in extant birds. In addition, the feathers found on
the head, chest, and the base of the tail preserve flattened sheets of
platelet-like melanosomes very similar in shape to those which create brightly
colored iridescent hues in the feathers of modern hummingbirds. These feather
structures however, appear as solid lacking the air bubbles as seen in
hummingbirds today, yet the feathering of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caihong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
represents the oldest known evidence of platelet-like melanosomes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6vj2hkgH6wVzkn8cW6tcNH0u_Dn8YrBhhXDLGSJFgcrOQ-ug36k2FmkpKeU4sCtt4JC94lHY-awkhp4UrdOGta_k5kkeIhOhPic7tNQ7Mh9bv-Qj7wlUBhpPvxg8DSw-0ofAVKnwGhoP/s1600/1-dino+caihung+fossil+featering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="1600" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6vj2hkgH6wVzkn8cW6tcNH0u_Dn8YrBhhXDLGSJFgcrOQ-ug36k2FmkpKeU4sCtt4JC94lHY-awkhp4UrdOGta_k5kkeIhOhPic7tNQ7Mh9bv-Qj7wlUBhpPvxg8DSw-0ofAVKnwGhoP/s320/1-dino+caihung+fossil+featering.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Caihung</i> fossil feathering</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Caihong</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> at 40cm/16in
long had a temporal range in the Late Jurassic 161 mya. Like other
anchiornithids, it had a prominent lacrimal (small bone forming part of the eye
socket) crest and possessed longer pennaceous feathering on the forelimbs and
hind limbs and displayed large asymmetrical tail feathers. The recurved
premaxilla teeth are more slender and tightly packed than the other teeth. The
large hind limbs were 3.1 times longer than the torso. Ending in a hook-shaped
foot, the pubic bone slightly directs toward the rear.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6EXdzWhOqXEbCi-lkLwSqmqcVnaRcc2G1EFk9jNptz2J10d0ysy9INgtC47RtrnmxqV2KxFVCeQl9If3P_rlAI7Sc9m45XjkqxTxk5AcuEdsoQqFX3EfFztxk5bWP0hKvsJ2QVGnEjyS/s1600/1-dino+caihong+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="720" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6EXdzWhOqXEbCi-lkLwSqmqcVnaRcc2G1EFk9jNptz2J10d0ysy9INgtC47RtrnmxqV2KxFVCeQl9If3P_rlAI7Sc9m45XjkqxTxk5AcuEdsoQqFX3EfFztxk5bWP0hKvsJ2QVGnEjyS/s320/1-dino+caihong+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Caihong</i> skull fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One more anchiornithid we’ll mention
here, is the most basal paravian yet in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yixianosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Yi-chow-o-sawr-us). With an Early Cretaceous temporal range of 122 mya, the
fossil remains come from the ‘Yixian Formation’ of northeastern China. With a
feature known only among paravians, the mediolateral width of the humerus is
much greater than the width of the scapular blade in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yixianosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. The lateral process of the ulna is sub-equal to the coronoid
process in size, which is also a typical paravian trait. The manus (hands) and
metacarpals (finger bones) are 140% longer than the length of the humerus
(upper arm long bone). Digit II (second finger is the longest) but all three
fingers supported bored large recurved claws. The long hands and short arms
probably evolved independently within this genus. The large hands and curved
claws most likely aided in capturing prey of small vertebrates and used in
defense. At ~ 1m/3.3ft long, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yixianosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
sported large pennaceous feathering on the forelimbs and arm anatomy, these
features could have supported limited aerial locomotion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoINlU00HmuOD5DFh0D7nR3Xe8TsuHRfqgjnDuiEUkEc7pWsA2RopNvD1r8CDABVNrXZlFA1tiOfWjesr_TEPYWxp7WIcL1DuZTfqjtPSZSOle-SCltLs-Jdb6KZ_UqnnN9KF3SDzW4Il/s1600/1-dino+Yixianosaurus+MH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="1500" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoINlU00HmuOD5DFh0D7nR3Xe8TsuHRfqgjnDuiEUkEc7pWsA2RopNvD1r8CDABVNrXZlFA1tiOfWjesr_TEPYWxp7WIcL1DuZTfqjtPSZSOle-SCltLs-Jdb6KZ_UqnnN9KF3SDzW4Il/s320/1-dino+Yixianosaurus+MH.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Masato Hattori <i>Yixianosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Scansoriopterygidae</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is a family
consisting of three paravian genera that arose 165-156 mya in the Middle to
Late Jurassic. All genera come from the ‘Tiaojishan Formation’ fossil beds of
China. The family contains members that were the first non-avian dinosaurs that
had adaptations to an arboreal (tree dwelling) lifestyle, including climbing
and gliding. No more the size of a pigeon reaching maximum lengths of
16cm/6.3in long, scansoriopterygids were the smallest of all non-avian
dinosaurs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vJeoaMXiOcB7KST_6kkDs9a3MxzjWaOkBGqThJpKbcstNNZQK44Acu6evowKI-hW7XLX-6_N5uhIWsCS51WMYd9ejzcbaxayitdusEtNxMsoAb6HZOeRijsBtH1qMvRacMNx_w2xrg63/s1600/1-dino+Epidendrosaurus_Rom%25C3%25A1n+Garc%25C3%25ADa+Mora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="852" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vJeoaMXiOcB7KST_6kkDs9a3MxzjWaOkBGqThJpKbcstNNZQK44Acu6evowKI-hW7XLX-6_N5uhIWsCS51WMYd9ejzcbaxayitdusEtNxMsoAb6HZOeRijsBtH1qMvRacMNx_w2xrg63/s320/1-dino+Epidendrosaurus_Rom%25C3%25A1n+Garc%25C3%25ADa+Mora.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist:Román García Mora Scansoriopterygid fishing grubs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Scansoriopterygids had an extremely long
third finger which was in contrast to other dinosaur groups that had a longer
extended second finger, as in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yixianosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
described just above. The elongated digit most likely aided in climbing as the
term, scansoriopterygid refers to ‘climbing wings’ and fishing out grubs and
adult insects from trees and bark, much like the extant aye-aye does today.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The scansoriopterygid skull is blunted
making the snout short-faced while the anterior end of the lower jaw is
slightly downturned and the teeth are procumbent. This skull shape
superficially is similar to some insectivorous bats and is quite similar to
that of early oviraptorosaurs, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Caudipteryx</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Scansoriopterygids’ paleoecology during
the Middle-Late Jurassic consisted of a warm and humid climate supporting
gymnosperm, ginkgopsid and coniferous trees, while other semitropical plants
like lycopsids, horsetails and cycads abounded giving scansoriopterygids places
to scamper, climb and hide and dine in as the ecology supported large insects,
other invertebrates and small vertebrae populations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZotUnln9lhl7iqnv1R-X17-sgXROyZEa3-iAyqgwGhrXZdZS9kkiQAjr0EM60lS4zqOHps6tuu1vw1772rsdEqPCT8ZSAyXX4LrLN91_Lyk-LjWsfhyphenhyphenmpuwBOl8bdzA5CCgbpMuCtYvz/s1600/1-dino+scansoriopteryx+Matt+Martyniuk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="289" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZotUnln9lhl7iqnv1R-X17-sgXROyZEa3-iAyqgwGhrXZdZS9kkiQAjr0EM60lS4zqOHps6tuu1vw1772rsdEqPCT8ZSAyXX4LrLN91_Lyk-LjWsfhyphenhyphenmpuwBOl8bdzA5CCgbpMuCtYvz/s320/1-dino+scansoriopteryx+Matt+Martyniuk.jpg" width="124" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Matt Martyniuk <i>Scansoriopteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With a temporal range in the Early to
Late Jurassic 165-156 mya, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Scansoriopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
was ~ 35cm/13.8in long as an adult. The fossil remains of a hatchling at
13.5cm/5.3in long and a juvenile at 16.5cm/6.5in long holotype fossil were
found in China from the fossil beds of the ‘Tiaojishan Formation’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Scansoriopteryx</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (formerly known
as, Epidendrosaurus) had a more opened non-perforated hip socket than most
other dinosaurs where the pubis pointed backwards and downwards. Small pebbly
scales were preserved in the fossil finds on the metatarsus (upper foot) where
the foot ended in a large hallux (first toe). Also notable in the fossils is
the wide rounded jaws with twelve teeth in the lower jaws that were larger in
the front of the mouth than in the back. The long tail was 6.5 times the length
of the femur.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUQYVbYwFZBBcTST_om5prhJbzaMBnFSSaq3D7PHThCDEyluz_b-yLvqCYE0SSc3LidTq5f1hfj3FMqD7gFc1SHHEnOYkruQBjx49pMYd4RhSU6bZ_NqsvUSsXWR8vFsgmGcvDcX7-H-x/s1600/1-dino+scansoriopteryx+skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="826" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUQYVbYwFZBBcTST_om5prhJbzaMBnFSSaq3D7PHThCDEyluz_b-yLvqCYE0SSc3LidTq5f1hfj3FMqD7gFc1SHHEnOYkruQBjx49pMYd4RhSU6bZ_NqsvUSsXWR8vFsgmGcvDcX7-H-x/s320/1-dino+scansoriopteryx+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Scansoriopteryx</i> skeletal (Note long fingers)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The most notable features in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Scansoriopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> were the long fingers,
in particular the third one. These forelimb distal digits give evidence of an
arboreal lifestyle and they were fairly developed even at an early age as
viewed in the hatchling fossil. This scansoriopterygid’s body possessed both
downy and larger feathers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just to let ya know, with a slew of
initial confusion in its naming, original provenance, taxon placement and
whether it should be called a dinosaur versus a bird, the storm appears to have
abated as it is now comfortably nestled in the family, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scansoriopterygidae</i> which was named after this tiny dinosaur we
call, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scansoriopteryx</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9NAKNRAanWJn3xKV6Unw8ejFm0DFetuh9HHASy0rs53aefpY-JWp5FNk1sb8ZDzWnmhQ9TuGeBCKaZG8xDRR0H5hAC68AR_kQz6xvuwXKy87k2iBL9tpPTjU-ON2YZxrnGvb2dITL9Nr/s1600/1-dino+epidexipteryx+pablo+lara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="1181" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9NAKNRAanWJn3xKV6Unw8ejFm0DFetuh9HHASy0rs53aefpY-JWp5FNk1sb8ZDzWnmhQ9TuGeBCKaZG8xDRR0H5hAC68AR_kQz6xvuwXKy87k2iBL9tpPTjU-ON2YZxrnGvb2dITL9Nr/s320/1-dino+epidexipteryx+pablo+lara.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Pablo Lara <i>Epidexipteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Epidexipteryx</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Ep-ee-dex-teh-ricks)
was a small scansoriopterygid that lived in the Late Jurassic 160 mya in the
‘Dauhugou Beds’ of what is now Inner Mongolia. It was around the size of a
pigeon at 44.5cm/17.5in long including the tail. The retrices’ (tail feathers) four
long vanes weren’t branched into individual filaments as extant birds are, but
were made up of a single ribbon-like sheath. The body was covered in more
primitive dinosaur feathering, but also some feathers arose from a membranous
base like modern birds do and may be the beginnings in the evolution of the
bird feather and its anchoring.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Resembling oviraptorosaurs skulls, the
skull of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Epidexipteryx</i> had some
unique features. It only had teeth in front of the jaw that angled outwards
instead of downwards and the lower jaw curved down and away from the upper jaw.
This arrangement made the lower teeth point outwards instead up into the upper
jaw. Also, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Epidexipteryx</i> lacked
remiges (wing feathers) but may have had a membrane supported by the forelimbs
and fingers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMlQ9GtOtEbS8jRiYchF9a2NeU-TJ-EGiHZKQk9wJpjBme5tOuF27ffrFIiuDKhcGOgFuCCB12ycNylax7tpZyklcMht_f5qY5R_JrrwtytiffbAwOvsau9xt0kt4r4SWq9lKyRtP7_xn/s1600/1-dino+epidexipteryx-skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1231" data-original-width="1600" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMlQ9GtOtEbS8jRiYchF9a2NeU-TJ-EGiHZKQk9wJpjBme5tOuF27ffrFIiuDKhcGOgFuCCB12ycNylax7tpZyklcMht_f5qY5R_JrrwtytiffbAwOvsau9xt0kt4r4SWq9lKyRtP7_xn/s320/1-dino+epidexipteryx-skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Epidexipteryx</i> skeletal anatomy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although the skeletal anatomy of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Epidexipteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> proves a close relation to
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Scansoriopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, there is contention
that it’s ancestral to oviraptorosaurs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The third member of scansoriopterygids
I’m not going to use the genus name only in describing it, but am going to also
use its specific epithet in giving the binomial species name. The reason for
doing so is while we are used to long winded species names, this
scansoriopterygid has only four letters and is tied with a bat species for the
shortest species nomenclature. The genus is merely, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yi</i>, while the specific name is simply, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">qi</i>. So, there ya have it, we’ll be describing this little guy by it
species name of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yi</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">qi</i> (Yee-chee).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In speaking of the bat species name of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ia</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">io</i>,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yi</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">qi</i> gave the impressionable appearance of a bat straight out from
the bowels Hades. This scansoriopterygid with a temporal range during the Late
Jurassic 160 mya had a bony rod called a ‘styliform element’ jutting backward from
each wrist that, along with the elongated fingers supported a patagium (skin
membrane) reminiscent of a bat wing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIl_ZfVIAruMl3gkdYd2orXc111rb3f6gaSQtu0fugNwDN7YWc9VguUfhFLOaBghsPkJWbr3VJQ26R2tYxQASG7mHAWwHvcHni-yXSFSYCgxyv87_5WwoPJJNpOhss-MqnkR7A1TsQCNp/s1600/1-dino+Yi_qi+EW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIl_ZfVIAruMl3gkdYd2orXc111rb3f6gaSQtu0fugNwDN7YWc9VguUfhFLOaBghsPkJWbr3VJQ26R2tYxQASG7mHAWwHvcHni-yXSFSYCgxyv87_5WwoPJJNpOhss-MqnkR7A1TsQCNp/s320/1-dino+Yi_qi+EW.jpg" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Emily Willoughby <i>Yi qi</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Unique to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">qi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> from all other
dinosaurs was in possessing a plane of skin membrane between each finger as
evidenced from wrinkled skin in between each finger of the fossil. Extant birds
of flight do have a short membrane called a propatagium, but </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ti</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">qi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s
membrane expanded more like a bat’s patagium. Whether it flew or glided, the
mechanics of the forelimb are still under study, but most likely it used its
wings for gliding as extant gliders, like flying squirrels and the greater </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Petauroides</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Volans</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> both have styliform elements for membrane support.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In addition, the head was short with a
blunt snout and a downturned lower jaw that held teeth angled forward. With
four on each side, the larger upper front teeth pointed slightly forward. There
were no other teeth except for those in the front tip of the mouth much like
its scansoriopterygid relative, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Epidexipteryx</i>.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Approximately 32cm/12.6in long, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yi</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">qi</i>’s
body, from the base of the snout to the caudal (tail) was covered in
paintbrush-like quilled feathers. Only the tip of the snout, the patagium,
ankles and feet had no feathering, although the bottom leg covering was long
enough to layer over the top half of the foot’s metatarsus. Behind the shins
and long slender forelimbs sported <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yi</i>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">qi</i>’s longest feathers although the
patagium lacked any feathering cover. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is a short video clip put out by
Nature about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yi</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">qi</i>:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="494" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fF_FOay9d5c?ecver=1" width="731"></iframe>
<br />
<b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eumaniraptora</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As the sister clade to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oviraptorsauria</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eumaniraptora</i> is composed of members having a temporal range from
the Middle Jurassic to the present 165-0 mya. The two eumaniraptoran subgroups
are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinonychosauria</i> (Die-non-ih-ko-sawr-e-uh)
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avialae</i> (A-vee-ale-e). There was
a global distribution of eumaniraptorans with fossil finds showing up on all
continents within diverse environments. Under the avialan line eumaniraptorans
are the only dinosaur group to evolve flight eventually leading to dinosaurs
called birds. Depending on species, the diets are highly varied in the forms of
carnivores, insectivores, piscivores, omnivores, frugivores and
herbivores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eumaniraptorans are the last
remaining theropod group and all other dinosaur groups to survive the K-T
Extinction.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZnpbOPcEffLRpC_f4yZuuPur4wo2xpC4409mMthZZjiOjPpMcfCL-OgQiGCpoRSDq3SKiN063V32FqYIhiV4WxcyObEVqq4IdrApyUDR_JawK6l5aGVSpDY9qaDK77xUJvO92Qr2LkA7/s1600/1-dino+eumaniraptora+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="768" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZnpbOPcEffLRpC_f4yZuuPur4wo2xpC4409mMthZZjiOjPpMcfCL-OgQiGCpoRSDq3SKiN063V32FqYIhiV4WxcyObEVqq4IdrApyUDR_JawK6l5aGVSpDY9qaDK77xUJvO92Qr2LkA7/s320/1-dino+eumaniraptora+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eumaniraptora</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">All eumaniraptorans strictly have an
obligate bipedal gait with a distally placed metatarsal forcing pedal (foot)
digit I to touch ground or wrap around objects like branches. The claws were
sickle-shaped, while pedal digit II was retractable on the more primitive
deinonychosaurians. These theropods were small overall in body size with long
slender limbs and proportionately long hands. They all were bird hipped with a
backward facing pubis and also had long leg, arm and tail feathers. The tail
itself was mobile at the base and stiffened the rest of the length. The limbs
had long feathering and the more derived had conquered limited free flight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Up9XDpbTo-1a6vZY78yb9PNJ3WQ3_fSR1rvFXXia5bWjcnKb1FjdtK6hz8Blt0N9w5rVdFPPt5znrAqmsgimyFYK5Q1Akz4TqUX1yP2o5rAV_WWCj27mMB8rfO61-KzNo4JXORE4Pbdd/s1600/1-dino+deinonychosauria+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="600" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Up9XDpbTo-1a6vZY78yb9PNJ3WQ3_fSR1rvFXXia5bWjcnKb1FjdtK6hz8Blt0N9w5rVdFPPt5znrAqmsgimyFYK5Q1Akz4TqUX1yP2o5rAV_WWCj27mMB8rfO61-KzNo4JXORE4Pbdd/s320/1-dino+deinonychosauria+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Deinonychosauria</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Deinonychosauria</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: The more basal
group of eumaniraptorans is from the order, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinonychosauria</i>
that had a temporal range from the Early to Late Cretaceous 143-66 mya. The
name is derived from Greek inferring ‘terrible claw’ in reference to the
retractable sickle-shaped claw found distally on pedal digit II. Most fossil
finds have been discovered in Asia and N. America, although there have been
fragmentary remains discovered in northern Africa. These are all, based on
Gondwana diversity, but with two finds of dromaeosaurid fossils in what is now
Argentina’s Patagonia region during the Late Cretaceous of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neuquenraptor</i> (90 mya) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unenlagia</i> (~89 mya), bears out that
worldwide distribution of deinonychosaurians was well underway at least by the
beginning of the Cretaceous and before the breakup and drifting apart of the
northern (Gondwana) and southern (Laurasia) hemispheres. During the Jurassic,
there was greater connection between the two hemispheres allowing for
dromaeosaurid migrations further evidenced by scant European fossil finds
including the dromaeosaurid trademark pedal digit II sickle-shaped retractable
claw. Again, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinonychosauria</i> is
divided into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosauridae</i> (Dro-me-o-sawr-us)
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Troodontidae</i> (Tru-o-don-tee-day.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCc8ALIy5dHMbvEccH1VeAFiy7v0x3OgG8tBy7-32UoLdiPMKr5Gg6Dg9quY6Q_GQaICjWpB1jIA1mzVPzbe9bx-vViKAx6NCREgkSmrcUmVJX3hZhFvVf3eeh7KJM-Vl_hO3sFH97tVL/s1600/1-dino+dramaeosauridae+cladeogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCc8ALIy5dHMbvEccH1VeAFiy7v0x3OgG8tBy7-32UoLdiPMKr5Gg6Dg9quY6Q_GQaICjWpB1jIA1mzVPzbe9bx-vViKAx6NCREgkSmrcUmVJX3hZhFvVf3eeh7KJM-Vl_hO3sFH97tVL/s320/1-dino+dramaeosauridae+cladeogram.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dromaeosauridae</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Dromaeosauridae</span></span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Dromaeosaurids
are the most basal of the deinonychosaurians that have an Early to Late
Cretaceous temporal range of 130-66 mya. Most were small, but a few were over
5m/16.4ft. The smallest is the microraptorian, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperonychus</i> (Hes-purr-uh-nie-kus) at 50cm/19.7in, while <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Achillobator</i> (Ah-kill-o-bay-tur) was the
longest at 6m/19.7ft long. The miniaturization in size is a feathered
dinosaur’s hallmark trait towards the path to the origins of bird flight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dromaeosaurids are quite extensive with
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosauridae</i> clade’s taxa
containing three subfamilies and one subgroup node order with three subfamilies
of its own. Thus far, altogether, there are at least 43 genera, which don’t
include suspect dromaeosaurid scant or extensively disarticulated fossils. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dromaeosaurid caudal (tail) vertebrae
were tightly locked, much more so than in other theropod groups. In fact with
the microraptorians and eudromaeosaurs, chevron and neural arch extensions grew
extremely long turning the tail into a unique and effective stabilizer. As the
more basal dromaeosaurids had elongate metatarsi displaying a primitive form of
the arctometatarsalian condition in which the proximal part of the middle
metatarsal is pinched between the surrounding metatarsals, the more derived had
developed short and stout metatarsi. The arctometatarsus aided in speed but not
so much in agility. With the dromaeosaurid metatarsal and stiffened long tail
transition, it looks as if they opted out speed for agility. Still able to run,
just not as fast as their predecessors, the latter dromaeosaurids could now
commit quick agile turns in pursuing prey or evading predators.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9EBV201WBJ0kaQXNCshOcxWPYJHqLKIncLtfc0TTBSofjeSmkk0Zz5BIcl2JQqnq5Cd1zZgTAlqGFoPi08TFAgLYzf0NoDsyryIQq2wm_WzVfiMMYE9yCS0WSFeLHy52GGCV3BY8nXMt/s1600/1-dino+dromaeosaurid+claws+encylco-brit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="1600" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9EBV201WBJ0kaQXNCshOcxWPYJHqLKIncLtfc0TTBSofjeSmkk0Zz5BIcl2JQqnq5Cd1zZgTAlqGFoPi08TFAgLYzf0NoDsyryIQq2wm_WzVfiMMYE9yCS0WSFeLHy52GGCV3BY8nXMt/s320/1-dino+dromaeosaurid+claws+encylco-brit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Encyclopedia Britannica <i>Dromaeosaurid</i> sickle claw</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The sickle-shaped and retractable large
claw was held off the ground and used as a killing implement. When muscles of
the toe (digit II) were contracted, the claw swept downwards slashing and
impaling whatever animal was the dromaeosaurid’s intended victim. The claw
mechanics were backed by a claw base to tip angled momentum maximizing the
transmission of forces from the leg to the tip of the claw. With the second toe
held up, dromaeosaurids walked only with two weight bearing toes. All
dromaeosaurids were carnivorous and aided by excellent eyesight, as witnessed
by the size of their skull’s orbits and scleral rings, were cathemeral in being
active both night and day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are nine dromaeosaurid genera taxa
that are holotype dromaeosaurids and do not belong to any other subgroupings. Primarily
from Europe, out of these nine, there are at least five fossil finds that are
definitively dromaeosaurids, but further classification is difficult due to
current scant remains. They are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nuthetes</i>
(New-thet-eez) from England 143 mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ornithodesmus</i>
(Or-nith-o-dez-mus) from the Isle of Wight 125 mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Variraptor</i> (Var-e-rap-tor) from France 70mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pyroraptor</i> (Pi-row-rap-tor) from southern France 70.6 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adasaurus</i> (Aye-dah-sawr-us) from
Mongolia 70 mya. The remaining four genera are basal dromaeosaurids and are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shanag</i> (Shan-ag) from Mongolia 130 mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zhenyuanglong</i> (Zen-yu-an-long) from
China 125 mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pamparaptor</i>
(Pam-pa-rap-tor) from Patagonia, Argentina 89 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Luanchuanraptor</i> (Loo-an-choo-an-rap-tor) from China ~77.5 mya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqA27wHHt6Q72DV6uIiNcT3Ag9_IKElRllehO-oVazIgMTjSUdx5_QNYQn21-0QKq05vRzy_85Im-qZ8M9F7qr_CrvY4kG493YzO2UabRChYAIJLGSdTVNqm7zo4AevH2jy-ZREm1XG0d8/s1600/1-dino+pyroraptor+jonathan+kuo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="639" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqA27wHHt6Q72DV6uIiNcT3Ag9_IKElRllehO-oVazIgMTjSUdx5_QNYQn21-0QKq05vRzy_85Im-qZ8M9F7qr_CrvY4kG493YzO2UabRChYAIJLGSdTVNqm7zo4AevH2jy-ZREm1XG0d8/s200/1-dino+pyroraptor+jonathan+kuo.jpg" width="121" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonathan Kuo <i>Pyroraptor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On a couple of light notes, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pyroraptor</i> wasn’t named so because it
breathed fire like a dragon, no, it’s not that colorful; it was named due to
the fact that when a fire swept through a French forest, it uncovered the
fossil remains. Also, the term ‘raptor’ for theropods refers to dromaeosaurids
due to their shared characteristics in the Digit II (second toe) sickle claw,
grasping three-fingered manus (hands) and relatively large brain sizes.
However, not too many scientists like referencing the term ‘raptor’, preferring
instead the term dromaeosaurids as today’s birds of prey are considered
raptors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">While speaking of dragons, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zhenyuanglong</i> literally means,
‘Zhenyuan’s dragon’ in reference to the man, Zhenyuang Sun who secured the
fossil for study from a local farmer who found it in the ‘Yixian Formation’ of
Liaoning, China. At 1.7m/5.6ft, it was a medium sized dromaeosaurid. For a
dromaeosaurid it had short forelimbs that supported long well developed
pennaceous feathers while the body was coated with simple ‘hairy’ feathered
filaments. In fact, the short limbs were the shortest dromaeosaurid forelimbs
once an arm to leg ratio was conducted. Along the length of the tail, long
vaned feathering was evident while the fossil gives no evidence of long leg
feathering as the forelimbs possessed; something unusual as all other
dromaeosaurids with long arm feathers also had long leg feathering.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4AjJ4JK2MH-64EgxMJoRat24eLFdmG19-s3OsTa8EwWz9JbJV4wUX3I_3-8zQpsLtW9IuGV3qLzIrpp5RN_qpBQ3VJ6iZ5UzZ1F5sFKClJz6jnPFUolCNM4mimDa-1_YJ95vNIDm2j-d/s1600/1-dino+Zhenyuanlong+suni+Chuang+Zhao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="1440" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4AjJ4JK2MH-64EgxMJoRat24eLFdmG19-s3OsTa8EwWz9JbJV4wUX3I_3-8zQpsLtW9IuGV3qLzIrpp5RN_qpBQ3VJ6iZ5UzZ1F5sFKClJz6jnPFUolCNM4mimDa-1_YJ95vNIDm2j-d/s320/1-dino+Zhenyuanlong+suni+Chuang+Zhao.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Chuang Zhao <i>Zhenyuangalong</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With all this feathering, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Zhenyuangalong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> still couldn’t fly as
there were no strong muscle attachment scars that could’ve afforded flapping
wings. Also, its estimated weight of 20kg/44lb, for its size, it would’ve even
been too heavy to even glide. But, its weight and length makes it the largest
non-avian dinosaur with full blown bird-like feathered wings. The feathered
forearms were most likely used for display in threatening rivals and impressing
potential mates.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vJEk2TPnbVq3R6AzbQVi7DN0JWsg3vBQxnm1A1uG7o3g0AOX-AEqmQyLb2h0tlo3lVZ7mMtDs1AviCyOkoG3L-UCUmtldfirYG6GdCO4y3EwSt8QkePfQJmH0sAtwxbjvD5IDjJLYP-g/s1600/1-dino+Zhenyuanlong+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="926" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vJEk2TPnbVq3R6AzbQVi7DN0JWsg3vBQxnm1A1uG7o3g0AOX-AEqmQyLb2h0tlo3lVZ7mMtDs1AviCyOkoG3L-UCUmtldfirYG6GdCO4y3EwSt8QkePfQJmH0sAtwxbjvD5IDjJLYP-g/s320/1-dino+Zhenyuanlong+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Zhenyuangalong</i> Fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Halszkaraptorinae</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Houz-kuh-rap-tor-uh-nay)
~ is the most basal subfamily of dromaeosaurids and through phylogenetic
analysis contains three Late Cretaceous genera, which are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mahakala</i> (Ma-ha-kah-la) from ~ 80 mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halszkaraptor</i> (Houz-kuh-rap-tor) from 75-71 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hulsanpes</i> (Hul-san-pees) from 70 mya.
All halszkaraptorines came from Mongolia with a paleoecology consisting of a
semiarid climate, extensive sand dunes, alluvial settings and steppes
interspersed with intermittent streams. Where the more permanent bodies of
water were is also where halszkaraptorine fossils have been found. They were
attracted to the waters in a harsh dry climate and in doing so, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halszkaraptor</i> evolved into a semiaquatic
dinosaur.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZjKdQ8kHRGW5HCN0ycHvHJ7bkFXJTDM9dvL-LatHll-sStgGpjeZnK91VQpR7h8nXViMB_0ir2uF6TY8TGeqIKoolQufs9mp6BFO0vhA-vXAAM3uqjhirt5b8C01ah8fskpH6Od5m999/s1600/1-dino+mahakala+frank+ippolito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="1288" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZjKdQ8kHRGW5HCN0ycHvHJ7bkFXJTDM9dvL-LatHll-sStgGpjeZnK91VQpR7h8nXViMB_0ir2uF6TY8TGeqIKoolQufs9mp6BFO0vhA-vXAAM3uqjhirt5b8C01ah8fskpH6Od5m999/s320/1-dino+mahakala+frank+ippolito.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Frank Ipollito <i>Mahakala</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Mahakala</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> was the most
primitive of the primitive halszkaraptorines. At 70cm/28in long, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mahakala</i> was not in the direct line of
avian dinosaurs, but shows that basal feathered dinosaurs were downsizing to
quickly find food and shelter. With its wing-like forelimbs and biped hind
limbs, it gives a consensus portrayal of the dinosaur’s ancestral lineage in leading
up to their final descendants…birds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although the ilium, ulna femur and tail
vertebrae were primitive in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mahakala</i> and unlike most other dromaeosaurids its middle metatarsal was not pinched, as well as possessing short forelimbs, it still possessed the dromaeosaurid expanded
claw on digit II. It also had a combination of shared characteristics among
other dromaeosaurids, troodontid members and birds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsMvIhyphenhyphenfCPmzdLuuvAuxaxtRH_Vl8tAvxSvXVSDpqDpwrriYwlSuurRKbMdQuVkI3hpVV_ieawMY3TADeikyEZYBFhIY9dkip_rh7FhyphenhyphenEEJNyocI80yNzCa9Wog9sEtyJWfRUdHl-Q7hs/s1600/1-dino+Halszkaraptor+St_Thomas_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1482" data-original-width="1134" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsMvIhyphenhyphenfCPmzdLuuvAuxaxtRH_Vl8tAvxSvXVSDpqDpwrriYwlSuurRKbMdQuVkI3hpVV_ieawMY3TADeikyEZYBFhIY9dkip_rh7FhyphenhyphenEEJNyocI80yNzCa9Wog9sEtyJWfRUdHl-Q7hs/s320/1-dino+Halszkaraptor+St_Thomas_Pro.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: St. Thomas Pro. <i>Halzkaraptor</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With a long neck, a goose-like beak and postural
adaptations similar to short-tailed aquatic fowl, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Halszkaraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> looked a lot like a swan. In addition, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Halszkaraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> possessed eleven sharp
needle-like teeth in a flattened premaxillae, did not
possess the typical dinosaurian epiophyses (bony projections of the cervical
vertebrae) in which the cervical (neck) vertebrae had reduced neural spines, external nostrils were situated behind the premaxillae but in front of the
maxillae and digit III of the forelimb was longer than digit II.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6dT2z_05SXRfGySgc8ENGwoA6QpjNIYNzfQOzGmNbE3O1ToB9vdIN6HWq0WjIgE1RpyC93PkxTflMu7DlzvfuRcZ0wO7iGv68rQlOHZKp1nGGXIxxUs_a7Yn9bZxvZr82IIHz9Lijs8q/s1600/1-dino+Halszkaraptor_escuilliei+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6dT2z_05SXRfGySgc8ENGwoA6QpjNIYNzfQOzGmNbE3O1ToB9vdIN6HWq0WjIgE1RpyC93PkxTflMu7DlzvfuRcZ0wO7iGv68rQlOHZKp1nGGXIxxUs_a7Yn9bZxvZr82IIHz9Lijs8q/s320/1-dino+Halszkaraptor_escuilliei+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Halzkaraptor</i> Fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 60cm/23.6in long, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Halszkaraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, as mentioned earlier due
to the arid conditions it and the other halszkaraptorines lived in, it not only
lived near bodies of water, it lived in them evolving into a semiaquatic
lifestyle. Through synchrotron radiation scans, the intricate inner ear was
visible and evidence of snout nerve channels, like in crocodiles, were found
that gave heightened sensitivity to touch. Along with the elongated neck, this
afforded </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Halszkaraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> to snag small
fish prey as it swam with the head underwater seeking out fish with its
sensitive snout. With the forelimbs used as paddles and slightly webbed hands while the long tail shifted its center of gravity forward, it swam through
water with ease.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Halszkaraptor</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">, as a biped
could easily run, maneuver with ease using the long tail for stability and dwell on land
as well for nesting and hunting small vertebrates and large insects in
utilizing its sharp claws.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unenlagiinae</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Un-en-lay-gye-nay)
~ is a subgroup clade of ancestral Gondwanan dromaeosaurid theropods with
remains being found in South America and Antarctica. Unenlagiines have a
distinct anatomy from the Laurasian dromaeosaurids which was consequential from
Pangaea’s breakup into Gondwana and Laurasia resulting in isolating
unenlagiines from the rest of the dromaeosaurid family members. This initiated
separate evolutionary paths. The temporal range is 94 -70 mya during the Late
Cretaceous when the tip of S. America and Antarctica were connected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unenlagiines possessed the typical
dromaeosaurid extended and sickle-shaped claws, but distinguished by even
lengthier chevrons and superior processes in caudal (tail) stiffening and a
posteriorly oriented pubis. Although they were showing dental (teeth) reduction
as other dromaeosaurid groups were, they still retained a higher dental count.
The small size of the teeth was pronounced when compared to skull height, while
in addition, unenlagiines possessed longitudinal grooves on the tooth crowns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are a total of six unenlagiine genera,
although it has been pretty much in agreement that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rahonavis</i> (Ray-ho-nay-viss), due to its morphology is going to be
reclassified under <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avialae</i> as being
closer to birds. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rahonavis</i> displays
both dromaeosaurid and avian dinosaurian features, in which these transitional
features make for much difficulty in where it should be classified. The
temporal range for this subgroup is from the Late Cretaceous 94-70 mya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The other five unenlagiines are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Buitreraptor</i> (Bwee-tree-rap-tor) from 94
mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neuguenraptor</i> (Nu-kin-rap-tor)
from 90 mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unenlagia</i>
(U-nen-lag-ee-ah) from ~89 mya,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Unquillosaurus</i>
(Un-key-o-sawr-us) from 75 mya and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Austroraptor</i> (Aw-stro-rap-tor) from 70 mya. Unenlagiines are known for
their low hanging and long heads and smaller conical teeth when compared to the
northern hemisphere dromaeosaurids’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsD9b4Rtv_McdZJWfwZmY1CzcXdfVViFZQ4cEpN1SPvZiScyaCxFAGxDnCe6qypx2ByI8bY6gcngRtMn3nLbEaa1TjoMzGwhYNbezadtr1x-VbpfS0SsfFY3FTm0sz5zAh_XEI_1iSQCt/s1600/1-dino+buitreraptor+joshua+n.+tedder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1066" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsD9b4Rtv_McdZJWfwZmY1CzcXdfVViFZQ4cEpN1SPvZiScyaCxFAGxDnCe6qypx2ByI8bY6gcngRtMn3nLbEaa1TjoMzGwhYNbezadtr1x-VbpfS0SsfFY3FTm0sz5zAh_XEI_1iSQCt/s320/1-dino+buitreraptor+joshua+n.+tedder.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Joshua N. Edder <i>Buitreraptor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Buitreraptor</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, at only1.5m/4.9ft
in total length (excluding <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rahonavis</i>
at 70cm/27.6in) was one of the smaller dromaeosaurids and smallest of the unenlagiines.
With its fossil remains coming from what is now, Patagonia, Argentina, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Buitreraptor</i> is the most basal
unenlagiine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It had a rather long slender snout most
likely to poke into crevices and holes to either snag or scare out small
reptiles and mammals from their hiding places. It most likely also waded along shorelines
to snatch small fish and aquatic vertebrates. The snout was filled with tiny
unserrated teeth that were grooved, flattened and strongly recurved in
structure, perfect for seizing struggling and slippery small prey.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_ygYVXu8uQAkKt2am-4GenfSKsenaJY2u9iXEF-mNJGNbBXMEjU4K0T157QbxKqzn4hDjqf5nB_mlhqHSmXbYQoimtPtj1B-rPxEpG4GPYpiJ2OmsMQ5ZqRDINXUNXFuoKfqrIvm1x_Q/s1600/1-dino+Buitreraptor_skeleton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="800" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_ygYVXu8uQAkKt2am-4GenfSKsenaJY2u9iXEF-mNJGNbBXMEjU4K0T157QbxKqzn4hDjqf5nB_mlhqHSmXbYQoimtPtj1B-rPxEpG4GPYpiJ2OmsMQ5ZqRDINXUNXFuoKfqrIvm1x_Q/s320/1-dino+Buitreraptor_skeleton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Buitreraptor</i> skeletal anatomy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Buitreraptor</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">’s remains show
a mosaic of anatomical features when compared to other dromaeosaurids,
troodontids and even the more advanced avialans. But, it was more primitively
distinctive with shorter fingers that were essentially the same length. It did
possess the sickle claw on the second toe and was most likely, due to its
smaller size was used to pin down prey rather than utilizing it to kill prey as
the other larger dromaeosaurids did.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYO7EhHDS4VG_EaDzKw0wa_AUl6UpS6PygQIq2PftTNfflIesoHrt8hupVNtlwbggrFqAX5HLutO9aj_xcco8AxYTJI1qSh10Ame-Rgt4zVSLdqjyB9ESbV4AxlOzLdNS4qNw2X-gwMr5/s1600/1-dino+Austroraptor_Fred+Wierum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYO7EhHDS4VG_EaDzKw0wa_AUl6UpS6PygQIq2PftTNfflIesoHrt8hupVNtlwbggrFqAX5HLutO9aj_xcco8AxYTJI1qSh10Ame-Rgt4zVSLdqjyB9ESbV4AxlOzLdNS4qNw2X-gwMr5/s320/1-dino+Austroraptor_Fred+Wierum.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Fred Wierum <i>Austroraptor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 5-6m/16.4-19.7ft, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Austroraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Aw-stro-rap-tor) was one
of the, if not largest dromaeosaurid, but for sure is the largest dromaeosaurid
found in the southern hemisphere; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Austroraptor
</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">may even have reached a length of 6.5m/21ft. Its fossil remains were found
in rocks of the ‘Allen Formation’ from the far southern region of Argentina in the
Río Negro Province. It must have subsisted on larger prey as the juvenile
sauropods, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rocasaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Saltasaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> that shared the same
paleoenvironment, would have been accessible for this predator.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like all unenlagiines, it had small
non-serrated conical teeth. The descending process of the lacrimal (bone
situated on front part of eye orbit’s medial wall) curves anteriorly. Several
skull bones resemble features of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinonychus</i>,
a troodontid, but the forelimbs were distinctive to other dromaeosaurids in
being shorter proportionately to the rest of the body with the humerus being
half the length of the leg’s femur. The small humerus might be due to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Austroraptor</i>’s size increase, as most
theropods did lose forearm length while increasing body size.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLdjWgYlGXYLOjVyUkv7faA0f8LwFSqHh-xb1V3JxUoTeoryJOg3jB4QWdqgEuw3VVe_c1Qexze7-yYCx-0av0LmcmlD4KeMdN2b0JCAKdm9pvkzwL44JsZx7QbxbGo7zNKb9WTpiUnai/s1600/1-dino+microraptorinae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="1097" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLdjWgYlGXYLOjVyUkv7faA0f8LwFSqHh-xb1V3JxUoTeoryJOg3jB4QWdqgEuw3VVe_c1Qexze7-yYCx-0av0LmcmlD4KeMdN2b0JCAKdm9pvkzwL44JsZx7QbxbGo7zNKb9WTpiUnai/s320/1-dino+microraptorinae+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Microraptorinae</i> Clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Microraptorinae</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (My-crow-rap-tor-uh-nay)
~ is a subfamily clade of basal dromaeosaurids with an Early to Late Cretaceous
temporal range of 125-76.5 mya. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Microraptoria</i>,
as an order is frequently found in literature as synonymous to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Microraptorinae</i>. Microraptorines, or as
ya like, microraptorians first appeared in what is now China and the specific
region of the ‘Yixian and Jifuotang Formations’ of Liaoning County, China is
where they all came from. The only exception to this is, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperonychus</i>, in which its fossil remains were found in the
‘Dinosaur Park Formation’ of Alberta, Canada.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Microraptorines were some of the
smallest dinosaurs with the three species in the genus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Microraptor</i> reaching lengths of only .77-.9m/2.53-2.95ft. The limbs
were slim and long with all four limbs and the tail supporting advanced
feathering on some species positing them in the ‘four-winged’ dinosaurs. The
largest ‘four-winged’ dinosaur since found is the microraptorine, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Changyuraptor</i> that reached 1.2m/3.9ft in
length.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6kcWBKaetXShjAwv8b33B-xrEkCOX6uaDdzje_J56sAccb7zbH1rtNY6XWfVeVCdYgbJy_mxQ9wDxy1utkgcAh4swkzqp6ScbOLRbR69VLCQnUT8x_5UKqmxGmPPn7bIVGsKLs9opl4o/s1600/1-dino+Microraptor+skeletons+Qilong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="800" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6kcWBKaetXShjAwv8b33B-xrEkCOX6uaDdzje_J56sAccb7zbH1rtNY6XWfVeVCdYgbJy_mxQ9wDxy1utkgcAh4swkzqp6ScbOLRbR69VLCQnUT8x_5UKqmxGmPPn7bIVGsKLs9opl4o/s320/1-dino+Microraptor+skeletons+Qilong.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Qilong Genus <i>Microraptor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Microraptorine distinctive dromaeosaurid
characteristics are: a maxilla laterally sculpted by small pits, very short
manual phalanx III-2, shortened first digit of the hand, splatulate (rounded)
pubic symphysis, metatarsal III with a pinched proximal end and a slender
metatarsal II.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is not known if microraptorines were
capable of free flight, but due to anatomical features and morphology as
evidenced from extremely well preserved fossils, there certainly is good
argument they could glide. One thing that we do know though is that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Microraptor</i>, from 120 mya during the
Early Cretaceous, not only had feathering, it also had iridescent plumage.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpaB5ZTH65oONyxbhx_PF_pPoAZvmPmmAU43-j1s8_dGu7U4M1H4RSqZS7kkg3oFbBw0Ph46WleQ_pqACz7RnXm8BKPMR1nhUWU7pwl8TEa4KL6dlud5UnYPYZCzUS3FJuGWOfIlPcDlMe/s1600/1-dino+microraptor+gui+Jason+brougham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="616" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpaB5ZTH65oONyxbhx_PF_pPoAZvmPmmAU43-j1s8_dGu7U4M1H4RSqZS7kkg3oFbBw0Ph46WleQ_pqACz7RnXm8BKPMR1nhUWU7pwl8TEa4KL6dlud5UnYPYZCzUS3FJuGWOfIlPcDlMe/s320/1-dino+microraptor+gui+Jason+brougham.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jason Brougham <i>Microraptor gui</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Comparing the feather melanosome (melanin
containing organelles) remains of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Microraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
to those of modern birds with iridescent feathers shows that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">M. gui</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s feathers were black and
iridescent in color and structure. From camouflage, thermoregulation, signaling
(mating, competition) and to flight, feather colors have played main roles that
birds picked up from their dinosaur ancestries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WIwCZKCmPQWMaGCNVT2TYrgbMGl3EVprCRqSIVVLssWnug6Mc00iBFvA5D9B9jxPT1Z9v9R_Qb9bgQXN8pD1qS5_HDaxsNQqlUyls26Pybq2Gx1DAbuck_X9hai7lfEA0l8j3VHt9ezo/s1600/1-dino+microraptor+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1325" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WIwCZKCmPQWMaGCNVT2TYrgbMGl3EVprCRqSIVVLssWnug6Mc00iBFvA5D9B9jxPT1Z9v9R_Qb9bgQXN8pD1qS5_HDaxsNQqlUyls26Pybq2Gx1DAbuck_X9hai7lfEA0l8j3VHt9ezo/s320/1-dino+microraptor+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>M. gui</i> Fossil with iridescent feathering </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Below is a short video of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Microraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s iridescent plumage:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XJGiPzcalwU?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tianyuraptor</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was the most
primitive microraptorine and did not possess these typical microraptorine
traits: a large oval fenestra in the coracoid, significantly shortened
penultimate manual phalanges, the posterior end of the ilium extending ventral
to the ischial peduncle, lateral projections halfway down the pubis and a
strongly anteriorly curved pubic shaft.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeroaZZP8yqTKMVjWXaeUxfjBWBeBmNoABDk8YoU5mHT0ltxIdCg6nZy8RgIv9mE56Z8z48WOMMO-dE-8dX9yp8Yl5tQHBrqHmGWNY_Dj4RR5GoQAs7-GXoc8Rz5NX_l6AIQndg4GZcPAR/s1600/1-dino+tianyuraptor-fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="583" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeroaZZP8yqTKMVjWXaeUxfjBWBeBmNoABDk8YoU5mHT0ltxIdCg6nZy8RgIv9mE56Z8z48WOMMO-dE-8dX9yp8Yl5tQHBrqHmGWNY_Dj4RR5GoQAs7-GXoc8Rz5NX_l6AIQndg4GZcPAR/s320/1-dino+tianyuraptor-fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tianyuraptor</i> Fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Within the microraptorine subgroup are
seven genera with three species in </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Microraptor</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
while the rest only have one species in each. The genera are: </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Graciliraptor</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> (Gray-sil-e-rap-tor) of
126 mya, </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Changyuraptor</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
(Chang-you-rap-tor) of 125 mya,</span></span> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Zhongjianosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> between 125-120
mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinornithosaurus</i>
(Sign-or-nith-o-sawr-us) between 124.6-122 mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tianyuraptor</i> (Tee-an-you-rap-tor) of 122 mya, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Microraptor</i> (My-crow-rap-tor) of 120 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hesperonychus</i> (Hess-puh-ruh-nye-cuss of 76.5 mya.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuiIu5h9_aAv0v5Cfs42BRsVDiW4YeXPeukmgkKpuW5WDKNJxDf2KquXyO9p2yXwlwDQkg1d8DzTyxyxkuHqHu_bDhm417ZB1SCXgTbdp_lylpqMlvalRlwUPVzE8vZCpEc8UoIu3Wn6p9/s1600/1-dino+zhanganosaurus+Midiaou+Diallo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="1268" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuiIu5h9_aAv0v5Cfs42BRsVDiW4YeXPeukmgkKpuW5WDKNJxDf2KquXyO9p2yXwlwDQkg1d8DzTyxyxkuHqHu_bDhm417ZB1SCXgTbdp_lylpqMlvalRlwUPVzE8vZCpEc8UoIu3Wn6p9/s320/1-dino+zhanganosaurus+Midiaou+Diallo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Midiaou Diallo <i>Zhongjianosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Zhongjianosaurus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, at 70cm/28in
is the smallest of the dromaeosaurids and thus far the smallest of the
non-avian dinosaurs. In sharing dromaeosaurid traits, it is distinguishable
with proportionally long ossified uncinated processes fused to the dorsal ribs.
It also had a widely arched furcula with slender and posteriorly curved
clavicular rami. The humeral proximal end was strongly offset medially from the
humeral shaft and the internal tuberosity of the humeral proximal end was
short. A large fenestra perforates the humeral deltopectoral crest, while the
humeral ulnar condyle was hypertrophied.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Zhongjianosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">’ miniaturized
size suggests that there was during its time, a sufficient amount of niche
partitioning. Possibly being omnivorous and arboreal, niche partitioning may
have aided in preferential habitat differences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a dromaeosaurid,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Sinornithosaurus</i> had the typical sickle-shaped toe claw and was a
close relative to the microraptors. It possessed two types of feathers with one
being formed as tufts from several filaments joining together, while the second
type as exhibited on the forelimbs, legs and tail were composed of rows of
filament joined together along the main shaft (rachis) much like modern birds.
Although it couldn’t perform free flight, it could glide short distances after
jumping from trees. Microscopic cell structure studies of the feather fossil
remains show a variance in body color of reddish-brown, yellow, black and
grays.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIpNgdYDewrhanmhAriVB7clLvoYJt3tEjTKh5K6i99JcyFsa8n6H4Wwv97LzoQv7OWfPQ5C2JSBUdIqVRB_SLjGvh8Qt7TlOra-TTjvQSRGVdynzH-PnPxtGvdIx7aN9j76fldyU2jOW/s1600/1-dino+sinornithosaurus+AMNH+R+Mickens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1024" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIpNgdYDewrhanmhAriVB7clLvoYJt3tEjTKh5K6i99JcyFsa8n6H4Wwv97LzoQv7OWfPQ5C2JSBUdIqVRB_SLjGvh8Qt7TlOra-TTjvQSRGVdynzH-PnPxtGvdIx7aN9j76fldyU2jOW/s320/1-dino+sinornithosaurus+AMNH+R+Mickens.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: AMHR R. Mickens <i>Sinornithosaurus</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">However, what makes </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinornithosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> so distinct is that it may have been able to
deliver a venomous bite. Just as rear-fanged snakes and gila monsters, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinornithosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had upper rear-fangs
that were grooved and just like these other reptiles, it appears that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinornithosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had a venom gland just
above the back of the jaw connected to the grooved teeth via a canal.
Rear-fanged snakes and gila monsters must bite then chew to allow the venom to
flow into the wound. It is thought by the initial paleontologists who studied
and evaluated the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinornithosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
fossils that it also did the same thing.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtTp0Ayb11zX30X5NdC9oYsg-3W7uI6IPWIHsoWmf4aRtTdTkQJFk3dU7Z5lXJINFDUBLugHVEhsWQzaDhkfI0a0LLY81jWK3kknzsOM5XyPYd7LvHcE9yJe0z-Kh8ohj1Nbz6beA6bOh/s1600/1-dino+sinornithosaurus+christopher252-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="1600" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtTp0Ayb11zX30X5NdC9oYsg-3W7uI6IPWIHsoWmf4aRtTdTkQJFk3dU7Z5lXJINFDUBLugHVEhsWQzaDhkfI0a0LLY81jWK3kknzsOM5XyPYd7LvHcE9yJe0z-Kh8ohj1Nbz6beA6bOh/s320/1-dino+sinornithosaurus+christopher252-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: christopher252 <i>Sinornithosaurus</i> venom delivery </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEE2DLuv2gdojyWy5YBuah_nEGWbJIRPXneHby3syNoY4Q6cy4GKzyOjLs6QGLKK7xkhLxeprmZ6DT1z3PxVFzri64DC7xxJEVAoAcmOygqcXW9PNztZ-pWgETdLjJ1GKKFgIi6UXGFjD/s1600/1-dino+Sinornithosaurus+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEE2DLuv2gdojyWy5YBuah_nEGWbJIRPXneHby3syNoY4Q6cy4GKzyOjLs6QGLKK7xkhLxeprmZ6DT1z3PxVFzri64DC7xxJEVAoAcmOygqcXW9PNztZ-pWgETdLjJ1GKKFgIi6UXGFjD/s200/1-dino+Sinornithosaurus+fossil.jpg" width="107" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sinornithosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is a group of paleontologist that
are now disputing this in saying there were other dinosaur teeth with grooves,
so it doesn’t prove that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinornithosaurus</i>
had the capability to deliver venom. But with the assemblage of the grooved
teeth, the cavity where the venom gland could’ve been placed and the tube-like
canal connecting the two, it certainly seems reasonable that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinornithosaurus</i> through convergent evolution
could have developed a venomous delivery system. Below is a BBC video of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinornithosaurus</i> and in it, the video
explains the venom assembly. So you be the judge in whether there was a
dinosaur that had a venomous bite. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="619" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8-jpuywa6lg?ecver=1" width="1100"></iframe>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Hesperonychus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is the only N.
American microraptorine thus far discovered and as mentioned earlier, was found
in Alberta, Canada. Its name means, ‘western claw’. It was small measuring ~
60cm/23.6in in total length. Even though it was a miniature dinosaur, it was
well equipped with dagger-like teeth and razor-sharp claws with the distinctive
dromaeosaurid sickle claw on the second toes of each foot. Most likely it was
chiefly an insectivore supplementing the diet on terrestrial invertebrates,
small mammals and quite possibly on occasion a carcass whenever it came across
one.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfMICUJqgR51xy2ChG2Y5wYd3deeDVn-LkKYwpT6yyGK8AupFnoOdTBBZfxUXpzGS-mlijQT31jTk0Q9cXsSvzjqW4voJLU1PjQTHWZidZL7SzLNUEfuL9Vz-iVePKxME4DtITwCJ2DKJ/s1600/1-dino+Hesperonychus+cr+alchetron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfMICUJqgR51xy2ChG2Y5wYd3deeDVn-LkKYwpT6yyGK8AupFnoOdTBBZfxUXpzGS-mlijQT31jTk0Q9cXsSvzjqW4voJLU1PjQTHWZidZL7SzLNUEfuL9Vz-iVePKxME4DtITwCJ2DKJ/s320/1-dino+Hesperonychus+cr+alchetron.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Alchetron.com <i>Hesperonychus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The pubic bones of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hesperonychus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> were fused with the rest of the skeletal anatomy made
up of gracile bones. The pubic symphysis as a cartilaginous joint was spatulate
or rounded. In being small, it played an important role in the ecosystem it
lived in by infusing the predator/prey relationship within smaller animals.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6H0Nq-65OnXSlXi-wBZOmlzqX4QS2ImLGQ1b8D08SdSF_4YOsXxrXoeYDS8AXfm5fZKihLAp4hQjydU-0hI3mEMzDj2ngPpFAkrj1eiHqvzhNtZPmJBGBo4qZFz8f27nMEvKnXt4riuW/s1600/1-dino+eudromaeosauria+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="476" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6H0Nq-65OnXSlXi-wBZOmlzqX4QS2ImLGQ1b8D08SdSF_4YOsXxrXoeYDS8AXfm5fZKihLAp4hQjydU-0hI3mEMzDj2ngPpFAkrj1eiHqvzhNtZPmJBGBo4qZFz8f27nMEvKnXt4riuW/s320/1-dino+eudromaeosauria+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eudromaeosauria</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Eudromaeosauria</span></span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">:<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b>The
next main subgroup of dromaeosaurids is in the class node of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eudromaeosauria</i> (U-dro-me-o-sawr-e-uh)
with the meaning of ‘true dromaeosaur’. With a temporal range of 143-66 mya
ago, eudromaeosaurines are the most derived of dromaeosaurids, were large
bodied as compared to other dromaeosaurid groups and were feathered
hypercarnivores with a diet consisting almost entirely of vertebrate flesh.
Eudromaeosaurines filled ecological niches as small carnivores and piscivores.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All eudromaeosaurines possessed an
expanded and large heel jutting from the second phalange (toe) that also bore the
sickle-shaped claw. However unlike their dromaeosaurid cousins with a broader
based claw, eudromaeosaurines’ sickle claw was thinner, sharper and more
blade-like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eudromaeosaurines are further divided
into three subfamilies in being: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saurornitholestinae</i>
(Sawr-or-nih-tho-lest-uh-nay), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosaurinae</i>
(Dro-me-o-sawr-uh-nay) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Velociraptorinae</i>
(Vuh-loh-suh-rap-tor-uh-nay).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Saurornitholestinae</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> ~
Saurornitholestine fossils have a temporal range of 77-70 mya during the Late
Cretaceous and include three medium-sized monotypic genera with all from
western N. America. The three genera of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saurornitholestinae</i>
are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saurornitholestes</i> (Sawr-or-nih-tho-les-teez),
the one the subfamily is named after and is from 75 mya in the Late Cretaceous;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Bambiraptor</i> (Bam-bee-rap-tor) from 72
mya in the Late Cretaceous and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Atrociraptor</i>
(Ah-tross-rap-tor) from 68 mya.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRuQrYaLHJkeLYET6QQ-dnZ9mUcCgHYWAgTNv9D3oI3Eh9Blv6mMXhdaa2uFecOvMb9kOkKCkzk9ynRbODIit8CqvWz8oAysCupkjjltsccV0aoXl9V4P2SBcG4A0qkhthQ_3k0yK6oOl/s1600/1-dino+saurornitholestes_langstoni+EW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRuQrYaLHJkeLYET6QQ-dnZ9mUcCgHYWAgTNv9D3oI3Eh9Blv6mMXhdaa2uFecOvMb9kOkKCkzk9ynRbODIit8CqvWz8oAysCupkjjltsccV0aoXl9V4P2SBcG4A0qkhthQ_3k0yK6oOl/s320/1-dino+saurornitholestes_langstoni+EW.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Emily Willoughby <i>Saurornitholestes</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Saurornitholestes</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> fossils come
from what is now Alberta, Canada and in the U.S. states of Alabama, Montana,
New Mexico, North Carolina and South Carolina. There are two species in, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">S</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">langstoni</i>
(lang-sto-nee) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">S</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sullivani</i> (sull-la-vah-nee) with both
reaching lengths of 1.8m/5.9ft. Besides the typical dromaeosaurid features like
the sickle-shaped second toed claw, both species were distinct. With fang-like
teeth in front of the mouth as other dromaeosaurids had, additionally the skull
had an unusually large olfactory bulb, suggesting it had the keenest sense of
hearing over all other dromaeosaurids along with an excellent hearing
sense.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fnncS4607P2Mr87JkQA8Nb4wRQ8QrV_BMEzWj5qlEex-6lh0Pi-NWeKEgzYrtOHI7EXC13_Ci0lkIS6hwr9dD-Qa5G2vSFPrMiV7GYUvL1OftEuSqyQH7YCRkIe8HBd7wOtN6_msyJeB/s1600/1-dino+saurornitholestes+sullivani+jonathan+kuo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="639" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fnncS4607P2Mr87JkQA8Nb4wRQ8QrV_BMEzWj5qlEex-6lh0Pi-NWeKEgzYrtOHI7EXC13_Ci0lkIS6hwr9dD-Qa5G2vSFPrMiV7GYUvL1OftEuSqyQH7YCRkIe8HBd7wOtN6_msyJeB/s320/1-dino+saurornitholestes+sullivani+jonathan+kuo.jpg" width="194" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jonathan Kuo <i>S. sullivani</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Found on both sides of the ‘Western
Interior Seaway’</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Saurornitholestes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> fossil
discoveries have been numerous with dozens more of indeterminate scant finds
that are suggestive of being </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Saurornitholestes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
remains.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQucVk4SlkyvGLnsWUVRfHA0NUlwlJo34t5P1UqlT-PBxpdJSh7flvDh4PrV9MQX3EKdIq3aj7GCHUCLwh7uXtq6P7kQm0PiefvA6oCf2Iv0Ha7iFYOyZ3bGB3NQYUqq-e8XkyxJSnKjfD/s1600/1-dino+Saurornithlestes+langstoni+Peter+Schouten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="500" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQucVk4SlkyvGLnsWUVRfHA0NUlwlJo34t5P1UqlT-PBxpdJSh7flvDh4PrV9MQX3EKdIq3aj7GCHUCLwh7uXtq6P7kQm0PiefvA6oCf2Iv0Ha7iFYOyZ3bGB3NQYUqq-e8XkyxJSnKjfD/s320/1-dino+Saurornithlestes+langstoni+Peter+Schouten.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Peter Schouten <i>S. langstoni</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a small biped carnivore and
scavenger, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saurornitholestes</i> competed
with other small theropods, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Troodon</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosaurus</i>, but with their
agility ran from the contemporaneous tyrannosaurids. In one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">S</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">langstoni</i>
fossil, there were teeth serration marks on the dentary (lower jaw bone) that
match the teeth of a juvenile tyrannosaurid, such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daspletosaurus</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gorgosaurus</i>.
On the other hand, a fossil of a juvenile pterosaur, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Quetzalcoatlus</i> had a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saurornitholestes</i>
front tooth embedded in a wing bone. Even a juvenile <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Quetzalcoatlus</i> would’ve been way too large for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saurornitholestes</i> to hunt down and kill as prey, for predators
throughout the eons normally seek out prey half their size to lessen injury.
What is surmised is that both were feasting as scavengers on some carrion when
a tiff between the two occurred resulting in a good bite by the
saurornitholestine inflicted onto the pterosaur. In other words, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saurornitholestes</i> was stating, “Bug-off,
I got dibs.”</span><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bambiraptor</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> fully grown
would’ve been ~1.3m/4.3ft. Although there have been adult specimens, the first <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bambiraptor</i> fossil found was of a
younger juvenile, hence the name, ‘Bambi’. This juvenile find was also
discovered by a juvenile, a 16-yr-old boy combing his ranchland for fossils
near ‘Glacier National Park’ in Montana, USA. The find was significant with its
anatomical features representing bird-like dinosaurs evolving into birds. As
birds, it possessed the characteristic V-shaped ‘wishbone’ or furcula, which
allows birds to flap wings. It also possessed very long forelimbs and manus
phalanges (fingers) that approached the length required for flight, the
forearms folded as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUV4XAPv2BzHOopelqUuTKmXgT6RfHWZoNYp4KXmdOPV1qBs_TtQlIic9fddH9o-dQ8ULYO-r5Z5sOk1K266LGNJrIyBRlnHlVKO_kbVgd1y_KTKTugLdr2uay89MuNNne9NVz_07fvaJt/s1600/1-dino+bambiraptor_taena+doman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="900" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUV4XAPv2BzHOopelqUuTKmXgT6RfHWZoNYp4KXmdOPV1qBs_TtQlIic9fddH9o-dQ8ULYO-r5Z5sOk1K266LGNJrIyBRlnHlVKO_kbVgd1y_KTKTugLdr2uay89MuNNne9NVz_07fvaJt/s320/1-dino+bambiraptor_taena+doman.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Taena Doman <i>Bambiraptor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">What is unique to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bambiraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is that it quite possibly had arm and manus (hand)
maneuverability features for the manus to reach its mouth, therefore enabling
it to hold its food while it ate. There were no feathers or feathering
impressions of the fossil finds, but since </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bambiraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s
anatomy shows classic troodontid anatomy, such as the sickle-shaped second toed
claw, raptorial manus (hands) and a cladistic confirmed analysis of its phylogenetic
bracketing within feathered </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Paraves</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79M72p9Qe8tA99P4zSi4Wt5IUNMmRtxeNohjJ60uI5RJ7xrdJeCPnhNBe6OZDoTsE3sFnMrv8Si1EbsgBWYgPBq-bOs5B-bqFsjAS8dYXudDgoUSUjgNvmNGvABUFLW-d7S2HhL6Aq7eA/s1600/1-dino+Atrociraptor+Michael+B.+H..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1600" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79M72p9Qe8tA99P4zSi4Wt5IUNMmRtxeNohjJ60uI5RJ7xrdJeCPnhNBe6OZDoTsE3sFnMrv8Si1EbsgBWYgPBq-bOs5B-bqFsjAS8dYXudDgoUSUjgNvmNGvABUFLW-d7S2HhL6Aq7eA/s320/1-dino+Atrociraptor+Michael+B.+H..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Michael B.H. <i>Atrociraptor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Atrociraptor</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is a
saurornitholestine also discovered in N. America in Alberta, Canada’s
‘Horseshoe Canyon Formation’. At 2m/6.6ft long it was the largest of the three
saurornitholestines and was a bit hefty at 15kg/33lbs. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Atrociraptor</i>’s massive skull was short, but tall with a slender
lower jaw filled with large closely packed recurved and serrated teeth. The
outer teeth were paced closer to the fulcrum of the jaw’s articulation.
Although identical in form to one another, the teeth varied in size. All this
dentition arrangement just might point out that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Atrociraptor</i> was a specialist predator preying primarily on one
particular prey item.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHe9bebeYY3CztCNkvO3CkxILV-g9oMWQ0MUIfwRf0xbc1LOPKfOSsCPdZOFsceilHO_U7yAjbxayVFBzS4BgQhDaJdk7GvCXhq7lCtKeQvshspECSg4VqI1WcjfDLBhGWzU18dC7fvke/s1600/1-dino+dromaeosaurinae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="419" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHe9bebeYY3CztCNkvO3CkxILV-g9oMWQ0MUIfwRf0xbc1LOPKfOSsCPdZOFsceilHO_U7yAjbxayVFBzS4BgQhDaJdk7GvCXhq7lCtKeQvshspECSg4VqI1WcjfDLBhGWzU18dC7fvke/s320/1-dino+dromaeosaurinae+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dromaeosaurinae</i> Clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dromaeosaurinae</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> ~ Dromaeosaurines
are another subgroup of eudromaeosaurine dromaeosaurids that had a temporal
range of ~ 130-66 mya in the Early-Late Cretaceous. Dromaeosaurines all have
distinctive sub-equal denticles (teeth), although they are very closely related
to velociraptorines in other ways and it has created much difficulty in
distinguishing the slight varying taxonomies between the two groups. Fossils
have been found in N. America, Mongolia and Denmark.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Currently there are nine dromeaosaurine
genera and eight of them are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yurgovuchia</i>
(Yur-go-vu-chee-ah) from the Early Cretaceous 130-125 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Utahraptor</i> (U-tah-rap-tor) from the Early Cretaceous 126 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinonychus</i> (Die-non-e-cuss) from the
Early Cretaceous 115-108 mya;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Itemirus</i>
(I-tem-e-rus) from the Late Cretaceous 91 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Achillobator</i> (Ah-kill-o-bait-or) from the Late Cretaceous 89 mya; and
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dakotaraptor</i> (Duh-ko-tah-rap-tor) from
the ending of the Late Cretaceous 66 mya. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ninth one is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosauroides</i> (Dro-may-o-sawr-roy-deez) which is known as a
‘tooth taxon’ since teeth are the only remains found thus far, unless ya count
the coprolite (fossilized do-do) flecked with fishbone attributed as being
dumped by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosauroides</i>. The teeth
are definitively dromeaosaurine and are much like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosaurus</i> with small distinctions, hence the name,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Dromaeosauroides</i> meaning, ‘Dromaeosaurus-like’.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosauroides</i> hails from 140 mya Denmark
and is the only European confirmed dromeaosaurine. Most of the 140 million year
ago Danish Mesozoic deposits are now under seawater. If the definitive evidence
holds up, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosauroides</i> pushes eudromaeosaurines’
existence back millions of years.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQskjtfiGreRsI6M4BxfQylAcrMoAj6ej7zJ1ILqwTk4oA6NbutV4-msscsG6dN4hU_EYkj7XgLbEzoNr8UkI2OccFfWpevdriDqV0pmAtJbKtMQyl7vjSBGlfsHsoU4UiBStZuJWmcQxs/s1600/1-dino+deinonychus+antirrhopus_F+Delrio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="1250" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQskjtfiGreRsI6M4BxfQylAcrMoAj6ej7zJ1ILqwTk4oA6NbutV4-msscsG6dN4hU_EYkj7XgLbEzoNr8UkI2OccFfWpevdriDqV0pmAtJbKtMQyl7vjSBGlfsHsoU4UiBStZuJWmcQxs/s320/1-dino+deinonychus+antirrhopus_F+Delrio.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Francesco Delrio <i>Deinonychus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Deinonychus</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was once listed
as a velociraptorine, but is now considered a basal dromeaosaurine transitional
to velociraptorines. At 3.4m/11ft, it is the fourth largest dromeaosaurine
behind <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosauroides</i>
(3.5m/11.5ft), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Utahraptor</i> (5.7m/19ft)
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Achillobator</i> (6m/19.7ft). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinonychus</i>’ multiple fossil remains of the
aged and young have been found in the U.S. states of Montana, Oklahoma, Utah
and Wyoming.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIs4nALr2nh0GGxMwvjHlbZwZjFJ6alQeS2oAUlggBMg8b6RqhHc9m9DEuy21Cu3VPyj8VqLAgrRiCOtwap2K6UObNe-rpo_3O7upSJj9vzGLbHF8MtZp3l_RAGp4c5slvMlsVY9ZBE-f/s1600/1-dino+Deinonychus+claws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1280" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIs4nALr2nh0GGxMwvjHlbZwZjFJ6alQeS2oAUlggBMg8b6RqhHc9m9DEuy21Cu3VPyj8VqLAgrRiCOtwap2K6UObNe-rpo_3O7upSJj9vzGLbHF8MtZp3l_RAGp4c5slvMlsVY9ZBE-f/s320/1-dino+Deinonychus+claws.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Deinonychus</i> claws</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The manus (hands) of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Deinonychus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> were very large with the
distal second as the longest and the first digit as the shortest. The pes
(foot) possessed the typical dromaeosaurid sickle claw on digit II (second toe)
that was large and formidable while used in predation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-chKoSGAjQz3tBkkq49GQ6hsLZjOcYuuPAs7YiZgo8ErpHcZSdKBOX1-0nq0HjV0PLNGWw4KYCznZMXTBDe12N-m-glwJoEujV86HHOkDayX4f20GXnmPaMlj8N9X4uIUECb9SJ_aU1XL/s1600/1-dino+deinonychus+masato+hattori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="526" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-chKoSGAjQz3tBkkq49GQ6hsLZjOcYuuPAs7YiZgo8ErpHcZSdKBOX1-0nq0HjV0PLNGWw4KYCznZMXTBDe12N-m-glwJoEujV86HHOkDayX4f20GXnmPaMlj8N9X4uIUECb9SJ_aU1XL/s200/1-dino+deinonychus+masato+hattori.jpg" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Masato Hattori <i>Deinonychus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With juvenile and adult <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinonychus</i> teeth and bone bite marks
commonly found among ornithopod fossils, in particular <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tetnotosaurus</i>, it appears that<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Deinonychus</i> hunted in packs and fed on the prey in a shared communalism.
However, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinonychus</i> did not have
that strong of jaw muscles to bite through bone; only to scratch it, which
indeed knocked out a lot of teeth. With a bite force of only 15.7% that of an
extant American alligator, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deinonychus</i>’
bite is more comparable to that of a wolf’s. Still strong, but not as strong as
some articles that compared it to an alligator’s biting force of 1450 N
(newtons), which is one of the strongest bites known. It’s comparable to the jolt
one would feel when a pickup truck reached the end of a rope once pushed off a
cliff taller than the rope is long with that one holding onto the other end of
the rope. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Coming from the 98-83 million-year-old
‘Bayan Shireh Formation’ of Dornogovi Province, Mongolia; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Achillobator</i> lived roughly 89 mya in the Late Cretaceous. Carrying a
body weight of ~ 350kg/771.6lbs and growing to 6m/19.7ft, unlike a host of its
arboreal dromaeosaurid relatives, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Achillobator</i>
definitely was a ground dwelling predator. In addition to remaining on the
ground, the name <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Achillobator</i> refers
to ‘Achilles Hero’ and for good reason; its Achilles tendons were well
developed to carry that weight and length around on terra firma.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNKIEvUsQYMqEZurav44MCAzTrPxO-xeRKrCycN9hWyq1MzfvMwBbY94fqoiSFIiO9pCM29jM2tTRbdy3N7N3syqBFUgZgP9v3GrgMezBOYK7IrLI83HHy82R77tKG-GvlcvEvr6EMzKd/s1600/1-dino+achillobator.com+gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="875" data-original-width="1440" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNKIEvUsQYMqEZurav44MCAzTrPxO-xeRKrCycN9hWyq1MzfvMwBbY94fqoiSFIiO9pCM29jM2tTRbdy3N7N3syqBFUgZgP9v3GrgMezBOYK7IrLI83HHy82R77tKG-GvlcvEvr6EMzKd/s320/1-dino+achillobator.com+gallery.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: imgur.com <i>Achillobator</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">When compared to other dromaeosaurines, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Achillobator</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> possesses all the related
features in the pes (feet), manus (hands) dentition (teeth) and feathering. But
the one distinctive trait that sets it apart from all dromaeosaurines and dromaeosaurids
is its pro-pubic pelvis. The most forward pelvic bone is the pubis. While all
other dromaeosaurine pubic bones point backwards as in birds, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Achillobator</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s points vertically downwards.
This simply is a plesiomorphic (primitive) genetic holdover from its very
distant saurischian cousin’s pelvic trait.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfAv_g8R9ASX5R8IIiKKY71e96qgrAURnea916aGL8wQKFJCQFMwREHk9IvrqxP8JwSWRD2VXdkXmd-JMTcH5FYIqoeOG4tYswyQZlw2flyKVfUN30Cz-SYeGBLcfOmBanhRZJSoLJMjg/s1600/1-dino+Yurgovuchia_NT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfAv_g8R9ASX5R8IIiKKY71e96qgrAURnea916aGL8wQKFJCQFMwREHk9IvrqxP8JwSWRD2VXdkXmd-JMTcH5FYIqoeOG4tYswyQZlw2flyKVfUN30Cz-SYeGBLcfOmBanhRZJSoLJMjg/s320/1-dino+Yurgovuchia_NT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Yurgovuchia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 2.5m/8.2ft long, although most of
that length is the tail, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yurgovuchia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
fossil remains were found in the ‘Cedar Mountain’ and ‘Yellow Cat Member’
formations of Utah, USA. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yurgovuchia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
is closely related to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dromaeosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Achillobator</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and is even in closer
phylogenetic association to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Utharaptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
as an advanced dromaeosaurine displaying a rapidly evolving species descended
from </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Utahraptor</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Velociraptorinae</span></u></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">~ Velociraptorines are the last
subfamily of eudromaeosaurine dromaeosaurids, with its members occurring at the
end of the Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous Periods 151-66 mya. Before we go
any further with this, let me just state that at the moment, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Velociraptorinae</i> is a mess. Very
recently, it has been decided that all members of this subfamily are to be
moved out except for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Velociraptor</i>. Of
those that have been removed, I will list here as they are still monotypic dromaeosaurids
and do show relations to velociraptor in skeletal anatomy and morphology. Do
not be too concerned by this for science is not static, but changing
constantly. When newer revelations have come to light and are vigorously
analyzed and tested, if that new data is closer to the truth, then that material
will be fitted into the subject of questionable description either by
complimentary addition, or outright replacement of the older data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It appears that these former <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Velociraptorinae</i> members are now going
to be relegated as monotypic dromaeosaurids; they are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nuthetes</i> (New-thet-eez) from the Early Cretaceous 143 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Linheraptor</i> (Lynn-huh-rap-tor) from the
Late Cretaceous ~78.5 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tsaagan</i>
(Sar-gan) from the Late Cretaceous 75 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boreonykus</i>
(Boh-ree-o-nye-cuss) from the Late Cretaceous 73 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Acheroraptor</i> (Ah-cher-o-rap-tor) from the ending of the Late
Cretaceous 66 mya. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Currently, in the genus, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Velociraptor</i> (Vuh-loh-suh-rap-tor) there
are two species in, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">V</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mongoliensis</i> (Mon-gol-e-in-sis) and the
lesser known, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">V</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">osmolskae</i> (Aus-mol-ski). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">V</i>.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mongoliensis</i> fossils, which are
numerous, come from the sedimentary redbeds of the ‘Djadochta Formation’ of
what is now the Mongolian province of Ömnögovi. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">V</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">osmolskae</i> fossil
remains are from the same redbeds of what is now Inner Mongolia, China in the ‘Bayan
Mandahu Formation’. The redbeds are the result of an arid environment filled
with sand dunes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aJQQ-eKeHhH-x0kgrUbxSe0YIKfqWXJH9XUGNRAjC6lrl7BY2dIWPia9A0n93pcgsXyyFc-4ugw4n7bB7h-WkEOZhAZ0LuOVw6pYdEPrHNgO3UndnIMgZQwB-2Xh-glUIzlhlWri2NPF/s1600/1-dino+velociraptors+jonathan+kuo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1600" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aJQQ-eKeHhH-x0kgrUbxSe0YIKfqWXJH9XUGNRAjC6lrl7BY2dIWPia9A0n93pcgsXyyFc-4ugw4n7bB7h-WkEOZhAZ0LuOVw6pYdEPrHNgO3UndnIMgZQwB-2Xh-glUIzlhlWri2NPF/s320/1-dino+velociraptors+jonathan+kuo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jonathan Kuo Lft: <i>V. mongoliensis</i> Rt: <i>V. osmolskae</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Both were small averaging 2.1m/6.9ft and
the fossils reveal quil knobs on the forearms that once held pennaceous
feathers. As in most all dromaeosaurids the tail was stiffened with long bony
projections (prezygapophyses) located on the upper surfaces of the vertebrae
beginning with the tenth vertebra extending forward in bracing four to ten more
vertebrae. However, the prezygophyses allowed horizontal tail movement. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">But unlike other dromaeosaurids, on the
anterior end, the skull curved upwards and was concave-shaped on the upper
surface, while convex on the lower.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The pes (foot) digit II (second toe) had
the typical dromaeosaurid sickle claw, but in the velociraptors, the claw was
shaped straighter used more for stabbing rather than for slashing. If you read <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Et Tunc Nulla Erat VII</b> and recall
protoceratopsids, I mentioned a fossil find with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Velociraptor</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Protoceratops</i>
preserved in a mortal combat pose after being buried alive in a sand dune
slide. Velociraptor was stabbing at the protoceratopsid’s neck in which was an
intelligent move, for that is where the carotid artery and jugular vein are
most exposed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFvRi0Y-X5PZRLP3rryByKF7kTH7B3yjVZh5zFtUUONACLKRau9xk1yLy4dFoe7LxUhFSc72dvKYHq9nxpAdUQuD8Ph6heiPV0V7BSht8s2fa8HzUYtnnDJOvafyP2Nf3bmNqzQ2hSB1O/s1600/1-dino+velociraptor+protoceratops+raul+martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="800" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFvRi0Y-X5PZRLP3rryByKF7kTH7B3yjVZh5zFtUUONACLKRau9xk1yLy4dFoe7LxUhFSc72dvKYHq9nxpAdUQuD8Ph6heiPV0V7BSht8s2fa8HzUYtnnDJOvafyP2Nf3bmNqzQ2hSB1O/s320/1-dino+velociraptor+protoceratops+raul+martin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Raul Martin <i>Velociraptor & Protoceratops’</i> fatal duel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The slight differences between the two
velociraptors was that in addition to both having a single row of holes called
neurovascular foramina that in life housed blood vessels and nerves in life, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">V</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">osmolskae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
had a bone ridge near the neurovascular foramina whereas, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">V</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">mongoliensis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> didn’t.
Also, although both had jaws lined with 26-28 widely spaced teeth more strongly
serrated on the back edge than the front, there were slight differences in
tooth structure between the two. Both were scavengers and carnivores most
likely hunting in packs at times.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I will mention here two former
velociraptorines. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nuthetes</i>
(Nuth-e-tease) was a small predator with a maximum length of 2m/6.6ft with its
fossil remains coming from the ‘Lulworth Formation’, a subunit of the limestone
‘Purbeck Group’, living 143 mya in what is now England. The significance of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nuthetes</i> is that if its scant remains
hold up as a dromaeosaurid, along with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dromaeosauroides</i>,
it will push the family lineage back tens of millions of years. The fossil
remains attributed to a sub adult consist of thecodont (teeth set in sockets) teeth
and a partial jaw. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nuthetes</i> lived
along the shorelines of a ‘Purbeck Group’ lagoon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYLMhkVwHDAppskHtFSY1jw356yB9Z9a-LKz-VzQTl3E0wiB49dqtmgxMDbuYk07gTDTWLUXI_M32A79meiEquDWHxU7ZsiizNc7DU2ROwP3GMl97t6O14HWHfNeDFsyW3q5mvNxSXu0X/s1600/1-dino+nuthetes+mark+witton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1078" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYLMhkVwHDAppskHtFSY1jw356yB9Z9a-LKz-VzQTl3E0wiB49dqtmgxMDbuYk07gTDTWLUXI_M32A79meiEquDWHxU7ZsiizNc7DU2ROwP3GMl97t6O14HWHfNeDFsyW3q5mvNxSXu0X/s320/1-dino+nuthetes+mark+witton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton <i>Nutthetes</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Acheroraptor</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> was also
2m/6.6ft long with its fossil remains coming from the Maastrichtian ‘Hell Creek
Formation’ of Montana, USA. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Acheroraptor</i>,
living 66 mya at the ending of the Cretaceous, is the most derived
dromaeosaurid. Although its total length was smaller than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rex</i>’s head, with its
advanced sickle second toed claws it was a deadly predator to smaller animals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFCwXmSHRCOFn_PyduMqg6bkPZzgyAV_1x6VNnbK7IsTzAIWcXWY09Z44pLtSTrL6D2bavthKN7mI5RSS82m6EL53hR8pxWqWbiZ48kojABIVQdqyzS65WWpfmAGlxLzpwhG8nKtomkNa/s1600/1-dino+acheroraptor+arvalis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="1012" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFCwXmSHRCOFn_PyduMqg6bkPZzgyAV_1x6VNnbK7IsTzAIWcXWY09Z44pLtSTrL6D2bavthKN7mI5RSS82m6EL53hR8pxWqWbiZ48kojABIVQdqyzS65WWpfmAGlxLzpwhG8nKtomkNa/s200/1-dino+acheroraptor+arvalis.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: arvalis <i>Acheroraptor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The skull of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Acheroraptor</i> was long-snouted along <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>jaws lined with dagger-like ridged teeth. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Acheroraptor</i> differed from other
dromaeosaurids in possessing a hypertrophied post-antrum (cavity) wall that
projects posteriorly into the antorbital fenestra, a maxillary fenestra
positioned low in the antorbital fossa and directly posterior to the
promaxillary fenestra, and distinctive dentition with marked apicobasal (apical
membrane facing the outside of the body or lumen of internal cavities) ridges. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Acheroraptor</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> is a
significant N. American find, for it gives N. American dromaeosaurids a
phylogenetic framework. This phylogenetic analysis specifies that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Acheroraptor</i> is closer in relations to
Asian dromaeosaurids than it is to any N. American dromaeosaurid. As
paleontologist, Dr. David Evans points out, “The close evolutionary
relationship of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Acheroraptor</i> to a
small group of late-occurring Asian species that includes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Velociraptor</i> suggests migration from Asia continued to shape North
American dinosaur communities right up until the end of the Cretaceous Period.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbum8iR5ZZvHm6YqP70tTVpKoKecQH-B_uHuhxEIbClinDUb6W-cB0GbLmzTsYLlx4AFPvZBSfAb79F6hXBbuwX3iCP9Pv2a_2gP2oc9fbSU5XBU9E9wWntMMtM3fLbD_5Nh_KB_4T4Xx/s1600/1-dino+troodontidae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1000" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbum8iR5ZZvHm6YqP70tTVpKoKecQH-B_uHuhxEIbClinDUb6W-cB0GbLmzTsYLlx4AFPvZBSfAb79F6hXBbuwX3iCP9Pv2a_2gP2oc9fbSU5XBU9E9wWntMMtM3fLbD_5Nh_KB_4T4Xx/s320/1-dino+troodontidae+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Troodontidae</i> Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Troodontidae</span></span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Troodontids
are the other deinonychosaurian subgroup besides the dromaeosaurids which are
in the family clade, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Troodontidae</i>
(Tru-don-tuh-day). Existing 130-66 mya during the Early and Late Cretaceous, troodontids
are the most basal of the deinonychosaurian clade. Remains have been found in
North America, China and Mongolia. Except for, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Borogovia</i>, which had a straight and flat claw on the second toe
that could not be held above ground, the rest of the troodontids possessed the
typical deinonychosaurian sickle claw on the second toe that was held off the
ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWra_odwich1WidWykq1YqxTJTb_B-peTdznqXwVfecZF772rz0eYu8KXyNTy5NKRGx4M7IDe0FjXp0VE0-GrEqn-glQefKWKeblo7e-JjNdBWGSiDSy1tIkCr1EkyK1Z_qTop6rTC7wui/s1600/1-dino+Borogovia_pes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="582" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWra_odwich1WidWykq1YqxTJTb_B-peTdznqXwVfecZF772rz0eYu8KXyNTy5NKRGx4M7IDe0FjXp0VE0-GrEqn-glQefKWKeblo7e-JjNdBWGSiDSy1tIkCr1EkyK1Z_qTop6rTC7wui/s320/1-dino+Borogovia_pes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Borogovia</i> pes; no sickle toed claw</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Basically, the size of troodontids was
small ranging from </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Latenivenatrix</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> in
being the largest at 3.5m/11.5ft, down to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Mei</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
which was about the size of a peregrine falcon at 60cm/23.6in. The distinctive
features of troodontids were in the long skull filled with closely spaced recurved
saw-edged teeth. The hind limbs were slender and long used for rapid
locomotion. The manus (hands) were large and flexible making it capable enough to
maneuver precise grasping. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The main feature of troodontids was that
the skull as the braincase, relative to body size is the largest of all known
dinosaur groups. With very large orbits (eye sockets) and a well-developed
brain cavity where sight and hearing nerve brain centers were located,
troodontids had keen diurnal and nocturnal sight as well as hearing. Many
conclude that troodontids with brain sizes proportionate to extant non-flying
birds were intelligent, but it is hard to really measure intelligence. They
might have been the smartest dinosaur, but for sure their cranial anatomy gives
evidence that they were very agile, speedy carnivores with a keen sense of
sight and sound. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Troodontid fossils and fossils of their
nest sites containing embryos show that, like birds, at least some troodontids brooded
shedding light on troodontid reproduction, again, as similar to birds, but
ground nesting birds. The troodontid body was covered in feathers and was
carnivorous, but along with some troodontid remains found in other dinosaur
groups’ nesting sites, like an oviraptorid nest with eggs, they may have also
been egg eaters. But, it could also suggest that they were prey themselves
brought to the nest site by the oviraptorid parents, or that troodontids were
nest parasites like the extant cowbird that lays its eggs in another birds nest
to be raised by the other birds. Overall, troodontids were fast and agile
dinosaurs with acute senses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Troodontidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> is divided into
three subfamilies and they are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jinfingopterginae</i>
(Gin-feng-op-tuh-ridge-uh-nay), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinovenatorinae</i>
(Sy-no-vuh-tor-uh-nay), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Troodontinae</i>
(Tru-o-dont-uh-nay). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jinfingopterginae</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> ~ is a separate
branch of troodontids that are more closely related to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jinfingopteryx</i> than to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Troodon</i>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">formosus</i>. They are basal troodontids
with a temporal range of 122-71 mya during the Early-Late Cretaceous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The two genera of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jinfengopteryginae</i> are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jinfengopteryx</i>
(Gin-feng-op-tuh-rics) from the Early Cretaceous 122 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Almas</i> (Al-mass) from the Late Cretaceous
75-71 mya. This subfamily also contains a nomen dubium fossil that is a suspect
jinfengopterygine numbered as WDC DML 001 that as yet, has not been evaluated
and named.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFN36eOPiGbBNEDljORks1qHq7Y3-XfHE8GuJvkuyGHZtFDjqxPM6wMILkQ_lN1ZonVBkGemI-VbR4gGd8Y74nCJr0NkDZw7nCV9TJgQ4Ew1hnaKDRmFM5D9kNw5Ool2AjHo4DcfIKrJY_/s1600/1-dino+jinfengopteryx-junglefowl+EW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1258" data-original-width="1600" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFN36eOPiGbBNEDljORks1qHq7Y3-XfHE8GuJvkuyGHZtFDjqxPM6wMILkQ_lN1ZonVBkGemI-VbR4gGd8Y74nCJr0NkDZw7nCV9TJgQ4Ew1hnaKDRmFM5D9kNw5Ool2AjHo4DcfIKrJY_/s320/1-dino+jinfengopteryx-junglefowl+EW.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Emily Willoughby <i>Jinfengopteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 60cm/23.6in,</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Jinfengopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was small with its remains discovered in the ‘Huajiying
Formation’ of Hebei, Province in China. It had extensive pennaceous feathering
on its forelimbs and tail, but lacked any feathers on the hind limbs. However,
it could not fly. When first discovered in 2005, it was thought to be one of
the most primitive of birds, but quick studies and a final review, found it to
be a troodontid.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjpgG08xt7_14skQaUNHaROodr_bvWMyFlYT7G9uu_iBozatFa-8TPMOqQ1kAvqvcrt1PRkAgZc-8X66fgCu-bigdkLl-vhZKAv4r3E96sBQQj94LQT_PPXqNHfWIbWnNqjQVOFMVXJUH/s1600/1-dino+jinfengopteryx+skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="900" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjpgG08xt7_14skQaUNHaROodr_bvWMyFlYT7G9uu_iBozatFa-8TPMOqQ1kAvqvcrt1PRkAgZc-8X66fgCu-bigdkLl-vhZKAv4r3E96sBQQj94LQT_PPXqNHfWIbWnNqjQVOFMVXJUH/s320/1-dino+jinfengopteryx+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>J. elegans</i> skeletal anatomy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jinfengopteryx</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, due to its small
size most likely was an omnivore chasing after large invertebrates and small
invertebrates. Tiny reddish-yellow looking ‘pearls’ found in its remains’ digestive
cavity are identified as grains proving that all troodontids weren’t strict
carnivores. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sinovenatorinae</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> ~ includes all
troodontids most closely related to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinovenator</i>
and are exclusively from Early Cretaceous China.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>The four genera of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinovenatorinae</i>
are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daliansaurus</i>
(Dah-lye-uhn-sawr-us) from the Early Cretaceous 126 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mei</i> (May) from the Early Cretaceous 125 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinovenator</i> (Sy-no-vah-nay-tur) from the Early Cretaceous 125 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mei</i> (My) from the Early Cretaceous 125
mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinusonasus</i>
(Sih-no-so-nah-sus) from the Early Cretaceous 125 mya.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMtZltNSaeAcvU9Y6ub9lsxD_RNJlaAFJBGTvJm-Xnb7btyC9SAvWRGOi7m4Br9UeZlzVW4n8Hcm4FpOAOWCeG8kMHUOM2tAJ5hRiB7mjKNPPHrfeGRmRgtQh-mm6bGAr9nABONmCJ5Ix/s1600/1-dino+Daliansaurus++Zhao+Chuang+Shen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMtZltNSaeAcvU9Y6ub9lsxD_RNJlaAFJBGTvJm-Xnb7btyC9SAvWRGOi7m4Br9UeZlzVW4n8Hcm4FpOAOWCeG8kMHUOM2tAJ5hRiB7mjKNPPHrfeGRmRgtQh-mm6bGAr9nABONmCJ5Ix/s320/1-dino+Daliansaurus++Zhao+Chuang+Shen.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Zhao Chuang <i>Dalianosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Described just in 2017, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Daliansaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> comes from the ‘Yixian
Formation’ of Liaoning Province, China. Its remains were well preserved showing
new details of Chinese troodontids. In using osteohistological thin-sectioning
and high-resolution synchrotron-based imaging due to the excellent condition of
the fossil, scientists were able to analyze the histology of its forelimbs. In
the collective analysis, it showed that the fossil specimen’s growth
characteristics within the forelimb layered bone depositions that this </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Daliansaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had passed the exponential
growth phase within its first year perishing three years later. But while even
four-years old, it still had not quite attained maximum somatic size.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPOBQZPGdup5l0kHgRj28v16Ag4h65e7ikruRC817dtcjrbCAzFHw-o_W-cgfLwnOQsQjW5jIzkYEk0L3e8nMxvn_cIimvSWWNNSu8zmWO-hq5ltqvtOTie5LTWQH_OGzAwFRW0B36G5T/s1600/1-dino+daliansaurus-fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1308" data-original-width="1093" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPOBQZPGdup5l0kHgRj28v16Ag4h65e7ikruRC817dtcjrbCAzFHw-o_W-cgfLwnOQsQjW5jIzkYEk0L3e8nMxvn_cIimvSWWNNSu8zmWO-hq5ltqvtOTie5LTWQH_OGzAwFRW0B36G5T/s320/1-dino+daliansaurus-fossil.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dalianosaurus</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Skeletal features of the forelimbs had
the humerus of the upper arm as rather long with the lower arm ulna distally
ending in three fingers on each manus (hands). Digit I’s (thumb) metacarpal
being is strongly curved in a vertical plane while the digit II (second finger)
is shorter than digit III. Digit I is the most robust with a claw bearing a
distinctive deep groove on the side. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The hind limbs’ strongly bowed femur’s
process (lateral crest) is lower than the posterior trochanter (bony
protuberances where muscles are attached to the upper part of thigh) process.
The tibia is 1.4 times longer than the femur. With its long and well-built
metatarsals and skeletal leg anatomy, at 1m/3.3ft in total length, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daliansaurus</i>’ running capabilities were
far more developed than other troodontids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Generally it was a typical troodontid
with the neural arches fused to the vertebral centra in the dorsal vertebrae.
But, in addition to the dromaeosaurid second toe sickle claw, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daliansaurus</i> had an extra-large claw on
its fourth toe as well, exacting the same length of the claw on the second. The
projection of the premaxilla above the nostril is flattened, while another
projection below the nostril is straight. This is a feature of the premaxilla
where other troodontids had only one of the projections, but not both as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dalinsaurus</i> had. It had 21 teeth in the
upper jaw and 34 in the lower with the back teeth being having serrations on
the rear side.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6EMZjykTiqWXlC2jNdkQ3SBJoAueZNBL-HrhwuG2-swjoU6Wum82eSY7z2RwbWJjncyJDmSlmUtECZgO7kM7_WwLRMNJnizet0QI2zCOLbLy09iie5XrJlZHt96Xt_ywv1b1qiUpfo71/s1600/1-dino+sinovenator+todd+marshall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6EMZjykTiqWXlC2jNdkQ3SBJoAueZNBL-HrhwuG2-swjoU6Wum82eSY7z2RwbWJjncyJDmSlmUtECZgO7kM7_WwLRMNJnizet0QI2zCOLbLy09iie5XrJlZHt96Xt_ywv1b1qiUpfo71/s320/1-dino+sinovenator+todd+marshall.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Todd Marshall <i>Sinovenator</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Sinovenator</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, as mentioned
again is the namesake to sinovenatorines. At 1m/3.3ft, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinovenator</i> had the typical troodontid skull, closely spaced large
numbers of teeth, sickle-like second toed claws and raptorial manus (hands). Some
distinct features were that the antorbital fenestra (opening in skull in front
of orbit or eye socket) was straight and vertically oriented. Also, the upper
branch of the premaxillae excludes the maxillae from the nostrils and the
maxillary tooth row is positioned some distance from the jaw rim. The ilium is
small in comparison to the rest of the pelvis, the ischium is bird-like, the
pubic bone was oriented to the rear and the shin bone was wide at the top
having a rectangular-like lower joint surface.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sinovenator</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was a primitive
troodontid bearing similar features with the most basal dromaeosaurids,
suggesting the time of a transitional split between the two groups. The pubic
bone orientation to the rear is one such feature shared. This orientation also
points out that the forward pointing pubic bone in later more derived
troodontids was not inherited from older theropods, but evolved within the
troodontid clade.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMy6SvFUJzmQpmqj6j3mrKWd2Ip0cs2DpYFRGFIYc3WzhflhFZBZsvNv_NskevzPybDHEQWlGYtBHl6ZAlEhVxtujyKoDgrd7uzMlQ61clX4ndFSFEEOlXfr4zqp_YpabfevBOZUmklN4E/s1600/1-dino+Mei_Long1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="640" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMy6SvFUJzmQpmqj6j3mrKWd2Ip0cs2DpYFRGFIYc3WzhflhFZBZsvNv_NskevzPybDHEQWlGYtBHl6ZAlEhVxtujyKoDgrd7uzMlQ61clX4ndFSFEEOlXfr4zqp_YpabfevBOZUmklN4E/s320/1-dino+Mei_Long1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Craig Chesek <i>M. long</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Mei</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, or with the
genus and specific name, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mei</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">long</i> was a small troodontid at
70cm/27.6in total in length found in the lower ‘Yixian Formation’ of Liaoning
Province, China. As a basal troodontid like the previously mentioned <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinovenator</i>, but unlike the advanced
troodontids, it had bird-like hips. Mei had unique small and low maxillae with
tiny fenestrae, an extremely large naris extending caudally over one-half of
the maxillary tooth row and closely packed middle maxillary teeth with the
maxillary tooth row extending caudally to the level of the preorbital bar.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HtWa0vmUBvP8FTQQZR2Yk_wrKP6Ot75I-eacoNOXNo9zi84WKYtCoi1IT6icNEpzrdaskYJ_k7XUMk2eEzzUwdubCpEE9kRLl-1wUWJRPuQU5twFPc4UN2ehx0Fqe0ETSs0TpQ956xiu/s1600/1-dino+mei+duck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="1600" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HtWa0vmUBvP8FTQQZR2Yk_wrKP6Ot75I-eacoNOXNo9zi84WKYtCoi1IT6icNEpzrdaskYJ_k7XUMk2eEzzUwdubCpEE9kRLl-1wUWJRPuQU5twFPc4UN2ehx0Fqe0ETSs0TpQ956xiu/s320/1-dino+mei+duck.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Esther van Hulsen <i>Mei</i> slept just like birds do today</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQESQ0bDk9VjAHoKv-81pR9eXikzH-vW7I6QWg1ejXq0ftcFnOJ5NAV__dzumIs13NNeewIMtEAkUQ0SV4sUNEyZyRrFmHbekqqDkz1umaSRRvzbBOgLdnPX2vsu-zGRKyFGL14InEJwY/s1600/1-dino+meilong+mick+ellison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQESQ0bDk9VjAHoKv-81pR9eXikzH-vW7I6QWg1ejXq0ftcFnOJ5NAV__dzumIs13NNeewIMtEAkUQ0SV4sUNEyZyRrFmHbekqqDkz1umaSRRvzbBOgLdnPX2vsu-zGRKyFGL14InEJwY/s200/1-dino+meilong+mick+ellison.jpg" width="135" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mick Ellison <i>Mei</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mei</i>,
paleontologists have found their Sleeping Beauty; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mei</i> in Chinese even means ‘sleep soundly’. With the two <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mei</i> fossil remains, both were detailed
in a 3-D sleeping pose. The pose is much like birds roosting with the head
tucked in between a wing and the body, while the body rested over the bent
legs. The surrounding matrix of the fossil sites is volcanic ash and it appears
the two asphyxiated from volcanic gaseous then quickly buried by the ash; much
like what occurred during the Pompeii eruption. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With the 3-D fossilization imaging of
the two <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mei</i> remains, the evidence
points to the fact they died in a life sleeping pose rather than coincidental
rigor mortis. This form of sleeping suggests that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mei</i> was warm-blooded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSHth7fw7s1zpwlDkTOfD3whyphenhyphenuo4PUH93dWRhGb2g4OLdLTyB-jJgvCLdl6c8mVc_-C1kikNxW2d0CwYAevQ0EhI4KW2OD9tq7AbmeIZD39elOaQ31CKUylVwdyilQ-HO6l_QorkLC7au/s1600/1-dino+troodontinae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="274" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSHth7fw7s1zpwlDkTOfD3whyphenhyphenuo4PUH93dWRhGb2g4OLdLTyB-jJgvCLdl6c8mVc_-C1kikNxW2d0CwYAevQ0EhI4KW2OD9tq7AbmeIZD39elOaQ31CKUylVwdyilQ-HO6l_QorkLC7au/s200/1-dino+troodontinae+clade.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Troodontinae</i> Clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Troodontinae</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> ~ are a group
of closely related troodontids descended from their common ancestors of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gobivenator</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zanabazar</i>. The ten genera from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Troodontinae</i>
are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sinornithoides</i>
(Sy-no-nif-oi-deez) from the Early Cretaceous 113mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Urbacodon</i> (Ur-bah-koh-don) from the Late Cretaceous ~ 95 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Troodon</i> (Tru-o-don) from the Late
Creataceous 77.5-76.5 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stenonychosaurus</i>
(Sten-o-nick-o-sawr-us) from the Late Cretaceous 76 mya;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Latenivenatrix</i> (La-ten-eye-vuh-nay-trics) from the Late Cretaceous
75.5 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saurornithoides</i>
(Sor-orn-nih-thoy-deez) from the Late Cretaceous 75 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Linhevenator</i> (Lin-he-ven-ah-tor) from the Late Cretaceous 75 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Philovenator</i> (Fie-lo-ven-ah-tor) from
the Late Cretaceous 75 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gobivenator</i>
(Go-be-ven-ah-tor) from the Late Cretaceous 72 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zanabazar</i> (Zah-nah-bah-zar) from the Late Cretaceous 70 mya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stenonychosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> comes from the
Late Cretaceous ‘Dinosaur Park Formation’ of Alberta, Canada and nesting sites
in ‘Two Medicine Formation of Montana’. It was 2.4m/7.9ft in length and stood
up to 0.9m/3ft in height. As mentioned earlier, where troodontids had the
largest brain size of any other dinosaur group when compared to body size, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stenonychosaurus</i> had the larger brain
when compared to all other troodontids. When compared to other species with the
same body weight, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stenonychosaurus</i>
shows a steady increase in the encephalization quotient (EQ) of brain weight. Its
eyes, as testified by the fossils’ orbits (eye sockets) were also the largest
troodontid eyes that probably afforded excellent diurnal sight, but superb
nocturnal sight. The position of the orbits slightly faced forward, which also
enhanced vision with depth perception.</span></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_F9PeaYJjgLN_m-9w0WUlFMOkKHmr9kK9bcWnW7-5NVg21TzI3SZkqalxh5q8DdC_Hd3rFuRqBlBmVEv4Q67JDQsZWaOvnI_-eT5bTHyrWP6LdPKGZhq3djo5NE3fXaz7IhsoP6kmHEVm/s1600/1-dino+stenonychosaurus+Tan+Ngo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="800" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_F9PeaYJjgLN_m-9w0WUlFMOkKHmr9kK9bcWnW7-5NVg21TzI3SZkqalxh5q8DdC_Hd3rFuRqBlBmVEv4Q67JDQsZWaOvnI_-eT5bTHyrWP6LdPKGZhq3djo5NE3fXaz7IhsoP6kmHEVm/s320/1-dino+stenonychosaurus+Tan+Ngo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Thomas Henry Huxley Paleozoology Gardens <i>Stenonychosaurus</i> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The jaws of </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Stenonychosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> met in a broad U-shaped in an adhesion of fused
fibrocartilaginous tissue known as ‘symphysis’.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The denticles (teeth) bore large serrations with pits between each denticle
(tooth). According to the type of teeth, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Stenonychosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
may have been an omnivore. The grasping manus (hands) ended in three flexible
fingers. Analyzing </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Stenonychosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’
fossils’ ring bones, it reached full maturity by 3-5 years.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfIn124qApowZRgU_CX7usYznMsZfL_l2szRXUz-ofujHKkDyvjRagt_gev2-_8wP1-pyzdXAWwi-dlx9vx571H6jZNQln134dskPnffV5oaLXZOiI9WB_5W9JltRomz8Ydj3ZG_g_bYf/s1600/1-dino+stenonychosaurus+eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="1024" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfIn124qApowZRgU_CX7usYznMsZfL_l2szRXUz-ofujHKkDyvjRagt_gev2-_8wP1-pyzdXAWwi-dlx9vx571H6jZNQln134dskPnffV5oaLXZOiI9WB_5W9JltRomz8Ydj3ZG_g_bYf/s320/1-dino+stenonychosaurus+eggs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stenonychosaurus</i> fossilized eggs</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Studying nesting fossil sites and their
embryos in Montana’s ‘Two Medicine Formation’, it has been determined that they
are </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Stenonychosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> embryos. The
nests were dish-shaped fashioned, rimmed with hardened mud and filled with
sediment. Up to sixteen elongate and teardrop-shaped eggs were laid being
positioned vertically with the tapered end buried in the pebble sediment.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Saurornithoides</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Sawr-or-nih-thoi-deez)
at 1.8m/5.9ft appears to be an Asian counterpart to the North American, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Troodon</i> as they both share many
morphological and physiological features. Both shared similar size large orbits
(eye sockets) and due to the large braincase that housed a large brain compared
to body size, both shared similar intelligence.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MenE8k4PWUJ5NXl1OwLvCd_u5ivw_3MgVFAu3phabhe61kXG4cQK83TJgOgBOwc6ZJSLewriIRIWdEJ8lfI0fJ5L1e5DKiEirIHQklwAHI1cQJ3k95EJPB-wYHb5AGwSTSl5A9uLJv5q/s1600/1-dino+Saurornithoides+linda+krattiger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="750" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MenE8k4PWUJ5NXl1OwLvCd_u5ivw_3MgVFAu3phabhe61kXG4cQK83TJgOgBOwc6ZJSLewriIRIWdEJ8lfI0fJ5L1e5DKiEirIHQklwAHI1cQJ3k95EJPB-wYHb5AGwSTSl5A9uLJv5q/s320/1-dino+Saurornithoides+linda+krattiger.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Linda Krattiger <i>Saurornithoides</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Saurornithoides</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was discovered
in the ‘Djadochta Formation’ of what is now Mongolia and had the typical
troodontid large number of closely spaced serrated teeth on the rear side.
However, its evolvement is transitional as <i>Saurornithoides</i>
still retained a basal presence in possessing a recessus tympanicus dorsalis (the
upper one of three small openings on the side of the braincase within the inner
ear region), but exemplifies a more derived form in lacking a small opening at
the front of the snout called a fenestra promaxillaris. In possessing more
derived traits, it also had large denticles on the rear tooth edges as well as
the high number of six sacral vertebrae.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With a body length of 3.5m/11.5ft, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Latenivenatrix</i> was the largest of
troodontids so far discovered. Also coming from the upper ‘Dinosaur Park
Formation’, it was discovered in conjunction with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stenonychosaurus</i> remains. The distinction between the two is due to
the varying frontals, Digit II (metatarsal two) structures and of course size.
Both of these troodontines were originally assigned as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Troodon</i>. As well, both species phylogenetically are closer to the
Mongolian troodontid taxa indicating an earlier Asian troodontid form migrating
into North America.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h1_RQqPejLZkP-xIKSjvfHJSM6ENc5ZwP3V94lDu6CbKTzOuUht59BC0xAlc9HbrbyRGALlfbDRB-As3RI96vCXctcvqZ3MHHdrKzVr-DeQqKPygyuo-fFAunhRjE-OnnE9AccL19Pqn/s1600/1-dino+Latenivenatrix++Julius+T.+Csotonyi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h1_RQqPejLZkP-xIKSjvfHJSM6ENc5ZwP3V94lDu6CbKTzOuUht59BC0xAlc9HbrbyRGALlfbDRB-As3RI96vCXctcvqZ3MHHdrKzVr-DeQqKPygyuo-fFAunhRjE-OnnE9AccL19Pqn/s320/1-dino+Latenivenatrix++Julius+T.+Csotonyi.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius T. Csotonyi <i>Latenivenatrix</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Latenivenatrix</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> differed from
other troodontines in having a slightly retroverted (tipped backwards) pubis
with a shaft that curved anteroventrally, while</span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">slightly proximal to the pubic
boot is a large muscle scar on the lateral surface of the pubic shaft. It
maintained troodontine traits in possessing an elongated ambiens process and
has a horizontal ventral margin of the postacetabular process and of course had
the dromaeosaurid and troodontid pes digit II (second toe) sickle-shaped claw.
As far as paleopathology goes, in one of its fossils, a catalogued parietal
bone possessed an aperture that was caused by a cyst resulting in a bite wound.
</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gobivenator</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">’s remains were
found in, you guessed it, what is now the Gobi Desert of Mongolia from the ‘Djadokhta
Formation’ that is part of the 75-71 million-year-old ‘Campanian’ stratigraphic
range. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gobivenator</i> fossil remains
are the most complete and articulated yet of any troodontid.</span></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbswJddqEIE9_ba18tx2E4S_BUpl3PBYlt8jtz6OJO3N7sAG9Q9EuQ3kFmaNc0OiqivlwfsjCza_LVepRRmQskBsNaGjQjceBnTWodzs-PU6c63109m-PmYDgcoB9FApIjp5Ev4SCI0mv/s1600/1-dino+gobivenator+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="500" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbswJddqEIE9_ba18tx2E4S_BUpl3PBYlt8jtz6OJO3N7sAG9Q9EuQ3kFmaNc0OiqivlwfsjCza_LVepRRmQskBsNaGjQjceBnTWodzs-PU6c63109m-PmYDgcoB9FApIjp5Ev4SCI0mv/s320/1-dino+gobivenator+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gobivenator</i> fossil</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The typical characteristics of troodontids
were also displayed in </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gobivenator</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s
remains such as the digit II (second toe) sickle claw, raptorial manus (hands),
closely spaced teeth in the lower jaw and a graceful frame geared for swift
running. What makes it unique is in its autapomorphic (derived trait) features
having the parietal bones fused ending anteriorly in a pointed tip, the lower
jaws’ surangular (jaw bone found in all land vertebrates, except mammals that
connects all jaw bones) has a fossa (a bone depression) and the skull had a
large fenestra (opening).</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZhnSwChmM1lyqjh6PN2l8tBValJr1ptYHGK3FvSPNIOlKP3Ehue0Hw_h1l1qwHULNv4O_Vmq0wDFUTwy6u6-DFCkypPEslsVdb6mxbbN4HfL6Gibf6TooA9rnZvW9bI4bWChus2-k_g3/s1600/1-dino+gobivenator_eloy+manzanero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="1158" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZhnSwChmM1lyqjh6PN2l8tBValJr1ptYHGK3FvSPNIOlKP3Ehue0Hw_h1l1qwHULNv4O_Vmq0wDFUTwy6u6-DFCkypPEslsVdb6mxbbN4HfL6Gibf6TooA9rnZvW9bI4bWChus2-k_g3/s320/1-dino+gobivenator_eloy+manzanero.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Eloy Manzanero <i>Gobivenator</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gobivenator</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> possessed an
akinetic skull, however it had lost the epipterygoid (a slender skull bone
found in reptiles) bone and there was a reduction in contact between palate
bones. These were the preconditioned initial features evolving towards cranial
kinesis found in birds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are nine troodontid genera which
are monotypic outside the subfamilies; they are: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albertavenator</i> (Al-burr-tuh-vah-nay-tur) from 130 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Geminiraptor </i>(Gem-in-i-rap-tur) from 127
mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Liaoningvenator</i>
(Lee-ow-ning-o-sawr-us) from 126 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jianianhualong</i>
(Chon-e-an-wuh-lon) from 124.4 mya;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Xixiasaurus</i>
(Zee-zee-ah-sawr-us) from the Late Cretaceous 86 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Byronosaurus</i> (By-ruh-no-sawr-us) from the Late Cretaceous 80-75
mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Talos</i> (Tay-luhs) from the Late Cretaceous
75.95 mya; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Borogovia</i>
(Bow-roe-go-vee-ah) from the Late Cretaceous 70-65 mya and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tochisaurus</i> (To-chee-sawr-us) from 69 mya of the Late Cretaceous.</span></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHSVbUlRp_TdZ88Cj0mbxs5qgv9uGs-RNsPaPH9DHqVwcoyWip94A7JXNjwUAI53Sjr0kOp88Zua4ywVvAy8FRzHXTINwG3M7U9mrG-WQKkht4tGpST-ewlwYtMaZgOhGN9DK4KrDe1xL/s1600/1-dino+byronosaurus+weldon+owen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="792" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHSVbUlRp_TdZ88Cj0mbxs5qgv9uGs-RNsPaPH9DHqVwcoyWip94A7JXNjwUAI53Sjr0kOp88Zua4ywVvAy8FRzHXTINwG3M7U9mrG-WQKkht4tGpST-ewlwYtMaZgOhGN9DK4KrDe1xL/s320/1-dino+byronosaurus+weldon+owen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Weldon Owen <i>Byronosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Discovered in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert on
separate occasions, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Byronosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
adult remains were found in two sites, while in a third location nearby at a
nesting site, two near hatchling embryo skulls were found still with egg pieces
clung to them. This poses a bit of a conundrum, for the nesting site was not a </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Byronosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> nest, but an oviraptorid
nest with eggs in it while one egg having a preserved oviraptorid embryo. How
did they get there? Were the </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Byronosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
hatchlings preying on the eggs for their first meal, or did the oviraptorid
parents seize the </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Byronosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> hatchlings
or near full term embryos for their meals, or, was </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Byronosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> a nest parasite?</span></div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEp7QkRK3JCyj2cNtHrKp6pHOf7jd0i-eH17PC8VhAEdwgF9CtG7hGblUzGC69qwRRNKRyeEfn243VrwBagsZ62n734iCqD6rmcBB9hIjMhIXy2TCXtq2oUKcmGF02-Y4w5TTwQgDFAlj/s1600/1-dino+byronosaurus+embryo+skulls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="1600" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEp7QkRK3JCyj2cNtHrKp6pHOf7jd0i-eH17PC8VhAEdwgF9CtG7hGblUzGC69qwRRNKRyeEfn243VrwBagsZ62n734iCqD6rmcBB9hIjMhIXy2TCXtq2oUKcmGF02-Y4w5TTwQgDFAlj/s320/1-dino+byronosaurus+embryo+skulls.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Byronosaurus</i> embryonic skulls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At 1.5m/4.9ft long, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Byronosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> shares troodontid traits, but the teeth were not
serrated. The teeth were needle-like most suited for grasping and seizing hold
of small vertebrates. Living in a desert, the fossils were found near streams,
so with its teeth built for capturing and holding on to struggling or slippery
prey, it may have been a piscivore as well. The metatarsals (foot bones) were
proportionally long compared to the body and along with the gracile long hind
limbs, it was built for speed.</span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pmxkPIuAA5ujhFTgcMzAQdKj1So2c0tSrFpy9KwnlTMyQv9k7vwcF2dCEaKS8EJW_dOSbUnzGWBkiCKEA5W1tkRVPhrMBq8fQirw1QaN6L43LlbFoyyKG5S8g4OJCh2XlNYcgj1OLz3f/s1600/1-dino+Jianianhualong+Julius+T+Csotonyi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1600" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pmxkPIuAA5ujhFTgcMzAQdKj1So2c0tSrFpy9KwnlTMyQv9k7vwcF2dCEaKS8EJW_dOSbUnzGWBkiCKEA5W1tkRVPhrMBq8fQirw1QaN6L43LlbFoyyKG5S8g4OJCh2XlNYcgj1OLz3f/s320/1-dino+Jianianhualong+Julius+T+Csotonyi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius T. Csotonyi <i>Jianianhualong</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jianianhualong</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> fossil remains
were found in what was Early Cretaceous China. At 1m/3.3ft long, the fossil is
exceptional in giving vivid detail on skeletal anatomy and feather impressions.
<i>Jianianhualong</i> possessed both
features of basal and derived troodontids. Unique among troodontids, it also
had the neural spine of the axis convex shaped on the top margin with the
portion strongly expanded. The dentary bones supported 25 teeth on each side
while the maxillaries supported 21 on each side. The teeth were closely packed
up front and not serrated differing from the back teeth that were more spaced
and had serrations on the back side.</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggic1OzCOtO0tccmOarFLspIqCmWDMUFiSkyB3LRGkl2qYZ61lT_kXOBwybcybHu4deSmSOBvRyQOsmjQNWVc3ng1CK8Clw2LOOrOcTTzE-QCNoz-Ppn8ZY6b3n-XCNSP8fPrZyp8NlE29/s1600/1-dino+jianchangosaurus+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="754" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggic1OzCOtO0tccmOarFLspIqCmWDMUFiSkyB3LRGkl2qYZ61lT_kXOBwybcybHu4deSmSOBvRyQOsmjQNWVc3ng1CK8Clw2LOOrOcTTzE-QCNoz-Ppn8ZY6b3n-XCNSP8fPrZyp8NlE29/s320/1-dino+jianchangosaurus+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jianianhualong</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The tail and forelimb feathering are
pennaceous and asymmetrical, the feathers that birds actually take flight with.
Although </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jianianhualong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> could not
fly, with its long hind limbs, it was a probable and agile sprinter and the
tail wings would have afforded drag in maneuvering. But, with asymmetrical
feathering already in place as so explicitly detailed in </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jianianhualong</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s 124.4 mya fossil remains, through a bit more
flight evolvement, birds were able to take wing and fly.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Talos</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> is a troodontid
representative from the N. American ‘Kaiparowits Formation’ in what is now
Utah. At 2m/6.6ft, it was one of the larger troodontids and coming from the
same region and time, in what was then the southern portion of the Laramida
Island, as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">T.</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rex</i> and other tyrannosaurs like the genus, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Teratophoneus</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lythronax</i>
may have been one of the larger dinosaur’s conceivable snacks.</span></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOm7WoayoI2nRJWQclmzV3JkhQGlaneMvP9FeZ_DonJKHvPwpkQkG23qRLxaQXcBRSs4WyMYm4EDM0J_FDASrCr9j8xNxwAwpXKicd2z61PLGlaAYQd_AeKZLkHVJlwvaEjbW6qrzVFrOX/s1600/1-dino+talos+jorge+gonzalez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="660" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOm7WoayoI2nRJWQclmzV3JkhQGlaneMvP9FeZ_DonJKHvPwpkQkG23qRLxaQXcBRSs4WyMYm4EDM0J_FDASrCr9j8xNxwAwpXKicd2z61PLGlaAYQd_AeKZLkHVJlwvaEjbW6qrzVFrOX/s320/1-dino+talos+jorge+gonzalez.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jorge Gonzalez <i>Talos</i> & its sharp claws</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It had the troodontid characteristics of
a feathered body, raptorial manus (hands), a retractable second toed sickle
claw, bore weight on the other two toes of each leg and had a large brain. In
addition it had its own distinct features in unlike most troodontids, the </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Talos</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> neural arch of the mid dorsal was
pneumatic. Where most troodontid mid dorsal neural arch spines were short and
fan-shaped, the </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Talus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> mid dorsal
neural arch spines were long. As shared with </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Mei</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, projection of the dorsal periphery of the parapophyses (ventral
transverse process of a vertebra) may reflect incipient development of the
stalk-like condition in dromaeosaurids. The most distinct feature was that the
neural spine tapers to a dorsocaudal (top of tail) point in lateral profile.</span></div>
</div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Mn7E5SXG84h1-am_U3bFTcMql900yMLZBVXd-u_59UqRD43aEm1ylRX-WXDyPkZzveiYdDXC05LS8Y2UEh8KV0n-_iwsLaZa-7caz0W-5jMuQ4qN70MPn148rhDLig96jPthlLD0IsVQ/s1600/1-dino+troodon+Alaskan+julio+lacerda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Mn7E5SXG84h1-am_U3bFTcMql900yMLZBVXd-u_59UqRD43aEm1ylRX-WXDyPkZzveiYdDXC05LS8Y2UEh8KV0n-_iwsLaZa-7caz0W-5jMuQ4qN70MPn148rhDLig96jPthlLD0IsVQ/s320/1-dino+troodon+Alaskan+julio+lacerda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julio Lacerda <i>Troodon</i> in Alaskan winter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Talos</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’
paleoenvironment showed that by living in forested wetlands and floodplains,
which was in contrast to the desert paleoenvironment of its Mongolian cousins,
troodontids were adaptive. Even in Cretaceous Alaska where the average winter
temperature was 2° C/36 F° and snowed during winter months of long cold
darkness, troodontids were able to successfully inhabit these climatic
conditions. In fact, from the number of fossil finds and amount of loose teeth,
<i>Troodon</i> was the most common dinosaur
found in Alaska’s ‘Prince Creek Formation’ making upwards to two-thirds of all
species. This feathered <i>Troodon</i> and
the other two troodontids gives us insights into how animals physically and
physiologically adapted to environmental contrasts.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z3yU7Qnvkcno_yXj1-VUAc5lZ6pnfx_-hVmOk7ZGzA6u_sSi0a3DLX424bwBDP7LoI3MunJuw8qllBsqj9onB9pgJDhm8cuDEYGozvPtQ0gF0tFXFdG_5lYpTKPwyvs5ToW0vpDyyCH7/s1600/1-dino+Albertavenator+oliver+demuth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="1600" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z3yU7Qnvkcno_yXj1-VUAc5lZ6pnfx_-hVmOk7ZGzA6u_sSi0a3DLX424bwBDP7LoI3MunJuw8qllBsqj9onB9pgJDhm8cuDEYGozvPtQ0gF0tFXFdG_5lYpTKPwyvs5ToW0vpDyyCH7/s320/1-dino+Albertavenator+oliver+demuth.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Oliver Demuth <i>Albertavenator</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Found in the ‘Horsehoe Canyon Formation’
of Alberta, Canada, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Albertavenator</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is
another N. America troodontid reaching ~ 1.8m/6ft in length. The supraciliary
foramen (bone ridge located above eye-sockets) is truncated anteriorly by the
lacrimal (small bone forming the eye-socket) contact. Dentition is very similar
to the synonym, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Troodon</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">formosus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> from the ‘Dinosaur Park
Formation’, but the skull overall is much more robust and the ectocranial
(outside cranial surface) of the frontal bone is much shorter than all other
troodontids.</span></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the next <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Et Tunc Nulla Erat</b> series we’ll dive into dinosaurs that begin to
not only appear as birds, but evolve as birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Apologies for the delay in getting this
article published. I had already written it by May, but to edit it and upload
the photos had to take a back seat to other concerns. Anyway, here it is…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here’s to hoping that ya all had a Happy
Turkey Day and, from the Grand ol’ White Bearded One (Santa Claus), are hand
delivered a most joyous occasion this Christmas season!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Life’s Been Swell!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">05/14-26/2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-12488940141995998322018-02-10T10:20:00.001-05:002019-02-04T15:10:29.230-05:00Et Tunc Nulla Erat VIII (Dinos 1)<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "algerian"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Et tunc nulla erat VIII</span></b><span style="font-family: "algerian"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">(And Once There
Was)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinos: Part 1of 3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Path to Dinosaurs</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">To set the stage of the environment
dinosaurs evolved from, lived and reigned in, we’ll first start off with period
events that took place during dinosaurs and birds. Below is a description of
the fauna, flora, geological, climatic and catastrophic events during which
time dinosaurs would later evolve as a result of.</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZo4smkpqaBnKDRynOgD-XU8XIaPlBWDCXyx0AZ6Emfx9ZUqdajLp1efX9Pf1Viyt5R4C_W28Gec81JMOM6sSJTbeQ2TMkOHmUPXIE5D6PCkv0bM3e3s295hYD1vL-Y5G5916ZipM1MzBa/s1600/1-dino+early+triassic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="720" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZo4smkpqaBnKDRynOgD-XU8XIaPlBWDCXyx0AZ6Emfx9ZUqdajLp1efX9Pf1Viyt5R4C_W28Gec81JMOM6sSJTbeQ2TMkOHmUPXIE5D6PCkv0bM3e3s295hYD1vL-Y5G5916ZipM1MzBa/s320/1-dino+early+triassic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Early Triassic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Triassic is sandwiched in between
two mass extinctions. The first is called ‘The Great Dying’ occurring between
the Permian/Triassic border ~ 252 mya during Pangaea (Pangea). The second
occurred at the Triassic/Jurassic during the initial breakup of Pangaea ~ 201.3
mya.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It’s called ‘The Great Dying’ for a
valid reason...it wiped out 96% of all marine species, 70% of all terrestrial
vertebrates and nine out of every ten plants, destroying Permian conifer
forests en masse. It even exterminated insect groups in killing off 57% of all
insect families and 83% of all insect genera, which included Earth’s largest insects
like the 70cm/27.6in wingspan dragonfly, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Meganeura</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and other arthropods including the largest land invertebrate ever in the
millipede, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Arthropleura</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. This is thus
far the only mass extinction of insects.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The only surviving vascular land plants
to support any animal life were lycophytes, one surviving ginkgophyta species,
ferns, the seed fern <i>Glossopteris</i>,
some conifers in highlands and bennettitales. However, this opened a window for
spermatophytes (seed plants) to take hold and later dominate in the Cretaceous. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘The Great Dying’ event was so
catastrophic that from oceanic molluscs to dominant land vertebrates, 96% of
eukaryotic life became extinct. Within 100,000 years, the blink of an eye in
geological time, life was nearly eradicated. There was no one culprit which is
why it has been hard to pin down. But recent paleo stratigraphy analyses have
unearthed the mystery surrounding this mass extinction.</span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBcWNzE-hR1nhgZUYXzbxXGMZw0D6c-a7zge_s52C-8p4xhI38rU_-H1P0L2XXyIy6rGXVXjiB5XjslL1CC4FP2RceYYM_HpArD7jUgoOyMrad9_8luLIvFxLCceecC29TiG6I86yDdPn/s1600/1-dino+flklnd+isle+crater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="840" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBcWNzE-hR1nhgZUYXzbxXGMZw0D6c-a7zge_s52C-8p4xhI38rU_-H1P0L2XXyIy6rGXVXjiB5XjslL1CC4FP2RceYYM_HpArD7jUgoOyMrad9_8luLIvFxLCceecC29TiG6I86yDdPn/s320/1-dino+flklnd+isle+crater.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Falkland Islands Impact Site</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Around 252 mya, an asteroid smashed into
Earth, with remnants of the massive impact crater located near the Falkland
Islands. The crater, now buried in sediment, was first discovered through very
erratic NASA gravity anomalies. Later, magnetic imaging and seismic data helped
verify the 255km/155mi wide crater.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4Wp9z7lGqMK4tTDyOz5YTBWNIeUH4iz2xYPkwaKHcQo-bpC18RAMiN5X_f8C1GuqMGnYzCwOrcdkY7xKCSTrGkHhT37NHSwSuYaJAR3OfBWRmpuGVXI17bxfNBSG7EQLmnspz-SAi2rS/s1600/1-dino+flklnd+isle+gravity+crtr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="600" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4Wp9z7lGqMK4tTDyOz5YTBWNIeUH4iz2xYPkwaKHcQo-bpC18RAMiN5X_f8C1GuqMGnYzCwOrcdkY7xKCSTrGkHhT37NHSwSuYaJAR3OfBWRmpuGVXI17bxfNBSG7EQLmnspz-SAi2rS/s320/1-dino+flklnd+isle+gravity+crtr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Falkland Islands Gravity Survey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This impact was much larger than the 180 km/112 mi
wide Chicxulub impact crater off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula that finished
off the dinosaurs 186 million years later. ‘The Great Dying’ hyper velocity
impact sent billions of US tons/kilograms (1 US ton = 907.2 kg, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">1 billion</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> US
tons = 907,184,740,000 kg) of particle debris into the atmosphere. Along with
the particulates, clouds of noxious gases rose blocking out sunlight for months
on end.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The initial impact on life was
exacerbated even more due to another impact around the same period (254.7 ± 2.5).
A smaller asteroid, known as the Araguainha Crater slammed into oil shale
strata of present day Brazil. In conjunction, these two asteroid impacts shook
the globe in tremors unlocking and spewing out escaping underground oil and gas
creating massive fires and explosions. Immense coal beds from the Carboniferous
were also ignited.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On top of all this, the active ‘Siberian
Traps’ volcanism was jolted into high gear from the asteroid impact. These traps
spewed out basaltic lava covering roughly 2 million square km/770,000 square miles
before its mantle plume played out in the Triassic. Superseding the volcanic ‘Emeishan
Traps’ of present day China that played out at the ending of the Permian 259
mya, the massive volcanism also emitted ash dust, pyroclastic debris and the
gases: hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen sulfide and sulfur
dioxide. Once in the atmosphere, these gases aerosolized in reacting with other
atmospheric components.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This was in effect two pulses of extinction
activity, for of course all the volcanic emissions aided the asteroids’ impact
dust particulates in blocking out sunlight and heat causing a cooling down
effect. The aerosolized gases displaced normal atmospheric conditions turning it
into noxious and corrosive acids that reigned down on Earth as rain and snow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With sunlight and warmth blocked by the
asteroid impacts and volcanism, the resultant cold darkness and acidification
wiped out photosynthetic plants such as purple algae, green algae and
phytoplankton. These were the base and foundational building blocks of the food
chain. Thus herbivores would starve, which in turn starved out carnivores. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All of this even created a third pulse. The
gases reacting to atmospheric elements such as water molecules, nitrogen and
oxygen produced hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and sulfuric acid that in turn
acidified rain and snow. But the main gas culprit to come was carbon dioxide. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Permian, although under the ending
of the significant Permo-Carboniferous glaciation, was trending towards a hot
climate during the Late Permian. This was compounded and accelerated in the
Early Triassic with the release of carbon dioxide from the asteroid impacts and
volcanism in the volcanic activity’s initial release of subterranean heat trapped
gases and the releasing of heat trapping gases from the lava flows igniting gaseous
and liquid hydrocarbons that were once trapped in underground rock strata, or
in solid form such as coal veins.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPlwGdoQ9UBi61diT2wtIwk0NwwEKgQDhW61ZdjsarHLr3tgHMLIs9USGk6bpyHdNvrD8F8qC_LSpaGZzKzoM7Xqj3VlWTYmXHDAVxDbP0DtwtT99grYg6-rhN9lUNaxDJlrAKD87fUcd/s1600/1-dino+Methane_Hydrate+phz+digrm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="588" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPlwGdoQ9UBi61diT2wtIwk0NwwEKgQDhW61ZdjsarHLr3tgHMLIs9USGk6bpyHdNvrD8F8qC_LSpaGZzKzoM7Xqj3VlWTYmXHDAVxDbP0DtwtT99grYg6-rhN9lUNaxDJlrAKD87fUcd/s320/1-dino+Methane_Hydrate+phz+digrm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Once all the initial debris and gases were
washed out of the atmosphere, the vast amount of carbon dioxide and carbon
monoxide remained heating up the atmosphere even more. With the abundance of
heat trapping gases in not allowing reflected infrared heat to escape, much of
the excess gases were absorbed by ocean waters. This acidified the waters by
dissolving the inorganic carbon dioxide and carbonates in situ into carbonic
acid deep in the waters due to the fact warmer water sinks. This in turn freed
up sea floor methane hydrate, frozen from the cold and pressure, releasing megatons/mega-kilograms
of methane gas that is 27 times more efficient in trapping heat than carbon
dioxide is. As the Late Permian was already heating up, this accelerated the
process.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Due to this, by the time the Triassic Period
was initially underway, atmospheric and oceanic runaway heat was devastating
life. Marine species such as blastoids, eurypterids and trilobites, among
others all went extinct.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The more Earth’s climate heated a deadly
march down from glaciation to hothouse incurred. In less than two million years
into the Triassic, there was no evidence of polar glaciers. Even the permafrost
melted with its immense amount of frozen organic debris. Once unfrozen it began
to decompose releasing locked up carbon dioxide. The decomposers were bacteria
and in the process, the bacterium produced methane as waste, further acerbating
the broiling heat up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How do we know of this...the history of
the episode is literally written in stone and we’ve finally learned how to read
it. We now know this for a few reasons that correlate the time period’s demise
for life. One was in finding and dating the asteroid craters and analyzing
their intensity. In judging the expansive perimeter and mantle depth of the
Falkland Islands impact, its energy force was equivalent to 120.4 billion
Hiroshima A-bombs. This immediately wiped out surrounding life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Two, after the Falkland Islands impact
intensified the Siberian Traps, the immediate surroundings supporting plants
were wiped out. In addition, the gases and particulate debris added to the
impacts’ blocking out of sunlight, killing off much of Earth’s photosynthetic
plants, thus starving off herbivores, then lastly the carnivores. This is
detected in the increase of fungi spores and microorganisms embedded in the
fossil record that fed off dead organic material. Also, the nickel eating archaeon,
<i>Methanosarcina</i> experienced population
explosions resulting in blooming extensively throughout the oceans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This archaeon microbe, which still lives
inhabiting the deep oceans and mammal guts, combines carbon dioxide with
hydrogen gas, metabolizing methanol or methylamines producing most of the
biologically-generated methane released today. The nickel content came from the
volcanism that the archaea consumed and metabolized. The by-product of this
metabolism was the release of immense amounts of methane that displaced oxygen
in the oceans while the amount of methane that escaped into the atmosphere
further added to the earth’s trapped heat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZfWffwh54AkPKvFxgZZpEtx6dM0KYCJfA3Twm2WecAy_Olvwp-JYn2639jDyNw-j8DbegTWYL4ZslcYVmHXhzGkV_cKaxo_KJPmPUubnoLS5PK_qL-dAaxF8veY8_IyBwRuKwCF9Zs2l/s1600/1-dino+ocean+wrm-cold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="491" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZfWffwh54AkPKvFxgZZpEtx6dM0KYCJfA3Twm2WecAy_Olvwp-JYn2639jDyNw-j8DbegTWYL4ZslcYVmHXhzGkV_cKaxo_KJPmPUubnoLS5PK_qL-dAaxF8veY8_IyBwRuKwCF9Zs2l/s320/1-dino+ocean+wrm-cold.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Three, as stated earlier, after all the
debris and gases were washed out of or dissipated from the atmosphere, a vast
amount of greenhouse gases remained heating up Earth’s atmosphere and oceans,
causing a shift in the oceans’ currents. This, in conjunction with the greenhouse
effect, was the long term culprit that killed off life that had managed to
survive through the initial two stages. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Oceans absorb heat energy from the sun
and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Oceanic stratified currents move the
energy from areas of hot water to areas of cold water, and vice versa. Not only
does oceanic current circulation keep the water temperature moderate, but it
also affects the temperature of the air and disperses nutrient rich waters in
ocean regions that are depleted.</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hcXNbJNr8O5MoFdrKe2iPXy8c4Ywl97HyHi6Zg_ooPn8btKBHqFOWO3uWzgUeKj_9d6WWlNzXKL63F0iep_boaoLcJKxCB_18V8K380p_2HSX_LwfLzqAQM7mEuRBp39Lfh9jrnSQkLM/s1600/1-dino+oceanic+stratification.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="900" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hcXNbJNr8O5MoFdrKe2iPXy8c4Ywl97HyHi6Zg_ooPn8btKBHqFOWO3uWzgUeKj_9d6WWlNzXKL63F0iep_boaoLcJKxCB_18V8K380p_2HSX_LwfLzqAQM7mEuRBp39Lfh9jrnSQkLM/s320/1-dino+oceanic+stratification.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oceanic Current Stratification </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The oceanic current stratification
remains separate due to halocline (salinity), thermocline (temperature), oxygenation
(chemocline) and pycnocline (density) variables. Baroclinity (baroclinic stratified
fluid as measured between the differences of gradient pressure from the
gradient of density) is what maintains a parallel stratification. Wherever they
pop up, upwelling or downwelling eddies create turbulence mixing the stratified
waters. Mixing layers interchange nutrients and acts as a station pump for
current circulation.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFgkeRW2rY8PKhn63zdAbLIXuXJt88GM3NzS4gba1yT8VyezlirYMNFRIE1iF-iEQtsiYg8Vf6hmxLdF_RsO8Eg8BMVIhhpb_FGyr5pHoq3tDJWJ-_eIrK4QXzIyBMxZvkXX28f-u14IW/s1600/1-dino+ocean-current.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFgkeRW2rY8PKhn63zdAbLIXuXJt88GM3NzS4gba1yT8VyezlirYMNFRIE1iF-iEQtsiYg8Vf6hmxLdF_RsO8Eg8BMVIhhpb_FGyr5pHoq3tDJWJ-_eIrK4QXzIyBMxZvkXX28f-u14IW/s320/1-dino+ocean-current.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When Earth’s water bodies had heated up
due to the runaway greenhouse effects, it began homogenizing the waters’
temperatures, Warmed water rises as cooler waters sink. This is the initial
force in circulating ocean currents. With waters approaching the same
temperature range from the increasing heat, circulation stopped. In so doing,
except along a few coastal shorelines, most of the Panthalassan Ocean and
Tethys Sea bodies became devoid of nutrients and thus void of higher lifeforms.
This created a global dead zone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhCGvI5BwTyDW2-4NdEhTZ05M-QgvPilSMcC91o3z0cXhmEhmcFvVYf7cGbByVHY4b9zPnVq4HkWJEfrnpZcPzPTR4EbvE1gnhik0PwBwZUk60MR5osbyDp3eGk_U_t889JbzsWyO0nWX/s1600/1-dino+ocean+current+processes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="500" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhCGvI5BwTyDW2-4NdEhTZ05M-QgvPilSMcC91o3z0cXhmEhmcFvVYf7cGbByVHY4b9zPnVq4HkWJEfrnpZcPzPTR4EbvE1gnhik0PwBwZUk60MR5osbyDp3eGk_U_t889JbzsWyO0nWX/s320/1-dino+ocean+current+processes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First off, when circulation ceased, the
deeper waters became stagnant by losing dissolved oxygen (DO) as warmer waters
released dissolved oxygen content replacing it with carbon dioxide. This
created hypercapnia conditions putting excessive carbon dioxide into the
bloodstream of aquatic animals that lead to breathing problems. This further
led to hypoxic environments, where with little oxygen left animals could not
maintain breathing thresholds so those that could move out did so to shallower
environs. As carbon dioxide further increased, the warming ocean depths further
heated up creating an anoxic environment virtually empty of dissolved oxygen.
For those aquatic animals that were more sessile than mobile they couldn’t swim
away. Unfortunately for marine forms like molluscs, echinoderms and sponges,
they simply perished. In addition, anaerobic bacteria began proliferating in
the depleted DO waters producing toxins that were lethal to aerobic organisms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2u_WsZzJMbo4DHR4C-o7NoAsLGqhx19iZ00nxcnPMj6H4ieJiHUmOjhs0kDIbwsRvwsps14TlqO-PxBwHiNGLZktLmDtyDekeJM6n6dkJYUmCKteurDmmi5SMmVHg0PWVAr0nPIIz40Hv/s1600/1-dino+triassic-dead-zone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="600" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2u_WsZzJMbo4DHR4C-o7NoAsLGqhx19iZ00nxcnPMj6H4ieJiHUmOjhs0kDIbwsRvwsps14TlqO-PxBwHiNGLZktLmDtyDekeJM6n6dkJYUmCKteurDmmi5SMmVHg0PWVAr0nPIIz40Hv/s320/1-dino+triassic-dead-zone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early Triassic Dead Zone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, even where marine animals were
moving into shallower waters just to breathe, most coastal shores were heating
up as well and with the acidification of the waters, corals began dissolving creating
a supported communities die off. Reef making animals during the Permian that
went extinct amid ‘The Great Dying’ were: calcisponge (sponges with calcareous
spicules), algae/bryozoan reef builders and rugose colonial corals. Along the coastal
Tethys seas’ shorelines were about the only escape for marine animals from the
anoxic and heated/acidifying waters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Almost in a page by page fashion in
flipping through a history book, we know this occurred by observing
fingerprints in the stratified layers of rock and fossils. In an older layer of
bedrock there are many examples of fossils that represent animal deaths, while
the latter formed upper layers of rock show no evidence of fossils. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Except for the terrain higher
elevations, anywhere else on land all the conifer forests perished with a big
influx in fungal spore fossils that decomposed the dead trees. The mean oceanic
temperature along the equator’s perimeter reached a maintained 40°C/104°F.
Terrestrial temperatures ranged from 49°-60°C/120°-140°F. Anoxic conditions from the entire ocean depths
to the interior of Pangaea laid waste in creating a desolate watery grave and desolate
hot desert. Only 4% of all ocean life and 30% of vertebrate terrestrial life
survived. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">δ13C did not recover into positive
integers until 244 mya. Life did not rebound until the Middle Triassic and took
thirty million years into the Late Triassic to build up biodiverse ecosystems
and complex food webs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Isotopic signatures are a valid way in
interpreting, fossils, paleoclimatology, paleoceanography, and geochemistry. δ13C (Delta <sup>13</sup>C isotope) and δ18O (Delta
<sup>18</sup>O isotope) are stable isotopes that occur in nature. The atomic
mass of isotopic variance affects an isotope’s chemical kinetic behavior which
leads to natural isotope separation processes. This is stored in the bedrocks
of former paleo-geographic conditions. Through isotope ratio mass spectrometry,
it tells us what isotopes were laid down in the rock strata at the time, which
in turn tells us what those conditions were. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjrJUqtV7DVrFabm5DiajAnYvjLfMa80FWvPj-uMDpj9PzZ1VOFTEcdcdXaJZEgS7aFf4J28i3VUysL0r96XubiqTDiSDOgaLZpVFGbjr1GrU3js1P4-4UeWb0upbnuWfXf9VSLCxjWTC/s1600/1-dino+isotopic+sig+O.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="151" data-original-width="550" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjrJUqtV7DVrFabm5DiajAnYvjLfMa80FWvPj-uMDpj9PzZ1VOFTEcdcdXaJZEgS7aFf4J28i3VUysL0r96XubiqTDiSDOgaLZpVFGbjr1GrU3js1P4-4UeWb0upbnuWfXf9VSLCxjWTC/s320/1-dino+isotopic+sig+O.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Above </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">and to the left here, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I showed the formulations of the
isotopes, </span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">13</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">C and </span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">18</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">O as ratioed between unstable
isotopes of </span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">12</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">C and </span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">16</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">O respectively. Events like rising
temperatures or biogenic methane isotopes affect the ratios. I’m not going to get
too involved in this as its details could be treated in a long-winded treatise of
its own and I’m sure most of us want to get to dinosaurs. However, I will
attempt to explain a bit of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The referenced formulas are the
standards for established material that depict an increase or decrease in the
abundance of the two isotopes and are displayed in parts per thousand (PPT or
per mil); that is what the 1000 ‰ stands for. It will have a negative value when
an unstable isotope supersedes <sup>13</sup>C or <sup>18</sup>O and will have a
positive value if these two elemental isotopes possess a higher number once
ratioed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For instance, carbon isotopes are
utilized by plants differentially during photosynthesis, yielding a positive δ13C
value. With this information, we know there was enough plant life to sustain
animal life. But if they yield a negative value, such as large amounts of
methane affecting the mass ratio of <sup>13</sup>C to an impinged higher value
to <sup>12</sup>C, then we know there was an impact occurring on life. δ13C varies
in time as a function of productivity, C<sub>2</sub> abundance, organic carbon
burial, methane amounts and vegetation type.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The same results occur with δ18O. This
oxygen isotope’s negative or positive time shell variances detects atmospheric
and ocean temperatures, evaporation/rain rates, O<sub>2</sub> atmospheric/oceanic
volumes and ice sheet transgressions or recessions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also, cosmogenic isotopes formed from
the interactions of high-energy cosmic rays and meteorite impacts affect Delta
isotope ratios. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Correlating this information all
together with other isotopic analyses and with the fossil record, a design of
events comes into play. Mass extinctions are signatured by negative δ13C and δ18O
anomalies representing a decrease in primary plant productivity (O<sub>2</sub>
intake in life) and release of plant-based carbon (sequestered C<sub>2</sub>
liberation upon death). These laid down isotope signatures embedded in rocks
work just as well for today’s analyses as they do for earlier periods in
Earth’s history and that is telling of what is occurring right now with climate
change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Study the illustration below. It’s an
interesting comparison of Earth’s atmospheric conditions from the outbreak of ‘The
Great Dying’ to now. In particular compare the earth to 250 mya to the 2090’s.
They are very similar and please recall that ‘The Great Dying’ killed off 90%
of all species. Earth’s abbreviations in the stages are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMzo-6jmKfxZjXgecQsoWmzHWP04WW_bApPLBE0Qx8upmf4zUaKCBn0VtUcB3sa91X_W3jq-vYG5JiXeW5POKLxihsOQt_06D845DxwgmhHnM6XtHBwvcnMDStwx_pbEqWh3ctlZz7LAW/s1600/1-dino+climat+chng.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="800" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMzo-6jmKfxZjXgecQsoWmzHWP04WW_bApPLBE0Qx8upmf4zUaKCBn0VtUcB3sa91X_W3jq-vYG5JiXeW5POKLxihsOQt_06D845DxwgmhHnM6XtHBwvcnMDStwx_pbEqWh3ctlZz7LAW/s320/1-dino+climat+chng.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">P/T ~ The Permian Triassic boundary<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">LPTM ~ Last Paleocene Thermal Maximum<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">LGM ~ Last Glacial Maximum<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">LIA ~ Little Ice Age<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A2 ~ Additional Emissions
(Anthropogenic/Manmade) </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8mFpKVtxV1bffF049Jn_0qxv84Q6hEv1yrBPD3sbdSXw3eNGGnAEgMBgZ9Alwxryg4f1RkR4axlGWQWbm1ojo1OslF9aMAt7Lja8-CqVnmbLc3ZSbHhpTQqUFDOpYjCPdwTpcmeR4Mrg/s1600/1-dino+420%252C000+yrs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="1024" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8mFpKVtxV1bffF049Jn_0qxv84Q6hEv1yrBPD3sbdSXw3eNGGnAEgMBgZ9Alwxryg4f1RkR4axlGWQWbm1ojo1OslF9aMAt7Lja8-CqVnmbLc3ZSbHhpTQqUFDOpYjCPdwTpcmeR4Mrg/s320/1-dino+420%252C000+yrs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The above graph, measured in
Milankovitch cycles, is data pulled from Vostok Antarctica ice cores going back
from the present to 420,000 years ago. Milankovitch cycles take into account
and factors in Earth’s cyclical orbit of eccentricity, axial tilt, and
precession. The blue lines on the chart measures CO<sub>2</sub> levels, the red
~ temperature range, the green ~ measures methane levels while the bottom orange
line measures δ18O anomalies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The graph below is a 5.3 million year
change in climate in comparing δ18O oceanic benthic carbonate anomalies to the
Vostok ice cores. Please note between 5.3-3.1 mya there was a warm period due
to high levels of carbon dioxide with a mean global surface temperature
increase of 2-3°C/3.6-5.4°F.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmsANbQQSA51mx35bSHmzJIfAbKY74VbWbz64CYP3m6zjF6eNUIhbhDVSm2n8hUYec6xLEjZEplIvhXxtr8Wa1-honQg5xt0vi5XeP6G3XbRQ65ID3GrBUGB6km1ZNntoDKwC5uvnJ5dr/s1600/1-dino+5my+climate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="751" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmsANbQQSA51mx35bSHmzJIfAbKY74VbWbz64CYP3m6zjF6eNUIhbhDVSm2n8hUYec6xLEjZEplIvhXxtr8Wa1-honQg5xt0vi5XeP6G3XbRQ65ID3GrBUGB6km1ZNntoDKwC5uvnJ5dr/s320/1-dino+5my+climate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In going back to the last graph, overall
the last three million years experienced cyclic glacial and interglacial
periods. Before that, was a period when atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> levels
ranged from 350-400 ppm heating global climate. Today, as of March 2017,
Earth’s atmosphere is at 406.99 ppm saturation levels, in which by total mass,
is over 850 gigatons. Currently we’re averaging 3 ppm per year increases. At
that rate and with its current exponential gains, CO<sub>2</sub> atmospheric
saturation will exceed 500 ppm by 2047. Once this happens global temperatures
will rise 3°C/5.4°F.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What will our world look like at this
increase? Well mankind will still survive, but at an egregious cost. Crop and
food production will be cut short. Due to regions becoming very arid, there
will be massive immigration influxes. There will be a massive uptick in people
dying from heat stroke and regional fresh water supplies will be drained from
extended droughts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Currently there are some 123.3 million
Americans living along U.S. coastal shorelines. There will be no stopping of
the Greenland and West Antarctica ice sheets from totally melting adding all
that once frozen water into the oceans raising coastal shorelines 10.1m/33ft. With
a mass volume of 0.11 trillion cubic m/2.1trillion cubic ft. of water, compare
that to Mt. Everest weighing 161.9 trillion kg/357 trillion lb. In converting volume
to weight, a NASA and University of California at Irvine analysis already shows
western Antarctica’s current lost frozen water has been equivalent to the
weight of Mt. Everest every two years for the past 21 years. One thing is for
sure the coastal waters are coming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">During the PETM (Paleocene Eocene
Thermal Maximum) ~ 55.5 mya, a large decrease in <sup>13</sup>C/<sup>12</sup>C ratios
of marine/terrestrial carbonates and organic carbon occurred inducing global
warming. CO<sub>2</sub> atmospheric and oceanic increases were due to an
averaged atmospheric temperature rise of 6.75°C/12.15°F; although the exact
cause still perplexes geologists. The PETM is a focal indicator for scientists,
because it represents the best analogy of current global warming events with
massive carbon inputs into the atmosphere and oceans, along with the
accompanying acidification of marine environments. The PETM was a runaway mini
hot event that ended as quickly as it came lasting ~ 200,000 years. But in comparing,
it averaged only 0.37 Gt/yr, where currently under human emissions, 10 Gt/yr
are being released.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Below is a NASA video of CO</span><sub style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">2</sub><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
in Earth’s current atmosphere. It’s a tad alarming. In particular when there
are those in political leadership that have no proof to their denying claims
whatsoever, so resort to bashing climatologists, who’ve done the work and once
they announce proof from decades of empirical studies, deniers only throw doubt
into the winds. Economic greed and wielding power is the only slanted view
climate change deniers can offer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some deniers partially acknowledge
current global warming, but like to claim it is a natural event that has
happened many times before. But they stop there and don’t proceed on explaining
the resultant mass extinctions that ensued. A baked Earth is a dead Earth for
life as we know it. We only have one home...Mother Earth...if we don’t keep the
front porch swept clean there is nowhere else to move to. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SHzRBMBVu-4?ecver=1" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After ‘The Great Dying’, by the time
life had rebounded in the forms of archosaurs and synapsids, another mass
extinction event unfolded 201 mya at the boundary of the Triassic and Jurassic.
Primitive dinosaurs had already evolved during the Middle Triassic, but
nonetheless, in this mass extinction an estimated 76-84% of marine and
terrestrial species went extinct. However, the dinosaur line survived to become
the dominant order during the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Massive emissions of
carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxides and aerosols from intense volcanic eruptions
initially created a cooling effect, afterwards an extreme warming period ensued.
This is the consensus in the main energetic force that created the extinction.
The breaking up of Pangaea’s tectonic plate movements created the volcanism
that in turn made up a global environment of both, a critical CO<sub>2</sub>
greenhouse and a marine biocalcification crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Cretaceous/Paleogene (formerly
Tertiary) mass extinction unfolded 66 mya wiping out all non-avian dinosaurs.
An estimated average of 76% of all marine and terrestrial species became
extinct. The main significance of the mass extinction was due to the Chicxulub
impactor that will be discussed in fuller detail later on.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4x_rFFByxQGY6NMZP3VXL0x1tpJzJ2k0wwcgwhxXtTqkI0rCrX0m41A_eTdxts6YdYFLBIfY9vauz_O3j-xIrRJNVAI662VmJfOr-VYdiOP_6xykWntGfCASUY_d9LYZGnnAivFEkFHdw/s1600/1-dino+chicxulub+asteroid.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4x_rFFByxQGY6NMZP3VXL0x1tpJzJ2k0wwcgwhxXtTqkI0rCrX0m41A_eTdxts6YdYFLBIfY9vauz_O3j-xIrRJNVAI662VmJfOr-VYdiOP_6xykWntGfCASUY_d9LYZGnnAivFEkFHdw/s320/1-dino+chicxulub+asteroid.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chicxulub Crater Asteroid Impact</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These three mass extinction events are
what formed, molded and lastly became the demise of nearly all dinosaurs. The
Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods are what also molded our modern day
insects. ‘The Great Dying’ also afforded insects a rapid adaptation to
selective environmental pressures. While modern orders began showing up in the
Triassic including <i>Homoptera</i> (grasshopper,
locusts and cricket groups), most modern insect families first appeared in the
Jurassic while the symbiotic relationships of insects to the appearance of
flowering plants occurred in the Cretaceous. Within a span of 100 million years
during these periods, insects had diversified inherently into modern day forms.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoC6_OmoWbj5S4SMalvyZApsyAZGsDqgYf8jYW0I-fOLeAFQgiEEgA83bzoi45Y3d9tneHrGs6UYT-xwRViR7fZyhWZKT3LUHpE_qNTeB65Gl4DI0YRYCCf1Sfkw9ghK4k-WfrKWEO4Ld/s1600/1-continental-drift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="575" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoC6_OmoWbj5S4SMalvyZApsyAZGsDqgYf8jYW0I-fOLeAFQgiEEgA83bzoi45Y3d9tneHrGs6UYT-xwRViR7fZyhWZKT3LUHpE_qNTeB65Gl4DI0YRYCCf1Sfkw9ghK4k-WfrKWEO4Ld/s320/1-continental-drift.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As dire as the ‘The Great Dying’ was to Earth’s
life, its aftermath on climate change is what promoted the dinosaur lineage
evolvement. With only pockets of regional woods left, from once vast interconnected
forests and tropical jungles, it isolated species members allowing natural
selection to take effect on the surviving archosaurs to evolve biological phylogenetics
to better manage the stresses of newer environmental conditions. The further global
isolation caused by continental drift then exploded dinosaurian speciation
allowing them to enjoy a 180 million year run. Now that is species genetic
transfer success...</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Road to Dinosaurs</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The primary tetrapodal survivors of ‘The
Great Dying’ were the synapsids, in particular in the order, <i>Therapsida</i> (Phonetics:
Thur-app-see-duh). In fact, accounting for as many as 95% of the total
individuals in fossil beds, <i>Lystrosaurus</i>
(Liss-tro-sore-us), an herbivore therapsid was the most common terrestrial
vertebrate in the Early Triassic. With a horny beak and the ability to dig for
roots and burrow, gave <i>Lystrosaurus</i> an
advantage in eating varied rough, gnarly vegetation and refuge from the extreme
climate. Also later in the Triassic, bees evolved from wasps in conjunction
with the spread of angiosperms (flowering plants) as insect amber fossils give
evidence to transitional hymenopterans. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0es11EegFKnFSIkU_dJnu5mKBtdoaAVXYKzJshCB1AG-PzcA-XUCNIlVyh4lfRcB9eEK2MDrYxao_lETYM6yCzsBP1J8q-oEBWpoNcPmfTt8HBH6RiauLybsTnsrhN40BEtr-S5yRen7/s1600/1-dino+lystrosaurus+julio+lacerda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0es11EegFKnFSIkU_dJnu5mKBtdoaAVXYKzJshCB1AG-PzcA-XUCNIlVyh4lfRcB9eEK2MDrYxao_lETYM6yCzsBP1J8q-oEBWpoNcPmfTt8HBH6RiauLybsTnsrhN40BEtr-S5yRen7/s320/1-dino+lystrosaurus+julio+lacerda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julio Lacerda the Therapsid, <i>Lystrosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some archosaurian lines managed to
survive as well that eventually led to crocodilians. <i>Poposaurus</i> (Pop-o-sore-us), <i>Prestosuchus</i>
(Press-toe-sue-cuss) and rauisuchids were, among others, sister groups to
crocodylomorphs under the clade, <i>Loricata</i>
(Lore-ee-caw-tuh). Some of the early dinosaurs were on their menu, but it was
the lystrosaurs that sustained dinosaurs during the Early Triassic. They all,
except for the crocodylomorphs went extinct at the end of the Triassic.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7VQ8IB7Yz8k5oNI53cuTRtmUmn_IaYJg1XomzmcFoQCNxhyphenhyphenuPDLjdVessYyPOu5mp3_w4zugzjLolUrbzmWe2WbpQMM7tHlhehXvhPFNySP8QyYzoVQQxWaIDhhd804N49UirhAiK3Fa/s1600/1-dino+prestosuchus2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="1280" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7VQ8IB7Yz8k5oNI53cuTRtmUmn_IaYJg1XomzmcFoQCNxhyphenhyphenuPDLjdVessYyPOu5mp3_w4zugzjLolUrbzmWe2WbpQMM7tHlhehXvhPFNySP8QyYzoVQQxWaIDhhd804N49UirhAiK3Fa/s320/1-dino+prestosuchus2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist DanOs the archosaur, <i>Prestosuchus</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another archosaurian line, the
avemetatarsalians also managed to escape extinction during ‘The Great Dying’.
The basal avemetatarsalian, <i>Sceleromochlus</i>
(Sclair-o-mo-klus) was a small insectivore that its ancestral line also
survived the mass extinction. Showing up in the Middle Triassic it lived a
desert life with anatomical features to accommodate a sandy and hot lifestyle
that would be an advantaged inherited pickup for theropod dinosaurs. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwaTPl4NIrtxATRyILqGWR-KaF-ItmfjDB7S3ctkHsMM9gWS4hJLoc55URwURe40EB6Ut3Bh280GLO5wRvcy570tybRDLr7zeCrilGvtcYxKd2YeZN-X80v9NWWUt1VhJEU7vvJ4VHS4z/s1600/1-dino+scleromochlus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="840" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwaTPl4NIrtxATRyILqGWR-KaF-ItmfjDB7S3ctkHsMM9gWS4hJLoc55URwURe40EB6Ut3Bh280GLO5wRvcy570tybRDLr7zeCrilGvtcYxKd2YeZN-X80v9NWWUt1VhJEU7vvJ4VHS4z/s320/1-dino+scleromochlus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton <i>Scleromochlus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sceleromochlus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">, with a
narrowing of the metatarsal, elongated distal hind limbs and a reduction of the
lateral pedal digits, this creature was a bipedal cursorial animal geared for
speed. For energy conservation in a sandy environ, it was most likely
saltatorial (hopping) as well in locomotion. At the end of the femur was a
pronounced intercondylar groove that supported a large quadriceps femoris
tendon for hopping. At only 18.1cm/7.1in, this avemetatarsalian had a long tibia
and fibula between the knee and ankle and with posteriorly flattened
metatarsals was able to squat or crouch down on the ground in plantigrade
fashion without the feet sinking into sand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To escape daily heat, it was likely
nocturnal, as betrayed by the very large skull orbits, seeking protective
shelter from the heat during the day. <i>Sceleromochlus</i>
most likely, due to its desert environmental evolvement, possessed filaments or
fuzz, an anatomy trait that pterosaurs and theropod dinosaurs would inherit in
pycnofibers and feathers. Right at the edge of transitioning, <i>Sceleromochlus</i> is a direct ancestor to
ornithodirans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is a Triassic Period graphic of
the animal evolvement lines we’re about to discuss showing when and where they
first evolved.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4LitoBOZgIoFB3DIkkk9u5w_aNH8svXC6glT4QKdWFoJC5y_07rYtATpG3KoArWgV6d67NhrmtRPiSjmF4lGHcslObVij5PqjmUKpq8z8eE9Zk1P1GmxJD3JV64bjuhd24ajD3PVWrSS/s1600/1-dino+graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="700" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4LitoBOZgIoFB3DIkkk9u5w_aNH8svXC6glT4QKdWFoJC5y_07rYtATpG3KoArWgV6d67NhrmtRPiSjmF4lGHcslObVij5PqjmUKpq8z8eE9Zk1P1GmxJD3JV64bjuhd24ajD3PVWrSS/s320/1-dino+graphic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After archosaurs split into <i>Pseudosuchia</i> (the crocodile line) and <i>Avemetatarsalia</i> (bird-like line) around
249 mya, by 245 mya, avemetatarsalians further divided into two more groups in
the clades, <i>Ornithodira</i>
(Or-nith-o-deer-ah) and <i>Aphanosauria</i> (Ah-fan-o-sar-ee-ah)
evolved. Aphanosaurs are the older of the two clades showing up 245 mya in the
genera, <i>Yarasuchus</i> (Yar-ah-sue-shis)
and <i>Dongusuchus</i> (Don-goo-such-is). The
recent discovery and 2017 description of, <i>Teleocrater</i>
(Tell-ee-awk-rah-tur) also was found in sediment laid down ~ 245 mya. Between
1.8-m/6-10ft long resembling a modern day monitor lizard, it possessed
avemetatarsalian skull features in jaw muscle attachments, but also had
pseudosuchian traits in ankle joints enabling side to side rotation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh73SPK5fOcfkxZWK-V2O_n_ykmCtr-VRVXDJx-vpjtW1ym3z3iPioCS2vPZMDZCj7uHlTrOTYwTOG-K2ZuReK-P6WPeCVOtgbZVa9yWFqDGdtP5hJRpHMZBgcblz4gDh8GEz97hX1Umwr/s1600/1-dino+Teleocrater-rhadinus+MW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="710" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh73SPK5fOcfkxZWK-V2O_n_ykmCtr-VRVXDJx-vpjtW1ym3z3iPioCS2vPZMDZCj7uHlTrOTYwTOG-K2ZuReK-P6WPeCVOtgbZVa9yWFqDGdtP5hJRpHMZBgcblz4gDh8GEz97hX1Umwr/s320/1-dino+Teleocrater-rhadinus+MW.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton <i>Teleocrater</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Aphanosaurs are fourth to fifth removed
cousins to dinosaurs that did not have distinguishable stem avian features as
ornithodirans, but had a physiological mix of dinosauriform and rauisuchian physiognomies.
Aphanosaurs were carnivorous quadrupeds, except that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yarasuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had capabilities to rear up on its longer hind limbs
utilizing locomotion as a biped. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Spondylosoma</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Spawn-dill-o-so-ma) may be a basal ancestor to the primitive herrerasaurid dinosaur
family, but is more of an outside sister group to the other three aphanosaurs
making it a polytomy phylogeny. This is due, in that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Spondylosoma</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> does not share in the fifteen anatomical
characteristics that the other three do. The same polytomic relationship goes
for lagerpetids toward dinosauriforms. This signifies that both these species
were more basal in ancestry being more related to the common ancestor it came
from than with the more derived forms that share more traits among their
groups.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAI8sVcmcGQOMdFdTqTm4F_mOtkF8U3U-DEaII6vugEBI8GXGChSdqlbxmKrvh2xngUCapWFLwTiVqLL2DZTik1nkQfPPxaS3aW93dTlSuYn2naHKzaeH6lV8oBZU3ZZkr8j9ZLpwiTCnt/s1600/1-dino+ornithodira+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="1320" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAI8sVcmcGQOMdFdTqTm4F_mOtkF8U3U-DEaII6vugEBI8GXGChSdqlbxmKrvh2xngUCapWFLwTiVqLL2DZTik1nkQfPPxaS3aW93dTlSuYn2naHKzaeH6lV8oBZU3ZZkr8j9ZLpwiTCnt/s320/1-dino+ornithodira+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simple Ornithodira Cladogram</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithodirans, which includes
dinosauromorphs and pterosauromorphs, had on the fourth trochanter of the femur
an enlarged ridge located low down the ankle joint. This modified and advanced the
metatarsal ankles into a simplified hinge-like arrangement with the astragalus
and calcaneum reduced but firmly attached to tibia and fibula hind leg bones.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGG9IlNcpno68yhDWRQcND_GPndeqtNlWLr4JA6AqTqdMo7459YUxlwOj8Z0HTKKF0emhv_eg4CVFgDrn1S2HspU93VmroLeMqsPCV4dM_Z5cad_ahOcl_kyFrYfPOQVC5RiX3mHutU-0k/s1600/1-dino+ornithosira+ankle+comprson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="550" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGG9IlNcpno68yhDWRQcND_GPndeqtNlWLr4JA6AqTqdMo7459YUxlwOj8Z0HTKKF0emhv_eg4CVFgDrn1S2HspU93VmroLeMqsPCV4dM_Z5cad_ahOcl_kyFrYfPOQVC5RiX3mHutU-0k/s320/1-dino+ornithosira+ankle+comprson.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ankle comparisons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8FdhbVfJ9bElYPJ4wR35dPt-SFzePKzXSGWQIzdctqNM6qUiL3hW4AF85-DTduYsdOyZbGHObdI24arvTTA4E1C571V2d8z6Vta1LhnGAGVKSa3WBuoyrK4X4EqUznYz2Q9r_nrm9rY-/s1600/1-dino+ankles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="715" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8FdhbVfJ9bElYPJ4wR35dPt-SFzePKzXSGWQIzdctqNM6qUiL3hW4AF85-DTduYsdOyZbGHObdI24arvTTA4E1C571V2d8z6Vta1LhnGAGVKSa3WBuoyrK4X4EqUznYz2Q9r_nrm9rY-/s320/1-dino+ankles.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ornithodiran ankles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Autopodium (plural: autopodia) in
paleontology is the distal endpoint (foot, hands) and measurement of a limb. As
most fossils do not have all four limbs intact, fossil foot imprints left by
the animal is a good way in evaluating, stance, stride, morphology, anatomy, correlation
and identification of species. There are basically two autopodia observed in
fossil studies and that is the ‘manus’ involving locomotion with the forelimb
and an evolving flexing wrist and the ‘pes’ which refers to the hind limbs
including elongation and implanting of the digits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_dw0C01ln3eS1t8MJWVVjNU_UFEPuSfrPFi7Imqh-pfWvcmtGcL3S4J75ilL1ekNtjCJ2Xrl7ahtPkJKojbJiLTUcmq482VlP1SAUoNxLw-b6eWGNXcSYMwaAg-hYWX-Uu61lxnlWB6v/s1600/1-dino+A+manus+B+pes+C+wrist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_dw0C01ln3eS1t8MJWVVjNU_UFEPuSfrPFi7Imqh-pfWvcmtGcL3S4J75ilL1ekNtjCJ2Xrl7ahtPkJKojbJiLTUcmq482VlP1SAUoNxLw-b6eWGNXcSYMwaAg-hYWX-Uu61lxnlWB6v/s320/1-dino+A+manus+B+pes+C+wrist.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A) Manus B) Pes C) Wrist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithodirans were evolving a middle II,
III and IV tridactyl (three toes) pes elongation. Eventually, even quadruped
sauropod and ornithischian dinosaurs would show a pes elongation with
lengthened and symmetrical tetradactyl (four toes) plantigrade pes autopodium
form, along with an asymmetrical tridactyl manus form. Birds go all the way
back as the only surviving ornithodiran group.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5X-kkQJ0YTrWdYxVCsCz6GAUc67j85DdclodY75Hcmxtrz5TL7TV6TmtGknpFUL6C4tRhEEE-4bZhF_RHZ3O1mhnuYrlhZpQSgZSjn7qxEXjC_ZFtfysziqBDq9yWQhMaogYObAibMSE/s1600/1-dino+pes+elongate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="700" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5X-kkQJ0YTrWdYxVCsCz6GAUc67j85DdclodY75Hcmxtrz5TL7TV6TmtGknpFUL6C4tRhEEE-4bZhF_RHZ3O1mhnuYrlhZpQSgZSjn7qxEXjC_ZFtfysziqBDq9yWQhMaogYObAibMSE/s320/1-dino+pes+elongate.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pes three-toed elongation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWvS4tuSqfjNXxR5_UxDAhysy5ITFJKcw9nwyC5l2xoKfO-I8A6zYSwTM8-jxwX9-MfTxiHcbFnglyso1SUfl5MKD4DckZMr0-qGSDtIH_TPI8r4qrC83_LdzGqfhIwdTINyu5l2tKTj9/s1600/1-dino+Marasuchus+skeleton.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1323" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWvS4tuSqfjNXxR5_UxDAhysy5ITFJKcw9nwyC5l2xoKfO-I8A6zYSwTM8-jxwX9-MfTxiHcbFnglyso1SUfl5MKD4DckZMr0-qGSDtIH_TPI8r4qrC83_LdzGqfhIwdTINyu5l2tKTj9/s200/1-dino+Marasuchus+skeleton.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Marasuchus</i> skeletal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Occurring 235-234 mya,<i> Marasuchus</i> (Mah-rah-su-cuss), formerly
known as Lagosuchus was an unspecialized ornithodiran biped that was basal to
dinosauromorphs. Also, <i>Marasuchus</i>
displayed various symnapomorphies to <i>Dinosauriformes</i>,
such as an anterior trochanter developing into a trochanter shelf. It showed a trending in downsizing of
dinosauromorphs that would extend into basal dinosaurs. At 35cm/1.2ft long, it
did not have the dinosaur acetabulum (hole in hip socket) for the femur
thighbone emplacement, but did share an elongate pubis and the presence of an
anterior trochanter on the femur. Its forelimbs were reduced by half of the
hind limb length where the hind limbs were carried close to the body’s axis. In
having skull features similar to distinct pterosaur features and distinct
dinosaur features, <i>Marasuchus</i> most
likely belongs to the line where the split occurred forming the pterosaur and
dinosaur lines.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdNXcuYpdBHBA9bV4ISNQCqHsgVi_6y6mICrMHWOjqo2yAg_y5WeZqQECvHCBi7GkANp3vVdsYLT28ZvOhjGYJzjDoe11fTHeVk0xpdRX1WmD01YRNn5qQ6gjAEmfwoy6266EFZGXj-q9/s1600/1-dino+marasuchus+kirbyniferousRegret1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="1189" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdNXcuYpdBHBA9bV4ISNQCqHsgVi_6y6mICrMHWOjqo2yAg_y5WeZqQECvHCBi7GkANp3vVdsYLT28ZvOhjGYJzjDoe11fTHeVk0xpdRX1WmD01YRNn5qQ6gjAEmfwoy6266EFZGXj-q9/s320/1-dino+marasuchus+kirbyniferousRegret1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: KirbyniferousRegret1 <i> Marasuchus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Marasuchus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">’ digitigrade
bipedalism relied on a tridactyl pas elongation, even though it could move as a
quadruped. This animal may also have had filamentous integuments or even
proto-feathers of simple shafts which matted together in covering the body.
This would suggest an insulating function, further suggesting endothermy. Both,
from primitive to the most diverse pterosaurs and dinosaurs inherited these
traits as we’ll soon comment on for dinosaurs later on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinosauromorpha</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinosauromorphs were more closely
related to dinosaurs than to pterosaurs, but were not dinosaurs. However, they
gave rise to dinosauriforms, which in turn gave rise to dinosaurs. Basic
dinosauromorph osteology is that the femur head has very little offset from the
shaft, in particular when compared to dinosaurs. They stood erect and moved in
parasagittal fashion in swinging the limbs fore and aft as opposed to rotating them.
Dinosauromorph shoulder assemblies were robust with simple and triangular hip
girdles. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3464Joj-IF7FMpldgKudissZQAhyphenhyphendNP9xgpq_-yFgLGMmznuLCI-kCouaksFTi8CwOO8cR5TTG14G7_B78opDNVV1cWqgeXGpioP1vub2LCeVmXZggMH0mcA46_hkwStQc8Seyhd-sPni/s1600/1-dino+dinosauromorpha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="650" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3464Joj-IF7FMpldgKudissZQAhyphenhyphendNP9xgpq_-yFgLGMmznuLCI-kCouaksFTi8CwOO8cR5TTG14G7_B78opDNVV1cWqgeXGpioP1vub2LCeVmXZggMH0mcA46_hkwStQc8Seyhd-sPni/s320/1-dino+dinosauromorpha.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinosauromorphs showed up in the Middle
Triassic ~246 mya, but in high latitudes, lived with dinosaur faunas throughout
the Late Triassic for 20 million years disproving any rapid ecological
displacement between the two groups.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The 235-211.9 mya dinosauromorph family,
<i>Lagerpetidae</i> (La-grr-peat-a-day) was
composed of three genera being, <i>Lagerpeton</i>
(La-grr-pee-tun), <i>Dromomeron</i> (Druh-mom-rin),
and <i>Ixalerpeton</i> (Ik-sal-ur-pee-tun). Lagerpetids
were a sister group to dinosauriforms.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQ9pUfiHT-Fp6gGmRZo2wTaOTH4AeeMNaf_51S1Oh49QwQi-L0OkF64nugi71jcUHEcwLPXYWbU1PClNTd-hPISDRej7XFuPPHvExPNOWX2_OoaqOka-kMZVcdPgUYVLdBas8dN_0h3j0/s1600/1-dino+lagerpetidae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="500" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQ9pUfiHT-Fp6gGmRZo2wTaOTH4AeeMNaf_51S1Oh49QwQi-L0OkF64nugi71jcUHEcwLPXYWbU1PClNTd-hPISDRej7XFuPPHvExPNOWX2_OoaqOka-kMZVcdPgUYVLdBas8dN_0h3j0/s320/1-dino+lagerpetidae.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNx9IRZIKixs93xT7ftBnSv7jdAIoUBsHipLBcj89ASQBQxoWLvrVw4mkwUjpn-fL-q-s5tPTYX2ztp3WQi4hswPSB2MYRLV1J0FwQyyS5TWBt9KwX9vukN-2EPn566z6oL9drFg7Ddtk/s1600/1-dino+lagerpeton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="800" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNx9IRZIKixs93xT7ftBnSv7jdAIoUBsHipLBcj89ASQBQxoWLvrVw4mkwUjpn-fL-q-s5tPTYX2ztp3WQi4hswPSB2MYRLV1J0FwQyyS5TWBt9KwX9vukN-2EPn566z6oL9drFg7Ddtk/s200/1-dino+lagerpeton.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Apsaravis <i>Lagerpeton</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This family group is defined by having posterior
dorsal vertebrae with anteriorly-oriented neural spines, a sacrum with two
vertebrae united to the ilium with a well-defined anterior projection, a wide
pubis shorter than the ischium and laminar, sigmoid femur with pneumatization
and a well-developed fourth trochanter without phalanges, metatarsal I short
and V reduced, two distal tarsals corresponding to metatarsals III and IV with
metatarsal IV longer than the rest. The acetabulum had closed with an up facing
ilium; traits that would carry into dinosaur groups.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinosauriformes</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinosauriformes</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> encompasses the
dinosauriform as the common ancestor to all dinosaurs and dinosaurs themselves.
Dinosauriforms all share shortened forelimbs, three or more sacral vertebrae, a
partially to fully perforated acetabulum, an extension of femoral articular
surface under the head of the femur, a cnemial (tibia/shinbone) crest on
proximal tibia with the tibia also being posteriorly flanged on its distal end.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinosauriforms that weren’t quite a
dinosaur are mostly under the family, <i>Silesauridae</i>
(Sile-o-soar-uh-day) with the outside genus, <i>Marasuchus</i> (Phonetics: Mah-rah-su-cuss) as representing a sister common
ancestor to the group of silesaurids. Thus far, <i>Marasuchus</i> is monophyletic representing no family group and has
only one species in, <i>M. lilloensis</i>
(Phonetics: M. lill-o-in-sis).</span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Marasuchus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> had no
acetabulum (hip socket hole) as true dinosaurs did, but it did share an
elongate pubis and an anterior trochanter on the femur. Since <i>Marasuchus</i> lived 235-234 mya, dinosaur
evolving traits showed up during the Middle Triassic. Lightly built and small
at 30-40cm/12-16in, <i>Marasuchus</i> was
also a bipedal predator preying on small vertebrates and large invertebrates.
In paving the evolutionary route, the earliest dinosaurs were also lightly
built and traversed bipedally.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since at least some early dinosaurs had
primitive feathers (proto-feathers), often times <i>Marasuchus</i> is pictured as feathered, although there as yet has not
been any definitive fossilized feathering imprints found.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpj168SA8naV0Jv74z56FEwBYCcjGAy6QSd11lM5uYq8UknVFqeQggy1MaVNR4bd-aUL5x7bU6tfL2atnwl4g5BVQN6VSYkUuN7D446OoxujSqlXJhsSMMzUWLzthtGxVHfvjjYytbXAQh/s1600/1-dino+silesauridae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="600" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpj168SA8naV0Jv74z56FEwBYCcjGAy6QSd11lM5uYq8UknVFqeQggy1MaVNR4bd-aUL5x7bU6tfL2atnwl4g5BVQN6VSYkUuN7D446OoxujSqlXJhsSMMzUWLzthtGxVHfvjjYytbXAQh/s320/1-dino+silesauridae.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The <i>Silesauridae</i>
family, as a sister group to dinosaurians, currently consists of six genera. They are: <i>Lewisuchus</i>, <i>Asilisaurus</i>, <i>Eucoelophysis</i>,
<i>Silesaurus</i>, <i>Sacisaurus</i>, and <i>Diodorus</i> (Phonetics:
Lew-iss-su-cuss, A-se-lee-sore-us, Yew-see-lo-fy-sis, Sy-el-sore-us, Sa-suh-sore-us,
Dee-uh-dor-us). <i>Pseudolagosuchus</i>
fossil remains are fragmentary and thought is trending that it is now synonymous
to <i>Lewisuchus</i>. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">All silesaurids were primarily
quadrupeds and had rather long necks as compared to the torso. None most likely
were direct ancestors to dinosaurs but were closely related to the ancestral
link to dinosaurs. Silesaurid family members have only been discovered in the
last decade.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Silesaurids were all relatively small
and basically walked in a plantigrade quadruped fashion, but could rear and run
bipedally if needed. Silesaurids commonly possessed a brevis shelf (muscle
attachment site on ilium bone surface), a slender shafted ischium and a
prominent lesser trochanter, which were all dinosaurian characteristics as
well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although derived from carnivores, most
silesaurids were herbivores, likely due to a conferred evolutionary advantage
in what was going on during this portion of the Triassic when all the
continents were still conjoined and Earth and life were still recovering from
the mass extinction. The shift in diet of these dinosauriform ancestors to more
readily available foods led to an eventual dinosaurian success.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a family clade, silesaurids lived
between 245-203 mya in the Middle and Late Triassic. Appearing 245 mya, <i>Asilisaurus</i> is one of the oldest known
animals of the dinosaur/pterosaur avemetatarsalians. <i>Silesaurus</i> fossil remains are also from 245 mya, but also occurred
all the way into the end of the Triassic 203 mya, well after true dinosaurs
began walking the earth.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSW00_5qL6E8uMwi-QVWphep-Gi83SAxe4npQQqe0GE0pm7WM83LrE5yt_hHZdgDeOoytFPQ7IXUzC5Wz56nZZYgk7MC3269dcU9bCKP8OZWNN7aeGKqiszz5FAXv8Ah1kGGoPwEq39OFS/s1600/1-dino+asilisaurus1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSW00_5qL6E8uMwi-QVWphep-Gi83SAxe4npQQqe0GE0pm7WM83LrE5yt_hHZdgDeOoytFPQ7IXUzC5Wz56nZZYgk7MC3269dcU9bCKP8OZWNN7aeGKqiszz5FAXv8Ah1kGGoPwEq39OFS/s320/1-dino+asilisaurus1a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Andrey Atuchin <i>Asilisaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Asilisaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (245 mya) ~ At 1-3
m/3-10ft, this dinosauriform was a quadruped. By judging its dentition, it was
also an omnivore capable of eating plants mostly, but occasionally meat. Ending
in a beak-like toothless tip, the rest of the jaw teeth were triangular shaped,
while large in front getting progressively smaller down the jawline. With the
remains of <i>Asilisaurus</i> found in a
Tanzanian fossil bed, including primitive crocodilians alludes to the fact that
these two animal groups diversified rapidly into their respective dinosaur and crocodile
lines. <i>Asilisaurus</i> was an herbivore
and is one of the oldest archosaurs leading to the ornithosuchus line of
pterodactyls, dinosaurs and birds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YYbPej8dXzS0wYeCxkDkx88SIZSU1ooB-4N70FtYj5GrUUYvFPDxupLVP3jo6hZG3LXHJIPBIw7Ik18ncZutkgzEbjtJel3tjGczXgNbz-rUYeRv-bh9NhFX0T1Os9HE4UdxMB76WJB5/s1600/1-dino+lewisuchus+Scott+Reid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YYbPej8dXzS0wYeCxkDkx88SIZSU1ooB-4N70FtYj5GrUUYvFPDxupLVP3jo6hZG3LXHJIPBIw7Ik18ncZutkgzEbjtJel3tjGczXgNbz-rUYeRv-bh9NhFX0T1Os9HE4UdxMB76WJB5/s320/1-dino+lewisuchus+Scott+Reid.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Scott Reid <i>Lewisuchus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lewisuchus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (236-234 mya) ~
At 1m/3ft, it was another quadruped that differed from other dinosauriforms in
dental, vertebral and skull anatomy. <i>Lewisuchus</i>
had pterygoid teeth, postaxial neck/trunk vertebrae with craniocaudally
expanded neural spines and a dorsomedial post-temporal opening on the otoccipital
portion (posterior half of the braincase in basal tetrapods) of the skull. The lower
jawline dentary scheme and forelimb anatomy exhibits autapomorphic
modifications related to predatory behavior. <i>Lewisuchus</i> was carnivorous preying on small vertebrates.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OuyCKIdJjHJTH4emArn2IhKy9hn9eix76MppUkht98dP8GtQSr6mWSKAGVXWBGzNV_D0nCQ669ZnYDiac0lvmSMVQIflrqELYMXk5GhLF3Tpj9acmqUPcU5-8b5n3SDNyORXwnJPjTIe/s320/1-dino+silesaurus+Apsaravais.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Apsaravis <i>Silesaurus</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Silesaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (230 mya) ~ At 2.3m/7.5ft,
was also a quadruped, but due to the presence of three sacrals firmly connected
to ribs and with the ilia and long tail providing a counterbalance to the body
weight in front of the pelvis, suggests an ability for fast bipedal running. Although
it lacked femoral and dental traits of <i>Dinosauria</i>
members, this dinosauriform had the same characteristics of ornithischian
dinosaurs in possessing the beak tip. Also, as evidenced from its bone
characteristics, had a rapid maturation process, but with dense more
longitudinal vascularization ceasing before reaching the peripheral avascular
parallel fibered bone formed at the bone’s surface. This is an indication of a growth
halt and significant decrease in the maturation ratio. The same observation is
found in fossil research of all ornithischians along with most other dinosaurs.
<i>Silesaurus</i> was herbivorous.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWR9dgHfr4PMVquw9Q-jDSQAhRI9OpkP9B6W8ChF7nH0f9dRZ6dQZ9EQQ7lSUqfcg3oExwgOi1p6IW7QbeGGyQW2TBVFpFjZoYsDehoGqZnxDcdyJzkPZTrw_dlCBwHaUiHq9Chj1Sn6iJ/s320/1-dino+eucoelophysis+apsaravis+redondasaurus1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Apsaravis <i>Eucoelophysis</i> vs. <i>Redondasaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eucoelophysis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (228-208 mya) ~
At 3m/10ft, was still another quadruped but with much shorter and gracile
forelimbs. Originally it was considered a primitive coelo-physoid dinosaur but
its hind limb anatomy negated that thought. The undeveloped posterior femoral
notch and the tibia possessing a distinct appressed surface along the distal
two-thirds of the bone while lacking a fibular crest, are traits too primitive
to be a dinosaur. It’s now considered a sister taxon to <i>Silesaurus</i>. <i>Eucoelophysis</i>
was a carnivore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoRO3DiCwfyy5dqcIYn7UZ83ndz_-LgQP7vDQA7D4k8yZ4tZkdqhE1VeN_PHKGQTtaA-OVEpIgo3yP_dXkZ4_DQZqHJ-gXGlHMT86PRBnht6fU10GVBijc1Rzk0K2ZLumfqck_5FeTFav/s1600/1-dino+sacisaurus+ntamura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoRO3DiCwfyy5dqcIYn7UZ83ndz_-LgQP7vDQA7D4k8yZ4tZkdqhE1VeN_PHKGQTtaA-OVEpIgo3yP_dXkZ4_DQZqHJ-gXGlHMT86PRBnht6fU10GVBijc1Rzk0K2ZLumfqck_5FeTFav/s320/1-dino+sacisaurus+ntamura.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamaru <i>Sacisaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sacisaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (225 mya) ~ At
1.5m/4.9ft, its osteology was very similar to ornithischian dinosaurs. There is
a process at the tip of the mouth resembling the ornithischian predentary bone.
With teeth no longer than 3mm/0.12in this dinosauriform could not adequately defend
itself with biting teeth. However, the teeth were excellent for processing
plant material. The legs were long in proportion to body length indicating an ability
for speed in running. <i>Sacisaurus</i> was
an herbivore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eGI5xh_Gxsm4YXDtblreXhelZ95zlqerRBGyeXxFJKYEoEWaaUS1BDbf6SkK9_3E_qkUzDJ7AtXG7sJ_FFbAtpI-w7N9jggVcYUB_Wj4quFw9Dqb5ex_9FUnR7Fvsg4cU-dEzbVqhEbt/s1600/1-dino+diodorus+scott+reid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="700" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eGI5xh_Gxsm4YXDtblreXhelZ95zlqerRBGyeXxFJKYEoEWaaUS1BDbf6SkK9_3E_qkUzDJ7AtXG7sJ_FFbAtpI-w7N9jggVcYUB_Wj4quFw9Dqb5ex_9FUnR7Fvsg4cU-dEzbVqhEbt/s320/1-dino+diodorus+scott+reid.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Scott Reid <i>Diodorus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diodorus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (216 mya) ~ At
< 1m/3.3ft, it had forward canted teeth that decreased in size toward the
anterior end of the lower jaw. Also with smaller teeth, there was a distinct
lateral ridge running parallel to the dentary alveolar margin. <i>Diodorus</i> is considered as the sister
taxon to <i>Sacisaurus</i>. The <i>Diodorus</i> taxon provides further evidence
of a near-cosmopolitan range for basal dinosauriforms in the Late Triassic and
further demonstrates the disparity of dental morphologies getting smaller within
<i>Silesauridae</i>. <i>Diodorus</i> was herbivorous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinosauriforms had set the stage for
true dinosaur evolvement as their fossil finds throughout the globe are
evidence of a near-cosmopolitan range for dinosaurs to thrive in by taking
advantage of natural selective biomes, ecologies and environments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinosauria</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The first of true, but primitive
dinosaurs to appear were around 243 mya, moving the dinosaur lineage back
another 13 million years than what was previously thought. So we cannot think
that dinosaurs were a homogenous pot occurring as all together during a certain
period. When dinosaurs first appeared, they did not facilitate a rapid takeover
in out-competing other species in hastening their extinction. Dinosaurs lived
side by side among other animal species groups, such as crocodilians,
synapsids, sphenodonts, <i>Rauisuchus</i>,
rhynchosaurs, pterosaurs dinosauromorphs and dinosauriforms. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LyTo-EILlht_sctw1D-Ierm4fkVYo0R0UjioZBaBOEFN3BXErQWWxsudUr_nNV-KSd09XMXRuLXFlDUAtGpddMD1FvShQJM3SxRmLCKm6oebUt871PHG4k_HfQCnYlOOqhJSU8765bPd/s1600/1-dino+ornitoscelida-sauropoda+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="685" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LyTo-EILlht_sctw1D-Ierm4fkVYo0R0UjioZBaBOEFN3BXErQWWxsudUr_nNV-KSd09XMXRuLXFlDUAtGpddMD1FvShQJM3SxRmLCKm6oebUt871PHG4k_HfQCnYlOOqhJSU8765bPd/s320/1-dino+ornitoscelida-sauropoda+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In fact, from a 230 mya swamp fossil
bed, embedded in its rock, were remains of the basal sauropod dinosaur, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Buriolestes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> alongside the dinosauromorph,
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ixalerpeton</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and numerous other animal
groups.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuGz4TKciHzDHLLsOIOGKA_yWpbLzPvD7M8aNI03uCzJceuv7XMogXo-I8emUivB-x2HqYddjoIe3wXKRdGZRRmiYKzj55C7wCzmsSoe70CF8-3DOxNfM5EaRdQxJsO_VqJFQIL1CjeUD/s1600/1-dino+Triassic+scene+Maur%25C3%25ADlio+Oliveira.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuGz4TKciHzDHLLsOIOGKA_yWpbLzPvD7M8aNI03uCzJceuv7XMogXo-I8emUivB-x2HqYddjoIe3wXKRdGZRRmiYKzj55C7wCzmsSoe70CF8-3DOxNfM5EaRdQxJsO_VqJFQIL1CjeUD/s320/1-dino+Triassic+scene+Maur%25C3%25ADlio+Oliveira.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Maurílio Oliveira</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the illustration above, it includes: <i>Buriolestes</i> climbing over the fallen
tree trunk with six others behind it, seven <i>Ixalerpeton</i>
in the lower left corner, an aetosaur in the lower right corner, a small
rauisuchian to the right center, a sphenodont on the tree and a yellow
amphibian entering the water in the right-center.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The shared anatomical features of
dinosaurs are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">1)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
supratemporal fossa (skull excavation).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An
epipophyses present in the anterior neck vertebrae behind atlas and axis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">3)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Radius
(a lower arm bone) 80% shorter than humerus bone length.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">4)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Femur's
(thighbone) fourth trochanter is a sharp flange.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">5)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup>
trochanter asymmetrical with distal lower margin forming a steeper angle to shaft.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">6)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Exoccipitals
(bones at the back of the skull) do not meet along the midline on the floor of
the endocranial cavity as in former archosaurs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">7)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Proximal
articular surfaces of the ischium with the ilium and the pubis are separated by
a large concave surface.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">8)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Upper
ankle bones and the proximal articular facet (connecting surface for fibula)
occupy < 30% space of the transverse width of the element.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">9)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
pelvis proximal articular surfaces of the ischium, ilium and pubis are
separated by a large concave surface.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">10) Tibia’s
cnemial crest arcs anterolaterally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
11) Distinct vertical oriented ridge on posterior face of tibia’s distal
end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
12) Top surface of the calcaneum where adjoined to fibula has a hollow
profile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As well, Dinosauria are now considered
monophyletic due to numerous autapomorphies including: elongate vomers, three
or more sacral vertebrae, three or fewer phalanges on fourth digit of manus,
grasping hand produced by a thumb that could bend inward (bending occurs at
joint between metacarpal I and first thumb phalange), fully offset (inturned)
proximal head of femur with a distinct neck and ball, greatly reduced fibula,
well-developed ascending process of astragalus, upright posture and a digitigrade
stance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Traditionally, dinosaurs have been
divided into two subgroups known as, <i>Ornithischia</i>
(Or-nee-this-key-uh) and, <i>Saurischia</i>
(Sawr-is-key-uh). The two clades’ main dinosaurian differences are in the hip
joints, where ornithischians’ pelvis is bird-like, while the saurischian pelvis
is lizard-like. <i>Ornithischia</i> is Greek
and actually means bird hipped, where, <i>Saurischia</i>
in Greek means lizard hipped. <i>Saurischia</i>
is further divided into two subgroups being, <i>Theropoda</i> and <i>Sauropoda</i>.
This all has to do with the positioning of the pelvic bones, the ilium, ischium
and pubis. Ornithischians’ pelvis is more situated as birds, while saurischians
have the three bones positioned more like lizards. The bird hip is considered
an ‘opisthopubic’ pelvis, where, as in birds, the pubic bone extends back
towards the tail of the animal. A lizard hip is a ‘prepubic’ pelvis where the
pubic bone extends forward towards the animal’s head. This is where I want to
chime in on a thought before we go any further.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP25gDjHLO_JUU2cY9HPB7rSpeNw7BQVUJ0oXvHMZWObrp9-GqhgETOkybOofixrB0KQbUb6fI7olOvNhJDc8gsQTZ6hmr4ST0_AgRzrXCAijS2x4tqkdTyts0M1LoKccFQQGifqaC2dII/s1600/1-dino+hip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP25gDjHLO_JUU2cY9HPB7rSpeNw7BQVUJ0oXvHMZWObrp9-GqhgETOkybOofixrB0KQbUb6fI7olOvNhJDc8gsQTZ6hmr4ST0_AgRzrXCAijS2x4tqkdTyts0M1LoKccFQQGifqaC2dII/s320/1-dino+hip.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Above are the familiar dinosaur hip
illustrations we’re all familiar with. As but a young fella, I’ve always
wondered how theropods, which indeed were lizard hipped saurischians could have
evolved into birds when it was ornithischians that had the bird hipped
arrangement. Well, it appears that finally paleontologists are beginning to
figure this out. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2-IcR0EtR6GpM2Gu-9DgGru_8ixayXqixOuGeYHZPfjBfISwkAr7P7zeGe4knadz03hc3eFrjnZoMkaofuKWwgaTaac9KX4_QGJQtjh2xOrM8nFDvgRftSAybDK3XYYxdQAhwSpfHWuH/s1600/1-dino+new+Family-Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1500" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2-IcR0EtR6GpM2Gu-9DgGru_8ixayXqixOuGeYHZPfjBfISwkAr7P7zeGe4knadz03hc3eFrjnZoMkaofuKWwgaTaac9KX4_QGJQtjh2xOrM8nFDvgRftSAybDK3XYYxdQAhwSpfHWuH/s320/1-dino+new+Family-Tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Above is a new cladogram devised by
Ph.D. Baron Matthew when he was a doctorate student at the ‘University of
Cambridge’. In the illustration, are the phylogenetic relationships of early
dinosaurs through a time-calibrated strict consensus of 94 trees from an
analysis with 73 taxa and 457 characters. A – Is the least inclusive <i>Dinosauria</i> clade that includes <i>Passer domesticus</i>, <i>Triceratops horridus</i> and <i>Diplodocus
carnegii</i>. B – Is the least inclusive clade of <i>Ornithoscelida</i> (Phonetics: Or-nee-tha-o-sell-lee-duh) that includes
<i>P. domesticus</i> and <i>T. horridus</i>. C – Is the most inclusive <i>Saurischia</i> clade that contains <i>D. carnegii</i>, but not <i>T. horridus</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The cladogram further illustrates all
subdivisions of the time periods (white and grey bands) are scaled according to
their relative lengths with the exception of the Olenekian (Early Triassic),
which has been expanded relative to the other subdivisions to better show the
resolution within <i>Silesauridae</i> and
among other non-dinosaurian dinosauromorphs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What this tells us is that as more
dinosaur discoveries are being made, phylogenic and anatomical relationships
have made us realize that the simple hip bone categories are no longer adequate
enough to separate dinosaurian relationships. The traditional
bird-hip/lizard-hip relationship is no longer adequate in the thinking that
ornithischians and saurischians came from separate ancestors. Now we know that
dinosaurs all evolved from a common ancestor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, in more ways than one
ornithischians are anatomically more similar to theropods than theropods are to
sauropods. Further, in coming from the same clade, ornithischians and theropods
both had the same potential to develop bird-hip anatomies; it’s just that the
ornithischians did it first, before theropods hit the genetic switch when they
began evolving into birds. This revised clade grouping of ornithischians and
theropods is a revival of the name, <i>Ornithoscelida</i>,
originally coined by evolutionary biologist, Thomas H. Huxley in 1870. In this
scheme, herrerasaurids as a basal sister group to sauropods, are both grouped
under <i>Saurischia</i>. This makes
sauropods the least related dinosaur to ornithischians and theropods. Sauropods
simply retained their ancestral archosaur reptilian pelvic arrangements. Also,
this cladogram firmly attaches theropods as the basal common ancestry to all
birds extant and extinct.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Please keep this in mind, for it may not
yet be consensus, but as the majority of paleontologists have the Baron
cladogram in waiting for more review, soon I feel, it most certainly will be
the new dinosaur clade. Although this Baron et al grouping only uses species
level operational taxonomic units (OTU) that enlists metagenomics in utilizing
similar sequence variants, which in itself has a few limits in distinguishing
at the species level, I will be introducing dinosaur clades under the new <i>Ornithoscelida</i> clade scheme instead of
the older current ones.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOvmvDea-oJFtRRJw3eT_EII-lSJ5bK-flK3nrH-gIsU-kKcL8GttrCWlxUyz7wwQLrOlZf64PN_TKJQ8rEofB9To1bgw7iGviXnCBB4LTgt4f13s_9gTwTtGdqp_JZle7le-KlVQYgeC/s1600/1-dino+cladogram+x-check.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="1164" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOvmvDea-oJFtRRJw3eT_EII-lSJ5bK-flK3nrH-gIsU-kKcL8GttrCWlxUyz7wwQLrOlZf64PN_TKJQ8rEofB9To1bgw7iGviXnCBB4LTgt4f13s_9gTwTtGdqp_JZle7le-KlVQYgeC/s320/1-dino+cladogram+x-check.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>X </b>- Out with the old cladistics and in with the new - <b>✔</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The early dinosaurs, as exposed from
fossil findings, had a large variation which most likely allowed higher
successful rates in harsh environmental conditions that the Triassic offered.
One main variation was growth rates within species. From ontogenetic sequence
analyses, early dinosaurs had a much higher level of growth patterns than did
the other reptile groups at the time. In addition to possessing different growth
pathways from hatchling to adult, there too, was a large amount of size
variation within species like a younger adult individual being much bigger than
an older individual. This is the same biological strategies humans possess as
well, for in any community you will find much taller teenagers compared to
grown adults. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a result, when the Triassic/Jurassic
extinction occurred, the species and individuals of species with the most variants
to withstand the harsh environmental conditions managed to survive and those
that didn’t, succumbed. Except for crocodilians and dinosaurs, all archosaurs
went extinct at the Triassic/Jurassic border. Other groups also perished as
displayed in the extinction graph below.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6pgSGqEsnNwqoyg5_Xj-457GSjBE7iQhPf4Nzd_xVNaaXcb8dIgEXVB6m_NKluls4FznHi6zDka-Ar_Os5YJQ94a235Bp9arND37_POo3SYB-0uwQA9QMiZgwSlnijZWHEvsVHEb5zPL/s1600/1-dino+Tri-Jur+extinction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1079" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6pgSGqEsnNwqoyg5_Xj-457GSjBE7iQhPf4Nzd_xVNaaXcb8dIgEXVB6m_NKluls4FznHi6zDka-Ar_Os5YJQ94a235Bp9arND37_POo3SYB-0uwQA9QMiZgwSlnijZWHEvsVHEb5zPL/s320/1-dino+Tri-Jur+extinction.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Triassic/Jurassic Extinction</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An interesting basal archosauriform that
didn’t make it past the extinction event was <i>Vancleavea</i> (Phonetics: Van-cleve-uh). At 1.2m/3.9ft log, it was
semiaquatic and had a tail deepened by elongated osteoderms as opposed to tall
neural spines that was normal in all other aquatic tetrapod groups. Two other
unusual traits were imbricating osteoderms covering the entire body and the
jaws were lined with enlarged caninform teeth (non-mammalian animals that
possess dog-like canines) that protruded from the mouth.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xogJOwOPdOeju0eGUilrAbbwkvG8ZABSKMqawk4-rje7EpTSVmjC7g65TkU39cy810IvEPHfJ5D648a6WezY-dtLuJhp3ag2I_cd1dJ8p8XwsFCClEctBmZ94M7k8Wy8rPbUYvKje6g_/s1600/1-dino+Vancleavea+smokeybjb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1600" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xogJOwOPdOeju0eGUilrAbbwkvG8ZABSKMqawk4-rje7EpTSVmjC7g65TkU39cy810IvEPHfJ5D648a6WezY-dtLuJhp3ag2I_cd1dJ8p8XwsFCClEctBmZ94M7k8Wy8rPbUYvKje6g_/s320/1-dino+Vancleavea+smokeybjb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Smokeybjb <i>Vancleavea</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One dinosaur that took variant
evolvement in its own life stages to the extreme was </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Limusaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Li-mu-sawr-us). Living 160 mya, if only one or two fossils
had been found we’d never know its ecological adaptions, but since nineteen
individuals have been found representing separate age groups, we know its full life
history.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuQ_vovAPCsX5q2URLXzbYpXRwWtneZY1aTyZm8u6iEJvXFmfsMDv0_dTWgAE24XQtqg1n-D0ICA3pUw6sOLSzbNPyFyY-qeOfrNu7XBegK_8XyL5E5EhF7VsME3B-TsKvHaf1Eqo3Ja7/s1600/1-dino+Limusaurus-inextricabilis+Yu+Chen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1412" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuQ_vovAPCsX5q2URLXzbYpXRwWtneZY1aTyZm8u6iEJvXFmfsMDv0_dTWgAE24XQtqg1n-D0ICA3pUw6sOLSzbNPyFyY-qeOfrNu7XBegK_8XyL5E5EhF7VsME3B-TsKvHaf1Eqo3Ja7/s320/1-dino+Limusaurus-inextricabilis+Yu+Chen.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Yu Chen <i>Limusaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Limusaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">, a biped stood
at 1.5m/4.9ft when fully grown. Limusaurs came into the world with a full set
of firmly rooted carnivorous teeth, but as it aged it lost all of its teeth as
they were replaced with an herbivorous beak in adulthood. As yearlings, limusaurs
were fully carnivorous going into the subadult stage. At one year it began
losing back teeth foregoing carnivory for an omnivorous diet until reaching
adulthood. As an adult, all teeth were replaced by a beak in favoring an fully
herbivorous diet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Apparently this kept competition at bay when
it came to food resources between the young and adult limusaurs. To accommodate
the diet transitions, proportions of the skull and upper jawbone configuration
began to modify in a pronounced downward curve to develop the exterior beak.
The larger adult individuals swallowed stones to aid the gizzard in grinding
vegetative food, whereas the carnivorous young did not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Newer speciation arose from within a
species through vicariant speciation which is allopatric (geographic
speciation). This form of speciation emanates when biological species become
isolated through geographical means. A classic example is in the theropod family
of carcharodontosaurids. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPr3eQWLZmD1uZMkkiel81ZMjTclLBpDMILgt-yb7rdBA6gJt2myGosJxuMwuP11_ubeR2btfFZfTJiSUydLfgJqKggZ9EqxJAQVMcD4Y5GngHN3sSccGP63bF_42zA1fVRhALU7ovCRyO/s320/1-dino+arcocanthrosaurus1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Dinoraul <i>Acrocanthrsaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the Early Cretaceous, <i>Acrocanthosaurus</i> (Ack-row-can-fo-sore-us)
showed up around 116 mya. At that time, the world’s landmasses were still
enough connected allowing for transcontinental dispersal. Acrocanthosaurs originated
in what is now the central southern portion of the U.S. in Texas and Oklahoma.
This dinosaur spread throughout what is now South America and Africa. By the
Late Cretaceous land bridges intra landmass contacts had been taken over by the
oceans and the further continental spreading. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6QocCyWaLpCTLRBGHYUVI468JAayuYp04osD3rEeLKSG2NGVcLF5ByAvhc8EAe2RUGUSydtUuXp4qLHadf83VFR3cPRp67OFbc1LKtweQFia53YBVEK51T9f4-NX65WJPFcZo8Gk8wcX/s1600/1-dino+gigantosaurus_macrogryphosaurus_willdynamo55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="720" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6QocCyWaLpCTLRBGHYUVI468JAayuYp04osD3rEeLKSG2NGVcLF5ByAvhc8EAe2RUGUSydtUuXp4qLHadf83VFR3cPRp67OFbc1LKtweQFia53YBVEK51T9f4-NX65WJPFcZo8Gk8wcX/s320/1-dino+gigantosaurus_macrogryphosaurus_willdynamo55.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Willydynamo55 <i>Giganotosaurus</i> vs. <i>Macrogrypgosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This isolated acrocanthosaur populations
in varying ecological environs of the forming continents, to the point the
South America population of Argentina developed enough genetic variation to
become the new genus, <i>Giganotosaurus</i>
(Gye-guh-nuh-tah-sore-us) as the result 98-97mya. The same happened in the
North African population forming the genus, <i>Carcharodontosaurus</i>
(Car-kah-roe-don-to sore-us) 112-93.5 mya. The ecological isolation further
affected size, with <i>Arcocanthosaurus</i>
at 11.5m-38ft, <i>Giganotosaurus</i> at
12.5m/41ft and <i>Carcharodontosaurus</i> at
~ 13.3m-44ft.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZIS_2181Q5nb_3QHBbMVv6QqXE3b5tkdCv4EmCgEtSTG3CL_AEyq4Dx2dz3Gf2RaEEEYYM3RX8nDGc4uGPZU5SwfdrGagshrMvQWkH48jGWaMbR1SajeLlrwfEGsoMtcSBSaoY-7i7Zj/s1600/1-dino+carcharodontosaurus+BBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="640" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZIS_2181Q5nb_3QHBbMVv6QqXE3b5tkdCv4EmCgEtSTG3CL_AEyq4Dx2dz3Gf2RaEEEYYM3RX8nDGc4uGPZU5SwfdrGagshrMvQWkH48jGWaMbR1SajeLlrwfEGsoMtcSBSaoY-7i7Zj/s320/1-dino+carcharodontosaurus+BBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit:BBC <i>Carcharodontosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like pterosaurs, skeletal pneumaticity
was found in dinosaur fossils. Functions of skeletal pneumatics include weight
reduction in large-bodied or flying dinosaur taxa and density reduction
resulting in energetic savings during foraging and locomotion. The pneumatic
system is comprised mostly of the lung. Indeed, all the little pockets that
arise come from expansions of the primary bronchus, a tissue that surrounds the
lung itself. It is this tissue forming the little sacs. This is known as the
‘pneumatic diverticulae’ that ends up throughout the body as well as inside the
bones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Though evidence is lacking in caudal
pneumaticity in sauropod fossil finds, it is quite evident in the rest of the vertebral
column. Also, in all sauropods, air-filled hollow bones were throughout the
postcranial and anterior body. Like dinosaurs’ nearest surviving relatives of
crocodilians and birds, sauropods did not have a diaphragm, so the dead-space
volume of a 30-ton sauropod would be about 184 liters of air. This is the total
volume of the mouth, trachea and air tubes. If the animal exhales less than
this, stale air is not expelled and is sucked back into the lungs on the
following inhalation. This is how we know that sauropods relied on respiratory
pneumatics to properly inhale and exhale. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pneumaticity of the cervical and
anterior dorsal vertebrae occurred early in theropod evolution. Although not
pinpointed, evidence shows that only some of the theropod thoracic air sacs
were present as plesiomorphic, but then modified and embellished on by each
theropod clade separately. The acquisition of extensive postcranial
pneumaticity in small-bodied maniraptorans (clade consisting of birds and
non-avian dinosaurs) makes avian-like high performance endothermy a good
sequel. Oviraptorids (bird-like, herbivorous and omnivorous maniraptoran
dinosaurs) showed an astounding number of skeletal air sacs and postcranial
pneumaticity sites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Flow through ventilation first occurred
in theropods. Due to an incredibly preserved Upper Cretaceous ‘Maevarano
Formation’ fossil find of <i>Majungasaurus</i>
(Muh-jung-ah-sawr-us) in NW Madagascar, the series of vertebrae and portions of
the ribs preserved pneumatic foramina (cavities) that may have resulted from
the infiltration of avian-style lungs and air sacs. This would have been a
basic ‘flow through ventilation’ system where air flow through the lungs is
one-way allowing oxygen-rich air inhaled from outside the body to never be
mixed with exhaled air laden with carbon dioxide. This is the same breathing
system birds of today extol and although it’s complex, it is highly efficient. <i>Majungasaurus</i> roamed 70-66 mya.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Carcharodontosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">, mentioned
earlier above, utilized ‘flow through ventilation’ to the maximum in efficiency
by employing a row of pneumatic air sacs so devised that it ensured a
continuous and constant flow of oxygen be supplied to and through the lungs
during respiration. This gave this dinosaur a huge advantage over its fastest
prey, as it could easily outrun them. It also complimented its hunting style,
which was viper like to strike and recoil, then wait for the wounded prey to
die. Carcharodontosaurs, with large forelimb claws or a quick bite, would lacerate
or slice its shark-like serrated teeth into a vulnerable area, wait out for the
mortal wound to take effect then begin feeding on the dead prey. This strategy
saved this carnivorous theropod from any injuries that might occur during
battle with a struggling prey that might have had its own weaponry of
defenses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, concerning ornithischians, there
has thus far been no evidence of skeletal pneumaticity found in their dense
bones. Perhaps they had developed intricate lungs for air capacity or soft
tissue air sacs that wouldn’t fossilize. Ornithischians show an evolving
reduction in skull pneumaticity with the closing of the antorbital cavity.
Reasons for this could be as the feeding skull components expanded
phylogenetically, the antorbital cavity contracted. Or simply, weaker point
skull pneumaticity gave way as bonier head components and increased body weight
arose for defense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As far as intelligence goes dinosaurs
were not the lumbering dimwitted nitwits we once thought they were. All
dinosaurs could be quick reacting under stressful situations, even mental reasoning
to cause and effect. One really stands out when it comes to intellect and
judgment. Occurring 77.5-76.4 mya, <i>Troodon</i>
(Tru-o-don) was perhaps the most intelligently derived dinosaur thus far
discovered. Its cerebrum to brain ratio was up to 63% higher than other
non-avian theropods. The brain itself as compared to body size was much larger
than extant reptiles and most probably possessed the same measured intelligence
as most birds. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgijnYyrD_EYgHTXkVIl8WxLo1zxZ-zY-tfuTCVPWw76xpxyIphGMtWeUNKGkat_VYyEZ5WsHkoWXRDRnJDSJMVQnIS6gQVD8rWe6jubgH1w26DSdb-J3CGTrOWkQkCaK-fjuumDMrLCK/s1600/1-dino+sticks+mugger+ceocodile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="600" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgijnYyrD_EYgHTXkVIl8WxLo1zxZ-zY-tfuTCVPWw76xpxyIphGMtWeUNKGkat_VYyEZ5WsHkoWXRDRnJDSJMVQnIS6gQVD8rWe6jubgH1w26DSdb-J3CGTrOWkQkCaK-fjuumDMrLCK/s320/1-dino+sticks+mugger+ceocodile.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mugger crocodile using sticks as tools for bait</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We don’t know if dinosaurs used simple
tools as today’s American alligator or mugger crocodile does in stacking sticks
on top of its snout to entice then snare breeding shorebirds, but <i>Troodon</i> certainly had the intelligence
to do so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In diet, most of the earliest dinosaurs
were insectivores and carnivores, with a few omnivorous species and very little
herbivores. Of course once into the Jurassic in kicking off their reign,
dinosaurs covered every base in being insectivores, herbivores, carnivores, scavengers
and even with spinosaurs, became semiaquatic piscivores. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even cannibalism is evident in, <i>Majungasaurus</i>. Unlike
carcharodontosaurs, majungasaurs with strong jaws and a wide bite filled with
gripping teeth, would hold prey with the bite. With the exacting majungasaur teeth
marks found in the fossils of other majungasaurs, we know it cannibalized, but
we don’t know the reasons why. Prey scarcity due to changing environmental
conditions could’ve made it desperate for food or it could’ve come upon an
already rotting dead majungasaur carcass. Thus far though, <i>Majungasaurus</i> is the only genus of dinosaur found to eat its own
kind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qqs8uRBD56A?ecver=1" width="854"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All carnivorous theropods would tear off
chunks or strips of flesh from their prey and swallow it whole. Primitive ornithomimosaurs
and oviraptorosaurs evolved from carnivorous theropods, but with weak jaws and
small dulled teeth probably were omnivorous.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOM2yTMMNOBTivnCDXUO1Phd3Cglz0ipKLa2gAG1cdkpg8IYxl1VHOvSGlU0EURDImzhlufHdZMpUdLjAf4Mg34BulJFgGOII4HteHLjzG148biUvZADtO_qWz_ADPEP7-ZXVXKgeDndL/s1600/1-dino+therizinosaurs+Damir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="800" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOM2yTMMNOBTivnCDXUO1Phd3Cglz0ipKLa2gAG1cdkpg8IYxl1VHOvSGlU0EURDImzhlufHdZMpUdLjAf4Mg34BulJFgGOII4HteHLjzG148biUvZADtO_qWz_ADPEP7-ZXVXKgeDndL/s320/1-dino+therizinosaurs+Damir.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Damir Martin <i>Therizenosaurus</i> herbivorous family</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One group of theropods that did evolve
from a flesh eating carnivore into a plant eating herbivore was in the family, <i>Therizenosauridae</i> (Phonetics:
Thu-rise-zen-o-sawr-ah-day) with species living 94-66 mya. These were large
theropods that reached up to 10m/33ft in length. With very broad bodies and
long necks standing on weight bearing hind limbs supported by four weight
bearing toes, was an unusual evolvement from its contemporary theropods that
walked on three toes with the fourth representing a dew claw.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even though this has occurred throughout
the course of Earth’s biological history, such as hominids going from a
strictly herbivore diet to an omnivore one, or even a fully carnivore one as
some West Texas cattle ranchers would like to attest to, for a flesh eating theropod
converting over to a plant diet is unusual upon itself in the body
accommodating the transitioned diet. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8w7vR1qu6hMONBQWIHStSmiIPyHQ2lHq7qmycnPofWL8m4dPBg7sRFq3dq0DDWHsErZOqdaPXoM1Rv3vuduTkDFjJGfVvbKwmvS3o4aS2D-Q-8k5n_Z3OXArcp8Da5Az6CpV9cDvd47L/s1600/1-dino+Therizinosaurus_claw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="1600" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8w7vR1qu6hMONBQWIHStSmiIPyHQ2lHq7qmycnPofWL8m4dPBg7sRFq3dq0DDWHsErZOqdaPXoM1Rv3vuduTkDFjJGfVvbKwmvS3o4aS2D-Q-8k5n_Z3OXArcp8Da5Az6CpV9cDvd47L/s320/1-dino+Therizinosaurus_claw.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Therizenosaur manus claws</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But what made therizenosaurs even more
remarkable from other theropods with normally short forelimbs was in the size
of their three forelimb claws ending on rather long arms. At just under
1m/2.2ft, therizenosaurs had the longest claws of any known animal extinct or
extant. In being considered a top contender for the emergence of an herbivory
lifestyle within <i>Theropoda</i>,
therizenosaurs had short, but packed serrated teeth for slicing and chewing in
a small mouth. With the theropod defense gone in its biting abilities,
therizenosaurs evolved and developed the large claws ending on robust and long
arms for defense, although the longer arms and claws may have originally
evolved to reach for higher limbs, clamp onto them and bring them down towards
the mouth. Just as in venomous snakes, where the toxin from modified salivary
glands was first developed for capturing prey and as a secondary element for
defense, so too might have been the therizenosaur forelimbs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In jumping ahead here, as this bit of
info should be addressed later on under the bird section, but in considering therizenosaurs’
evolvement into herbivores; due to their theropod anatomy, certain morphologies
evolved that may have started the trend towards theropod birdom. A keratinous
beak tipped rostrum was developed to enhance cranial stability by mitigating
the stresses and strains of chewing in pre-processing vegetation material and
cellulose. For a more adaptable upright reach, the pectoral girdle was modified
to augment longer reaches. Therizenosaurs also evolved an opisthopubic pelvis
(pubic bone extends posteriorly) much like ornithischians and birds. This was
done to enhance the weight bearing hind limbs. But most of all, (although not
for flight, instead, for thermoregulation and courtship), therizenosaurs are
one of the first animals to produce bird-like feathers; albeit primitive feathers
considered as stage-1where the feathering was spine-like. The latter more
evolved therizenosaurs possessed stage-3 serially fused feathering barbs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Herbivore dinosaurs had jaws that only
slightly opened and closed where all the teeth met to masticate the food,
except for sauropods; they only had teeth suitable for stripping food items
from plants then swallowing it whole relying on large abdomens equipped with
gastroliths (swallowed stones) to grind and bacteria to aid in the digestion of
cellulose. Other herbivores like most ornithopods had no teeth but were
equipped with horny beaks to snip off food items then swallow it whole and
allow the digestive tract similar to sauropods to break down food tissue. With
no large stomachs to accommodate vegetative materials, the beaked ornithopods,
such as hadrosaurs had beaks for snipping and weak jaws and teeth for grasping,
but not for chewing. They most likely ate fruits and softer plant materials not
requiring an elaborate digestion tract.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuCg28mzUROJCqLWFG1xi-x3eIjscOFUBOw-qXMsaV2gdni8q_qSJwwTEguwYJkKMSLg6OkkOaeWC_PwIIyg37fcquiMdrli5lsTglDCDWpQdGxA06_KUohiHzg0qXSd9qyQKQI0GMclW/s1600/1-dino+chilesaurus+skeleton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1365" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuCg28mzUROJCqLWFG1xi-x3eIjscOFUBOw-qXMsaV2gdni8q_qSJwwTEguwYJkKMSLg6OkkOaeWC_PwIIyg37fcquiMdrli5lsTglDCDWpQdGxA06_KUohiHzg0qXSd9qyQKQI0GMclW/s320/1-dino+chilesaurus+skeleton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Chilesaurus</i> skeleton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0-uh1d6rxofSwOjibkcSQlYoAIXeFgzIrDzHK9sOAkGUhLv3RSTCmgkLpQ-VjKTR4-BJ5TOy0ddYR7yLnbjU0Y3drRgVPMrcbyb7wHJc6z6MUcfIr0tiweRlqnwKH-gfG7q9hBwGVQmX/s1600/1-dino+chilesaurus+teeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="558" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0-uh1d6rxofSwOjibkcSQlYoAIXeFgzIrDzHK9sOAkGUhLv3RSTCmgkLpQ-VjKTR4-BJ5TOy0ddYR7yLnbjU0Y3drRgVPMrcbyb7wHJc6z6MUcfIr0tiweRlqnwKH-gfG7q9hBwGVQmX/s200/1-dino+chilesaurus+teeth.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Chilesaurus</i> jaw and teeth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One dinosaur that lived 145 mya
measuring 3.2m/10.5ft was, <i>Chilesaurus</i>
(Chill-a-sawr-us) that had an array of theropod coelurosaurian and basal
ornithiscian and sauropodomorph traits. Currently there is a trend to pull it
from the rank of theropod to ornithischian, but regardless, it is going to be
nestled snug right between them as an herbivorous ornithoscelidan. The teeth
are very unique in being leaf shaped that are elongated and point forward. With
ornithiscian similarities, it had a beak and the pubis bone was pointed
posteriorly as ornithiscian bird hips do to make room for a larger gut as witnessed
in sauropods while all this was supported by a theropod skeletal anatomy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuivfQb9EfeXqG9nq2X9xwVl89J5tCxMPDh_GIAXj5XXQQhsYBkbo12lVyqD6icHHeoathwF756jj9_i0ZGa3b64wtYUX3QuCgLqi1sKojFpaXVDmNaQ-bpEwHoQFdhOlEIU-jcw9nZaY/s1600/1-dino+Chilesaurus+gabriel+lio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="835" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuivfQb9EfeXqG9nq2X9xwVl89J5tCxMPDh_GIAXj5XXQQhsYBkbo12lVyqD6icHHeoathwF756jj9_i0ZGa3b64wtYUX3QuCgLqi1sKojFpaXVDmNaQ-bpEwHoQFdhOlEIU-jcw9nZaY/s320/1-dino+Chilesaurus+gabriel+lio.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Gabriel Lio <i>Chilesaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">During their reign, large carnivorous
dinosaurs ate pretty much any other animal during their dominance in the
Jurassic and Cretaceous, but any of them could have also been prey by being on
other carnivorous animal’s menu. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTPT95T5fTo0tHbuHn7fSFmOhRwukLQSqmgvLsJX3ZBwwmCMAbnE2cncuLd6c7NYZjWYOcT5QhcFYaXnC9ppkUAJFO1B7YcI5OSm92eoIxgI1V8ajYW39wClOUBQnjW0eKC-Fe1rQk8ai/s1600/1-dino+eater+razanandrongobe+fabio+manucci.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="900" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTPT95T5fTo0tHbuHn7fSFmOhRwukLQSqmgvLsJX3ZBwwmCMAbnE2cncuLd6c7NYZjWYOcT5QhcFYaXnC9ppkUAJFO1B7YcI5OSm92eoIxgI1V8ajYW39wClOUBQnjW0eKC-Fe1rQk8ai/s320/1-dino+eater+razanandrongobe+fabio+manucci.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Fabio Manucci <i>Razandrongobe</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">During the Jurassic lived, the oldest
known notosuchian, <i>Razanandrongobe</i> (Ray-zah-non-dron-goab),
a crocodyliform living 167-164 mya. It possessed teeth larger than any predator
dinosaur of the day and were used for crushing bone. It was an apex predator that
could subdue any dinosaur during its time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1VE69Qi4wfs7lASYMIh-jLBhFaP4FDFrULiF_7c4oAJksavUvkyS3n2AvnCTM0y6EX5wjdj2_r0mXgI5kp6PkZo95FuKSKaGu8-RyQcp-u-ywjR6RXaK04kJbDaQgbeXRl-ZQR_5OHYb/s1600/1-dino+eater+Beelzebufo+SK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="907" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1VE69Qi4wfs7lASYMIh-jLBhFaP4FDFrULiF_7c4oAJksavUvkyS3n2AvnCTM0y6EX5wjdj2_r0mXgI5kp6PkZo95FuKSKaGu8-RyQcp-u-ywjR6RXaK04kJbDaQgbeXRl-ZQR_5OHYb/s320/1-dino+eater+Beelzebufo+SK.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Sergey Krasovskiy <i>Beelzebufo</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Other animal predators that ate
dinosaurs were crocodylians, pterosaurs and even a particularly large toad
known as, <i>Beelzebufo</i> (Be-l-zah-buff-fo)
could easily have handled many types of baby dinosaurs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyChYa8OZwJOxFaEB_HyHF_zR5wtnLLgYxJ1GUowmpC8pRQuegZ9x4ZMz-H-xYHPEymkt7LVTFSaAM0JpOmoUbq6JbFUNcVkegvjXuIAPnLTI4POs0yWKr8mOTEWqBZcdtaBKxY6ZPvKX-/s1600/1-dino+eater+hatzegopteryx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1217" data-original-width="1600" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyChYa8OZwJOxFaEB_HyHF_zR5wtnLLgYxJ1GUowmpC8pRQuegZ9x4ZMz-H-xYHPEymkt7LVTFSaAM0JpOmoUbq6JbFUNcVkegvjXuIAPnLTI4POs0yWKr8mOTEWqBZcdtaBKxY6ZPvKX-/s200/1-dino+eater+hatzegopteryx.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton Quetzalcoatlus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNYcVrXLMFEgDPz8TPp-Nc3FiPVGfFdHqiY9aMzptyTFfWrOlgUWjT5Piz-4EC_iTp2oUXdn5GdZB-080JI0SdxRoXdXEQigVcYa0nmVfMjIvTdEc5PWeXbia8OYRWi9rv8PRbQpmtPJt/s1600/1-dino+eater+Hatzegopteryx1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1600" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNYcVrXLMFEgDPz8TPp-Nc3FiPVGfFdHqiY9aMzptyTFfWrOlgUWjT5Piz-4EC_iTp2oUXdn5GdZB-080JI0SdxRoXdXEQigVcYa0nmVfMjIvTdEc5PWeXbia8OYRWi9rv8PRbQpmtPJt/s200/1-dino+eater+Hatzegopteryx1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton <i>Hatzegopteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The pterosaur, <i>Hatzegopteryx</i> (Hat-zee-gop-ter-ix) also must’ve dined on dinosaurs.
Isolated islands make large species shrink in size and small species enlarge in
size. This phenomenon is called the ‘island rule’. During the Cretaceous, there
existed small European subtropical islands during the break up of Pangea within
the Tethys Sea. These islands had animal populations separated from their
mainland kin. The sauropod, <i>Titanosaurus</i>
(Tie-Tan-o-sawr-us) was large on the mainland grounds measuring up to 12m/40ft.
Isolated from the mainland on one particular island called, Hateg Island that
is now a part of Romania, titanosaurs experienced insular dwarfism cutting
their size in half to no more than 6m/20ft. Their young weren’t even half that
size. In fact the island titanosaurs were so miniature in size as compared to
mainland titanosaurs that they’ve been assigned another genus, <i>Magyarosaurus</i> (Mag-yar-o-sawr-us). <i>Hatzegopteryx</i>
would soar from the main lands to the island where the magyarosaur young were
easy pickings. <i>Hatzegopteryx</i> would
also prey on other dinosaurs small enough to catch and swallow in one gulp.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvW0glU7pUYrOZTOly_UQ3tnDcgF-DfCVCVGe9ywx7fLgygUnw3pTMi-WiNth8okuiC6ApLcdXvbtP83f7uNRjr4syNFKRj9EzBar6JKlM6-sjHXGDprNRyOYgfM6bpv56wegckluoFuG3/s1600/1-dino+eater+deinosuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="860" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvW0glU7pUYrOZTOly_UQ3tnDcgF-DfCVCVGe9ywx7fLgygUnw3pTMi-WiNth8okuiC6ApLcdXvbtP83f7uNRjr4syNFKRj9EzBar6JKlM6-sjHXGDprNRyOYgfM6bpv56wegckluoFuG3/s320/1-dino+eater+deinosuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Robert Nicholls <i>Deinosuchus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1QHNHCIBj3ECETP1HPrSOyyPKWEDZN5Nqk4kYCZ4FFlvKOTzsMxdGsj9iP18SLSJE8gx40eI2rFkSD4qkf4o7Jkxk8cm3MNjX4601F2JTlg4a6RZzkOvM23_Z1Oz6sgoGPDNT9ihllyu/s1600/1-dino+deinosuchus+josh+cotton+%2528greeni+studio%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="900" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1QHNHCIBj3ECETP1HPrSOyyPKWEDZN5Nqk4kYCZ4FFlvKOTzsMxdGsj9iP18SLSJE8gx40eI2rFkSD4qkf4o7Jkxk8cm3MNjX4601F2JTlg4a6RZzkOvM23_Z1Oz6sgoGPDNT9ihllyu/s320/1-dino+deinosuchus+josh+cotton+%2528greeni+studio%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Josh Cotton (greeni-studio) <i>Deinosuchus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Then of course there were the large
crocodilians like the 10.6m/35ft alligator, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Deinosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Die-no-su-cuss) that took their toll on possibly even the larger theropods.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLF27hZIt9EVZJXZaM66w3l87GLVU1dH9-PP6sbZBZKMPkPmrqD_C0UQ-Q9uqd7C23V0Pir9EL0UQoMIXP-_3IEO5YZwovmoYiH4vjhVwhGOkxHxmCOTz-JvZRv9bTYA9LHIxDxuc8UZo/s1600/1-dino+eater+repenomamus+james+gurney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="599" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLF27hZIt9EVZJXZaM66w3l87GLVU1dH9-PP6sbZBZKMPkPmrqD_C0UQ-Q9uqd7C23V0Pir9EL0UQoMIXP-_3IEO5YZwovmoYiH4vjhVwhGOkxHxmCOTz-JvZRv9bTYA9LHIxDxuc8UZo/s320/1-dino+eater+repenomamus+james+gurney.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: James Guerney <i>Repenomamus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Even mammals of the day took their share of
small dinos. Living 125-123.2 mya, <i>Repenomamus</i>
it is the largest Mesozoic mammal known at 1m-3.3ft long. It was carnivorous and
at one of its fossil finds in the ‘Yixian Formation’ of China were the remains
of a young <i>Psittacosaurus</i> in its
stomach.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5g8j2SO7m6Uaex64MG7Qju7uu0FTOTSPUc9YhRWTw4ZpEkJDUvFlo-gEvMHNi3Hbn0-OJieauFePyZh2_j2tNRGItG_pSPQTbBdzhgU8KTvxWy7ZSvdGv2KWb1Ay8eNCgmKRUXuq4f1hQ/s1600/1-dino+eater+Repenomamus_robustus_+jvnl+psitt+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="1600" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5g8j2SO7m6Uaex64MG7Qju7uu0FTOTSPUc9YhRWTw4ZpEkJDUvFlo-gEvMHNi3Hbn0-OJieauFePyZh2_j2tNRGItG_pSPQTbBdzhgU8KTvxWy7ZSvdGv2KWb1Ay8eNCgmKRUXuq4f1hQ/s320/1-dino+eater+Repenomamus_robustus_+jvnl+psitt+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Repenomamus fossil with Psittacosaurus</i> remains</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Dinosaurs roamed throughout the Jurassic
and Cretaceous world topographies. Fossils have been discovered in lowlands,
highlands, deserts, forests, tropical climes and cold climes in both the Arctic
and Antarctic. During Cretaceous ice free summers, the earth poles experienced
only intermittent sea ice throughout the rest of the year. Average pole temps
were 10</span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">°C/18</span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">°F because
there was much higher concentrations of CO<sub>2</sub> in the atmosphere at
1000 ppm…two and a quarter times than currently, even though today’s
atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> saturation levels are alarmingly increasing. Even
though in today’s arctic temperatures, 10</span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">°C/18</span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">°F would be mild weather that
range for a reptile is still cold. Most extant ectothermic reptiles cannot
tolerate higher latitude arctic conditions as their survival is dependent on
ambient temperatures.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Let’s get reacquainted with organism
body regulations:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 14.0pt;">§<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Poikilothermy
~ internal body temperature highly varies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 14.0pt;">§<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Homeothermy
~ maintaining a stable internal body temperature regardless of external
influence<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 14.0pt;">§<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stenothermy
~ survival only within a narrow temperature range<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 14.0pt;">§<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eurythermy
~ can function at a wide range of different body temperatures<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 14.0pt;">§<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ectothermy
~ relying almost purely on ambient heat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 14.0pt;">§<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Endothermy
~ heat set free by internal bodily functions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So for dinosaurs to have existed in cold
environments, they could not have been poikilothermic/stenothermic. Dinosaurs
that inhabited the pole regions were either homeothermic/stenothermic, or
endothermic/eurythermic, or at least be poikilothermic/ectothermic as the mammalian
naked mole rat is today.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoJcDjT8zml3oC3HbbtnQdRlbB4aY2u6gOkjpyT8oUaF0mfwiSXoB3RiUPC9GIps6UyddV1_3dE9be3WK0N-wleQMsML4l4AS-WP1rRy7kt1cgRI3z117N5JaQvzzc5EW64_d6KHmI2sa/s1600/1-dino+X-section+haversian+bone+canals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="1456" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoJcDjT8zml3oC3HbbtnQdRlbB4aY2u6gOkjpyT8oUaF0mfwiSXoB3RiUPC9GIps6UyddV1_3dE9be3WK0N-wleQMsML4l4AS-WP1rRy7kt1cgRI3z117N5JaQvzzc5EW64_d6KHmI2sa/s320/1-dino+X-section+haversian+bone+canals.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fossilized Haversian canals </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also, we now realize dinosaurs weren’t
as cumbersome and sluggish as an ectotherm (cold blooded) would be. Dinosaurs
were very active and agile with higher metabolic rates than an ectotherm would
be. The reasons we now feel dinosaurs were endothermic (warm blooded) is for
one, their bones possessed Haversian canals which are a series of microscopic
tubes containing capillaries and nerve fibers. The bones possessing the canals
are called cortical bone with the Haversian canaling occurring in the outermost
region of the bone. The only animals we know of that also possess Haversian
bone are mammals and birds, in which both are endothermic. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjqobY6ZHwj8Eb60aLAbyFirB11xZlMZYQg6l1oQAl6z174NXqmK7xQKyakQc99Ojr43Nq9HcIKfL3eflJ1k9kIfIgqwNJNfN4q193m-onyYK6M-2V_CJeIoVyASZWKDiLn8DKVN4uwU2/s1600/1-dino+X-section+Haversian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="520" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjqobY6ZHwj8Eb60aLAbyFirB11xZlMZYQg6l1oQAl6z174NXqmK7xQKyakQc99Ojr43Nq9HcIKfL3eflJ1k9kIfIgqwNJNfN4q193m-onyYK6M-2V_CJeIoVyASZWKDiLn8DKVN4uwU2/s320/1-dino+X-section+Haversian.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinosaurs lived and died near both poles
enduring not only the cold, but endless winter days of no sunlight. A hadrosaur
fossil find of <i>Edmontosaurus</i> (Ed-mon-toe-sawr-us)
was discovered near the North Pole. In other fossil finds, there was the
discovery of a new hadrosaur species, <i>Ugrunaalluk
kuukpikensis</i>, meaning ‘ancient grazer in Inupiat Eskimo. With other
hadrosaurs, pachycephalosaurs and thescelosaurs fossils, there were also the
carnivorous dromaeosaurs, gorgosaurs and troodontids. The Alaskan troodons were
much larger than their more southern counterparts. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplPYRYZ199e9ux7m7RKuIYyCb3R82Y_8hAmUlRmXojPwW-nN3P2hyphenhyphenHzHDxGAMyJL8HXUvv6fbCL6wgWLtIJHYz1qVssE0cAXGcU6lRvUFf5R5SiidNCkFG-DXEL-0DJIaX94CoYk_WJKo/s1600/1-dino+Ugrunaaluk+maija+karala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplPYRYZ199e9ux7m7RKuIYyCb3R82Y_8hAmUlRmXojPwW-nN3P2hyphenhyphenHzHDxGAMyJL8HXUvv6fbCL6wgWLtIJHYz1qVssE0cAXGcU6lRvUFf5R5SiidNCkFG-DXEL-0DJIaX94CoYk_WJKo/s320/1-dino+Ugrunaaluk+maija+karala.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Maija Karala <i>Ugrunaaluk</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Among the polar fossil finds are remains
of fern, cycad, conifers and pollen from shrubs and herbs. This was truly a
self-sustaining biodiversity. All the fossils were found in the 70
million-year-old ‘Lipscomb’ fossil bed that is a part of the 80-60 mya Prince
Creek Formation, made up of alluvial deposition layered on top by mud flats.
These mud flats give evidence of multiple dinosaur tramples alluding to herding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Down at the other end of Earth in what
is now the Antarctic, from Cretaceous rock oxygen isotope levels, the estimated
mean annual temperatures were between 0 and 8 °C/32 and 46 °F. Fairly warm for
today’s Antarctic subzero temperatures but still cold for what we think
dinosaurs could thrive in. Rocks the dinosaur fossils were found, in an area
called ‘Dinosaur Cove’ give evidence of permafrost from features such as ice
wedging and hummock ground. Permafrost normally occurs in temperature ranges of
between −2 and 3 °C/28 and 37 °F. Also, there were indeed long wintry polar
nights with periods of up to six months of total darkness, although there is no
evidence of a polar ice cap. The Antarctic floral community at this period
consisted of forests of conifers, ginkgoes, ferns, cycads, bryophytes,
horsetails and even a few flowering plants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the Early Cretaceous, East Gondwana
was composed of Antarctica still linked to Australia after both had rifted and
drifted from Africa. Much of East Gondwana’s southern portion at the time laid
inside the Arctic Circle. It is in this region where most of the Antarctic and
Australian dinosaur fossils are found. By the end of the Cretaceous, Australia
had fully rifted apart from Antarctica moving further away from the South Pole
and Antarctic Circle, taking away any land bridge. This separated the Antarctic
and Australian dinosaur species from their respective kin, which then evolved
into differing genera.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Antarctica had six genera of dinosaur
with four herbivores in the ankylosaur <i>Antarctopelta</i>
(An-tarc-toe-pel-tah) and the three ornithopods, <i>Atlascopcosaurus</i>
(At-lass-cop-ko-sawr-us, <i>Morrosaurus</i> (Moe-row-sawr-us) and <i>Trinisaura</i> (Tree-nee-sore-rah);
one omnivore in, <i>Glacialisaurus</i>
(Glay-see-al-ee-sore-us) and one carnivore in, <i>Cryolophosaurus</i> (Cry-oh-low-foe-sawr-us). For the Australian
portion that was once a part of Antarctica, nineteen genera fossils have been
discovered.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAw6pJtaYNAiTy7hvbKMC_kiEPgWQkaN0q09qqU3husDMXOLHESa6myrwrJYriv03S5yKqUbDxmTHnC6M1j7Ax7-O_4Zp2MLyfjME-mRKCl_PjGzyoIcDyRPe9nLrEs7o7Dv6g59YIaDh/s1600/1-dino+atlascopcosaurus+Solec+Kujawski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="648" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAw6pJtaYNAiTy7hvbKMC_kiEPgWQkaN0q09qqU3husDMXOLHESa6myrwrJYriv03S5yKqUbDxmTHnC6M1j7Ax7-O_4Zp2MLyfjME-mRKCl_PjGzyoIcDyRPe9nLrEs7o7Dv6g59YIaDh/s320/1-dino+atlascopcosaurus+Solec+Kujawski.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Solec Kujawski <i>Atlascopcosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of the Antarctica dinosaurs, the basal ornithopod,
<i>Atlascopcosaurus</i> showed up 114 mya in
the Early Cretaceous. It was ~ 2-3m/6.5-10ft long and most likely, as other
iguanodontids was horn beaked and could move either on the two longer hind
limbs or on all fours. On an interesting note, this is the only dinosaur to be
named after the Swedish corporation, ‘Atlas Copco’ who manufactures
construction and mining equipment and also assisted in the excavation of the
fossil remains. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzylWfwh2ZaNpYBs1JoBQFCCUxy5Vs8eWIO-ZZpsiq6MtOVAJyigL56fr4Fba1X9rRW_WJ-Igkk0_jyFWVshF7bv5OXAVDFZgM1gxUfIuTtQz6UUdjcUrcewNQjFD9jI4T_tHbmCjqe0bn/s320/1-dino+antarctopelta+mike+belknap.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mike Belknap <i>Antarctopelta</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a herbivorous quadruped, the
nodosaurid, <i>Antarctopelta</i> occurred in
Antarctica during the Late Cretaceous 74-70 mya. At 4m/13ft, it had osteoderms
(armored bony plates embedded into the skin with shoulder and neck spikes and a
short spike extending from the supraorbital bone that pointed outwards from below
the eyes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKwyTTHWWb8aXRPaiK2H50W_GprW9dRwAaO9VE-Jpk8dk99cHgn0mmIyNxhRun9QvEdGYCv5D2NhJb5gZJg-PXypzSyMWLtRvLGv6nAfrkSNSiQl3AXWtrHFyL5-TV1QrAN_j1oWFZUa0/s1600/1-dino+morrosaurus_antarticus+SebasRuna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="921" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKwyTTHWWb8aXRPaiK2H50W_GprW9dRwAaO9VE-Jpk8dk99cHgn0mmIyNxhRun9QvEdGYCv5D2NhJb5gZJg-PXypzSyMWLtRvLGv6nAfrkSNSiQl3AXWtrHFyL5-TV1QrAN_j1oWFZUa0/s200/1-dino+morrosaurus_antarticus+SebasRuna.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Sebas Runa <i>Morrosaurus</i></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNL0jWyLFwwBtNP2xjxfTByHf2KLKDl3q0XbokMqh7dY5-yBRPnyBKIJ7t5DOqrSvzYio9nThOusulv637dLu781hYvShLezbJGeOt4rA0E_61g2ksRsxsfR7XmQvPZkPuiF4Od1e-t8tx/s1600/1-dino+trinisaura+homosexusaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1401" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNL0jWyLFwwBtNP2xjxfTByHf2KLKDl3q0XbokMqh7dY5-yBRPnyBKIJ7t5DOqrSvzYio9nThOusulv637dLu781hYvShLezbJGeOt4rA0E_61g2ksRsxsfR7XmQvPZkPuiF4Od1e-t8tx/s200/1-dino+trinisaura+homosexusaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Peter Trusler <i>Trinisaura</i> as the cold caught up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Morrosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (~70-69 mya)
and <i>Trinisaura</i> (80-66 mya) are also
two ornithopods that showed up in the Late Cretaceous. <i>Morrosaurus</i> was no more than 2.5m/8.2ft, while <i>Trinisaura</i> was ~ 1.5m/4.9ft in length. As an ornithopod, both <i>Morrosaurus</i> and <i>Trinisaura</i> belonged to the newly evolved Gondwana clad, <i>Elasmaria</i> (Ell-as-mah-ree-uh). This clad
was characterized by tightly fitted foot bones, chevrons (a series of ventral
caudal bones to protect tail nerves and blood vessels), and a narrow foot with a
thin fourth metatarsal with all traits indicating a speedy gait and running
lifestyle. Later Australian clad members also featured thin plates within the
thorax, which were discs of mineralized intercostal cartilage between the ribs.
It appears that as being basal, the two Antarctic genera, <i>Morrosaurus</i> and <i>Trinisaura</i>
had not yet developed the thorax plates. The word, <i>Elasmaria</i> is Greek in reference to ‘thin plate’.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAvYDCMXwpxpnsH7sIFuIu4xS-lob2wHbaXCIUTLUrzBEY9h1mLI11ADd1cb4X8gIbrMWT_z7Wvp4zYpkueDqGB2Ea2io0XTLIGvlVsdQ1B5IQ2FYM_OiiKkDcAicizYnNoGb0xClluSB/s1600/1-dino+glacialisaurus+homosexusaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1024" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAvYDCMXwpxpnsH7sIFuIu4xS-lob2wHbaXCIUTLUrzBEY9h1mLI11ADd1cb4X8gIbrMWT_z7Wvp4zYpkueDqGB2Ea2io0XTLIGvlVsdQ1B5IQ2FYM_OiiKkDcAicizYnNoGb0xClluSB/s320/1-dino+glacialisaurus+homosexusaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Peter Trusler <i>Glacialisaurus</i> eating from tree</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">From the Early Jurassic,</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Glacialisaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> lived 189-183 mya when
Antarctica and Australia were conjoined further north of the Arctic Circle and
still interlocked to Africa and South America. At no more than 7m/23ft long, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Glacialisaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was a sauropodomorph and
not a true sauropod. But it lived beside them as the earliest sauropods have
been found in the same formation </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Glacialisaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’
remains were excavated from in the tuffaceous siltstones and mudstones of the
lower part of the Hanson Formation, on Mount Kirkpatrick. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Glacialisaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was an advanced sauropodomorph that had a long hefty
neck and could walk bipedally. The hind limbs ended in toes that were angled as
opposed to sauropods where the toes were vertically shafted. In other words, in
sauropods, the digits were bound forming a pseudo hoofed pad, whereas in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Glacialisaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> the toes and fingers were
free. The digits were distinct and the forelimbs had extended metacarpals that
could grasp. In fact, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Glacialisaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
had the ability to climb low objects like a fallen tree or low lying rock; in
particular the young. The large powerful hands ending in claws suggest that it
was an omnivore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVVClEg5-grShCSgS7_F2z-JXJpZ9n-ezB1mxEcXn_A7NXoQccLCU3m0qLHDfMXeLFglSRHqTMK2kFnhyphenhyphenMiR9V_dwW5B_seFuLdKj0k1-Du1XUiUkAxBKK7ePpHqUBjcLT7I9dd0-aRAH/s1600/1-dino+crylophosaurus+skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="880" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVVClEg5-grShCSgS7_F2z-JXJpZ9n-ezB1mxEcXn_A7NXoQccLCU3m0qLHDfMXeLFglSRHqTMK2kFnhyphenhyphenMiR9V_dwW5B_seFuLdKj0k1-Du1XUiUkAxBKK7ePpHqUBjcLT7I9dd0-aRAH/s320/1-dino+crylophosaurus+skeletal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cryolophosaurus</i> skeletal anatomy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHt6qC7zbwpRsRv2QJTsN6NYEQFFBdbEcqiRFnOJkm7wHAms1z5jVE_LyjO08hyInBGfAiWg0T8qdwic41KNTKuqOASRFJ_4PT_xUZCCyDIfZ9oHdR9ge11bqIEPkiViTtzCRCeda2SHbF/s1600/1-dino+cryolophosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="800" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHt6qC7zbwpRsRv2QJTsN6NYEQFFBdbEcqiRFnOJkm7wHAms1z5jVE_LyjO08hyInBGfAiWg0T8qdwic41KNTKuqOASRFJ_4PT_xUZCCyDIfZ9oHdR9ge11bqIEPkiViTtzCRCeda2SHbF/s200/1-dino+cryolophosaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Joe Tucciarone <i>Cryolophosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">194-188 mya in the Early Jurassic, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cryolophosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> roamed the Antarctic.
The fossils remains give a length of 6.5m/21ft when the carnivore was alive.
This dinosaur is colloquially called, ‘Elvisaurus’ due to a crest that ridged
from the front of the snout then rising from atop the head just behind the
snout. The nickname is owed due to the crest resembling the pompadour hairstyle
of Elvis Presley. In the young and adult stage, there are two growing crests
that eventually fused into one in the adult stage. Through the theropod bird snout clad of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Averostra</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Av-ris-tra), as a sister
group to the family </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dilophosauridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, ‘Elvisaurus’
was closely related to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dilophosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Di-loff-o-sawr-us), which had two distinct crests running up and down the top
of the snout. These crests were fragile so most likely were used in mating
purposes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOF6OPb7nWzbcVmZYUmNXseMUYpjYR7GbdEckvnQcYv3WmqqjjBb-aGkjjXzOYGVT7aD6LZNfhIo6edzG2kHGMwbyeDmZyKF2VDXwaXGM9Wrmys-hd-EDgk8Gi36ElkTWjogoU_odLpoa/s1600/1-dino+crylophosaurus-dilophosaurus+fabio+pastori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="1058" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOF6OPb7nWzbcVmZYUmNXseMUYpjYR7GbdEckvnQcYv3WmqqjjBb-aGkjjXzOYGVT7aD6LZNfhIo6edzG2kHGMwbyeDmZyKF2VDXwaXGM9Wrmys-hd-EDgk8Gi36ElkTWjogoU_odLpoa/s320/1-dino+crylophosaurus-dilophosaurus+fabio+pastori.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Fabio Pastori Lft:<i>Cryolophosaurus</i> Rt:<i>Dilophosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Besides chasing down herbivorous
dinosaurs, we also know <i>Cryolophosaurus</i>
dined on other animals, as the mammal-like reptile cynodont, tritylodont’s
teeth were found in the gut cavity of <i>Cryolophosaurus</i>’
fossil remains. But also, the remains showed tooth marks randomly put of other
smaller theropods that most likely were consuming <i>Cryolophosaurus</i>’ carcass. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dinosaur
Clades</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is a world of dinosaurs and to go
over each one would require an exposé in encyclopedic form. Just in sauropods
alone there are over 120 known species. So what we’re going to do is discuss
sauropods, ornithischians and theropods in the respective group levels finishing
with the theropod lead-in into birds.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15768BnoLiwndIz0F4uVVoglfTbkDS63d3OyvwLVFJ5JjGq3CnhZpvP7x78w2paWaUp6J-mu2sL0eTsJ90FuNeml3yHzXHwlfXe1jIhRA4df4a3zBPJ9GWsrV5WhL9g_fmVYiFaFn9Nqe/s1600/1-dino+dinosaur+clade+simplified.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1500" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15768BnoLiwndIz0F4uVVoglfTbkDS63d3OyvwLVFJ5JjGq3CnhZpvP7x78w2paWaUp6J-mu2sL0eTsJ90FuNeml3yHzXHwlfXe1jIhRA4df4a3zBPJ9GWsrV5WhL9g_fmVYiFaFn9Nqe/s320/1-dino+dinosaur+clade+simplified.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simplified cladogram on the path to dinosaurs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All dinosaur lineages evolved from within a
single group of archosaurs such as the proterosuchids and <i>Euparkia</i>, which was elaborated on under the pterosaurs of ‘Et Tunc
Nulla Erat VII’. Even though dinosaur radiation included carnivorous bipeds and
herbivorous quadrupeds, they all arose from bipedal omnivores with long grasping
hands such as <i>Nyasasaurus</i> (243mya), and
herrerasaurs 230-220 (mya).</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sauropodomorpha</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just a reminder...all sauropods are
sauropodomorphs, but not all sauropodomorphs are sauropods. This is the case
for any infra ordering of related species as the refinement of clans become
more specific. To bring this to terms in thinking about it, all <i>Homo</i> species are primates, but not all
primates are <i>Homo</i> species.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTHeLJ6fb23yT9maIXpqwgf4vjIW-jylSd1BCB33nyNcDdAxEXFMQ6ByxTRLA-1sGg1eZqrvgnrvhBeG51QQBF91obvES3UIamSDBK0ObkX3L9uwpCmoEhYSTnvrNZhX5sPSHNNKYzF8e/s1600/1-dino+sauropodomorpha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="893" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTHeLJ6fb23yT9maIXpqwgf4vjIW-jylSd1BCB33nyNcDdAxEXFMQ6ByxTRLA-1sGg1eZqrvgnrvhBeG51QQBF91obvES3UIamSDBK0ObkX3L9uwpCmoEhYSTnvrNZhX5sPSHNNKYzF8e/s320/1-dino+sauropodomorpha.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauropodomorpha Clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sauropodomorphs are the long necked
herbivorous dinosaurs that existed from the Late Triassic to the Late
Cretaceous 231.4-66 mya. The long necks fit an eating niche in accommodating
greater access to higher up tree limbs. They became the dominant herbivore
before the end of the Triassic and managed to survive the extinction events
between the Triassic/Jurassic boundary and the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary.
For the most part, except for the earliest species, they were quadrupeds. The
latter forms developed a four legged graviportal (slow moving over terrain)
gait due to their heavier size and length.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2SdpPzac1ssBZuHj3K-EFXz4j4Y-5lDAYhBSHYKBgXBvcO1kTjXN-aC8IAkKUDY49Vnr8OMY8U7yuxF5s_RA0p5FHtuOrgrzcAtIHAp9mt4dWRn6utlU6UU-D_36Bldw_zNANl0U0Kw3/s1600/1-dino+saturnalia+nobu+tamura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2SdpPzac1ssBZuHj3K-EFXz4j4Y-5lDAYhBSHYKBgXBvcO1kTjXN-aC8IAkKUDY49Vnr8OMY8U7yuxF5s_RA0p5FHtuOrgrzcAtIHAp9mt4dWRn6utlU6UU-D_36Bldw_zNANl0U0Kw3/s320/1-dino+saturnalia+nobu+tamura.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Saturnalia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although smaller at first, sauropodomorphs
later became the largest terrain animals to ever walk the earth. Of 228 mya, <i>Saturnalia</i> (Phonetics: Sah-tur-nay-lee-uh)
was only 1.5m/5ft long while the massive <i>Argentinosaurus</i>
(Ar-jen-teen-oh-sawr-us) was 35m/115ft that could tremble the ground on every
step 97-93.5 mya. Although only an estimate, due to lack of fuller fossil
material, the argentinosaur species, <i>Argentinosaurus
huinculensis</i> may have reached a length of 39.7m/130ft. <i>Sauroposeidon</i> (Sawr-o-pss-sy-don) from 120 mya was probably the
tallest, reaching about 18m/60ft high. Reaching extremities in size was a
natural selection sequence for defense, for other than size they only had weak
teeth and a retained thumb with a claw on their forelimbs for defense.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNc0E7ZfzPTRMJp09B_FGSZWnQVMEp7Mt8GyRDim3_n29F36ovngmoqLXoXxRL_YaBcTJwoaX2HrjPhM5gTErx4lerhqRKUvBlhJm8TmbdQ8p3Ly0AaNe3QBUJBSnXn3wRPy6eIQ3DOAQ/s1600/1-dino+argentinosaurus-size.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="201" data-original-width="605" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNc0E7ZfzPTRMJp09B_FGSZWnQVMEp7Mt8GyRDim3_n29F36ovngmoqLXoXxRL_YaBcTJwoaX2HrjPhM5gTErx4lerhqRKUvBlhJm8TmbdQ8p3Ly0AaNe3QBUJBSnXn3wRPy6eIQ3DOAQ/s320/1-dino+argentinosaurus-size.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFN43ktg3pu2HJF-uhlJqgrp-QeHYYgPZ5U38Z0wfDiuzgbjn3p3F9bk9q5aNFMTeI-sGAMtYQzC8Cg8MpxMfOKqKDuVVPnOTK8nTSLu2cWKWrb5J-__mWGBQ3lOoW6JXlEQ4jZ9ki8dXt/s1600/1-dino+sauroposeidon-size.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="605" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFN43ktg3pu2HJF-uhlJqgrp-QeHYYgPZ5U38Z0wfDiuzgbjn3p3F9bk9q5aNFMTeI-sGAMtYQzC8Cg8MpxMfOKqKDuVVPnOTK8nTSLu2cWKWrb5J-__mWGBQ3lOoW6JXlEQ4jZ9ki8dXt/s200/1-dino+sauroposeidon-size.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The teeth, shaped like spoons weren’t even
efficient for masticating food, so the swallowing of stones (gastroliths) for
grinding and relying on bacteria to break down the nutrients evolved within the
sauropodomorph’s digestive strategies. They also possessed large nares
(nostrils) and had 25 presacral vertebrae just like in most humans that have
23-25 presacral vertebrae.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvMnadAU_Ul4JJlFNp2z6VzYNiF8o3cyDO1z9uPlmVNGqGu-BLWb43EvTeyWGKThCzZm9XJP6EZHNA66g2qSrKJuty1m5kHKVjKnDq1ifVPmk0MmxSb1U6wjzINDp6wr5hBS8X6QvF8f9/s1600/1-dino+sauropodomorphs+cisiopurple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="1024" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvMnadAU_Ul4JJlFNp2z6VzYNiF8o3cyDO1z9uPlmVNGqGu-BLWb43EvTeyWGKThCzZm9XJP6EZHNA66g2qSrKJuty1m5kHKVjKnDq1ifVPmk0MmxSb1U6wjzINDp6wr5hBS8X6QvF8f9/s320/1-dino+sauropodomorphs+cisiopurple.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Cisiopurple Sauropodomorphs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The most derived sauropodomorph
discovered thus far is, <i>Panphagia</i> (Pan-fah-eg-ah)
and <i>Chromogisaurus</i> (Kro-mo-ge-sawr-us)
that lived 230+ mya. <i>Panphagia</i> was a
mere 1.3m/4.3ft while bigger, but still really small for sauropods, <i>Chromogisaurus</i> was 2m/6.7ft. Both were
bipedal and in the process of transitioning from carnivores to sauropod
herbivores, these sauropodomorphs were omnivores and insectivorous. All
primitive and basal sauropodomorphs went extinct after the Triassic/Jurassic
extinction.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DserEvKg5bsOJ-Hl2m9uRUMtnJ6J1jh01XumJhRxLHq0v-V7y433-WmVlVAaDMlMJfDVD9ACed4pvj8d58vFvRGbWRnDe8ArEPpK2c8mxCcKq7LFejT3BPxwv3Wc4nG0C_WqoJlm6LPw/s1600/1-dino+panphagia-chromogisaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="1171" height="76" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DserEvKg5bsOJ-Hl2m9uRUMtnJ6J1jh01XumJhRxLHq0v-V7y433-WmVlVAaDMlMJfDVD9ACed4pvj8d58vFvRGbWRnDe8ArEPpK2c8mxCcKq7LFejT3BPxwv3Wc4nG0C_WqoJlm6LPw/s320/1-dino+panphagia-chromogisaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lft ~ Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Panphagia</i> Rt ~ Artist: Cisiopurple <i>Chromogisaurus</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEti-yzsW_R3jIr8kC7qwWdnmkBnFmWN9EQtrO4-faay7f0mHjyRSvyMGfOGxeV76Zugbv3w_ahkUlA6uOy7BHoUF6bGfdrDNmY_5hfF_DkSKFyWPPUOWhGWxSK2K0YI4v3mDzKKpzxSRC/s1600/1-dino+herrerasaurid+clad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="500" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEti-yzsW_R3jIr8kC7qwWdnmkBnFmWN9EQtrO4-faay7f0mHjyRSvyMGfOGxeV76Zugbv3w_ahkUlA6uOy7BHoUF6bGfdrDNmY_5hfF_DkSKFyWPPUOWhGWxSK2K0YI4v3mDzKKpzxSRC/s320/1-dino+herrerasaurid+clad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Herrerasauridae Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some of the earliest dinosaurs come from
the family <i>Herrerasauridae</i>
(Phonetics: Huh-reah-ruh-soar-uh-day). Herrerasaurid dinosaurs like the Late
Triassic, 235-228 mya, <i>Caseosaurus</i> (Kay-see-o-sawr-us)
and the 235-210 mya, <i>Chindesaurus</i> (Chin-dee-sawr-us)
carried anatomy traits possessed by all three dinosaur subgroups making them
very difficult to classify in whether belonging to theropods, ornithischians or
sauropods. All herrerasaurids were bipedal carnivores. The ~231.4 mya, <i>Herrerasaurus</i> (Huh-reah-ruh-sawr-us)
possessed derived archosaur traits, but also basal dinosaur traits. As a basal
trait, the ilium was supported by just two sacrals, while as a derived trait,
its pubis pointed backwards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4sbju9sAUozRg5884AhFjL1tWYC7XShfKVYjoPMRb4pZwjH48a0IbtNqCTnYI2XaN1klmkyu-Rp4m-RGo7cYMviyXTeNHz0KDDXyqD-ZMLg3gc9ESm8apD9j60CgunwLF2VN79QIN7Yk/s1600/1-dino+chindesaurus+uk+nat+his+museo+2-2.3m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="550" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4sbju9sAUozRg5884AhFjL1tWYC7XShfKVYjoPMRb4pZwjH48a0IbtNqCTnYI2XaN1klmkyu-Rp4m-RGo7cYMviyXTeNHz0KDDXyqD-ZMLg3gc9ESm8apD9j60CgunwLF2VN79QIN7Yk/s320/1-dino+chindesaurus+uk+nat+his+museo+2-2.3m.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: UK Nat'rl His. Museum <i>Chindesaurus</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54NgYGvt3wxZghrUvK-tSQ_-9jzD2oOb94U_vBJyBIfq26vlDDnW88yexH8X21V36eKLzPi2uYH0dJfmiPk_3AWiLxECaeYoOokhWmUlGUyRz983MCQ2AX97WZorGDYzeCRrT5AmVTr0_/s1600/1-dino+staurikosaurus+mark+hallett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="366" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54NgYGvt3wxZghrUvK-tSQ_-9jzD2oOb94U_vBJyBIfq26vlDDnW88yexH8X21V36eKLzPi2uYH0dJfmiPk_3AWiLxECaeYoOokhWmUlGUyRz983MCQ2AX97WZorGDYzeCRrT5AmVTr0_/s200/1-dino+staurikosaurus+mark+hallett.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Hallett <i>Staurikosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyH_qg7Bou-MgidfG3x2RFolaTYMeGB0ZN9m5_s0iHKMmsH1YEMYJx2fUAT-ZrLrO9ZxeIUG4hOVwp44eTh40S5ZUv1b23dfo0prrVGGCmgem36DYvlQ0O0XzHMRXzOkxPvbW4iB6iLUnv/s1600/1-dino+sanjuansaurus+gonzalezaurus+3m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="652" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyH_qg7Bou-MgidfG3x2RFolaTYMeGB0ZN9m5_s0iHKMmsH1YEMYJx2fUAT-ZrLrO9ZxeIUG4hOVwp44eTh40S5ZUv1b23dfo0prrVGGCmgem36DYvlQ0O0XzHMRXzOkxPvbW4iB6iLUnv/s200/1-dino+sanjuansaurus+gonzalezaurus+3m.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Gonzalezaurus <i>Sanjuansaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even though herrerasaurs carried
particular traits witnessed in all three dinosaur subgroups, the new
phylogenetic Baron cladogram has grouped herrerasaurids in with sauropods. In
speculating, I’ll give a few reasons why for that affinity. It had a long tail
and small head supported by a narrow skull resembling the primitive archosaur <i>Euparkeria</i> (U-par-care-ee-uh). Sauropods
are known for small heads as compared to their large bodies. In the manus and
pes of the herrerasaurs’ limbs, the carpus was composed of four distal carpals,
while in the makeup of early sauropodomorphs, although reduced, there were
three distal carpals present that articulated with the proximal ends of
metacarpals (digits) I, II and III. Early sauropods continued this trait with
three laterally reduction carpals. Also, the thumb was curved upwards as earlier
sauropods would present it negating it as weight bearing. Although shorter than
the hind limbs, herrerasaurid forelimbs were relatively long and could have
been used in a quadruped stance.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbk7cMeYyKndripqKUORp5eaAumSuLZK7zzDq_ZwRaXGSKgSY4pLVM7qSnnwqMOCCnbEZOLyY9pOU4APmEMy81Y1oY63XEDIIYHws78qRfKiX2GwL0Oc-FNkFpRoODVTAupYHZaZme-QV/s1600/1-dino+herrerasaurs+rauisuchian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="900" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbk7cMeYyKndripqKUORp5eaAumSuLZK7zzDq_ZwRaXGSKgSY4pLVM7qSnnwqMOCCnbEZOLyY9pOU4APmEMy81Y1oY63XEDIIYHws78qRfKiX2GwL0Oc-FNkFpRoODVTAupYHZaZme-QV/s320/1-dino+herrerasaurs+rauisuchian.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Apsaravis 2 <i>Herrerasaurus</i> & a rauisuchian</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Three herrerasaurids in, <i>Herrerasaurus</i>, <i>Sanjuansaurus</i> (San-wan-sawr-us) and <i>Staurikosaurus</i> (Store-ick-o-sawr-us) are relegated as a node clad
polytomy group, meaning more than two descendants are involved within a
cladogram and in this herrerasaurid case, placed outside of saurischian’s
direct taxonomic ancestry. But, these three herrerasaurids are still listed as
the most primitive group of <i>Sauropoda</i>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9FDoGQkXO_wtKjX5L6zy5LZX6h3gPJ3ymYi2gyfckoRp9Y2nRw4XbyB_b_mEY3k_vQeEAruUJjm6ecUP9mMgMbcy0CjiMXyyLMJmmhp2LsYhQIqiNdA5C7dA_CAJjgHT_0MulHmAMnZB/s1600/1-dino+aardonyx-julius-csotonyi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="899" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9FDoGQkXO_wtKjX5L6zy5LZX6h3gPJ3ymYi2gyfckoRp9Y2nRw4XbyB_b_mEY3k_vQeEAruUJjm6ecUP9mMgMbcy0CjiMXyyLMJmmhp2LsYhQIqiNdA5C7dA_CAJjgHT_0MulHmAMnZB/s320/1-dino+aardonyx-julius-csotonyi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius T. Csotonyi <i>Aardonyx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A 190 mya Early Jurassic sauropodomorph
showing the evolutionary transition into sauropods was, <i>Aardonyx</i> (Ard-o-nix). Representing the transition from biped
sauropodomorphs to quadruped sauropods, it was bipedal itself, but could easily
walk as a quadruped. With the pelvic girdle and hind limb structuring, it was a
biped, but with stiffening rigidity taking over flexibility in the forelimbs,
it was trending towards a quadruped weight bearing form.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_fPJ029DU9JMSJB2kRnKPTEjVQrnAhWsmQBJk0ldSOBIo6bU2nB4ebNH-lg-gSnQbiDZKoaYhI_zlQmidUzUNzN85lrJBwgnuy0AV6qbDnBB3cJIW80GC0YgWk_8_3z85PAgFQ0Lq3Kd/s1600/1-dino+massospondylus+Heidi+Richter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="453" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_fPJ029DU9JMSJB2kRnKPTEjVQrnAhWsmQBJk0ldSOBIo6bU2nB4ebNH-lg-gSnQbiDZKoaYhI_zlQmidUzUNzN85lrJBwgnuy0AV6qbDnBB3cJIW80GC0YgWk_8_3z85PAgFQ0Lq3Kd/s320/1-dino+massospondylus+Heidi+Richter.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Heidi Richter <i>Massospondylus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One of the oldest dinosaur fossil embryo
is from the 4m/13ft in length sauropodomorph, <i>Massospondylus</i> from the Early Jurassic 200-183 mya. The 190 mya
fossil embryos were from a nest site in what is now South Africa. The developed
and well preserved embryos were still in the eggshells and at birth would’ve
only been 20.3cm/8in long. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoDNIDArJ77ph82-f6gHuiHvtdH1pBczo7O4qKRsAy0Kv5OVMljs8Wdm4qy1uzcf9MsIDVb9eoGhzSjPWCRFZcVYhz6q9wiqN7eiwv0PxPHmiaAviJTfK3GW9Ue7A5Ll8qn8ydkmE3Aiy/s1600/1-dino+massospondylus+Julius+T+Csotonyi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="620" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoDNIDArJ77ph82-f6gHuiHvtdH1pBczo7O4qKRsAy0Kv5OVMljs8Wdm4qy1uzcf9MsIDVb9eoGhzSjPWCRFZcVYhz6q9wiqN7eiwv0PxPHmiaAviJTfK3GW9Ue7A5Ll8qn8ydkmE3Aiy/s320/1-dino+massospondylus+Julius+T+Csotonyi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius T. Csotonyi <i>Massospondylus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sauropoda:
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a subgroup to sauropodomorphs, sauropods
are the giants we immediately think of when contemplating dinosaurs. All
sauropods were herbivores and developing their digestive strategies as
explained previously, they required heavier bodies to accommodate the bulk load
of food and the size of its digestive systems in the gut areas.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqXH2FCr51k-HTW0HaSFIhAxASaDGGphA_PWVmrFw0kAdvO-sXM6fKTlN2kpBCitliDsh0TdNH9zftSpy56DScpWL4A3CqHTuGDhR2GemEnWeYbxbJeA73fLpth7tgFTuwTXw-DBLiOOb/s1600/1-dino+sauropoda1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="825" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqXH2FCr51k-HTW0HaSFIhAxASaDGGphA_PWVmrFw0kAdvO-sXM6fKTlN2kpBCitliDsh0TdNH9zftSpy56DScpWL4A3CqHTuGDhR2GemEnWeYbxbJeA73fLpth7tgFTuwTXw-DBLiOOb/s320/1-dino+sauropoda1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauropod Cladogram </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In concentrating on bigger trending
torsos, sauropods basically retained ancestral head sizes making it
proportionally smaller as compared to the evolving large body. Most sauropod
fossil discoveries are minus the head and it’s due to the small skull being
easily carried or washed away from the rest of the skeletal remains. But an
exceptional sauropod skull discovery of titanosaurian, <i>Sarmientosaurus</i> (Sar-me-in-toe-sawr-us) gives us some glimpses on
what this sauropod depended on. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8e9FfegCs_I6h-jL6Vx-4UipSCwXbibsDy_S8lGeAr_HjuJGPZPL-c6jTbuzyVj8nrFH6BF3CYsBdSZJZ7aoMt1b5M7oBkpn4prcqnUraVxGdzhxTlpD46hP9LrSmCJ9ZUQTGTHKMzpqC/s1600/1-dino+sarmientosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1600" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8e9FfegCs_I6h-jL6Vx-4UipSCwXbibsDy_S8lGeAr_HjuJGPZPL-c6jTbuzyVj8nrFH6BF3CYsBdSZJZ7aoMt1b5M7oBkpn4prcqnUraVxGdzhxTlpD46hP9LrSmCJ9ZUQTGTHKMzpqC/s320/1-dino+sarmientosaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Marcos Paulo <i>Sarmientosaurus</i> skull/head</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The skull measured only 43.2cm/17in, but
was attached to a 12.2m/40ft long dinosaur. With all the skull cavities intact,
CT scans of the skull showed the brain was the size of a plum, but the scans
also detailed sarmientosaurs had highly developed visual and auditory sensory
reception; more so than other sauropods. Large eye sockets and long ear canals
show that this sauropod had acute vision and was able to hear distant low
frequencies. Also, the shape of the skull and neck arrangement shows that the
head was held downwards in life suggesting <i>Sarmientosaurus</i>
would sweep through low foliage and vegetation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To support the heavier body, columnar elephantine
same sized quadrupedal limbs evolved, but not like an elephant’s limb distal in
splaying outwards creating a wide foot. Sauropod feet had the manus bones
arranged in fully vertical columns, with extremely reduced finger bones.
Sauropods walked in digitigrade pes fashion where their heel and metatarsals were
lifted off of the ground. In eusauropods though, there is exception.
Eusauropods were the bigger sauropods with skeletal adaptations to support the
weight and lengths utilizing asymmetry in their metatarsal shaft diameters
where the thumb metatarsal is broader than the others, shifting the load
bearing weight onto the inner half of the feet.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxpsISh4jTt0Q45HQG1s3wGlHA3LJ6J5ATszSufa_9DzdIBZ3P7Z55sfWjgBLza3ERDG7GK9vpfPUWFJH_1IDxzB5r7iivMWTPJyo8JD8Dx2mFr4tbpwr28m12Xjzasjsxy_jmFsAIOUb/s1600/1-dino+rapetosaurus+raul+martin-kristina+curry+rogers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxpsISh4jTt0Q45HQG1s3wGlHA3LJ6J5ATszSufa_9DzdIBZ3P7Z55sfWjgBLza3ERDG7GK9vpfPUWFJH_1IDxzB5r7iivMWTPJyo8JD8Dx2mFr4tbpwr28m12Xjzasjsxy_jmFsAIOUb/s320/1-dino+rapetosaurus+raul+martin-kristina+curry+rogers.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artists: Raul Martin/Kristina Curry Rogers <i>Rapetosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sauropod young looked like a miniature
adult. This gives credence that the young were on their own in finding food and
were not being fed by the parents.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXXe6-lamIU9oGTRo9BK6ttiPhQHM_bgmqSk9wU5dp5MqhHmrFaAQz7DX7qbditny41NF6rMBMc78zlSyXGnnI-_F_GnGhmy6R-AOsXPORKncpymaIDt2z3_qUzKaFwWOnlhS_t_rSOA0/s1600/1-dino+mamenchisaurus+dinoraul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXXe6-lamIU9oGTRo9BK6ttiPhQHM_bgmqSk9wU5dp5MqhHmrFaAQz7DX7qbditny41NF6rMBMc78zlSyXGnnI-_F_GnGhmy6R-AOsXPORKncpymaIDt2z3_qUzKaFwWOnlhS_t_rSOA0/s320/1-dino+mamenchisaurus+dinoraul.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Dinoraul <i>Mamenchisaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It was the sauropod body that affected
growth rates resulting in an increased rate of growth. In order to achieve this,
some type of metabolic warming had to occur. Sauropods most likely weren’t
endothermic, but with their enormous digestive system giving off heat, it’s
highly probable they were linked to tachymetabolic endothermy. Tachymetabolism
maintains a high ‘resting’ metabolic rate and even though sauropod ‘resting’
metabolism is many times slower than their ‘active’ metabolism the switch was
permanently on in generating heat. This is a form of heterothermy as seen in
today’s bats and small birds where the animal can switch from poikilothermy to
homeothermy and back again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sauropods are known for their long
necks. The longest necked sauropods were the mamenchisaurids and a recent 2015
China fossil discovery of <i>Qijianglong</i>
(Chee-jee-yahn-long) had one of the longest mamenchisaurid necks. Filled with
air sacs, sauropod necks were light weight as compared to neck size. The long
necks also contained a long trachea for the lungs to gain more oxygen. From
fossil analyses, sauropods neck anatomies experienced, ‘Osteological Neutral
Pose’ (ONP) where all the neck vertebrae are neutrally articulated with no deflection
up or down. In other words the neck was not disarticulated enough to give
efficient sideways motion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As in today’s giraffes, sexual
dimorphism is with the male in having larger necks. Females are more attracted
to males with the largest necks. It can be proposed that this scenario as well
was with sauropods, as male sauropods indeed did have the bigger necks and it
is with this neck dimorphism that over millions of years of time probably led
to the most derived sauropods in being the ones with the largest necks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2R4Fb2Owvhe1PNdepIrpXRn8_ixkcaaYkaH0pIWEw9vZrjIftwD_v-OkuHSs47G1Ba5xUBUsgLE7gjr_ajEfQYYTcYYnGnpNuqz0AMRqOEXD4UGQxb5wn6SEcRF702_KGvvuk_2jcPB_L/s1600/1-dino+sauropod+NECKS++Greg+Paul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="1168" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2R4Fb2Owvhe1PNdepIrpXRn8_ixkcaaYkaH0pIWEw9vZrjIftwD_v-OkuHSs47G1Ba5xUBUsgLE7gjr_ajEfQYYTcYYnGnpNuqz0AMRqOEXD4UGQxb5wn6SEcRF702_KGvvuk_2jcPB_L/s320/1-dino+sauropod+NECKS++Greg+Paul.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Greg Paul sauropod necks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With long necks and heavy bodies, the
tails were also long for counterbalance. The tail also may have been used for
defending off predators and using them as a whip snapping the air quick enough
to break the sound barrier. This could have been utilized as a warning signal
to group members of approaching predators, or to distract carnivores.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2asVeSGefJMJg5U3qgUvtqTlaa19aaoWf1g03PO6ZV5wo6MEWF0mh3BTh_FUzR15ZXZ4iZftnUfXf9sQls4SsyLGF3imybEttWGz00BV0j1K-N0pKb9QFT5qoLVdGfcHO3yBBPRntk4Zd/s1600/1-dino+sauropod+sizes+paleo+king.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1600" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2asVeSGefJMJg5U3qgUvtqTlaa19aaoWf1g03PO6ZV5wo6MEWF0mh3BTh_FUzR15ZXZ4iZftnUfXf9sQls4SsyLGF3imybEttWGz00BV0j1K-N0pKb9QFT5qoLVdGfcHO3yBBPRntk4Zd/s320/1-dino+sauropod+sizes+paleo+king.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Paleo King With long necks then long tails for counterbalance </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It appears that most sauropods stayed in
small bands and clustered with other sauropod species. In the Jurassic, there
were nine major subgroups with numerable minor groups composed of numerous
genera within each that coexisted. How in the world did they not over compete
for food resources and make certain groups lose out to extinction? First off,
sauropods, in addition to having spooned or spatula like teeth for grasping and
taking in food, other forms evolved another type of dentition of peg-like
teeth. This alludes to the fact that varying sauropod families preferred
different types of plant foods. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixT2jIPDeH1982Egbm0TR3SBEmwhUA9jSGg0KAWMszerqGTqvAQorOOkYe-08_p99C0Fk6AmSLJvgB8wN3k4Ege-RKIJxL1swtfl3CdMRSxd2RfoIFtjHYbzYfqFBiNj7ztFniNpTeadr9/s1600/1-dino+sauropod+dentition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="154" data-original-width="650" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixT2jIPDeH1982Egbm0TR3SBEmwhUA9jSGg0KAWMszerqGTqvAQorOOkYe-08_p99C0Fk6AmSLJvgB8wN3k4Ege-RKIJxL1swtfl3CdMRSxd2RfoIFtjHYbzYfqFBiNj7ztFniNpTeadr9/s320/1-dino+sauropod+dentition.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauropod dentition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Microscopic studies on the wearing of
teeth shows coarsely scratched and pitted wear on the spoon types and finely scratched
surfaces on the pegged teeth. In comparing microscopic studies of extant
herbivorous mammals and in knowing what they ate, it gives credence to what
sauropods long ago ate. Camarasaurids, with the spoon teeth ate coarser plant
material, whereas the diplodocids, with the more evolved pegged teeth had the
more finely scratched dentition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This advocates that sauropods ate selectively;
one preferring softer foods such as aquatic plants and shoots, while the other
consumed tougher shrubs and older plant parts that had collected wind-blown
dust grains. It also shows eating behavior patterns as peg-like teeth would
work in nipping off shoots or water plants, where spoon-like teeth were far more
adequate in grabbing whole mouthfuls of plant material, like leaves and stems. But
with apatosaur, nigersaur and rebbachisaur, among others, studies displaying
large proportional pitting, fine subparallel scratching dentition and along
with blunted square snouts, these sauropod groups likely were nonselective low to
the ground grazers. So, sauropods covered browsing behaviors from ground height
to mid-level and to upper canopies. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiQHsmZWfKt-hNc2piuDt78jQa4OZI8Xc-7Faphl8uHwzV2IvYcA0b6Tm2GEB8l-Smnoi_KV3iPPaQljRtuuPCZPBM82lmKaaoDv-vyZ6YpHvJtva7UJeja1jiGav8mrP2kKbe0xiEXiv/s1600/1-dino+Melanorosaurus_steveoc+86.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiQHsmZWfKt-hNc2piuDt78jQa4OZI8Xc-7Faphl8uHwzV2IvYcA0b6Tm2GEB8l-Smnoi_KV3iPPaQljRtuuPCZPBM82lmKaaoDv-vyZ6YpHvJtva7UJeja1jiGav8mrP2kKbe0xiEXiv/s320/1-dino+Melanorosaurus_steveoc+86.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Steveoc 86 <i>Melanorosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Melanorosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Meh-lan-or-o-sawr-us)
lived during the Late Triassic 227-221 mya. Some articles will list <i>Melanorosaurus</i> as a true sauropod, but it
is not. It was a most derived sauropodomorph that was however, an intermediate
between advanced sauropodomorphs basal to primitive sauropods. It most
certainly had sauropod features such as the transitioning to a large sauropod
neck bauplan. This of course accelerated an access to a food source that was
out of reach for most other herbivores of the day. The extensive pneumatization
of the sauropod axial skeleton was also evident in <i>Melanorosaurus</i> as inherited by sauropods. This paved the way for
sauropod evolutionary advantages in lowering the energy cost for pulmonary
breathing, reducing specific gravity of its mass and would aid in eliminating
excess body heat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although the forelimbs were slightly
shorter than the hind limbs the femur was straight, thick and columnar sitting
immediately below the body, although the pes and manus distal metacarpals were
disarticulated splaying from one another as in their more primitive
predecessors. With true sauropods, the toes and fingers were encased in flesh
and not visible; only the claws were. This made for a stronger padded round base
in supporting weight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A common feature <i>Melanorosaurus</i> had with other more primitive sauropodomorphs was in
having nine premaxillary teeth, but had up to nineteen maxillary teeth that were
common in a lot of the more derived sauropods. This animal was ~10.7m/35ft and
although this is small as far as more derived sauropods became to be gigantic,
it most likely was the largest animal during its day.</span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Antetonitrus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (An-tee-toh-nigh-trus)
lived during the Late Triassic 210 mya. It is a basal sauropod and although it
easily walked as a quadruped, the forelimbs were shorter and not as adapted for
bearing weight. <i>Antetonnitrus</i>
etymology is Latin in ‘ante’ (before) and ‘tonitrus’ (thunder) and is in
reference to <i>Brontosaurus</i> (Bron-toe-sawr-us)
which is Greek meaning, ‘thunder lizard’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6CK9J1JL_C8I_jyKey91o43lkC59fxdN6rqLn898iYpiX_Em-OAF7atIsCfpadYq2h7U__8LlKdIzL_MXDouqfNYOJjE9WbW-lloM453urlGj1H9F3xL1zkyQX_ma960weJjsZpbv_7l/s1600/1-dino+Antetonitrus+httpdinopedia.wikia.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="1024" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6CK9J1JL_C8I_jyKey91o43lkC59fxdN6rqLn898iYpiX_Em-OAF7atIsCfpadYq2h7U__8LlKdIzL_MXDouqfNYOJjE9WbW-lloM453urlGj1H9F3xL1zkyQX_ma960weJjsZpbv_7l/s320/1-dino+Antetonitrus+httpdinopedia.wikia.com.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Karkemish 00 <i>Antetonitrus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Digit I (first digit or thumb) of the
forelimbs was set higher up from the other digits and was twisted 40° making it
opposable to the rest of the foot. The manus as a whole wasn’t locked into
position inferring digit I was used for grasping. In judging the forefeet, <i>Antetonnitrus</i> was the most basal
sauropod in the transitional phase from bipedal sauropodomorphs to true
quadrupedal sauropods. Quadrupedalism requires a pronated manus so that it may
swing in a parasagittal plane. The distinctive tri-radiate proximal ulna of <i>Antetonitrus</i> and derived sauropods may
be linked to a medial shift in the position of the radius that brought about
this pronation. Other than the forefeet anatomy, this sauropod had already
evolved typical sauropod features of the digestive tract, long necks/tails and
columnar bearing limbs directly below the body.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKlnKmuddQE5TLxvaTD1SEL-GmSUeGusIqR4q5taRclj85pC8UNZMXGTMJEesp8NbN6zRdUuud1JgEH1YMnDn9by6G2d8AVmag5DpJD9VswmV0alk2gap5SYAE7DOQKlHtKPOCbKWWABz/s1600/1-dino+blikanasaurus+fabio+fastori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="1600" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKlnKmuddQE5TLxvaTD1SEL-GmSUeGusIqR4q5taRclj85pC8UNZMXGTMJEesp8NbN6zRdUuud1JgEH1YMnDn9by6G2d8AVmag5DpJD9VswmV0alk2gap5SYAE7DOQKlHtKPOCbKWWABz/s320/1-dino+blikanasaurus+fabio+fastori.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Fabio Pastori <i>Bilkanasaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Blikanasaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Bly-khan-ah-sawr-us)
was another one that teetered between being designated as a sauropodomorph
doomed to a dead end, or to be classified as one of the oldest sauropods thus
found. But after recent studies, the conceding final analysis is that it is the
most basal sauropod thus discovered, although not as a direct ancestor to
behemoth sauropods that were later to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Occurring 225 mya in the Late Triassic,
as <i>Antetonnitrus</i>, <i>Blikanasaurus</i> had the opposable digit I,
but in analysis of its skeletal structure, was one of the first sauropods to
have a permanent quadrupedal gait even though digit I was not weight bearing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Occurring 110 mya toward the end of the
Early Cretaceous was, <i>Brontomerus</i> (Brawn-toe-meh-rus). The name is Greek meaning, ‘thunder thighs’ and
for very good reasoning. This sauropod had the largest and strongest thigh
muscles of any animal thus far known. The huge muscle projected forward. Even
the ilium on which the thigh muscle was attached projected forwards suggesting
the ability to deliver a strong forward kick. The ilium further had attachments
for abductor muscles allowing the leg to draw up and away from the body. For
this roughly, 60 metric tonnes/66 US tons (132,277 lbs.) sauropod with a length
of 14m/46ft, the strong hind limbs assuredly gave it advantages not afforded to
other sauropods.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jAgjgUJL3t-DOkqNO7WjUG7sgHDVgmETMG-zg3QNxj1sANuXHtQN164nKTWQ1fmHyr1GkRRm30uy-5jMPMXsXMEWBIJzp8-QnAujRcnURpZWEBnpL3Y726EWyGOi6ccSZ5db4aKhtlaQ/s1600/1-dino+Brontomerus_Utahraptor.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jAgjgUJL3t-DOkqNO7WjUG7sgHDVgmETMG-zg3QNxj1sANuXHtQN164nKTWQ1fmHyr1GkRRm30uy-5jMPMXsXMEWBIJzp8-QnAujRcnURpZWEBnpL3Y726EWyGOi6ccSZ5db4aKhtlaQ/s320/1-dino+Brontomerus_Utahraptor.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Francisco Gasco <i>Brontomerus</i> kicking <i>Utahraptor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The capable strength and power delivered
in this kick definitely could have served a fatal blow to any predator of its
day. It may have also served in males kicking it out during mating periods or
standing side-by-side kicking one another for leadership dominance. The hind
limb musculature also would give <i>Brontomerus</i>
an advantage of greater support in going up or down steep inclines and a
steadier base for rearing up on the hind limbs. In being able to climb and
descend steep hills and to rear safely on its hind limbs gave a greater access
to plants that would be unattainable for other large sauropods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpEjPrMfFcMPBOV1Gfx0O4Cm3Y53XLLzWDK7HWzFtzMx0hzqjyQDhMwSpjthljWzHKY4MzY5pr53ajfiO4DGFIS9zkcOT_sajXSNtUfA2wIlXY-9o3k7EoTmedYts4AYyxVTwvPRRsGUB/s1600/1-dino+shunosaurus1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="900" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpEjPrMfFcMPBOV1Gfx0O4Cm3Y53XLLzWDK7HWzFtzMx0hzqjyQDhMwSpjthljWzHKY4MzY5pr53ajfiO4DGFIS9zkcOT_sajXSNtUfA2wIlXY-9o3k7EoTmedYts4AYyxVTwvPRRsGUB/s320/1-dino+shunosaurus1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Tumas Koivurinne <i>Shunosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Living in the Middle Jurassic 170 mya, <i>Shunosaurus</i> (Shu-no-sawr-us), with 21
China fossil finds, was one of the most unusual sauropods. At 9.5m/31ft, it was
fairly small for evolving sauropods and had the second shortest neck among
sauropods, just behind the shortest neck of <i>Brachytrachelopan</i>
(Brak-e-trak-el-o-pan). <i>Brachytrachelopan</i>’s
neck is 40% shorter than other sauropods, where <i>Shunosaurus</i> is 37% shorter. This suggests they were low browsers.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jaYycDdCiuz8mtqKGGceeWnON5OxShp3RXpJ9lOmVI6VTiLfrHCvh1x-xJXnBaNwwxUBt89e9eKl8mjo6CLDVnxNReKsFxDxNI-VP5reCyqmdQgSzC51VUflxb_k84_YxgUHmj5x9LFs/s1600/1-dino+shunosaurus-tail+fossil.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="1600" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jaYycDdCiuz8mtqKGGceeWnON5OxShp3RXpJ9lOmVI6VTiLfrHCvh1x-xJXnBaNwwxUBt89e9eKl8mjo6CLDVnxNReKsFxDxNI-VP5reCyqmdQgSzC51VUflxb_k84_YxgUHmj5x9LFs/s320/1-dino+shunosaurus-tail+fossil.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Shunosaurus</i> tail fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another <i>Shunosaurus</i> oddity is its upper and lower jaws curved upwards that
functioned much like a pair of garden shears in stripping foliage. But the
oddest trait was its mimic of ankylosaurs in having the tail end in a bony club
topped by two 5cm/2in osteoderm cone-shaped spikes used for fending off
predators and perhaps male competitors when mating. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rapetosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Phonetics:
Rah-pay-to-sawr-us) is thus far one of the last sauropods that held out to the
end of the Cretaceous 77-66 mya. It is under the clade, <i>Titanosauria</i>, but as under that order, was very moderate in size at
15m/49ft in length; being half the size of other titanosaurs. Juvenile remains
have also been found with its length at 8m/26ft. As pointed out and pictured earlier
in a few paragraphs above, paleontologists also discovered an infant <i>Rapetosaurus</i> with its size no more than
a medium sized dog. Implementing bone histology and X-ray computerized
tomography, the researchers found that the infant had the same ratio of bone
compactness per size as the adult alluding to the fact that <i>Rapetosaurus</i> resembled the adult stage
throughout all the sub adult stages, indicating a very early independence from
parental care. The small size could be referred to island dwarfism as <i>Rapetosaurus</i> was isolated on the forming
island of Madagascar that rifted from Africa in the Early Cretaceous 135 mya and
India during the Late Cretaceous 88 mya. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJuCztpOXip0-p8BJItsE3XzLrkO4oeTjIqUgzXP9r3dZJZo8_ZPKapzCFh0QogjjiE6vcLwk4ZxPLk2AtrsNYlHn4tlEC2pOoNKj3fP0yIgj1v67iHu3cHkNkCV3m1xtM3zXZi579-lA/s1600/1-dino+rapetosaurus+Tyler+Keillor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJuCztpOXip0-p8BJItsE3XzLrkO4oeTjIqUgzXP9r3dZJZo8_ZPKapzCFh0QogjjiE6vcLwk4ZxPLk2AtrsNYlHn4tlEC2pOoNKj3fP0yIgj1v67iHu3cHkNkCV3m1xtM3zXZi579-lA/s320/1-dino+rapetosaurus+Tyler+Keillor.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Tyler Keillor <i>Rapetosaurus w</i>eeks old </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rapetosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> also shared
similar skull features of <i>Diplodocus</i>
(Phonetics: Dih-plaw-duh-cuss) in possessing a more slender cranium with the
nares (nasals) opening up between the eyes. It also had closely quartered
pencil-like dentition more suited for stripping leaves away from tree branches.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a born and raised West Texan, I have
to speak of Glen Rose, Texas. The Paluxy River runs through the quaint town and
outside a few miles away, dinosaur tracks were discovered in the riverbed. Way
back as a child in the late 1950s and early 1960s my siblings and I would
scamper down into the riverbed during the dry season checking out the dinosaur
trackways and reliving what it would be like to actually see one of those
dinosaurs that left those massive limestone foot impressions. It let our
imaginations run wild. Today though, that part of the river is Texas’ ‘Dinosaur
Valley State Park’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjSZcH5UbjsOT91d-3YwiINdEb8xu58UxP9YaF8IQNJ265KHfxn_yzYX5zS4BXIcb8KRbTANtAgiWyUgFlz0ojTQdkrUVrAezRAIWptS2oI9rK66HIH7LQsin4lGiuF3_pP31uubDYlOm/s1600/1-dino+paluxy+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="552" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjSZcH5UbjsOT91d-3YwiINdEb8xu58UxP9YaF8IQNJ265KHfxn_yzYX5zS4BXIcb8KRbTANtAgiWyUgFlz0ojTQdkrUVrAezRAIWptS2oI9rK66HIH7LQsin4lGiuF3_pP31uubDYlOm/s320/1-dino+paluxy+poster.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Paluxy Poster</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzBlVqQQ0JqrCHIuIl1OB0Xy4jTMMB-PJk7Z0SYCnCEsKkH4i90KV_zA-OUpeerkB9E0uDLCktNdvDSK4hi-cp0NL1Cl3Nu7tgBcvg66pvWi0vQOpGYegOX5V59s2KI4HP44Sw05Ps9S_/s1600/1-dino+paluxy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzBlVqQQ0JqrCHIuIl1OB0Xy4jTMMB-PJk7Z0SYCnCEsKkH4i90KV_zA-OUpeerkB9E0uDLCktNdvDSK4hi-cp0NL1Cl3Nu7tgBcvg66pvWi0vQOpGYegOX5V59s2KI4HP44Sw05Ps9S_/s200/1-dino+paluxy+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theropod track in Paluxy River bed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fsrbdX4Enlj06LjLNY0p_-llafqJdgOO0T3oU6BEp5RTnMc4y2c_5MpR0HW5IjeKlwqmBJyZgI2ST9MC-wYFvpn1SSVSijUfPoZdeLx3tpa0PtP7KLynCG-cMcXQDOOUdGWxBCMQE7FM/s1600/1-dino+paluxy+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="635" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fsrbdX4Enlj06LjLNY0p_-llafqJdgOO0T3oU6BEp5RTnMc4y2c_5MpR0HW5IjeKlwqmBJyZgI2ST9MC-wYFvpn1SSVSijUfPoZdeLx3tpa0PtP7KLynCG-cMcXQDOOUdGWxBCMQE7FM/s200/1-dino+paluxy+4.jpg" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dino tracks Paluxy River</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also in those bygone days, in town was a
little museum ran by sweet l’il elderly ladies; they all were volunteers from
the local 1<sup>st</sup> Baptist Church. An old farmer said he had found a
human footprint alongside the dinosaur tracks. Yeah, he said he dug it up and
brought it to the museum. As the l’il ladies explained the farmer story to ya,
they also would interject, “It is living proof of the Bible’s creation story.” Once
I got a little older, I began to silently question the story for ya see; the
supposed human footprint was clearly cement mortar. Now I wondered, how in the
world could a mixed cement block come from limestone strata? I did ask the l’il
ladies about where exactly did the farmer extract this imprint, but they
relayed he never would say in wanting to keep folk away from the premises and
all, ya know. Now the elderly gals would eagerly peddle a photo of the footprint
made into a poster. I did so kindly as to purchase one and still have it today
hanging in my stair well. Blessed are the l’il elderly ladies...<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHnH01qY4pmrTKAXruvC9e8BX-zVNg6iuGvdT0EH0XjbNusKLwW0C0lWHUukurSzOcAU1fDUiqMNSJrJ2qA82jf8s-ESseHjSNKKrpIOoQOVecCtlioQdVdrXMrbeozKdefkE_krTb9Z1/s1600/1-dino+paluxysaurus-acrocanthosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="870" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHnH01qY4pmrTKAXruvC9e8BX-zVNg6iuGvdT0EH0XjbNusKLwW0C0lWHUukurSzOcAU1fDUiqMNSJrJ2qA82jf8s-ESseHjSNKKrpIOoQOVecCtlioQdVdrXMrbeozKdefkE_krTb9Z1/s320/1-dino+paluxysaurus-acrocanthosaurus.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Cheung-tat Chung <i>Acrocanthosaurus</i> pursuing Paluxysaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anyway, in honoring those childhood
days, I give you the Paluxy River’s, <i>Paluxysaurus</i>
(Pa-lux-ee-sawr-us). Up to 18m/59ft long there is a portion of a <i>Paluxysaurus</i>
foot path that was excavated along the Paluxy River’s bedrock now housed in New
York’s, ‘American Natural history Museum’. The <i>Paluxysaurus</i> tracks are trailed by a large theropod predator, which
was most likely left by <i>Acrocanthosaurus</i>
(Ak-row-kahn-tho-sawr-us), the most prevalent carnivore of that Early
Cretaceous time period. <i>Paluxysaurus</i>
lived 115-110 mya and <i>Acrocanthosaurus</i>,
116-110 mya. Although according to its skeletal remains, <i>Acrocanthosaurus</i> wasn’t very speedy. The foot trails depict <i>Paluxysaurus</i> being tailed by a theropod
of <i>Acrocanthosaurus</i>’ 11.5m/38ft size
range. <i>Paluxysaurus</i> remains were
found in Hood County in which Glen Rose is the county seat, while <i>Acrocanthosaurus</i> fossil remains have
been found throughout Texas near Hood County. The fossil footprints and
impressions may not have been left by <i>Acrocanthosaurus</i>,
but the evidence retained in them certainly holds a vast amount of info of that
animal.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3czw3otl0iO8eCV18jS7prxp6Y3zBHck0v079UR6_Rh_tficTWHlwYct5ZHcwb87emNbVL43uhWnQ_gbcCMd-TiDjKyVX3NvJO0lKsOcN0hMIbpD9R1H5eNNMEA-Zjx_3Ha33rY-tuCS_/s1600/1-dino+brontosaurus+cr.+thinkstock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3czw3otl0iO8eCV18jS7prxp6Y3zBHck0v079UR6_Rh_tficTWHlwYct5ZHcwb87emNbVL43uhWnQ_gbcCMd-TiDjKyVX3NvJO0lKsOcN0hMIbpD9R1H5eNNMEA-Zjx_3Ha33rY-tuCS_/s320/1-dino+brontosaurus+cr.+thinkstock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Linda Bucklin <i>B. excelsus </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On a closing note, as but a small child
I always equated long necked dinosaurs as a brontosaur. Then as an adult, it
was deciphered that the brontosaur fossils were actually just another apatosaur.
I so grieved</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> for I missed my brontosaur. But alas, as an older man there is to
be no more grieving as it has been positively borne out through meticulous
research that not only is there a brontosaur, but there are actually three
species in, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">B</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. excelsus (the very one
that was removed and reassigned as an apatosaur species then back to brontosaur),
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">B</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">yahnahpin</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">B</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">parvus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below are a few sauropods:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZS_ZO_T0AVhepHs2_gWIlWkg8KOgGKNSrPjphIUDz7UTuDMLqpdbjjQV3YrGwEoEzI3Wm56v7-0YVAqfIompqMy429ADSNbbgfSoPtpDdok_YDIQy7AHOxxJHaFDD3cjU9kwE2vHwK-bN/s1600/1-dino+apatosaurus+paleoguy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZS_ZO_T0AVhepHs2_gWIlWkg8KOgGKNSrPjphIUDz7UTuDMLqpdbjjQV3YrGwEoEzI3Wm56v7-0YVAqfIompqMy429ADSNbbgfSoPtpDdok_YDIQy7AHOxxJHaFDD3cjU9kwE2vHwK-bN/s200/1-dino+apatosaurus+paleoguy.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: James Kuether <i>Apatosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYuYrDaIM716GRt20cQZ_yGO0bCio5BOchKxN69T-CpLdVVhE77lmThPYN9q61OVDIu38VQNd95pNb03_cn_NO8VfZ1i9NGJ6MlGnVJwqFTIVdOb4Df_QsS_FF0cjs7ZUXQ9PveWPV-D9/s1600/1-dino+amargasaurus+luis+rey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="800" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYuYrDaIM716GRt20cQZ_yGO0bCio5BOchKxN69T-CpLdVVhE77lmThPYN9q61OVDIu38VQNd95pNb03_cn_NO8VfZ1i9NGJ6MlGnVJwqFTIVdOb4Df_QsS_FF0cjs7ZUXQ9PveWPV-D9/s200/1-dino+amargasaurus+luis+rey.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Luis V. Rey <i>Amargasaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtzavVK3JLgzNPmQJ20Y9hNXAVS7NLSCDOwLKKGqnC0KWxFlPk32LGPhCLHho7D9T6ZpXRR86Z1ocoIfcT8rRJzfd7czNUu3JDgLzOr3Hh-As3MQaNogDUBq_yo6Vwb7dxWPk8l9zNK1-/s1600/1-dino+astrodon+tom+holtz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1166" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtzavVK3JLgzNPmQJ20Y9hNXAVS7NLSCDOwLKKGqnC0KWxFlPk32LGPhCLHho7D9T6ZpXRR86Z1ocoIfcT8rRJzfd7czNUu3JDgLzOr3Hh-As3MQaNogDUBq_yo6Vwb7dxWPk8l9zNK1-/s320/1-dino+astrodon+tom+holtz.jpg" width="274" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Luis V. Rey <i>Astrodon</i> fending off pesky <i>Utahraptors</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7fzCmk7_P-V1VSi3he-5FAN5_y1Dky9vcVImg_-jjzVVYCnQRWoo7NFNgjlLH4B326l83S7OD1RtE6LtLAvPtfxCaPn4N14NuzxaR_lKLeKOZznXsU5um_a7ZbNKTWKxP0GxpZBpKuoq/s1600/1-dino+brachiosaurus+phil+wilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="900" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7fzCmk7_P-V1VSi3he-5FAN5_y1Dky9vcVImg_-jjzVVYCnQRWoo7NFNgjlLH4B326l83S7OD1RtE6LtLAvPtfxCaPn4N14NuzxaR_lKLeKOZznXsU5um_a7ZbNKTWKxP0GxpZBpKuoq/s320/1-dino+brachiosaurus+phil+wilson.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Phil Wilson <i>Brachiosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlc-RkeT7w5kpmo_nARvOxPK9qTKAo9_9C1CYDSHuizEf_ofPXB2nbXXnOE32COyhofz41oD_59Oce9XVV6hyk2HNfnusIVWFMIrndXh_YhyT2URTL1xxvuSo8Tuiq6a9cB147jFV-vf9U/s1600/1-dino+omeisaurus__gasosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlc-RkeT7w5kpmo_nARvOxPK9qTKAo9_9C1CYDSHuizEf_ofPXB2nbXXnOE32COyhofz41oD_59Oce9XVV6hyk2HNfnusIVWFMIrndXh_YhyT2URTL1xxvuSo8Tuiq6a9cB147jFV-vf9U/s200/1-dino+omeisaurus__gasosaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: James Kuether <i>Omeisaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89OyTnOc1hhPYYE9JoHdzbpSku_o53sA7dv7WARlm4DXSsQvOUc3B1Y7hr2ksKrkl-EhsKv6bfdF1WEKD1f2yhYQ-lzcJX-RbjNfM6EtGMjXVaXD9FhY8A0VkCDxxxZOYZs-gG8z7OAIE/s1600/1-dino+titanosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="1000" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89OyTnOc1hhPYYE9JoHdzbpSku_o53sA7dv7WARlm4DXSsQvOUc3B1Y7hr2ksKrkl-EhsKv6bfdF1WEKD1f2yhYQ-lzcJX-RbjNfM6EtGMjXVaXD9FhY8A0VkCDxxxZOYZs-gG8z7OAIE/s320/1-dino+titanosaur.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Kostyantyn Ivanyshen <i>Titanosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithoscelida</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Besides the common bird-hip,
ornithoscelidans were also intermediate in bird structure with various
ornithischian species possessing integumentary filaments, quill-like appendages
and feather-like epidermal branching structures. Of course in theropods,
distinct evidence in ulnar quill knobs, down feathering and feathers have been
found in their fossil remains. In both of these dinosaur groups there is also
fossil evidence of epidermal scales, just as it is present in bird legs today. So
for dinosaurs comprising,<b> </b><i>Ornithoscelida</i>, scales and feathering
were evident in skin covering as a whole, or in part or in possessing both. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAXIgUyKIK4YO0DDVZTbUBTE38MNILiNFSrvTv9TmdgKZiY9lpheBtdQpW75HwkvOSYkg3FTlUOBnBGzyX7_B4hAbf7oT21RZFVD_phH_wYVNPEioJ2Mt0d52zouC2jp2lRf_96ELis_G/s1600/1-dino+ornitoscelida+simple+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="750" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAXIgUyKIK4YO0DDVZTbUBTE38MNILiNFSrvTv9TmdgKZiY9lpheBtdQpW75HwkvOSYkg3FTlUOBnBGzyX7_B4hAbf7oT21RZFVD_phH_wYVNPEioJ2Mt0d52zouC2jp2lRf_96ELis_G/s320/1-dino+ornitoscelida+simple+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gNCWoWCWhn0FMBk1nL9Nh-rf_txVqcNUM6FbnDbaxpS9wuOBYW5G0VeTKyLVxmV3uj0MBT5XuKdaoP-hl360RJOE35WMW6nat7VIyAImzAfrGSFw05jzAx8NqHIzGsPRQh3lArHeRsw9/s1600/1-dino+ornithoscelida+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gNCWoWCWhn0FMBk1nL9Nh-rf_txVqcNUM6FbnDbaxpS9wuOBYW5G0VeTKyLVxmV3uj0MBT5XuKdaoP-hl360RJOE35WMW6nat7VIyAImzAfrGSFw05jzAx8NqHIzGsPRQh3lArHeRsw9/s320/1-dino+ornithoscelida+cladogram.jpg" width="157" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ornithoscelida simple clades</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This new dinosaur cladistic relationship
grouping also suggests that hyper-carnivory was acquired independently in herrerasaurids
and theropods, offering an explanation for many of the anatomical features
previously regarded as notable convergences between theropods and early
ornithischians. The earliest theropods, ornithischians and also sauropodomorphs
to arise, basically came from the same grandparents; it’s just that theropods
and ornithischians were first cousins and second cousins to sauropods in matter
of terms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithischia</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First off, please don’t confuse ‘<i>Ornithoscelida</i>’ with ‘<i>Ornithischia</i>’, for it’s easy to do. They
are as distinct from one another as <i>Australopithecus</i>
is to <i>Homo</i> <i>sapiens</i>. One covers multiple variant groups (<i>Ornithoscelida</i>) while the other (<i>Ornithischia</i>) carries a few specific related subgroups. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEFGOzxvhPw_YiunAnm5BcZwPwMsAXoLjDuGq5CmzMjHbVkIopxZPzeSaST97cA7wL3oC5PLLQCA4-03SC7yEEeRGZH7Hxynuo0gCbjHHB5miRgmqG2QMQKpdkrlOxqXbuEf7Fyv9_k6Z/s1600/1-dino+ornithischia+clad1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEFGOzxvhPw_YiunAnm5BcZwPwMsAXoLjDuGq5CmzMjHbVkIopxZPzeSaST97cA7wL3oC5PLLQCA4-03SC7yEEeRGZH7Hxynuo0gCbjHHB5miRgmqG2QMQKpdkrlOxqXbuEf7Fyv9_k6Z/s320/1-dino+ornithischia+clad1.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ornithischia Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithischians came in many various
forms as quadrupeds and bipeds, as armored or bony, but what primarily
designates a dinosaur to be related to the ornithischian club is the pelvic
anatomy. Ornithischian pelvises, or hip girdles have the pubis and ischium
bones running parallel to one another pointing backwards just below the ilium
which points forwards. This is extinct and extant bird hips’ typical
arrangement, thus the name, <i>Ornithischia</i>
which is Greek for ‘bird hipped’. They also possessed ossification on the
predentary of the dentary (lower jaw) that formed a beak extending the dentary in
coinciding with the upper premaxillary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Other ornithischian characteristics were
toothless paired premaxillary bones with a keratinous tipped beak and possessed
a palpebral bone that laid across the outside of the eye socket (similar to an
eyebrow function in humans). Also, these dinosaurs shared a much reduced or
closed off antorbital fenestra (skull openings in front of the eyes) and
stiffened backbones near the pelvis due to ossified tendons above the sacrum.
All ornithischians were herbivores. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Those with teeth bore leaf-shaped, or
premaxillary spoon-shaped dentition or a battery of peg-like teeth set in back
of the mouth that was surrounded by rhamphoteca (keratinous sheaths).
Ornithischians with dentition chewed softer plant material inaugurating the
digestion process. The keratinous beaked ornithischians with few or no teeth
relied on a large gut for bacterial fermentation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some, like the ceratopsid, <i>Psittacosaurus</i> (Phonetics: Sit-tah-coe-sawr-us),
the ankylosaurid, <i>Panoplosaurus</i> (Pan-op-low-sawr-us),
the iguanodontid, <i>Iguanodon</i> (E-gwan-o-don)
and the hadrosaurid, <i>Claosaurus</i> (Clay-o-sawr-us)
had gastroliths found in the gut area of their fossil remains, but other than
these four dinosaurs, gastroliths are not evident in ornithischian fossils. To
induce proper digestion in assimilating nutrients from plant bulk, most
ornithischians may have incorporated gastric milling. This is a process where a
musculature stomach is equipped with a layer of hard keratin and small pebbles
which breakup, pulverize and emulsify food content. Toothless ostriches today
incorporate the same process. As ornithischians are related to theropods and
birds evolved from theropods, it is conceivable herbivorous birds genetically
inherited gastric milling from ornithischians. Found at the front of the lower
jaws, all ornithischians possess a predentary bone that functions as an aid in
cropping plants. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithischians are divided into two
major subgroups; they are: <i>Thyreophora</i>
(Thyr-uh-ree-off-for-uh) and <i>Cerapoda</i>
(Sair-uh-po-duh). The clade <i>Cerapoda</i> further
divides more derived ornithischians into two subgroups, <i>Ornithopoda</i> (Or-nith-op-o-duh) and <i>Marginocephalia</i> (Mar-gin-o-seff-fol-e-uh). Cerapods were the bird
foot dinosaurs where marginocephalians were the ‘bone headed’ and ‘horned face’
dinosaurs. The dinosaurs that make up these three clade groups are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Thyreophora</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: ankylosaurs,
stegosaurs.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithopoda</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: hadrosaurs,
hypsilophodontids, iguanodontids, thescelosaurids, jeholosaurids, yandusaur. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquuWzGNCMGRvHQ9VPWPFR_28CQgwTF9gmV519zEdXew6IWLVzysXHpQu9PIymku2L43XOrOhAGfCjMfYnfwG-Dv0zTiRiQyQaE4NcracdTzaVv9djLLW921CRf04snMEWrlRFz-wtTTfm/s1600/1-dino+Ornithopoda+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="944" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquuWzGNCMGRvHQ9VPWPFR_28CQgwTF9gmV519zEdXew6IWLVzysXHpQu9PIymku2L43XOrOhAGfCjMfYnfwG-Dv0zTiRiQyQaE4NcracdTzaVv9djLLW921CRf04snMEWrlRFz-wtTTfm/s320/1-dino+Ornithopoda+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Marginocephalia</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: A)<i> Pachycephalosauria</i> ~ pachycephalosaurs;
B) <i>Ceratopsia</i> ~ <i>Yinlong</i>, <i>Chaoyangsaurus</i>, psittacosaurids,
ceratopsids.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnXhLBXcmMSv5Bw6AYyUiPZa7A8O9246XEUMok0Gs07cRognVJZ02aVaqxKAj3WDzec6xQtnz8JwFPJkMYmlZL22A2_hq8h20EQWqNWiYm8pUTQXRSaZ6XM8rbE28RFvVT-WN3TdhG6SS/s1600/1-dino+marginocephalia+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="760" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnXhLBXcmMSv5Bw6AYyUiPZa7A8O9246XEUMok0Gs07cRognVJZ02aVaqxKAj3WDzec6xQtnz8JwFPJkMYmlZL22A2_hq8h20EQWqNWiYm8pUTQXRSaZ6XM8rbE28RFvVT-WN3TdhG6SS/s320/1-dino+marginocephalia+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although the Late Triassic suchian, <i>Revueltosaurus</i> (Re-vul-toe-sawr-us)
living 225-209.5 mya was originally thought to be a basal ornithischian, it
appears that ornithischians did not arise until the Jurassic, as revueltosaurs
were finally determined to be a clade of suchian archosaurs.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLV21ikrVbluOtBZE_yIurO7YQnnoX81gMg2bmQW6sMTH_4WXxk1cXiwAKW1ezNUDwIp8oXR-OjePkLzBPAdf4oVHd-nh0QFECAwtccTv-z5y86Gp5wkF1_hpSbqKFJvApJ17ih92-3euM/s1600/1-dino+revueltosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="760" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLV21ikrVbluOtBZE_yIurO7YQnnoX81gMg2bmQW6sMTH_4WXxk1cXiwAKW1ezNUDwIp8oXR-OjePkLzBPAdf4oVHd-nh0QFECAwtccTv-z5y86Gp5wkF1_hpSbqKFJvApJ17ih92-3euM/s320/1-dino+revueltosaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Revueltosaurus</i> skeletal anatomy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fabrosaurs, agilisaurs, nanosaurs and
gongbusaurs occurring throughout the Jurassic 199-155 mya ago, have scant
fossil finds and cannot be reliably classified, but at what has been found and studied,
they are primitive bipedal ornithischians. Ranging from 1-2m/3.3-6.6ft in size,
unless perfectly fossilized, their fragile remains were easily disintegrated
throughout the eons of Earth upheavals and weathering.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8RLJ3NA-hxQdFk8pyWaiDqlBwbs9AVdM4gPGCTmWb_HEHNWL_mzryA2TjM56eW9OmHA2_vALrYF5a4JX82u9wYKyEfQxY8nqtlt2yN788IVF7IB3a9Z1palqRDVmIwgnbMlQa1F4oBhL/s1600/1-dino+fabrosaurus+Wayne+Barlowe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="764" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8RLJ3NA-hxQdFk8pyWaiDqlBwbs9AVdM4gPGCTmWb_HEHNWL_mzryA2TjM56eW9OmHA2_vALrYF5a4JX82u9wYKyEfQxY8nqtlt2yN788IVF7IB3a9Z1palqRDVmIwgnbMlQa1F4oBhL/s320/1-dino+fabrosaurus+Wayne+Barlowe.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Wayne Barlowe <i>Fabrosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After much debate, <i>Pisanosaurus</i> (Pi-san-o-sawr-us) has been determined to be the oldest
ornithischian thus far discovered despite the fact it is not a true dinosaur,
but a dinosauriform. Although it is not a true cerapod, it does show ornithopod
anatomical features with affinities to hypsilophodontids and heterodontosaurs
and is the earliest known bird-hipped animal. Living 228-216.5 mya in the Late
Triassic, <i>Pisanosaurus</i> was a biped
herbivore reaching a length of 1m/3.3ft. The acetabulum (hip-joint) is open,
low and axially long, due to the short pedicels of the ilium. The upper region
of the ischium is wide and larger than the pubic bone. <i>Pisanosaurus</i> is the sister group of the basal ancestor to heterodontosaurids
and thyreophorans.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljdE7ohmZ4s0R2V0ry6ORA2BUaqc6xyWWywqzns8hFEtCMi02zNLtUdg0hGxyK8GgLTTrHvdioPzBjG2Ob5Zi-W6dmHje2I0B0eu1_tRzqcIQYcSLJryneAbzVDnBWRjqopaxGyq4hvlR/s1600/1-dino+Pisanosaurus+masato+hattori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljdE7ohmZ4s0R2V0ry6ORA2BUaqc6xyWWywqzns8hFEtCMi02zNLtUdg0hGxyK8GgLTTrHvdioPzBjG2Ob5Zi-W6dmHje2I0B0eu1_tRzqcIQYcSLJryneAbzVDnBWRjqopaxGyq4hvlR/s320/1-dino+Pisanosaurus+masato+hattori.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Masato Hattori <i>Pisanosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Occurring in the Early Jurassic 199-189
mya, <i>Lesothosaurus</i> (Leh-so-toe-sawr-us)
was only 1m/3.3ft long, but with good fossilization more is known of this
ornithischian. Lesothosaurs are one of the first true dinosaurs to have evolved
the bird-hip. The hind limbs were long in proportion to body size while the
forelimbs were short, but with four well developed metacarpals (finger bones).
The anterior end of both the lower and upper jaws was a characteristic
ornithopod-like keratinous beak for snipping off plant material. Inside the
mouth in the front were canine-like teeth followed by leaf-shaped teeth in the
lower jaws that meshed with the horny beak in an up and down motion to shear
food. There is evidence that lesothosaurs traveled in small herds.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5Cwo8gwD7UcHvx4eeRvMlSN9BUGKLgoRpg134zKU0c5mC6tMXVggf4wYC91efe0YjBF7Txt28JCTdbu43Pa6qNmSLIjQYx3sbWxN83CdlqbO06cFRvYBIFWKx0ahhtw-SsbdSF7fzAWh/s1600/1-dino+lesothosaurus+albert+gruvitz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="850" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5Cwo8gwD7UcHvx4eeRvMlSN9BUGKLgoRpg134zKU0c5mC6tMXVggf4wYC91efe0YjBF7Txt28JCTdbu43Pa6qNmSLIjQYx3sbWxN83CdlqbO06cFRvYBIFWKx0ahhtw-SsbdSF7fzAWh/s320/1-dino+lesothosaurus+albert+gruvitz.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Albert Gruvitz <i>Lesothosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Heterodontosauridae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Hay-tear-o-don-toe-soar-uh-day)
species are the most basal members of ornithischians. Occurring from the end of
the Triassic through the Jurassic and on into the Early Cretaceous 201-133 mya,
the heterodontosaurid family consisted of three genera and one subfamily, <i>Heterodontosaurinae</i> composed of five
genera as illustrated in the cladogram below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86HTimvJoqwcZSXnl5FtkgQq6LjR_bCqJ7BZ2uV80VQz6Sy-sD-O6EweJPWPI9yqEUu33E5C_PgdbXwhvZNRi7j4Yw1nN0lN4ltPyM8eczOXJ2B7e59FhaWMXa1pGMz9NjQ5E1r0_4f4y/s1600/1-dino+heterodontosaurid+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="550" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86HTimvJoqwcZSXnl5FtkgQq6LjR_bCqJ7BZ2uV80VQz6Sy-sD-O6EweJPWPI9yqEUu33E5C_PgdbXwhvZNRi7j4Yw1nN0lN4ltPyM8eczOXJ2B7e59FhaWMXa1pGMz9NjQ5E1r0_4f4y/s320/1-dino+heterodontosaurid+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heterodontosaurid Cladogram</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjN2GQmmfbZVhGoz8fNjzGtknaOzSDCDvbm2DoFKOLW2gE1ojJC78NnyZIn26Edxio-TyTu2z6_meYcR2Na6MtLwNt0Je4VF8grJ_2rxf_dPBMmFd_O3IKQhAc5c15Ya-4710yF0r7Vkk/s1600/1-dino+hetero+abrictosaurus+NRF+S.+Africa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="600" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjN2GQmmfbZVhGoz8fNjzGtknaOzSDCDvbm2DoFKOLW2gE1ojJC78NnyZIn26Edxio-TyTu2z6_meYcR2Na6MtLwNt0Je4VF8grJ_2rxf_dPBMmFd_O3IKQhAc5c15Ya-4710yF0r7Vkk/s200/1-dino+hetero+abrictosaurus+NRF+S.+Africa.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: NRF S. Africa <i>Abrictosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEnd7WIUjHcxo-EzhC7-lX-8x1RAPX95kAUBLR1TDWKVSC-wrgcftCKfsIdN4xVZWlM6dvPfJXgl3tAY66XDz3vWFLC2Bo-cSAIDnezhBXtbhWyVbBiyxDWrm0lXNpSfZD7giOryt_YfU/s1600/1-dino+Heterodontosaurid+dentition_evolution+sereno+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEnd7WIUjHcxo-EzhC7-lX-8x1RAPX95kAUBLR1TDWKVSC-wrgcftCKfsIdN4xVZWlM6dvPfJXgl3tAY66XDz3vWFLC2Bo-cSAIDnezhBXtbhWyVbBiyxDWrm0lXNpSfZD7giOryt_YfU/s200/1-dino+Heterodontosaurid+dentition_evolution+sereno+2012.jpg" width="189" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heterodontosaurid dental evolution</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Heterodontosaurids were similar
anatomically and small with no species ever exceeding 2m/6.6ft. As in the
lesothosaurs, they maintained inheritance from their predatory ancestry in
possessing caninform dentition and depending on species, were located either on
the premaxillary in earlier forms or the maxilla in more derived forms. The
canine-like teeth were serrated either on both the anterior and anterior sides
or only on the anterior side of <i>Abrictosaurus</i>
(Ab-rick-toe-sawr-us). However, in their dentition evolvement, the ancestral
canines were transitioning to a more herbivorous tooth form. The cheek teeth
had small denticles (ridges) to crop and masticate vegetation. The mandible was
tipped by a unique ornithischian bone called predentary that was situated on
the front upper jaw extending the dentary (lower jaw bone). The predentary
supported a toothless keratinous beak as did the upper premaxilla. </span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuFIgffJ4rT92GWjYq5fPIlki_entnW2QzMXnjCmi8-XBTS03ECD0C0Y0sR-aBWr6LvDL6qIQw2b9GGZfg8WYamNHnzXCqjY1uCU7H80zlxcRaV3LU2PzVOayEmKjV3T9Pd5KwujxIpJN/s1600/1-dino+heterodontosaurid+skulls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="800" height="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuFIgffJ4rT92GWjYq5fPIlki_entnW2QzMXnjCmi8-XBTS03ECD0C0Y0sR-aBWr6LvDL6qIQw2b9GGZfg8WYamNHnzXCqjY1uCU7H80zlxcRaV3LU2PzVOayEmKjV3T9Pd5KwujxIpJN/s200/1-dino+heterodontosaurid+skulls.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A) Heterodontosaurus B) Tianyulong</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">This </span>differing dentition arrangement is what gave rise to the family name, as heterodont
dentition is an animal possessing more than a single-type of tooth morphology; just
as primates do, which includes humans. As far as the skull goes both <i>Abrictosaurus</i> and <i>Heterodontosaurus</i>, the jugal bone projected sideways as it did in
the later more derived ceratopsians. As shown in the illustration below, one of
the main features that distinguished heterodontosaurid species from the others
was in the jaw articulation angle of the skull.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpeX9JpVJG2sd9p6-SudzclcVvJOWOF563PUfDcSigmWcCBie0tikXonIcd8BjviecCyC1OHZKPKugWaay-X_veFny9atW48ZBUYpLfUoeqdv18dlQMrLAg3ccCYog2EQKe9oRw7BKpPX/s1600/1-dino+heterodontosaurid+fruitadens+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1082" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpeX9JpVJG2sd9p6-SudzclcVvJOWOF563PUfDcSigmWcCBie0tikXonIcd8BjviecCyC1OHZKPKugWaay-X_veFny9atW48ZBUYpLfUoeqdv18dlQMrLAg3ccCYog2EQKe9oRw7BKpPX/s320/1-dino+heterodontosaurid+fruitadens+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heterodontosaurid fossil with feathering integuments</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One of the striking features found in
heterodontosaurid fossils are the impressions formed from filamentous
integumentary structures on the back, tail and neck, which are a theropod
variant of protofeathers. Also, heterodontosaurid forelimbs were lengthening; a
trending factor towards quadrupedalism.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiD3X9FoTj2SuRoI917WQx_MSvlVBB3Em2Rg5NXuRQS80ycSqh13MnGJFSctxLRgb9KHhHjUmR1_3L4efgLuGDTk_yUWanfX979oImOSICviE9kO-JCfvA2EEH5R9E8IBgOsGkGJndgLb/s1600/1-dino+heterodontosaur+julio+lacerda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiD3X9FoTj2SuRoI917WQx_MSvlVBB3Em2Rg5NXuRQS80ycSqh13MnGJFSctxLRgb9KHhHjUmR1_3L4efgLuGDTk_yUWanfX979oImOSICviE9kO-JCfvA2EEH5R9E8IBgOsGkGJndgLb/s320/1-dino+heterodontosaur+julio+lacerda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julio Lacerda Heterodontosaurid perching</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One unique anatomical characteristic found in at
least some, like the pigeon-sized </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Manidens</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
is in the feet. The pes (foot) had a raised ridge on the back near the ankle
and is interpreted as an area for additional tendon attachment. The toes were
unusually long ending in narrow and curved claws resembling many birds.
Finally, the first toe had a unique combination of characters suggesting that
it may have been able to grasp objects despite being shorter than the other
three toes. This comes to the conclusion that like most perching birds; some
heterodontosaurids could clamber and perch upon tree limbs.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6ZlxQSMn2DGQWh6MEVOiHAPesuMGJeW-jTvqdWILGGV0RdMB1CjShyphenhyphenkHhIyfpKEvDUnbMKwOsxXZh4mGAn7P3xzEyLSmLVweQAQiYdmW9EiGrpTQYP4Cr4rN1Qjkf_3GD_YVaMGdiDi9/s1600/1-dino+Fruitadens1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="900" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6ZlxQSMn2DGQWh6MEVOiHAPesuMGJeW-jTvqdWILGGV0RdMB1CjShyphenhyphenkHhIyfpKEvDUnbMKwOsxXZh4mGAn7P3xzEyLSmLVweQAQiYdmW9EiGrpTQYP4Cr4rN1Qjkf_3GD_YVaMGdiDi9/s320/1-dino+Fruitadens1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Masato Hattori </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One Late Jurassic 150 mya heterodontosaurid
was </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Fruitadens</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Fru-tye-dens). Measuring only 65-75cm/25-30in in adult length, it was a small
ornithischian. This diminutive dinosaur was also the only ornithischian omnivore
as evidenced by its dentition and no, it did not eat fruit. The name comes from
the locale its fossils were found in, which is near the town of Fruita,
Colorado. Remember, fruiting plants didn’t come about until a good 20 million
years later in the Cretaceous. With hind limbs as long as its head and torso,
it was a swift runner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7f0jpkmJIteGvIcZOvWRWhCPnnVsf0Zbjcf6m66MPG-oyfAWK9f3V-FYqcKbPGYUjDvchMNi6Lq9gcIN5PYFGsZLpE_QzhuFdIpEb0dHWgQvdTuNcyloL10NiO98kWRiYEZjKRszIR6GM/s1600/1-dino+pegomastax+Tyler+Keillor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="550" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7f0jpkmJIteGvIcZOvWRWhCPnnVsf0Zbjcf6m66MPG-oyfAWK9f3V-FYqcKbPGYUjDvchMNi6Lq9gcIN5PYFGsZLpE_QzhuFdIpEb0dHWgQvdTuNcyloL10NiO98kWRiYEZjKRszIR6GM/s320/1-dino+pegomastax+Tyler+Keillor.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Tyler Keillor <i>Pegomastax</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One other heterodontosaurid was even
smaller at 60cm/2ft. Occurring 200-190mya in the Early Jurassic, <i>Pegomastax</i> (Peg-o-mass-taks) was an
herbivore that utilized its dentary fangs to uproot plants, dig for roots and
as a secondary use in defense. In possessing the paired fangs, porcupine-like dorsal
quills and extremely long legs for sprinting, this dinosaur was defensively
equipped no matter its size.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A few more heterodontosaurids:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZNMHDsgcsYGulSU7hPwsxgBz5p-jbNyb8TY5js0n4iXHt5VpjOnMAL3DGiqtVrc4-h_C6OY-ClgHZ_BcOgrAqTvJBhuaWntJEZPgwKtbhOU-fl3kgRxJ2iV99k2CGGQDCgoJyj-d5fAE/s1600/1-dino+hetero+Tianyulong+nobu+tamura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="800" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZNMHDsgcsYGulSU7hPwsxgBz5p-jbNyb8TY5js0n4iXHt5VpjOnMAL3DGiqtVrc4-h_C6OY-ClgHZ_BcOgrAqTvJBhuaWntJEZPgwKtbhOU-fl3kgRxJ2iV99k2CGGQDCgoJyj-d5fAE/s320/1-dino+hetero+Tianyulong+nobu+tamura.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Tianyulong</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTtxaXHO9udrkGuH0Aaeh2RH2QQd9ZlnohmurFxSWkEv84_reqR3G0KgwIxuXT85HeyBwU9bJ20Zyx-N7pBE0z1ehRCiptlYSMgKjvj32nYRJU9cfVWLc7F3AZ3ZIUWLpIhcMQ1VW_Vgr/s1600/1-dino+heterodontosaurus+tucki+LVR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTtxaXHO9udrkGuH0Aaeh2RH2QQd9ZlnohmurFxSWkEv84_reqR3G0KgwIxuXT85HeyBwU9bJ20Zyx-N7pBE0z1ehRCiptlYSMgKjvj32nYRJU9cfVWLc7F3AZ3ZIUWLpIhcMQ1VW_Vgr/s320/1-dino+heterodontosaurus+tucki+LVR.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Luis V. Rey <i>Heterodontosaurus</i> <i>tucki</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8izQZ9sTggbVpdKdus85gpEKOFlLzztPEB6yVG2ficcDO8cvlBoBpBr3GjB88u0GDjLJCZKeMup4K3nym5QL41BPFhvHc9HEIW6ltSJIcm_-kEns6nOl9tsek0bqh5EDxaBa7mZqFnxpH/s1600/1-dino+hetero+Manidens+Nobu+Tamura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="600" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8izQZ9sTggbVpdKdus85gpEKOFlLzztPEB6yVG2ficcDO8cvlBoBpBr3GjB88u0GDjLJCZKeMup4K3nym5QL41BPFhvHc9HEIW6ltSJIcm_-kEns6nOl9tsek0bqh5EDxaBa7mZqFnxpH/s320/1-dino+hetero+Manidens+Nobu+Tamura.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Manidens</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Thyreophora</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Thyreophorans
comprise the ankylosaurs and stegosaurs; the armored dinosaurs. Their temporal
range was from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous 199.6-66 mya. Utilizing
etymology, <i>Thyreophora</i> is derived
from the Greek ‘thyreos’ (shield) and ‘phoros’ (bearer), in reference to their
various types of armor. Instead of feathering, thyreophorans opted for heavy
ossification and osteoderm skin covering. Except for the basal thyreophoran, <i>Scutellosaurus</i> (Skuh-tell-o-sawr-us),
all other thyreophorans were quadrupeds walking on all fours with shorter
forelimbs than the hind limbs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQSOUX8TnTxyOjZmnLFJq2vl-DuYswUuCp5fmnOnmFM1FCtXWgFLinc-_XhBkTPp3BSEB1AQ_amv7JrLTJuqrURvMB4u97_-zEC05vinLLmMh5YTFtsC8VH_f4fagnz9yLDp1yBDjEoDa/s1600/1-dino+thyreophora+clad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="484" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQSOUX8TnTxyOjZmnLFJq2vl-DuYswUuCp5fmnOnmFM1FCtXWgFLinc-_XhBkTPp3BSEB1AQ_amv7JrLTJuqrURvMB4u97_-zEC05vinLLmMh5YTFtsC8VH_f4fagnz9yLDp1yBDjEoDa/s320/1-dino+thyreophora+clad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Basal or primitive thyreophorans had not
yet developed the armored osteoderm plates that the more derived forms, like
stegosaurs and ankylosaurs are known for, but from fossil studies of preserved
soft tissue, it is concluded that most basal thyreophorans possessed an outside
layer of keratinous skin. From this, the armor derived in the later forms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The most primitive thyreophoran evidence
thus found are, <i>Tatisaurus</i> (Tah-tee-sawr-us)
found in China’s Lufeng Formation of Early Jurassic sedimentary rock dated
199.5 mya and <i>Bienosaurus</i> (By-no-sawr-us).
<i>Bienosaurus</i> was also found in the
same ‘Lufeng Formation’ as <i>Tatisaurus</i>
and is estimated to be from 195+ mya. Both of these finds are skimpy and <i>Tatisaurus</i> is considered to be nomen
dubien due to the fossil only being a dentary (lower jaw) with teeth still
intact. But the teeth and jaw have enough traits to tie it into its ornithiscian
fabrosaur ancestry and thyreophoran lineage. <i>Bienosaurus</i>’s fragmentary skull and jaw remains have close
affinities to the thyreophoran, <i>Scelidosaurus
</i>(Scale-e-do-sawr-us).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5eYjO8dfCOmWTcg02K0d6FwIXIqiyNEvtZgNNGdJ-6tDbFNMXvGgsc8vA1Be5SXW8-3hKhOS4GltT3A_8khFRB6ptX35730IXXpSInvdX1d2F-OVtZ3qKPukUWgc65kOnuYL6-Cy_wAv/s1600/1-dino+scelidosaurus+luis+v+rey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="426" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5eYjO8dfCOmWTcg02K0d6FwIXIqiyNEvtZgNNGdJ-6tDbFNMXvGgsc8vA1Be5SXW8-3hKhOS4GltT3A_8khFRB6ptX35730IXXpSInvdX1d2F-OVtZ3qKPukUWgc65kOnuYL6-Cy_wAv/s320/1-dino+scelidosaurus+luis+v+rey.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Luis V. Rey <i>Scelidosaurus</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Occurring 196 mya in the Early Jurassic,
<i>Scutellosaurus</i> is one of two of the
most basal thyreophorans that led to the more derived armored forms. <i>Scelidosaurus</i>, from 191 to 183 mya of
the Early Triassic, is the other. Both were strict herbivores. With only a
maximum length of 1.2m/3.9ft, <i>Scutellosaurus</i>
was bipedal, but with longer hind limbs, the shorter forelimbs were still long
and built strong enough to perform weight bearing qualities, so it could walk
in a quadrupedal stance with ease. It possessed osteoderms that were fixed as
plates of bone within the skin. The osteoderms ran dorsally down the back and
flanks in parallel rows. This would have given <i>Scutellosaurus</i> an advantage from early theropods of the day in
protecting it from teeth piercings of the skin and internal organs. Of course
more derived theropods evolved into larger forms and stronger bites, so
thyreophorans in kind evolved into larger sizes with more armor. <i>Scutellosaurus</i> had a long tail that was
likely used as a counter balance to the heavier armored body. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFOAVJZni57xcXsZvKXruMvbTjBjZ08vcnHj92zeX-sncK0niwANqoU11AYCVZ_LWYFbJZAsvxiE4q_W3egSg-x7zyy8FGusd2gY2aat72c8b2EouATzkxJtlRntVWEZenG5ANotIRJCh/s1600/1-dino+scutellosaurus+james+kuether.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1600" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFOAVJZni57xcXsZvKXruMvbTjBjZ08vcnHj92zeX-sncK0niwANqoU11AYCVZ_LWYFbJZAsvxiE4q_W3egSg-x7zyy8FGusd2gY2aat72c8b2EouATzkxJtlRntVWEZenG5ANotIRJCh/s320/1-dino+scutellosaurus+james+kuether.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: James Kuether <i>Scutellosaurus</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Closely related to <i>Scutellosaurus</i>, <i>Scelidosaurus</i>
was a notch above in the armory. Still retaining the shorter forelimbs, <i>Scelidosaurus</i> was fully quadrupedal and
possessed six rows of osteoderm bony plates down the dorsal and flank sides of
the body, with the back four dorsal rows ending at the tail tip. In addition,
there were three pointed plates just behind the skull. A well preserved <i>Scelidosaurus</i> fossil<i> </i>find showed preserved soft tissue around the vertebrae that was an
epidermal layer of keratinous skin overlaying the osteoderms. At 4m/13ft long, <i>Scelidosaurus</i> was nearly triple the size
of <i>Scutellosaurus</i> and is the sister
taxon to the two main thyreophoran clads of stegosaurs and ankylosaurs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqNvj_LBx-OLA_RvEMEU9UjoLWMVjQgcrXMm-PuUF1bRIquphpwAQWLBz_DtAJjQtF6xrNCsY74zDty7kuZl5docq3jeLBvl2xwsszakyZcVnQ4siUmu27EIIyRik5VS-ei8hnUaU-3S-X/s320/1-dino+scelidosaurus+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: BBC Co. UK <i>Scelidosaurus</i> fossil</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Representing an immediate form between <i>Scutellosaurus</i> and <i>Scelidosaurus</i>, the 4m/13ft long <i>Emausaurus</i>
(Em-ow-sore-us) from the Early Jurassic 184-176 mya, had a skull anatomy that
was very similar to <i>Huayangosaurus</i>, (Hue-way-ang-o-sawr-us).
The <i>Emausaurus</i> skull was also small
compared to its 4.5m/14.8ft body that was also to become a distinguishing
feature of stegosaurs.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPz6KralBDl9evp4LK-sdNXfUVrkLZCFX29ZyQcQayOO1E7c9dp4DR8KIO7WEoTvowwOPEgdPdUNpJQ51EzGMb7JMQ6n7zi8D_66gDmd29GmiqVZKNj0fZ-V-KIFP62eK4Vxo1t1lJ0Qln/s1600/1-dino+Emausaurus+Graham+Rosewarne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="700" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPz6KralBDl9evp4LK-sdNXfUVrkLZCFX29ZyQcQayOO1E7c9dp4DR8KIO7WEoTvowwOPEgdPdUNpJQ51EzGMb7JMQ6n7zi8D_66gDmd29GmiqVZKNj0fZ-V-KIFP62eK4Vxo1t1lJ0Qln/s320/1-dino+Emausaurus+Graham+Rosewarne.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Graham Rosewarne <i>Emausaurus</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The two major thyreophoran clads are the
stegosaurs and ankylosaurs. The clad, <i>Stegosauria</i>
covers fourteen species and <i>Ankylosauria</i>
covers six species. Stegosaurians are known for their rows of bony upright
spikes or plates running down their spines while the more armored
ankylosaurians are more known for patches of external bones fused into
protective plates. Stegosaurs’ temporal range was from the Middle Jurassic to
the Early Cretaceous 165-136 mya. Ankylosaurians had a longer temporal range
from the Middle Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous 167-66 mya. Ankylosaurs were
one of the last groups of dinosaurs to go extinct.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78w6amiwHcUe4KldrTVBaNop_09D5HKqeNW5bkmI2mk3EKRRPD8_xhEv3NPD9dse-lk8TaBrg92KiV1Xa-sFONtK8EVBwZiVSS4GWZ6BcfcgIhdPOtuVcjD3KRpl5BkMOYw19LiFxlBjF/s320/1-dino+huayangosaurus+Franco+Tempesta.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Franco Tempesta <i>Huayangosaurus</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nHXqo-GwcbfZJAPwkkjKemeN0qVk0A-zka1PY0BwxHeZwfj_58B1zRmKrpKF5cvgZZyCG4y9RA4MaLDHMzwKsHeogOY1P71O2PpDn5Jym5JElEkFX5fhtXuRExM08NqH-ZlgqMS0AJlA/s1600/1-dino+stegosaur+plates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="670" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nHXqo-GwcbfZJAPwkkjKemeN0qVk0A-zka1PY0BwxHeZwfj_58B1zRmKrpKF5cvgZZyCG4y9RA4MaLDHMzwKsHeogOY1P71O2PpDn5Jym5JElEkFX5fhtXuRExM08NqH-ZlgqMS0AJlA/s200/1-dino+stegosaur+plates.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hesperosaurus</i> varying gender plates</td></tr>
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<i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stegosauria</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> ~ As
descendants from the <i>Lesothosaurus</i>
lineage, stegosaurians evolved their armor from a dinosaur line that had none.
But, lesothosaur traits were maintained as the earlier stegosaurian forms were
smaller and could run. <i>Stegosauria</i>
includes the two families, <i>Huayangosauridae</i>
and <i>Stegosauridae</i>. The more derived
forms, as in the family <i>Stegosauridae</i>
evolved longer hind limbs hampering running abilities, but gave a greater
advantage in using the spiked tail for defense in trajectory, torque and
height. Stegosaurians walked with an erect Limb gait, holding the body and tail
upright. The dorsal bony plates running down the spine that make for
stegosaurian fan clubs were not for thermoregulation, but for protective defense
and were possibly an example of sexual dimorphism being colorized in males for
attracting mates. Female plates were more grays or browns. Also, in taking
advantage of a single species, (<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hesperosaurus</span></i><i> mjosi</i>), central Montana graveyard site, by applying geometric morphologies
it’s been found that adult male plates were much broader and rounder than the
females, narrower plates. This gave more visibility for attraction. Later forms
possessed a vertical bony plate covering the outer side of the lower jaw and a
low ridge structure in the upper jaw running parallel to the tooth row. This is
indication of a fleshy cheek pouch existing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1xywY1X5_zRNEoYW7oTqiha1G3HWAa6MYklyfCPgOVpM064rpFcAIAmPzh0mmeO0aMm6FILG5OZ6JefGZ0QXdSWgPjxBYH6Ij4lnWTXumi2RIML7-mFHevDBgUswAspJ65ChQht5S96P/s1600/1-dino+Hesperosaurus+mjosi+masato+hattori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="900" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1xywY1X5_zRNEoYW7oTqiha1G3HWAa6MYklyfCPgOVpM064rpFcAIAmPzh0mmeO0aMm6FILG5OZ6JefGZ0QXdSWgPjxBYH6Ij4lnWTXumi2RIML7-mFHevDBgUswAspJ65ChQht5S96P/s320/1-dino+Hesperosaurus+mjosi+masato+hattori.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Masato Hattori <i>Hesperosaurus mjosi</i> male</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Huayangosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was a basal
stegosaurian found in China and as such, Asia is the origin of stegosaurians.
Coming from the Middle Jurassic 165-163.5 mya, <i>Huayangosaurus</i> is a basal stegosaurian and was small at 4.5m/15ft
in length when compared to the more derived forms. It also possessed from its
ancestral line premaxillary teeth that were disposed of in later forms. Called
‘thagomizers’, it was the first stegosaur to possess these spikes (thagomizers)
on the end of its tail which were two paired extending outwards horizontally
and sideways. In addition to having the rowed paired of bony plates running
down its back, above its hips in the plate rows were paired spikes. As for the
plates themselves, they were narrow and tipped as opposed to later stegosaurian
plates being more rounded. With a low stance and broad skull, <i>Huayangosaurus</i> was a low browser and did
not have adaptive capabilities for a specialized diet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryaxua6mrlY_81WtzQZu2rLHJTTK1wc5-6adYuddjLAXCxnyeA7BrNc2W9kPGtaDAB92Rtop2bf0aQsKFszw51_NEDKoZ5rpa5kJnKE3Q7bGwd1VKzb5nsCqyxYzc7UsSSQ0UjWERPj89/s1600/1-dino+Gigantospinosaurus+shldr+spike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="600" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryaxua6mrlY_81WtzQZu2rLHJTTK1wc5-6adYuddjLAXCxnyeA7BrNc2W9kPGtaDAB92Rtop2bf0aQsKFszw51_NEDKoZ5rpa5kJnKE3Q7bGwd1VKzb5nsCqyxYzc7UsSSQ0UjWERPj89/s200/1-dino+Gigantospinosaurus+shldr+spike.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A) Correct B) Wrong <i>Gigantspinosaurus</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is ongoing disagreement if <i>Huayangosaurus</i> supported side shoulder
spikes. Some paleontologists say yes, as extra spikes were found in fossil
remains. Others conjecture that these extra spikes were washed from other
stegosaur fossil sites. This is why on a lot of <i>Huayangosaurus</i> illustrations you will find added shoulder spikes and
on some ya won’t. Regardless, on the most primitive stegosaurian in, <i>Gigantspinosaurus</i> (Gye-gants-pine-o-sawr-us),
it did possess large shoulder spikes as an extension of the shoulder blade
(scapulae) assemblage that pointed upwards then curved dorsally toward the
posterior end. The spikes are now known as ‘parascapular spines’. Due to their
positioning, these spikes weren’t used as weapons, but as a predator deterrent
much like the plates were used as protective armor. <i>Gigantspinosaurus</i> occurred in the Late Jurassic mya, but the name
does not refer to its size as it was only 4.2m/14ft long. The name refers to
the flank spikes meaning, ‘giant spined lizard’.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYze5oVHumxxa9f-KqsI_AJKTht8UyvmvUoZBCWbbujwYwdCinmE1Q75qVspxiqvz3sAsmpwR4BBPbs_qQmsucqMLw6Hgcx4IkOPIHzOC2kZhBC5CNBbE80g0gWzfiaXnbWJS30WUwtRBM/s1600/1-dino+gigantsaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYze5oVHumxxa9f-KqsI_AJKTht8UyvmvUoZBCWbbujwYwdCinmE1Q75qVspxiqvz3sAsmpwR4BBPbs_qQmsucqMLw6Hgcx4IkOPIHzOC2kZhBC5CNBbE80g0gWzfiaXnbWJS30WUwtRBM/s320/1-dino+gigantsaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: James Kuether <i>Gigantspinosaurus</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Occurring around 160 mya, its plate rows
were also narrow and tip pointed just as <i>Huayangosaurus</i>,
but ended just before the tail. <i>Huayangosaurus</i>
and <i>Gigantspinosaurus</i> had a unique
feature that was absent in all other subsequent stegosaurians in having
ossified tendons extending down the vertebral column.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stegosauridae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> is the family
of stegosaurs within the suborder of <i>Stegosauria</i>.
It’s defined by all the stegosaurians having a closer relationship to
Stegosaurus (Steg-o-sawr-us). Stegosaurids roamed in the Middle Jurassic to
Early Cretaceous 165-136 mya. The vast majority of stegosaurians so far recovered
belong to <i>Stegosauridae</i> with most
species arising from the Late Jurassic and Early Creataceous, but by the latter
part of the Early Cretaceous there was a decline in diversity and speciation.
There was a fossil find in India coming from the Coniacian Stage (89.8-86.3
mya) of the Late Cretaceous that was once thought to be a stegosaur dubiously
named, <i>Dravidosaurus</i>, but turned out
to be a plesiosaur. The decline and final extinction might be due to a floral
turnover when angiosperms began to dominate, drastically reducing cycadophytes which
corresponded with the stegosaurid decline. As it stands, <i>Wuerhosaurus</i> (Where-ho-sawr-us) at 5m/16ft long living ~ 136 mya in
the Early Cretaceous, was the last of the stegosaurs to go extinct.
Stegosaurids were evolving wider hip placements and <i>Wuerhosaurus</i>, as one of the last stegosaurids had the widest hips.
This is thought to be the result of enlargement of the digestive tract.
Stegosaurids also possessed flexible armor-like scales that protected the
throat.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHY46MAXN9kR3nydtLrBP4XF08b7_SwdNAVvJ9RANdcf0_Oilb66K0ODo0dzFjeTtUF8HwFtwd9e2lgAip7T-z6FRdF0zEcWEnvKWpW4HhrZXJ41mdQjOn9tPlvQw0DfXj1TEc1lKSZBU/s1600/1-dino+Wuerhosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="900" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHY46MAXN9kR3nydtLrBP4XF08b7_SwdNAVvJ9RANdcf0_Oilb66K0ODo0dzFjeTtUF8HwFtwd9e2lgAip7T-z6FRdF0zEcWEnvKWpW4HhrZXJ41mdQjOn9tPlvQw0DfXj1TEc1lKSZBU/s320/1-dino+Wuerhosaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Masato Hattori <i>Wuerhosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZYHKhBX45tLbXkg-A7ghSVe3KAPfAjUApI2BYAFrFfzLNMlrP6iPimTlYJKcXnnKutbQhyphenhyphenegkKfd8yMtWjICOT4v3Y-kSVnPb1AawMjWzckjJMBhejY7IGUVMVJ50n_1w3S1WCHI7Z0G/s1600/1-dino+kentrosaurus_vladimir_nikolov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1024" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZYHKhBX45tLbXkg-A7ghSVe3KAPfAjUApI2BYAFrFfzLNMlrP6iPimTlYJKcXnnKutbQhyphenhyphenegkKfd8yMtWjICOT4v3Y-kSVnPb1AawMjWzckjJMBhejY7IGUVMVJ50n_1w3S1WCHI7Z0G/s200/1-dino+kentrosaurus_vladimir_nikolov.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Vladimir Nikolov <i>Kentrosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Kentrosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Ken-tro-sawr-us) that had
a temporal range of 155.7-150.8 mya in the Late Jurassic was the most basal
stegosaurid. A close descendent to the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gigantspinosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
lineage, it too had flank spikes but were much smaller. Anatomically however, its
osteological frame was closer to stegosaurids, such as the dorsal vertebrae
having a neural arch more than twice as high as the centrum, completely
occupied by an extremely spacious neural canal. Also, it possessed a
stegosaurid ilium feature of the pre-acetabular (anatomy situated in anteriorly
of acetabular) process widening laterally instead of tapering as the more basal
stegosaurian fossils exhibited.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwC8jAgKaNAZXNo-TxjhY5HjuOGo81tvDtg6P0wLK6QUNOylEGbUc7oYpWzs1_03d7n_MRcrA2geJM6bPC37tUBFm9Kg_u8LiInhxxcvqD5uzHQZn2u0IVxQv4-lPbPgkct07a2hPiHQM/s1600/1-dino+Miragaia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="1024" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwC8jAgKaNAZXNo-TxjhY5HjuOGo81tvDtg6P0wLK6QUNOylEGbUc7oYpWzs1_03d7n_MRcrA2geJM6bPC37tUBFm9Kg_u8LiInhxxcvqD5uzHQZn2u0IVxQv4-lPbPgkct07a2hPiHQM/s320/1-dino+Miragaia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mohamad Haghani <i>Miragaia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Miragaia</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Meer-uh-guy-uh)
as a stegosaurid, also retained the shoulder spikes that were long and pointed
at the tips; although there is current debate if the spikes were from the
shoulders or actually were a specialized tail spike. In addition, this odd
stegosaurid with a temporal range of 150 mya in the Late Jurassic had unique
rows of eight paired plates that were tipped like a picket wooden fence transitioning
down into the body’s dorsal side asymmetrically with a convex outer side and a
concave inner side. The plates’ base weren’t as expanded as other stegosaurids
except for the last narrower pair. The plates ran down the spinal column from
the back of the head to the rump. Beyond the rump and down the tail, the plates
were transformed into spikes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The most unique attribute of <i>Miragaia</i> however was its neck. Through a
Hox gene switch trigger, it’s theorized these regulatory genes that organize
organism body plans, once activated from dormancy, induced back vertebrae to be
carried forward becoming neck vertebrae. As a result, <i>Miragaia</i> had 17 neck vertebrae giving it the longest neck of all
other stegosaurians, even more than most sauropods, by almost doubling the neck
vertebrae count in the other stegosaurid members, even though more derived
stegosaurs were evolving lengthened necks. It may never be truly clear what
natural selective pressures were lengthening stegosaurid necks and in
particular <i>Miragaia</i>’s neck. It could
be an advantage to reach higher for food sources in utilizing the tail and hind
limbs in a tripod stance since its body’s center of gravity was more towards
the hips. Or, it was to use the neck in a swaying back and forth motion to
vacuum up lower plant material in swoops. Or it could even have been a sexual
attractant to the opposite gender. With the lengthened neck, <i>Miragaia</i>’s total length was 6m/29ft. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One other thing on <i>Miragaia</i>, its remains were found in Portugal where most stegosaurid
fossils have been found in North America. This only verifies continental drift
as <i>Miragaia</i>’s temporal range was when
N. America was connected to Western Europe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqyBuXwdyzJhdl4sIWzQwXCd-RjvMHZYpMvAqGmkLKGzjWHg3hb8v_1lfXCQxgBF6L6XwI8edJoWHtZ4scmOHVFQcKlK3QW3ji4mYe7Qa2aGaJ1N44LB1pUVjgTvxCI7hmUjalH5kYF7f/s320/1-dino+stegosaurus_karen_carr.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Karen Carr <i>Stegosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stegosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Steg-o-sawr-us)
in modern culture is the famous dinosaur that the family, <i>Stegosauridae</i> is named after. Living in the Late Jurassic 155-150
mya, this stegosaur was a low browser feeding on soft vegetation. Its bite
force was less than a human’s due to weak jaw muscles, so it nipped off soft
vegetation with its turtle-like beak by pulling the head back. It then relied
on its 78 small triangularly flat teeth to chew the food thoroughly before
swallowing, allowing the enlarged gut aided with gastroliths to do the main digestion
of nutrients. It did indeed eat well though for its total adult length was 9m/29.5ft
in length, making it the largest of all stegosaurids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stegosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> had a
graviportal gait in that it was adapted to moving slowly. This was not due to
dimwittedness. An excellent fossil find of a well preserved stegosaurus
braincase showed that the brain cavity held a brain weighing no more than
80g/2.8oz. This is about the size of two walnuts. Very small, for a 4.5 metric
ton/5 short ton animal, but the graviportal gait was solely due to a high body
weight as a result of the long hind limbs and not due to brain size. There were
three species of stegosaurs in <i>S.</i> <i>stenops</i>, <i>S.</i> <i>ungulatus</i> and <i>S.</i> <i>sulcatus</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stegosaurs had two pairs of spikes at
the end of its tail that pointed outwards for defense. The main stegosaur predators
were allosaurs. Paleontologists have found allosaur fossils with puncture
wounds that stegosaur thagomizers (tail spikes) would perfectly fit into.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A few more stegosaurs below: <i> <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05g1t4ZTeMxczQExTkU4Fj6DIg6qAF68kiEC2uI5XApWlHUt8AFKaa3lTx1Rzixr5Ue_k00nwIP73gOk9AZXnXo5bou8HuB0DbRE0SNG7GRCZi2LPGBdGTr-QKVwfWUeIKfF2M2-NaI46/s1600/1-dino+lexovisaurus+vs+allosaurus+Alain+B%25C3%25A9n%25C3%25A9teau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="1024" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05g1t4ZTeMxczQExTkU4Fj6DIg6qAF68kiEC2uI5XApWlHUt8AFKaa3lTx1Rzixr5Ue_k00nwIP73gOk9AZXnXo5bou8HuB0DbRE0SNG7GRCZi2LPGBdGTr-QKVwfWUeIKfF2M2-NaI46/s320/1-dino+lexovisaurus+vs+allosaurus+Alain+B%25C3%25A9n%25C3%25A9teau.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Alain Bénéteau <i>Lexovisaurus</i> defending against <i>Allosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIbAMVuHtmyYVgmbeCODmEfkwKW7rhlDQ4AEmscHVdOmveD5vzodm34hHK3K9cT1RILEH3rd5kPU7GhcvXCNOcpRuAuAl6OJjlWJOLiLqTVTGzxbaReD8KGccOFTMbnYXNYeL-Cc_2Fz5/s1600/1-dino+stegosaurs+cisiopurple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="1024" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIbAMVuHtmyYVgmbeCODmEfkwKW7rhlDQ4AEmscHVdOmveD5vzodm34hHK3K9cT1RILEH3rd5kPU7GhcvXCNOcpRuAuAl6OJjlWJOLiLqTVTGzxbaReD8KGccOFTMbnYXNYeL-Cc_2Fz5/s320/1-dino+stegosaurs+cisiopurple.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Cisiopurple Stegosaurs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlgPclRUTCeSeTy2xnQO67Kexg1vk9HvlQz5CMzeezxk_FV0DrCtvlzlMiq8qSVv5CUh7PWAx6I8iqz3zmbl5Ut9Ldo5LwBJE_tJIhrvV2SjsL_PWmXyjyqRCIaVm47livK1zOavB6Q85/s1600/1-dino+tuojiangosaurus+paleoguy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1191" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlgPclRUTCeSeTy2xnQO67Kexg1vk9HvlQz5CMzeezxk_FV0DrCtvlzlMiq8qSVv5CUh7PWAx6I8iqz3zmbl5Ut9Ldo5LwBJE_tJIhrvV2SjsL_PWmXyjyqRCIaVm47livK1zOavB6Q85/s320/1-dino+tuojiangosaurus+paleoguy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: James Kuether (Paleoguy) <i>Tuojiangosaurus</i> defending against <i>Yangchuanosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ankylosauria</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> ~ The sister
group to stegosaurians, were ankylosaurians, the tank of dinosaurs. I
personally prefer referencing ankylosaurians as the dinosaur equivalent to
armadillos. Standing low to the ground, they were not fast runners with short
stocky limbs and as armadillos, their ventral side or underbelly was void of
any armored protection as the rest of the body was; just like armadillos.
Armadillos protect the vulnerable underbelly by curling over it, while
ankylosaurians mastered the low to ground stance under a heavy and broad
armored body to protect it; differing methods fashioned toward the same end result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRe1jDYv__OphBF5cRiGsgPYqIj3fUrEuTREmB7uhUQJf0DmooT4vJersKrINLOJWEXP26rIMmTjwXAohy5vjbuszeltlTOyROtA-KmC8nhpkG9_DtXJjKxzGgkeiCKcGeu0oXZsEqjrxc/s1600/1-dino+ankylosauria+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="600" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRe1jDYv__OphBF5cRiGsgPYqIj3fUrEuTREmB7uhUQJf0DmooT4vJersKrINLOJWEXP26rIMmTjwXAohy5vjbuszeltlTOyROtA-KmC8nhpkG9_DtXJjKxzGgkeiCKcGeu0oXZsEqjrxc/s320/1-dino+ankylosauria+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ankylosauria clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ankylosaurians were low browser feeders
and due to whatever foliage was available in ecosystems of their biomes,
evolved differing methods for assimilating food. As borne out through tooth
wear and mandible articulation studies, some groups chewed with tooth occlusion
(teeth contact) accompanied with palinal (backward motion) jaw movement. Other
groups chose a widening and shortening of the muzzle evolving a convergent precise
tooth occlusion, while others evolved the same process aided by an additional
palinal power stroke with a narrowing and elongation of the muzzle. In the more
basal groups of Asia, processing food was restricted to orthal (vertical motion
effects) pulping. These types of nutrient assimilation were evolutionary
responses to what flora was presented, as with only an inflexible neck reach of
no more than one meter ankylosaurians had to depend on whatever foliage was
available near the ground. However, the hind limbs were capable enough in
holding the body weight if the dinosaur wanted to support itself on a trunk
with the forelimbs to get at low hanging branches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The enameled phylliform (leaf shaped)
teeth as triangular shaped, were similar to stegosaurians and were replaced
when worn out. Possessing hyoid bones, suggests they had long flexible tongues
to wrap around soft food plants and had a large secondary palate indicating
they were able to still breathe while chewing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Distinguished features of the heavily
ossified ankylosaurian skull shows that this group evolved early by splitting
off into its two main families of, <i>Nodosauridae</i>
(No-doe-sawr-uh-day) and <i>Ankylosauridae</i>
(An-kill-o-sawr-uh-day). The ankylosaurian tail evolved one step at a time from
the stiffened nodosaurid tail to the ankylosaurid tail ending in bony clubs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2T4UgfmwdIUg8V4T9V7DgFxl0gYdxOfvzcqdkTz_2nC14ckP1xuedztUk2Arz41i7pdjH6py7ggsHx7UE-F_2irGiM1YJMiHqEVqhgcjPVU_b6khop1hFdHNUcLSRROPl48d_DLr729Y8/s1600/1-dino+ankylosaurid+tail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="804" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2T4UgfmwdIUg8V4T9V7DgFxl0gYdxOfvzcqdkTz_2nC14ckP1xuedztUk2Arz41i7pdjH6py7ggsHx7UE-F_2irGiM1YJMiHqEVqhgcjPVU_b6khop1hFdHNUcLSRROPl48d_DLr729Y8/s320/1-dino+ankylosaurid+tail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nodosauridae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Nodosaurids were
the first of the ankylosaurians to appear 155 mya in the Late Jurassic,
becoming extinct 66 mya at the end of the Cretaceous. Nodosaurids are considered
to be more related to <i>Panopolosaurus</i>
(Pan-op-lo-sawr-us) than to the ankylosaurids. All nodosaurids had neck and
flanked body spikes projecting outwards sheathed over with keratin, except for <i>Panopolosaurus</i> where spikes were absent.
All nodosaurids had heavy osteoderms and bony nodule rows running dorsally down
the back and sides of the head and body. Unlike as their ankylosaurid kin, the
tail ended in a typical dinosaur tapered, but flexible tip with no armaments. The
snouts were relatively narrow and triangular shaped indicating a preference to
selective browsing of low growth plants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPXxCMCSzeq8mkpKBHMibkNy6EtyK7rtxamHWeW2APoUH26Jf4Wy7lVMxx3tbLkC1vH0VGFKK9gU8im4ulrve1IR9VEeDsKIERSoli2EpdWu_9mGNKx4FgjXFsIUbbk3PBXbRFF1NoJd4/s1600/1-dino+nodosauridae+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPXxCMCSzeq8mkpKBHMibkNy6EtyK7rtxamHWeW2APoUH26Jf4Wy7lVMxx3tbLkC1vH0VGFKK9gU8im4ulrve1IR9VEeDsKIERSoli2EpdWu_9mGNKx4FgjXFsIUbbk3PBXbRFF1NoJd4/s320/1-dino+nodosauridae+cladogram.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nodosaurids had a global distribution,
including Antarctica in the genus, <i>Antarctopelta</i>
first mentioned above under <i>Dinosauria</i>.
They all became extinct by the end of the Cretaceous, but it was not an abrupt
event due to the asteroid impact; it was more of a gradual decline in family
members. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mFmyECT2FFMsHxkyyavNkWixaYYYtXOV18wo7BbRo17H1EvhJfoWyZGfCZRmXcOXVkb3hHVqYg0VcCLMJkLhVkO7LpZ8Jn4XIPRrpE8nhxdp26Rf-1HMMpEyn3D6ohkWMKcFhMyysj0b/s1600/1-dino+mymoorapelta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mFmyECT2FFMsHxkyyavNkWixaYYYtXOV18wo7BbRo17H1EvhJfoWyZGfCZRmXcOXVkb3hHVqYg0VcCLMJkLhVkO7LpZ8Jn4XIPRrpE8nhxdp26Rf-1HMMpEyn3D6ohkWMKcFhMyysj0b/s320/1-dino+mymoorapelta.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mymoorapelta</i> skeletal anatomy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Living 155-150 mya in the Late Jurassic,
<i>Mymoorapelta</i> (My-moor-ah-pel-tah) is
the most basal nodosaurid currently discovered and was found in Colorado, USA. The
oldest known nodosaurid from Europe is from the Early Cretaceous 112 mya named <i>Europelta</i> (Your-o-pel-tah). It had some
odd traits in having the ratio tibia to femur lengths greater than any other
ankylosaurian, possessed autapomorphic (a derived trait unique to one species)
osteoderms located on the outer corners of the pelvic shield and the skull was
covered by a single osteoderm. With fossil remains found in Austria, the last
nodosaurid to go extinct was, <i>Struthiosaurus</i>
(Stru-the-o-sawr-us) living in the Late Cretaceous 85-66 mya. At 2.2m/7.2ft
long, it was also the smallest of the ankylosaurians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZeATfJ408QhpwSoGN2B8XMCjldUST8npH0qAtSLP7mh2WASjwv61cN4_7GohoWW3A-oSpDR54AHMOiFvU9t925M6v6NwrewF9hjV456LOHmaweqkpfThVeWztth8TQU0_Yni6YZLTCkP/s1600/1-dino+Europelta+roman+garcia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="940" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZeATfJ408QhpwSoGN2B8XMCjldUST8npH0qAtSLP7mh2WASjwv61cN4_7GohoWW3A-oSpDR54AHMOiFvU9t925M6v6NwrewF9hjV456LOHmaweqkpfThVeWztth8TQU0_Yni6YZLTCkP/s320/1-dino+Europelta+roman+garcia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Roman Garcia <i>Europelta</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nodosaurids fossil remains have been
discovered in near shore marine sediment topologies suggesting that they
preferred littoral coastal plain habitat, with some carcasses washed out to
sea. Ankylosaurid fossil remains have only been found inland in more upland
habitats. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1UTCrQlhBSzdVcyQpBw59iljc_SB0zW0NZeZW5-2_KjBlGht_xfpOklNfKgMeriJv2shir5JFVUds4_NtnQqMSkTfpTBWlKJ5DG9ZW8-1S6DW_oFHQmBodHn0KXERjX-0nkZLoh9ILXy/s1600/1-dino+borealopelta+davide+bonadonna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="1086" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1UTCrQlhBSzdVcyQpBw59iljc_SB0zW0NZeZW5-2_KjBlGht_xfpOklNfKgMeriJv2shir5JFVUds4_NtnQqMSkTfpTBWlKJ5DG9ZW8-1S6DW_oFHQmBodHn0KXERjX-0nkZLoh9ILXy/s320/1-dino+borealopelta+davide+bonadonna.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: David Bonadonna <i>Borealopelta</i> drowning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As described more like a mummified
dinosaur or a statue of one, the fossil remains coming from an open pit oil shale
mine in Alberta, Canada is one of the most well preserved fossils ever to have
been discovered. In fact, the whole body is in place giving a 3-D image of a
sleeping animal. The nodosaurid, <i>Borealopelta</i>
(Bor-e-al-o-pel-tuh) occurred ~ 110 mya near the end of the Early Cretaceous.
The fossil was found in marine sediment and was washed out to sea in the
Cretaceous landlocked shallow ‘Western Interior Seaway’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYBYmgdogL5KSNLjaBEwVg5r8iljOU1V3fjfKuv-v4y84O46o3z6OpBN7eBy3tSHqnnaPY8584ocg4iND-dG7iLs0k4sfshRyNNqnVx8VGtjRMAmbPTTKEsUhl7AU2OuVfCBvCtnpKNN8/s1600/1-dino+borealopelta+NG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="278" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYBYmgdogL5KSNLjaBEwVg5r8iljOU1V3fjfKuv-v4y84O46o3z6OpBN7eBy3tSHqnnaPY8584ocg4iND-dG7iLs0k4sfshRyNNqnVx8VGtjRMAmbPTTKEsUhl7AU2OuVfCBvCtnpKNN8/s320/1-dino+borealopelta+NG.jpg" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where <i>Borealopelta</i> was found N.G.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Studying the pigments in the fossil’s
preserved skin, it’s been determined the body coloration was a reddish brown in
a counter-shaded pattern most likely for camouflage. Unfortunately, before the
miners spotted the fossil the posterior portion was pulverized into unusable
debris by heavy digging equipment. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7svtstJ3hgYbNcr_nu3hSIQyZRjkQnMOrxSxdk8ko6QsMKfMs4m9EC0gQtx8u00Xl6yxmknDvcvLeC4KA86KesaynmSJrXmVtrOEC2ktHWRonwL7dr17ssOzwXYQ1V0XTt5xmjiASAHz/s1600/1-dino+borealopelta+fossil+NG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7svtstJ3hgYbNcr_nu3hSIQyZRjkQnMOrxSxdk8ko6QsMKfMs4m9EC0gQtx8u00Xl6yxmknDvcvLeC4KA86KesaynmSJrXmVtrOEC2ktHWRonwL7dr17ssOzwXYQ1V0XTt5xmjiASAHz/s320/1-dino+borealopelta+fossil+NG.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Borealopelta</i>'s fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below a few more nodosaurids:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicq0wRCgxMWxzgttGGYKYkU18dGi9VIB5C0BaX8keNlFY71yMITWJhgwrU3xU2v9DbwSISOLZeYg391dPhQ1lj-HY4tlD5sCjATPcLrRadp9y93-Tt3lbFxtgv5GLP10ajnsI82MGvD9KT/s1600/1-dino+tatankacephalus+parsons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="900" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicq0wRCgxMWxzgttGGYKYkU18dGi9VIB5C0BaX8keNlFY71yMITWJhgwrU3xU2v9DbwSISOLZeYg391dPhQ1lj-HY4tlD5sCjATPcLrRadp9y93-Tt3lbFxtgv5GLP10ajnsI82MGvD9KT/s320/1-dino+tatankacephalus+parsons.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: W. Parsons <i>Tatankacephalus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgwMuK7Yyi_Uf7dKrj5ehBoDRWRJ3IMfHNvqxHvFnVhK0LO91ayDOAsZSbVHfxYtNxbWx54fDndqnlXwBzk-POJoy3HSVhoFFS7C6aw8fTXs4gd0j7L_aS5ia6OmGAvxIPflvkPLrTkE3/s1600/1-dino+nodosaurids1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="979" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgwMuK7Yyi_Uf7dKrj5ehBoDRWRJ3IMfHNvqxHvFnVhK0LO91ayDOAsZSbVHfxYtNxbWx54fDndqnlXwBzk-POJoy3HSVhoFFS7C6aw8fTXs4gd0j7L_aS5ia6OmGAvxIPflvkPLrTkE3/s320/1-dino+nodosaurids1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nodosaurids</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hLnLPrc3iCAxBII2trOQkeDSuWFE7JQD1ZW2S4W6M_oPxyXwmRxhUJ3lqelgr4xyfkezTi0xerYVsue1lxCCqWw1UMb3UW05vDal6LsjNIso-2P01VKpe5q0wmZnRnNXZzXQ1wlydwNc/s1600/1-dino+Hylaeosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1500" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hLnLPrc3iCAxBII2trOQkeDSuWFE7JQD1ZW2S4W6M_oPxyXwmRxhUJ3lqelgr4xyfkezTi0xerYVsue1lxCCqWw1UMb3UW05vDal6LsjNIso-2P01VKpe5q0wmZnRnNXZzXQ1wlydwNc/s320/1-dino+Hylaeosaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Masato Hattori <i>Hylaeosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <i>Ankylosauridae</i>: Where ankylosaurids
don’t have long spikes on the neck and shoulders, but have a tail ending in a
weaponized club, nodosaurids had long spikes on the neck and shoulders but a
clubbed tail was absent. Found only in the Northern Hemisphere of N. America,
Europe and Asia, ankylosaurids lived in the Early Cretaceous 122 mya until the
Late Cretaceous 66 mya.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eV4NsbXN_jefHNGUxEjzGiNq1VYNKoWGHgxWEZot8X9mzjyoAnsx1E2m9W0W_0rv2JPl6jJYvyOZHibD2XGpn7HPCmi-hn2hqbR6ghTzslXPS5SAAlMZMB97nHRWOTvgECty919frnnd/s1600/1-dino+ankylosauridae+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eV4NsbXN_jefHNGUxEjzGiNq1VYNKoWGHgxWEZot8X9mzjyoAnsx1E2m9W0W_0rv2JPl6jJYvyOZHibD2XGpn7HPCmi-hn2hqbR6ghTzslXPS5SAAlMZMB97nHRWOTvgECty919frnnd/s320/1-dino+ankylosauridae+cladogram.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ankylosaurid clubbed tail first
evolved by weaving caudal vertebrae into bulbous bundles. As the mapped out
evolutionary history of ankylosaurid tails portrayed, earlier ankylosaurids
bear out the gradual fusing of the tail vertebrae making it less flexible in
successive speciation. This essentially turned the tail into a stiffened rod enacting
it to work as a handle. If the tail had still been flexible, it would not have
supported the weight of the club, potentially tearing tendons and muscle. Also,
the stiffened tail, before the club evolved, most likely was already being used
for defense by swinging it into the legs or torso of an oncoming predator; much
like a nightstick or billy club. The knobbed club was formed by osteoderms
fusing in layering bone within the skin at the tip of the tail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR6088NgwG77aHizGxGTwJjJD6fPTKBQCrMI78JLphLrWmjQdXAXrIyu7NZYqkLrrS_SlWZPeuhtjCUfQY29g5nTgR9rNroorSDYdDiB4HPbKbMYtJtvwSJ0X5zM68bkgqaN8ta52F1ay/s1600/1-dino+ankylosaurid+skull+u+of+ca+sandiego.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="469" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR6088NgwG77aHizGxGTwJjJD6fPTKBQCrMI78JLphLrWmjQdXAXrIyu7NZYqkLrrS_SlWZPeuhtjCUfQY29g5nTgR9rNroorSDYdDiB4HPbKbMYtJtvwSJ0X5zM68bkgqaN8ta52F1ay/s320/1-dino+ankylosaurid+skull+u+of+ca+sandiego.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ankylosaurid skull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ankylosaurids had shorter limbs than
nodosaurids which would make it harder for a predator to overturn in getting at
the non-armored underbelly. With massive skulls, ankylosaurid heads were as
broad as long and were shaped as triangular with dermal scutes/plates solidly
ossified to cartilage bone. The spine was rigid and curved permanently arching
the back.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlRYPyEUgn86HBN0Nj18FqaNwTW4Kaygr4F5pheFR-TU9bF20jAL4idlA2vVssie7yFVoy7O_OpRMDw8sUSWj3hR6EZk_EjXnsaUXwoBFCU46ZJtQcBUW8yKlYQ9nrFhGOFJBncL3XoWu/s1600/1-dino+kunbarrasaurus+Australia+geographic.com.au.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="668" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlRYPyEUgn86HBN0Nj18FqaNwTW4Kaygr4F5pheFR-TU9bF20jAL4idlA2vVssie7yFVoy7O_OpRMDw8sUSWj3hR6EZk_EjXnsaUXwoBFCU46ZJtQcBUW8yKlYQ9nrFhGOFJBncL3XoWu/s320/1-dino+kunbarrasaurus+Australia+geographic.com.au.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Australia Geographic.co <i>Kunbarrasaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Considered as basal to ankylosaurids was
the ankylosaurian, <i>Kunbarrasaurus</i> (Coon-bah-rah-sawr-us)
formerly known as ‘<i>Minmi</i>’, but now
has been designated its own genus. It lived 119-113 mya during the Early
Cretaceous. The fossil remains were found near the region in Australia’s ‘Minmi
Crossing’ in the Allaru and Bungil Formation made up of sandstone, siltstone
and mudstone sediment. The cranial endocast (brain casing) is similar to later
more derived ankylosaurids, but other head features were very unique. It had
more of a tuatara-like proportionally enormous inner ear and a nasal airway
that looped back in on itself, where ankylosaurids had straw-like nasal
passages. Gut cavity fossil remains consisted mainly of fibrous plant tissue
fragments from twigs and stems, with lesser amounts of seeds and fruiting
bodies swallowed whole. The chopped fibrous material and lack of gastroliths
suggest that food was snipped with the beak and masticated thoroughly before
swallowing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD79Vey4nmo4KX6mXHmvuPGGZW9t_kEWMeyFCZieu-olm1kOAIOKPtCHKBJ8Ihuuj1WkC7AqjiuWkKIzD_IkxNIm_OZN5CNs1QDleBVluWN3vX4UxzkdIExvFAu58CuWE1UZuJeBVVaPsO/s1600/1-dino+chuanqilong_chaoyangensis+eloy+manzanero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="901" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD79Vey4nmo4KX6mXHmvuPGGZW9t_kEWMeyFCZieu-olm1kOAIOKPtCHKBJ8Ihuuj1WkC7AqjiuWkKIzD_IkxNIm_OZN5CNs1QDleBVluWN3vX4UxzkdIExvFAu58CuWE1UZuJeBVVaPsO/s320/1-dino+chuanqilong_chaoyangensis+eloy+manzanero.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Eloy Manzanero <i>Chuangqilong</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Chuanqilong</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Shwahn-chee-long)
lived during the Early Cretaceous ~ 110 mya in what is now China and is
considered one of the earliest basal ankylosaurids. The most derived ankylosaurid
and last to go extinct was <i>Ankylosaurus</i>
from 66 mya. It was also the largest ankylosaurid reaching lengths of
8m/26ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <i> <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4MwzMp4huFaFTo3hFIJGnVyLeo0qoJ15t3rzuq4_3UxOjTkBpf4h9M5EOP6OXT9-PJqR5i4eCOFkHkm0-wJ5Rl6SCy2GZznFNSRlN_8s4d7T66HOBOH4jezU7w24o9eVKGcBi4DURhBC/s1600/1-dino+liao+Ji+Q.%252C+Wu+X.%252C+Cheng+Y.%252C+Ten+F.%252C+Wang+X.+and+Ji+Y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4MwzMp4huFaFTo3hFIJGnVyLeo0qoJ15t3rzuq4_3UxOjTkBpf4h9M5EOP6OXT9-PJqR5i4eCOFkHkm0-wJ5Rl6SCy2GZznFNSRlN_8s4d7T66HOBOH4jezU7w24o9eVKGcBi4DURhBC/s320/1-dino+liao+Ji+Q.%252C+Wu+X.%252C+Cheng+Y.%252C+Ten+F.%252C+Wang+X.+and+Ji+Y.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Ji Q., Wu X., Cheng Y., Ten F., Wang X, Ji Y. <i>Lianpningosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All ankylosaurians were strict
herbivores. Well that is absolutely true except for one major exception; the
ankylosaurid, <i>Liaoningosaurus</i> (Lao-nin-go-sawr-us)
indeed ate plants, but supplemented its diet with at least fish making it also
a piscivore. This Early Cretaceous ankylosaurid, living 122 mya had partially
digested several fish remains found within fossilized gut cavity. It was found
in China’s Liaoning Province in the ‘Yixian Formation’ that is made up of
volcanic basaltic rock and siliciclastic volcanic material. The fossil was of a
complete sub adult that either scavenged or hunted fish. There is fossil
evidence that it was at least semiaquatic with longer leg ratios to body as
compared to other ankylosaurids and there was lack of hip fusion allowing more
flexibility in hind limb paddling. Also, the tail was flexible enough for
sinusoidal propelling, found in no other ankylosaurian stiffened tail fossils.
It also had a flat single osteoderm covering the ventral (belly) portion of the
body. This would have protected the underside from predators attacking from
below as it swam in freshwaters. However, there is now discussion on whether
the belly plate is a true bony osteoderm or preserved skin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below are a few more ankylosuars: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZovXpI35oESp5hOI1atwVZEkeh0HGkp7p_UWUML0QGmElFnUlryUCboEky8UdSnzvlXUSP1fBkW1CKf3g3mIHhETHqlMPfgHvbO6yBAtHR0uHtBOdzGJpifJJeo2Y1DnJx9K-H_fqo8R/s1600/1-dino+Gobisaurus_Ziapelta_SydneyMohr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="660" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZovXpI35oESp5hOI1atwVZEkeh0HGkp7p_UWUML0QGmElFnUlryUCboEky8UdSnzvlXUSP1fBkW1CKf3g3mIHhETHqlMPfgHvbO6yBAtHR0uHtBOdzGJpifJJeo2Y1DnJx9K-H_fqo8R/s320/1-dino+Gobisaurus_Ziapelta_SydneyMohr.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Sydney Mohr Above: <i>Gobisaurus</i> Below: <i>Ziapelta</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWogd9KmxxLmMKqcwK9zyT38e774rqHE-BE96_EzoGYPe84JBqNhIBBc4GXPtpIR11jVrJ74wx1Qbtcusaq2bGVJkBZ3uggUVOmjrTWIcIO0bAEM5bH4uZA1dWyEQkdwPWfsGICHZ_itA/s1600/1-dino+ankylosauria+cisiopurple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1024" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWogd9KmxxLmMKqcwK9zyT38e774rqHE-BE96_EzoGYPe84JBqNhIBBc4GXPtpIR11jVrJ74wx1Qbtcusaq2bGVJkBZ3uggUVOmjrTWIcIO0bAEM5bH4uZA1dWyEQkdwPWfsGICHZ_itA/s320/1-dino+ankylosauria+cisiopurple.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Cisiopurple Ankylosaurids</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOXhf6NmvJ2oAJyvyvUTsrDWdcCRNlnpD6P1gZsK3yiFROz03tZKNFbocDjsoGHVnGMH4BJO3irwUutrysek_Vo_Gl_A_1XOg62omMJZTZfW45b3jxjPNCXgemYnWqvpCJrmm78QA4UwJ/s1600/1-dino+ankyl+Ankylosaurus+Jake+Baardse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1500" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOXhf6NmvJ2oAJyvyvUTsrDWdcCRNlnpD6P1gZsK3yiFROz03tZKNFbocDjsoGHVnGMH4BJO3irwUutrysek_Vo_Gl_A_1XOg62omMJZTZfW45b3jxjPNCXgemYnWqvpCJrmm78QA4UwJ/s320/1-dino+ankyl+Ankylosaurus+Jake+Baardse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jake Baardse <i>Ankylosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cerapoda</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: As mentioned
above under <i>Ornithischia</i>, cerapods
are divided into two groups: the ornithopods and the marginocephalians. Under
marginocephalians, cerapods are further divided into two subgroups in the ornithopodans
and ceratopsians. Cerapods arose during the Middle Jurassic 169 mya and went
extinct in the Late Cretaceous 66.5 mya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53_PIrutGc6-ufVnNUo7j_W7O1YtsKlbdD0IcVKqf1u3X_eSDqHQGnjFc-y7BcqG05M9ITJjvJ7z5iYAGqUlIz_UL3cBPjzKnARyrNJaWXbr-RlLogz_JA1JlbMxMMjxl1LUxlVmss3zP/s1600/1-dino+cerapoda+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="550" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53_PIrutGc6-ufVnNUo7j_W7O1YtsKlbdD0IcVKqf1u3X_eSDqHQGnjFc-y7BcqG05M9ITJjvJ7z5iYAGqUlIz_UL3cBPjzKnARyrNJaWXbr-RlLogz_JA1JlbMxMMjxl1LUxlVmss3zP/s320/1-dino+cerapoda+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simple Cerapoda Cldogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wojT-MaljH1NcOhmkuGSgjZMRe2rTBJf8sjDz2tyW-Z4qqo7PyV_M0-OYYtPp8bgL_ld122Srr5kJK5lMMU1KPnYUDoQDgM8L7Q3Z_efK8eN-W_0Qq9yKN36_7c2QwXCCXqpsQCHFk3q/s1600/1-dino+cerapoda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="600" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wojT-MaljH1NcOhmkuGSgjZMRe2rTBJf8sjDz2tyW-Z4qqo7PyV_M0-OYYtPp8bgL_ld122Srr5kJK5lMMU1KPnYUDoQDgM8L7Q3Z_efK8eN-W_0Qq9yKN36_7c2QwXCCXqpsQCHFk3q/s320/1-dino+cerapoda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit more detailed Cerapoda cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cerapods transitioned and radiated out
throughout the Jurassic and into the Cretaceous. The main cerapod success was
in their dental adaptations evolving ways to thoroughly extract maximum
nutritional value through intensive mastication of plants that were otherwise
too tough and rough for other dinosaur digestive tracts. Cerapod species were
the first to assimilate thorough digesting limited primarily to chewing. It
wasn’t until much later that mammalian herbivores would take up this role.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The term, <i>Cerapoda</i> combines its two subgroups with ‘cera’ (horned) from <u>cera</u>topsians
and ‘poda’ (foot) from ornitho<u>poda</u>ns<i>.</i>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDs8xtdFx7Fdq9V7Gsmcljz1F0IsfVy5_FUR-bApWku7dQwpw-lEGPF_u2msRwsnD5P6VYSYbh6BJxUL3pzZeoKVYq_-xUYJddqyGnvx3Xrz3uT9LWtKPoTqVTjAlsEjFLjmxhN72ukNp/s1600/1-dino+Ornithopoda+cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="944" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDs8xtdFx7Fdq9V7Gsmcljz1F0IsfVy5_FUR-bApWku7dQwpw-lEGPF_u2msRwsnD5P6VYSYbh6BJxUL3pzZeoKVYq_-xUYJddqyGnvx3Xrz3uT9LWtKPoTqVTjAlsEjFLjmxhN72ukNp/s320/1-dino+Ornithopoda+cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithopoda</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: There were
three distinct family clades of ornithopods belonging to the families, <i>Hypsilophodontidae</i> (Phonetics: Hip-sill-loff-o-dawnt-uh-day),
<i>Iguanodontidae</i> (E-gawn-o-dawnt-e-day)
and <i>Hadrosauroidea</i> (Had-row-saw-roi-dee-uh)
were ornithopods with a temporal range from the Early to Late Cretaceous 130-66
mya. Ornithopods were bipedal but occasionally could maneuver a quadruped gait.
These groups were low browsers grazing on plant roughage that was easily
cropped and masticated due to the evolving dentary assemblage and chewing
mechanisms. It was the most sophisticated form of assimilating food than any
other herbivorous non-avian dinosaurs. Later forms of ornithopods developed
curved spines allowing them to graze on all fours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ybfgPwQ7QH9-ZfPdyIaKNovXjr-IcYhmF8iNFIQLNMEJmyhlsZiQ2sx0bNvhNK-hPwDDwRq2HyMHY3Wpp7hcJ6UYEPY9LlK3XFIjvs-DsQ25-lv-nsSpWISDLO32y-WkkwenTFik8uLU/s1600/1-dino+hypsilophodon++Oscar+Sanisidro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="800" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ybfgPwQ7QH9-ZfPdyIaKNovXjr-IcYhmF8iNFIQLNMEJmyhlsZiQ2sx0bNvhNK-hPwDDwRq2HyMHY3Wpp7hcJ6UYEPY9LlK3XFIjvs-DsQ25-lv-nsSpWISDLO32y-WkkwenTFik8uLU/s320/1-dino+hypsilophodon++Oscar+Sanisidro.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Oscar Sanisidro <i>Hypsilophodon</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hypsilophodontidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: This family
group is now being considered paraphyletic as the last descendent form from its
common ancestor. Where before other genera were included, it now only includes
the one genus species, <i>Hypsilophodon
foxii</i> (Hip-sill-loff-o-don = fox-eye). Although this small ornithopod
(1.8m-5.9ft) occurred well into the Early Cretaceous 130-125 mya), <i>Hypsilophodon</i> had very primitive
ornithischian features much like <i>Pisanosaurus</i>
and may have been omnivorous. Like the common opossum, <i>Didelphis marsupialis</i>, there were never enough environmental
pressures to further stress evolvement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2AVnSmXHKFexJ4m91-IvAJTvlc1cUb74NWuPuaIxeJKM4hnLe_ArHAlsBdAY_s6QjhWkF6S7LLfNNPkvhhc1KMwwHwBt_29s_BVbFsuqpHeks-ZxcsjA0P707Xc8I3C5hcNh0Q6cvfI8/s1600/1-dino+Oryctodromeus-Mark+Hallett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="900" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2AVnSmXHKFexJ4m91-IvAJTvlc1cUb74NWuPuaIxeJKM4hnLe_ArHAlsBdAY_s6QjhWkF6S7LLfNNPkvhhc1KMwwHwBt_29s_BVbFsuqpHeks-ZxcsjA0P707Xc8I3C5hcNh0Q6cvfI8/s320/1-dino+Oryctodromeus-Mark+Hallett.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Hall <i>Oryctodormeus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Close ornithischian relatives to <i>Hypsilophodon</i>, were two burrowing
dinosaurs in, <i>Drinker</i> (Phonetics:
Drin-ker) occurring ~ 150 mya in the Late Jurassic and <i>Oryctodromeus</i> (Phonetics: Oh-rik-toe-dro-mee-us) occurring nearly
100 million years later in the Late Cretaceous 95 mya. Named after pioneering
paleontologist, Edward Drinker Cope,<i>
Drinker</i> was a primitive basal relationship to <i>Hypsilophodon</i> and while <i>Oryctodromeus</i>
was related to <i>Hypsilophodon</i>, it was
also basal within the line of ornithopods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These two herbivorous biped swift
runners were around 2m/6.6ft long and had modified forelimbs, broad snouts,
flexible tails, slender pelvises and shoulder girdles. These adaptations represent
a burrowing lifestyle. In fact, there was a family of <i>Oryctodromeus</i> in a fossil find that had a parent and young. The
collapsed burrow portion of the fossil discovery had solidified previously dug
up loose dirt and was filled with sand that turned into sandstone as a stark
contrast from the formation’s ambient mudstone and claystone. The den was much
like hyenas excavate today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Added </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">burrow </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">advantages were safety
from predation and extreme temperatures. In addition, in finding the family
huddled together, the fossil find points to parental care. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With that in mind, both parents in this scenario
were taking care of the young. We can only imagine the scene this fossil
represents of this cave-in with the frantic behavior of the one parent outside
realizing there was nothing it could do to extricate the family from being
buried alive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV64j4tVHI1-odKMxvFKaEL-30I4mQ2izJmMtvVjudPgey8vKWL3XKtdktLceOk7qcCmBEqs_jGDTJ3A278RThcHBN3fzt6jgf-QF2HG28iMUT3oTpgcASIpKrCD3wIcC-eZMwbaMaxrPC/s1600/1-dino+100mya+amber+fossil+bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV64j4tVHI1-odKMxvFKaEL-30I4mQ2izJmMtvVjudPgey8vKWL3XKtdktLceOk7qcCmBEqs_jGDTJ3A278RThcHBN3fzt6jgf-QF2HG28iMUT3oTpgcASIpKrCD3wIcC-eZMwbaMaxrPC/s200/1-dino+100mya+amber+fossil+bee.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">100 mya honeybees amber fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Iguanodontidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: First this
about plants before discoursing iguanodontids. Direct ancestors of angiosperms
(flowering plants) evolved from gymnosperms (seed producing only plants) in the
Triassic 245-202 mya. In turn, these angiosperm ancestors first evolved into
true angiosperms 160 mya. As bees evolved from wasps in the Early Cretaceous
130 mya, by 120 mya, angiosperms aided by bees dominated landscapes. In
addition to spreading pollen, bees had also hybridized angiosperms diversifying
flowering plants. Angiosperms became a nutrient rich food source for
ornithopods, further enhancing these dinosaurs’ large population success rates.
By co-evolving with the radiation of angiosperms, ornithopods had spread
globally.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5dx9EbGSvCuiJEB5lOAiwZu_csoTN8rPI8n61NxrzSjwmXeXTO4bjpBPP8rQbF25IpoXlW6JUAmP9-03lhYIAWfyi4OTXqC0PWoW_WgitRXuQr6qlmgzAg7p-V-rLpY0b71rCkhnMTNd/s1600/1-dino+iguanodon+hand+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="800" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5dx9EbGSvCuiJEB5lOAiwZu_csoTN8rPI8n61NxrzSjwmXeXTO4bjpBPP8rQbF25IpoXlW6JUAmP9-03lhYIAWfyi4OTXqC0PWoW_WgitRXuQr6qlmgzAg7p-V-rLpY0b71rCkhnMTNd/s200/1-dino+iguanodon+hand+fossil.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iguanodontid manus (hand) fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Iguanodontid jaws when closed, exhibited
contact between the lanceolate-shaped maxillary teeth and dentary teeth.
Premaxillary teeth were absent. As far as the manus and pes assemblage, distal
features of the forelimb had digits II, III and IV close together in that for
some cases III and IV were bound by skin layers forming a single unit for
quadrupedal locomotion. Along with the fused wrist bones, the phalanges fused
into a spike on digit I (thumb). Digit V was long, flexible and opposable. For
the manus the hind limbs ended with digits II, III and IV being short and wide
with blunted claws that were hoof-like. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSHxinjrVwLXfAuo6h4DzD0juetHikRFlRWaFbnOyOwEtgNHCwdqRMdNkVXChbnJghchbQCgcHDfaLb4UOj4dLouCRD90LW-fthZ_O2uFY7_NPvac7_XRwirFkiCsfpEuZlrc7oT9llnb/s1600/1-dino+iguanodontid+monophyletic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="550" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSHxinjrVwLXfAuo6h4DzD0juetHikRFlRWaFbnOyOwEtgNHCwdqRMdNkVXChbnJghchbQCgcHDfaLb4UOj4dLouCRD90LW-fthZ_O2uFY7_NPvac7_XRwirFkiCsfpEuZlrc7oT9llnb/s320/1-dino+iguanodontid+monophyletic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monophyletic Iguanodontid Clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Iguanodontids were monophyletic in that
they descended from a common ancestral line not shared with any other
ornithopod group. <i>Tenontosaurus</i> (Ten-non-toe-sawr-us),
occurring 115-108 mya was the most basal iguanodontian. In fossil finds, the
presence of medullary bone was found in a thigh and shin bone that for today is
only found in female birds when producing eggs.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvql5eTvPOQ4akzoCw9zf-uEbG_sS4AgEz-4aXW_ZCAFzh9vVcWoqRmGPAGXdszKNV75nupyJApTuV_wmFtdMXiWHeQLLznbTUpvBbYxOC0aICvd6MERnsg7H6grljSPUT0I67LOQTFRV_/s1600/1-dino+muttaburrasaurus+h.+kyoht+luterman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="766" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvql5eTvPOQ4akzoCw9zf-uEbG_sS4AgEz-4aXW_ZCAFzh9vVcWoqRmGPAGXdszKNV75nupyJApTuV_wmFtdMXiWHeQLLznbTUpvBbYxOC0aICvd6MERnsg7H6grljSPUT0I67LOQTFRV_/s320/1-dino+muttaburrasaurus+h.+kyoht+luterman.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: H. Kyoht Lutterman <i>Muttaburrasaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An ornithopod trending towards the
iguanodontid form was, <i>Muttaburrasaurus</i>
(Phonetics: Mut-tah-buh-rah-sawr-us) that occurred ~ 105.8 mya in the Early
Cretaceous was basal to iguanodonts and is a member of an iguanodontid clade.
Its skeletal anatomy is close to that of iguanodontids, but it was incapable of
quadrupedalism and had teeth for slicing and shearing instead of the
iguanodontid battery of teeth for chewing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In taxonomic nomenclature, the term,<i> Iguanodontoidea</i> (Ig-wan-o-don-toy-dee-uh)
is a ‘superfamily’ ranking that is not as specific as ‘family’ phylogenies. Whenever
in dealing with animal taxonomy the suffix, ‘oidea’ refers to a superfamily. As
an iguanodontoid, in today’s terms means it could be an iguanodon, but not
quite yet there. This is the case for, <i>Barilium</i>
(Ba-ril-e-um) that occurred 140 mya in the Early Cretaceous. Given its
divergent phylogenetic position, it’s been separated out from the <i>Iguanodon</i> genus. It was a very stocky,
even chubby dinosaur set with large vertebrae featuring short stubby neural
spines to support the body weight. The hind limbs were almost elephantine with
the distal pes covering a broad surface area.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIZq50tN6g9zniWOVA7fv0fFzbfSmVRJ7Jy0v0vHsB9txb7EKprFieiMEjUvw-_7CCWtX40yJ7Ixbbpf-uFBCzzdkGJQmcTV9PpIYYkb_vzm4bnL_v7SettG1ps79LuYYfTSReSL75_yo/s1600/1-dino+barilium+MW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIZq50tN6g9zniWOVA7fv0fFzbfSmVRJ7Jy0v0vHsB9txb7EKprFieiMEjUvw-_7CCWtX40yJ7Ixbbpf-uFBCzzdkGJQmcTV9PpIYYkb_vzm4bnL_v7SettG1ps79LuYYfTSReSL75_yo/s320/1-dino+barilium+MW.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton <i>Barilium</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Above is paleontologist, Mark Witton’s
interpretation of <i>Barilium</i> with
folded and thick leathery skin; a contrast in dinosaur interpretations in
always having smooth skin. The animals below <i>Barilium</i> are not birds but tiny maniraptoriform dinosaurs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmk9aHy4qlCRx1Qe3amw66igg1JTeD90qTa-byqwxHFz6PqeOK3n7QrSu6pKCAqhwhSgGXvutGVFhxn9MaXNW9jsVVLh8TkIDFf1xyb_fK4OFfWC9B8wqdoNlLyLGJmdJbP1_iZvGGE68/s1600/1-dino+Iguanodon+2015+M+Witton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="640" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmk9aHy4qlCRx1Qe3amw66igg1JTeD90qTa-byqwxHFz6PqeOK3n7QrSu6pKCAqhwhSgGXvutGVFhxn9MaXNW9jsVVLh8TkIDFf1xyb_fK4OFfWC9B8wqdoNlLyLGJmdJbP1_iZvGGE68/s320/1-dino+Iguanodon+2015+M+Witton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton <i>Iguanodon</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A derived iguanodontid form was <i>Iguanodon</i> (Ig-wan-o-don) with a temporal
range of 126-125 mya during the Early Cretaceous. Growing as long as 13m/43ft
in length, <i>Iguanodon</i> was also bulky
at 3.08 tonnes/3.4 tons in weight. The forelimbs were 75% the length of the hind
limbs and walked both as a biped and quadruped as evidenced by fossilized
footprints. Tendons were ossified along the neural arches facilitating both
modes of pedal movement in absorbing most of the stresses incurred in
bipedalism. This ossification limited backbone mobility in exchange for
reinforcement. All of the cervical vertebrae had the ribs attached.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDfil4JY0ea9oSBOmNXRJxYyiY8DCiHYQGTAA5itHAb9REBR9D_zalay3Ad26cmD0hM0Ao0Gx3oeXCDbnaxxNuFGe8IHwWxU4N5LlUMAz_3bCMSiIy8tHPt8NEO_UGrTG-SwE6GJbP016/s1600/1-dino+iguanodon+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="590" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDfil4JY0ea9oSBOmNXRJxYyiY8DCiHYQGTAA5itHAb9REBR9D_zalay3Ad26cmD0hM0Ao0Gx3oeXCDbnaxxNuFGe8IHwWxU4N5LlUMAz_3bCMSiIy8tHPt8NEO_UGrTG-SwE6GJbP016/s320/1-dino+iguanodon+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Iguanodon</i> fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the forelimb manus (hands), they were
almost as useful as primate hands. Digits II, III and IV were close together
where III and IV may have been bound together. Digit I (thumb), as opposable,
was essentially a spike. Nevertheless, the manus would have been capable of
grabbing. There can only be conjecture on what the spike was used for. It could
have been used for gouging in defense from predation and intraspecific
competition, or for males positioning the females during mating, or for all
three conjectures. Skull muscle attachments suggest it had a large tongue.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ624e77caVv3Xn-hwYVuMwyQjsyYIe_ctqCzWg7vd0Z9TRo1-44PUvH2_CTQBVkVI6SZpTUwLRgNK8OJ1dgp2_Egf8oalptZeXaJUZSS9-Sr3irs_Y4h34UBls1Px1rmwx2B8G0-yvtzH/s1600/1-dino+iguanodon+hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ624e77caVv3Xn-hwYVuMwyQjsyYIe_ctqCzWg7vd0Z9TRo1-44PUvH2_CTQBVkVI6SZpTUwLRgNK8OJ1dgp2_Egf8oalptZeXaJUZSS9-Sr3irs_Y4h34UBls1Px1rmwx2B8G0-yvtzH/s320/1-dino+iguanodon+hands.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artists: Ray Moller/Dorling Kindersley manus (hands) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Iguanodontids rapidly evolved into
hadrosauriforms leading to hadrosaurids. The transition was so rapid on a geologic
scale that <i>Lurdusaurus</i>’s
(Lur-du-sawr-us) snout was becoming duck-billed, while <i>Altirhinus</i>’ (Al-ti-rain-us) snout was hollowing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A few iguanodontids below: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwCAo41T6ouBolxzWVe6dkujm24yhUHuh7idawelIdqfoFD1ogonsRMo2eTQOyRo2yCkp8Nfr9PIeqbF5aNVucUcqv9X9pttWZyC5D6fTSpqeM1fGTanMUI2PxpV-jcCpLPxwjxUW95Yx/s1600/1-dino+iguan+Altirhinus+sergey+krasovskiy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="1060" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwCAo41T6ouBolxzWVe6dkujm24yhUHuh7idawelIdqfoFD1ogonsRMo2eTQOyRo2yCkp8Nfr9PIeqbF5aNVucUcqv9X9pttWZyC5D6fTSpqeM1fGTanMUI2PxpV-jcCpLPxwjxUW95Yx/s320/1-dino+iguan+Altirhinus+sergey+krasovskiy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Sergey Krasovskiy <i>Altirhinus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwpH_q2_dmAXOoh9qbvNZ-O3BgrditBQaj7LrqJOl3aA_PGToCcQaT_zRc1DmIeMe22O2js3CBs6xNhSe-RkPtP7t7pfmejeHAPPQlAM7Z2raUItUR60BpJWn9w0hvgPyw5Hv-kIxWiDS/s1600/1-dino+iguano+lurdusaurus_elperdido.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1191" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwpH_q2_dmAXOoh9qbvNZ-O3BgrditBQaj7LrqJOl3aA_PGToCcQaT_zRc1DmIeMe22O2js3CBs6xNhSe-RkPtP7t7pfmejeHAPPQlAM7Z2raUItUR60BpJWn9w0hvgPyw5Hv-kIxWiDS/s320/1-dino+iguano+lurdusaurus_elperdido.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Elperdido <i>Lurdusaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3lbyfCwgdfHcA4G7GD7ZneQZ-A6T67LOgEyennXLqd8rbRC9UWDG3HXDgFptYQuHchtTE7eDCn5bQlFBZW9dkxbE9VJAugH5V3yrzUV74fIAk41r1ibvL8Kg9cA1J7w2YTHdgDSATdmcd/s1600/1-dino+iguano+Tenontosaurus+cr+wiki.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3lbyfCwgdfHcA4G7GD7ZneQZ-A6T67LOgEyennXLqd8rbRC9UWDG3HXDgFptYQuHchtTE7eDCn5bQlFBZW9dkxbE9VJAugH5V3yrzUV74fIAk41r1ibvL8Kg9cA1J7w2YTHdgDSATdmcd/s320/1-dino+iguano+Tenontosaurus+cr+wiki.com.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: wiki.com <i>Tenontosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hadrosauridae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Called the
‘duckbilled dinosaur’ due to the snout shaped similarly as a duck’s bill, did
not possess any type feathering as other ornithischians had as all the
innumerable hadrosaur skin impression fossil finds show only scalation of the
skin. The snout rostral bones were flattened, thick and laterally compressed.
There are three subfamilies of hadrosaurids being: <i>Hadrosaurinae</i> (Had-row-sore-e-nye), <i>Saurolophinae</i> (Sore-o-lop-phee-nye) and <i>Lambeosaurinae</i> (Lam-bay-o-sore-e-nye). Assumed for mating or alarm calls,
lambeosaurines possessed hollow cranial crests/tubes made from the premaxilla
and nasal bones that would sound once the animal exhaled through the nostrils.
Hadrosaurids are considered facultative bipeds with most young walking
bipedally while adults were mainly quadrupeds. Jaw design was to grind
vegetation to a pulp aided by multiple rows of teeth that were replaced once
worn down. Although solid crests were found in some of the species two
subfamilies, most hadrosaurines and saurolophines did not support cranial
crests; only lambeosaurines had hollow crests used for bellowing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVxcRiHEl50U34Mz-BTVHPNZsbL8ix7GaAI73GQsE3aZ8O-J5dsVyYHJxP0CJD36FRS8-s-DW1GTrp1GpY-pBguK7NwKSgSp8gJSKnDITn_K-B8Yx52Fq25SMOQB4LjdEHVu1lfhPn-zi/s1600/1-dino+Ouranosaurus_+Julius+Cstonyi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1600" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVxcRiHEl50U34Mz-BTVHPNZsbL8ix7GaAI73GQsE3aZ8O-J5dsVyYHJxP0CJD36FRS8-s-DW1GTrp1GpY-pBguK7NwKSgSp8gJSKnDITn_K-B8Yx52Fq25SMOQB4LjdEHVu1lfhPn-zi/s200/1-dino+Ouranosaurus_+Julius+Cstonyi.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius T. Cstonyi <i>Ouranosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Living 86-66 mya, hadrosaurids are
descended from iguanodontids with the few major differences being in
iguanodontids having a larger maxilla bone in the upper jaw while hadrosaurids
had the larger premaxilla in the upper jaw and a more complexed teeth
arrangement. Hadrosaurid species sizes ranged from 3-12m/10-40ft. <i>Ouranosaurus</i> (Oar-ran-o-sawr-us), a
hadrosauriform that lived 125-112 mya is considered a main stem line offshoot
of iguanodontid evolution, but still closely related to hadrosaurids, in
particular due to its skull anatomy and flattened snout.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVjBztwCUT9jTCpbrOBfPbWIe2O4a5_QpTO25ygef9UZ9ZGZfP7vSmH8q6tO2P1M917ScJFaNBFNaxRucVi0usgX6HaeOwedevBCmXHgyDL5yTO6y8uU2Z6NgmwFlbrRBPlGiEKp0KPW-/s1600/1-dino+Ouranosaurus_nigeriensis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1024" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVjBztwCUT9jTCpbrOBfPbWIe2O4a5_QpTO25ygef9UZ9ZGZfP7vSmH8q6tO2P1M917ScJFaNBFNaxRucVi0usgX6HaeOwedevBCmXHgyDL5yTO6y8uU2Z6NgmwFlbrRBPlGiEKp0KPW-/s200/1-dino+Ouranosaurus_nigeriensis.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ouranosaurus</i> skelatal anatomy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ouranosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> was unique in
having a ‘sail’ type backbone supported by large neural spines down the dorsal
topside of the animal that became thicker and more flattened at the distal end.
The function is not clear, but besides used for thermoregulation or a display
feature, one interesting idea is that it carried a hump much like a camel for
storing fat during lean times. The spine arrangement stiffened the back
primarily due to the posterior spines bound by ossified tendons.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qOxtpDn2o4XoB4FAZbf4siJQFWfjXqIelV9cIscuj-QKmzyPVra0xL0DrGJUKIosHqSiejIDvzricZ9xC33Btxl-TWHrkRuEDfMonJY5ZHdjCtf8D-HKxvgResLmuOZ_MAfFAlqb6taM/s1600/1-dino+maiasaura_nesting+willdynamo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="1024" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qOxtpDn2o4XoB4FAZbf4siJQFWfjXqIelV9cIscuj-QKmzyPVra0xL0DrGJUKIosHqSiejIDvzricZ9xC33Btxl-TWHrkRuEDfMonJY5ZHdjCtf8D-HKxvgResLmuOZ_MAfFAlqb6taM/s320/1-dino+maiasaura_nesting+willdynamo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Willydynamo <i>Maiasaura</i> nesting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXTi6phkd5zwc1WVTnt-tevdowomUL8iY3P-lBCVIoWSHNRK43Jq8FlL4BwXoDKtauquO7ftzNeuwNKhLN7OCLl4Pi_e5t9ldXXol-KCw6t37OQYQKtspolqH8Pf8w7mWKqZ7zTGjxolC/s1600/1-dino+maiasaura-hatchlings+brian+switek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXTi6phkd5zwc1WVTnt-tevdowomUL8iY3P-lBCVIoWSHNRK43Jq8FlL4BwXoDKtauquO7ftzNeuwNKhLN7OCLl4Pi_e5t9ldXXol-KCw6t37OQYQKtspolqH8Pf8w7mWKqZ7zTGjxolC/s200/1-dino+maiasaura-hatchlings+brian+switek.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Brian Switek <i>Maiasaura</i> hatchlings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCfFUM7cLDExWbvifFsoU0CP3R2fHUjGv_yh04SMPpHsisyn5qwyD8YUGxYE07vJ8zw3wbQm_Iux1DpKlU4SSed5LAdoh_4P_P6YvKCrjwUw8d7F5WREuRB4HMIhTJYzU8btdNDoOkr8b/s1600/1-dino+maiasaura+oliver+volland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="650" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCfFUM7cLDExWbvifFsoU0CP3R2fHUjGv_yh04SMPpHsisyn5qwyD8YUGxYE07vJ8zw3wbQm_Iux1DpKlU4SSed5LAdoh_4P_P6YvKCrjwUw8d7F5WREuRB4HMIhTJYzU8btdNDoOkr8b/s200/1-dino+maiasaura+oliver+volland.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Oliver Volland <i>Maiasaura</i> parental care</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Maiasaura</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (May-uh-sawr-uh)
literally means ‘good mother’ in reference to a fossil find composed of <i>Maiasaura</i> eggs, embryos and young found
in a nesting colony. This supports parental care in at least the mother feeding
the young in gathering fruit and soft plants. Mothers were too large to sit on
nests without breaking the eggs, so as crocodilians, placed fermenting
vegetation on top of the nest to provide heat as the plant material rotted. In
rookeries, chances of egg and young survival were improved with the amount of
gathered adults.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGRCfMQ2y9KyZ3srXhjorbIgHowqNmDDhjS9TctUap_LnMSNfAhSUf372AylYnUutiIle_qNcpfjnGyrvcCZISD0BtAvDkhtRe5WM0j8XQnzYfA2vDneqS0t5hHsaoOHfHCbOqaibXsOK/s1600/1-dino+shantungosaurus_nestiebot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGRCfMQ2y9KyZ3srXhjorbIgHowqNmDDhjS9TctUap_LnMSNfAhSUf372AylYnUutiIle_qNcpfjnGyrvcCZISD0BtAvDkhtRe5WM0j8XQnzYfA2vDneqS0t5hHsaoOHfHCbOqaibXsOK/s320/1-dino+shantungosaurus_nestiebot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: NestieBot <i>Shantungosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The largest hadrosaurid was <i>Shantungosaurus</i> (Shan-tun-gui-sawr-us)
with a skull size of 1.63m/5.3ft and length of 16.6m/54ft. The beak was
toothless but the jaws were packed with ~ 1,500 teeth made for chewing. A large
hole near the nostrils is found in the fossils and is conjectured to have been
covered by a loose flap of skin for bellowing. <i>Shantungosaurus</i> temporal range was in the Late Creatceous 78-74
mya. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCHp5-fNl3D7Cqs_zju_Ez534FNzvDYRcFzdFkqFT0cTe9s3ncDkfGwtXKRuZp-jQ9AvgPNB90ptcRBdUYHWI8wW3LG6Itugyeqbf-CeHFvv_4T3Wkwl7lJI-UyqVD4efsj8E_i53I5Ar/s1600/1-dino+Telmatosaurus-Mihai+D.+Dumbrava.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1441" data-original-width="1600" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCHp5-fNl3D7Cqs_zju_Ez534FNzvDYRcFzdFkqFT0cTe9s3ncDkfGwtXKRuZp-jQ9AvgPNB90ptcRBdUYHWI8wW3LG6Itugyeqbf-CeHFvv_4T3Wkwl7lJI-UyqVD4efsj8E_i53I5Ar/s320/1-dino+Telmatosaurus-Mihai+D.+Dumbrava.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mihai D. Dumbrava <i>Telmatosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The smallest hadrosaurid was the
5m/16ft, <i>Telmatosaurus</i> (Tul-non-toe-sawr-us),
a basal hadrosaurid living 70-66 mya. It lived on Cretaceous Europe’s Hateg
Island where dinosaur species grew smaller due to insular dwarfism as discussed
earlier under sauropods. Of interest here is that a Romania <i>Telmatosaurus</i> fossil gave pathological
evidence of ameloblastoma that is today a rare nonmalignant tumor which usually
develops in the jaws near the molars.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A few more of hadrosaurids:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17wZSy00jmkL9bE9zT1Et2tyIywE79ow1rIDjfm1XRCpPftCM2gNwsJxlBcEQhJMFuzc1Zaq0tXuHovb6Vde1IISTP5L9Fk8Cw8wQhxaP-iwcWnrTxaPKb0YY2cIkKkWgFOAm3s0PFW9j/s1600/1-dino+Mukawaryu+Masato+Hattori.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="1500" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17wZSy00jmkL9bE9zT1Et2tyIywE79ow1rIDjfm1XRCpPftCM2gNwsJxlBcEQhJMFuzc1Zaq0tXuHovb6Vde1IISTP5L9Fk8Cw8wQhxaP-iwcWnrTxaPKb0YY2cIkKkWgFOAm3s0PFW9j/s320/1-dino+Mukawaryu+Masato+Hattori.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist:Masato Hattori <i>Mukawaryu</i> recently discovered 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm4T5WlIUdmhUdvbuH8iFR97WtdToVspC5-ysYuGy2ED6yxRl_M5scONa2SfSIb885hLOr2RcQnBA3O0ewjK4pXZMtuN8TUl8rSyMxXWE-VAe-j2qLzYc5fX5Fq36lUdIWejt6H9m1fBg-/s320/1-dino+had+charnosaurus+luis+v+rey.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Luis V. Rey <i>Charonosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMpbgJnumWsqh5E_Hp0Ezwvm1CvmdJqDHwWXDSyRlpEz0NAxz_GIJFWyz06UIoI5K61H-wMy4UHygwzV4nR9A_KUFZCRQazzXns8ds1pV3ZooVFhPSSGvv4xieGSItfzApB9hdF0vLsiu/s1600/1-dino+had+gryposaurus+Victor+Leshyk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="1527" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMpbgJnumWsqh5E_Hp0Ezwvm1CvmdJqDHwWXDSyRlpEz0NAxz_GIJFWyz06UIoI5K61H-wMy4UHygwzV4nR9A_KUFZCRQazzXns8ds1pV3ZooVFhPSSGvv4xieGSItfzApB9hdF0vLsiu/s200/1-dino+had+gryposaurus+Victor+Leshyk.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist:Victor Leshyk <i>Gryposaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9bd0NVJZ6x5bI89nIdY_v2_fimIKM4XaDJW97Pp5V12PJrqff30vYvyDAcl6wWTHmVkCkaKVgwg_dYAA2hZ0S0djTug8YWJ7L5BF-zvTF89nVkE6lffXnkTuKMmPiOL8SeIOOjIS4ptj/s1600/1-dino+had+lambeosaurus+L.+Xing-Y.+Liu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="1346" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9bd0NVJZ6x5bI89nIdY_v2_fimIKM4XaDJW97Pp5V12PJrqff30vYvyDAcl6wWTHmVkCkaKVgwg_dYAA2hZ0S0djTug8YWJ7L5BF-zvTF89nVkE6lffXnkTuKMmPiOL8SeIOOjIS4ptj/s200/1-dino+had+lambeosaurus+L.+Xing-Y.+Liu.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artists: L. Xing/Y. Liu <i>Lambeosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnQpfyc-1RqyqIn4jNnbBFjkkGHUbfRz_pQ-OG8SwQFI3AETOfTSoyiQVzkUvRGQq0ulT4ym9abYj9ybxk7l00JwWe2qcdPanxBW08IpTUVHkhB8MkTsCvPVZcQUwskmo9HskCx-eVvnb/s1600/1-dino+hadrosaurs_heads+olorotitan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnQpfyc-1RqyqIn4jNnbBFjkkGHUbfRz_pQ-OG8SwQFI3AETOfTSoyiQVzkUvRGQq0ulT4ym9abYj9ybxk7l00JwWe2qcdPanxBW08IpTUVHkhB8MkTsCvPVZcQUwskmo9HskCx-eVvnb/s320/1-dino+hadrosaurs_heads+olorotitan.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Luis V. Rey Various hadrosaur heads</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Marginocephalia</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Dinosaur
groups under <i>Marginocephalia</i> were all
herbivores existing from 156-66 mya. Some were the last of the dinosaurs to
live just prior to the Cretaceous/Paleogene extinction, but all became extinct
during and just after the event. These ornithischians as grouped into the two
subgroups, pachycephalosaurians and ceratopsians are best known as the ‘bone
head’ pachycephalosaurians and the ‘horn faced’ ceratopsians, like the three
horned <i>Triceratops</i> (Tri-sair-ah-tops).
But,<i> Triceratops</i> was just one species
of many dinosaurs under the family, <i>Ceratopsidae</i>
(Sair-ah-top-see-day). There are three subfamilies under <i>Ceratopsidae</i> and at least forty-four genera. Pachycephalosaurians
were bipeds and are the one herbivorous dinosaur group that never trended
towards quadrupedalism. The earliest basal ceratopsians and Psittacosaurid
ceratopsians were facultative bipeds, while all other ceratopsians were
quadrupeds, with the exception of the bipedal, <i>Archaeoceratops</i> (Ar-kay-oh-seh-rah-tops). The predentary and
rostral supported a horny beak in all marginocephalosaurians. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Marginocephalians first evolved in the
Late Jurassic 156 mya and thrived until the end of the Late Cretaceous 65.5 mya,
thus being one of the last groups of dinosaurs to go extinct. All the earlier
forms, or primitive marginocephalians originated in what is now the Asian
continent, with the later and more derived migrating up into what is now North
America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Marginocephalians were social creatures
and through fossil evidence roamed in small to large herds and formed rookeries
for their eggs and hatchlings. They also herded with other dinosaur groups.
There is evidence as well of interspecies communication implying cooperative
communication between other species and with this sharing and understanding,
formed a mutualism factor that benefitted all species concerned. This spurs the
idea that interspecific communication in the transfer of information, whether
by language or sight signaling is yes, first a learned trait, but is through an
evolutionary mechanism. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pachycephalosauria</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> ~ Living at the
end of the Early Cretaceous to the end of the Late Cretaceous 99-66 mya,
pachycephalosaurians are known for their thickened cranial skull caps. There is
debate on proper mobility, but they were bipeds and could casually walk on all
fours at times such as grazing on low vegetation. However, pachycephalosaurians
are the one herbivorous dinosaur group that never trended towards
quadrupedalism. Most pachycephalosaurians were small, averaging 2-3m/6.6-9.8ft,
but as most small dinosaurs were, they were not climbers, instead were limited
to accessing food no higher than one meter above the ground.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBoa2rlpxqcEWdv5VodZW2pWTW0bL3NnYAqep5IAOVFsKVnSZJlIq0UNYesw-qNH_5Q730v9qWprT_kKMX6hl1X-fgNK1X2HtIO-u1T4AqP2wrmd07D_vjf1IXWGSK4JyDAbVIEBBG94B/s1600/1-dino+pachycephalosaur+clad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="426" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBoa2rlpxqcEWdv5VodZW2pWTW0bL3NnYAqep5IAOVFsKVnSZJlIq0UNYesw-qNH_5Q730v9qWprT_kKMX6hl1X-fgNK1X2HtIO-u1T4AqP2wrmd07D_vjf1IXWGSK4JyDAbVIEBBG94B/s320/1-dino+pachycephalosaur+clad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In terms, the order, <i>Pachycephalosauria</i> and the family, <i>Pachycephalosauridae</i> were studied and
reevaluated in 2006 and from that, it was determined that they both included
the same species taxa. As a result, it was concluded that <i>Pachycephalosauria</i> was redundant and struck its ordering leaving
only <i>Pachycephalosauridae</i> to list all
pachycephalosaurians and pachycephalosaurs into the one family group. But this
groups all less bony flathead and bonier dome head pachycephalosaurs into one
family. I disagree with that; but who am I, right? Anyway, since the flatheads
were more primitive and older than the more derived bone heads, along with
other anatomical, even physiological differences, I feel that the group, <i>Pachycephalosauria</i> and its immediate
basal ancestors should remain and that is why I’m presenting it as such. Just
to inform ya, so enough stated...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TFhpxb7BtYvUWxu_amvPmKj38CynLk9tauXkFpMzQataa3vXBrWNvHuZwB1NGjbgAZAhZZ55-HSegLLhfvrXkJMAoshnal-CX-f2VaSubsMGs3QDtoFtKM9gru7iCPLNdzrUeJ9d6VPW/s1600/1-dino+wannanosaurus+cisiopurple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="898" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TFhpxb7BtYvUWxu_amvPmKj38CynLk9tauXkFpMzQataa3vXBrWNvHuZwB1NGjbgAZAhZZ55-HSegLLhfvrXkJMAoshnal-CX-f2VaSubsMGs3QDtoFtKM9gru7iCPLNdzrUeJ9d6VPW/s320/1-dino+wannanosaurus+cisiopurple.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Cisiopurple <i>Wannanosaurus</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m listing <i>Wannanosaurus</i> (Wan-nan-oh-sawr-us) here as a primitive
pachycephalosaurian basal to pachycephalosaurids. In today’s literature it most
likely will be listed as a pachycephalosaurid. Occurring in the Late Cretaceous
80 mya, <i>Wannanosaurus</i> was a tiny at
60cm/24in and supported a flattened skull with large fenestrae. The fossil find
gives evidence of fused bones determining that it was an adult. It may have
also supported some dorsal quilled feathering. According to dentition, it most
likely was not a strict herbivore as later pachycephalosaurids were, but was
omnivorous in dieting on plant material and insects. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pachycephalosauridae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Due to
combining both pachycephalosaur groups into one, this family contains eighteen
genera of pachycephalosaurs, but due to the uncertainties in the polarities of
species characters, makes for a less cladistic analysis. There is also ongoing
debate as to if the flatheads were simply subadult forms of the domed boneheads.
The temporal range was in the Late Cretaceous 76-65.5 mya. The revised
definition of pachycephalosaurids is among other traits, those
marginocephalosaurians with thickened but fully flat to fully domed
frontoparietals (frontal and parietal bones of the cranium), the squamosal was a
deep plate on the occiput having enlarged upper-outer corners, the premaxillary-maxillary
diastema was arched and possessed developed rows or clustered nodes or blunt
horns on the squamosal, nasals and in species specificity, other parts of the
skull.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Concerning the domed boneheads, it was
first interpreted that the thickened skull was for intraspecific combat in head
butting or for interspecific defense against predators. This idea was bolstered
through dome head cranial histological studies where 22% of all domes examined
had healed lesions consistent with osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone
resulting from penetrating trauma. In flatheads there was 0.00% of any head
trauma, which supports the subadult flathead thesis as mating combat is
performed only by adult males.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The bone tissue of the domes was
composed of a unique form of fibrolamellar material containing fibroblasts that
play a critical role in bone healing. This further accelerates the proponents’
idea of pachycephalosaurid ‘agonistic behavior’ defined as any social behavior
related to fighting. Also, to aid in absorbing the head-butting blows, the
spinal column possessed vertebral articulations providing spinal rigidity.
However, pachycephalosaurids carried their necks in U or S shaped curves and
could not step back and charge each other with straightened necks spread out
horizontally for head on butting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXem4NwlHuoyerYFfH5fHZpHgVfcL0dREHVUQocAhIHRMMSqlXLNnuYoFCG-JgqmEi8MjqzYii9rWP0KZ-B7G5at2X7cEJ3Efqzp8cBfp6gBMq79YjJnnhqU_9Fx-aBa-TmcFxUjH_LT8q/s1600/1-dino+pachycephalosaur+right-wrong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXem4NwlHuoyerYFfH5fHZpHgVfcL0dREHVUQocAhIHRMMSqlXLNnuYoFCG-JgqmEi8MjqzYii9rWP0KZ-B7G5at2X7cEJ3Efqzp8cBfp6gBMq79YjJnnhqU_9Fx-aBa-TmcFxUjH_LT8q/s320/1-dino+pachycephalosaur+right-wrong.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: De Agostini</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pachycephalosaurids’ head, neck and
spine could not align itself in such a way as to absorb, alleviate, or transmit
stress like an extant musk ox or mountain goat can today. In addition, domed
head butting would for the most part result in glancing blows due to the
curvature. This would’ve created much more damage to the head due to the nodes
and clusters of small horns (spikes) creating open wounds to the domes’ skin or
keratinous coverings and other parts of the head that would have created
serious infections. As well, to reduce weight, the fibrolamellar material was
spongy and would crush under the force of head on butting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, I support the side that feels,
although pachycephalosaurids weren’t head bangers, they did indeed use the
domes for intraspecific ‘flank butting’ that would allow the domes to give a
bruising side blow to an opponent’s hindquarters, but still not do too much
damage to the head. For sure the domes evolved as weaponry and not as species
identification, for all pachycephalosaurid domes were indistinct in anatomy and
appearance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1y6sEO7mFv_QdqFSKIv5_oN5WzxuH4BZ63qKkgEgpy6zEM9R4TZBDv3mGbsYBK-axCL0WKAYzn9HS1vbw-VmKM9WWkHiNe_xaNP1JHTeA2YTU4SMP5EkiZSJVmsp9-kpbUzt3er8bTieI/s1600/1-dino+Homalocephale_NT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1y6sEO7mFv_QdqFSKIv5_oN5WzxuH4BZ63qKkgEgpy6zEM9R4TZBDv3mGbsYBK-axCL0WKAYzn9HS1vbw-VmKM9WWkHiNe_xaNP1JHTeA2YTU4SMP5EkiZSJVmsp9-kpbUzt3er8bTieI/s320/1-dino+Homalocephale_NT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Homalocephale</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3CdpGeTu9dzvUFFgObB_xBhJR3F0TyJ4QkghJIEX8N9Z0hDZe7oO6USnbYVk3gYIXctN5osxAlKueUOiumIwzQZYsJDRFyCVQ7sMLP-RrQRd6AdoLPAbtjV8sdedLVAUNdyfkObmHqbs/s1600/1-dino+Goyocephale-dinoweb.narod_.ru__5c4c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="725" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3CdpGeTu9dzvUFFgObB_xBhJR3F0TyJ4QkghJIEX8N9Z0hDZe7oO6USnbYVk3gYIXctN5osxAlKueUOiumIwzQZYsJDRFyCVQ7sMLP-RrQRd6AdoLPAbtjV8sdedLVAUNdyfkObmHqbs/s200/1-dino+Goyocephale-dinoweb.narod_.ru__5c4c.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: dinoweb.narod.ru <i>Goyocephalae</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The two flat heads listed as primitive
pachycephalosaurids are, <i>Homalocephale</i>
(Hom-ah-loh-sef-uh-lee) and <i>Goyocephalae</i>
(Goi-uh-sef-uh-lee). Both of these pachycephalosaurids had very small
forelimbs, a triangular shaped skull and stiffened tails supported by bony rods
called zygapophyses that was an articulated paired process fitting one vertebra
to its adjacent vertebra. Both also had, along with oral leaf-shaped teeth
further back in the mouth, canine-like teeth in the front of the mouth. <i>Homalocephale</i>, occurring in the Late
Cretaceous 80 mya had a very broad pelvis that was most likely positioned as
such to protect vital organs from flank butting. It was 1.8m/6ft long. <i>Goyocephalae</i> occurred 76 mya in the Late
Cretaceous and was also 1.8m/6ft in length. Its canine-like fangs were not
serrated, but with the heterodontosaurid, <i>Heterodontosaurus
tucki</i> retaining similar canines, heterodontosaurids and pachycephalosaurs
share common ancestry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69jWNCOIqD486mrs8enB2DZ6pCMT5T2V0KrxOjX4CfJWTwuxFAj6N4EzAnhZoXoCP-viHOmZbvGFQhi4zYIv062ALirJPIBLTQ0hyphenhyphengNY8awQ7A7hfsCrUC0S69OHtVkig0i_LSRLVsxa1/s1600/1-dino+Dracorex_skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69jWNCOIqD486mrs8enB2DZ6pCMT5T2V0KrxOjX4CfJWTwuxFAj6N4EzAnhZoXoCP-viHOmZbvGFQhi4zYIv062ALirJPIBLTQ0hyphenhyphengNY8awQ7A7hfsCrUC0S69OHtVkig0i_LSRLVsxa1/s200/1-dino+Dracorex_skeletal.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dracorex</i> skeletal anatomy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiu8yzzH-yAlrNUyVGG7wFE_69zlodmHIsHLsqX8UpvnMXMNBkx5xMoWowAcPkvQ7rm-OyyccFmJ8Sr76q9wOhm2mNa_lhmiVVSXFZ8R-Y6mzLqRmOUd6PYwB9vaRqSyzkzuz11cLmTNW/s1600/1-dino+dracorexdaren-horley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="540" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiu8yzzH-yAlrNUyVGG7wFE_69zlodmHIsHLsqX8UpvnMXMNBkx5xMoWowAcPkvQ7rm-OyyccFmJ8Sr76q9wOhm2mNa_lhmiVVSXFZ8R-Y6mzLqRmOUd6PYwB9vaRqSyzkzuz11cLmTNW/s200/1-dino+dracorexdaren-horley.jpg" width="170" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Darren Horley <i>Dracorex</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dracorex</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Dray-core-ex)
was another flathead, but due to its temporal range of 66 mya near the end of
the Late Cretaceous, there is referral to it as being a subadult of <i>Pachycephalosaurus</i> that hadn’t yet
developed the bony dome. The fossil consists only of the skull, so it’s very
difficult to check for total bone fusion and ossification in determining if it
was an adult or juvenile. However, this specimen had a huge pair of
supratemporal fenestrae unlike <i>Pachycephalosaurus</i>
and more like the much earlier flatheads. So <i>Dracorex</i> could have simply been an earlier form of flathead that
had a much longer temporal range. The flat cranium supported spiky horns, knobs
and a long muzzle, thus the name referring to ‘dragon king’.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkrKnl0YIVMZZyVlgagXoi5x4CmjPmyHNxsXK6UK-HF7LLj2jJUEyR1bnkRPkj7T7vUe8Xq05MTsponjqaOhLkMLjlnkXNiTvc8IFt7mxOi8pPgKZ_U6JFTybEUMhvFqNwenzzpSA8oCO/s1600/1-dino+pachycephalosaurus+vc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="800" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkrKnl0YIVMZZyVlgagXoi5x4CmjPmyHNxsXK6UK-HF7LLj2jJUEyR1bnkRPkj7T7vUe8Xq05MTsponjqaOhLkMLjlnkXNiTvc8IFt7mxOi8pPgKZ_U6JFTybEUMhvFqNwenzzpSA8oCO/s320/1-dino+pachycephalosaurus+vc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Vlad Korstantinov <i>Pachycephalosaurus</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The last two pachycephalosaurs to go
extinct were the pachycephalosaurids, <i>Pachycephalosaurus</i>
and <i>Sphaerotholus</i> (Sfay-ro-fo-luss)
with a Late Cretaceous temporal range of 70-66 mya and 73-66 mya respectively. Both
are considered the most highly derived of all pachycephalosaurians. While the
three genera of <i>Sphaerotholus</i> lengths
are unknown due to lack of body fossil material, size probably averaged no more
than 2.4m/7.9ft. As for <i>Pachycephalosaurus</i>,
it so far is the largest pachycephalosaur at 4.5m/14.8ft.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodKVL1cyxaO8uSXIbl7eG3cDrkVyY1x3sRkagJDtJ6DIYQU3ZkjHpy5gZBgVmDuUlFdBc03vOAF9r1JtuZ2QDWwskxrJYenN8PJRGw2bEphzzpk2yrke5s5P_fnedznYj939wgIKhHUxH/s1600/1-dino+sphaerotholus+FishPainter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1257" data-original-width="1250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodKVL1cyxaO8uSXIbl7eG3cDrkVyY1x3sRkagJDtJ6DIYQU3ZkjHpy5gZBgVmDuUlFdBc03vOAF9r1JtuZ2QDWwskxrJYenN8PJRGw2bEphzzpk2yrke5s5P_fnedznYj939wgIKhHUxH/s320/1-dino+sphaerotholus+FishPainter.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: FishPainter <i>Sphaerotholus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some pachycephalosaur pics: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOFRUDCoaUw9R6z_FcGM35IQiLjKOg7AI79_hrgRiKzg6NeywkXAam_3DDfCm7KirZmr33PMq60qPL3BzbmMw95l443zx0kYht69cc7cBLrs0szPbqHSlZz-NSn40Nhjmi76RvEJpkgdB/s1600/1-dino+pachy+Acrotholus+julius+csotonyi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOFRUDCoaUw9R6z_FcGM35IQiLjKOg7AI79_hrgRiKzg6NeywkXAam_3DDfCm7KirZmr33PMq60qPL3BzbmMw95l443zx0kYht69cc7cBLrs0szPbqHSlZz-NSn40Nhjmi76RvEJpkgdB/s320/1-dino+pachy+Acrotholus+julius+csotonyi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius T. Cstonyi <i>Acrotholus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwGd39N3uUN9vkkoqRekVLpOTItdeRnOWtqAa81COkOpiwsledJyfxYomUBBNIHnHpPHIGhutzB59oQj-5n_4Nb7XJaHC_nozdcdfoJHZYkahfDWOH4g3hUaakfGHIeJEwDOGwCrVrr5J/s1600/1-dino+Pachycephalo+wyomingensis+dinoraul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwGd39N3uUN9vkkoqRekVLpOTItdeRnOWtqAa81COkOpiwsledJyfxYomUBBNIHnHpPHIGhutzB59oQj-5n_4Nb7XJaHC_nozdcdfoJHZYkahfDWOH4g3hUaakfGHIeJEwDOGwCrVrr5J/s200/1-dino+Pachycephalo+wyomingensis+dinoraul.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Dinoraul <i>P. wyomingensis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFQ5Y2W5aLpqC36XJQVeEevgyx4CUhtNEp-HpAaf18sZ9vrSE7f4G-t55zz4aa_jrnJKV6EOO1TGqp1B7HMAlxloN8ld0okg3RtbIjUOUaRvTJLwGooQAsWDmzFRaqzFUCNMe3_d-r8zF/s1600/1-dino+pachy+prenocephale+paleo-world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="622" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFQ5Y2W5aLpqC36XJQVeEevgyx4CUhtNEp-HpAaf18sZ9vrSE7f4G-t55zz4aa_jrnJKV6EOO1TGqp1B7HMAlxloN8ld0okg3RtbIjUOUaRvTJLwGooQAsWDmzFRaqzFUCNMe3_d-r8zF/s320/1-dino+pachy+prenocephale+paleo-world.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Paleo-World <i>Prenocephale</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUN_kA2O8tZ-CVizdPCO_6aK_o0l4mlMOgoJ3XYHHNT9962_DESMdUfjQQciSYDvGl37VzxYYOTSr90AnwEcWuuQP3IlQU68aVUJ_OuGzii2VRCU2iQfc9aQK8kAJVwGFudxuozupkK-Oj/s1600/1-dino+Pachycephalosauridae+-+Cisiopurple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUN_kA2O8tZ-CVizdPCO_6aK_o0l4mlMOgoJ3XYHHNT9962_DESMdUfjQQciSYDvGl37VzxYYOTSr90AnwEcWuuQP3IlQU68aVUJ_OuGzii2VRCU2iQfc9aQK8kAJVwGFudxuozupkK-Oj/s320/1-dino+Pachycephalosauridae+-+Cisiopurple.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Cisiopurple Various pachysaurs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ceratopsia</span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> ~ Although
ancestral forms lived as far back as 161.2 mya in the Late Jurassic, the bulk
of ceratopsians lived during the Cretaceous Period. As in pachycephalosaurians,
the main feature in ceratopsians was in the skull’s bony ornamentation.
Ceratopsians eventually embellished on the skull ornamentation, but instead of
bony domes and small spikes, they elaborated on frills and horns. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHif4tl5kOEZmWZJD32V5mPLBg9Edk8zDjCPe20eMvAumzuJ0U3yDt6ENpRsjR90Ie9quay6uvPkNHz9zQv7CO_bl4Gvj10yvSgAJ-Yz9SHcfm0DTlcboQyWaaeo4dU5sa_SVB6G1_Aso2/s1600/1-dino+ceratopsia+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="685" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHif4tl5kOEZmWZJD32V5mPLBg9Edk8zDjCPe20eMvAumzuJ0U3yDt6ENpRsjR90Ie9quay6uvPkNHz9zQv7CO_bl4Gvj10yvSgAJ-Yz9SHcfm0DTlcboQyWaaeo4dU5sa_SVB6G1_Aso2/s320/1-dino+ceratopsia+clade.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unique to ceratopsians, the rostral bone
located on the tip of the upper jaw anteriorly joins the two premaxillae
forming a single midline bone. The modification represents an upper jaw mirror
image of the predentary and like the predentary the rostral also supported a
horny beak. The jugal skull bone pointed laterally to form a horn-like process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Essentially there were two main
evolvement influences within ceratopsians during the Cretaceous. The first
evolution sequence involved psittacosaurs (121-99 mya) giving rise to <i>Protoceratops</i> (Pro-toe-sair-ah-tops) 83
mya. In turn, <i>Protoceratops</i> gave rise
to <i>Styracosaurus</i> (Sty-rah-co-sawr-us)
then to <i>Triceratops</i> (Tri-sair-ah-tops)
67 mya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ceratopsians are further divided into <i>Neoceratopsia</i>, <i>Leptoceratopsidae</i>,<i> Ceratopsoidea</i>
and <i>Ceratopsidae</i>. Exclusive
neoceratopsians are comprised of nine individual genera and three families with
their own genera species. Ranked underneath neoceratopsians is the superfamily,
<i>Ceratopsoidea</i>, with two genera species.
Further under ceratopsoids, is the ceratopsids under the family, <i>Ceratopsidae</i>. It consists of three
subfamilies, <i>Centrosaurinae</i> (Sin-tro-sawr-e-nay),
<i>Ceratopsinae</i> (Sair-ah-tops-e-nay) and
the largest neoceratopsian group of all is the ceratopsid subfamily, <i>Chasmosaurinae</i>. (Kaz-mo-sawr-e-nay).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggY7s-ZtomFttPNeC8KZSYJbHUpBboB19_RL5SEfqByMs2qs6bq8GwhYa2gphKAqW0viTCcyxXM1xriuUxLZBi0D4_T1_OgJByBuCUzpWiz3e7R-O-SKYxXiBIQX891TDci_oEZSdok2xs/s1600/1-dino+yinlong_downsi_by_cheungchungtat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="600" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggY7s-ZtomFttPNeC8KZSYJbHUpBboB19_RL5SEfqByMs2qs6bq8GwhYa2gphKAqW0viTCcyxXM1xriuUxLZBi0D4_T1_OgJByBuCUzpWiz3e7R-O-SKYxXiBIQX891TDci_oEZSdok2xs/s320/1-dino+yinlong_downsi_by_cheungchungtat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Cheung-tat Chung <i>Yinlong</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqq6-pNBWNcZLXt5X6phpXkin4MBm7pY0HkQz8LQoFAoHx6EUEaTfCA12mUx-6Vpje5EK8XISY2fRLnSoJQSTsKAQl8wkz5rkgVrgLAtAiOiFliGOX46VewSVpL8vBQlSaSYNXsygQ5qV/s1600/1-dino+Stenopelix_Danny+Cicchetti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="800" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqq6-pNBWNcZLXt5X6phpXkin4MBm7pY0HkQz8LQoFAoHx6EUEaTfCA12mUx-6Vpje5EK8XISY2fRLnSoJQSTsKAQl8wkz5rkgVrgLAtAiOiFliGOX46VewSVpL8vBQlSaSYNXsygQ5qV/s200/1-dino+Stenopelix_Danny+Cicchetti.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Danny Cicchetti <i>Stenopelix</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yinlong</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Phonetics:
Yin-long) and <i>Stenopelix</i> (Sten-oh-pel-ix)
were both basal to primitive ceratopsians. Living in the Early Cretaceous 158
mya and 127 mya respectively, they are sister taxons. <i>Yinlong</i> is the earliest and most primitive of ceratopsians. It was
1.2m/3.9ft in length and was a bipedally mobile herbivore. The hornless skull
had a raised ridge base that was not quite yet considered a frill. <i> Stenopelix</i>
was an herbivore and small at 97cm/38.2cm. The pelvis was ceratopsian with the
ilium’s shaft uniformly tapering into a rounded point, while the ischium’s
shaft was thickest in the middle forming a kink. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKhNonpsYmWA81y5pe-_dlUq5moF53U61yrjCJ_rFf90C7unCBzdP5oXM9owV68FKLeYirH1QO9hVEXO0RE-3fdwGdApTPvOfUTioRx9iUmqb6-veYWThapeAj2-3fzdUYhsHo5Y8K1yG/s1600/1-dino+psittacosaurid+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKhNonpsYmWA81y5pe-_dlUq5moF53U61yrjCJ_rFf90C7unCBzdP5oXM9owV68FKLeYirH1QO9hVEXO0RE-3fdwGdApTPvOfUTioRx9iUmqb6-veYWThapeAj2-3fzdUYhsHo5Y8K1yG/s1600/1-dino+psittacosaurid+clade.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One of the older and first successful ceratopsians
to appear was in the family, <i>Psittacosauridae</i>
(Sit-tah-coe-sawr-ah-day). Due to their beaks, psittacosaurids are known as the
‘parrot lizards’ and occurred in the Early Cretaceous 126-101 mya. Psittacosaurids
first arose in Asia placing all the ceratopsian groups having their ancestral
origins from Asia. Rather small, the largest in, <i>P</i>. <i>mongoliensis</i>
(mon-go-lie-in-sis) was 2m/6.5ft in total length, while <i>P</i>. <i>ordosensis</i>
(ord-o-in-sis) was 2.4m/4.6ft. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dvLllElHiifiQu0Z-zfbgfAdH5ZcwwySd-FtCeKHGiq5RRkiPf8vH1IE0O8zBWMZUvr_-wPgpL1Ug1ida-k8HIOQUlbBPKDu5yZCux0L10Q-wFylZL8Myt-mspi9oP-1VgZN8RpOMZYF/s1600/1-dino+psittacosaurids+NT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="476" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dvLllElHiifiQu0Z-zfbgfAdH5ZcwwySd-FtCeKHGiq5RRkiPf8vH1IE0O8zBWMZUvr_-wPgpL1Ug1ida-k8HIOQUlbBPKDu5yZCux0L10Q-wFylZL8Myt-mspi9oP-1VgZN8RpOMZYF/s320/1-dino+psittacosaurids+NT.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura Psittacosaurids </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Psittacosaurid skulls were frill-less
and hornless, but in more derived species, bony lumps on the skull were evident
serving as a precursor to later ceratopsid horned ornaments. Juvenile fossils
suggest they were quadrupeds while transitioning into obligatory bipeds as
adults. The adult forearms could not rotate nor add lift in springing forward
giving more indication of a bipedal gait.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgdA_vVwRm6s8mQNhu5WnqxhSqV_bur2J1kbWNNc3-nJ84Zkd13v2Nh59L9MsHy6kXjF8iE9A7ZWlFkUbm8_QJbXqs64O8mX1t8gEewXeVDzqu-hcsV3izACD1B9rNsyp8766-3v5KWhP/s1600/1-dino+Psittacosaurus_stomach_stones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgdA_vVwRm6s8mQNhu5WnqxhSqV_bur2J1kbWNNc3-nJ84Zkd13v2Nh59L9MsHy6kXjF8iE9A7ZWlFkUbm8_QJbXqs64O8mX1t8gEewXeVDzqu-hcsV3izACD1B9rNsyp8766-3v5KWhP/s320/1-dino+Psittacosaurus_stomach_stones.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Psittacosaurid stomach stones</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dentition was adapted for slicing
through plant food and due to studies of psittacosaurid teeth, the teeth
arrangement and particular wear validates that the teeth sharpened themselves.
Evidence also alludes to a seed rich diet as gastroliths have been found in
psittacosaurid fossil sites in the gut area.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-x5lNtWC_KJjzDAkTbhcRC0R549jDDXCG7_rlGrC1_Ugkgo-VfWAxscp2iO5hpgWf399O3tQoCZcUF2GiS5zijoY0hnOcLQH6NqNAGjsyRlLmMzO0ImNozgAEuGo_vhY-XsK7Wg8fbDEv/s1600/1-dino+Psittacosaurus+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="580" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-x5lNtWC_KJjzDAkTbhcRC0R549jDDXCG7_rlGrC1_Ugkgo-VfWAxscp2iO5hpgWf399O3tQoCZcUF2GiS5zijoY0hnOcLQH6NqNAGjsyRlLmMzO0ImNozgAEuGo_vhY-XsK7Wg8fbDEv/s320/1-dino+Psittacosaurus+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Psittacosaurid fossil Note: tail feathering integuments</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are plenty of psittacosaurid
fossils showing long quill impressions that were located on the dorsal rear and
caudal base of the animal. The quills would not have served as insulation, so
were probably for display purposes only. These preserved quills were tubular
bristle-like structures more likely with a keratinous covering and extended
through the skin almost to the vertebrae. From China’s Yixian Formation,
psittacosaurid fossils even give evidence of feathering as observed by the
studies. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdctUkS78C-eTJwnc6OecDpm8ntCvLGh0NLRzaFLhjKGZJB7z0-qFIDBdBZVpk6nRnIL09f4nLO_pKA-TR7k3AGyL77WdYKZIMcHJJbKqxeHGjrxa9awDvuqsrl-4iRR5Qc8b9iZweAQb9/s1600/1-dino+psittacosaurus+robert+nicholls1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="795" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdctUkS78C-eTJwnc6OecDpm8ntCvLGh0NLRzaFLhjKGZJB7z0-qFIDBdBZVpk6nRnIL09f4nLO_pKA-TR7k3AGyL77WdYKZIMcHJJbKqxeHGjrxa9awDvuqsrl-4iRR5Qc8b9iZweAQb9/s320/1-dino+psittacosaurus+robert+nicholls1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Robert Nicholls <i>Psittacosaurus</i> <i>sp</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Psittacosaurid integument (body
covering) in fossil finds shows the body covered in small scales with larger
scales dispersed in irregular patterns. For camouflage purposes there were
counter shading with the top of the body exhibiting darker melanism than the
ventral portion, which was a much lighter tannish brown. This suggests a
livelihood in forests or a region with a thick canopy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ms2svcsi34iwXfJDnHHgAwDvQfDwzMC5CdHcA1A2QDV4nSUCOu4jI0NEEKrfX_w1eiJ8DUxM1JWHt1anoVpMKZzWYWmnfgzk658B9dgHDDCy0bJ7Ow3l8MzLwmdlzlGSRqSSzUPWsMv9/s1600/1-dino+Psittacosaurus_family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="800" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ms2svcsi34iwXfJDnHHgAwDvQfDwzMC5CdHcA1A2QDV4nSUCOu4jI0NEEKrfX_w1eiJ8DUxM1JWHt1anoVpMKZzWYWmnfgzk658B9dgHDDCy0bJ7Ow3l8MzLwmdlzlGSRqSSzUPWsMv9/s320/1-dino+Psittacosaurus_family.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Psittacosaurid fossil family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Due to the innumerable fossil finds,
from embryos to adults, psittacosaurids have been found in all their life
stages. From studies, hatchlings with longer forelimbs in relation to the
shorter, stubbier hind limbs would’ve been skilled crawlers. Although by five
years of age, the hind limbs underwent a massive growth squirt catching up to
and surpassing the forelimbs. By six years of age, psittacosaurids were facultative
bipeds.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp194QEzY20hPXOVcwXQIDofRs6w7p-zh4E0ldhgTMM3d6oimMcVUgB7le0eqIbP_BCwh4dJ0DmIp4ELmPfIkLo3423Q6WUQi5iSx58ZL4bvSlbBPHI_tpqaj09Bx1_WL5ujbwYps_FZZY/s1600/1-dino+Psittacosaurus_juveniles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1346" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp194QEzY20hPXOVcwXQIDofRs6w7p-zh4E0ldhgTMM3d6oimMcVUgB7le0eqIbP_BCwh4dJ0DmIp4ELmPfIkLo3423Q6WUQi5iSx58ZL4bvSlbBPHI_tpqaj09Bx1_WL5ujbwYps_FZZY/s320/1-dino+Psittacosaurus_juveniles.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Psittacosaurid fossil of six juveniles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the above photograph is a group of
six young psittacosaurids huddled together while being buried by a volcanic
mudflow. We know that they were alive at the time of burial because of all the
heads were raised. This huddled mass of psittacosaurids is not representative
of a nest but of gregarious behavior extending beyond the nest. Based on
histological analysis, specimen 1 was three-years-old, with specimen 2-6 being
only two-years of age. Most likely they were huddled for security due to the
fear of the oncoming onslaught that ended their lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW4D0reFx65jqgjH8pzuNkuQ0zy2JGo49fkXTOZBxuM4ygkrvRKNqUQX7lfzeCxKQZ-6NMWAsCxHB3bzlrZ7-uF761vFNcRelqhc18zjBqUQ_QN2mBvkr4vVFgckuveucIH7f2ewho9jh/s1600/1-dino+leptoceratops_gracilis+kana+hebi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="1280" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW4D0reFx65jqgjH8pzuNkuQ0zy2JGo49fkXTOZBxuM4ygkrvRKNqUQX7lfzeCxKQZ-6NMWAsCxHB3bzlrZ7-uF761vFNcRelqhc18zjBqUQ_QN2mBvkr4vVFgckuveucIH7f2ewho9jh/s320/1-dino+leptoceratops_gracilis+kana+hebi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Kana Hebi <i>Leptoceratops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNL5xremxLPVtnhQ6ho0cS4QPsvPb7bSSh50FKZaa60X2lX-96fWdNVXqSo6x1tE6d1VLnzuO4Q6Vn_Cj6qJRb2BLRVoaFoVD955MpbWnO46Tpz8OCwgYZQqFQQssYKRZicBZmVvADXysY/s1600/1-dino+Cerasinops_NT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="800" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNL5xremxLPVtnhQ6ho0cS4QPsvPb7bSSh50FKZaa60X2lX-96fWdNVXqSo6x1tE6d1VLnzuO4Q6Vn_Cj6qJRb2BLRVoaFoVD955MpbWnO46Tpz8OCwgYZQqFQQssYKRZicBZmVvADXysY/s200/1-dino+Cerasinops_NT.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura <i>Cerasinops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Neoceratopsia</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> ~ was the
sister group to <i>Psittacosaurus</i>. Neoceratopsian
subgroups temporal range was from 99-66 mya in the Late Cretaceous. This major
clade includes the most derived ceratopsians which for the most part is the
horned ceratopsians. The side neoceratopsian family, <i>Leptoceratopsidae</i> (Lep-toe-sair-ah-tops-ah-day) was the more
primitive group in this clade and members were hornless. One leptocertopsid, <i>Cerasinops</i> (Seh-rass-e-nops) was psittacosaurid-like
but details more of a transitional primitive basal neoceratopsian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0pH-qApHQvBRrfgqJ33Ogfk3Iejosa2SLO5uaeRAm2bOowNsSAXIMFB5bhR0cWqn0xrAfZMaOWIPLbwvowOquyhMlAeo-MprSYK9OFzzgcOolD_i22gd6vb6Axv-EfLc_uYmeRK61lCn/s1600/1-dino-+Koreaceratops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="800" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0pH-qApHQvBRrfgqJ33Ogfk3Iejosa2SLO5uaeRAm2bOowNsSAXIMFB5bhR0cWqn0xrAfZMaOWIPLbwvowOquyhMlAeo-MprSYK9OFzzgcOolD_i22gd6vb6Axv-EfLc_uYmeRK61lCn/s320/1-dino-+Koreaceratops.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Lukas Panzarin <i>Koreaceratops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another primitive neoceratopsian was, <i>Koreaceratops</i> (Koe-ree-ah-sair-ah-tops)
that appeared towards the end of the Early Cretaceous 103 mya. It is notable
for its caudal vertebrae’s tall neural spines that were five times the height
of its back’s midpoint vertebral centra. These spines have shown up in several
other ceratopsians, such as <i>Bagaceratops</i>,
<i>Montanocertops</i> and <i>Udanoceratops</i>, but seems to have
independently evolved. <i>Koreaceratops</i>’
astragalus (talus or ankle bone) structure was also unique in that it divided
into two fossae (Fossa is a bone depression) by a prominent craniocaudal ridge
on the proximal surface. These characteristic features point to a semi-aquatic
lifestyle for swimming capabilities.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETOYdUUKeAuy5Cdj9yhXMkguqJv6bSFoY-ON-h7gK76usMbQlf__89H8oy9tHXGzOEeL9Zn7r94PNZDPqQIj7rl_314MUMf3Zbga0sr1VTcDmAxGFJvBpeFvbHQJqP0x3LYo4PBCPZZKl/s1600/1-dino+Aquilops_americanus+Brian+Engh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1600" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETOYdUUKeAuy5Cdj9yhXMkguqJv6bSFoY-ON-h7gK76usMbQlf__89H8oy9tHXGzOEeL9Zn7r94PNZDPqQIj7rl_314MUMf3Zbga0sr1VTcDmAxGFJvBpeFvbHQJqP0x3LYo4PBCPZZKl/s320/1-dino+Aquilops_americanus+Brian+Engh.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Brian Engh <i>Aquilops</i> bothered by a mammal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Aquilops</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> occurring 107
mya in the Early Cretaceous is currently one of the oldest neoceratopsians thus
found. It is also the oldest and most basal neoceratopsian found in Cretaceous
N. America. Neoceratopsians first evolved in Asia. With <i>Aquilops</i> already established in N. America, it’s indicative of an
early migration from Asia to N. America. Crossing land bridges before the full
rifting apart of Gondwana into new land masses, <i>Aquilops</i>’ Asian neoceratopsian ancestors migrated to N. America
late in the Early Cretaceous. As a neoceratopsian, <i>Aquilops</i> was closer in relations to <i>Triceratops</i> than to <i>Yinlong</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The most primitive of neoceratopsians
are in the family, <i>Leptoceratopsidae</i>
that had a temporal range of 83.5-66 mya in the Late Cretaceous under ten
genera. Leptosaurids evolved in what is now Sweden and once during the Late
Cretaceous’ Campanian Stage (83.6-72.1 mya) when N. America became isolated
from northwestern Europe due to continental drift, creating endemic forms in
eastern N. America. The bulk of leptosaurids however originated from Asia and
Western N. America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Nj94e-DyPcH6Np3YChh0lekNu91YD8XGiVRMU1lD8govOqp6Fvutlfo2nvyCOtATD49vC_D2v7PT1OS-CnEZw4itDaTrnU9APSttr5C62aLeumJsBJm4-lnjVP_3qF1mf4SkDvouswpr/s1600/1-dino+montanoceratops_cerorhynchos+kana+hebi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="1024" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Nj94e-DyPcH6Np3YChh0lekNu91YD8XGiVRMU1lD8govOqp6Fvutlfo2nvyCOtATD49vC_D2v7PT1OS-CnEZw4itDaTrnU9APSttr5C62aLeumJsBJm4-lnjVP_3qF1mf4SkDvouswpr/s320/1-dino+montanoceratops_cerorhynchos+kana+hebi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Kana Hebi <i>Montannoceratops</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Leptoceratopsidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> means ‘small
horned face’, but despite the name, leptosaurids had no horns. With species no
more than 2m/6.56 long, leptosaurid dentition set them apart from other
neoceratopsians in having massive robust jaws supporting huge bulbous teeth.
This surely was their adaptation for survival as they would never starve or be
out competed for food sources because they were able to ingest the toughest of
plants assimilated for digestion by their grinding and pulverizing teeth. Two
leptoceratopsids species in, <i>Montanoceratops</i>
which lived 70 mya and<i> Leptoceratops</i>
(Lep-toe-sair-ah-tops) occurring 66.8-66 mya both had short, deep and muscular
jaws creating a strong bite and high masticating abilities. They both possessed
claws on the distal ends of the manus (hands) and pes (feet) and also both
could move as a quadruped or bipedally.
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiutRzEX2yqvSbMIaV0z0pG8KbU8Yv_qervnvOSyYfmZ4Kmp_AKdRSDMcEuisuBXEi_9HzjBUJEsoma6FD6VPdfAYW_z1RQ8JnKBVwBJ56Ou660gB2DwUblHftfi7nJdDsbtP1Y9OU8BGZ/s1600/1-dino+turanoceratops-tardabilis-sergey-krasovskiy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="900" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiutRzEX2yqvSbMIaV0z0pG8KbU8Yv_qervnvOSyYfmZ4Kmp_AKdRSDMcEuisuBXEi_9HzjBUJEsoma6FD6VPdfAYW_z1RQ8JnKBVwBJ56Ou660gB2DwUblHftfi7nJdDsbtP1Y9OU8BGZ/s320/1-dino+turanoceratops-tardabilis-sergey-krasovskiy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Sergey Krasovskiy <i>Turanoceratops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Turanoceratops</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Tu-ran-o-sair-ah-tops),
although with too numerous primitive features to be a true ceratopsid and after
numerous cladistic debates, has been put into the superfamily, <i>Ceratopsoidea</i> (Sair-ah-top-soi-dee-uh).
This put <i>Turanoceratops</i>, as basal to ceratopsids,
in representing a transition from ceratopsians to ceratopsids. At 2m/6.6ft in
length, its paired horns formed from the base of the frill pointed anteriorly
over then beyond the eyes. <i>Turanoceratops</i>
is the only ceratopsoid member found outside N. America. Its remains were discovered
in Uzbekistan in 90 million year old Late Cretaceous strata.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvVtyPln1u70pSLRzcw_pGkEGHRADaJljUdqOFqDaR34NZLia3Vfj-os6tsVsjW1_4jOKMhn0pAX8xo-mN20HA2cph2GF0T7utsVTCeRvOfHnbTGBEyaT8KKXtonoum7OlObQlsEaXyAg/s1600/1-dino+zuniceratops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1000" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvVtyPln1u70pSLRzcw_pGkEGHRADaJljUdqOFqDaR34NZLia3Vfj-os6tsVsjW1_4jOKMhn0pAX8xo-mN20HA2cph2GF0T7utsVTCeRvOfHnbTGBEyaT8KKXtonoum7OlObQlsEaXyAg/s320/1-dino+zuniceratops.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Walter Colvin <i>Zuniceratops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another ceratopsoid and the first horned
ceratopsian to appear in N. America was <i>Zuniceratops</i>
(Zoo-nee-sair-ah-tops). The skull supported two horns above the eyes called
‘brow horns’ and a thin, broad frill that acted as a shield in protecting the
back of the head and neck. The frill had two large openings in the middle that were
covered by skin and keratinous scaling. Not exactly useful in predatory
protection, the fenestrated frill would have been lighter and was most likely
used for display. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Occurring 91 mya during the Late
Cretaceous, it was about the same size of a large cow at 3-3.5m/9.8-11.5ft in
total length. In juveniles, the dentition was single rooted, but with age in
adults, the dentition became double rooted. Whether direct or indirect through
ancestral lineage, <i>Zuniceratops</i>’ line
is what led to the N. American, <i>Ceratopsidae</i>
groups making both families a sister group.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a sister group to ceratopsoids, the
family, <i>Protoceratopsidae</i> (Pro-toe-sair-ah-tops-ah-day)
occurred 85-72 mya in the Late Cretaceous. This was too late to be a direct
descendent to ceratopsids, but as a younger sister group to the older
ceratopsoid clade, they were more like an aunt to the most derived ceratopsians
in the family, <i>Ceratopsidae</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD52fpSoX7Mb0WTROz9m8xEHPr4TKDEiHjla_rD4HspgzQO76oNg-iQiCQZyoZRDpiH2Tv41Sal6X4mbZIYD0xH6uOgcyDkAT6rwHrnQFo5prsLa6k1yJTPTBsRR0Z7_ss4cIwTy4CNCa_/s1600/1-dino+protoceratopsidae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="600" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD52fpSoX7Mb0WTROz9m8xEHPr4TKDEiHjla_rD4HspgzQO76oNg-iQiCQZyoZRDpiH2Tv41Sal6X4mbZIYD0xH6uOgcyDkAT6rwHrnQFo5prsLa6k1yJTPTBsRR0Z7_ss4cIwTy4CNCa_/s320/1-dino+protoceratopsidae+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JksW7PqyMuAok6-UlqoWTW3awCnIKPYTEZKNavxXUZZQhjuhosHpq6SLTM1b8YzgK5g1kXFeumgY5Zngo-DU6NXoqXNZlvzCg7kRKLy_v751qXZoEXBb_pg0cM59OTsG9rXmSlJKviWY/s1600/1-dino+protoceratops+olorotitan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JksW7PqyMuAok6-UlqoWTW3awCnIKPYTEZKNavxXUZZQhjuhosHpq6SLTM1b8YzgK5g1kXFeumgY5Zngo-DU6NXoqXNZlvzCg7kRKLy_v751qXZoEXBb_pg0cM59OTsG9rXmSlJKviWY/s200/1-dino+protoceratops+olorotitan.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Luis V. Rey <i>Protoceratops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protoceratopsids at an averaged
1.8m/5.9ft long were about the size of a goat. They had an established
fenestrated light frill. In some species, the frills were short and compact
while in others the frills were at least half the length of the skull. The
frills consisted mostly of the skull’s parietal bone, but also contained
components of the squamosal bone. They retained the psittacosaurid caudal
quills, although protoceratopsids were fully bipedal, but still with shorter
forelimbs. Indicating a nocturnal lifestyle, protoceratopsids had large orbits
(eye openings) that housed a small fenestra behind each eye known as the
infratemporal fenestra. The neck vertebrae were limited to lateral mobility
arranged more for vertical up/down motion. The jaws were packed with dozens of
teeth and with powerful jaw muscles and a massive frontal beak protoceratopsids
were well adapted to chewing rough plants and delivering an injurious bite for
defense. Protoceratopsids were hornless.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5h5XJDdI7VfC-VU467PVNVgPOTTkNurGAMisPMR4l3JmVpoM6-hhaexf4AW1VXAwraTH32yUBahy-1h_zJPXK6-7KU2MUfwsykX8MgEmS3WLW5dSGLzeHBIx9knDchFk9zV-2Xou_z0U/s1600/1-dino+protoceratops_maspix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="900" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5h5XJDdI7VfC-VU467PVNVgPOTTkNurGAMisPMR4l3JmVpoM6-hhaexf4AW1VXAwraTH32yUBahy-1h_zJPXK6-7KU2MUfwsykX8MgEmS3WLW5dSGLzeHBIx9knDchFk9zV-2Xou_z0U/s200/1-dino+protoceratops_maspix.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist:Maspix Protoceratopsid herd in arid terrain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As fossil sites attest to,
protoceratopsids were a herding animal and with the males being larger in
height, width and possessing larger skulls and frills practiced sexual
dimorphism. The frill may have been colorfully decorated for attracting mates.
The larger and colorful frills probably induced the males to head bob one
another and if that wasn’t a competitor deterrent would engage in head pushing
for dominance.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwg4T3J-hmGZS8pWYYSSB8801k4z-1YjpKE24djJFLyfnXu9_IpYR18HAopcw98T7SdVqcV9GD_Zu2syvmvMpXNplbJFScNNWH0kEPzIJY5wB86Z2ALVgvttC54f5gY3llhb5RImYKIETP/s1600/1-dino+velociraptor+protoceratops+raul+martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="800" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwg4T3J-hmGZS8pWYYSSB8801k4z-1YjpKE24djJFLyfnXu9_IpYR18HAopcw98T7SdVqcV9GD_Zu2syvmvMpXNplbJFScNNWH0kEPzIJY5wB86Z2ALVgvttC54f5gY3llhb5RImYKIETP/s320/1-dino+velociraptor+protoceratops+raul+martin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Raul Martin <i>Protoceratops</i>/<i>Velociraptor</i> dueling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protoceratopsids lived in desert or dry
environments. From paleo-Mongolia, paleontologists came upon an exciting find
with </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">P. andrewsi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (an-drew-see) in
mortal combat with </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Velociraptor
mongoliensis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. Apparently, this scene during life was suddenly covered up by
a sand slide or strong sandstorm burying and killing both animals in their life
and death struggle, but preserving it as well. If played out, the outcome
looked like the velociraptorine predator was getting the short end of the
stick.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5kJP4Ve0J4-oHIl1BJuNQuNMvl0TcnDYjsdwk1abphIouMsZpdWFDPCD_UpAoEJ2bF8g0jdfA_6Q8T9s68q5q8qBXjXQ6SddX7-cyDORvfrNrcx4inYM9uge4hKTRZ8x-rkz1jeEJXX_/s320/1-dino+protoceratops-velociraptor.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Protoceratops</i>/<i>Velociraptor</i> combat fossil </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A few more of protoceratopsids:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xpuZ9GnmJ1zDWLm195U7mCNLV5RqbUJNC0p0tSe_SBGYos_wtIQNcWXYyw6C_moFMsR_cFjRxQ-Dwo_1AkfbOeuInpAT84q5sP_Ya6LKXlBcoE_yfoms5AMblW93LVNA5FRCLar0rjX_/s1600/1-dino+Protoceratops+andrewsi+Antonin+Jury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="800" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xpuZ9GnmJ1zDWLm195U7mCNLV5RqbUJNC0p0tSe_SBGYos_wtIQNcWXYyw6C_moFMsR_cFjRxQ-Dwo_1AkfbOeuInpAT84q5sP_Ya6LKXlBcoE_yfoms5AMblW93LVNA5FRCLar0rjX_/s320/1-dino+Protoceratops+andrewsi+Antonin+Jury.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Antonin Jury <i>P</i>. <i>andrewsi</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VZuCGlMJ6jCakFC3QEyWnYK7Frb138wSirSZdVXvUoa9D1k8HdTl9cvBcYuJgBD6PBifNFDbf7GleOy0Mf12mGfc8FsvZfWdUOITB1pHRjswV6bsy2tyjxLikeurA4nGvo1AQtUNYFUQ/s1600/1-dino+protoceratops_vlad+konstantinov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1100" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VZuCGlMJ6jCakFC3QEyWnYK7Frb138wSirSZdVXvUoa9D1k8HdTl9cvBcYuJgBD6PBifNFDbf7GleOy0Mf12mGfc8FsvZfWdUOITB1pHRjswV6bsy2tyjxLikeurA4nGvo1AQtUNYFUQ/s320/1-dino+protoceratops_vlad+konstantinov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Vlad Konstantinov a young <i>Protoceratops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRe_kToxaeQU80GMpy29KwHpsBNe4XF90wW5hjA_i-qlT7sz4S_Li23hwD-MKxhS_F7zVcnQJMhfNA0I3QG48mYxzhWBuOaFnuxV_ODv2jrGiLzC7ddR54_KiFaQ-5xEnV6WPSUw6QRJWe/s1600/1-dino+psittacasaurus+sibiricus+vlad+konstantinov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="1264" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRe_kToxaeQU80GMpy29KwHpsBNe4XF90wW5hjA_i-qlT7sz4S_Li23hwD-MKxhS_F7zVcnQJMhfNA0I3QG48mYxzhWBuOaFnuxV_ODv2jrGiLzC7ddR54_KiFaQ-5xEnV6WPSUw6QRJWe/s320/1-dino+psittacasaurus+sibiricus+vlad+konstantinov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Vlad Konstantinov <i>P</i>. <i>sibiricus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ceratopsidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: This family
group of skull horned and large frilled neoceratopsians appeared in the Late
Cretaceous 83-66 mya. The horns were located on the nose and just above the
eyes. With <i>Triceratops</i> reaching
lengths of 7.9-9.0m/25.9–29.5ft and <i>Eotriceratops</i>
topping out at 8.5m/27.9ft, ceratopsids were the largest of all ceratopsians. These
dinosaurs were the Late Cretaceous version of vast herds of grazing bison on
the midwestern N. American plains, except for the fact that western paleo-N.
America during the Late Cretaceous wasn’t grasslands, but coastal plain marsh
lands on the Western Interior Seaway with a subtropical climate and numerous
small rivers and large streams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbBEc_1GmOJjG2xeT7CQcSrB7nLndsBNT31v7Mdx1VJS5yBGhNkGyIbscsh_Uzg3AffQakg74H_JT25-h0ZOlb151HMsqZjv_VcvVvaqbjND8PskAb6PiwFsU03-uNQmtPmPDhgs1IfjL/s1600/1-dino+ceratopsidae+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbBEc_1GmOJjG2xeT7CQcSrB7nLndsBNT31v7Mdx1VJS5yBGhNkGyIbscsh_Uzg3AffQakg74H_JT25-h0ZOlb151HMsqZjv_VcvVvaqbjND8PskAb6PiwFsU03-uNQmtPmPDhgs1IfjL/s320/1-dino+ceratopsidae+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The large frills were also ornamented
differently in each species and changed in ornamentation within each species
maturation age from juvenile to subadult to adult. Honors for the most
elaborate frill likely goes to, <i>Kosmoceratops</i>.
It had a row of ten small horns rimming the frill with the middle eight curving
inwards. This ceratopsid was isolated on a restricted island in the Western
Interior Seaway. The isolation diminished gene pool influxes from other parts
of N. America allowing <i>Kosmoceratops</i>
to evolve on its own. Once the seaway began receding southwards due to Rocky
Mountain chain orogenic uplifting, <i>Kosmoceratops</i>
intermingled with other diversified gene populations and lost its unique
identity.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaYSG5UE5lBW-08sO0JVNcYKIOuPSEQtc3UBB43tKv7VXjFSeneae1URY-OHNPXQHrr0NVARppxpFkqkPfT3hBZDAgQ_Td3oM6GpFaiqHSZGvDB0p9ab1TDmZ4e-tvn8rB7c2Kw6GxSXJ/s1600/1-dino+kosmoceratops+Lukas+Panzarin1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="960" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaYSG5UE5lBW-08sO0JVNcYKIOuPSEQtc3UBB43tKv7VXjFSeneae1URY-OHNPXQHrr0NVARppxpFkqkPfT3hBZDAgQ_Td3oM6GpFaiqHSZGvDB0p9ab1TDmZ4e-tvn8rB7c2Kw6GxSXJ/s320/1-dino+kosmoceratops+Lukas+Panzarin1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Lukas Panzarin <i>Kosmoceratops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ceratopsids are divided into two main
subfamily groups the, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Centrosaurinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Sin-tro-sawr-ah-nay) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Chasmosaurinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Kazz-mo-sawr-ah-nay). The key difference between the two was that in
centrosaurines had a large nasal horn and two short supratemporal horns, where
it was the exact opposite in chasmosaurines in having long supratemporal horns
and a short nasal horn. There are currently 18 genera under the subfamily, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Centrosaurinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and 23 genera under the
subfamily, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Chasmosaurinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Other derived characteristics of these
two subfamilies listed as one (1) and two (2) in the cladogram below are
defined as (1) <i>Chasmosaurinae</i>:
enlarged rostral, presence of an interpremaxillary fossa, triangular squamosal
epoccipitals (small spikes or horns rimming the frill), rounded ventral sacrum,
and a broadly decurved ischial shaft.
(2) <i>Centrosaurinae</i>: premaxillary oral
margin extending below alveolar margin, jugal infratemporal flange, squamosal
much shorter parietal, six to eight parietal epoccipitals and predentary biting
surface steeply inclined laterally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Speaking in geological timeframe terms,
ceratopsids in general evolved rapidly and simultaneously into their most
derived forms, whether genetically or through convergent evolution. As
expressed in the above graph, once centrosaurines became extinct,
chasmosaurines began evolving through convergence via centrosaurine horn characteristics
and is proven through the 68.5-67.5 million year old chasmosaurine, <i>Regaliceratops</i>. This 5m/16.4ft long chasmosaurine
became transitional in the skull’s horn morphologies by evolving a large
centrosaurine-like nasal horn with shorter supratemporal or ‘brow’ horns.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6tmNa-ncfeVxAtRrQ4rETtYJwzpvc2hls7d_n8i4o5unPxYwU-3d2wrodhqEJH5ejKSNuMHDgIYG8nRiubScwiuE1NEmQjkhLelDxp3zzdXaxjmrSHrDLuWcwHdHM7jHb1QPioQwTHto/s1600/1-dino+einiosaurus+olorotitan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="894" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6tmNa-ncfeVxAtRrQ4rETtYJwzpvc2hls7d_n8i4o5unPxYwU-3d2wrodhqEJH5ejKSNuMHDgIYG8nRiubScwiuE1NEmQjkhLelDxp3zzdXaxjmrSHrDLuWcwHdHM7jHb1QPioQwTHto/s320/1-dino+einiosaurus+olorotitan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Luis V. Rey <i>Einosaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A unique centrosaurine was, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Einiosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Eye-nee-o-sawr-us). Its temporal range was in the Late Cretaceous 74.5-74 mya.
It also had some transitional skull features akin to chasmosaurines. Among
other ceratopsids, frill structures and the skull of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Einiosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> were evolving into elaborate ornamental displays. The
nasal horn curved forward pointing towards the ground, while the two
supratemporal horns encased in the small frill and epiparietals (frill horns)
pointed backwards. From encircling the eyes to rimming the frill there was a
continuous row of osteoderms. From evidence of multiple individuals in fossil
remains </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Einiosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> herded.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDrhGnFrmcQwese2zOqIz3oDRui73KjKfneAgi-aUV_SrhZOrNuo393Kc1AS3SK-bZvvPPV5cSllWc_o7fIHlYb67fNfaeO9BUIuvP_OSFas-PnMUCEYb6b9djmyR5njm81FH_1kNdJbP/s1600/1-dino+triceratops+vk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="900" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDrhGnFrmcQwese2zOqIz3oDRui73KjKfneAgi-aUV_SrhZOrNuo393Kc1AS3SK-bZvvPPV5cSllWc_o7fIHlYb67fNfaeO9BUIuvP_OSFas-PnMUCEYb6b9djmyR5njm81FH_1kNdJbP/s320/1-dino+triceratops+vk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Vlad Konstantinov <i>Triceratops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The classic chasmosaurine, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Triceratops</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, weighed 10.9 metric tons/12
US tons. With remains found all over N. America and in particular out west, the
first discovery near Denver, Colorado in 1887, it was first thought to be some
specialized buffalo. Unlike most ceratopsids, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Triceratops</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was more of a loner and did not herd in large groups as
most fossil finds are of individuals and not groups.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The chief predator to <i>Triceratops</i> was <i>Tyrannasaurus rex</i> as evidenced through the multiple fossil finds of
<i>T</i>. <i>rex</i> gnaw marks on <i>Triceratops</i>
fossilized bone and actual <i>T</i>. <i>rex</i> teeth embedded in or lying near <i>Triceratops</i> fossils. A Montana fossil
site unearthed in 1997 showed a <i>Triceratops</i>
skull with cone-shaped indentations matching the tooth tips of a typically
large <i>T. rex</i>. In addition, on the
left side of the skull were gaps between three deep parallel scrapes which also
match the tooth spacing of <i>T</i>. <i>rex</i> which was the only large predator in
the region during the ending of the Late Cretaceous. The healed skull scars
first show signs of infection then healing, proving that the ceratopsid
survived the encounter. But whether it won in the battle or was lucky enough to
get loose and run off, we’ll never really be proven. In <i>Triceratops</i>/<i>T</i>. <i>rex</i> battles, we’ll go into more detail later
under, ‘Theropoda’.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoFJSumdMAYOYoXMNywFJDxKoKmruVbsJSw5E_yKM5hhUMoJ8bggYqeV6GL0s3sbdg3FEEXo1UiBNhr7Y6Mn4WO5_qGkQmxzprvu8EIPDpMQciDgFZN6TY4hIPBMrgjfyIhj2Wdgp9la5/s1600/1-dino+Trex-v-ttops+luis+v+rey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1239" data-original-width="1600" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoFJSumdMAYOYoXMNywFJDxKoKmruVbsJSw5E_yKM5hhUMoJ8bggYqeV6GL0s3sbdg3FEEXo1UiBNhr7Y6Mn4WO5_qGkQmxzprvu8EIPDpMQciDgFZN6TY4hIPBMrgjfyIhj2Wdgp9la5/s320/1-dino+Trex-v-ttops+luis+v+rey.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Luis V. Rey <i>Triceratops</i> vs. <i>T</i>. <i>rex</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Living in the Late Cretaceous 72-71 mya,
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anchiceratops</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (An-chi-sair-ah-tops), is
considered a transitional and intermediate ceratopsid form closely related to
both, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Monoclonius</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Mon-oh-clo-nee-us)
and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Triceratops</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Tri-sair-uh-tops). Fossil
remains have been found in terrain sediment, but in Alberta’s lower ‘Horseshoe
Canyon Formation’, where numerous fossils of it have been found is composed of
shallow marine coastal sedimentation, coal swamps, floodplains, brackish water
deposits from periodic seawater incursions into estuary channels, estuarine
point bar deposits, carbonaceous shales, mudstones and sandstone freshwater
sediment. From this, it can reasonably be interpreted that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anchiceratops</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was hippo-like in foraging aquatic plant material.
Another trait to allude to this conclusion is in this chasmosaurine’s skeletal
anatomy featuring a much longer pelvis, more robust forelimbs and shorter tail
than other ceratopsids.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4GtZ9oQlsaSPn-r-9v0JM28kLmE-2STc6zlRfE6fhA8plHn3GBRh8ICrdFAcaltTCEQTplv-KMEanTGeCOsZHrzt3-PRhCdlYYbdd0HWYH113dppeemvqRd_C37nDRyNstlnty126AS0/s320/1-dino+anchiceratops+Craig+Dylke.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Craig Dylke <i>Anchiceratops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some more pictures of ceratopsids:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bqtOAL27N8bXoTDI6w3_-OQ-gpIVcUGiN_5hNhNqAfakqyyLb2ZEagnGCeW3KwPDKmxe8sqRzWPWJu5wVXbLmOW2XKqzJOH3oaRw7-Pyf72M4BLN1Wm7LJi-B8YXLovDOfNpyCt5vOd3/s1600/1-dino+Monoclonius+Phil-Tippets-Prehistoric-Beast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bqtOAL27N8bXoTDI6w3_-OQ-gpIVcUGiN_5hNhNqAfakqyyLb2ZEagnGCeW3KwPDKmxe8sqRzWPWJu5wVXbLmOW2XKqzJOH3oaRw7-Pyf72M4BLN1Wm7LJi-B8YXLovDOfNpyCt5vOd3/s320/1-dino+Monoclonius+Phil-Tippets-Prehistoric-Beast.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Phil Tippets' 'Prehistoric Beast' <i>Monoclonius</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vZTKjJan6ezF09f7XSMCCJXlccWUul3tTYBFSWTmc5azpb-7FUPJvpwtA1x7I8U72mkBamgRvS34m2mzWWls1lbkkeyBsOmqgLYV8cFX3w3xsE-oISAzRS9-WBm-kaLSuWqJ7K-KyO1-/s1600/1-dino+regaliceratops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vZTKjJan6ezF09f7XSMCCJXlccWUul3tTYBFSWTmc5azpb-7FUPJvpwtA1x7I8U72mkBamgRvS34m2mzWWls1lbkkeyBsOmqgLYV8cFX3w3xsE-oISAzRS9-WBm-kaLSuWqJ7K-KyO1-/s320/1-dino+regaliceratops.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius T. Cstonyi <i>Regaliceratops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVKYr-7GyTHC5Wmvu7vmOZWIMMsTMNDiRQLil_agOAB6giMOM1Ma928zKBtzePvxsDeCvbSVPIkmF-V0nxENwENOGJsLjjSnlhM9pukVO8Eom8ZNcOUZyW_uZ_078urP12ONsWaraCkPQ/s1600/1-dino+ceratopsia_ii_ntamura+centro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1252" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVKYr-7GyTHC5Wmvu7vmOZWIMMsTMNDiRQLil_agOAB6giMOM1Ma928zKBtzePvxsDeCvbSVPIkmF-V0nxENwENOGJsLjjSnlhM9pukVO8Eom8ZNcOUZyW_uZ_078urP12ONsWaraCkPQ/s200/1-dino+ceratopsia_ii_ntamura+centro.jpg" width="127" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura Centrosaurines</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34csMmj8OYLlHuaK2r734uMtFWpkXFcS98E08k0Peqwt0bZfVVsLC6mGsuUygs7lRtb5uYK7J6CzdHgaPJdEAB_4aAQw05LTX3_Nj0dZATyKigsL8qG-ANRNKjS3sijZl6koduXg_NUpr/s1600/1-dino+ceratopsia_iii_ntamura+chasmo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1243" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34csMmj8OYLlHuaK2r734uMtFWpkXFcS98E08k0Peqwt0bZfVVsLC6mGsuUygs7lRtb5uYK7J6CzdHgaPJdEAB_4aAQw05LTX3_Nj0dZATyKigsL8qG-ANRNKjS3sijZl6koduXg_NUpr/s200/1-dino+ceratopsia_iii_ntamura+chasmo.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura Chasmosaurines</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Due to the lengthiness, Dinos will be
completed with the story of theropods and birds in the next two articles of ‘Et Tunc
Nulla Erat IX and X’.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hoping Every One had a Fun Holiday Season, in Spite of Trump!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oct 2017-Jan
2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-16930371164229651632017-09-25T04:05:00.002-04:002017-10-13T14:31:18.572-04:00Et Tunc Nulla Erat VII<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "algerian"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Et tunc nulla erat VII</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">(And Once There Was)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Road to Pterosaurs</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Today, the long line of archosauromorphs
has only two living representatives in crocodilian and bird species; all the
rest are extinct. Diapsid archosaurs, as discussed in ‘<i>Et Tunc Nulla Erat V</i>’ and in a mainline evolving into the
crocodilian groups in ‘<i>Et Tunc Nulla Erat
VI</i>’, were also further evolving into other more familiar family groups...the
pterosaurs, dinosaurs and birds. This was due to ambient environmental
isolation and natural selection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Archosauriformes were becoming isolated
due to the breakup of Pangea causing genetic drift giving natural selection dominance
to those species that were evolving an advantage to survive. At the end of the
Permian and the beginning of the Mesozoic Era in the early Triassic Period, the
Permian mass extinction laid the groundworks for newer evolved species to cope
with changed ambient environments, filling the niches of older reptiles that
couldn’t and therefore became extinct.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a result of what all was going on
with Earth, the Archosauria order split into two main lines. One was the <i>Pseudosuchia</i> (Phonetics:
Sue-doe-soo-chia) clade that lead to the crocodilian line and its sister taxon clade,
<i>Avemetatarsalia</i> (Phonetics:
Ave-met-ah-tar-sal-e-ah) that eventually lead to pterosaurs, dinosaurs and
birds. Avemetatarsalians are archosaurs that were more related to birds than to
crocodiles and alligators. The name itself refers to ‘bird metatarsals’.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwBubOtXLfhcHHEgmEJuCIsa3xnsFVP7t-pPJHlmxIOMwHxWPvsvZxOJDfFgykho-m7fb4FBSIxsABMJMFqK-vFA3Fd0FBpYkE2KWht8Ptuw8Wo2yXRAnbbOshKsJh6iffZLOQzN0Nw7k/s1600/1-ptero+archosauria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="717" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwBubOtXLfhcHHEgmEJuCIsa3xnsFVP7t-pPJHlmxIOMwHxWPvsvZxOJDfFgykho-m7fb4FBSIxsABMJMFqK-vFA3Fd0FBpYkE2KWht8Ptuw8Wo2yXRAnbbOshKsJh6iffZLOQzN0Nw7k/s320/1-ptero+archosauria.jpg" width="309" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The archosaur pseudosuchian and
avemetatarsalian taxa ancestry most likely arose from very distant cousins, the
long necked protorosaurians of the Permian. As you read reptile evolution
books, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protorosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Pro-toe-row-sar-ee-ah) is synonymous to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Prolacertiformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Prolacertilia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The archosauromorph protorosaurs arose
in the Late Permian becoming extinct during the beginnings of the Late Triassic
252 mya. Formed by elongated cervical vertebrae, they had rather long necks.
The 2m/6.6ft long, <i>Protorosaurus speneri</i>
(Phonetics: Pro-toe-row-sore-us spin-er-e), was terrestrial, fast and quick
chasing after its most likely meals in insects. It may have also been
omnivorous or even herbivorous as the coniferous plant in the genus, <i>Ullmannia</i> have been found in fossilized
protorosaurus stomach contents and coprolites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another long necked protorosaurian was, <i>Langobardisaurus</i>, (Phonetics:
Lan-go-bard-ee-sar-us). Living during the Late Triassic, 228-201 mya, this
protorosaurus at 50cm/20in also had a long neck with even a longer tail to
counterbalance. With the long tail, <i>Langobardisaurus</i>
could rear up on its hind legs. It also had hollow limb bones, large orbits
that supported excellent diurnal vision and with most fossils found along
marine shorelines, most likely dieted on small crustaceans and small scaly fish
as its dentition formula was used for grinding. It also took in an insect diet.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr45ZDEaOisRb0V2FSU2cNsQ_BGntdU6Goqb8cmYbjnGiPJtm0MDfLTQJM_ZgWqznPZA0vCOSXYrcZNEFz_q3qxZ5KMyBICibNwukdK6CV7jxT4vi0L8ukMY3Yi5OL2ojtbPTt6qG4Z6YX/s1600/1-ptero+Langobardisaurus_pandolfii.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr45ZDEaOisRb0V2FSU2cNsQ_BGntdU6Goqb8cmYbjnGiPJtm0MDfLTQJM_ZgWqznPZA0vCOSXYrcZNEFz_q3qxZ5KMyBICibNwukdK6CV7jxT4vi0L8ukMY3Yi5OL2ojtbPTt6qG4Z6YX/s320/1-ptero+Langobardisaurus_pandolfii.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Langobardisaurus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">From the archosauromorph line many
clades arose with one leading to, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocopoda</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Croc-o-poe-duh). </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocopoda</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
is a new listing set up by paleontologist, Martín D. Ezcurra in 2016. With a
newly constructed data matrix, Ezcurra discovered that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Aenigmastropheus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: In-nig-mas-tro-phee-us) was indeed an
archosauromorph, but was a sister taxon to archosauriforms, therefore were not
in the direct line of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archosauriformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
To distinguish this, he enlisted all </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archosauriformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
archosaurimorphs under the clade, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocopoda</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The archosaurian clade line eventually
led to <i>Archosauria</i> producing the
crocodilian line, <i>Pseudosuchia</i> and
its sister taxon, <i>Avemetatarsalia</i>,
the bird line, which includes pterosaurs and dinosaurs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Archosaurians are the crown group of
true archosaurs. Crown groups as defined only include descendants of the last
common ancestor of its living representatives. Showing up in the Permian some
250 mya, <i>Archosaurus rossicus</i> and <i>Protorosaurus speneri</i> were
archosauriforms, although <i>P. speneri</i>
only had some archosauriform traits in being an archosauromorph. If its line
continued, it was trending towards an archosauriform nature. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Distinguishing characteristics of
archosaurs trending towards avemetatarsalians were thecodont or socketed teeth,
antorbital and mandibular fenestrae, which are openings in front of the eyes
and in the lower jaw (mandible) and development of a fourth trochanter. Trochanters
are bony protuberances by which muscles are attached to the upper part of the
thigh bone. This gave archosaurs much stronger hind leg muscles heeding a more
erect gait.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Avemetatarsalians first appear in the
end of the Early Triassic around 249 mya. This is the same time wooded trees
make a full recovery from the Permian/Triassic extinction. With the appearance
of Avemetatarsalia, the earliest bird line group appears. The central
biomechanical theme of this avemetatarsalian evolution is the functional
decoupling of forelimb and hind limb function for bipedalism or powered flight.
The ankle joint runs between the proximal and distal tarsals. This functional
decoupling enabled the four limbs to evolve into different forms.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ypSrG3O00Dvf7bxZQxo85Br-JHIJoyxZnk6mRLZFvE8mSfSdWhQyTgcR8uTR7bq8NWr3rJn_AhKeDeVRphbBzLetl6gXWD8KYWXn7W-Yi7CL8u0Rx5PbfEXjs-U7siqHCw7V8TVQQawO/s1600/1-ptero+ornithodira.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="854" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ypSrG3O00Dvf7bxZQxo85Br-JHIJoyxZnk6mRLZFvE8mSfSdWhQyTgcR8uTR7bq8NWr3rJn_AhKeDeVRphbBzLetl6gXWD8KYWXn7W-Yi7CL8u0Rx5PbfEXjs-U7siqHCw7V8TVQQawO/s320/1-ptero+ornithodira.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In further evolvement, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Avemetatarsalia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> divided into two main subgroups;
that being the sister taxa, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithodira</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Or-neeth-o-deer-ah) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Aphanosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Ah-fan-o-sar-ee-ah). Aphanosaurs were four genus groups that were
carnivorous, generally small with long necks while evolving and becoming
extinct all during the Triassic 247-242 mya. In being quadrupedal,
phylogenetically, aphanosaurs were the first and oldest yet known member of the
avemetatarsalian clade.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqwxeN1qTEsaKpPpBJqj85Moxe3nyh-dR4dQE56KPIp5ia3i-E_BWjkNYrx_uojvDEVnSaWoFCE5pKary-qQXtcD5a02MqebuEKyEvgM6aOFXC0AdZ30cuamkzckN1pbKkDcPycyDPOPjP/s1600/1-ptero+ornithodiran+ankle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="700" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqwxeN1qTEsaKpPpBJqj85Moxe3nyh-dR4dQE56KPIp5ia3i-E_BWjkNYrx_uojvDEVnSaWoFCE5pKary-qQXtcD5a02MqebuEKyEvgM6aOFXC0AdZ30cuamkzckN1pbKkDcPycyDPOPjP/s320/1-ptero+ornithodiran+ankle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: David E. Fastovsky, David B. Weishampel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Where crurotarsan ankles had to
accommodate differing types of angled movement, in eliminating the constant
acute angle changes the ornithodiran mesotarsal ankle was evolutionary. Its </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">axial-</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">ankle transmitted the same single plane leg bone movements to the foot bones.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Scleromochlus
taylori</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Sclair-o-mo-klus tay-lori), at 180mm/7.1in was a small Late
Triassic (228-235 mya) avemetatarsalian. <i>Scleromochlus</i>,
meaning, ‘hard fulcrum’ in Greek may be the basal ancestor to pterosaurs. It
had classic slender bird-like characters of a tibia that was longer than the femur
and an appressed group of four elongate metatarsals. It also appears that most
basal pterosaurs shared the same hind limb morphology as <i>Scleromochlus</i>. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although some paleontologists claim <i>Scleromochlus</i> was on its way to the
pterosaur line as a basal ornithodiran, it wasn’t quite an ornithodiran (my
opinion) due to possessing a more primitive ankle structure and short neck. The
term, <i>Ornithodira</i> actually means
‘bird neck’. Leg section ratios of <i>S.
taylori</i> show that the cursorial (running) bipedal animal had a definitive
tendency towards saltatorial (hopping) locomotion as it preyed on insects. It
quite possibly scavenged carcasses as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYtj2gi9Ff884VJIutsEUzqOdE0Mxk9lm2FUBcxT1gkDQEkuWKiKhPP8aGfrNtfrNccj3ryaOz5zI9Cwhnw66YIRpC3m18R6U-XwnPiCJ89Zrguf42T0drOsdrdlNSMuJQ2mIc28XC1Ee/s1600/1-ptero+Scleromochlus+taylori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="1600" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYtj2gi9Ff884VJIutsEUzqOdE0Mxk9lm2FUBcxT1gkDQEkuWKiKhPP8aGfrNtfrNccj3ryaOz5zI9Cwhnw66YIRpC3m18R6U-XwnPiCJ89Zrguf42T0drOsdrdlNSMuJQ2mIc28XC1Ee/s320/1-ptero+Scleromochlus+taylori.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pterosaurs as mentioned above are
distantly related to protorosaurs. With longer hind limbs, protorosaurs had set
the stage for bipedal locomotion with hollowed out bone limbs. Saltorial
locomotion, or bipedal hopping as done by <i>S</i></span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">cleromochlus
</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">could’ve given rise to pterosaur anatomical bipedal locomotion as
pterosaurs had plantigrade hind limbs; an adaptation for saltitation. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Scleromochlus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> meaning ‘hard fulcrum’ in
Greek, may be a basal ancestor to pterosaurs.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGfpefvQaeyiifFXlLWnRxxtf_mDbwEbEW6cVRrsfd-y-z1zwUaGVqsttGANpUFSuUskSCxmv5QLcOu6iOwwCxu2LGBvILZyKsN8adzBpLAeiovWUq1Oj5LHWq7RlcWlCG3Jg4d0uFrHZ/s1600/1-ptero+Scleromochlus+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="891" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGfpefvQaeyiifFXlLWnRxxtf_mDbwEbEW6cVRrsfd-y-z1zwUaGVqsttGANpUFSuUskSCxmv5QLcOu6iOwwCxu2LGBvILZyKsN8adzBpLAeiovWUq1Oj5LHWq7RlcWlCG3Jg4d0uFrHZ/s320/1-ptero+Scleromochlus+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton <i>Scleromochlus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As a stem group, ornithodirans,
sometimes called, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pan-Aves</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> due to phylogenetic
relationships to birds, gave rise to two sister taxa, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dinosauromorpha</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pterosauromorpha</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
Ornithodirans were the last common ancestors to pterosaurs and dinosaurs. Of
course as nomenclated, dinosauromorphs gave rise to dinosaurs, while
pterosauromorphs gave rise to the pterosaur line. In total, there are at least
13 characters uniting pterosaurs that aren’t found in combination or at all in
dinosaurs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">To be clear pterosauromorphs and
dinosauromorphs arose from ornithodirans, but from there, they evolved in
separate ways. Both groups do share ornithodiran characteristics, but in total,
there are at least thirteen characters that unite the pterosaurs that are not
found in combination or at all in dinosaurs. In moving off into their own
evolutionary histories, pterosaurs are not dinosaurs just as humans are not
spider monkeys, even though we share a common ancestor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In osteological (bone) features, in
particular for the skull, ornithodirans experienced a rapid rise in postcranial
skeletal pneumaticity (PSP). Skeletal pneumatization is the presence of air
sacs within the skeleton. This is particularly evident in PSP ornithodiran
derived fenestrae fossils, which is the modification of the postcranial
skeleton by pneumatic diverticula of the respiratory system. It is widespread
in saurischian dinosaurs including birds, non-avian theropods, sauropods and it
is also present in pterosaurs. As well, throughout the phylogeny and anatomy of
ornithodirans, pneumatic diverticula were widespread. Pneumatic trends gave
rise to a lighter skeletal structure enhancing pterosaur flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pterosaur
Traits</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unfortunately, there has yet been a
basal ornithodiran fossil find that led to pterosaurs. But as the search
continues, one day it will be found. This leads us to <i>Pterosauromorpha</i> (Phonetics: Tear-o-soar-o-mor-fah). This is an
imposed superorder basal clade that led to and includes all the pterosaurs. As
yet to be discovered, there are no primitive pterosauromorph proper fossil
finds that led from transitional to anatomically factual pterosaurs. This is
due in part that pterosaurs and most likely their ancestry osteology had bones
that were at times paper thin and did not fossilize well during the Triassic
Period. Also, many of the basal pterosaurs and their earlier relatives lived in
regions of an environment that were not prone to preserving and fossilization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With that said, however, there has been
a recent discovery of a little creature nomenclated as, <i>Faxinalipterus</i> <i>minima</i>
(Phonetics: Fax-in-al-ip-teh-rus min-ee-muh). It lived around 217.5 mya and was
tiny at having no more than a 25cm/10in wingspan. Debate is still out on
whether it was a most basal pterosaur, or the ancestral reptile that led to
pterosaurs. Regardless, of whichever direction the debate concludes, it is tied
into pterosaur lineage and the fact that it lived in </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">inland </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">forests, pterosaurs
did not derive from coastal seashores </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">as once thought</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNxUej8rxY_FTZZybVsc9m73eoy_BL9uce3QxpqBLE98ZGBOHkqSGCuPX-xLMjGOHKRYe7FXcVjld6Mwpswo6j1gDV_ZsH6Y6-VaAxF-kXuMtCatiQF8vg1TleF4LinN3A31GFj_0-Q7i/s1600/1-ptero+faxinalipterus_vitor-silva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="1600" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNxUej8rxY_FTZZybVsc9m73eoy_BL9uce3QxpqBLE98ZGBOHkqSGCuPX-xLMjGOHKRYe7FXcVjld6Mwpswo6j1gDV_ZsH6Y6-VaAxF-kXuMtCatiQF8vg1TleF4LinN3A31GFj_0-Q7i/s320/1-ptero+faxinalipterus_vitor-silva.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Vitor Silva <i>Faxinalipterus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Under </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pterosauromorpha</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, there are two suborders that represent an
evolutionary grade time wise and anatomically; they are: </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rhamphorhynchoidea</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Ram-for-reen-coi-dee-ah) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pterodactyloidea</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Tear-o-dac-till-oid-e-ah). Rhamphorhynchoids, supporting seven families, were
the earliest and most primitive of pterosaurs in possessing long tails, shorter
wingspans, short metacarpals and had teeth. Pterodactyloids generally were more
evolved with shorter tails, much longer
wingspans, long metacarpals, while possessing in the later forms, toothless
beaks and the absence of full bodied pycnofibers. The earliest pterodactyloid
discovered so far with a wingspan of 1.4m/4.5ft was, </span><em style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background: white; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Kryptodrakon
progenitor</span></em><em style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background: white; font-style: normal; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">. Krypto is
Latin meaning ‘hidden’ while also in Latin, drakon is for ‘dragon’. </span><span style="background: white; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Kryptodragon</span></em><em style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background: white; font-style: normal; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"> occurred 162.7 mya being a basal most
pterodactyloid.</span></em></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNMiFguigHw64hH_bWJK_8CUPp1V1JRlO63k6Gizls7TkMNgQ3v5ZwKkCsOjFSGVJB0WFQ97YFQGd5l8D8sbiTpYud4EOOMUt5vc_AkzGXCshlxkXEvavxLRuTyZKtRhKa7bPyWgB0Ur_/s1600/1-ptero+kryptodrakon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNMiFguigHw64hH_bWJK_8CUPp1V1JRlO63k6Gizls7TkMNgQ3v5ZwKkCsOjFSGVJB0WFQ97YFQGd5l8D8sbiTpYud4EOOMUt5vc_AkzGXCshlxkXEvavxLRuTyZKtRhKa7bPyWgB0Ur_/s320/1-ptero+kryptodrakon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Román García Mora <i>Kryptodrakon</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 115%;">For a while, there was no in between
representatives in the fossil record that bridged</span><span style="background: white; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">rhamphorhynchoid</span><em><span style="background: white; font-style: normal; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">s</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> and p</span></span></em><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">terodactyloids, but due to
recent finds that has changed. While rhamphorhynchoid antorbital fenestrae and
the nasal openings remained separate, pterodactyloids had them transposed
together, collectively known as the nasoantorbital fenestra.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anurognathidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Phonetics:
An-u-roe-nath-eh-dee) was a family of small pterosaurs that was a sister taxon
to pterodactyloids. Although a sister to pterodactyloids, anurognathids still possessed enough of rhamphorhynchoid morphologies, such as separate
antiorbital fenestrae and nasal cavities, short metacarpals and necks to be
excluded from within the pterodactyloid group. There were four anurognathid
genera.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUrIhMZeYA_BUvIZNasi7W5fBnc-myF__yhh4RCDHdVgPL1ZGkzVpYVW5jncC_wjz5zOwbnggt8-zEt1h_snGRchLohW1yPq37jyWoP31FoIb-EqnItFcRb2p32QlL_sj9A-sNVW_zUGv/s1600/1-ptero+Allkauren-koi+Gabriel+L%25C3%25ADo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="995" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUrIhMZeYA_BUvIZNasi7W5fBnc-myF__yhh4RCDHdVgPL1ZGkzVpYVW5jncC_wjz5zOwbnggt8-zEt1h_snGRchLohW1yPq37jyWoP31FoIb-EqnItFcRb2p32QlL_sj9A-sNVW_zUGv/s320/1-ptero+Allkauren-koi+Gabriel+L%25C3%25ADo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Gabriel Lío <i>Allkauren</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Most recent fossil finds of a well
preserved new pterosaur braincase called, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Allkaruen
koi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: All-kah-rue-in koi), along with the newer family wukongopterid
finds still possessed rhamphorhynchoid primitive traits. But these are considered as
transitional pterodactyloids in having a nasoantorbital fenestra.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the above pterosaur</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">s possession of
both rhamphorhynchoid and pterodactyloid traits, demonstrates a classic example
of ‘modular evolution’, where different body parts do not appear in systematic
succession; they appeared in integral stages over time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At the time pterosaurs, the first true vertebrate
to conquer powered flight, were evolving, the super continent Pangaea during the
Mesozoic Era was still in the process of breaking up, isolating pterosaur
species from their basal ancestry. With new ambient environments coming into
play through geological and climatic processes, as with the earlier archosaurs
mentioned above, natural selection began developing earlier pterosaur species into
newer ones with advantageous traits to fit niches vacated by older extinct
forms. As a result, by the early Cretaceous, pterosaur species were represented
worldwide in all types of environments.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-Gm6RtcCdShX0bPbvUh419dAKN_GUQ5zdnhmco-uKIHrwduDir_vFHEmKnZ2-cqnrqSN4o4bPLJHpy-7JmvMo6RsOksnDeuTfNUMrURaSU1TMpZ4fbiU5Yu0BdAecj3vDwJ-rVHQlaSP/s1600/1-ptero+ornithocheirus+BBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="738" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-Gm6RtcCdShX0bPbvUh419dAKN_GUQ5zdnhmco-uKIHrwduDir_vFHEmKnZ2-cqnrqSN4o4bPLJHpy-7JmvMo6RsOksnDeuTfNUMrURaSU1TMpZ4fbiU5Yu0BdAecj3vDwJ-rVHQlaSP/s320/1-ptero+ornithocheirus+BBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: BBC <i>Ornithocheirus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Contrary to original beliefs, most
pterosaurs were terrestrial as opposed to being neritic (coastal) or littoral (shoreline).
However, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithocheirus simus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Or-nah-thock-care-us see-mus) quite possibly was pelagic flying
across the Tethys Sea as its fossil remains have been found in strata from what
is now Europe and South America.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhoboem979ZYaIUgZLOZg9nztKjor89knvjOdg2aOtJ5D5DB0s8M4cRSCnYgRJDwbfKQ8yAMoX-qRXRefAaMhoSgMYhyphenhyphenCRww1ecUBWcZkWCUhyphenhyphenoexPvkx-AX74aLzwyZsy9SNPzUzhd67N/s1600/1-ptero+Pterodaustro+head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="744" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhoboem979ZYaIUgZLOZg9nztKjor89knvjOdg2aOtJ5D5DB0s8M4cRSCnYgRJDwbfKQ8yAMoX-qRXRefAaMhoSgMYhyphenhyphenCRww1ecUBWcZkWCUhyphenhyphenoexPvkx-AX74aLzwyZsy9SNPzUzhd67N/s320/1-ptero+Pterodaustro+head.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Valter Fogato <i>Pterodaustro</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Another misconception is that pterosaurs
skimmed surface waters for fish. This is highly unlikely, where most likely,
they picked fish off from the surface with their mouth. Even their hind claws,
unlike talons of raptors were not adept in capturing and seizing prey from
water surfaces. But in the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pterodaustro</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
it strained food from waters with a combed mouth similar to baleen whale straining.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfUZt5wkTS7zPoEeb_NXwgv0jiEohVdj2Hbc883Q4njWDAGBunEY25knUOzxm77mPmPDIHA8oKxvjg4Y-0Kvh1IOpOgseEpiIX5os9bQeOMgaAxeDwIYDm_OCrl7zWnWb0qRWeKzklFaw/s1600/1-ptero+skeletons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="955" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfUZt5wkTS7zPoEeb_NXwgv0jiEohVdj2Hbc883Q4njWDAGBunEY25knUOzxm77mPmPDIHA8oKxvjg4Y-0Kvh1IOpOgseEpiIX5os9bQeOMgaAxeDwIYDm_OCrl7zWnWb0qRWeKzklFaw/s320/1-ptero+skeletons.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Various skeletal anatomies <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Most de facto pterosaur species had
elongated fenestrae skulls in contrast to a shorter vertebral column. All
pterosaurs had beaks made of keratin. In most toothed species, the beak at the
tip of the jaws (maxilla) was restricted from teeth, where the teeth were more set
in the jaw bones (premaxilla) toward the aft middle and back of the mouth. Keratinous
beak tissue has been preserved in fossil finds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Some pterosaurs experienced indeterminate growth as displayed in their skeletal structures, meaning they continued growing throughout their lives, where a few were determinate where growth stopped once into adulthood as pteranodon complete bone fusion has been recorded in finds.</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHnb2lqhj_huN17ydlqun2d3G_6Wak29eOKrEIyIFO3A-Dzog3_DdWSlVN90QFhTJCw4xoqf5Jlhf2b21sdiPW-hnTlUp5v4xQQ9XV6CN4czOzWsATkeqUr2fH_y86AUdlZTwx8x2APaB/s1600/1-ptero+dimorphodon-walking.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="450" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHnb2lqhj_huN17ydlqun2d3G_6Wak29eOKrEIyIFO3A-Dzog3_DdWSlVN90QFhTJCw4xoqf5Jlhf2b21sdiPW-hnTlUp5v4xQQ9XV6CN4czOzWsATkeqUr2fH_y86AUdlZTwx8x2APaB/s320/1-ptero+dimorphodon-walking.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dimorphodon</i> walking</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignV9obHJqY14dRsMsXiMKIbgHdpQh1nq8t6JC_f1aN1IRVbuRUqFQPKri6dhoNsmUFob7CNrIbkFEAKMgmr3XvTnzwsjIvGtBWK62c210l9QFBA4tsHNM6FBQNwmIXZPN4J2-2DwaUcmz/s1600/1-ptero+Pterosaur-tracks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="500" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignV9obHJqY14dRsMsXiMKIbgHdpQh1nq8t6JC_f1aN1IRVbuRUqFQPKri6dhoNsmUFob7CNrIbkFEAKMgmr3XvTnzwsjIvGtBWK62c210l9QFBA4tsHNM6FBQNwmIXZPN4J2-2DwaUcmz/s200/1-ptero+Pterosaur-tracks.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pterosaur tracks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All pterosaurs were quadrupedal walking
on all fours and judging from preserved pterosaur footprint impressions, were
quite efficient in their gait regardless of the limbs supporting winged
membranes. Center of gravity though, was placed high giving an erect gait. So,
a bipedal gait would’ve been more efficient in faster locomotion. Putting the
long wing finger up and to the sides in keeping the wing out of the way,
pterosaurs were plantigrade walking on the whole foot. This has been confirmed
from pterosaur fossilized footprint impressions. Latter scavenging pterosaurs
relied on terrestrial locomotion to locate food as much as by flying.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQLve4Immwx76-8nfN467phYrj2mzqBH1_EUGIvC3JmJ4X5JZ4gMTBf9aTHNXW_Buu27Gc3IYEuzE1TUdEcC7sY9cULt60X4B4b_vNbR_WLNUKUz-EVvL6Kz46RBtK_dqysgE8uSXoIxS/s1600/1-ptero+thalassodromeus+sethi+spinosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="442" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQLve4Immwx76-8nfN467phYrj2mzqBH1_EUGIvC3JmJ4X5JZ4gMTBf9aTHNXW_Buu27Gc3IYEuzE1TUdEcC7sY9cULt60X4B4b_vNbR_WLNUKUz-EVvL6Kz46RBtK_dqysgE8uSXoIxS/s320/1-ptero+thalassodromeus+sethi+spinosaurus.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius Csotonyi Pterosaur running </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In considering pterosaur bony crests, it
was originally thought of as rare, but discoveries in the rhamphorynchoids, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pterorynchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Tear-o-reen-cus) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Austriadactylus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Aus-tree-o-dac-till-us) proves that crests evolved much earlier
than once believed in the more primitive pterosaurs. Some of the more evolved, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pteranodon</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Tear-an-o-don) specimens
supported crests while tapejarid species supported huge crests in relation to
head size. Pterosaurs even supported a keratinous crest with no underlying bone.
Keritin crests suggest they had color. Crests most likely were for mating
purposes in warding off other males and attracting females; the bigger the
crest...the better.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6gTWfjGS7pIvvAZdB0Jn22UAPc3vZZ7ybbITasf5gGAwUMdfvHeX8EhTh7BkXA0ST5_SkH4zwd-jbKoQs2IKfYcSaDwnWIZKJfG-klomnUduwacOS_AGR8bX9FOMM2qB44vHc124mnoX/s1600/1-ptero+sordes+MW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="728" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6gTWfjGS7pIvvAZdB0Jn22UAPc3vZZ7ybbITasf5gGAwUMdfvHeX8EhTh7BkXA0ST5_SkH4zwd-jbKoQs2IKfYcSaDwnWIZKJfG-klomnUduwacOS_AGR8bX9FOMM2qB44vHc124mnoX/s320/1-ptero+sordes+MW.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton <i>Sordes</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Some pterosaurs, especially the more
primitive ones possessed pycnofibers, which were not hair or fur, but flexible hair-like
filaments that were not attached as deep set like hair or fur follicles underneath
the skin. </span></span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sordes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, (Phonetics:
(Sor-dess) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jehholopterus </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">(Phonetics:
Jay-hole-opt-er-us) were two rhamphorhynchoids that indeed were fully covered
from head to toe in pycnofibers. These two pterosaur fossils, among other finds,
were found with pycnofiber pelts surrounding the body.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Other pterosaur species had longer
pycnofibers on the back of the neck and throat than on other parts of the body,
while some only had the neck covered. Pycnofibers as insulation allude to an endothermic
(warm blooded) existence in pterosaurs. Most all other pterosaurs had actinofibrils
internally throughout the wing membranes. These, as they first were, are not to
be confused with pycnofibers. The actinofibril function was to strengthen the
wings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wings folded down in to the sides then
up from the enlarged digit when not in flight. The size of pterosaurs is
normally measured by wingspan and not by body length. The reason being is that
pterosaur wingspans were increasingly trending to be much larger than the body.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUdaYhekgPGbQZH3gYdWowmISBiDDHuSYcWALgLVLeK7KIPQUTTTzf1YTE3rzQQUUYq4bqbd-g_v40T_tPW9fRPX0GSpp26Zhjz0ZKrZg8YvDYUYd5WjHxRmpMdVO-E7QxvhAgRHbUAbR/s1600/1-ptero+Nemicolopterus+crypticus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="461" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUdaYhekgPGbQZH3gYdWowmISBiDDHuSYcWALgLVLeK7KIPQUTTTzf1YTE3rzQQUUYq4bqbd-g_v40T_tPW9fRPX0GSpp26Zhjz0ZKrZg8YvDYUYd5WjHxRmpMdVO-E7QxvhAgRHbUAbR/s200/1-ptero+Nemicolopterus+crypticus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Nemicolopterus</i> skeletal size</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9re26IHMfbZ0-3vSo3xkfBicgxbglVnBbbHWMnS261HQEblXNcc_D9R2V7S-eiBrQ8VP7C-ggoh45KaAh6-9x51zrOxD2c-rIwHtcX-vsLxhmrg67jtevzasG60vrQ4UbiJFm7pN9zZV/s1600/1-ptero+nemicolopteruschuangzhao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="500" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9re26IHMfbZ0-3vSo3xkfBicgxbglVnBbbHWMnS261HQEblXNcc_D9R2V7S-eiBrQ8VP7C-ggoh45KaAh6-9x51zrOxD2c-rIwHtcX-vsLxhmrg67jtevzasG60vrQ4UbiJFm7pN9zZV/s200/1-ptero+nemicolopteruschuangzhao.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Lewis Smith <i>N. crypticus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Pterosaur statures ranged from sparrow
size to a Cessna AA airplane. At 25cm/10in, the smallest pterosaur was <i>Nemicolopterus crypticus</i> (Phonetics:
Knee-me-koh-lop-ter-us crip-tuh-cuss) living 120 mya in forested habitat as the
limb digits were adapted for grabbing branches in an arboreal lifestyle. The
longest pterosaur wingspan is not the more known, <i>Quetzalcoatlus</i> <i>northropi</i>
(Phonetics: </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Kwet-zal-co-at-las
nor-throe-pee), but, <i>Hatzegopteryx
thambema</i> (Phonetics: Hat-zuh-gop-ter-ex tham-buh-mah) which had a wingspan
of up to 12m/39ft. The fossil skull alone measures 3m/9.9ft;</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrzwLmf7BABf_wskMqFwJOjXZjwrhT9S70TeRsDDdO6265sQT7vZIhTkuqyYmnLRlTTJ96NHWK3lwjhxczgrODA7QJbcO0noi7OXMVtvGk-qJySFaT9P_Ew4-fyJ6qSQHxpBoeca6N9j-/s1600/1-ptero+hatzegopteryx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrzwLmf7BABf_wskMqFwJOjXZjwrhT9S70TeRsDDdO6265sQT7vZIhTkuqyYmnLRlTTJ96NHWK3lwjhxczgrODA7QJbcO0noi7OXMVtvGk-qJySFaT9P_Ew4-fyJ6qSQHxpBoeca6N9j-/s320/1-ptero+hatzegopteryx.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Thomas Koivurinne Quetzlcoatlus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In speaking of shape, one pterosaur, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pangupterus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> at 0.7m/2.3ft and with a
long very slim beak looked like a hummingbird on steroids with teeth.</span></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZn1sTgLHGfOojP3mgRLSPmOKomzW9RT0-7fRLdVSfqoyt_qjUJorLr_mnT-RoDeLb8SIFZPCc77WttK0YQzy0GFe34LbDMJT5XHx9rs_WYIUd6XdTYWA8TrP1X2hGgwta1SyKBerSScYe/s1600/1-ptero+pangupterus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1600" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZn1sTgLHGfOojP3mgRLSPmOKomzW9RT0-7fRLdVSfqoyt_qjUJorLr_mnT-RoDeLb8SIFZPCc77WttK0YQzy0GFe34LbDMJT5XHx9rs_WYIUd6XdTYWA8TrP1X2hGgwta1SyKBerSScYe/s320/1-ptero+pangupterus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist Joschua Knüppe <i> Pangupterus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2igizEKnI_JrDPfmjUSCt_56ufjqrpbnYNDddYOcbq4ZaFg4QI1MeY5j5dIXrfjkJJs98gWbcRTF4a9dokFRpQiPVyK4ykEJloHLU-XmearOSCcy5NRoAHMjGmPn7n_Nwf8igHbChWEm/s1600/1-ptero+sternum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="650" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2igizEKnI_JrDPfmjUSCt_56ufjqrpbnYNDddYOcbq4ZaFg4QI1MeY5j5dIXrfjkJJs98gWbcRTF4a9dokFRpQiPVyK4ykEJloHLU-XmearOSCcy5NRoAHMjGmPn7n_Nwf8igHbChWEm/s200/1-ptero+sternum.jpg" width="159" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Like all modern day flying birds,
pterosaurs had a keeled sternum. Earlier pterosaurs had tails for
counterbalance, while later species lost the tail due to other characteristics,
like longer wings that made them more maneuverable during flight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_wTOcmDap5oYTHTlssmfgS9B_d_6j3A7sp7nkE4Y1Iz-rhmUyPP3YsuDbaxaDAfZOKEwikfUU5vdnMe_Aef-CPUjj2t6CgJ9UpRM3s9D-ybpulyWbSKPHs5ssK6QSsEs4vjZns4AD_84/s1600/1-ptero+wing1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="850" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_wTOcmDap5oYTHTlssmfgS9B_d_6j3A7sp7nkE4Y1Iz-rhmUyPP3YsuDbaxaDAfZOKEwikfUU5vdnMe_Aef-CPUjj2t6CgJ9UpRM3s9D-ybpulyWbSKPHs5ssK6QSsEs4vjZns4AD_84/s320/1-ptero+wing1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One secret to pterosaur flight (and it
is now understood that all pterosaurs could fly) was in the musculature of the
arms. The front limbs were much stronger than their hind limbs. This is not to
say their hind limbs weren’t adequate though, for all limbs were used for
thrust as well in takeoff. The wings as verified through biochemical analysis
were attached to all four limbs, for if the hind limbs did not support the
membraned wing spread, the loading would cause the pteroid to fail.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrguvZhP9s2T7bHWhyphenhyphenZ1MWLlvN7g2s7HHR_xgl3wbKPKNaqCoQAWuxJvfdo2St3BBCbpEomSkgHqYFmvjz4ZHCnDEYu5s7tkqz2QuElB9wkY1EM4ln6Qao8GhWp8dxcqzGNXW1s0RA4qV/s1600/1-ptero+wings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrguvZhP9s2T7bHWhyphenhyphenZ1MWLlvN7g2s7HHR_xgl3wbKPKNaqCoQAWuxJvfdo2St3BBCbpEomSkgHqYFmvjz4ZHCnDEYu5s7tkqz2QuElB9wkY1EM4ln6Qao8GhWp8dxcqzGNXW1s0RA4qV/s320/1-ptero+wings.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Evidence of a lung-air sac system
allowed precise controlled skeletal breathing with pump supports as a
flow-through pulmonary ventilation system. This is analogous to that of birds.
This relatively high efficiency of flow-through ventilation was one of the key
developments in pterosaur evolution providing a respiratory and metabolic
potential for active flapping flight and pterosaur colonization of the Late
Triassic skies all the way to the end of the Creataceous.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Indeed, even the largest of pterosaurs
flew. In earlier observations of the larger pterosaurs, scientists could not
configure how a 10.7m/35ft plus animal could take off. This was proposing a
conundrum of epic proportions. How could a large pterosaur, such as the azhdarchids take off? If they couldn’t
fly, then why were their wings still evolving into much larger spans if they
couldn’t be used for flight?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We’ve learned a lot since first studying
pterosaur flight and it primarily has to do with power magnification. This is a
trait in animal systems allowing a production of much higher power outputs than
normal for short periods of time. From extant animals, we now know there is a predictable
trend in anaerobic fiber composition as body size increases in flying animals. Today’s
smaller animals that fly via continuous flapping carry more aerobic muscle than
anaerobic muscle. So we know that small pterosaurs munching insects on the wing
would probably carry mostly aerobic muscle having to continuously be flapping and
maneuvering through environments full of obstacles such as trees.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii05xbr3GW34EXEm73DrCVdurdzynU8rbxGBT1Loxi7j-VobDDisY0oCMB08rY2QskRPMUiTas0JYNVwOOrApKaHpwfIrXTSZzLZhXF19i4bN2DEWlInNrGY2NXAWVXIb-bkh07CwvbFmy/s1600/1-Ptero+FlightAdaptations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1600" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii05xbr3GW34EXEm73DrCVdurdzynU8rbxGBT1Loxi7j-VobDDisY0oCMB08rY2QskRPMUiTas0JYNVwOOrApKaHpwfIrXTSZzLZhXF19i4bN2DEWlInNrGY2NXAWVXIb-bkh07CwvbFmy/s320/1-Ptero+FlightAdaptations.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Extant soaring animals, such as birds
only flap for short bursts relying more on thermal air currents to stay afloat
in the skies. Soaring forms of today, like the albatross, pack their muscles
more with anaerobic fiber tissue creating a far greater output of energy for
short bursts. In analyzing bird flights, where aerobic capacity tops out around
175 Watts/kg of muscle, fast twitch anaerobic fibers in birds put out 390
Watts/kg.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxehVVJ-PExhiw6LoIiZIm75JfY-zdWVNuC0xH-9zsIagqxrqyx1GXRtTHG9fRhvSOnaPVkTElE3u6Dl1qrYKyFDLi42TVnb1pq_FnV2thdi_1CtpJtEEgRLHQjwt_YaeYP4X2gqtTlJl/s1600/1-ptero+Tupuxuara+Julia+Molna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="700" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxehVVJ-PExhiw6LoIiZIm75JfY-zdWVNuC0xH-9zsIagqxrqyx1GXRtTHG9fRhvSOnaPVkTElE3u6Dl1qrYKyFDLi42TVnb1pq_FnV2thdi_1CtpJtEEgRLHQjwt_YaeYP4X2gqtTlJl/s320/1-ptero+Tupuxuara+Julia+Molna.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julia Molna Pterosaur terrestrial vaulting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Larger pterosaurs were mainly quad
launchers in takeoffs in having all four feet planted on the surface. In
takeoffs, would push and lift the hind limbs, then with the larger forelimbs used
the anaerobic muscle tissue to gain an instant thrust in catapulting themselves
from the ground or launching themselves from a water surface. Once in the air,
a few flaps of the wing and they began riding the air currents in soaring
fashion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbO2LOHG38CrmEsvbe3UNAtJKVaHmImKkf-VJaJAKdq3hI8ZVNt5p-pgm-HCgO4beP8d9o7Ols3ZEoCamHbNVAnVNlZc4taA2rrPzC0Af-cEqm_EQ1CZld1nYjgismeIFZrRdCBcly48U/s1600/1-ptero+Launching+Ornithocheirus+Witton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="924" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbO2LOHG38CrmEsvbe3UNAtJKVaHmImKkf-VJaJAKdq3hI8ZVNt5p-pgm-HCgO4beP8d9o7Ols3ZEoCamHbNVAnVNlZc4taA2rrPzC0Af-cEqm_EQ1CZld1nYjgismeIFZrRdCBcly48U/s320/1-ptero+Launching+Ornithocheirus+Witton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton Pterosaur aquatic launching</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2oMaE4bvuRyb-RF3YeSOKgJjh3__mv3LN1cEmq1CqvA-ov4mmWGENj6ApJ9VS6NR66jRghFFLP2F3TOSw2O5SQBeU2SRQIsiBY_3xpd17rPb3iZ_YEnWxAoI2kjfgr1BLLZnHRFrQMG8B/s1600/1-pterosaur+arm+musculature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1262" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2oMaE4bvuRyb-RF3YeSOKgJjh3__mv3LN1cEmq1CqvA-ov4mmWGENj6ApJ9VS6NR66jRghFFLP2F3TOSw2O5SQBeU2SRQIsiBY_3xpd17rPb3iZ_YEnWxAoI2kjfgr1BLLZnHRFrQMG8B/s200/1-pterosaur+arm+musculature.jpg" width="126" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forelimb musculature</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In that pterosaur forelimbs were not
uniaxial, the individual limb bones did not operate in a straight plane
vertically or horizontally. Pterosaurs possessed a patagium (wing membrane
attaching the forelimbs to the hind limbs), but did not have a uropatagium like
bats that connected the hind limbs to the tail. Instead, pterosaurs had a cruropatagium
on each side that connected the hind limbs leaving the tail free. In this
fashion, the hind limb cruropatagia (plural for cruropatagium) were decoupled
from the legs by being split in the middle giving the legs more freedom in
locomotive movement. In flight, even though the cruropatagia were shallow
membranes, the membranes provided lift during pterosaur flight. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyyotRfzG039SOByrO7wXFYW66JxxfaZzY-p7k5a3MD7tUMIVDQIJKlhV0ldjtYcV2ErGLpoLn-gI0ie707Bbbd6YfVDtyLGPJHHaN2Cyx_PjXEFWKq8cvU1VZEHvC_p4farq9bTue3Fl/s1600/1-ptero+egg+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="650" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyyotRfzG039SOByrO7wXFYW66JxxfaZzY-p7k5a3MD7tUMIVDQIJKlhV0ldjtYcV2ErGLpoLn-gI0ie707Bbbd6YfVDtyLGPJHHaN2Cyx_PjXEFWKq8cvU1VZEHvC_p4farq9bTue3Fl/s200/1-ptero+egg+fossil.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pterosaurs reproduced in the laying of soft,
permeable leathery eggs. Most of us feel that all pterosaurs nested on sea shoreline
ledges because that is what was originally interpreted and reported. Due to
some nicely preserved pterosaur eggs from China, it appears that burying their
eggs in sand were more pars for the course. The eggs of <i>Hamipterus tianhanensis</i> (Phonetics: Ha-mip-ter-us tee-un-han-in-sis)
were so well preserved that 3-D CAT scanning images were made of the contents which
gave an artist a perfect subject to illustrate. The egg finds also prove that
pterosaurs were social animals at least in nesting sites and rookeries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7636BMhxtCwM48KNWrLkK4wI9bd9p_pvsQB_EeNQeoDro5lcTKlV6WSMIrDQXJ6MeadGPKgehD9-FzTbEZ0ps_9t0LJ_20VPEbLpo6qDPstab8iFhjsW4miJBmob2QyYyTsyZCzIIqy7X/s1600/1-ptero+eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="1000" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7636BMhxtCwM48KNWrLkK4wI9bd9p_pvsQB_EeNQeoDro5lcTKlV6WSMIrDQXJ6MeadGPKgehD9-FzTbEZ0ps_9t0LJ_20VPEbLpo6qDPstab8iFhjsW4miJBmob2QyYyTsyZCzIIqy7X/s200/1-ptero+eggs.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Embryos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhg0UnEQzD2Ce9WFKzQk0S9sudv6CllWu3DbaEzvxKeo7sH2AoBMB3dVwWBPtgEq2HQVjQrjM2LMGVqO1Yk4ngQKisaMXPG1d7sprEmiiud0-LGq-5ABNJD7g6HSG8PUPvLqL60Yp4UXO/s1600/1-ptero+fossil-embryo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhg0UnEQzD2Ce9WFKzQk0S9sudv6CllWu3DbaEzvxKeo7sH2AoBMB3dVwWBPtgEq2HQVjQrjM2LMGVqO1Yk4ngQKisaMXPG1d7sprEmiiud0-LGq-5ABNJD7g6HSG8PUPvLqL60Yp4UXO/s200/1-ptero+fossil-embryo.jpg" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist's illustration</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Whether pterosaurs tended to their young as in some instances of fossil finds, adults were with juveniles suggesting so;
however the verdict is still out. From the egg finds, pterosaurs were pretty much
fully developed to fend for themselves upon hatching and didn’t need parental
care as is the case for other egg burying reptiles such as lizards and turtles.
However, flight studies of hatchling pterosaurs conclude the wings and forelimb
muscles were too weak for immediate flight, but could walk until the wings had
time to function in flight.</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-VHZwquU5hufDk6BI7Wtu0U7rJxDpzel9yfFRoI1j2kElrXM1Kf6a6WS4qpvCUdr37kKLsF0ssnmlINWI7WLK1ZdXttyrlqpw9yjYuhS-SxUJHxjCQP47gif2qfhbs08EFoEWnKenssc/s1600/1-ptero+Caiuajara+family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-VHZwquU5hufDk6BI7Wtu0U7rJxDpzel9yfFRoI1j2kElrXM1Kf6a6WS4qpvCUdr37kKLsF0ssnmlINWI7WLK1ZdXttyrlqpw9yjYuhS-SxUJHxjCQP47gif2qfhbs08EFoEWnKenssc/s320/1-ptero+Caiuajara+family.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Masato Hattori A <i>Caiuajara</i> family?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">In diet, pterosaurs ran the gambit in some being durophagovores, insectivores, piscivores, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, filter feeders, scavengers and possible frugivores.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0FqrAaN0JtllIqLOTg7rXjZ6CnGTFFRKq6lMPZTZOeFsW2J5n4uPlcmWB81hpPy_5sEno8GQ68QxvCjg0Q4Ytv2xm8jJNlYWqjqhlWRBAQhvuqZCJ_XJLGU_n0b4E5I53ITO4Q_l9_du/s1600/1-ptero+quetzalcoatlus+scvng1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0FqrAaN0JtllIqLOTg7rXjZ6CnGTFFRKq6lMPZTZOeFsW2J5n4uPlcmWB81hpPy_5sEno8GQ68QxvCjg0Q4Ytv2xm8jJNlYWqjqhlWRBAQhvuqZCJ_XJLGU_n0b4E5I53ITO4Q_l9_du/s320/1-ptero+quetzalcoatlus+scvng1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit:Atlantic Productions/ZOO EFX </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3huG42GmX24c5pOEixus9r_wccDALA5zF6bGGiv3fCEIJhU8G8v4C6jcB-qdYsuJee0z1rioEt_f_SU6h3BBd2M2OybunYlgAWNJRVY6r5h6v24aX4zZy1PxmZYZW3-RkytN6l9td_WQO/s1600/1-ptero+pterodaustro_andreas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="774" data-original-width="1032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3huG42GmX24c5pOEixus9r_wccDALA5zF6bGGiv3fCEIJhU8G8v4C6jcB-qdYsuJee0z1rioEt_f_SU6h3BBd2M2OybunYlgAWNJRVY6r5h6v24aX4zZy1PxmZYZW3-RkytN6l9td_WQO/s320/1-ptero+pterodaustro_andreas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Andreas Filter Feeders</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">There may have even been pterosaur cleaners acting on symbiotic mutualism in the relief of other cooperative vertebrates by feeding on ectoparasites and dead skin.</span><br />
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PCFoDnzM3ncfYLfJVK2LAYPi05o19qD5M5400xoSi-uil5t79c7a3LX1IXQvSnz1SDqrSRkypIyS3aPvI1d-4O2VpJa9Z2M6HtGArRyfx6B_7uLfBKxFP9gW6ECZLqEj99Skd1F-9jpn/s1600/1-ptero+azhdardoids-anatosuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1050" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PCFoDnzM3ncfYLfJVK2LAYPi05o19qD5M5400xoSi-uil5t79c7a3LX1IXQvSnz1SDqrSRkypIyS3aPvI1d-4O2VpJa9Z2M6HtGArRyfx6B_7uLfBKxFP9gW6ECZLqEj99Skd1F-9jpn/s320/1-ptero+azhdardoids-anatosuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton Azhdarchids feeding off <i>Kryptops</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">More and more in geographical ranges, we
are finding out that pterosaurs overlapped globally with fewer species being
endemic to simply one environment. Pterosaurs had spread the world over. Even
Greenland was inhabited by the pterosaur eudimorphodontid, </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Arcticodactylus</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. Of
course then, during the Late Triassic, Greenland as conjoined between North
America and Europe, annualized average temperatures were more humid than cold
at 26</span></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">°</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">
C/79</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">°</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> F.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVK5wUcK6nRb6RyKRWlwl-9IAZ-CawXx9cUIdE7qlvXnGAgd_Hotj11wXUzuS2ljsB7_IDc11McJYaNgExSfeZR9iUPj8GWq3vbz0hf-zJ04Q24p0Gq8issNioDY7LRCoXzlNICf4qCaN/s1600/1-ptero+articodctylus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1200" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVK5wUcK6nRb6RyKRWlwl-9IAZ-CawXx9cUIdE7qlvXnGAgd_Hotj11wXUzuS2ljsB7_IDc11McJYaNgExSfeZR9iUPj8GWq3vbz0hf-zJ04Q24p0Gq8issNioDY7LRCoXzlNICf4qCaN/s320/1-ptero+articodctylus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Joschua <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.8px;">Knüppe</span> <i>Arcticodactylus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Before we go to pterosaur species I’d
like to note that, David Peters, an acclaimed paleontological illustrator and expert
fossil osteologist, claims that pterosaurs were derived from basal
archosauromorphs through a clade he coined as, ‘fenestrasaur’ due to all in
sharing an antorbital fenestra. The majority of paleontologists rejects his
ideas and gives solid reasons as to why. But, Peters is worth the time at
giving a look at if at least in a skeptical mode. His website is the ‘The
Pterosaur Heresies’.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To further muddle pterosaur evolution,
if I may, I’d like to suggest, even interject a personal opinion concerning the
pterosaur wing. All vertebrates, except for the basal tetrapods and certain
modern amphibians have five digits. Even the two extant two-toed and three-toed
sloth species both have three functional digits with digits ‘I’ and ‘V’ reduced
to a singular metapodial. For the most part, from reptiles to mammals, extinct
or extant, all have five digits on their four limbs made-up each of four
phalanges (singular: phalanx). The one exception is pterosaurs possessing only four
digits on their winged forelimbs with the pinky finger, digit ‘V’ totally
removed. I dispute that; I contend that pterosaurs do indeed have five digits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Current consensus among paleontologists
is that pterosaurs lost their fifth digit which is recognized as the Roman
numeral, ‘V’ digit in illustrations and articles. ‘I’ is the pollex (thumb),
‘II’ is the pointing finger, ‘III’ is the middle finger, ‘IV’ is the ring
finger, while ‘V’ is the little finger (pinky). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Modern fossil scholars contend that the
greatly enlarged digit that supports the pterosaur wing is digit ‘IV’, the ring
finger. This makes sense, for most all reptiles, extant or extinct the ring
finger digit is the longest. Because the basal pterosaur fossil record is
sparse due to lightweight hollow bones not fossilizing well and no fossil finds
have been recorded yet that even shows at least a vestigial digit, there isn’t
even conjecture on what happened to the lost ‘V’ digit. For current thought,
this also makes sense, since the smallest finger would logically be the one to
atrophy into oblivion. However, I say
they have it all in reverse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Please study the illustration below of a
left wing of a pterosaur displayed from the ventral side. In the illustration,
pointed out by the orange arrow, ‘pt’ stands for the pteroid, a bone that is
unique only to pterosaurs. The pteroid supported the small wing membrane inside
the arm. As it stands, it is explained that the pteroid was connected to a
wrist bone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mLewCsLte11k7J8CS2MPhXKLiT1jwDjxgeCbC8wYyab5HUwx7uSEQTZwp0F_xKwfWBs2RCudylIuIPgHXnQi7d5LE1moqhD3ZGJxKES2JBwpa-J-FI11K-hRttxhv-R5wXEeoNj7pVZV/s1600/1-ptero+wing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="850" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mLewCsLte11k7J8CS2MPhXKLiT1jwDjxgeCbC8wYyab5HUwx7uSEQTZwp0F_xKwfWBs2RCudylIuIPgHXnQi7d5LE1moqhD3ZGJxKES2JBwpa-J-FI11K-hRttxhv-R5wXEeoNj7pVZV/s320/1-ptero+wing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Normally, evolution does not come up
with new bones, it takes an existing one and rearranges its structure to
accommodate a new function. An example of this is mammalian auditory ossicles
commonly known as the middle ear bones. These three bones known as the malleus,
incus and stapes (or the hammer, anvil and stirrup in common terms) evolved
from the jaw bones of synapsid reptiles. The proof is evidenced from
embryological <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">averment</span>, in that the mammalian ear bones originated from the
reptilian articular and quadrate jaw bones. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m contending that the pteroid is
actually the vestigial remnant of ‘I’, the thumb, which is attached to a
metacarpal (hand bone) supported by the trapezium (a wrist bone). The
elongation from the thumb, as digit ‘I’ is actually an extension of the claw/nail
forming from a vestigial thumb metacarpal stub that thickened into a
keratinized sheath. The thumbnail is the thickest of nails to begin with. The
pteroid on most pterosaur fossils is sword shaped, just like a claw grows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This leaves the pinky finger, ‘V’ as the
elongated digit supporting the whole of the wing. Through this contention,
pterosaurs still possessed five digits as their ancestry did before them; it
was just simply modified and rearranged for flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, since that’s out of the way, let’s
move onto some pterosaur representatives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pterosaur
Groupings:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In looking at the simple tree
illustrated below, we see the rhamphorhynchoids in blue at the base and higher
up in the tree limbs, later on the pterodactyloids in red evolve. The
illustration lists them as clades, but essentially <i>Dimorphodontidae</i>, <i>Anurognathidae</i>,
<i>Campylognathididae</i>, <i>Rhamphorhynchidae</i>, <i>Ornithocheiroidea</i>, <i>Ctenochasmatoidea</i>,
<i>Dsungaripteroidea</i> and <i>Azhdarchoidea</i> are pterosaur families.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrP1sRUNwx6lcHUnSEV6pVm2IrZ9MWbJEK2wFMV4UbGZ5HaLHdfEA5aI_WyD8ddL03Jiq34llZH7L4Sp1zkw-sRjrKyEEa3Dn6SkH5UJiVYCG3TyR_4uHLQLnvZfmQIDVNZU1BVxfZ51-/s1600/1-ptero+pterosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="528" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrP1sRUNwx6lcHUnSEV6pVm2IrZ9MWbJEK2wFMV4UbGZ5HaLHdfEA5aI_WyD8ddL03Jiq34llZH7L4Sp1zkw-sRjrKyEEa3Dn6SkH5UJiVYCG3TyR_4uHLQLnvZfmQIDVNZU1BVxfZ51-/s320/1-ptero+pterosaur.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Please note that there is a major shift
in the anatomy of pterosaurs as the pterodactyloids evolve from the rhamphorhynchoids.
For example the loss of teeth in all of the azhdarchoids (H) or the low crest
appearance in the dsungaripteroids (G). The proximity of the branches to each
other determines how closely related to each other they are based on their most
recent shared ancestor. For instance, the dsungaripteroids and azhdarchids
share an ancestor at the point marked [*] and these two share an ancestor with
the ctenoschmatids at point [+]. Similarly, all the three groups in the
ornithocheirids share a common ancestor, and within them, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Istiodactylus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithocheirus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
are closer to each other than to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pteranodon</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sixteen families that weren’t included
in the illustration are, <i>Eudimorphodontidae</i>,
<i>Austriadraconidae</i>, <i>Raeticodactylidae</i>, <i>Wukongopteridae</i>, <i>Gallodactylidae</i>,
<i>Germanodactylidae</i>, <i>Ornithocheiridae</i>, <i>Lonchodectidae</i>, <i>Chaoyangopteridae</i>,<i> Istiodactylidae</i>,<i> Anhangueridae</i>,<i> Thalassodromidae</i>,<i> Pteranodontidae</i>, <i>Tapejaridae</i>, <i>Boreopteridae</i>
and <i>Nyctosauridae</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rhamphorhynhcoids</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rhamphorhynchoidea</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is the more
primitive of the two suborders in <i>Pterosauria</i>.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eudimorphodontidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics :
U-dee-morf-o-don-tee-day ) ~ Occurred during the Late Triassic 228-201 mya; Arboreal
gliding reptiles are thought to be the ancestor; Thus far, are the earliest discovered
group of derived pterosaurs; Contains three genera having one species in each
genus, but the prevailing thought has reduced the genus, <i>Eudimorphodon</i> from originally three species down to one; Other eudimorphodontid
species of the genus, <i>Eudimorphodon</i>
have been reassigned; <i>E. cromptonellus</i> is now the genus, <i>Arcticodactylus</i> and <i>E. rosenfeldi</i>, is now, <i>Carniadactylus</i>; Another </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaJH1HqVmHvVu34JXJY2E9j0HU9kXhgyHUv7YxGbf7oArkGh-g1ZHEYk1tsIUoIambZ-je2bhxvUs41reXRz2oDgIJGdtXkgxObe7oEZUJf5yg4D07iOn5z2YF0_MP1LMxUNoMVgmE1GA/s1600/1-ptero+eudimorphodon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="630" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaJH1HqVmHvVu34JXJY2E9j0HU9kXhgyHUv7YxGbf7oArkGh-g1ZHEYk1tsIUoIambZ-je2bhxvUs41reXRz2oDgIJGdtXkgxObe7oEZUJf5yg4D07iOn5z2YF0_MP1LMxUNoMVgmE1GA/s200/1-ptero+eudimorphodon.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Fabio Pastori</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">eudimorphodontid species first listed
under </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eudimorphodon</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, is now
recognized as </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bergamodactylus wildi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
or as another species under </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carniadactylus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. Eudimorphodont refers to having two different
types of teeth; Are basal to more derived pterosaurs such as campylognathids;
these diminutive to small primitive pterosaurs were from .30m/1ft-1m/3.3ft; Had
short wings, ulnas and tibias; proximal limb segments, such as humerus, ulna,
femur and tibia were of nearly equal length; the jaws supported multiple cusped
teeth throughout the tooth row, while many also had fangs; Most likely dieted
on insects, small fish and certain plants as dentition supported chewing; This
group set the stage for many more pterosaur groups to come.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Austriadraconidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Aus-tree-ah-draw-con-e-day ) ~ Occurred 208 mya in Late Triassic; Is holotypic
containing only one genus and one species. Fossil find was over the region in
what is now, Austria; Closest relatives are eudimorphodontids with <i>Arcticodactylus</i> having a short coracoid
which is a paired bone making up a part of the shoulder assembly; Coronoid
process in mandible is low while the shoulder blade is 62% longer than the
coracoid; Wingspan is estimated at 70cm/27.6.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Raeticodactylidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Ree-tic-o-dac-till-e-day ) ~ Occurred 205 mya at the end of the Triassic; As
included in the superfamily, <i>Eudimorphodontoidea</i>
are very close in relations to eudimorphodons; Contains one species from two
different genera; <i>Raetidactylus</i> <i>filisurensi</i> and <i>Caviramus</i> <i>schesaplanensis</i>
are now considered sister-species with <i>Caviramus</i>
being a current accepted name; Wingspan for both species was 1.34m/4.4ft; Along
with <i>Austriadactylus</i>, were the only
Triassic pterosaurs to support a bony crest atop the head or snout; The upper
jaw tips (premaxillae) held fang-like teeth, while the rest of the upper jaws (maxillae) supported up to five cusped teeth; Keeled lower jaw; Being
rather small and with conical dentition, points to living in woodlands; Raeticodactylids
were most likely swift flying insectivores.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dimorphodontidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Dye-morph-o-dawn-tee-day) ~ Occurred in Early Jurassic 195-182 mya, but if <i>Peteinosaurus</i> <i>zambelli</i> is a dimorphodon, as Mark Witton confesses, would drop
dimorphodons back to 221 mya; Contains only two species thus far in, <i>D. macronyx</i> and <i>D. weintraubi</i>; Since no common ancestry to dimorphodontids as yet
haven’t been discovered, some paleontologists prefer replacing</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton 2 dimorphodontids chased by<i> Sarcosaurus</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Dimorphodontidae</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> with </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Dimorphodontia</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">; Wingspans from 24cm/19.5in to </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">1.5m/4.9ft; </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
name implies two different teeth sizes; The upper and lower jaws contained 4-5
fang-like teeth at the tip, followed by numerous smaller ones; With short
wingspans in proportion to body size and a small skull casing, dimorphodontids
show primitive pterosaur characteristics; However, they were the largest
pterosaurs that weren’t pterodactyls; Diet most likely varied as it was an
inland as well as coastal animal with dentition and a weak musculature snapping
jaw geared to biting into smaller animals such as lizards, sphenodonts and
mammals of the day; Also, with fossils found near seashores, was most likely a
supplemental piscivore.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Campylognathididae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Cam-pah-log-nath-id-eh-day) ~ Ocurred during the Early Jurassic 182 mya; Contains
two genera with one species in, <i>Campylognathoides</i>
and three in, <i>Eudimorphodon</i>; Wingspan
ranges were from 1m/3.3ft to 1.8m/6ft; Were small coastal and inland
pterosaurs; The caudal vertebra of the tail were lashed firm by tendons and
most likely fitted the tail as a steering rudder during flight; With the long
beak ending in a curving upward snout tip, long slender nares (nostrils) were
present on each side; Strong musculature forelimbs prove this pterosaur was a
strong flyer capable of a fast aerial lifestyle; Teeth were short and not
laniary (adapted for tearing) but were for biting and piercing. With many
fossils found in strata laid down along shorelines, was capable of grabbing
fish on the surface via the mouth, but the dentition form was also ideal for
grabbing and holding onto small terrestrial animals as well. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rhamphorhynchidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Ram-for-rin-kee-eh-day) ~ The name is based on the group of Early Jurassic
rhamphorhynhcoid pterosaurs appearing 180-148.5 mya; Contains ten species with
eight listed below in the cladogram as two newer finds in <i>Qinglongopterus guoi</i> (Phonetics: Kwing-long-op-teh-ris gue-way) and
<i>Bellubrunnus rothgaengeri</i> (Phonetics:
Bel-lu-brun-nus roth-gan-jerr-ee) have just been nomenclated; Wingspans ranged
from 30cm/11.9in to 2.5m/8.2ft; The primitive long</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">tails were stiffened by
ligaments with most ending in the famous pterosaur diamond shaped vane; Jaws
housed forward angled needle-like teeth except for the tip of the curved sharp
beak that was toothless; Oceanic fish and cephalopods seem to have been the
major diet as these animals’ remains have been found in rhamphorhynchid fossils
where the gut would’ve been and in rhamphorhynchid coprolites; Fossilized
impressions of wing membranes have also been found in their fossil remains.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anurognathidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
An-u-roe-nath-eh-dee) ~ Species occurred in the Middle-Late Jurassic 164-145.5
(125) mya; Lived in what now is Europe, Asia and North America; A recent
discovery of genus, <i>Sinuiji</i>
(Phonetics: Sin-u-ah-gee) has been discovered in North Korea stretching the
anurognathid timeline down to the Early </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Franz Anthony <i>Sinuili</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cretaceous; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sinuiji</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> lived 125 mya; These primitive pterosaurs were diminutive
ranging in wingspan from 35cm/13.8in to 80cm/32in; Although listed as a
rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur, also possessed pterodactyloid characteristics such
as a short tail with fused zygapophyses (two paired processes of vertebra
interlocking with adjacent vertebra) and may later be introduced as a basal
pterodactyloid; There is a 60 million year gap concern in their ancestry line
as a rhamphorhynchoid; Contains three genera with a species each and three genera
with four species in the subgroup, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Batrachognathines</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">;
Had a much more rounded snout; Were very small woodland pterosaurs with large
eye sockets, so probably were nocturnal and crepuscular active in hunting
insects as dentition points to an insectivorous livelihood; Were mainly nocturnal
chasing after flying insects or digging for them in the bark of trees with
sharp long fore claws. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pterodactyloids</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pterodactyloidea</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is the more
derived of the two suborders in <i>Pterosauria</i>.</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Wukongopteridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Woo-kong-op-tur-eh-day) ~ Occurred in the Middle Jurassic/Late
Jurassic border 164-153mya; Contains five genera with seven species; Were basal
pterodactyloid pterosaurs possessing long vertebrae in the neck and a single
nasoantorbital fenestra in front of the eyes; Are currently not listed as a true
pterodactyloid, but as a transitional unranked form called monofenestrata; Wukonopterids
demonstrate the bridge between the more primitive rhamphorhynchoids and the
more derived pterodactyloids. Were small pterosaurs with wingspans ranging from
47.5cm/18in to 90cm/3ft; Possessed long tails with narrow wings and toothy jaws
extended throughout the jawlines; All possessed crests; Had longer tails per
body proportion than more derived pterodactyloids, which was enclosed by
rod-like bony extensions of the zygapophyses; Living in temperate Jurassic forests
of conifers, ginkgo and bennettites (extinct cycad trees), along with their
bauplan, most likely were insectivores with the abilities of maneuvering
through forests; Possessing sexual dimorphism, it appears that it was only the
males who supported crests as remains of crested wukongopterids had narrower
hips as opposed to remains in the same genus that didn’t have crests.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dsungaripteroidea</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">/<i>Dsungaripteridae</i> (Phonetics:
Sun-guh-rip-tur-oi-dee-ah/Sun-guh-rip-tur-eh-day) ~ Occurred 155-112 mya during
the Late Jurassic toward the ending of the Early Cretaceous; Contains
nine genera with a species in each genus; Ranged in wingspan from 1.5m/4.9ft to
4m/13ft; Had small eye sockets placed high up in the skull; Starting in front
of the nasal and ending behind the eye sockets, the snout had carried a high
ridge; A bony projection also rose from back of the skull as a second
crest; The limbs were well suited for terrestrial locomotion resisting
compression or buckling; Most peculiar trait was the maxilla (upper jaw) which reached
out and down then backwards giving an upwards curved snout; Snout tip was
toothless with teeth in the back of the jaw forming a wide oval basis making
them blunt; Teeth were only in the back of the jaws while in the upper back jaw,
teeth were larger than those in the lower; This mouth arrangement made it ideal
foraging for shellfish buried in mud; Acting much like a spade, the snout would
dig underneath mud exposing a shellfish that could be cracked or bisected open
by the blunt teeth exposing the soft bodied contents.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gallodactylidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Gal-lo-dac-till-ah-day) ~ Occurred in the Early Cretaceous 152-124.5 mya; Under
this family, there are currently two genera containing one species in each; Is
a sister taxon to ctenochasmatids; Were small pterosaurs with wingspans from
46cm/1.5ft to 135cm/4.5ft; Possessed parietal rounded crests on the rear
portion of skull and jaws, but not near the end of snout like most other
crested pterosaurs; Had a reduced nasal process placed on lateral side of
skull; No gallodactylid had more than fifty teeth, beginning the trend of pterodactyloids’
loss of teeth and eventually toothless in the most derived; Most soared above
the Jurassic shorelines and coast, much like sea gulls in search of fish on the
surface; Some species supported jaw flanges to get at crabs and shellfish. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ctenochasmatoidea</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">/<i>Ctenochasmatidae</i> (Phonetics:
Ten-o-cazz-mah-toy-dee-ah/Ten-o-cazz-mah-tee-day) ~ Occurred 152-102 mya in the
Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous; Along with the gallodactylids and
germanodactylids, the ctenochasmatids are all members of a group called the
archaeopterodactloids, which are the more basal pterodactyloids; Contains five
genera with a species in each except for <i>Ctenochasma</i>
in having three species; Also contains two subfamilies; Wingspan range of family
members were 50-60cm/20-24in to 2.5m/8.2ft; Most had straight jaws filled with
needle form teeth; Teeth most likely formed spatula-like jaw profile extensions
allowing for a larger surface area in catching prey; This, while also having
wing proportions to modern shorebirds, possessing large hind webbed feet and
long torsos alludes to the fact that their environmental niche was aquatic or
at least semi aquatic shore animals; Ostensibly had a generalized carnivorous
diet of fish, worms, frogs, salamanders or any other small shore animals they
could scare up; With webbed hind feet and long torsos, it is most likely ctenochasmatids
could swim.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Germanodactylidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Ger-man-o-dac-till-ah-day) ~ Occurred in the Late Jurassic 151-148.5 mya; Contains
two genera with a species representative in each genus; All species were small,
possessing wingspans of around 1-1.1m/3.3-3.6ft; A bony ridge atop the long
pointed beak supported a fleshy or soft keratinous tissue crest; The crest
structure was an early form of pterodactyloid crests; Most were piscivorous,
but the genus, <i>Tendaguripterus</i>
(Phonetics: Ten-da-gu-rip-tuh-rus), from recent studies of its dentition may
have preferred shellfish.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ornithocheiroidea/Ornithocheiridae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Or-nah-thock-care-oid-de-ah/Or-nah-thock-care-eh-day ) ~ Occurred throughout
the Cretaceous 145-66 mya; Contains four species proper with four more in the
subfamily, <i>Ornithocheirinae</i>; Were the
last of </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">pterosaurs to possess teeth at the ending of Cretaceous; Most,
except for </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Arthurdactylus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> were mid to
larger pterosaurs possessing relatively larger wings and long wing fingers; Wingspans
from 2.3m/7.5ft to 5.5m/18ft; Slippery food such as fish and squid made up the
diet of coastal soaring ornithocheirids, while some species, such as </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caulkicephalus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> has fossils in strata
that was forested suggesting a freshwater diet; Soared long distances.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lonchodectidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Lawn-ko-deck-tuh-day) ~ Occurred in the Cretaceous 135-94 mya. Some scientists
tend to ignore lonchodectids and assign them under other families; However,
they are distinct enough to be included into a family of their own. Having ctenochasmatoid
characterisitics, they also had limb proportions similar to azhdarchoids and ornithocheirid
phylogenies, but had specialized dentitions unique unto their own. All
lonchodectids, with one exception in <i>Prejanopterus</i>
(Phonetics: Pre-jan-op-tuh-rus), possessed fully toothed straight jaws
consisting of slender recurved conical teeth from the back to the tip of the
jaws. <i>Prejanopterus</i> had a slightly dorsal
curved jaw with twenty paired oval cross-sectioned teeth. The family contains six
genera with one species in five of the genera, while the genus, <i>Lonchodraco</i> has three species. The
genus, <i>Lonchodectes</i> contains five
other dubious species where the fossil remains are scrappy and not complete
enough to truly verify classification. When the mouth was shut, the teeth were loosely
locked in zipper fashion. The humerus was molded in a straight plane more so
than the contemporary pterosaurs. Most lonchodectids were terrestrial with a
generalist diet, while <i>Prejanopterus</i>
was more piscivorous.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Chaoyangopteridae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: (Phonetics:
Kay-ah-ee-yawng-o-tear-ah-day) Occurred in the mid portion of the Early
Cretaceous 125-120 mya; Contains five genera with one species in each genus; Although
it has currently been grouped with dsungaripterids
and thalassodromids under the clade, <i>Neoazhdarchia</i>,
in reference to a basal azhdarchian line, there has not been a true
understanding in its relationships to other pterosaur</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5-hPMWExp13KSIRO8e3sJw7i621IEiY7HvaqLCMWo6zu_7tb1nbyfqK3Kdm1DOMth7ITmvNiT2KYFWbSYxpkE1Myjtw8R8myGQSwX-hsMcTADRmXtZcR0ERyWs93jezrsJEPbr9OPgji/s1600/1-ptero+lacusovagus+magnificens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="736" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5-hPMWExp13KSIRO8e3sJw7i621IEiY7HvaqLCMWo6zu_7tb1nbyfqK3Kdm1DOMth7ITmvNiT2KYFWbSYxpkE1Myjtw8R8myGQSwX-hsMcTADRmXtZcR0ERyWs93jezrsJEPbr9OPgji/s320/1-ptero+lacusovagus+magnificens.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Ali Sadekoff <i>Lacusovagus magnificens</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">groups; Chaoyangopterids
had no crests; Was a smaller pterodactyloid with smaller necks and wingspans
ranging from 1.1m/3.6ft to 1.8m/6.1ft; If, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lacusovagus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: La-cu-so-va-gus) becomes an
accepted genus into the family, which it appears to be, its wingspan increases
the family’s to 4.1m/13ft; Chaoyangopterids are one of the first pterosaur
groups to be totally toothless; Diet hasn’t been fully determined, but is
suspected of being piscivorous.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Istiodactylidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Is-tee-o-dac-till-uh-day) ~ Occurred 125-120 mya in the Early Cretaceous; Contains
five genera with six species; There are four genera with five species while
with a fifth genus, <i>Archaeoistiodactylus</i>
(Phonetics: Ar-kee-o-is-tee-o-dak-tyl-us) as questionable due to the poor
fossilization posing difficult classification; Were medium sized pterosaurs
with wingspans from 2.9m/9ft-5m/16ft; Though slender, the jaws and beak were
rounded in duck fashion; Fossilized skeletal remains show this family of
pterosaurs to be carnivorous scavengers; Razor-edged laterally compressed teeth;
Teeth were fitted close together in front and were well suited for shearing
flesh; The genus, <i>Hongshanopterus</i>
(Phonetics: Hong-shan-op-teh-rus) was a basal istiodactylid having more teeth
than any other istiodactylid, but teeth were small and retreating; Most had
teeth only in the front portion of mouth; Their unusually broad muzzles allowed
for sizeable portions of meat to be procured with each bite; Which suggests istiodactylids
were the vultures of the Cretaceous, regularly feeding on large food items that
had to be reduced into smaller pieces before swallowing; Istiodactylid
retroarticular processes alludes to large jaw and throat muscles for tearing and
pulling carrion; The elongate and wide occipital face enlarges the potential
area for neck musculature anchorage which, like modern bird scavengers, </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5eV2T_-QRJPe0kDroTw-60UBfDdz0I4xfhtNFknqFCpywizJMo8tV7B2AgWKzQ9ykSMMgt7BYThi2QdcV5Cjd7dkQDopqFvyCTjX7FeeC4qxVgkeMDC-UE-DVptJQZDW3A8aUJy8oUh4/s1600/1-ptero+Istiodactylus+scavenging+stegosaurus+MW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1114" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5eV2T_-QRJPe0kDroTw-60UBfDdz0I4xfhtNFknqFCpywizJMo8tV7B2AgWKzQ9ykSMMgt7BYThi2QdcV5Cjd7dkQDopqFvyCTjX7FeeC4qxVgkeMDC-UE-DVptJQZDW3A8aUJy8oUh4/s200/1-ptero+Istiodactylus+scavenging+stegosaurus+MW.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">serves
to assist in pulling and rending morsels of food from carcasses; Istiodactylid
skull features were weak, such as the mandibular and rostra as compared to
other carnivorous pterosaurs and as such, weren’t equipped to hunt down and
tangle with prey; However, the skull was adept at controlling the forces
sustained throughout the head during feeding on carrion. A feeding strategy
comes from their short tooth rows, which indicates food was gripped in a proportionally
small region of their jaws; Finally, the smaller eye orbits compared to other
carnivore pterosaurs and strong arm musculature (evidenced by distally warped
deltopectoral crests and deep sterna that enlarge the area for downstroke
musculature attachment), show istiodactylids were well suited for soaring at
hours on end with eyesight for locating dead meals instead of hiding or
sprinting prey.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkj90x_skuVpawMK6EB2rmE1mwBO9aBXb5QPLkd2xx5MUtCevUudc7qh3QE2EEnmfW5QX7wfok3RsIkgF7dWb-B6FpIIUnRCTeHFzThWnsX09sc4B6xuVRDsAqMrvc6zpwPG8RMpV5G0UU/s1600/1-ptero+Tapejara_crests+NT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="800" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkj90x_skuVpawMK6EB2rmE1mwBO9aBXb5QPLkd2xx5MUtCevUudc7qh3QE2EEnmfW5QX7wfok3RsIkgF7dWb-B6FpIIUnRCTeHFzThWnsX09sc4B6xuVRDsAqMrvc6zpwPG8RMpV5G0UU/s320/1-ptero+Tapejara_crests+NT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tapejaridae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Phonetics:
Tape-jair-uh-day) ~ Occurred 125-85 mya in the Early-Late Cretaceous; Contains eight genera and eleven species; Tapejarids
are one of the closest relatives to azhdarchids; Were widespread with fossils found in Brazil,
Morroco, Hungary, Spain and China; </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wingspans ranged from 2m/6.6ft to 5m/16.4ft; Tapejarids
were wholly toothless;</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> The dentaries (lower jaw bones that
supported or</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMroz95zRJTkaIxYUH5wMhocx_BbBk-QCsIjXoKcAxoJaIHmZIouu6k8nobHKKtwx32wksWsiNYWVF4Fw4Y09GdzsLDvO3fgAvapeebAPmZ4ozj_rEZH1muO_Hed9J_QQyTpXfibmM6TZA/s1600/1-ptero+Huaxiapterus+Cheung+Chung+Tat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="700" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMroz95zRJTkaIxYUH5wMhocx_BbBk-QCsIjXoKcAxoJaIHmZIouu6k8nobHKKtwx32wksWsiNYWVF4Fw4Y09GdzsLDvO3fgAvapeebAPmZ4ozj_rEZH1muO_Hed9J_QQyTpXfibmM6TZA/s200/1-ptero+Huaxiapterus+Cheung+Chung+Tat.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist : Cheung Chung <i>Huaxiapterus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">could have held teeth) are anteriorly fused, forming a mandibular
symphysis that accounts for approximately 50% of total mandibular length; This contrasts
with the other known edentulous (toothless) pterosaur clades; Had elaborate
circular crests covering the entire top
of the head; Are thought to have been omnivorous or even frugivorous
manipulating the food item in its keratinous mouth and beak jaws to crack or
crunch open in attempts to get at the contents and juices; During tapejarids’
appearance, the Cretaceous at the time was becoming much warmer with shallow
seas </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpfqVP9Ow7W84vr3m5bv5JV_IJNC4LXhaxjJ08z4eloWrMFy3tMUN_isFeioIIALfSBkMUP-bZUR8aPxUPCA_l6rfwnQozmvdXU0ylmncGxSMCGTRQX6ijcrdmG-RfmnWgr0O8MummSph/s1600/1-ptero+Gueragama+sulamericana-caiuajara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1280" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpfqVP9Ow7W84vr3m5bv5JV_IJNC4LXhaxjJ08z4eloWrMFy3tMUN_isFeioIIALfSBkMUP-bZUR8aPxUPCA_l6rfwnQozmvdXU0ylmncGxSMCGTRQX6ijcrdmG-RfmnWgr0O8MummSph/s200/1-ptero+Gueragama+sulamericana-caiuajara.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julius Csotonyi <i>Caiuajara</i> with<br />
extinct iguanian Gueragama</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">opening up; This created isolated </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">desert </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">islands; Some islands had oases; Tapejarids
lived on these islands; One was Caiuajara; (Phonetics: Kay-u-har-ah); Tapejarids
were a pterosaur group that began displaying large crests; </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Many ideas have been put forth for large crest
functions</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, such as acting as sails for aerial
navigation, or species recognition; The best, I feel, was for thermoregulation;
In hotter biomes, the crests released heat from the body cooling the animal
down; Of course, the bigger the crest the male had, was in favor by the girls
as a better success rate for offspring survival in hot climes.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Boreopteridae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: (Phonetics:
Bor-op-ter-eh-day ) ~ Occurred 124.6-120 mya in the Early Cretaceous; This
family had has two genera with a species in each one. Another genus, <i>Zhenyuanopterus</i>, was initially
considered to be a third genus, but current consensus concludes it is an adult
form of the earlier genus find of <i>Boreopterus</i>,
which is a known juvenile; Remains of both are too similar; <i>Boreopterids</i> are close in relations to ornithocherids;
All of these pterosaurs had long thin wings; The heads supported long narrow
jaws full of thin conical interlocking teeth and a crest atop the head; The
teeth arrangements with the largest in front protruding outwards were
freshwater piscivores snatching the slippery prey from the surface or plunging
underwater to snare fish; Had the ability to swim, although they couldn’t
float; May also have been opportunist carnivores.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anhangueridae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Phonetics:
Ahn-han-gair-ee-day) ~ Occurred 120-94 mya during the middle of the Cretaceous;
Contains one genus with three species; Is a sister taxon to the ornithocheirid genus,
<i>Tropeognathus</i>; Wingspan up to
4.5m/14.8ft; Was a southern pterosaur with fossil finds in South America and
Australia; Contains one genus with three species; Possessed a rounded crest
from the tip of its snout ending on the lower jaw; Had a long slender snout
with sharp slender teeth pointing outwards in rosette fashion from tip of the
snout; Were one of the last pterosaurs to have a full set of teeth; Evidently
was a long distance pterosaur in soaring above waters subsisting perhaps
exclusively on fish.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Thalassodromidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Fah-lass-o-dro-meh-day)
~ Occurred in Early Cretaceous 108 mya; Currently is a small family
containing only two genera with four species; Thalassodromids are a sister
group to tapejarids and azhdarchids; With a common ancestor from the <i>Dsungaripteroidea</i> line; The name implies
‘sea runner’ for it was once thought
they were water skimmers; That misconception has been laid to rest, as
they exercised terrestrial predation; Thalassodromids had an expansive crest
supported by the frontals and parietals (skull bones) as it rises above the
orbit (eye socket) and supratemporal fenestra (upper temporal skull hole); Crests were thin serving mating purposes and recognition functions; Had a
shorter neck than other contemporary derived pterosaurs; Typical wingspans were
from 4.5m/14.8ft to 5.3m/17.4ft; As a strong and swift flier, thalassodromids
were predaceous on other smaller pterosaurs; On land and shorelines, with a
toothless beak, but a long pointed one, were able to pierce to death larger
animals.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Azhdarchoidea/</span>
</i><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Azhdarchidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Azzh-dark-oi-dee-ah/Azzh-dark-eh-day) ~ Occurred at the end of the Early
Cretaceous to the end of the Late Cretaceous 108-66 mya; With that, azhdarchids
were present on Earth longer than any other pterosaur group; Contains fourteen
genera with a species in each; Five possible new finds may add to the list;
Were the largest flying animal ever to soar Earth’s troposphere; Wingspans
ranged from 3m/9.9ft in, <i>Eurazhdarcho</i>
(Phonetics: Yur-azz-dar-coe) up to 12m/39.4ft in, <i>Hatzegopteryx</i> (Phonetics: Hat-zeh-gop-teh-rix); It’s been calculated
by paleontologist, Mark Witton and others that azhdarchids had an averaged
potential of anaerobic power magnification energy for short bursts before flight
muscles tired; This suggests that these animals could go from a standing start
to a few kilometers away in less than two minutes since calculations prove in
short bursts, azhdarchids could reach speeds of 173kph/107.5mph; Azhdarchids
have very peculiar biomechanics when it comes to neck vertebra; Applied
allometric calculations of azhdarchid neck lengths show that they are neck and
neck, so to speak with protorosaur, <i>Tanystropheus</i>
at ~ 3m/9.9ft for the longest animal neck; Azhdarchid necks however were very
limited in range mobility at the mid-series neck column, with most of the mobility
limited to <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">neck extremities</span>; With this in mind, may I suggest that azdarchids
held the neck in sinusoidal fashion a bit like in S-shape the greater blue
heron does today. These pterosaur giants indeed did eat any sized dinosaur they
could swallow.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDH74_X1YgGzo6A3pJbKXMUDkY5DOU-VApLATOVR_9OPwRXsyKvdcQsdRz7eLOTE2fmhSYB12mOfJq69aaamvzQJarrYzQ2CT7UL7zhyEmcx1NK_NhMU2RaL_hyWuzcTR3XDoLeKuUAe14/s1600/1-ptero+Pteranodon+skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDH74_X1YgGzo6A3pJbKXMUDkY5DOU-VApLATOVR_9OPwRXsyKvdcQsdRz7eLOTE2fmhSYB12mOfJq69aaamvzQJarrYzQ2CT7UL7zhyEmcx1NK_NhMU2RaL_hyWuzcTR3XDoLeKuUAe14/s320/1-ptero+Pteranodon+skeletal.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pteranodontidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Phonetics: Tuh-ran-o-dont-ah-day)
~ Occurred 88-66 mya during the Late Cretaceous; Contains a large number of
members even though it has been reduced; Reductions stem from the genus, <i>Dawndraco</i> proving to be a juvenile specimen of <i>Pteranodon longiceps</i> and removal of
genera into other families. The two current genera, <i>Pteranodon</i> and <i>Geosternbergia</i>
have eight species; Pteranodons are what most folk</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGxfZEPMtbme5_alJWVNWzkBUwt_0UC6IEsAI3A_3g8LbJ8s_aaiAsNXm0aXueBgYj8bwOqWxezAgCZUWRMhAgAwTGv2wnILs5cJRpg1ypVsLuuGxxWO7IA4IF9vuIhwmqruZpWQiv0ew/s1600/1-ptero+pteranodon+Crest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="1355" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGxfZEPMtbme5_alJWVNWzkBUwt_0UC6IEsAI3A_3g8LbJ8s_aaiAsNXm0aXueBgYj8bwOqWxezAgCZUWRMhAgAwTGv2wnILs5cJRpg1ypVsLuuGxxWO7IA4IF9vuIhwmqruZpWQiv0ew/s320/1-ptero+pteranodon+Crest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">envision pterosaurs to be as
they were one of the first pterosaurs found and their fossil discoveries are in
abundance; Possessed an upturned toothless beak; The upper jaw was longer than
the lower; The most distinctive characteristic of pteranodontids was the cranial
crest consisting of skull bones (frontals) projecting upward and backward from
the skull ending in a point; Pteranodons showed sexual dimorphism with average
male wingspans at 5.6m/18ft and females at 3.8m/12ft; Pteranodontids flew over the
seas much like an albatross in utilizing dynamic soaring as well as catching
uprising air currents </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">created in between waves;</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbF4FzsmQf1A52l7F1nYhzEL8Lac_jm2NHcx_cW9FEAwzSGEUAAdsFX7JPlMLp6ZwGtHoRPr79kzmmVGGMUaHjCE3se9jVzoX7oppt-PgDGTNP5c2LOl7s5z5lcSADWGnctyxFbi1462p/s1600/1-ptero+pteranodon+chord.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="700" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbF4FzsmQf1A52l7F1nYhzEL8Lac_jm2NHcx_cW9FEAwzSGEUAAdsFX7JPlMLp6ZwGtHoRPr79kzmmVGGMUaHjCE3se9jVzoX7oppt-PgDGTNP5c2LOl7s5z5lcSADWGnctyxFbi1462p/s200/1-ptero+pteranodon+chord.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Had a high aspect ratio (wingspan
to chord length) of 9:1 compared to the albatross of 8:1; Were most likely
fully piscivorous, but may have also included other aquatic invertebrates into
their diets. Many <i>Pteranodon</i> fossils show remains of fish in their guts; Fished
most likely from wading/swimming rather than flying over water’s surface and
plucking by mouth; Were adept at staying afloat and as built, could easily launch
from water to get airborne; Pteranodontids showed sexual dimorphism and differing
periods of growth rates, in particular in crest and beak sizes; The comparison
pteranodontid head chart, illustrates this.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nyctosauridae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Nick-toe-sore-uh-day) ~ Occurred 85-84.5 mya at the end of the Cretaceous; With
one genus there were four species; Fossil remains have only been found in
Kansas in the Niobrara Chalk Formation that was deposited 87-66 mya; Wingspans
ranged from 1.9m/6.2ft to 5m/16ft; The heads supported a long ‘L’ shaped crest;
Some paleontologists feel the crest supported flesh, but most feel now that it
was in life as it was preserved in fossilization; An unusual trait is that
there were no claws on the forelimbs suggesting more of a continual soaring
lifestyle; Practiced dynamic soaring, flying into a trough formed by two waves
then into the lee of a passing wave; </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Lees result in stronger air pressure as
waves progress; This pressure resulted in air moving faster over wings
increasing lift; In wheeling, turning around sharply</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> back towards
the trough, a back wind further increased speed; Most likely was wholly
piscivorous flying over the once then, Western Interior Seaway; <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Nyctosaurid fossils are only found in the
seaway’s formations</span>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There may have been a family or two of
pterosaurs I missed, if so, may ya be so ever kind as to forgive me, but
due to further research studies and new fossil findings, pterosaur phylogeny
and nomenclature are rapidly changing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pterosaur
Species</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaRJCGvmv-tzI1j-Wl6xEuqGf4S4rfVH87tM8F-mPNInSUlWb23KaQkvbKNdqcUS5CaUMPeajlOMNuna7gOBd1At-PghyzPAxEfkZ48I9FCHuQxqe5P6o2pGGUT4u-jVon4qdnC-b_nDF/s1600/1-ptero+eudimorphodon+credit+vaderxl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1440" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaRJCGvmv-tzI1j-Wl6xEuqGf4S4rfVH87tM8F-mPNInSUlWb23KaQkvbKNdqcUS5CaUMPeajlOMNuna7gOBd1At-PghyzPAxEfkZ48I9FCHuQxqe5P6o2pGGUT4u-jVon4qdnC-b_nDF/s320/1-ptero+eudimorphodon+credit+vaderxl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Vaderxl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Species: </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eudimorphodon ranzii</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics:
U-dee-morf-o-don = ran-zee-eye<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Eudimorphodontidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
1m/3.3ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet: Piscivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Late
Triassic 210-203 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Eudimorphodon</i> (true dimorphic tooth); The
species name, <i>ranzii</i>, honors, Professor
Silvio Ranzi; Fossil finds are from northern Italy; The name implies two
different dentition forms; All 110 teeth were small packed into 6cm/2.4in jaws,
but had larger fang-like teeth at tip of beak for snaring and a few larger
interspersed fangs; Mostly had much
smaller whale-like heterodont back teeth that were cusped; Skull was triangular
and long; The beak’s shape was birdlike; Bony tail ending in a vane was as long
as the body; With a large head, short neck and relatively short hand bones,
this basal pterosaur’s bauplan (body plan) most likely exhibited morphological
features similar to pterosaur immediate ancestry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Discovered as
fossil impressions, the diamond-shaped flap at the end of tail may have served
as a rudder for steering and balance during flight; Fossils of adults and
juveniles have been found; Three pairs of large fenestrae in the skull reduced
weight; Is listed as a freshwater piscivore due to some fossil finds having included
fish and fish parts such as scales in the gut area of the <i>Eudimorphodon</i> fossil; One <i>Eudimorphodon</i>
fossil showed remains of the fish, <i>Parapholidophorus</i> which was half the
size of the pterosaur itself; The front teeth were ideal for grabbing and
holding onto fish then crushing them with the back teeth; However with
different dentition, surely foraged for other smaller animals that frequented
shores, or even scavenged from larger carcasses just as shore birds do today; In capturing fish near surface, had to have
good eyesight to view just below water surface; Teeth from fossils also showed
a lot of wear suggesting a harder diet like shellfish; This pterosaur with
strong muscular arm muscles could easily propel from water into flight.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlRvv-XimNa5ql4-b39pbhUZJeP9wiF0dexXj58Mz0-tO7dUjCLB12SiQzLXernazP4d3ca71T1QxHocR2eKL-Q6SrnQFTQ60AvHR9DCE64X0H5NYMiGGitalRd4BpL8zsoWAMmnhyphenhyphenPdo/s1600/1-ptero+austriadracro1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="800" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlRvv-XimNa5ql4-b39pbhUZJeP9wiF0dexXj58Mz0-tO7dUjCLB12SiQzLXernazP4d3ca71T1QxHocR2eKL-Q6SrnQFTQ60AvHR9DCE64X0H5NYMiGGitalRd4BpL8zsoWAMmnhyphenhyphenPdo/s320/1-ptero+austriadracro1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Rae-elic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Austriadraco<b> </b>dallavecchiai</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics:
Auss-tree-ah = doll-la-vec-key-eye<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Austriadraconidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan: 70cm/27.6in<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Carnivorous/Insectivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Late
Triassic 208 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Austriadraco</i> (Austria dragon); Species
name honors paleontologist, Fabio Marco Dalla Vecchia; Fossil find is from
Austria’s Tyrol state on Reither Spitze Mountain 1600m/5,249.3ft up in
elevation; Exhibited autapomorphic traits (distinctive features found only in
one taxon) of bone branching; The frontal skull bone had a short branch; The
jugal skull bone (found in reptiles) had short branches leading to the maxilla
and nasal bone with a long narrow branch leading upwards toward the postorbital
bone; The shoulder blade was at 62%, much longer than the shoulder coracoids; <i>Austriadraco</i> is one of the very few
pterosaur finds from the country, Austria.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Is a small
basal pterosaur but was adept in swift maneuverability during flight; Dentition
suggests a carnivorous and/or insectivorous diet consisting of small vertebrates
and large insects; Was found in the stratigraphical Norian Seefeld Formation,
where once supported forests of conifer trees interspersed with cycads and
extinct lycophytes, which were similar to ferns; So this early period pterosaur
was wholly terrestrial.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2AJbue66wvvJcS8N6pMXfJieDvTYfxFBpGFjuCypRRsncwaF0o9XsbN_7BGgIAXueukMYXL0fgTxiKBBdgk2Dzy-33h12INIp84bhDKWXdasDM_PeVlmzZAXvoHZvctQn-9uGW8wbdwc/s1600/1-ptero+caviramus+andrey+atuchin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1338" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2AJbue66wvvJcS8N6pMXfJieDvTYfxFBpGFjuCypRRsncwaF0o9XsbN_7BGgIAXueukMYXL0fgTxiKBBdgk2Dzy-33h12INIp84bhDKWXdasDM_PeVlmzZAXvoHZvctQn-9uGW8wbdwc/s320/1-ptero+caviramus+andrey+atuchin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Andrey Atuchin </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Caviramus schesaplanensis</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics:
Kah-veer-ah-mus = she-saw-plah-nin-sis <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Raeticodactylidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
1.35m/4.4ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Piscivorous <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Late
Triassic 205 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Caviramus</i> (hollow branch); The species
name refers to Mount Schesaplana; Fossil finds are from Switzerland; One fossil
entailed the limbs, wing phalanges, a portion of the disarticulated skeleton
and head, while the other entailed the jaws and teeth; As a basal pterosaur,
possessed probably more derived autapomorphies than any other pterosaur; The
jaw was light and hollow; The humerus is thinner than that seen in other
Triassic pterosaurs; The unusual femur with a caput femoris (femur head) is perpendicular to
the shaft; Teeth of the premaxilla are monocuspid, large and fang-like
exhibiting strongly bowed enamel wrinkles on the lingual side, whereas the
enamel is smooth on the labial side; Numerous smaller teeth of the maxilla show
three, four and five cusps; Some scientists, in not yet recognizing the family,
<i>Raeticodactylidae</i>, still list, <i>C</i>. <i>schesaplanensis</i> under,
<i>Eudimorphodontidae</i>; However, with
unique differences it deserved its own family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Discovered in
marine sediment and along with dentition particulars most likely was
piscivorous flying over the waterways along shorelines and scooping up small
fish from the surface. Based on its long limbs, however it could’ve been a
terrestrial forager seeking out small animals and insects; The rear multi
cusped teeth were capable of mastification; Even though the jaws were hollow,
jaw musculature gave a strong bite and was capable of biting through
invertebrate exoskeletons or fish scales; Was one of the first pterosaurs to
support a keratinous crest that rose abruptly from the front of the snout well
above the head; Having the same fibrous textures as later crested pterosaurs
that had softer tissue coverings, <i>Caviramus</i>’
small crest may have been endowed with a flesh covering.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLAhoUu-IDGrChS15OXYLpI_FNWLd_R3QcPr5ajbYrZIGby4Lzz3gIH73rEttjpKCfnGqKtRFQhM9JgtHhD880CgfH2c1dvPmcltbo1-HJ1izYSfZ6jqyodbct2fQ_-lUnaYOJ4xEeAlk/s1600/1-ptero+dimorphodon_sascha_kozacenko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLAhoUu-IDGrChS15OXYLpI_FNWLd_R3QcPr5ajbYrZIGby4Lzz3gIH73rEttjpKCfnGqKtRFQhM9JgtHhD880CgfH2c1dvPmcltbo1-HJ1izYSfZ6jqyodbct2fQ_-lUnaYOJ4xEeAlk/s320/1-ptero+dimorphodon_sascha_kozacenko.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Sasha Kozacenko</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Dimorphodon macronyx</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics:
Dye-morph-o-dawn = muh-krah-nix<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Dimorphodontidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
1.5m/4.9ft <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet: Insectivorous/Carnivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Early
Jurassic 195-190 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Dimorphodon</i> (two form tooth); Species
name, <i>macronyx</i> stands for ‘big claw’;
Fossil remains are some of the best of early pterosaurs exhibiting three
dimensional qualities; In having light hollow bones, as in most pterosaur
fossils the heads are compressed with skeletal remains as disarticulated due to
strata stress movement over the eons; Were plesiomorphic as their evolutionary
trait or character state is homologous within their particular taxon, but is
not unique to pterosaur members and therefore cannot be used as a diagnostic
character for the group, such as in having wings or legs; In its flight finger,
the phalanx is only slightly longer than its lower arm; The teeth were larger
in the front and smaller in the back; Dentition stood erect toward each other
rather than flaring outwards; Consisting of thirty vertebrae, the tail was
long; The whole of the bulky head was bony; The large skull fenestrae, to
reduce weight, was separated from each other by thin bony partitions to add
strength; The neck was short, but with very strong musculature and flexible
vertebrae; Possessed large trenchant claws with powerful extensor muscles and
strong arm musculature; Every claw was equipped with a neighboring sesamoid (bony
nodule developed in a tendon where passing over an angular structure, typically
in the hands and feet, or a kneecap).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">:</span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Primarily known
from marine sediments living along shorelines and island environments of what
is now Europe, although it did not feed on marine animals; The other
dimorphodon, <i>D.</i></span> <i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">weintraubi</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> lived in less aquatic-based
environments, having been found with many types of terrestrial animals such as
sphenodonts and dinosaurs; The beak is often compared to puffins, but physical
build is the only sharing characteristic, as in function, <i>Dimorphodon</i> could not manipulate beak usage for diving into water while
capturing small fish or small crustaceans; Instead, the toothed beak was used
for capturing large insects and small vertebrates; This pterosaur’s beak was
bony where the puffin’s is mainly made up of soft tissue; <i>Dimorphodon</i> morphology and sturdy osteology steered away from
earlier pterosaurs sacrificing gracile flight and maneuverability for
terrestrial strength in walking on land.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWdo88eskhMykOMFHwgLhcrLxYyU8CLDgdWa9ibJ6JkN-FmPhEuLMvREaZpJb8H518B5t0_9dhfYvIr376IZ8l21-WeSxOJRMD7KMM2EJwAAD9XxBMJOgdL7EaU6nu7t6TnmBaV1YwHiC/s1600/1-ptero+campylognathoides+CM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="700" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWdo88eskhMykOMFHwgLhcrLxYyU8CLDgdWa9ibJ6JkN-FmPhEuLMvREaZpJb8H518B5t0_9dhfYvIr376IZ8l21-WeSxOJRMD7KMM2EJwAAD9XxBMJOgdL7EaU6nu7t6TnmBaV1YwHiC/s320/1-ptero+campylognathoides+CM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Chris Mannaghetti</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Campylognathoides zitteli</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Cam-py-log-nath-oy-des
= zit-tuh-lie <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Campylognathididae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
1.8m/6ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet: General
Carnivore<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Early
Jurassic 182 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Camplyognathoides</i> (curved jaw); Species
name refers to German paleontologist, Alfred von Zittel; Fossilized <i>C. zitteli </i>specimens, found in the Posidonia
Shale, a marine formation preserving a shallow sea environment in what is now
Germany; Although eudimorphodontids were more basal, <i>Campylognathoides</i> was a close relative with similarities in skull,
sternum and humerus forms; The skull was generally elongated, high and flat but
the snout it supported was short; The cranial extremity had a low and short
cristopina (sternum attached forward facing ridge) that perhaps supported a little crest just above the eyes; Large
orbitals (eye sockets) were set low in the skull; The teeth were conical and
recurved but had a broad base with the point beveled off from the inside
forming a sharp and strong cutting surface; Maxillaries (upper jaw bones) had
four widely spaced teeth, while in the premaxilla (upper jaw tip of snout
bones) gradually increased in size from front to back; Mandibles (lower jaw
bones) had 16-19 smaller teeth with a fourth pair at tip of snout being
largest; Had six short vertebrae in the tail base followed by elongate caudal
vertebrae situated behind the base that were stiffened by very long tendon
extensions; The pelvis was unique in that the hip socket forming an upward lateral
position, prevented the pterosaur from being able to orient its legs erect. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Although
fossil remains were found along a shoreline environment along with the
piscivorous rhamphorhynchid, <i>Dorygnathus</i>,
<i>C. zitteli</i> was more likely a generalist
feeder of small vertebrates, invertebrates and small fish; Its short snout
would not have afforded expertise in reliance on plucking fish out of water as
its sole diet; Teeth were excellent for piercing, biting and chewing; The large
orbitals supported eyes for excellent vision alluding to the fact that this
pterosaur was nocturnal; The relatively long stiffened tail and short hind
limbs would have accentuated major balance control during flights in
maneuvering quick turns; A specific species name can be used for any animal,
but a genus cannot; Originally named, <i>Campylognathus</i>,
it was later realized that name had earlier been used for an African hemipteran
insect, thus the reason for the current name, <i>Campylognathoides</i>.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpTmAys2qC0m6ngV9vbXNVO52RmWmzgYE1LpGLwt7_ZeAMxYDfjouZz9N25nE-eex44GZFtcGA5CkyhzyHaTc19k3beLCay6xuirtCKPlyqHR0dW_X8r8cjItnyUEooUqpDPtbo9yE6EV/s1600/1-ptero+Rhamphorhynchus+munsteri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpTmAys2qC0m6ngV9vbXNVO52RmWmzgYE1LpGLwt7_ZeAMxYDfjouZz9N25nE-eex44GZFtcGA5CkyhzyHaTc19k3beLCay6xuirtCKPlyqHR0dW_X8r8cjItnyUEooUqpDPtbo9yE6EV/s320/1-ptero+Rhamphorhynchus+munsteri.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Rhamphorhynchus</i> <i>muensteri<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Ram-foe-rink-us
= mu-in-stare-ee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Rhamphorhynchidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
1.8m/5.9ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Piscivorous/Insectivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Late
Jurassic 150.8-148.5 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Rhamphorhynchus</i> (beak snout); The species
name, <i>muensteri</i> named after fossil
collector, Georg Munster; Fossil remains have been found in England, Tanzania,
and Spain with the best preserved specimens coming from the Solnhofen limestone
of Bavaria, Germany; Fossil finds have not only produced complete skeletal remains,
but also wing impressions, other soft tissues, diets with gut contents, sexual
dimorphism and venation at end of tail; The vane was lancet shaped skin; CAT
scans of Rhamphorhynchus skulls have allowed for reconstruction of the inner
ear; Reveals that unlike other
pterosaurs,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<i>Rhamphorhynchus</i> typically flew with
its head horizontally level</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> as parallel</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> to ground; The skull lacked any crests;
The osseous labyrinth (bony part of internal ear) was filled with the fluid,
perilymph; As oriented relative to the long axis of the skull, position of the labyrinth
suggests a horizontal head posture; Enlarged semicircular canals of the skull
were concordant to the orbitals; This reflects a highly refined organ of
equilibrium, suggesting aerial predation as visually based; Enormous cerebellar
floccular lobes suggests neural integration of extensive sensory information
from the wing, further enhancing eye and neck based reflex mechanisms for
stabilizing gaze; Studies of the scleral rings around orbitals where the eye
was socketed, indicates a nocturnal lifestyle; Sharp conical teeth of
Rhamphorhynchus intermeshed outside the jawline when the jaw was closed; There
were no teeth at the tip of the beak.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZTQwnn7jpZ0ZiiqGUSqMaSH1UoX6fvziJx4wE5QoRKCC_wmKtedtKDSNbFSfivMdXKGQhViqe5UXAuy2phm6fp6MHrJHpnaHYpfmheyzsQdX_d1dz_1ZysEQ_oUyCerv6lfdwMS6Hvsq/s1600/1-ptero+Rhampho+vs.+Aspid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="640" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZTQwnn7jpZ0ZiiqGUSqMaSH1UoX6fvziJx4wE5QoRKCC_wmKtedtKDSNbFSfivMdXKGQhViqe5UXAuy2phm6fp6MHrJHpnaHYpfmheyzsQdX_d1dz_1ZysEQ_oUyCerv6lfdwMS6Hvsq/s320/1-ptero+Rhampho+vs.+Aspid.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rhamphorhynchus</i> vs. the fish, <i>Aspidorhynchus</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Fossil remains
of baby <i>R. muensteri</i> hatchlings had
wingspans of 30cm/11.8in; Fossils of juveniles indicate a much shorter snout
with developed large eyes; Finding 1-yr-old and 2-yr-old juvenile flapling
fossils, growth rates were determined to be 130% to 173%, a bit faster than the
extant American </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">alligator; </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rhamphorhynchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
fossils helped determine that this pterosaur wasn’t just an aerial predator,
but also waded near shorelines foraging for food; Having hatchet-shaped
deltopectoral crests, a short torso with short legs, shaped deltopectoral
(anterior shoulder bone) crests and a short torso with short legs are all
features associated with water based swimming and launching in pterosaurs; Teeth
arrangement is suggestive of a piscivorous diet, however they were also ideal
for capturing and holding onto smaller vertebrates such as amphibians; Smaller
juveniles most likely remained terrestrial feeding on insects and other
arthropods; Indeed, sometimes this pterosaur wound up as prey.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxjXH8ArpxWpt3NVSEwKsRz1vLok6ziUg5B6sGHaNlTeF28kv6PYxh2MmFBlVjfrI6Yl3mLDKqrcp4yo2I7Q4gcyzbCwkWaZnOWO1gfoeMWv78lo4N9KwRdL6VZ7HT61UUwyj8J6JaqGp/s1600/1-ptero+mesadactylus_josh-cotton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1121" data-original-width="1600" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxjXH8ArpxWpt3NVSEwKsRz1vLok6ziUg5B6sGHaNlTeF28kv6PYxh2MmFBlVjfrI6Yl3mLDKqrcp4yo2I7Q4gcyzbCwkWaZnOWO1gfoeMWv78lo4N9KwRdL6VZ7HT61UUwyj8J6JaqGp/s320/1-ptero+mesadactylus_josh-cotton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Josh Cotton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Mesadactylus ornithosphyos</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Me-sah-dak-tyl-us
= or-nuh-thus-fee-os <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Anurognathidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan: 70cm/28in
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet: Insectivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Late
Jurassic 152 mya <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Mesadactylus</i> (mesa finger); Species
name, <i>ornithosphyos</i> derived from Greek standing for, ‘bird lower
back’ in reference to the bird-like hip vertebrae; Found in the Upper Jurassic
Morrison Formation of Colorado; Taphonomy (process of fossilization) of <i>Mesadactylus</i> remains’ site is composed
of continental offshore coarse deposits rather than near shoreline sediments; However,
the body could have been washed out to sea; Pycnofibers covered the whole of
the body and head; CT-scans of cervical vertebrae reveal a complicated internal
pneumatic system that can be compared to the avian system; Dentition was
composed of rows of very small conical teeth; The skull had large orbitals with
rounded snout and rounded jaw bones forming a wide mouth with nostrils placed
at the front of snout; In the occipital region of the braincase, the occipital
condyle and foramen magnum were oriented ventrally as in pterodactyloids; The
parietal consisted of very thin bones that formed a short sagittal crest
anterior to the supraoccipital, the exoccipital, the opisthotic and the
basioccipital; The seven sacral vertebrae of the synsacrum (skeletal structure characteristic
to birds and dinosaurs, in which the sacrum is extended by incorporation of
additional fused or partially fused caudal or lumbar vertebrae) exhibited
complete fusion of the spinae into a supraneural blade much like birds; The
rest of the vertebrae were free; The tail was very short. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Akin to bats
in physical appearance and in nocturnal flight would be swift and acrobatic
much like a bat; Anurognathids were very small and delicate pterosaurs, <i>Mesadactylus</i> was no exception; Covered
with pycnofibers made it appear it had mammalian fur; This little creature was
a woodland pterosaur and hunted insects by night according to its dentition and
large eyes; To a degree, the eyes pointed forwards to suit more of a binocular
vision flying through forests of tree limbs; With its peculiarly large forelimb
claws, it may have also rooted out insects from underneath the bark of trees; <i>Mesadactylus</i> was the largest of
anurognathids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am partial to these little
anurognathids; they’re hands down my favorite petrosaur. So included below, are
some more drawings of these cute little batty petrosaurs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNncTAEHHd8lURfDNyv4yqk6gLaOinajop_0rMpS1XrXocu3RHOkDyjoULc7mvCjZuAAYOXy7kRJ1ZWCQFCqA-dhxUo01APq5H6WqlSfCSRNDldOwrZwaGy5IGRXA6vSChNIEveQL6JvXp/s1600/1-ptero+anurognathus+andrey+atuchin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNncTAEHHd8lURfDNyv4yqk6gLaOinajop_0rMpS1XrXocu3RHOkDyjoULc7mvCjZuAAYOXy7kRJ1ZWCQFCqA-dhxUo01APq5H6WqlSfCSRNDldOwrZwaGy5IGRXA6vSChNIEveQL6JvXp/s200/1-ptero+anurognathus+andrey+atuchin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Artist: Andrey Atuchin<br />
<i>Anurognathus ammoni</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikblshol7oT-bVCwaeK6BH32oNDQGs1J7LIw3B6vDnwROvHPcGHMPBbslolO4sfU3qUYPunRJrPL2WL36-0WxiYivcit1F7vyITQDxMpKec3-83Eze66OZKjJHKI59RH7hQ4unhPY2vUiE/s1600/1-ptero+batrachognathus_joschua-knuppe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="1600" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikblshol7oT-bVCwaeK6BH32oNDQGs1J7LIw3B6vDnwROvHPcGHMPBbslolO4sfU3qUYPunRJrPL2WL36-0WxiYivcit1F7vyITQDxMpKec3-83Eze66OZKjJHKI59RH7hQ4unhPY2vUiE/s200/1-ptero+batrachognathus_joschua-knuppe.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Artist: Joschua Knüppe<br />
<i>Batrachognathus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ET5ejpGyOBSJ0H6lENSRZtzemYlVvD2lPiZwLxM4Hkqtlp12dqrT770ummAA50G64Vvr-g8Lx17KPjYpzFQH5p9tE3KMD8zz8CBjV5ev-0ipFmy1e_Di2TrEGhUN0D9I7l4S-p0M_7zS/s1600/1-ptero+dendrorhynchoides+Matt+Martt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="800" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ET5ejpGyOBSJ0H6lENSRZtzemYlVvD2lPiZwLxM4Hkqtlp12dqrT770ummAA50G64Vvr-g8Lx17KPjYpzFQH5p9tE3KMD8zz8CBjV5ev-0ipFmy1e_Di2TrEGhUN0D9I7l4S-p0M_7zS/s200/1-ptero+dendrorhynchoides+Matt+Martt.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Artist: Matt Mart<br />
<i>Dendrorhynchoides</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZC_nQ7OSm27Pw83vyRcJ-yqIHDOjuyrBBYSskV98rZENH3lT6XRfIZlbz82EIYeWI59oklojzEWYci1dBrdbzZadSA4DGlxasL0Vlz_rYFplLAXjJbCtWc32gXzX9WCde3BtOW1pQdkqD/s1600/1-ptero+Jeholopterus1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="1380" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZC_nQ7OSm27Pw83vyRcJ-yqIHDOjuyrBBYSskV98rZENH3lT6XRfIZlbz82EIYeWI59oklojzEWYci1dBrdbzZadSA4DGlxasL0Vlz_rYFplLAXjJbCtWc32gXzX9WCde3BtOW1pQdkqD/s200/1-ptero+Jeholopterus1.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Credit: Xiaolin Wang<br />
<i>Jeholopterus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQJoFA5SOiJDiLjshJnRFrxnFiv58sL4XCX4PRYr0lOYNsYhhr4-0xAjYI-lbeW9VVkaH3n1Wj67QrYtxRTtBEIGQ5tQdVBFqtygiqtg45XBq34nI3KhUtAlM9hswUD6RElfVivKywmcq/s1600/1-ptero+cuspicephalus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="1072" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQJoFA5SOiJDiLjshJnRFrxnFiv58sL4XCX4PRYr0lOYNsYhhr4-0xAjYI-lbeW9VVkaH3n1Wj67QrYtxRTtBEIGQ5tQdVBFqtygiqtg45XBq34nI3KhUtAlM9hswUD6RElfVivKywmcq/s320/1-ptero+cuspicephalus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Cuspicephalus scarfi</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Cus-pis-sef-ah-luss
= scar-fee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Wukongopteridae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
1.2m/3.9ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Piscivorous/Carnivorous? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Late
Jurassic 150.8mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Cuspicephalus</i> (pointed snout); Species
name, <i>scarfi</i> honors cartoonist,
Gerald Scarfe, who’s characters are drawn with outlandish long pointy noses; Fossils
found in Kimmeridge Clay Formation of Dorset, England that preserved a marine
environment; In reference to ontogeny (origination, development and maturity of
an organism), the unfused atlas and axis suggests that these bones never fused,
a common feature within other non-pterodactyloids, but type of triangular shaped
head, a single long nasoantorbital fenestra and longer neck vertebrae, were
pterodactyloid traits; Given a rostral index of</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> 5.4, per body proportion the
head was larger than any other pterosaur; On the anterior part of premaxilla,
the crest is limited to dorsal margin of its skull; Crest remains made up of fibrous bone, Possessed small conical pointed teeth; Tail ended in a skin covered vane known as a vexillia;</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Although
dentition was small, teeth were largest in front on the premaxillae declining
in size further back; Teeth were housed in a much longer skull than its related
Chinese wukongopterids; It was also larger than it China relatives; This is the
clue that <i>Cuspicephalus</i> was a
piscivore in snatching fish, although the larger front teeth as well, could
have acted as a strain, trapping small fish and invertebrates as spoonbills
today do; Even though fossils are found in marine sediment, <i>Cuspicephalus</i>’ small build would’ve
relegated him to the edge of the seashore, so it either waded in calm waters
along the shore or chased after small animals on land. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1T3py0I0iJzfhgVt1IG1-ta79r1eztBMQ0Ku9hbeqiUyTTyBxi4romcSeF81EIeTeg_-iE-PhX8YcLcKyObqqsObg7B3p7NxQm_0EMXKpxlsL4hFCsSLnLc_Sa4cN9FbOZCEe3oODZTTJ/s1600/1-ptero+banguela-walking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1T3py0I0iJzfhgVt1IG1-ta79r1eztBMQ0Ku9hbeqiUyTTyBxi4romcSeF81EIeTeg_-iE-PhX8YcLcKyObqqsObg7B3p7NxQm_0EMXKpxlsL4hFCsSLnLc_Sa4cN9FbOZCEe3oODZTTJ/s320/1-ptero+banguela-walking.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Oliver Demuth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Banguela oberlii</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Ban-gway-lah
= o-bare-lee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Dsungaripteridae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan: ~
4m/13.1ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet: Carnivore?/</span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Durophagovorous
(eats shellfish)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline:
Cretaceous 112 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Banguela</i> (toothless one); Species name, <i>oberlii</i> honors the Swiss fossil
collector, Urs Oberli; As in all dsungaripterids, <i>B.</i> <i>oberlii</i> had an
upturned beak, but in addition, was the only dsungaripterid that was toothless;
However, teeth size was reduced and relegated to the back of the mouth in all other
dsungariterids; This indicates that pterosaurs becoming toothless was independent
in families as <i>B. oberlii</i> was only
distantly related to other toothless pterosaur families; It possessed a
fibrocartiliaginous fusion (symphysis) of the two lower bone jaws;
Dsungaripterids had some of the most specialized teeth of all sauropsids, from
parareptilians to birds, so <i>Banguela</i>’s
toothlessness probably indicated some degree of divergent specialization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">: With upturned
beaks, dsungaripterids most likely were durophagovore specialists combing beach
shorelines digging through mud with their spade-like beaks to get at buried
shellfish, then crush the shells with their back teeth; With its toothless
beak, <i>B.</i> <i>oberlii</i> took this specialization to the extreme, becoming totally
diet dependent on the soft bodied parts of shellfish; Being the largest and
most derived dsungaripterid, <i>B.</i> <i>oberlii</i>, without teeth most likely
maneuvered the shell with its larger and hardened beak bisecting it to get at
the soft body; Perhaps eating any other small soft bodied animal that lived in
or near the shoreline. Combing the beach shores it would’ve been adept in walking.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSy2Fo7_falxk1m5CahlYSvRcwN9eAZ1srdJH6d2lQ-ZQNt749uz7Q68W_aSXzVd8AAP3l2N4Dq-gTd3SYL-50Nvw_kRsEKcWcmK0jpRiGqt3xtD7lthICOafbhiNW7yed4KXwnC2hwX6B/s1600/1-ptero+cycnorhamphus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSy2Fo7_falxk1m5CahlYSvRcwN9eAZ1srdJH6d2lQ-ZQNt749uz7Q68W_aSXzVd8AAP3l2N4Dq-gTd3SYL-50Nvw_kRsEKcWcmK0jpRiGqt3xtD7lthICOafbhiNW7yed4KXwnC2hwX6B/s320/1-ptero+cycnorhamphus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Chris Masnaghetti</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Cycnorhamphus</i> <i>suevicus</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Sic-no-ram-fus
= sue-vee-cuss <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Gallodactylidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
1.35m/4.4ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet: Filter
Feeder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Late
Jurassic 152 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Cycnorhamphus</i> (swan beak); Species name,
<i>suevicus</i> honors the Suevi Germanic
peoples who fought against the Roman invasion, with ‘cus’ as a Latin rooted
masculine suffix; Fossil remains found in the Solnhofen limestone beds of the
German state, Bavaria, which during the Jurassic was the edge of the Tethys
Sea; Cycnorhamphus formed a monophyletic group with Pterodactylus and Germanodactylus;
Appears to have gone extinct near the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary; <i>Cycnorhamphus</i> had a very unusual jaw
anatomy; Had peg-like teeth at the jaw tips, but blunter and stouter in older
individuals; Jaws were curved behind dentition forming angled arc openings away
from the biting surface; Jaw curvatures most likely served to hold shelled
invertebrates to either crush or bisect them, much like openbill storks of
today; The jaws were also shorter than other gallodactylid members; Age
development is obvious as juveniles did not possess the full development of the
specialized jaws; Young juvenile jaws were straight; A rounded crest rose up
from the back of the skull onto two-thirds of the top beak in male adults; The
length of the humerus and ulna were ~ 80% less than the length of the femur and
tibia. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: There is
fossil evidence that <i>C.</i> <i>suevicus</i> experienced sexual dimorphism
with the males being bigger and supporting a crest; As juveniles matured into
adulthood, only then did they possess adult morphologies, as the jaws grew more
curved in older aged fossil finds; most likely dieted on hard shelled invertebrates
such as mollusks with the teeth arrangement more than capable of crushing or
bisecting shells. Being such a specialized aquatic feeder and sediment sifter,
they must’ve flocked together much like flamingos do today.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jjIQxUJCemkOQS7Z5CqX4nbG5T7c6ICwZm3mBfUbmvr4__4I2PkWP1ScqSUTF1gZYIcNLgui9w412T2kj1E_LQSvi4qg4WYVg_Ex50Uc3WlvIh6QlOuHN9Te1-EPyn1dlV0YOH-n9ybJ/s1600/1-ptero+pterodaustro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="800" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jjIQxUJCemkOQS7Z5CqX4nbG5T7c6ICwZm3mBfUbmvr4__4I2PkWP1ScqSUTF1gZYIcNLgui9w412T2kj1E_LQSvi4qg4WYVg_Ex50Uc3WlvIh6QlOuHN9Te1-EPyn1dlV0YOH-n9ybJ/s320/1-ptero+pterodaustro.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Dinoraul</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Pterodaustro guinazui</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Teh-roe-daws-trow
= gee-naw-zoo-ee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Ctenochasmatidae</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
2.5m/8.2ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet: Filter
Feeder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Early Cretaceous
105 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Pterodaustro</i> (southern wing); Species
name, <i>guinazui</i> honors Argentine paleontologist,
Román Guiñazú; Fossil remains found in the laminated shale, Lagarcito Formation
of San Luis Province of Patagonia, Argentina and the Santa Ana Formation in
Chile; Remarkably long, slender and upward curving beak comprised 85% of
cranial (skull) length; Skull roof of the braincase was subtriangular shaped
with posteroventral (situated posteriorly and ventrally) oriented parietals, a
low nuchal crest and ossified ethmoidal elements and interorbital septum; Some
fossils are so detailed that scientists were able to identify foramina for
cranial nerves; Vascular foramina identified are the caudal middle cerebral vein,
the dorsal head vein, the internal carotid artery; and the columellar recess; The
mandibles (lower jaws) had ~ 1,000 long, slender needlelike teeth that were
packed closely together; The maxillae (upper jaws) in contrast had blunt short
teeth; The entire premaxilla (tip of snout) formed the entire dorsal portion of
snout as it nearly approached the rostral margin of the orbital; With no suture
the two premaxilla are fused. Possessed a uniquely long tail for a
pterodactyloid with 22 caudal vertebrae, which was six more than found in other
group members; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Lagarcito Formation of Argentina was once an
inland, shallow alluvial lake; Abundant <i>Pterodaustro</i> fossil remains are in
laminated claystones of a facies interpreted as deposits formed in offshore
areas of lakes in the laminated claystones; <i>Pterodaustro</i>
was not a true filter feeder with its mouth open while swimming to trap food; While
wading or swimming, it would take in a scoop of water, close the mouth where
the top beak sat inside the lower, squeezing the water out through the bristled
needle-like lower teeth acting as a strainer, trapping small crustaceans,
plankton and other small aquatic animals. Once trapped, food was crushed with
the upper teeth then swallowed. Most likely a major food source was brine
shrimp; Brine shrimp dine on <i>Spirulina</i>,
an alga that produces carotenoids; This is what currently turns pink flamingoes
pink; It is postulated that <i>Pterodaustro</i>,
after utilizing the shrimp as a main food source could have also turned it’s
pycnofibers or skin pink; <i>Pterodaustro</i>
fossils have been found in abundance and throughout each life stage from
embryos still encased in the eggshell to matured adults; Developmental growth
showed juveniles growing to 53% of adult height within their first two years,
but slowed down in reaching full adulthood in taking another four years; Once
adulthood was obtained they experienced determined growth rates and stopped
growing. With splayed feet and short legs, launching for flight would have been
very difficult for a <i>Pterodaustro</i>, so
most likely took-off as geese and ducks do by running the surface while
flapping their wings.</span></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4RkXw_ru7XoYBYRXiUrCoRugq_Y9HS3ZQJf-rCow5yoLwW-miVzcxc76lmsjNK3P8ULkZuGAoIV5cgvanQcwfa4AFkEzCzA7b2RsZUW4G1yIqNWI5TeQnZw-dS16YMYtXyDtLK9ReR5B/s1600/1-ptero+tendaguripterus+Fabrizio+De+Rossi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1446" data-original-width="1600" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4RkXw_ru7XoYBYRXiUrCoRugq_Y9HS3ZQJf-rCow5yoLwW-miVzcxc76lmsjNK3P8ULkZuGAoIV5cgvanQcwfa4AFkEzCzA7b2RsZUW4G1yIqNWI5TeQnZw-dS16YMYtXyDtLK9ReR5B/s320/1-ptero+tendaguripterus+Fabrizio+De+Rossi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Fabrizzio De Rossi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Tendaguripterus recki</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Ten-da-gu-rip-teh-rus
= reh-key<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Germanodactylidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
1m/3.3ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Piscivore?/ Durophagovorous? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Late
Jurassic 152.1-152 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Tendaguripterus</i> (Tendaguru wing); The
fossil remains were named after the Tanzanian rock bed it was found in, the
Tendaguru Formation; Species name, <i>recki</i>
honors the collector of this pterosaur, German paleontologist and volcanologist,
Hans Reck; As far as proper nomenclature goes, respected Brazilian
paleontologist, Alexander Keelner feels that <i>Tendaguripterus</i> anatomy elements are only superficial in relation
to other germanodactylids and insists it needs to be moved into a family of its
own, naming it, Tendaguripteridae; So far as it stands today, due to lack of
other more viable fossil finds, consensus still lists <i>Tendaguripterus</i> as a genus under, <i>Germanodactylidae</i>; Closest relations are with dsungaripterids; Teeth
were small, but became progressively larger further back in the mouth and were
raked backwards in position; Known as a
‘region senfyseal’, both mandible halves fused into one element; The humeri
possess the typical pterosaur saddle-shaped proximal articular head; Of unknown
function, there is an elongated concavity on the medial side, close to the
distal margin of the crest; The ulnar crest is blunt and highly concave with an
elongated ridge on the medial side of crest running from the distal to the
proximal edge; Scientists feel this was likely an attachment of a flight muscle
making the crest deltopectoral; the deltopectoral crest length was measured at 5.95mm/0.23in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: The fossil
remains were found in laid down lagoonal sediment; Judging by its dsungariptid
relations, the teeth arrangement and where the fossil remains came from, <i>Tendaguripterus</i> most likely was a
durophagovore snatching freshwater shellfish and crustaceans along shorelines
and banks, piercing them with the sharp teeth then consuming the soft body
parts; It also could have caught small fish along the edges of freshwater with
the backward growing teeth keeping the slippery prey from escaping; Although is
general in pterosaur morphology, <i>Tendaguripterus</i>
was a rare Jurassic Gondwanan find, proving that pterosaurs had conquered the Late
Jurassic southern hemisphere as well.</span></div>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEXdHnMPgV76U3lQSy-HINwdG8Nw9LnoLUntYhzFqNy7yc-BWoJkw-j4WJfpv2ENEbu0Fw10HhQ1WBamMa6oh7lBMAohm_fa7AWMt_Df0BLx6-_sTWjLYf5GRU3NOZEqshvnQo06a3_gN/s1600/1-ptero+Caulkicephalus++Julio+Lacerda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1589" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEXdHnMPgV76U3lQSy-HINwdG8Nw9LnoLUntYhzFqNy7yc-BWoJkw-j4WJfpv2ENEbu0Fw10HhQ1WBamMa6oh7lBMAohm_fa7AWMt_Df0BLx6-_sTWjLYf5GRU3NOZEqshvnQo06a3_gN/s320/1-ptero+Caulkicephalus++Julio+Lacerda.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julio Lacerda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Caulkicephalus trimicrodon</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Kawl-key-sef-ah-luss
= try-my-crow-don <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Ornithocheiridae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
5m/16.4ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Piscivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Early
Cretaceous 127.5 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Caulkicephalus</i> (caulkhead); The genus
name refers to a local, Isle of Wight term, ‘caulkhead’ in what workers were
called who caulked ships for a living in the Solent shipyards; Species name, <i>trimicrodon</i>, means ‘three small teeth’
in reference to three pairs of teeth at the front of the mouth that were half
the size of the next pair of teeth; From Isle of Wight, fossil remains were
discovered on Yaverland Beach in a brown clay layer belonging to the Wessex
Formation; The maxillopremaxillary suture had a slight posterior descent; Rostrum
(beak) had 10 small pairs of alveoli (singular: alveolus ~ bony socket serving
as the root for a tooth); Alveolus pair 3 was the largest followed by pair 2;
Pairs 1-4 and 8-10 were the larger pairs, with pairs 5-7 being the smallest;
Slightly larger than the 5-7 pairs, the
9-10 alveoli pairs weren’t parallel as the other pairs, but staggered;
In the 1 and 9 alveoli, of the right side, replacement teeth were forming; At
the tip of the jaws, the first two pairs of smooth concave teeth were frontward
pointing; Going down the jawline, the teeth oriented more outwards, while the
posterior teeth were more perpendicular to the jaws. From the back of the
skull, a parietal crest rose outwards in similar fashion as pteranodontids; It
also possessed the characteristic ornithocheirid maxillopremaxillary
crest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">: With fossil
remains found in terrestrial deposits where plant material was evident, this
ornithocerid probably didn’t soar coastal seashores as the other members did,
instead <i>Caulkicephalus</i> filled the
niche in freshwaters along lakes, rivers, floodplains and lagoons; It still
soared above water hunting for fish and other aquatic animals near the surface
to snatch in its grasping and caging toothed jaws; <i>Caulkicephalus</i> was one of the largest pterosaurs to possess
teeth.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaFkncHshsXGLxdxgAPUA5VdWcMIbqYImV5kj0zJoWAmbWDOSMnDq1yhanbsEfif2i_L21LOJD_kz3CpdpELzUNPVDc66u8mC1A2Jm0IqBa6CZtFNe7bLEyfE2PRt8aU12U993ZLjYYi6/s1600/1-ptero+unwindia_franz-anthony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaFkncHshsXGLxdxgAPUA5VdWcMIbqYImV5kj0zJoWAmbWDOSMnDq1yhanbsEfif2i_L21LOJD_kz3CpdpELzUNPVDc66u8mC1A2Jm0IqBa6CZtFNe7bLEyfE2PRt8aU12U993ZLjYYi6/s320/1-ptero+unwindia_franz-anthony.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist Franz Anthony</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Unwindia trigonus</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Un-wind-ee-ah
= tri go-nus <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Lonchodectidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
2.3m/7.5ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Carnivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Late
Cretaceous 112 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Unwindia</i> (honoring famed paleontologist,
David Unwin); The species name, <i>trigonus</i>
refers to ‘three angled’; Remains found in N.E. Brazil in the Araripe Basin
where the Santana Formation has been exposed; Its lonchodectid relationship is
closest to ornithocheirids; Had a very long lancet-like and slender rostrum
(snout) that only supported teeth anteriorly in front of the nasoantorbital
fenestra; The seven paired rows of homodont (similar) teeth were anchored in
the fused maxilla/premaxilla by bony pedestals; This is unique among <i>Unwindia</i> and two other <i>Lonchodectids</i>:<i> Lonchodectes</i> and <i>Yixianopterus</i>;
Distal coverage of the teeth were no more than 6cm/2.5in, which curved inwards
as compressed cones at the front of the mouth; The maxilla/premaxilla fused suture
extended toward the tip of the rostrum with no downward deflection; This exhibits
most of the tooth-bearing part of the jaw in the maxilla; Premaxilla and
maxilla fused but distinct; The nasoantorbital fenestra housed the nostrils and
facial sinus cavity; The skull lacked a sagittal crest; Palatal surface
displayed a raised dental border and a prominent palatal ridge flanked by deep
sulci (singular: sulcus ~ a groove or furrow). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Considered
small to pterodactyloid standards, <i>Unwindia</i>
is still the largest known lonchodectid; The fossil was found in lagoonal and
deltaic deposits and most likely, with the frontal teeth arrangement, preyed on
small terrestrial, near shore or wading vertebrates; Having only frontal teeth
might also allude to the fact that <i>Unwindia</i>
used the toothed snout tip to root out animals from their burrows then latch onto them
pulling the prey item out to swallow whole.</span></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtksElYVBI2WUZ-RH_pcBqdV1ObxukFisgFrJvhroF3V3IxWCm061zZDmuwoG-d7FYT4tX2RT-Q9Ey292z_HUqFQv3OY5e0a1K-gsxevUR1JJTvoXK19IXqo9ST_SPw77_QT9ZCvwhilM/s1600/1-ptero+shenzoupterus+joschua+knuppe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1600" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtksElYVBI2WUZ-RH_pcBqdV1ObxukFisgFrJvhroF3V3IxWCm061zZDmuwoG-d7FYT4tX2RT-Q9Ey292z_HUqFQv3OY5e0a1K-gsxevUR1JJTvoXK19IXqo9ST_SPw77_QT9ZCvwhilM/s320/1-ptero+shenzoupterus+joschua+knuppe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Joschua Knüppe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Shenzhoupterus</i> <i>chaoyangensis</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Shen-zoop-tuh-rus
= kay-ah-ee-in-gen-sis<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Chaoyangopteridae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
1.4m/4.6ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Carnivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Early
Cretaceous 120 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Shenzhoupterus</i> (‘Shenzhou wing’ in
reference to Shenzou, the ancient name for China; The species name refers to
the China city, Chaoyang and the suffix <i>ensis</i>
meaning, ‘pertaining to’; Fossil remains are from the Lower Cretaceous of
China’s, Jiufotang Formation; The most conspicuous detail of the skull was the
large antorbital fenestra that extended over the eyes and nasal passages; This
incorporated the nostril holes and orbitals (eye sockets); It as well had a arch-like
crest that extended across the top of the full head, curving over the orbitals
and ending in the back of the head where it made contact with a bony extension;
<i>Shenzhoupterus</i> belongs to the
pterosaur family that was totally edentulous (toothless) and are the most
primitive of the azhdarchoids; The rostrum (beak) as toothless, was low with a
straight or concave dorsal outline; While the anterior region of rostrum was
low, the antorbital region expanded dorsally; Tip of rostrum downturned and
expanded; Possessed limited in size elongate mid-cervical vertebrae with low
blade-like neural spines; As opposed to predecessor pterosaurs, lacked lateral
pneumatic foramina (singular: foramen ~ a hole in bone); <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs:</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> The Jiufotang
Formation represents a swampy terrestrial and lacustrine environment; From
these deposits it is safe to say that <i>Shenzhoupterus</i>
was carnivorous and not wholly dependent upon a fish diet; This pterosaur most
likely, from air or land stalked small vertebrates, piercing or snatching their
prey then gulping them down whole; It may have supplemented its diet with fish along
lakeshores spearing them with its pointed beak; It may also have scavenged on
larger carcasses; <i>Shenzhoupterus</i> was
small and most likely was on the menu for other predators; Being small with
long slender wings, it must have been a very agile flyer over land or water.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzWR65RH0unZw4uOAbE4WhMIYAbk2dWnS9boaYDlSsk0IPVp8la74VEBB07fMaQLFI7R8yCU_-w2COfro_Orr8smBRL4YcZNS4kxD2kJihYtN1AXQB0sOf8_0L2daTxlgxk_3BshjmDPN/s1600/1-ptero+nurhachius_ntamura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="600" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzWR65RH0unZw4uOAbE4WhMIYAbk2dWnS9boaYDlSsk0IPVp8la74VEBB07fMaQLFI7R8yCU_-w2COfro_Orr8smBRL4YcZNS4kxD2kJihYtN1AXQB0sOf8_0L2daTxlgxk_3BshjmDPN/s320/1-ptero+nurhachius_ntamura.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Nobu Tamura</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Nurhachius ignaciobritoi<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Nur-ha-chy-us
= igg-nass-ee-oh-brit-wah <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Istiodactylidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
2.5m/8.2ft <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Carnivorous/Scavenger/Piscivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Early
Cretaceous 120 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Nurhachius</i> (honors Quing (Ch’ing)
Dynasty ruler, Nurachi); Species name honors Brazilian paleontologist, Ignácio
Aureliano Machado Brito; Fossil remains come from China’s Jiufotang Formation;
Closely related to Isle of Wight’s only istiodactylid, <i>Istiodactylus</i> and ornithocheirids; Separated by thousands of miles,
this shows how quickly istiodactylids diversified; The skull’s antorbital
fenestra took up 58% of total skull length; Teeth were seated in frontal
portion of jaws; Dentary were small, tapered, pointed and triangular; Two
really small teeth anteriorly projected from tip of the lower jaw; The beak was
long and tapered with lower jaw ending in a slight upwards curve; The scapula
and coracoid bones are fused into a scapulocoracoid; End of humerus is wider
than proximal end with no pneumatic opening; The atlantoaxis of cervical
vertebrae is fused.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Many pterosaur
fossil remains, among other animal species have been found in the terrestrial
deposits of the Jifutang Formation, <i>Nurharchius</i>
remains are also among them; With strong cutting and slicing teeth and powerful
jaw muscles, this pterosaur could wrestle with bigger prey; For the most part, <i>Nurharchius</i> hunted land prey, but as a
generalist carnivore would also scavenge carcasses, take aquatic shore animals,
including a supplemental portion of fish added to its diet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil62ZinKOzwYbBxh74ARe2BBriRDABFFZY_NJXgp96nUeLobf2-o5GYnejCArrhv42SjOtLxrZnqOnAncWZUZec7Zk2CrWNozBxsDT9MLbw46oT7JzVJlRhMsuuCqjVsDdUSb0SmiWTwy0/s1600/1-ptero+aymberedactylus_joschua-knuppe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="1600" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil62ZinKOzwYbBxh74ARe2BBriRDABFFZY_NJXgp96nUeLobf2-o5GYnejCArrhv42SjOtLxrZnqOnAncWZUZec7Zk2CrWNozBxsDT9MLbw46oT7JzVJlRhMsuuCqjVsDdUSb0SmiWTwy0/s320/1-ptero+aymberedactylus_joschua-knuppe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Joschua Knüppe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Aymberedactylus cearensis</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics:
Aim-bare-uh-dack-till-us = see-air-in-sis<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Tapejaridae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
2m/6.7ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Frugivorous/Herbivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Early
Creataceous 108 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Aymberedactylus</i> (small lizard finger); Aymbere
is the native Tupi word for ‘small lizard’; Species name,<i> cearensis</i> honors the Brazilian state of, Ceará where remains were
found, while the Latin suffix, <i>ensis</i>
means ‘pertaining to’; Fossil remains are from the Crato Formation of N. E.
Brazil’s, Araripe Basin; <i>Aymberedactylus</i>
is the most basal in its taxon group differing in having no convexity
interrupting the concave floor of the mandibular symphysis like other taperjarids;
But, with the presence of taperjarid deep symphyseal bone grooves, <i>Aymberedactylus</i> is pleisiomorphic (ancestral
trait state derived from a trait state); Therefore, <i>Aymberedactylus</i> diverged earlier than other tapejarid members;
Is considered a sister to evolving azhdarchoids; Although the skeletal bones
and the mandibular symphysis (where the two mandibles meet at tip of lower
jaws) are fused; But due to the quadrate (squarish skull bone which articulates
the jaws) exhibiting rough, rugose textures of the articular surfaces being
characteristic of a not fully grown reptile, the fossil find is considered to
be a subadult; This condition indicates incomplete ossification; The skull
supported a short toothless beak; There was a cranial crest and one smaller
chin crest with both being longer than tall; Small neurovascular foramina were
evident in the rostrum (beak) indicating a keratinous (horned) sheath over the
tip of the jaw; Consisting of the jaws, the bucca (mouth area) was y-shaped. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Sedimentary
deposition where <i>Aymberedactylus</i> remains
were found came from a coastal near shore lagoon; This was a time when a
shallow warm inland sea formed over Brazil as the South Atlantic was opening up
into a long narrow shallow sea; Angiosperms had replaced gymnosperms, so
flowering and fruiting plants were in abundance; With relatively wide jaws
compared to the shorter dentary fossa (hollows in the anterior bone of lower
mandible), this pterosaur’s bite was not particularly strong; <i>Aymberedactylus</i>, with what was offered
to forage on, evolved into a frugivore and herbivore; Thus, this toucan-looking
pterosaur filled a niche while eradicating competition of other pterosaur
carnivores/piscivores.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwLU_EwaduH3GS1G1gf8b-gPxNOCktz0ex9GWBxk_6ML4TgN3EeG-yrP6aafC9-msu2UMhpcmugrjRztb9oP-mnV8_-uV17oMi4CoS8pQbsrLT7aN_DmsnoBF4Wmfyh81jV98t3c3xG86/s1600/1-ptero+guidraco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="1544" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwLU_EwaduH3GS1G1gf8b-gPxNOCktz0ex9GWBxk_6ML4TgN3EeG-yrP6aafC9-msu2UMhpcmugrjRztb9oP-mnV8_-uV17oMi4CoS8pQbsrLT7aN_DmsnoBF4Wmfyh81jV98t3c3xG86/s320/1-ptero+guidraco.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julio Lacerda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Guidraco venator</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Gwe-dra-ko
= vin-uh-ter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family:<i> Boreopteridae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
5m/16.4ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Piscivorous/Carnivorous?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Early Cretaceous
124.6-120 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Guidraco</i> (Chinese for ‘malicious phantom
dragon’); The species name, <i>venator</i>
is the Latin word for hunter; Fossil remains from N. E. China’s Jiufotang
Formation; It has a very close anatomical relationship to the </span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">anhanguerid genus, <i>Ludodactylus</i>,
but differs in <i>Guidraco</i> having elongated
premaxilla and mandible tip frontal teeth directing outwards, an oval shaped frontal
crest and absence of a lacrimal process; Also geographically, <i>Ludodactylus</i> hailed from what is now Brazil,
in which 110-125 mya, even though South America had not completely split off
from Africa, was still thousands of miles away from China; <i>Guidraco</i>’s skull was very elongated with the rostrum (snout) reinforced
by the nasoantorbital fenestra being short; The tall oval crest was supported
by the skull’s frontals; Distinctive teeth rows mirrored each other in the
upper and lower jaws exhibiting the first at the tip as being overtly long
pointing outwards and forward; The next three were even longer, slightly
recurved and pointed downwards; Further down the jawline the teeth
incrementally became smaller ending in the thirteen rear teeth being smooth and
diminished in size; Nearing the jaw’s midline, the teeth had vertical ridges on
the back of their enamel; Moderately elongated neck vertebrae were keeled possessing
large pneumatic openings on the sides. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: The strata
fossil remains were found in is terrestrial deposition of swampy environments; <i>Guidraco</i> was terrestrial frequenting
freshwaters to capture fish with its enmeshing front teeth; With webbed hind
feet it had the ability to swim, but could not become stationary as it could
not float; Snatching fish from just the beneath the surface, or chasing after
fish in shallows diving to snare them; </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There is argument, in particular from
Brazil’s paleontologist, Alexander Kellner that in fishing with the long
needle-like sharp teeth, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Guidraco</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had a high risk of impaling
fish prey in the teeth; Essentially, with very weak and small forelimbs, the
pterosaur would have no way to remove the obstacle and eventually die; Instead
Kellner suggests, with a long tongue, it would probe small burrows rooting out
the inhabitant vertebrate where </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Guidraco</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
would capture it and if edible, eat it; On the other hand, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Guidraco</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> coprolites have been discovered with fish scales in them;
So Kellner has a hard debate to win over consensus.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxzGCAspwUlfACc9-OQrC1NIGzdn6wDfKexW8p5VmZ0oSQSzuHKX3Vcaun547HtwBIiDmsZ0v3cNtLDIxE2Wo-xwHhuDDC2z_xjdWaRCuV-rYDBhwUTqRx8-IME7BySD8dHZ_BisRi22Z/s1600/1-ptero+liaoningopterus_julio-lacerda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="1600" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxzGCAspwUlfACc9-OQrC1NIGzdn6wDfKexW8p5VmZ0oSQSzuHKX3Vcaun547HtwBIiDmsZ0v3cNtLDIxE2Wo-xwHhuDDC2z_xjdWaRCuV-rYDBhwUTqRx8-IME7BySD8dHZ_BisRi22Z/s320/1-ptero+liaoningopterus_julio-lacerda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Artist: Julio Lacerda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Liaoningopterus gui</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Lee-ow-ning-op-teh-rus
= goo-ee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family:<i> Anhangueridae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
5m/16.4ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet: Piscivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Early
Cretaceous 120 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Liaoningopterus</i> (‘Liaoning wing’ referring
to the Chinese province of, Lianoning where the fossil remains were found) The
species name, <i>gui</i> is in tribute to Chinese
paleontologist Gu Zhiwei; Fossils discovered in N.E. China’s Jiufotang
Formation near Chaoyang, Liaoning; <i>Liaoningopterus</i>
as a basal anhanguerid, is closely related to ornithocheirids; In fact some
literature still lists this pterosaur under the family, <i>Ornithocheiridae</i>; Skull was low in the front and high
posteriorly; The skull supported two crests with two low humped ones at the tip
of the jaws on the upper and lower beaks; Teeth restricted to the proximal
(the center of a body at the point of attachment) part of the jaws; At 81mm/3.2in,
the fourth tooth is the largest pterosaur tooth found thus far; With variable
tooth lengths, scientists concluded it was from erupted teeth replacements; The
back of the mouth was toothless; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Liaoningopterus</i>’ remains come from terrestrial
deposits of rock protrusions into lakeshores; Thus far is the largest pterosaur
discovered in Asia; With its long wings, long narrow snout and large front
teeth, it was adept at aerial fishing; It soared above bodies of freshwater
searching for fish just below the surface; While in flight, would swoop down to
capture fish near the surface; Most likely roosted in rocky outcrops near
lakeshores or in large trees.</span></div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXm3pH1yhbsnYxKD1G6y6DuP3TQPmqbzpQgwKX2Gb4_JZYmrzSzT0hltzm3lJTU94gGxEDEMpJEs_ytsFgGsBw2X2eiC_mHP0tcTwxZ3P4eqZRSiQ0NETe5GV-RX9BUtD_0sQHcMTK_j5q/s1600/1-ptero+Thalassodromeus+sethi+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXm3pH1yhbsnYxKD1G6y6DuP3TQPmqbzpQgwKX2Gb4_JZYmrzSzT0hltzm3lJTU94gGxEDEMpJEs_ytsFgGsBw2X2eiC_mHP0tcTwxZ3P4eqZRSiQ0NETe5GV-RX9BUtD_0sQHcMTK_j5q/s320/1-ptero+Thalassodromeus+sethi+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Joel J. Rane</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Thalassodromeus sethi</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Fah-lass-oh-dro-meus
= seh-thee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Thalassodromidae</i>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
5.3m/17.4ft <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet: Generalist
carnivore/omnivore<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Early
Cretaceous 108 mya <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Thalassodromeus</i> (sea runner); Species
name, <i>sethi</i> refers to the Egyptian
god, Seth due to head’s crest form; Fossil remains come from Brazil’s Santana
Formation of the Araripe Plateau; Thalassodromids were a sister group to
azhdarchidcoid pterosaurs evolving into chaoyangopterids and tapejarids; For
the more derived pterosaur, the neck was shorter than most; The lower orbit of
the skull was virtually ossified; The postorbital process of the jugal was at
right angles to the jawline; The posterior jugal bone was deep; Two fenestrae
perforated the crest above the orbit; The skull had a vastly expanded rostral
and cranial crest that was combined expanding further posteriorly behind the
braincase; Crest was subtriangular shaped and bony that was irrigated by blood
vessels; Rostrum (beak) and jawline were narrow and streamlined ending in a
point; This created a scissor-like bite. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Deposits the remains
were found in were of coastal lagoons and forested terrain; It was first
suggested that <i>Thalassodromeus</i> was a
skimmer like the modern seabird, the black skimmer; As much as the name, <i>Thalassodromeus</i> (sea runner) is a
misnomer, so are those that predicated <i>Thalassodromeus</i>
as a skimmer; The black skimmer has extensive muscles that absorb skimming
stresses to the jaws, head and neck; No pterosaur, in particular <i>Thalassodromeus</i> with its extremely
streamlined rostrum could have withstood these stresses; Biochemical analysis
prove that <i>Thalassodromeus</i> could not
soar above the seas while skimming; If anything, at best it may have frequented
coastal shorelines for scavenging; With powerful hind limbs, may have been the
only pterosaur capable enough to have grabbed fish in shallow lagoons; But for
the most part, in having the capacity to run was a terrestrial hunter chasing
down and spearing vertebrates to dispatch, or picking off invertebrates like
worms and insects; In particular juveniles would’ve been more inclined to
eating invertebrates; With a cascade of newly evolved flora, it may have
supplemented its diet with plant material. From the fossil record, it seems as
soon as <i>Thalassodromeus</i> appeared...it
disappeared.</span></div>
</div>
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</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qyZf0SrauNZM9KvV58s6JAoyFzG3QO2McIX6sys56OSV1OFPP5CuM8n4EtkEQHkhlea0hqsmRpuvmeaf45OJ7ZCVdYLb0Ja9jW-h5u9PIg8KOGu4d89W8ZwwbYt9wx-5ZL54o3ZnNS3w/s1600/1-ptero+arambourgiania.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qyZf0SrauNZM9KvV58s6JAoyFzG3QO2McIX6sys56OSV1OFPP5CuM8n4EtkEQHkhlea0hqsmRpuvmeaf45OJ7ZCVdYLb0Ja9jW-h5u9PIg8KOGu4d89W8ZwwbYt9wx-5ZL54o3ZnNS3w/s320/1-ptero+arambourgiania.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Arambourgiania philadelphiae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics:
Uh-ram-bur-gan-nee-uh = fil-uh-del-phi-eye <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Azhdarchidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan: ~ 10m/32.8ft
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet: Carnivore;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Late
Cretaceous 72.1-71 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Arambourgiania</i> (Arambourg’s giant); This
pterosaur was first named by French paleontologist, Camille Arambourg with the
genus name, Titanopteryx; After it was found that a simulid fly had already
been described with that genus name; Later, Russian paleontologist, Lev Nesov renamed
it, <i>Arambourgiania</i> in honoring
Arambourg who had conducted the first comprehensive study of the remains;
Species name, <i>philadelphiae</i> refers to
the ancient Asia Minor city, Philadélpheia; Was closely related to
thalassodromids with wing-fingers taking up less than half of wing length; As
an azhdarchid, the orbits were depressed low into lower half of skull; Jaws
would have been long and spear-like; Rostra would have been elongate; The
humeri was pterodactyloid derived and was only two-thirds as long as the
bodies’ torso; Cervical vertebrae were tube-like in structure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Fossil remains laid down in s</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">hallow coastal waters no more than 30.48m/100ft of </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">N.W. Jordan’s,
Wadi Umm Formation</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">sedimentary deposits of carbonate muds, chalks and
limestone and Western Tennessee’s, Coon Creek Formation composed of sandy marled
deposits from encroachment of, Mississippi Ebayment, a bay of the Gulf of
Mexico; Just east of ebayment’s reach, a marshy lowland was formed bordered by limestone bluffs; Sluggish
rivers annually dumped large amounts of flora debris, in particular tree material
but also occasional dinosaur and other animal carcasses; This is the
environment the fossil remains of, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Arambourgiania</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
were laid down in the U.S.; This demonstrates that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Arambourgiania</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was terrestrial frequenting coastal shores; Was not
the largest azhdarchid; That title goes to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Quetzalcoatlus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Kwet-zal-co-at-las) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hatzegopteryx</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Hat-zeh-gop-teh-rix); Azhdarchids are known for long necks and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Arambourgiania</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was no exception; Neck
was ~ 3m/9.8ft; It also possessed long and strong muscular hind limbs; Walked
as a quadruped in pacing strides; This pterosaur was a carnivorous hunter,
hunting down any vertebrate prey it could swallow whole; Diet included any
smaller vertebrates to small dinosaurs. At rest, the wing fingers could not be
folded upwards beyond the back simply because they couldn’t reach that
distance. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU2VYJqnkeuc4nYTqYQnHpo9uqReJHx0Wj9ddWADLfb2YRvAh-9-DUJ4kXE2i0YPY5ji9Hfbb8qlxSHa1qn-pCNPFlbT_d8jHMRk-aX4o3VcESLr75aUufF590xwKuExZjyX2vZWTYR1T/s1600/1-ptero+pteranodon+longiceps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="800" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU2VYJqnkeuc4nYTqYQnHpo9uqReJHx0Wj9ddWADLfb2YRvAh-9-DUJ4kXE2i0YPY5ji9Hfbb8qlxSHa1qn-pCNPFlbT_d8jHMRk-aX4o3VcESLr75aUufF590xwKuExZjyX2vZWTYR1T/s320/1-ptero+pteranodon+longiceps.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Jon Hughes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Pteranodon</i> <i>longiceps</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Tuh-ran-oh-don
= lon-juh-seps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family: <i>Pteranodontidae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan: Male 6.6m/21.6ft
Female 3.8m/12ft <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Piscivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Late
Cretaceous 88-80.5 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Pteranodon</i> (toothless wing); Species
name, <i>longiceps</i> is Latin meaning,
‘long headed’; Fossil remains have all been found in North America in </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">present states of, Kansas, Nebraska,
Wyoming, South Dakota in the Niobrara Formation and Pierre Shale Formation and
the Mooreville Formation of Alabama; The backbone consisted of neural spines on
each vertebra and plate-like bony ligaments that strengthened vertebrae above
hip; The ten short caudal vertebrae were fused resulting in a stiffened tail;
Total tail length was 25cm/9.8in; The neck vertebrae were flexible; As one of
the largest pterosaurs, <i>Pteranodon</i>’s
mass was only 18.6kg/41lb to</span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">25kg/55lb; It stood at 1.8m/6ft. The body was
dwarfed in comparison to the wings and head; Possessed three clawed fingers and
four clawed toes; The crest anchored from the cranium had two frontal bones
extending upwards and backward from the head; The lower jaw was shorter and
thicker creating an overbite; Through vestiges of female hip structure, the
pelvis was wider than the much larger male’s; This allowed for easier passage
of egg laying; Fusion of the scapula and coracoid were evident in mature
specimens. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Chalk
deposition of Niobrara Formation represented the accumulation of coccoliths (eukaryotic
phytoplankton) during the transgression of the Western Interior Seaway into
North America overlain lain by dark-gray shales of Pierre Shale Formation; Alabama’s
Coastal Plain section was also an encroaching seaway as the Gulf Coast was
opening up; Deposition is composed of chalk, clays, sand, silt and
limestone; <i>Pteranodon</i> is the familiar
pterosaur we all envision with the cranial posteriorly protruding crest; Plus,
in not only being the first toothless pterosaur found, there have been over a
thousand fossil remains discovered thus far; The most characteristic trait is
the extremely long crest but it made the pterosaur front heavy to swim by
keeping the nostrils near the waterline, which would obstruct neat/clear
breathing; <i>Pteranodon</i> was not a glider, but a flyer; Flying low near the
surface it would snatch fish just below the surface; Wing shape and proportions
reveal that pteranodons flew like an albatross catching air currents and
soaring; Catapulting from the ground, with strong forelimb thrusts then an
energetic flap of the wings would get it airborne; On land was adept as a
quadruped, but bipedalism was also possible if needed; Fish was the main menu
evidenced from numerous <i>Pteranodon</i>
remains having fish material within the stomach area. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRWcz3VVVIT05yql9pUfGECxFWcHpNFBuUiPBoseKhwzQ7DsE2GEAa91l4RCqzvPn0l6hyphenhyphenJ5o901wWa8xfls6CLt-II-DW0zoMbgvbaUEsBZvFtQZD1Vt5iG4n8Th-K5QNYb9UWrceYg-/s1600/1-ptero+nyctosaurus+jl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRWcz3VVVIT05yql9pUfGECxFWcHpNFBuUiPBoseKhwzQ7DsE2GEAa91l4RCqzvPn0l6hyphenhyphenJ5o901wWa8xfls6CLt-II-DW0zoMbgvbaUEsBZvFtQZD1Vt5iG4n8Th-K5QNYb9UWrceYg-/s320/1-ptero+nyctosaurus+jl.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist Julio Lacerda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Species: <i>Nyctosaurus gracilis</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phonetics: Nick-toe-sore-us
= gra-sill-lis <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Family:<i> Nyctosauridae</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wingspan:
1.9m/6.2ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diet:
Piscivorous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Timeline: Late
Cretaceous 85-84.5 mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <i>Nyctosaurus</i> (night wing); Species name, <i>gracilis</i> is New Latin meaning ‘slender’
or ‘graceful’; All fossil remains have only been found in U.S.A. Kansas’
Niobrara Formation in the Smoky Hill Chalk Member; Most closely related to
pteranodontids; Along with the nyctosaurid genus counterpart, <i>Muzquizopteryx</i> (Phonetics: Muz-kwee-op-teh-rix),
were smaller than contemporary pterodactyloids; With long wings and anatomy was
very similar to pteranodontids; Distinguished by scapular arch, in which the
coracoid is not co-ossified with the scapula as in pteranodontids; Also,
scapula has no articulation at the distal end being comparatively thin and
expanded; Both nyctosaurid genera as well, had lost their forelimb three fingered
claws and the fourth phalanx of the winged finger; Had a long sharp pointed
beak; Most distinguishing feature of <i>Nyctosaurus</i>
was the cranial crest consisting of two spars branching off from the bony
base; The front spar at best was a bit longer and tilted forwards, while the
back spar angled up and backwards; Was much confusion when crests were first
discovered; Was first thought that the crest supported a skin sail, due to the
fact that the first <i>Nyctosaurus</i>
reviewed had a broken posterior spar making it appear shorter, perfect
dimensions for a sail mast; The crest did not support a skin sail, nor was it
even covered with keratin as all pterosaur crests had; The numerous crest spar
fossils were all smooth and rounded in form suggesting no keratinous attachment;
When viewing <i>Nyctosaurus</i> pictures,
earlier ones will have them with the crest spars covered; Remember, this is not
the case; The transition between bone and soft keratin is obvious in pterosaur
fossils, with flattened bony spars having rough edges at the transition point;
This feature is not evident in <i>Nyctosaurus</i>
fossils; From innumerable remains, young and subadult fossils have been found
and studied.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaGyA6A4XPGVcDgLuqtSz_WFRea9T8-L8awn49zBRqHNLHwsJEGBHrTvCaKvENEa6-5mvXDtm9NrmcxzQpkd8X8rLuNh_Q8EATS3Crxgu8_YwSeNh8YBa4YKBlBSl8BopIyJ8kSdKocCw/s1600/1-ptero+nyct+yep+and+nope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="698" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaGyA6A4XPGVcDgLuqtSz_WFRea9T8-L8awn49zBRqHNLHwsJEGBHrTvCaKvENEa6-5mvXDtm9NrmcxzQpkd8X8rLuNh_Q8EATS3Crxgu8_YwSeNh8YBa4YKBlBSl8BopIyJ8kSdKocCw/s320/1-ptero+nyct+yep+and+nope.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original artwork: Dmitry Bogdanov</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></u><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bio Specs</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Based on
forelimb musculature, total weight, and total wing surface area versus loading,
in a study, <i>Nyctosaurus</i> could cruise
during flight at 9.6m/31.5ft per second; This translates to 34.5 km/21.4 miles
per hour; Walked on the forelimbs’ digit stubs; Could not cling to trees or
cliffs, so when not grounded was in flight; Were strong flyers and practiced dynamic
soaring; The crest would not have affected flight as it was very light; Both
sexes possessed a crest although males were largest; Sub adults did not have a
crest; From fossil record, it appears crests continually grew throughout adult
life; If crest was for sexual display, oldest males had the advantage in
attracting a mate; </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Also hypothesized is that the crests were a
signal from those catching fish </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">stating </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">to others </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">still searching</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, ‘</span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">here i</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">s</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> where the
fish are’; </span></span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Nyctosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> flaplings
matured into adults within a year; Living along the shoreline and coastal
regions of the, Western Interior Seaway, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Nyctosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
dieted on fish and perhaps softer small aquatic invertebrates; It plucked them
form the water’s surface with its pointed beak either storing the catch in its
pelican-like throat pouch or immediately swallowing it whole. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Afterthoughts</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With the vast diversity in pterosaur
morphology and ecology, there were great differences in size, teeth and beaks,
skull size and shape, neck length, wingspan, wing shape, leg length, foot size
and niche fits. This allows different animals to exploit different foods and
environments from small woodland forms that caught insects in flight with
snapping jaws, to flamingo-like filter feeders with thousands of teeth that
lived on lakes, to blunt toothed clam crackers that patrolled coastlines, to toothless fruit eaters, to scavenging carcasses and to huge
toothless marine forms that hunted fish far out to sea. Soft tissue preserved
in some fossils can tell us about beaks, wings, and the pterosaur body covered
in a sort of reptilian hair called pycnofibers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EznQNJWIe7dSlCcTNZcgV3m1HMSnm3j5OGE5ubXb7pqsZB3FkHcvSpbDLMVOkpEq_LHeUYqGUMtga8HW2T2_ex5bXgGuTiCt6YwpLG79lsRkdDP7N7esB-pqUsVHA_1yr5eRST7XBqpc/s1600/1-ptero+quetzalcoatlus_james_kuether.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1191" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EznQNJWIe7dSlCcTNZcgV3m1HMSnm3j5OGE5ubXb7pqsZB3FkHcvSpbDLMVOkpEq_LHeUYqGUMtga8HW2T2_ex5bXgGuTiCt6YwpLG79lsRkdDP7N7esB-pqUsVHA_1yr5eRST7XBqpc/s320/1-ptero+quetzalcoatlus_james_kuether.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: James Kuether <i>Quetzalcoatlus</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Towards the end of the Cretaceous, most
pterosaurs were huge as in the humongous azhdarchids, hatzegopteryx and quetzalcoatlus.
There just weren’t anymore small pterosaur finds during this period. The
guessing went that the established bird populations at the time out-competed the
smaller pterosaurs for ecological niches in food and habitat. A 2016 find off
the coast of Canada’s British Columbia on the island of Hornby, however has
caused a pause for rethinking.</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDx5Mr716uN_XaHSv7lJISzVzZ05p9yTCiccVOhMIOP5h2mwQNhZKVnOPzvFTzyUDmjTzszX2BQtiT4bp_ucVR-xPojkP9rgrgu-aM34QKRlFaf9UlqhUiJTNxa89uw9HvFLp_KZ3fLlE/s1600/1-ptero+hatzegopteryx+julio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="800" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDx5Mr716uN_XaHSv7lJISzVzZ05p9yTCiccVOhMIOP5h2mwQNhZKVnOPzvFTzyUDmjTzszX2BQtiT4bp_ucVR-xPojkP9rgrgu-aM34QKRlFaf9UlqhUiJTNxa89uw9HvFLp_KZ3fLlE/s320/1-ptero+hatzegopteryx+julio.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Julio Lacerda <i>Hatzegopteryx</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZv_2SRX1f4vQp9FtaUvsxkx99jHXUQYZ1YUbGepxzGHP5YhYrtYPvKF9nX5aKsA4WjiEurnMkps6ei1Yqy30AEoFfbWCoIizZlwPjTxgwx5qSSvO7ZKi_iwrJMj0riAx3dzZ9ME5Cty35/s1600/1-ptero+Azhdarchidae+RBCM.EH.2009.019.0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1067" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZv_2SRX1f4vQp9FtaUvsxkx99jHXUQYZ1YUbGepxzGHP5YhYrtYPvKF9nX5aKsA4WjiEurnMkps6ei1Yqy30AEoFfbWCoIizZlwPjTxgwx5qSSvO7ZKi_iwrJMj0riAx3dzZ9ME5Cty35/s200/1-ptero+Azhdarchidae+RBCM.EH.2009.019.0001.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist : Mark Witton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A recent pterosaur fossil find shows an
adult pterosaur to have had a wingspan of nearly 1.5m/5ft, but the body was the
approximate size of a cat. This most recent find still has not been assigned a
species recognition yet, so is going by its catalogued identification as, RBCM.EH.2009.019.0001, or simply in the name of, Hornby pterosaur.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNavmU18ea4Bnh3RRu8Y0P_klfwmzKMny1Al-KqLYvacRfen-OZXbCednMhtJg2ygXtnCZPuqIbaJ9idjXB96rHBzM5S4uHK7BnhvA27MJatn3v6W-WvaSkrcDB0Xqz-frNf5ix_k7cA_N/s1600/1-ptero+azhdarchidae+RBCM.EH.2009.019.0001+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="600" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNavmU18ea4Bnh3RRu8Y0P_klfwmzKMny1Al-KqLYvacRfen-OZXbCednMhtJg2ygXtnCZPuqIbaJ9idjXB96rHBzM5S4uHK7BnhvA27MJatn3v6W-WvaSkrcDB0Xqz-frNf5ix_k7cA_N/s320/1-ptero+azhdarchidae+RBCM.EH.2009.019.0001+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: Mark Witton Azhdarchid Hornby pterosaur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Hornby pterosaur possessed an
unwarped deltopectoral crest, a parallel-sided and straight shaft, and slender
bone walls which were typical of humeri in large-headed, toothless pterosaurs.
It’s lack of a diaphyseal expansion corresponds well with the humeri in neoazhdarchian
azhdarchids, such as Quetzalcoatlus. Its oval cross section of the humeral
diaphysis is not oriented, as in most pterosaurs, but with the long axis
perpendicular to the deltopectoral crest. This is a similar morphology that
occurs in the holotype humerus of the azhdarchid, Hatzegopteryx. So, although
small, it belonged to the family of the gargantuan pterosaurs and proves that
at least some small pterosaurs still predominated during and all the way to the end
of the Cretaceous.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although it appears that this little
pterosaur had found a successful niche among birds, after the end of the
Cretaceous, this little guy along with all its other pterosaur and dinosaur
brethren had gone extinct.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On another note, we do for the most part
wish that these magnificent extinct animals could still be around; so much so,
that we invent things up to insist they are still among us. Take for instance
the video below. It certainly looks real, but is a drone mimic of a
pterosaur...good effects though from a distance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YreRe_vkTp4?ecver=1" width="854"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Well, for you...real or fake? Most likely this
is either a readily available on the market drone pterosaur, or a radio
controlled one. As viewed in the video below, one could also be a purchased mechanical pterosaur that looks awesomely similar to the one in the amateur
video below. It runs on tracks though but is now much more advanced than the
one in the video. With some CGI digital affects for special effects and a
longer track, this would make for interesting viewing. This is a well-managed
video, but the wing flaps would not have been characteristic of a live pteranodon
(as this is what is portrayed), for the flaps have no thrust for lift.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-btxZixFSSw?ecver=1" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Below is a fairly decent pterosaur video
put out by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). When ya get time, take a
gander, click the link below and watch it. It’s worth a few minutes of time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP3JkC0FyMI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP3JkC0FyMI</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the next ‘</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Et Tunc Nulla Erat</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’ series, we will examine the evolutionary
process of everyone’s favorite...dinosaurs and birds.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here’s to hoping
ya never tear-a-sore,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">August-September
2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-3637833177075589292017-07-01T16:50:00.002-04:002017-07-06T10:38:28.029-04:00Jangled Lying<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Jangled Lying</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Inured</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To accept something that is inferior
only to back former false claims is tantamount to displacing loyalty to party
over nation. That is the crux of the GOPs drive to erase Obama’s signature
legislation in healthcare and to Hades to the American public. Whether it is
the GOP House majority’s ‘American Healthcare Act’ (AHCA) or the GOP Senate majority’s
‘Better Healthcare Reconciliation Act’ (BHRA) plan, neither of them are better
than the ACA; in fact they’re much worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The thing is...Republican congressmen
remained too busy obstructing and repealing Obamacare (ACA) and, although they
gave hints of a plan in place by waving blank sheets of paper, while current
House Speaker, Paul Ryan (R-WI) kept falsely insisting a replacement to the ACA
was at hand, they never gave one briefing concerning their alternate for seven
years. In fact, House Republicans kept it in secret lock down until finally a
cast of a few Ryan handpicked Republicans hastily put a healthcare bill plan
piecemealed together behind closed doors within the closing weeks. The whole
process stunk and the outcome stunk.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ytpR9moNAKXb9py0HyLkBMPj-V-9ufSST0wYaeYJ0_S8a6287jaRNxvPEV1Q5Y_KebmkmaU5dLx7Q7NGa0LRWWuqw7cHd1DGI9f2byiSYXQQ_vd0rOwTR_xAaG9dFeF3AAzPIHftO8vl/s1600/1-gop+hypocrits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="476" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ytpR9moNAKXb9py0HyLkBMPj-V-9ufSST0wYaeYJ0_S8a6287jaRNxvPEV1Q5Y_KebmkmaU5dLx7Q7NGa0LRWWuqw7cHd1DGI9f2byiSYXQQ_vd0rOwTR_xAaG9dFeF3AAzPIHftO8vl/s320/1-gop+hypocrits.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This new ‘American Healthcare Act’
(AHCA) was so bad; it would not pass a House vote even with Republicans holding
a solid majority. American folks lashed out against it so strongly that
Republican congressmen began cancelling town hall meetings with their
constituents. So, to appease the extreme right membership of the House, Ryan
revised and tweaked it enough to make it even worse. Indeed the tweak worked as
some Tea Party congressional members hopped aboard and it passed by a mere five
votes...217 to 212. I called this AHCA the Trumyancare bill in rhyming it with
onion...yum-yum eat ‘em up.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After Trump led the House Republican
parade and gathering on the White House lawns to issue proclamations of
adulation for the GOP success in finally passing an inferior bill, it was now
the GOP Senate’s turn to come up with their version. So, for their final version,
after weeks of behind closed door meetings consisting of only thirteen
Republican white male senators and tons of health insurer lobbyists, they came
up with an even worse version to healthcare going by the name of ‘Better
Healthcare Reconciliation Act’ (BHRA). Since Senate Majority Leader, Mitch
McConnell was in charge of all the secrecy surrounding the senate version I
call the BHRA the McRumpyancare as analogous to cheap McDonalds’ burgers and
fries...more scummy yummy for the tummy.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecJ-CfDDhw_rU3Cl5tasVA8ydfc_p_jK8Dkg3hGNQOGmmTBsaGnj0C5JnR7jtn91tOPcA5ATNW01MJFTuXQ4fJSe3hwQTAaIay89Wki8Mv_tyY1uesXVEQKllXw3c517dIpCHqAdqCO-C/s1600/1-gop+hlthcare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="476" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecJ-CfDDhw_rU3Cl5tasVA8ydfc_p_jK8Dkg3hGNQOGmmTBsaGnj0C5JnR7jtn91tOPcA5ATNW01MJFTuXQ4fJSe3hwQTAaIay89Wki8Mv_tyY1uesXVEQKllXw3c517dIpCHqAdqCO-C/s320/1-gop+hlthcare.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Now, McConnell, during the secretive
Republican collusion (in which even most GOP senators weren’t privy to) in
piecing together a plan, incessantly promised there would be a senate vote
before the July 4</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> recess. He felt assured ya know that the bill
would be passed since his reconciliation had brought the passing of the bill
down to a 50 majority, deleting the original 60 vote senate requirement. With
50 GOP senatorial votes, then Vice-President Pence could waltz into the senate
chamber and vote to give the majority 51</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> deciding vote. Well, as
it turns out, McConnell couldn’t even reach the 50 vote threshold. So now, he
defers the vote to commence after the recess hoping that a couple of stray
Republicans might come on board once a tweaked amendment or two will coerce
them. Pretty much the same predicament Ryan had over at the House.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unfortunately though, what McConnell did
not want is for the vote to go beyond the recess. This gives the American
public more time to review the Republican version of healthcare, which he knows
they won’t like and he does not want his GOP senators having to face the wrath
of any constituent meetings that might be held over the recess.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Through recent survey polling, it shows
just how much Americans don’t like the Republican versions of healthcare. Since
Republicans have a disdain for survey results that don’t agree with their
rhetoric, I won’t go into detail on the GOP healthcare plan favorability of the
‘Quinnipiac’ result of 58% oppose – 16%, or the ‘Suffolk/USA Today’ result of
45% oppose – 12% support, or the ‘NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist’ result of 55% oppose
– 17% support. Instead I’ll dwell a bit on the right-wingers’ cherished ‘Fox
News’ result.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62ejWC6poLCjLZpevh_o8CSr3pMWLilThbY1G-nBgOFCtECLX1AC8rX8OnGwX66XHA0UA7byZ-vbFlCqzFhl_5iEMDXqadvwbaYsy2b00rMLXBagJTMsEy2lDyaA8cb211HoHFzVE_dTT/s1600/1-gop+fox+poll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="109" data-original-width="600" height="58" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62ejWC6poLCjLZpevh_o8CSr3pMWLilThbY1G-nBgOFCtECLX1AC8rX8OnGwX66XHA0UA7byZ-vbFlCqzFhl_5iEMDXqadvwbaYsy2b00rMLXBagJTMsEy2lDyaA8cb211HoHFzVE_dTT/s320/1-gop+fox+poll.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The ‘Fox News’ polling result is pretty
much the same as the others with 54% opposing – 27% supporting. So, I ask the
right-winger...is ‘Fox News’ ‘fake news’ as well? While their own polling shows
the unpopularity of the GOPs version of healthcare, ‘Fox News’ nonetheless will
still push it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Going back to McConnell, he’s indeed in
devious mode and does not want Democrats involved to be included in nonpartisan
negotiations. Why ol’ Turtle Face, Mitch is even threatening Republicans, their
staffers and even Trump that if, God forbid, the GOP vote still comes up short,
Republicans will have to come to the dire conclusion that they will have to
negotiate with Democrats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">McConnell is also using high handed
bribery by using $188 billion taxpayer dollars to dole out to any Republicans
still insisting their hesitant in voting yes. The $188 billion comes from the
expense of twenty-two million American folks losing their healthcare. McConnell
wants to use that as slush money in side deals and private deals to persuade
Republican senators to cast a yea vote by telling them they can use this money
on a carrot stick for whatever they want. Concerning McConnell’s maneuver, one
White House official stated, “<i>There’s no
one-size-fits all to getting these people on board. Each one of them wants
different things and we have to figure out if there is a path</i>.” It’s kind
of like a smorgasbord ‘green’ salad menu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), is one of the
conservative holdouts. He would like a total repeal of Obamacare. If he gets
assurances that more will be chipped away, he’ll gladly accept the money for
his yes vote. But, if he feels enough votes may not occur, he’ll vote no
insisting he is the conservative rightwing savior opposing another healthcare
bill disguised merely as a weaker version of Obamacare. Cruz is an opportunist
in every sense of carpetbagger terms.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDoVlAjXOCzcWww1PvAvzXd9XzKUCe5QpmsVl45xqRZ52Y5AFNDRhJOkZ0_oE-CO_EYHI0pLXttmW5PKdqPyC-Ca3WaM2GM-Us9JTYwEm30KMqHKUS-ROs29i9rXWxE8bXwWpsTj3sZzj/s1600/1-gop+gop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1128" data-original-width="698" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDoVlAjXOCzcWww1PvAvzXd9XzKUCe5QpmsVl45xqRZ52Y5AFNDRhJOkZ0_oE-CO_EYHI0pLXttmW5PKdqPyC-Ca3WaM2GM-Us9JTYwEm30KMqHKUS-ROs29i9rXWxE8bXwWpsTj3sZzj/s320/1-gop+gop.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Oh, the lying to push the Republican
healthcare agenda. From White House administrators like ‘Human Health and
Services’ (HHS), Tom Price to Republican politicians and even Trump himself,
the GOP has been lying to the American public to push through their anti-health
agenda.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First off, Dan Heyman, a reporter for,
‘Public News Services’ was arrested in West Virginia for asking Price a simple
healthcare question. His mistake was that he did it in a public square. The
question Heyman asked was whether domestic violence is classed as a “<i>pre-existing condition</i>” under the health
care bill recently passed in the House. This was asked since the House passed
their bill eliminating proper coverage for pre-existing conditions. For doing
his job and asking about ending the ban on discriminating against those with
pre-existing conditions, Heyman was arrested and charged with some obnoxious
made-up complaint of, “<i>willful disruption
of governmental processes</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anyway, on 06/25/2017, Price went on CNN’s
‘State of the Union’ stating, “<i>What — and
what I’m telling you is that the system, the plan that we have, would put in
place would not allow individuals to fall through the cracks, would not — we
would not pull the rug out from under anybody. We would not have individuals
lose coverage that they want for themselves and for their family</i>.” Price flat out lied. The GOP Medicaid cuts
will be pulling the rug out from under at least 15 million people by next year alone
and at least another 9 million will lose their coverage if Republicans cut or
get rid of the subsidies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Kellyanne Conway on ABCs 06/25/2017
‘This Week’ airing, actually persisted in stating Medicaid cuts do not exist in
the Republican healthcare plans. She emphatically stated to the show’s host,
George Stephanopoulos, “<i>These are not
cuts to Medicaid, George</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Over on CBSs 06/25/2017 ‘Face the
Nation’ show, Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) chimed in with Conway when he
proclaimed to John Dickerson, “<i>The Senate
bill will codify and make permanent the Medicaid expansion. No one loses
coverage</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans cannot defend their health
plans, so are reduced to lying about it. Fact is, folks will lose healthcare
coverage for the senate bill is readied to cut more than a trillion dollars
from Medicaid simply to gain tax cuts for the rich; as Warren Buffet more
appropriately calls the GOP plan, ‘Relief for the Rich Act’.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLL-XrFcFlHEnYInDXg-56_yLd-dfzJBvHqNC_VtAL950RRIydV9Eeb_SMv47MczoJdNIPIPCXbimiyNzIT9oMKhUAnScLdDjeCb3-JbPcIQ3z2O08Gz5I97B8hANCXCezY34fk6bzS1ZC/s1600/1-gop+refib+hyps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLL-XrFcFlHEnYInDXg-56_yLd-dfzJBvHqNC_VtAL950RRIydV9Eeb_SMv47MczoJdNIPIPCXbimiyNzIT9oMKhUAnScLdDjeCb3-JbPcIQ3z2O08Gz5I97B8hANCXCezY34fk6bzS1ZC/s320/1-gop+refib+hyps.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As far as Trump goes in spreading the
lies, here are a few:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>We
will repeal and replace disastrous Obamacare. You will be able to choose your
own doctor again</i>.” Trump, 07/21/2016 Republican National Convention in
Cleveland, Ohio.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ever since employer based insurance
plans, doctor switching has been around long before Obamacare. As insurers are
still in charge of healthcare, Obamacare did not address this issue, but
neither would either GOP plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>We
will create quality, reliable, affordable health care in a free market where
parents can make the health care decisions that they really want to make for
their families. It will be a much better health care at a much less expensive
cost</i>.” Trump, 11/01/2016 Valley
Forge, Pennsylvania. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In reality, under Obamacare annual
premium increases have been the slowest in decades. As compared, both the House
and Senate healthcare versions lead to skyrocketing increases and won’t compete
with Obamacare in keeping deductibles down. Also, in eliminating essential
Obamacare benefits lowers the overall quality of healthcare policies and prices
pre-existing conditions as untenable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Require
price transparency from all healthcare providers, especially doctors and
healthcare organizations like clinics and hospitals. Individuals should be able
to shop to find the best prices for procedures, exams or any other
medical-related procedure</i>.” — Trump campaign website. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Neither Republican bill addresses this
with no mention whatsoever of any control of medical provider costs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKJNf9wYz8KJoJMnxBx6p59i5tGzcZn9mrXUzPJlcdzdE9whGwD1ELLGLxWyx1y2yTH8qDfacPT6M19WIaYa_YWey0By7wLWR7hc3VZLSyhMtqQnd996qfIvYFIlvlgzusizHcuwKEx5Q/s1600/1-gop+trumyancare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="701" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKJNf9wYz8KJoJMnxBx6p59i5tGzcZn9mrXUzPJlcdzdE9whGwD1ELLGLxWyx1y2yTH8qDfacPT6M19WIaYa_YWey0By7wLWR7hc3VZLSyhMtqQnd996qfIvYFIlvlgzusizHcuwKEx5Q/s320/1-gop+trumyancare.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">“</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">You're
going to have such great healthcare at a tiny fraction of the cost, and it is
going to be so easy</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” Trump, 10/25/2016, Sanford, Florida rally.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>It’s
an unbelievably complex subject. Nobody knew health care could be so
complicated</i>.” Trump, 02/27/2017, Washington, D.C. press conference. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Some
of the Fake News Media likes to say that I am not totally engaged in
healthcare. Wrong, I know the subject well & want victory for U.S</i>.”
06/28/2017 Trump tweet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On a 06/27/2017 White House meeting with
all the Republican senators, a reporter asked Trump about Medicaid in the
senate bill. In all of his vast knowledge his reply was, “<i>I think the senate bill is going to be great</i>.” I mean how
generalized can a reply be?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In February of 2016, Trump told ‘Fox
News’, Sean Hannity when it comes to his employees, “<i>I treat them really good with health care. It's a very important thing</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In October 2016 at a Doral, Florida
resort he claimed, “<i>All of my employees
are having tremendous problems with Obamacare</i>.” So, which one is it? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At a time when economic change is making
life more difficult for all but the relatively well-to- do, denying people
access to health insurance is a giant step in the wrong direction.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsKtlzFTlAZWYEAbhRHoL2TyOFa_o4Zg99VGNlcCTPafVwUTQ46xj1DrVQ1QNMz0Oo3lgiORV1tn-0LhhteRs-_0j4uMg3s4zY3kwmpCRbzqzyCoUxCooim6Zwpo_QUusyWcdn5a9BjTT/s1600/1-gop+trmp+mnur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsKtlzFTlAZWYEAbhRHoL2TyOFa_o4Zg99VGNlcCTPafVwUTQ46xj1DrVQ1QNMz0Oo3lgiORV1tn-0LhhteRs-_0j4uMg3s4zY3kwmpCRbzqzyCoUxCooim6Zwpo_QUusyWcdn5a9BjTT/s320/1-gop+trmp+mnur.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With six Nobel Prize winners in the mix,
forty economist professionals wiped the GOP lying slate clean in a letter
addressed to, McConnell. In the nonpartisan letter, it stated:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>The
Senate bill will expose millions to increased out-of-pocket health care costs.
It would base tax credits on a plan with greatly increased cost sharing and
deductibles that could run to $12,000 per family or more. Far from improving
Obamacare, the Senate bill would reduce assistance for the millions of people
who buy coverage through the state and federal marketplaces. Many now eligible
for tax credits would be denied them entirely. States would be allowed to opt
out of regulations that allow less healthy people to buy insurance at
reasonable rates. </i></span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
savings from slashing health subsidies and coverage would go largely to
bestowing tax cuts on upper-income tax filers. The richest 0.1 percent of tax
filers would receive tax cuts averaging over $200,000 per return. We call on
Congress to work on legislation to improve the health delivery system, in
general, and The Affordable Care Act, in particular. The goal should be to hold
down health costs and increase access to affordable, quality health coverage
for all. Unfortunately, the Better Care Reconciliation Act threatens reduced
coverage and higher costs for those who continue to have it</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On top of all this as explained earlier,
McConnell who threatened Republican politicians they might have to do the
unthinkable and work with Democrats in nonpartisan fashion if their atrocious
healthcare bill isn’t passed, said on the senate floor, “<i>I regret that our Democratic friends made clear early on they did not
want to work with us</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Right, McConnell made sure there was to
be no public hearings, no press conferences, no Democrat invitations but secret
selected Republican hearings composed of a baker’s dozen 13 white male senators,
yeah, it is truly regrettable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On Wisconsin’s 06/29/2017 ‘Dan
O’Donnell’ radio show, Paul Ryan whinnied, “<i>Let’s
all fight with respect and civility for the beliefs and causes we believe in,
but let’s be civil with one another… and accusing people who are trying to
solve a health care problem of trying to kill people is not having a civil
debate</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ryan’s doing his best to cover the
Republican efforts in getting 22-23 million folks off of healthcare. Some of
those, without medical treatment are going to die. Apparently he feels that’s
not too big a deal, but I query, why with his civil self, did he cheer on his
fellow Republicans false charges of Obamacare as death panels for the elderly?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ryan was grilled by of all people,
Tucker Carlson of ‘Fox News’. Ryan was blindsided from the normally cordial
Carlson to anything Republican. When discussing healthcare Carlson dropped this
into Ryan’s cold loins...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>But
also I mean you have the overview here is that the all the wealth basically in
the last years is stuck to the top end. That's one of the reasons we've had all
this political turmoil as you know. And so kind of a hard sell to say yeah
we're going to repeal Obamacare, but we're going to send more money to people
who've already gotten the richest over the last ten years I mean that's what
this does no? I'm not leftist. It's just that's true</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ryan was speechless, as the deer caught
frozen in the headlights. He simply gave a shrugged shoulder look away smirk
smile as if saying, “<i>So</i>!”</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">All for the money, the vulnerable are
sacrificed to make the rich richer in this healthcare bill. It is the rollout
for the GOP’s tax overhaul giving a prelude in who wins when it comes to
average American Jack and Jill versus the rich. These two Republican healthcare
bills do not save taxpayer dollars, for it merely rolls it over to the rich. To
validate this I give you two examples.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Koch brothers and their networks are
getting antsy with Republicans on their failure as a majority to get their
healthcare bill with the rich tax breaks passed. One of the Koch brothers’ main
missions was to get Obamacare repealed to gut the Medicaid expansion regaining
more wealth from the rich tax break afforded by Republican policy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At a weekend 400 member donor gathering
this month in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Koch’s ‘Americans for Prosperity’
president, Timothy Phillips said concerning the lack of Republican success in
repealing Obamacare, “<i>Perhaps we were
naïve in thinking a full repeal vote would happen. This has been humbling for
us</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Texan billionaire, Doug Deason is
threatening to pull his so-called “<i>Dallas
piggy bank</i>” Republican donations if the GOP doesn’t “<i>get Obamacare repealed and replaced and get tax reform passed</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The point from all the above is that
there is no process to coming up with a deserving Republican healthcare plan.
It’s a secretive interred partisan plan that has no merit in even coming close
to what healthcare should be for American citizens. Switching quality
healthcare for the American public to give the rich tax cuts is an assault to
all commoner Americans. Disease does not care who is Republican or not; it will
attack all. Accidents are not prejudice; it will occur on both sides of the
political aisle, no matter whether you voted for Hillary or Trump. Opioid
addiction affects anyone, no matter the color, creed or social standing. In
turn it affects any community negatively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Point blank though, these Republican
healthcare bills will have fellow Americans saying goodbye with their last
farewells. It will affect all personally, whether it is a friend, a relative or
you individually. It is not healthcare...it is the first stage of Republican
tax reform, in the dismantling of healthcare to further empower the richest of
the land at the expense of those afflicted, injured, diseased and addicted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Devious
Acts</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just within a month, Trump has done some
fairly insidious acts. Here are a few.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Towards the end of May while he was
traveling the world, conveniently Trump came out with his budget proposal and
it is brutal to those Americans that are poor or disabled. You can forget
Trump’s campaign promises to keep Social Security advantages intact, for in his
budget, it entails significant cuts to ‘Social Security Disability Insurance’
(SSDI) and ‘Supplemental Security Income’ (SSI), which benefit disabled and
low-income Americans. In fact, cuts to SSI would be so deep that the savings
would be comparable to if the program were converted into a block grant. Block
grants are Republican strategies where the federal government doles out control
of tax dollars to state governments but with annual caps. Once the cap ceiling
is reached, no more federal funding.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Social programs for the littlest
Americans (children) will have cuts as well. ‘Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program’ (SNAP) will have cuts geared towards hungry families while on his wish
list, the ‘Children’s Health Insurance Program’ (CHIP) is to take a defunding
hit as well. Along with completely ending financial aid to poor college
students, all told, Trump is taking away $1.7 trillion from these supplemental
programs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s comment on his budget is, “<i>This budget’s defining ambition is to unleash
the dreams of the American people.</i>” Question is...what dreams? In adding another
10% to the federal debt for the military that already takes up 58% of the
federal budget, Trump is glorifying a warlord mentality on the back of poorer
Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s anti-immigrant laws are
primarily directed at skin of brown tone. Under Trump’s stepped-up immigration
laws, anyone who evaded a border inspection or overstayed a visa could be
charged with a misdemeanor or fraud and face deportation. Arrests are way up on
Latinos in the U.S. and for sure, has discouraged their movement into and in
the states. End results, U.S. farmers and ranchers have no one to hire as their
labor pool has drastically shrunk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According to chief strategy officer at ‘Cattle
Empire’ the country’s fifth-largest feed yard, Trisha Priest, 86% of Cattle
Empire’s work force is Latino simply because Americans will not take on jobs
offered by the company. Ms. Priest elaborates, “<i>The threat of deportation and the potential loss of our workforce has
been very terrifying for all of us businesses here</i>.” The company is located
in Trump friendly Kansas. I suppose the old adage, ‘ya get what ya paid for’
applies here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘American Farm Bureau Federation’
reports, “<i>Where American workers are
unwilling or unavailable, workers from other countries have stepped in</i>.”
The bureau, even though it realizes the Trump administration is not receptive,
are pushing for Latinos who have worked in the industry for a set period of
time be permitted permanent legal status.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It is not only in the agricultural end,
as the restaurant, hospitality and construction industries are complaining
about shrinking labor pools. These industries are also requesting that the
Trump administration make working in the U.S. more obliging for the
undocumented labor force they rely on.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump personally knows nothing about
these laws, it is his Republican officials and lobbyists that are making
policy; Trump merely signs them. For instance, a law permanently banning
immigrants from welfare and other benefits was passed and put into law in 1996.
Today Trump promises to ban immigrants from welfare programs for at least five
years...redundant ignorance...</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">On June, 09 in a joint press conference between
Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis and Trump, ABCs, Jon Karl asked Trump about
James Comey’s testimony where Trump was framing Comey as a liar under oath.
Karl then asked Trump, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">So he said those
things under oath, would you be willing to speak under oath to give your
version of those events</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">?” Trump’s reply, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">One-hundred percent</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">!”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To no one’s surprise though, on June 12,
the White House announced that Trump under no circumstances would be testifying
whether under oath or not. What credibility and sound security we have in this
president.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With Eric Trump’s charity for the
children cancer patients of St. Jude’s Hospital, Donald Trump shifted donated
money into his businesses; a total thus far of $1.2 million. Once this scam was
exposed Eric hopped on over to ‘Fox News’ 06/07/2017 Sean Hannity airing and proclaimed
that liberal folks criticizing it are “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">not
even people</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” Actually, one would, in common sense fashion, feel that those
taking money away from sick children to pad their own pockets are more likely
the ones less than human. Of course, Trump did this with his own ‘Trump
Foundation’ charity when he skimmed donations from it to pay for portraits of
him and for his lawsuit legal fees.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On June 19, the Trump administration
blacked out the White House daily press conference briefing insisting on no
video or audio to be recorded. This is a clear violation of the First Amendment
and suppression of information. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although this past January, Trump made a
promise to the American people that he would donate his hotel profits from
foreign governments to the U.S. treasury, currently he hasn’t even donated a
penny, nor will he provide a copy of his policy to do so or at least explain
how they will separate foreign government profits from other profits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Last week at his Washington D.C. Trump
hotel, Trump held a secretive campaign fundraiser with 300 participants paying
$35,000.00 per head to attend. He gained $10 million in funding, but also
profited in taxpayer dollars funding the event at his hotel, while profiting
further in the attendees staying at his hotel. After the story broke, but of
course Trump whined that the ‘fake news’ was conspiring against him. For sure,
this is in direct violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According to NPR stats, of Trump’s
political activities, $1.00 out of every $10.00 that went into his presidential
campaign went back to Trump, while $1.00 out of every $5.00 Trump donated found
its way back to Trump brands and properties.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As of late with the ongoing Russian
investigation, it’s funny how all of a sudden there are a slew of lawyers
joining the White House administration. This doesn’t include officials already
in place that are lawyers such as Mike Pence and Pete Sessions. What makes it
even more amazing is that in a Trump tweet, he claimed that the Russian deal is
all a Democrat hoax; so why all the influx of lawyering? Current White house
lawyers are even hiring their own lawyers. Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael
Cohen has hired attorney, Stephen Ryan to represent him.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Criminal lawyer, Chuck Cooper has been
hired by Sessions. Now, let me ask ya, Sessions supposedly holds the highest
lawyer office in the land as attorney general, so what does that make Cooper?
Another side note on Cooper is that, although he lost, he defended California’s
homophobic Proposition 8 during its Supreme Court trial. What’s so unusual,
while at the same time he was defending Prop 8, he was planning his
stepdaughter’s same-sex wedding. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are some thirty-one personal and
defense lawyers now in the White House. The newest one on Trump’s personal
fielded little army of lawyers is, Jay Sekulow. What a scumbag this guy is. Sekulow
moonlights as a religious right attorney. He has manipulated two nonprofits
known as, ‘Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism’ (CASE) and the ‘American
Center for Law and Justice’ (ACLJ) to steer $60 million to members of his
family and businesses. These are donations primarily from the elderly poor and
lonely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On normally friendly ‘Fox News’ on his
debut to speak on behalf of the president, Sekulow got grilled by Chris
Wallace. See the video below, for it’s worth it.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hju-K9Q6fAY?ecver=1" width="854"></iframe>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As the Russian investigation
intensifies, Vice-president Mike Pence with campaign funds has hired a defense
lawyer. In Dominoes Park in Miami, Florida, when asked by a press pool about
the hiring, Pence retorted, “</span></span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">It’s very
routine. Very routine</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” Oh, is it? Former vice-president, Joe Biden
certainly never hired a criminal lawyer. In fact going all the way back to the
Carter years, there has been only one vice-president to hire a criminal lawyer
and that was Dick Cheney.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On June 22 at an Iowan campaign rally,
Trump defended his filling the swamp instead of his promised drainage by
admitting, “<i>I love all people, rich or
poor. But in those particular positions I just don’t want a poor person. Does
that make sense</i>?” Sean Hannity later defended Trump’s remark on his show
stating, “<i>I’ve never been hired by a poor
person</i>.” Wealthy or in poverty is not an adequate sign of intelligence. I
just suppose it’s quite clear now the distinction between classes is loud and
clear under Trumpism.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5IW_RAj5AG84Bs7J1a1H5yB_MPWw1wQKX3PNsPonxR2p07mvUGZsBG-ACoplpEXEssZLISI9VPXOs_sTNoYYdkJeCrDddqxJUhOLGomD1AHITpdbVTTW3hvQu5Npa3JK49W8si35wazU/s1600/1-gop+fake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="600" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5IW_RAj5AG84Bs7J1a1H5yB_MPWw1wQKX3PNsPonxR2p07mvUGZsBG-ACoplpEXEssZLISI9VPXOs_sTNoYYdkJeCrDddqxJUhOLGomD1AHITpdbVTTW3hvQu5Npa3JK49W8si35wazU/s320/1-gop+fake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump was called out by ‘Time Magazine’
on June 27 to remove the ‘fake news’ headlines of the magazine’s covers Trump
has plastered over his golfing club’s walls. The fake Time covers feature a
Trump photo with stupendous headlines falsely claiming exaggerated successes.
The magazine has asked for the bogus covers to be taken down, but as yet has
received no response.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The covers are on at least eight of
Trump’s properties’ walls, but no one is explaining why. Sarah Huckabee Sanders
in a press briefing wouldn’t explain why, but did follow up in an e-mail, “<i>We couldn’t comment on the decor at Trump
Golf clubs one way or another</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I won’t rehash all the Russian/Trump
connections, but the latest is that intelligence investigators have revealed Russian
hackers were caught discussing how to get hacked Clinton emails to Mike Flynn
of the Trump campaign, which would be proof that Trump colluded with Russia
during the 2016 election. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A June 29 ‘Wall Street Journal’ article
as well, reported that a top GOP operative, Peter W. Smith was also involved.
In the article the paper reported, “<i>Emails
written by Mr. Smith and one of his associates show that his small group
considered Mr. Flynn and his consulting company, Flynn Intel Group, to be
allies in their quest</i>.” The puzzle pieces that fit are being put in place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In summation: evidence is now there and
mounting that individuals connected to the Trump campaign were seeking stolen
emails from Russian hackers and evidence that Russian hackers were trying to
provide them to a top Trump adviser. Whether Trump was ignorant of this fact or
knew of it, both ways are damming.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyA1TyCjKafcJ7zyUTcKcHpy4924LbXF0Y7PChFnc_DPDhmpPaV8D6vEg1uKCiL5sbprXW2RfOmDI2JuEd529m5nYUSq0wCOqLZFEfeVUjHg71-t3NZMqFVzVmbGTSHpM6mh-bwFr_syKr/s1600/1-gop+rssncnnctn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="476" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyA1TyCjKafcJ7zyUTcKcHpy4924LbXF0Y7PChFnc_DPDhmpPaV8D6vEg1uKCiL5sbprXW2RfOmDI2JuEd529m5nYUSq0wCOqLZFEfeVUjHg71-t3NZMqFVzVmbGTSHpM6mh-bwFr_syKr/s320/1-gop+rssncnnctn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Days before Independence Day, it appears
Trump’s federal government of forcing itself upon states’ rights is melting. Funny
this, states’ rights has always been a
rallying cry for Republicans except when a Republican president is in power.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What I’m discussing here, is Trump’s
self-devised and state-imposed commission led by, Kansas Secretary of State
Kris Kobach to collect voter data from all the states. This commission was
borne out of the bogus Trump claim that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote
because of people voting illegally. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As it turns out, so far, twenty-four
states are not cooperating with the mandate and will not turn over their
sensitive and personal voting data and guess what...they’re not all Democrat
states. Of the trump demands for states to hand over voter names, Social
Security numbers, addresses and birthdates, Mississippi Secretary of State
Delbert Hosemann has refused the order emphatically stating, “<i>They can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico and
Mississippi is a great state to launch from</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The twenty-four states that are thus far
not cooperating are in the tweet below:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqZRlR-CTYiyr5vPH2c1ZO9GlYlWAVt8zfvontOHuAJtFnI5VDU6RYz7CuvyAEEqK1k0uBHO4gYYKlFq4mrNVyMPU15UAaWUjBC75Xr_unSW5AAlhN-ri2UibQkWDaVYcEbWxLfC0B9Fk/s1600/1-gop+refusal+states.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="600" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqZRlR-CTYiyr5vPH2c1ZO9GlYlWAVt8zfvontOHuAJtFnI5VDU6RYz7CuvyAEEqK1k0uBHO4gYYKlFq4mrNVyMPU15UAaWUjBC75Xr_unSW5AAlhN-ri2UibQkWDaVYcEbWxLfC0B9Fk/s320/1-gop+refusal+states.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With Trump, I don’t quite know whether
it’s a hang-up or an infatuation when it comes to blood and women. In his tweet
below, it’s no surprise but merely a continuation of the indignity and shame
he’s casting upon each and every American. Trump’s tweet was in retaliation for
Mika Brezinski saying on the MSNBC, ‘Morning Joe’ show in reference to Trump, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Let’s say someone came into NBC and took
over NBC, and started tweeting wildly about people’s appearances, bullying
people, talking about people in the competition, lying every day, undermining
his managers, throwing them under the (bus) — that person would be thrown out.
It’s just not normal behavior. In fact, there would be concerns that the person
who runs the company is out of his mind</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2ka3GsZMCLpVJ9pTWUvLBh8jVzp7gJx8R9ZrOwh9nxit4uqal8FPELyBLERItayQklhyn8FwDd6dtN9l71-YjZLkn_gHc5xZnuKtVW68fmF-58o_L9DNgATG7yZLk8lkQ5emZKd4hJNN/s1600/1-gop+trmpblood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="600" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2ka3GsZMCLpVJ9pTWUvLBh8jVzp7gJx8R9ZrOwh9nxit4uqal8FPELyBLERItayQklhyn8FwDd6dtN9l71-YjZLkn_gHc5xZnuKtVW68fmF-58o_L9DNgATG7yZLk8lkQ5emZKd4hJNN/s320/1-gop+trmpblood.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Whether his bucket claim of never
watching the morning show holds water or not, Trump’s retaliatory tweet came
minutes after she said it. His bleeding and facelift add is wholly a made-up
lie, but if he’s so concerned about cosmetic surgery, he might want to check
out a few of the Trump women.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This tweet only shows how shallow in
temperance and character Trump is. What a president the U.S.A. has. So
thin-skinned, he can’t even handle a petty tweet. Imagine how the rightwing
would act if Obama had responded in just a minutia microcosm amount in the same
way Trump did. They would’ve torn into him. But of all the bogus dirty and
filthy things they said about Obama, as a leader, as a man of wisdom, he
allowed it all to simply roll off of his shoulders.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXzr4IbRJiLmmpFSuXfjL8D6Z03gcQwx3d9TUXPqszv5yB-ZIyh-UCom_32LdUh8DGZi5ER_Jbowyn7FOJsIunjwKO76V8H3yapmnIqHByr7UIKY7YeDbma3J3suW-BzTm7hMXl-qAWsw/s1600/1-gop+disaprove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="476" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXzr4IbRJiLmmpFSuXfjL8D6Z03gcQwx3d9TUXPqszv5yB-ZIyh-UCom_32LdUh8DGZi5ER_Jbowyn7FOJsIunjwKO76V8H3yapmnIqHByr7UIKY7YeDbma3J3suW-BzTm7hMXl-qAWsw/s320/1-gop+disaprove.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Shame on the GOP politician...yes they commented
on Trump’s Mika tweet saying it “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">bothered</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">”
them that they were “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">agitated</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” by it
and it was “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">unnecessary</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,” but then go
right back to his side and fall back in line...what cowardice. They knew they
had to say something to appease the public, but then in a flash go back to the carrot-head
to do his bidding. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Stand-up to him for gosh sake!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From wishbone to jawbone, but absent of
backbone; where is the mustered courage by any Republican to stand up to Trump
and say, ‘enough is enough.’ Trump should be scolded then scorned. He should be
specifically confronted and told to quit acting the baby and become a tad bit
more mature, if not more presidential. Where is the ethics in today’s
Republican arena? If Trump is verbally “<i>attacked
he will punch back ten times more</i>,” my aspirin. As my wife expresses, Trump’s
not punching harder, he’s punching lower. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is a list of the seven sailors
killed while serving their country after their ship the USS Fitzgerald collided
with a merchant ship four times the size off the coast of the Sea of Japan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVYpnAezx2G-KT78osvLhVNhqS4Y46Oqa8bS87uMjYGB6uywoDrv2di7pQgZui98g6jfZvqR94lhrcA1RqNigYdahJXb02Kpn0Q2WYtTuxDQEFmZovDNL85VQ6G4dh0PQ4TOIFnVehsSb/s1600/1-gop+sailors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="819" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVYpnAezx2G-KT78osvLhVNhqS4Y46Oqa8bS87uMjYGB6uywoDrv2di7pQgZui98g6jfZvqR94lhrcA1RqNigYdahJXb02Kpn0Q2WYtTuxDQEFmZovDNL85VQ6G4dh0PQ4TOIFnVehsSb/s320/1-gop+sailors.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Unfortunately, this current president
had nothing to neither say or do concerning these fallen naval men, nor
acknowledge publicly our nation’s loss.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Whether it’s from Canada or through
Europe to Australia, the global map is taking note of Trump’s antics. Leaving
the Paris Climate Agreement has really set back America’s lead on the world
stage and has given allies the will to go do it on their own without the U.S.
We’ll begin ending this segment with a video by former Mexican president,
Vicente Fox. It’s a bit humorous but somber at the same time.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2FrQRHW3XHI?ecver=1" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump over nation is obsessed with erasing
anything Obama achieved. You see it in his executive orders rescinding Obama’s
environmental and financial protections, in repealing Obamacare with inferior
legislation and in reintroducing the wealthy tax breaks. Just today this June
30, Trump told U.S. Republican senators to repeal Obamacare immediately if they
cannot agree on a new health-care plan to take its place. This would be
catastrophic to folks depending on Obamacare. He’s also reversed Obama’s Cuban
policy, so is now making it harder for families to reunite.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump indeed is a weak president and
what makes that worse is that even with frailties in mind and character, an
impuissant U.S. president still wields a lot of authority. Trump fights for
Trump ignoring obligations to speak on behalf of the nation. In fact, he’s
using the highest power of the globe to gloat about himself, enrich himself and
mock anyone whom he feels steps in his way. Trump is merely a manipulator of
his own worst instincts.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As Far as why the Republican Party
overall is no longer in existence, much less controlling the government that
they can’t even legislate out of a cardboard box, is a quandary. Oh yeah, need
I be reminded of the lying rhetoric, fundamentalist Christian collusion with
white nationalism, voter ID suppression laws, scapegoating crusades, ‘Citizens
United’ and an ill-informed base. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
Bid Adieu</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is a true contrast in how
democracy works in Republican efforts versus Democrat efforts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The first are scenes from a Mitch
McConnell command for capital police officers to arrest the handicapped in the
hallways protesting the repeal of Obamacare that they depend on. I must include
though, Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) once asked if he wanted protesters near his
office doorway removed by police force, he declined the offer. The second set
of scenes is how Democrats work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Police on McConnell’s orders begin
arresting wheelchair bound Americans practicing their First Amendment rights.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2v9kV8bqYfRbOgpuIe50QvmR34dUDvCFF4VN7Clze46SvayY7Jgy-y2Qiznml-t1MbCi39rp23U8fk3WX3tnwD-A0JEm42tn1890V9Mgfd5KGP1DBmqNKawSjW1p2h9iw1zBsDTvGceY/s1600/1-gop+drag6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2v9kV8bqYfRbOgpuIe50QvmR34dUDvCFF4VN7Clze46SvayY7Jgy-y2Qiznml-t1MbCi39rp23U8fk3WX3tnwD-A0JEm42tn1890V9Mgfd5KGP1DBmqNKawSjW1p2h9iw1zBsDTvGceY/s320/1-gop+drag6.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Once the hallway was cleared </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">of the disabled </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">by his
order, Mitch McConnell casually strolls through wearing that
smirk smile of his. A fine job Mitch...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW3RxNfCLMsHQJyys6Z7fY1bBvCqZR14mZ1b-N_XDGFdJ9U8s1RTAkb3H_NVSxv7JXqRmSrZfLnXQYRBi17ikXGNgtK781gn_fmsYLlZ4mlgKz4bMRpn8Pth1i_JDIvjziEqAGVE2BYrs/s1600/1-gop+drag7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="770" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW3RxNfCLMsHQJyys6Z7fY1bBvCqZR14mZ1b-N_XDGFdJ9U8s1RTAkb3H_NVSxv7JXqRmSrZfLnXQYRBi17ikXGNgtK781gn_fmsYLlZ4mlgKz4bMRpn8Pth1i_JDIvjziEqAGVE2BYrs/s320/1-gop+drag7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First off, for Democrats, Senator Cory
Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) sit alone on the
capitol steps strategizing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepNct0MVj3UOAwZr0iWi2Ot5BFUQ7QZGTMTTWz1T4hYfKm2dQ7kpC5Gb3gUjDMskTFDkRbkXvlqDrXLIzxPuyuyoKNTtQgz6ljh8L1U0IfoTBssymLTyQEbBCrdeFY0ELC3xb78vqGqum/s1600/1-gop+dem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepNct0MVj3UOAwZr0iWi2Ot5BFUQ7QZGTMTTWz1T4hYfKm2dQ7kpC5Gb3gUjDMskTFDkRbkXvlqDrXLIzxPuyuyoKNTtQgz6ljh8L1U0IfoTBssymLTyQEbBCrdeFY0ELC3xb78vqGqum/s320/1-gop+dem.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then others filter in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOVSNsRNmDXeHAmWGO0gF_3hXS1DX3WD-Tircr3CNjSgB0I7-6RvVVW-m81JxAF4391VWJwZuhF5AZhygHw6qjR7XojGgaG_rfWWx2n4pHNya_W4mTfAHAmHolsvPMkden8ftbKjl6uMI/s1600/1-gop+dem1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="600" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOVSNsRNmDXeHAmWGO0gF_3hXS1DX3WD-Tircr3CNjSgB0I7-6RvVVW-m81JxAF4391VWJwZuhF5AZhygHw6qjR7XojGgaG_rfWWx2n4pHNya_W4mTfAHAmHolsvPMkden8ftbKjl6uMI/s320/1-gop+dem1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">More join.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHiUuSTZCRvpc5hxM-tuL6F4uF1nMkSaqDTqOfia6Ibxddyh0oYOAhgKOTdbF84XgSvljx0Qv0IjX7_loo_GKIHIyq_aT6kmdWo16F8LFH-OPBi7VChsMX9s6RcVG4ygffvkaD6jFrzCa/s1600/1-gop+dem2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHiUuSTZCRvpc5hxM-tuL6F4uF1nMkSaqDTqOfia6Ibxddyh0oYOAhgKOTdbF84XgSvljx0Qv0IjX7_loo_GKIHIyq_aT6kmdWo16F8LFH-OPBi7VChsMX9s6RcVG4ygffvkaD6jFrzCa/s320/1-gop+dem2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then more Democrats </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">along with passersby </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">join in as if it was
a remake of an ancient Greek Athenian meeting where Democracy was first born.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-hQopmnjJZ755N7C0nqZFlaSK92UPB8LpE6Pav3ooz6IYdaLYZlgGG34MXlMLbcWTWSXMqabbbUYumBy2y1pBo-W8_3PuEVR0sdnZpt9c7vhG0cvkhCcKR6eP-vslcHqByPUtj93b63F/s1600/1-gop+dem3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-hQopmnjJZ755N7C0nqZFlaSK92UPB8LpE6Pav3ooz6IYdaLYZlgGG34MXlMLbcWTWSXMqabbbUYumBy2y1pBo-W8_3PuEVR0sdnZpt9c7vhG0cvkhCcKR6eP-vslcHqByPUtj93b63F/s320/1-gop+dem3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqbX38M3rMOQdHVLhphiXQnsS_5_ZxppriJY_vLBXHGWfm8CFzJ1EY3-kjV_pnvgYkUj3PQ4f8xE2AN_OLTW-k0K3pLsFF7WyVw6rF-qwmCM1kuWND0jAwVwNKPusdPnAQSrBCHjEK5fF/s1600/1-gop+dem4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqbX38M3rMOQdHVLhphiXQnsS_5_ZxppriJY_vLBXHGWfm8CFzJ1EY3-kjV_pnvgYkUj3PQ4f8xE2AN_OLTW-k0K3pLsFF7WyVw6rF-qwmCM1kuWND0jAwVwNKPusdPnAQSrBCHjEK5fF/s320/1-gop+dem4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These step scenes were captured by, Ben
Winkler of ‘MoveOn.org’ as he was walking through the capitol building grounds
on a June 26 evening. The scenes happened spontaneously and luckily, Winkler
happened to be walking by at the right moment to catch it. Amazing grace...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Happy
Firecracker Day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">06/30-07/01/2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-14685778921092160352017-05-31T18:49:00.000-04:002017-06-07T13:23:28.683-04:00Ragged Breath<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Ragged Breath<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Terpidity</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I know I previously stated I would write
no more political articles, but...I lied. Currently, with what is rapidly
transpiring, for this nation and what I deem is its core values to be as a
nation, is at least worthy in furtherance of my two cents worth. In good
conscience, I cannot simply sit idly by while allowing all the disgrace blotting our
nation go unnoticed. It needs some quashing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For all you Trumpeteers out there and in
‘Bubble Land’, particularly those that still spinelessly corroborate your blind
opinions in favor of this president; shame on all of you. How callous can ya
be? This is a classic partisanship that validates your party allegiance over
country. From a most recent May 16, 2017 ‘Public Policy Polling’ (PPP), results
show that, even after all this nonsense occurring from this presidency, 86% of
Republicans still think Trump is doing a great job. What job? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What has Trump done to better the
country, or to give the average American some relief as he proclaimed he would do
the very first day in office? Huh...what?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJVRQKKoY4mVTKQrMXzKMdlJr6cBuK9KtOf7TKiZxm7Ld8K-5wL_mbjcKcPQyHxB9r0eaFVxghJDIV3zKRCpcnEgFsYByOg4KhYxJ4_iQhqv6LhZq5DH-wyAg8n5PN6mzk7sUlYxVTTBA/s1600/1-gop+bob+lonsberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="476" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJVRQKKoY4mVTKQrMXzKMdlJr6cBuK9KtOf7TKiZxm7Ld8K-5wL_mbjcKcPQyHxB9r0eaFVxghJDIV3zKRCpcnEgFsYByOg4KhYxJ4_iQhqv6LhZq5DH-wyAg8n5PN6mzk7sUlYxVTTBA/s200/1-gop+bob+lonsberry.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">He’s lied about creating jobs, such as ‘United
Technologies’ Indiana ‘Carrier’ plant’s move to Mexico where he said he saved
1,100 jobs...when he did not. Carrier promptly sent 300 jobs to Mexico
immediately after Trump’s proclamation and then another 300 jobs in its Indiana
fan and coil plant. Additionally, in its Huntington, Indiana plant, ‘United
Technologies’ are shipping an extra 700 jobs to Mexico. In total, that’s 1,300
American jobs gone through Trump’s deal and that’s after Pence had the Indiana
tax payer give ‘United Technologies’ $16 million in incentives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Throughout all of this, only 800 jobs
were to remain in Indiana, but now it’s being reported that by July, out of
that 800, 338 more are being shipped to
Mexico. This carrier deal was merely another of Trump’s scams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5w1VuG8XqF65YNpg5G7fYmDeXgw931zd-368br6C9uO_uj8wORqTfLmp1FES2W9npx-DDRLeo1p_KTsvvKMPZ4Xu5BB728R8AAnUPCGYwT2UdYF7KOMzSLYedldpfbm2MQgof_G9ttsyI/s1600/1-gop+protesters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="625" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5w1VuG8XqF65YNpg5G7fYmDeXgw931zd-368br6C9uO_uj8wORqTfLmp1FES2W9npx-DDRLeo1p_KTsvvKMPZ4Xu5BB728R8AAnUPCGYwT2UdYF7KOMzSLYedldpfbm2MQgof_G9ttsyI/s200/1-gop+protesters.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Prepare yourselves, for the next
sentence is longwinded. I suppose, no matter any of the amount of lewdness,
callousness, falsehoods, broken promises, almost daily scandal creations, continuous
distraction, obstruction of justice and conflicts of interests running rampant
throughout this administration, since the Trumpsters rooted for him, got him
into office and blindly defend him, they will ignore all the imperviousness
this administration is to truth and are tantamount as ever in willing to go
down with Trump. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Impeachment with majority Republicans
holding all the executive, congressional and judicial branches of government
will be a long and obstructive path to being fulfilled, but responsible
Americans have got to push for it when the full evidence is there to do so.
Americans who still hold dear the American constitution and values should make
it loud and clear, political Trumpeteers will pay for their malfeasance in
chipping away at the democracies this nation has always been the beacon for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, this is dangerous ground we’re
treading on here. The base of Trump support comes from angry white men, gun
nuts, biker groups, white nationalists and the wholly uneducated. They will
retaliate if Trump is impeached. Assuredly, with Trump’s egging on, these
collective vengeful groups will take to the streets and do nasty things in only
what they how to do. Why, because they are not for nation, no matter how many
of them call themselves patriots. They are trumpets sounding off for Trump. He
is their identity. Unfortunately for them though, Trump is only for Trump. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HAYKnTCecRZvev2S471hUzgiRJUWK8wG-kpcfXBQEAgm2-80_6FzNaw460dp3ioPxQnAtw3NNEIkwFB9cqJfXcJDKTBskSUuGcG_GGqxq6A_TOrU36O0P48g0yo2SWhp5s2mzlFJeDbt/s1600/1-gop+hillrydrnk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="600" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HAYKnTCecRZvev2S471hUzgiRJUWK8wG-kpcfXBQEAgm2-80_6FzNaw460dp3ioPxQnAtw3NNEIkwFB9cqJfXcJDKTBskSUuGcG_GGqxq6A_TOrU36O0P48g0yo2SWhp5s2mzlFJeDbt/s200/1-gop+hillrydrnk.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Whenever I visit rightwing blog sites,
they always have innumerable members using the handle ‘Patriot’ this or that. When
these so called ‘patriots’ incessantly still defend Trump over all this scandalous
Trump/Russian misdoings, it assuredly is not making America great again. No,
you can throw that slogan out with the trash ya brought into the White House,
for it’s more like stimulating Putin and his Russian cohorts’ ejaculating gaffing
laughter over their vodka cocktails when discussing the cracks now being forged
into American democracy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkBqNcjXvsc3ebArfCbzmnNJOL73SiPW4l4j2ihLU2NBPxARWL3ajW23B6ZDT7tVVFWpia9F21awDkq_ebTOBkuRwJH9W1T6DuZlnxu7C1o7aEmFMGNo7uq4zHE7u-MvwX8277KHkeDct/s1600/1-gop+hllry+drnk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="600" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkBqNcjXvsc3ebArfCbzmnNJOL73SiPW4l4j2ihLU2NBPxARWL3ajW23B6ZDT7tVVFWpia9F21awDkq_ebTOBkuRwJH9W1T6DuZlnxu7C1o7aEmFMGNo7uq4zHE7u-MvwX8277KHkeDct/s200/1-gop+hllry+drnk.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">To divert attention away from Trump current woes
in Russia, the budget proposal and healthcare, rightwing blog sites are trying
to spread if Hillary Clinton is drunk in a video. First, so what, but mostly, what does that have to do with our current government. Remember, Hillary lost;
attention is now on Trump, so concentrate.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">And for all you Trumpeteer Christians
out there...shame, shame, shame on you for the opprobrium in choosing Trump the
contemptable over Christ your savior. This past summer at the Iowa Family
Leadership Summit, Trump was asked whether he had ever asked God for
forgiveness. Trump replied, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I am not
sure I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don’t think
so. I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I
don’t bring God into that picture. I don’t</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” Of course not, for in his eyes
he is the deified perfection.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, this past January 18, 2017 when
asked the same question by Christian conservative, Cal Thomas, Trump toned it
down a bit in saying, “<i>I will be asking
for forgiveness, but hopefully I won’t have to be asking for much forgiveness</i>.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, when you put Trump up on a higher
pedestal than Jesus, in word and action stipulating Trump can do no wrong,
you’re elevating him above your savior. After all, your rightwing preacher,
Lance Wallnau proclaimed that Trump will never be impeached because there is no
way that God performed the miracle of getting him elected only to see him
removed from office. Ya know what, if Jesus Christ truly is the savior that all
you have ‘trumped’...yore goin’ tah Hey-ll...</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="428" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4eW_MHh8_YU?ecver=1" width="760"></iframe>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tempest
Rushing to Russian</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With the drip, drip quickly pooling and
beginning to flow, it is remarkable how once Republicans were so anti-Russian
that now they back Russia merely because Trump does. As far as the
Trump/Russian collusion goes we’ll follow a guideline of sorts in chronological
form.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Among much research, a bulk of these
excerpts was pulled from Bill Moyers and ‘Mother Jones’, Hannah Levintova. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The collusion of, Paul Manafort, Roger
Stone, Donald Trump and Russia goes all the way back into the 1980s with
Manafort and Stone’s lobbying practice where Trump hires Manafort to help him
in attempts to develop Russian business in 1987. By 1988, Stone becomes Trump’s
closest adviser concerning Russia and business dealings. From then on, these
three are linked to Russian activities from real estate in the U.S. and Russia
to Manafort advising Russian oligarchs and pro-Russian friendly Ukranian
politicians. Trump also announced that the 2013 Miss Universe beauty pageant,
which he owned, would be held in Moscow as his choice for the location. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On September 19, 2007, Felix Sater and
the former Soviet official, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Tevfik Arif,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> who founded </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Bayrock</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, stand next to
Trump at the launch party for Trump SoHo, a hotel-condominium project
co-financed by </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Bayrock</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">. In the same year, on November 22, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Trump Vodka</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> debuts in
Russia, at the Moscow Millionaire</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">s Fair.</span></div>
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<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2014</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: Famed golf
writer and coauthor of Arnold Palmer’s memoirs, James Dodson, after playing
golf with the Trumps on their newly opened ‘Trump National Charlotte’ golf
course, gives an interview on the May 05<sup>th</sup> Boston’s PBS station. In
it, he describes as he was playing golf with Donald and Eric Trump on the
course, “<i>I asked Donald Trump before the
round: What are you using to pay for these courses? And he just sort of tossed
off that he had access to $100 million. So when I got in the cart with Eric, as
we were setting off, I said, Eric, who’s funding? I know no banks — because of
the recession, the Great Recession — have touched a golf course. You know, no
one’s funding any kind of golf construction. It’s dead in the water the last
four or five years. And this is what he said. He said, Well, we don’t rely on
American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia. I said, Really?
And he said, ‘Oh, yeah. We’ve got some guys that really, really love golf, and
they’re really invested in our programs. We just go there all the time. Now
that was three years ago, so it was pretty interesting</i>.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On February 22, public
uprisings heed the Ukrainian parliament to oust the unpopular and pro-Russian,
President Viktor Yanukovych for gross violations of human rights. Yanukovych
flees to Russia, but leaves behind the so-called ‘Black Ledger’ revealing
twenty-two entries showing that $12.7 million was paid to Manafort and his
firm, ‘Viktor Yanukovych’s Party of Regions’ in undisclosed cash payments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At the March 2014
‘Conservative Political Action Conference’ (CPAC), Trump proclaims, “<i>You know, I was in Moscow a couple of months
ago. I own the Miss Universe Pageant and they treated me so great. Putin even
sent me a present, a beautiful present</i>.”</span> <span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This was the
same day the Obama administration slaps sanctions onto Russia for its unlawful
annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine sovereign territory.</span></div>
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<br />
<b><span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2015</span></b><span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: On June 6<sup>th</sup> after
gliding down an escalator among a group of paid actors acting as supporters,
Trump declares he’s running for the presidency.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On August 06: Trump fires
Roger Stone, but Stone claims he’d quit. Either way, it doesn’t really matter,
for Stone remains a prominent adviser and spokesman for the rest of the
campaign.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In September, the FBI contacts the
‘Democratic National Committee’ (DNC) informing them that at least one of their
computers has been hacked by an espionage team associated with Russia. Also, on
September 21, on the Hugh Hewitt’s radio program, Trump declares, “<i>The oligarchs are under [Putin’s] control,
to a large extent. I mean, he can destroy them, and he has destroyed some of
them… Two years ago, I was in Moscow… I was with the top-level people, both
oligarchs and generals, and top-of-the-government people. I can’t go further
than that, but I will tell you that I met the top people, and the relationship
was extraordinary</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On September 29, Trump states on the
‘Bill O’Reilly Show’, “<i>I will tell you in
terms of leadership he </i>[Putin]<i> is
getting an ‘A,’ and our president is not doing so well</i>.” During the
November 10 showing of the David Letterman late night showing, Trump tells
Letterman, “<i>I got to know</i> [Putin<i>] very well because we were both on 60
Minutes. We were stablemates, and we did very well that night</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump had personally picked stock fraud
felon and mafia connected, Felix Sater as one of his key advisers. On November
30, when an AP reporter asked him if he had any concerns about Sater, Trump
sheepishly replies, “<i>Felix Sater, boy, I
have to even think about it. I’m not that familiar with him</i>.”</span></div>
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</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">On
December 10, after arriving in Moscow, Michael Flynn sits at Putin’s table for
the 10</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> anniversary gala of Russia’s state-owned television
propaganda network, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">RT</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. Flynn was paid $45,000.00 for the attendance adding to
the total of more than $65,000.00 in 2015 linked to Russian affiliates. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At the end of 2015, Britain’s spy
agency, GCHQ, through double agents became aware of interactions between members
of Trump’s campaign and Russian intelligence operatives. Over the next six
months, a number of western agencies from Germany, Estonia and Poland share
more information on contacts between Trump’s inner circle and Russians.</span></div>
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<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2016</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: With Russian
reports abounding and beginning to make news, Trump begins a campaign of
denying any association with Russia.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On February 17 at a Waterboro, South
Carolina campaign speech Trump distances himself from Russia by remarking, “<i>I have no relationship with</i> [Putin], <i>other than he called me a genius</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On March 17, appearing to already
understand the depth of Russia’s connection to Trump, Jeff Sessions attempts to
hold a curtain up over the affiliation by stating, “<i>I think an argument can be made there is no reason for the US and
Russia to be at this loggerheads. Somehow, someway we ought to be able to break
that logjam. Strategically it’s not justified for either country</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a March 21 ‘Washington Post’ interview,
after a recommendation from Iowan Tea Party activist, Sam Clovis, Trump hires Russian
financially connected, Carter Page as a foreign policy adviser.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 29, on Stone’s advice, Trump hires
Manafort as convention manager.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In late April, the DNCs IT department
notices unknown suspicious computer activity on the organization’s units. The
DNC contacts the FBI and hires the electronic security firm, ‘CrowdStrike’ to
investigate. By May 26, ‘CrowdStrike’ has determined that the Russian
affiliates, ‘Cozy Bear’ and ‘Fancy Bear’ were at the heart of the sophisticated
hacking. Both ‘Bear’ groups had close ties to Russia’s main intelligence known
as ‘GRU’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In May, Trump becomes the presumptive
GOP winner and in June gains enough delegates to become the GOP presidential
candidate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On May 19, Manafort becomes Trump’s
campaign manager after the firing of, Corey Lewandowski, who goes on to be a
spokesman for the Trump campaign at CNN.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In an early June secret meeting of high
powered foreign policy experts, Page garners praise and admiration of Putin
stressing that he is more reliable and stronger than Obama while attempting to
convince the attendees that a Trump presidency would have a positive effect in
U.S./Russian relations. Page would later on July 07, give a lecture at the ‘New
Economic School’ in Moscow criticizing American foreign policy stressing that
the soured relations between the U.S. and Russia “<i>originated in my own country</i>.” Again in December, Page visits the ‘New
Economic School’ stating that all the Russian reporting in the U.S. was ‘fake
news’ and would hurt U.S. relations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On June 17, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Capitol Hill meet privately with
the Ukraine’s Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman. Publicly, we did not learn of
the meeting until, May 2017 after an audio recorded leak, but immediately after
the meeting, McCarthy states to Ryan and other Republicans in attendance that,
“<i>I’ll guarantee you that’s what it is,
the Russians hacked the DNC and got the opp</i> [opposition] <i>research they had on Trump. There’s two
people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher</i> [in reference to Tea Partier and
fervent Putin defender, Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)]<i> and Trump</i>. <i>Swear to god</i>...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ryan immediately interrupts McCarthy in
Mafioso fashion by demanding, “<i>This is an
off the record…NO LEAKS…alright? This is how we know we are a real family here.
What’s said in the family...stays in the family</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After obtaining a transcript of the
meeting in May 2017, the ‘Washington Post’ confronts both Ryan and McCarthy
concerning the meeting and their comments. They both deny it ever happened with
a Ryan spokesperson submitting, “<i>That
never happened. The idea that McCarthy would assert this is false and absurd</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But when the ‘Washington Post’ reporter
further revealed that he had an audio of the conversation, Ryan’s spokesperson,
backtracked the original lie in no longer denying it, but instead came out in calling
it all a joke in insinuating, “<i>It was a
failed attempt at humor</i>.” This is a jerk and smirk episode in revealing the
GOP’s callous nature over the importance of the threat to America’s democracy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">On July 06</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> and 14</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, more hacked DNC
e-mails appear on the Kremlin-backed Guccifer 2.0 website as was done on June
15. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">July 18 is when the Trump administration
talks the ‘Republican National Committee’ (RNC) into dumping the longstanding
GOP commitment to the Ukraine and the Ukrainian people’s popular resistance to
Russia’s incursion and encroachment into the Ukraine. Trump’s national security
policy adviser, J.D. Gordon heads the operation just prior to the GOP
convention and succeeds as Republican officials drop the Ukrainian platform.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">July 20, ‘New Yorker’ reporter, Ryan
Lizza asks Sam Clovis, then Trump’s top policy adviser, about allegations that
the Trump team worked with the Republican party to soften the party platform’s
position on Russia in advance of the RNC. Clovis responds with “<i>I can't talk about</i>” and walks away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On July 22, obtained from Russia, ‘WikiLeaks’
releases the stolen DNC e-mails on the eve of the opening of the Democrat
convention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">July 25 Trump tweet: “<i>The new joke in town is that Russia leaked
the disastrous DNC emails, which should never have been written (stupid),
because Putin likes me</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At a July 27 press conference, Trump
gives a request, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Russia, if you’re
listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I
think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,” and again he
reiterates, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I never met Putin. I’ve
never spoken to him</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” On the same day in a CBS interview, in rhetorically
denying, states, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">But I have nothing to
do with Russia, nothing to do, I never met Putin, I have nothing to do with
Russia whatsoever</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On July 31, Trump’s Russian born
adviser, Boris Epshteyn implies, “<i>Russia
did not seize Crimea. We can talk about the conflict that happened between
Ukraine and the Crimea… But there was no seizure by Russia. That’s an incorrect
statement, characterization, of what happened</i>.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Just a few hours later,
Trump lies on ‘ABC News’ that he was not involved in the GOPs platform change
of heart in dropping the Russian intervention into the Ukraine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Towards the end of July, Page and Gordon meet with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Sergey Kislyak stressing Trump’s
desire to continue good relations with Russia. This occurs around the same time
the FBI officially opens its investigation due to mounting evidence of
Trump/Russian collusion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In August, Guccifer 2.0 and Stone are
much in communication with each other and patting each other on the back in the
communique, such as Guccifer 2.0 stating to Stone, “<i>Wow thank u for writing back and thank you for an article about me!!!
do u find anything interesting in the docs I posted</i>?” In an Aug. 17 e-mail
Guccifer 2.0 states to Stone, “<i>I’m
pleased to say that u r great man and I think I gonna read ur books. Please
tell me if I can help u anyhow it would be a great pleasure to me</i>.” After
Twitter reinstates Guccifer 2.0’s account Stone tweets, “<i>Why are those exposing the truth banned</i>?” He then, on a private
message to Guccifer 2.0 says, “<i>Delighted
you are reinstated. *uck the State and their MSM lackeys</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On August 06, it is confirmed by Texas
longtime GOP activist, Diana Denman and Rachel Hoff, a GOP delegate on the platform
committee that Trump’s campaign had encouraged the RNC to soften its program on
Russia’s intrusion into Ukraine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In an August 08 Broward County, Florida
Republican Party speech, after being asked his concerns about Julian Assange,
Stone replies, “<i>I actually have
communicated with Assange</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On August 12, two things happen: A batch
of hacked Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) documents appear
on the Guccifer 2.0 website and Stone tells rightwing radio host, Alex Jones on
air that he was “<i>in communication with
Julian Assange</i>,” and later adds, “<i>I am not at liberty to discuss what I
have</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">August 15, Guccifer 2.0 leaks hacked
DCCC documents on Florida primaries. Along with releasing hacked DNC memos and
Clinton-aide e-mails, after a GOP political consultant wrote into the e-cloud
to Guccifer 2.0, saying, “<i>Feel free to
send any Florida-based information</i>,” ten days later the Republican received
2.5 gigabytes of DCCC documents on August 25. We have just now learned this
(05/26/17) because that Republican is, Aaron Nevins. Nevins has just confessed
to the transaction. When the opposing team has your game plan, you are already
behind the eight-ball before the game even begins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the August 16 Alex Jones radio talk
show, Stone reaffirms, he has “<i>communicated</i>”
with Julian Assange and quips, “<i>I have
back-channel communications</i>” with WikiLeaks and Julian Assange and he has “<i>political dynamite</i>” on the Clinton</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">s. Also on this same date, in a ‘The Blaze’
interview, Stone stresses, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I think that
Assange is going to be very influential in this election</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It was August 17, when Trump has his
first classified intelligence meeting where Russian interference into the U.S.
elections was discussed. Trump brought Flynn with him into the meeting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Guccifer 2.0 on August 21, posts hacked
DCCC documents on Pennsylvania’s congressional primaries, while on August 31,
Guccifer 2.0 posts hacked material from House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi’s
personal computer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In September, FBI Director James Comey
admits nearly half of the states’ voter registration databases have been
exposed to intrusions by foreign hackers and that a FBI bulletin was issued to
state governments warning that hackers had infiltrated the Illinois State Board
of Elections and tried to breach election systems in Arizona. Russian backed
hackers are suspected. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On September 05, at the China held G-20
summit, Obama and Putin have a tense meeting with an argumentative discussion
concerning the Russian meddling into the U.S. elections. Attendants expressed
that Obama was terse with Putin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">September 08 is the date Jeff Sessions
meets with Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak in his senate office. Sessions is
the only one from the senate armed services committee’s twenty-six members to
meet with the ambassador in 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On September 23, Michael Isikoff of
Yahoo News reports US intelligence officials are tracking Carter Page suspicious
from first hand accounts that he had opened up private communications with
senior Russian officials, including talks about the possibility of lifting
economic sanctions if Trump became president.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">September 25, Page in writing tells
Comey he has not met with any sanctioned Russian official, then takes leave of
absence from Trump’s campaign the next day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">October primarily shows Stone knew in
advance what hacked leaks from WikiLeaks and Guccifer 2.0 were going to occur
concerning Hillary Clinton and John Podesta e-mails. Also, in mid-October, the
FISA court found sufficient evidence for the ‘Department of Justice’ to
investigate two banks suspected of participating in Russia’s undercover
influence operation related to U.S. elections. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also in October, according to Reuters, Russian
government think tank </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">RISS</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> drafts and circulates a document among top Russian
officials warning that Hillary Clinton is likely to win the US presidential election.
The memo advises the Kremlin to revise its strategy for influencing the
election. Instead of focusing on pro-Trump propaganda, it should instead seek
to undermine Clinton’s reputation and the legitimacy of the US electoral system
by stoking fears about voter fraud.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On October 01, Stone tweets, “<i>Wednesday Hillary Clinton is done</i>.” Six
days later, acquired from Russian hackers, ‘WikiLeaks’ releases Clinton’s
campaign manager, John Podesta’s entire e-mail account.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On October 04 Trump tweets, “<i>CLINTON’S CLOSE TIES TO PUTIN DESERVE
SCRUTINY</i>.” Later on the same day, Guccifer 2.0 post documents hacked from
the ‘Clinton Foundation’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a joint announcement on October 07, the
Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence says,
“<i>The US Intelligence Community (USIC) is
confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of emails
from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations. We
believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only
Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">During the October 18 third presidential
debate, which was right after the “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">grab
‘em by the *ussy</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” video revelation, Trump rambles on about dismissing the
Oct. 07 intelligence report and states, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">She
</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">[Clinton] </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">has no idea whether it is
Russia, China or anybody else…Our country has no idea. I don’t know Putin. I
have no idea…I never met Putin. This is not my best friend</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According to reports</span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">from Trump’s
October 31 Las Vegas rally, the $100 million plane belonging to the Russian
oligarch, Dmitri Rybolovlev, who had bought a Florida residence from Trump for
$95 million in 2008, was in Las Vegas on the same day. Also on Halloween day, a
veteran of a Western intelligence service gave the FBI memos specifying Russia
had mounted a yearlong operation to cultivate Trump. In addition, the Kremlin
had gathered compromising information on Trump during his visits to Moscow that
could be used for blackmail. The story notes that the FBI requested more
information from this source.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In April-November, no less than 18 known
contacts between Russian officials and Trump advisers had been conducted either
by phone or through e-mail. In November after the U.S. presidential election, through
the ‘Interfax’ news agency, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov
admits that during the campaign, Russia had continuing communications with
Trump’s “<i>immediate entourage</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">November 03, again, Dmitri Rybolovlev’s
plane lands in Charlotte, North Carolina, about 90 minutes before Trump’s plane
lands at the same airport in advance of a Trump rally to be held that day in
nearby Concord.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After the election results, on November
09, Putin announces to the Russian parliament that Trump had won. The Russian
officials immediately break out into cheers and applause.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">November 10, at a meeting in the White
House, Obama warns Trump not to hire Michael Flynn. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">November 14, reporters ask Mike Flynn’s
business associate, Robert Kelley if Turkish interests had retained their
consulting firm from August through Election Day because of Flynn’s close
relationship with Trump. Kelley’s reply, “<i>I
hope so</i>.” But he didn’t have to hope, for it was so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In late November, Flynn as national
security adviser designate, forms a meeting with the Russian ambassador,
Kislyak, which includes former W. Bush senior Pentagon official, Marshall
Billingslea. Billingslea becomes worried that the meeting could be monitored by
U.S. Intelligence, so after the meeting, asked Obama White House security
officials for all Kislyak transcripts that are on file.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In December, while Moscow arrested a
Russian computer security expert and two high-level intelligence officers who
worked on cyber operations, they charge them with treason for providing
information to the U.S. The arrests amount to a purge of the cyber wing of the
FSB, formally the KGB and the main Russian intelligence agency. No reason was
obtained for the arrests. Also in early December, the Obama administration was
concerned about the incoming administration might cover up or even destroy
previously gathered intelligence relating to Russia’s interference with the
election. To preserve the intelligence, they spread it across the government
for the benefit of future investigations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As well in December with unknown dates, Michael
Flynn and Jared Kushner meet with, Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at New
York’s Trump Tower. Kislyak was not caught on tape entering the building,
suggesting that he may have been brought in through a back entrance.
Regardless, evidence verifies Kislyak was in attendance. Again in December, Kislyak
requests another meeting with Kushner. Kushner sends his deputy, Avrahm Berkowitz
to meet with the Russian ambassador in his place. At that meeting, Kislyak
requests that Kushner meet with Sergey N. Gorkov, the chief of Vnesheconombank
(VEB), Russia’s state-owned development bank. Kushner, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">later in the month</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> meets with Gorkov, who also doubles as a Russian spy. The question remains why
Kushner would meet with the Russians when it was already being confirmed Russia
was behind the meddling in influencing the U.S. democratic election. He picked
the wrong atmosphere to attempt in going around and sidestepping U.S.
intelligence agencies.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another December meeting is held with
Kushner, who was accompanied by Flynn and Steve Bannon. They met with the crown
prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who makes an
undisclosed visit to New York later in December. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On December 09, after the U.S.
intelligence agencies (all 17 of them) concluded Russia without doubt had
intervened into the U.S. elections to help Trump win, Trump responds, “<i>These are the same people that said Saddam
Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The election ended a long time ago in
one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It’s now time to
move on and ‘Make America Great Again</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">December 11, Trump again tries to cast
doubt and responds to the intelligence report’s findings of Russian meddling
into the U.S. election by saying on ‘Fox News Sunday’, “<i>They have no idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be
somebody sitting in a bed some place. I mean, they have no idea</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On December 13, Trump picks CEO
Exxon/Mobil, Rex Tillerson for his cabinet as secretary of state. Tillerson has
long standing political and business ties with Russia and Putin. Tillerson was
the main head in striking oil drilling deals with ‘Rosneft’, a Russian state
owned oil company that Putin has large investments in. For this, Russia
rewarded Tillerson their 2013 Russia Order of Friendship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Moscow on December 12, Trump’s former
campaign surrogate, Jack Kingston meets with Russian businessmen to discuss
what they might expect from a Trump administration. Kingston opines, “<i>Trump can look at sanctions. They’ve been in
place long enough</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">December 29, Obama publicly announces
more sanctions against Russia for interfering in the U.S. elections. Along with
the sanctions, Obama also ejects 35 Russian officials from the U.S. After the
sanctions announcement, Flynn has no less than five phone conversations with
Kislyak. The sanctions were discussed. Normally when Russian diplomats are
kicked out of the U.S., Russia usually follows suit kicking American officials
out of Russia. Strangely, this time, it did not occur. Speculating here, but
perhaps it was because Flynn relayed that if they didn’t, when Trump became
president he would annul the Obama led sanctions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On December 30, after Putin announces he
would not retaliate in dismissing U.S. officials in Russia, Trump tweets, “<i>Great move on delay (by V. Putin) — I always
knew he was very smart.</i>”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2017</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">: In early
January, concerned that classified material relating to Russia’s meddling in
the 2016 election might disappear once the Trump administration took office,
Obama administration officials create a list containing the serial numbers of
key documents. An Obama administration official hand delivers this list to senior
members of the Senate intelligence committee.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sometime towards the middle of January,
Erik Prince, owner of Blackwater (the ill-famed private security firm during
the Iraqi occupation), a half million dollar Trump donor and brother of Betsy
DeVoss, secretively meets with a Russian operative with close ties to Putin in
the Seychelles. The goal was to produce a back channel of communications
between Trump and Putin, where U.S. intelligence would not be able to
intercept. The meeting had been arranged and orchestrated by the United
Emirates soon after that December meeting with Kushner, Flynn, Bannon and the
crown prince of Abu Dhabi. This information was provided by two U.S.
intelligence officials, but they would not leak the Russian official’s name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In late January, at the Manhattan Loews
Regency Hotel on Park Avenue, Trump’s personal attorney, Michael D. Cohen,
meets with Felix Sater and Andrii Artemenko, a pro-Putin lawmaker from Ukraine.
Artemenko and Sater gave Cohen a peace plan whereby Russia would lease Ukraine
for 50 or 100 years and, eventually, get relief from US sanctions. Cohen says
he would give the plan to national security adviser Michael Flynn. Responding
to questions from The Washington Post, Cohen confirms he met with Sater, but denies
the rest, calling it “<i>fake news</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On January 04, Flynn tells Don McGahn II
(at the time Trump’s top leader on the transition team) that he’s under
investigation for failing to disclose his work as a Turkish lobbyist during the
campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">January 06, the CIA, FBI and NSA release
their unclassified report, concluding definitively, “<i>Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US
presidential election</i>.” The three intelligence agencies all agree that, “<i>The Russian government aspired to help
President-elect Trump’s election chances when possible</i>.” The report also
states WikiLeaks had been Russia’s conduit for the effort, writing “<i>We assess with high confidence that Russian
military intelligence (General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate or GRU) used
the Guccifer 2.0 persona and DCLeaks.com to release US victim data obtained in
cyber operations publicly and in exclusives to media outlets and relayed
material to WikiLeaks</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On January 10, during Jeff Sessions’
confirmation hearings, he was asked by, Senator Al Franken (D-MN), “<i>If there is any evidence that anyone
affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in
the course of this campaign, what will you do</i>?” Sessions doesn’t directly
answer the question, but instead states, “<i>I’m
not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time
or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians,
and I’m unable to comment on it</i>.” In the process, Sessions had just
perjured himself under oath, for he just lied; he had indeed met and been in
conversations with Russian officials.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on this same day, due to executing
the plan wouldn’t take place until after Trump’s inauguration, led by, Susan
Rice, the Obama administration informs Trump of the military plan to retake the
ISIS stronghold of Raqqa with the help of Syrian Kurdish forces. Turkey has
long opposed US forces partnering with Kurdish forces in the region. Trump
national security adviser-designate Flynn tells Rice to hold off on approving
the mission in that the Trump administration would deal with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump contradicts himself on January 11
when he sends out a slew of morning tweets denying Russia’s interference, then
later goes to his first news conference and states, “<i>As far as hacking, I think it was Russia. But I think we also get
hacked by other countries and other people</i>.” Trump’s final question is
directed by ABCs, Ann Compton, who inquires, “<i>Mr. President-elect, can you stand here today, once and for all, and
say that no one connected to you or your campaign had any contact with Russia
leading up to or during the presidential campaign</i>?” Trump doesn’t answer.
Instead, he walks away and as he’s off camera and about to enter the elevators,
he reportedly says, “<i>No</i>,” then exits
the building.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">January 15, Trump tells the ‘Times of
London’ in an interview, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">We should trust
Putin</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,” then proceeds to lambaste, German Chancellor Angela Merkel.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the January 15 episode of ‘Face the
Nation’, Vice President-elect Mike Pence tells, John Dickerson that Mike Flynn
did not discuss the Obama sanctions with Russia’s ambassador, Keslyak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">January 19, through intercepted
communications and financial transactions, the FBI, the NSA, the CIA, and the
Treasury Department<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">’</span>s financial crimes unit are investigating, Manafort, Page,
and Stone for their possible contacts with Russia during the campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">January 20, Trump is sworn in as the 45<sup>th</sup>
president.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">January 22, Trump picks Flynn as his
national security adviser.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">January 23, Sean Spicer, in the
presidency’s first press briefing that was a tad defiant in the inaugural crowd
size, insists Flynn never discussed the Dec. 29 sanctions with Kislyak. Spicer’s
sanction proclamation got the attention of, FBI Director James Comey. According
to ‘The Wall Street Journal’, Comey spoke with acting attorney general, Sally
Yates to immediately delay informing the White House about the discrepancy
between Spicer’s characterization of Flynn’s calls and US intelligence
intercepts showing that the two had, in fact, discussed sanctions. Comey
reportedly asked Yates to wait a bit longer so that the FBI could develop more
information and speak with Flynn himself. She concurs. The FBI interviews Flynn
on the 24<sup>th</sup> where Flynn denies sanction discussions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On January 26, after the FBI Flynn
interview, Yates told White House council, Don McGahn that Flynn had misled in
false statements to the FBI concerning his Russian conversations. Yates also
told McGahn that if Pence was truly out of the loop, according to Pence’s ‘Face
the Nation’ public statement, then Flynn also lied to Pence. Spicer claims that
McGahn immediately informed other White House officials.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">January 27, McGahn asks Yates to return
to the White House, she does where he asks her, “<i>Why does it matter to the Department of Justice if one White House
official lies to another</i>?” She educates him by explaining that Flynn’s lies
make him vulnerable to Russian blackmail, for they knew he lied and with proof
could leak it to the public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on January 27, in a one-on-one
White House dinner specifically requested by Trump, he asks Comey for his
complete loyalty. This is when Comey says, “<i>I
can’t do that, but I can pledge honesty</i>.” Comey relayed this information to
a circle of close friends and made them promise not to leak it as long as he
remains the FBI director. They hold to the promise, but when Trump fires Comey,
they publicly expose the dinner meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On January 30<sup>th</sup>, Trump fires
acting, Attorney General Sally Yates for supposedly not going along with his
unlawful Muslim travel ban.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Throughout February, Trump, through his
tweets, attacks the media. NBCs Chuck Todd notes the pattern of Trump attacking
the media after any new press comes out reporting the Trump/Russian contacts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">February 07, Trump in attempts to
distract, tweets:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In a February 08 ‘Washington Post’
interview, Flynn denies speaking to the Russians about sanctions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">February 10, aboard ‘Air Force One’,
Trump says to reporters he is not aware of Flynn having discussed sanctions
with Kislyak, but indeed he has been aware of Flynn’s contacts with Kislyak
since mid-late January as he was briefed on them, much less, most likely told
about them by Flynn himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on February 10, but again, Dmitri
Rybolovlev’s plane lands in Miami, the day before Trump is set to arrive at
Mar-a-Lago for the weekend. His activities were then unknown and his current whereabouts
are now unknown. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">February 13, Flynn, depending on which
story one wants to believe, is either fired or resigns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">February 14, U.S. intelligence agencies
and law enforcement officials report to the ‘New York Times’ they have
intercepted repeated communications between Trump associates and senior
government and intelligence Russian officials. Spicer, in a press briefing
denies this insisting no Trump administrator or campaign official had any
contacts with Russia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">During a February 15 joint press
conference with, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump is asked a question
about potential connections between his campaign and Russia during the election,
but does not answer. Instead, he blames Flynn's ouster on leaks. This shows a
big contrast taken by the White House previously: that Flynn was asked to
resign because he misled Pence about his communication with the Russian
ambassador.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on the 15<sup>th</sup>, Trump’s
chief of staff, Reince Priebus asks the FBI to publicly knock-down media
reports that the US intelligence community was investigating the Trump
campaign’s alleged contacts with Russian intelligence operatives during the
election. The FBI refuses to do so. The administration then turns its efforts
to several members of Congress, including Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Rep.
Devin Nunes (R-CA). Both are respective chairmen of the Senate and House
intelligence committees that are currently conducting investigations into
Trump’s Russian connections. The White House request was for the congressmen to
call media outlets and counter stories about contacts between Trump staffers
and Russians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">February 15 was also when Carter Page
appeared on national television and with a smirk face, lied to PBSs, Judith
Woodruff that he had not had any meetings with Russian officials.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At a February 16 news conference, after
being asked if anyone in his administration had been overtly in contact with
Russian officials, Trump replies, “<i>Nobody
that I know of. Russia is a ruse. I have nothing to do with Russia</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">February 17, FBI Director Comey meets
privately with members of the </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Senate Intelligence Committee</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> to discuss the
Russia investigation. Immediately thereafter, the committee sends a letter
asking more than a dozen agencies, organizations and individuals — including
the White House — to preserve all communications related to the Senate panel’s
investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On February 28, the </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Republican House
Judiciary Committee</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> kills Rep. Jerrold Nadler’s ‘Resolution of Inquiry’ calling
for Trump to provide documents relating to Trump/Russia connections and his
business conflicts of interest.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">February 25, former leader of the UK
Independence Party, key </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Brexit</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> campaigner, Donald Trump’s most visible foreign
supporter during and after the presidential campaign, Nigel Farage dines with
Trump, daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and Florida Gov. Rick Scott at
the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. This seemingly harmless
meeting becomes a bit more significant due to the fact that Farage has a March
meeting with ‘WikiLeaks’, Julian Assange at London’s Ecuador embassy. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For March, investigative reporting is
stepped up with more corroborating material being revealed almost on a daily
basis to the point it’s hard to keep up. March is also the month Nunes comes
out with his bogus claim that Trump associates were being tracked by American
intelligence agencies through foreign surveillance. Also in March, Alex Oronov,
a Ukrainian billionaire businessman who was connected by marriage to Michael
Cohen, Trump’s longtime lawyer and associate, dies unexpectedly under
mysterious circumstances. Oronov<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">’</span>s daughter was married to Cohen's brother.
Oronov reportedly set up a January 2017 meeting between Cohen and Russian officials
to discuss a possible “<i>peace plan</i>”
between Russia and Ukraine that would have formalized Putin’s control over
Crimea. The New York Times reported that this peace proposal was hand-delivered
to Michael Flynn prior to his forced resignation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On March 01, reports verify that
Sessions indeed had two meetings with Kislyak exposing his lie to the senate
hearings. Sessions now caught, no longer denies any contacts, but issues a
statement claiming, “<i>I never met with any
Russian officials to discuss any issues of the campaign</i>.” Also on this
first day of March, as, FBI Director Comey prepares to board a helicopter, he
receives an urgent message from the White House that Trump wants to speak with
him immediately. Comey delays his flight to accommodate, but once into the
conversation, soon realizes that Trump wants only to have a “<i>chitchat</i>” butter-up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 02, Trump says he has “<i>total confidence</i>” in Jeff Sessions and
he shouldn’t recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Under mounting
criticism, no more than an hour later, Sessions recuses himself “<i>from any existing or future investigations
of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for President of the United
States</i>.” Later that evening Sessions says on ‘NBC News’, “<i>I have not met with any Russians at any time
to discuss any political campaign and those remarks are unbelievable to me and
are false and I don't have anything else to say about that</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on March 02, Carter Page retracts
his lie and admits in a public prepared statement that he did meet with Kislyak
during the campaign. It must have been repentance day, for he also admitted
that he had met with Kislyak during the Republican Convention in July, where
Page had successfully urged changes in the party platform that Trump had sought
to soften US policy regarding Ukraine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 04, According to internal White House
sources, Trump is furious over Sessions’ self-imposed recusal. Trump promptly
distracts and unleashes a tweet-storm, claiming that President Obama had
wiretapped his phones during the presidential campaign. Stunned by Trump’s
outburst, White House staffers begin searching for evidence to support his
false claim. Among those reportedly involved in the effort are, White House
Counsel Donald McGahn II and Ezra Cohen-Watnick, a 30-year-old Trump transition
team member whom former national security adviser, Mike Flynn had brought to the
White House as senior director for intelligence programs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stone also has his own March 04 tweet
rant, stating his communications with Assange: “<i>[N]ever denied perfectly legal back channel to Assange who indeed had
the goods on #CrookedHillary</i>.” Forty minutes later, the tweet is deleted by
Stone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 05, Spicer in a White House press says
the White House is requesting that the congressional intelligence committees
examine Trump’s allegations that Obama wiretapped Trump during the campaign as
part of their investigation into Russia’s election activity. He also states the
White House will not comment further on the wiretapping allegation until the
completion of this investigation. Meanwhile, FBI Director Comey asked the
Justice Department to rebut publicly Trump’s assertion that President Obama had
ordered the wiretapping of Trump’s phones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On March 07, general counsel to Nunes’
intelligence committee, Michael Ellis joins, White House Counsel McGahn’s
office as special assistant to the president, senior associate counsel to the
president and deputy National Security Council legal adviser.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 08, Nigel Farage meets with
‘WikiLeaks’, Julian Assange at the Embassy of Ecuador in London, where Assange
has enjoyed sanctuary since 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 09, reporters ask Sean Spicer
about Nigel Farage’s meeting with Julian Assange and whether Farage was
delivering a message from Trump, Sean Spicer whimpers, “<i>I have no idea</i>.” On this same day, after filings revealed that
Flynn received $530,000 for lobbying work on behalf of a company owned by a
Turkish businessman, responding to questions about Mike Flynn’s lobbying
activities for Turkish interests during the campaign and thereafter, Vice
President Mike Pence tells Fox News’ Bret Baier twice that he’d just learned of
it stating, “<i>Well, let me say, hearing
that story today was the first I’d heard of it and I fully support the decision
that President Trump made to ask for General Flynn’s resignation</i>.” BAIER: “<i>You’re disappointed by the story</i>?”
PENCE: “<i>The first I heard of it, and I
think it is, uh, it is an affirmation of the president’s decision to ask General Flynn to resign</i>.” When asked at a press briefing whether Trump knew about
Flynn’s activities on behalf of Turkish interests, Sean Spicer says, “<i>I don’t believe that that was known</i>.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xRHUvPrEnBxrh7IiMYB0XRRSk7oVr8uXCf8w7L34xcVoWgANbIe5JOJ6vqIs0ufuF1wHfQFiinqnNN8kur-u4CbAlwCVUIAHwWrLmotgHzok0FcQOWvy9_JznXFFGQsoFWl0rr9lTr8z/s1600/1-gop-dmptrmp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="476" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xRHUvPrEnBxrh7IiMYB0XRRSk7oVr8uXCf8w7L34xcVoWgANbIe5JOJ6vqIs0ufuF1wHfQFiinqnNN8kur-u4CbAlwCVUIAHwWrLmotgHzok0FcQOWvy9_JznXFFGQsoFWl0rr9lTr8z/s320/1-gop-dmptrmp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">March 10, Stone acknowledges that during
the 2016 campaign he exchanged direct messages on Twitter with Guccifer 2.0,
the online persona that US intelligence agencies pegged as a front for Russian
intelligence. Stone claims the conversations were so “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">perfunctory</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” and “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">banal</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">”
that he had conveniently forgotten about them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on March 10, the yacht belonging to
Russian billionaire, Dmitri Rybolovlev anchors in a cove in the British Virgin
Islands. Soon afterwards, another yacht anchors next to Rybolovlev’s—the Sea
Owl, owned by Robert Mercer, one of Trump’s biggest donors during the 2016
election and an investor in the conservative, ‘Breitbart News’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finally on March 10, Mike Flynn’s
replacement as national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, tells Ezra
Cohen-Watnick that he is reassigning him. Unhappy with the decision,
Cohen-Watnick appeals to Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner. They intervene and
take the issue to Trump, who orders that Cohen-Watnick should remain in his
position.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On a March 15 ‘Fox News’ interview,
Tucker Carlson asks him why he would accuse Obama of wiretapping without any
further evidence, Trump replies, “<i>I think
you're going to find some very interesting items coming to the forefront over
the next two weeks</i>.” Two weeks pass and no new evidence ever materializes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 20, just hours after Trump Tweets,
“<i>The Democrats made up and pushed the
Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in
Electoral College & lost!</i>,” Comey testifies that the FBI was investigating
Russian interference with the U.S. election, including “<i>the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump
campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination
between the campaign and Russia’s efforts</i>.” With respect to Trump’s
wiretapping claims, Comey says, “<i>I have
no information that supports those tweets</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on March 20, hours before the
‘House Intelligence Committee’ holds its first public hearing, a senior White
House official tells the ‘New Yorker’s reporter, Ryan Lizza, “<i>You'll see the
setting of the predicate. That's the
thing to watch today</i>.” The predicate the official was referring to was a
‘The Hill’ article posit that if</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump
or his advisers were speaking directly to foreign individuals who were the
target of U.S. spying during the election campaign, and the intelligence
agencies recorded Trump by accident, it’s plausible that those communications
would have been collected and shared amongst intelligence agencies</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” The
thing to watch referred by the official was, Nunes’ opening statement at the
hearings. Sure enough, Nunes’ first words are in a question asking, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Were the communications of officials or
associates of any campaign subject to any kind of improper surveillance</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wow, did this official take some
Nostradamus courses in predicting? Not really; this only shows collusion
between the White house and Nunes. For the White House official went further to
say, “<i>It’s backdoor surveillance where
it’s not just incidental, it's systematic. Watch Nunes today</i>.” It doesn’t
take a forensic scientist to detect that the White House was clearly indicating
to, Lizza that they knew what Nunes was going to open up with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a March 21 ‘House Intelligence
Committee’ public hearing, Manafort’s name is mentioned at least 25 times. In
the next day’s press briefing, Spicer claims, Manafort “<i>played a very limited role for a very limited period of time</i>.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">March 22, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), chair
of the House Intelligence Committee, bypasses his fellow committee members and
goes directly to the White House with alleged evidence that Trump associates
may have been “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">incidentally</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” swept up
in foreign surveillance by American spy agencies. Nunes refuses to release the
information or name his sources, even to fellow committee members.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another March 22 revelation was a 2005
strategy memo authored by Manafort stating, “[To]<i>influence politics, business dealings and news coverage inside the
United States, Europe and the former Soviet republics to benefit the Putin
government, we are now of the belief that this model can greatly benefit the
Putin government if employed at the correct levels with the appropriate
commitment to success</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 23, Trump tweets:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40ZyzdPZUTjN7sK6uhUaoHoZjX7M34uOg4bBnu9uHXiOV0rsWSv-8JBDJjAOxoKqEJzuDCBWStUz7J9bxfSRkgtNg864p2wwB2SDfrrztAAeYi30hRNB943zTvClv-s4QHIQfhfyT6wPX/s1600/1-gop+mar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="504" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40ZyzdPZUTjN7sK6uhUaoHoZjX7M34uOg4bBnu9uHXiOV0rsWSv-8JBDJjAOxoKqEJzuDCBWStUz7J9bxfSRkgtNg864p2wwB2SDfrrztAAeYi30hRNB943zTvClv-s4QHIQfhfyT6wPX/s320/1-gop+mar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Also on March 23, although he apologizes
for not briefing them, Nunes will not explain why he took this odd step in
leaving the intelligence committee Democrat members in the dark. As well on
this day, in a letter to, acting Assistant Attorney General Samuel R. Ramer,
Sally Yates’ lawyer disagrees with the Justice Department’s objections to
Yates’ anticipated congressional testimony. Associate Deputy Attorney General
Scott Schools responds that Yates’ testimony is “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">likely covered by the presidential communications privilege and
possibly the deliberative process privilege</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 24, Nunes cancels public hearings
scheduled for March 28. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper,
former CIA Director John Brennan and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates
had been slated to testify before his committee. Nunes postpones their
appearances indefinitely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 27 Trump tweets, “<i>Why isn’t the House Intelligence Committee
looking into the Bill & Hillary deal that allowed big Uranium to go to
Russia, Russian speech</i>” He’s still using the old uranium bait that has been
proven bogus for a year now. Clinton could not have OK’d it by herself as
Secretary of State even if she wanted to; it took other departments to fulfill
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on March 27, while having lunch
with Benjamin Wittes of the ‘Brookings Institute’, Comey says he’s worried
about Trump’s nominee for deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein. “<i>Rod is a survivor</i>,” he says, explaining
that a person doesn’t survive for more than twenty-five years across Republican
and Democratic administrations without making compromises. “<i>So I have concerns</i>.” Wittes later says
he thinks Comey’s concerns stemmed, in part, from his “<i>loyalty dinner</i>” with Trump. If Trump had asked Comey for personal
loyalty, what had he asked of Rosenstein?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As well on March 27, The ‘New York
Times’ reports that in early December 2016, Jared Kushner met with, Sergey
Gorkov, the chief of Russia’s U.S. sanctioned state-owned development bank at
the request of Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. The paper also reports that
the Senate intelligence committee has informed the White House that it will
seek to question Kushner about this meeting and his interactions with the
Kislyak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 28, the ‘Washington Post’ reports
that the Trump administration has tried to prevent former acting attorney general, Sally Yates from testifying before the </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">House Intelligence Committee</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
Yates—who was fired as claimed by Trump in January after she instructed Justice
Department lawyers not to defend the administration</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">s executive order
temporarily blocking immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries—was
scheduled to testify before the committee in a public hearing that was canceled
by Nunes. The White House denied that it had tried to block Yates from testifying,
calling the Post</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">s story “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">entirely false</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on march 28, A Cyprus bank internally
investigated the fifteen Manafort accounts and determined they were for money
laundering tied into ten companies through a Russian oligarch with close ties
to Putin. The unusual transactions in the accounts were what drew the bankers’
ire to investigate. After questions were raised, Manafort quickly closed the
accounts. Trump’s, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Wright was previously the
vice-chairman of the Cypriot bank overseeing some of the Russian deals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 29, the senate chairmen report on
how nonpartisan their hearings will be held. The senate investigation chaired
by, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), who was, (as, Nunes) on Trump’s transition
team starts the first of senate hearings the next day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 30, as the ‘Senate Intelligence
Committee’ opens its hearings, Clinton Watts, senior fellow at George
Washington University’s Center for Cyber and Homeland Security and former FBI
agent, testifies that the committee should follow the money funding
misinformation websites. Watts then adds a more ominous suggestion in relaying,
“<i>Follow the trail of dead Russians</i>.” He follows, “<i>There’s been more dead Russians in the past three months that are tied
to this investigation who have assets in banks all over the world. They are
dropping dead, even in Western countries</i>.” Eight Russian politicians,
activists, ambassadors and a former intelligence official have died since
Trump’s election. Some were apparent assassinations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on March 30, the ‘New York Times’
reports that two White House officials, Ezra Cohen-Watnick and Michael Ellis, “<i>played a role in providing</i>” Nunes access to intelligence purportedly showing that, “<i>President Trump and his associates were
incidentally swept up in foreign surveillance by American spy agencies</i>.” As
reminded, Cohen-Watnick was brought on to the National Security Council by
Michael Flynn, whom he had worked </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">for </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">at the National Security Council. After
Flynn’s ouster, his replacement, national security adviser Lt. Gen. H.R.
McMaster, attempted to “sideline” Cohen-Watkins. Jared Kushner and White House
strategist, Stephen Bannon intervened on the NSC staffer’s behalf, taking the
matter all the way to Trump. Ellis worked for Nunes before taking a job in the
White House as a lawyer working on national security matters.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 30 is also the day that Flynn is
seeking immunity from prosecution in return for testifying before congressional
intelligence committees. The next day, his lawyer confirms, “<i>Gen. Flynn certainly has a story to tell,
and he very much wants to tell it, should circumstances permit</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 31, the senate intelligence
committee denies Flynn’s request for immunity. That same day Trump tweets, “<i>Mike Flynn should ask for immunity in that
this is a witch hunt (excuse for big election loss), by media & Dems, of
historic proportion!</i>”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">April arrives and through a ‘Washington
Post’ report, it is revealed in 2016, the FBI and DOJ obtained a Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Court warrant to monitor the communications of Trump
campaign foreign policy adviser, Carter Page. The newspaper notes, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">This is the clearest evidence so far that
the FBI had reason to believe during the 2016 presidential campaign that a
Trump campaign adviser was in touch with Russian agents</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” April is also the
month that the Trump White House accused the Obama administration, in
particular, Susan Rice of ‘unmasking’ Trump transition team members in
intelligence reports. Trump called the ‘unmasking’, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">a massive story</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers reviewed
the accusation with all concluding there is no evidence.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">April 06, Nunes recuses himself
temporarily but still holds power to influence decisions concerning committee
findings. The ‘House Ethics Committee’ announces it will conduct an
investigation into Nunes’ due to his unauthorized disclosures of classified
information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">April 11, in a ‘Daily Telegraph’
interview, Eric Trump says that the Trump administration’s decision to launch
missiles at a Syrian military target proves that there is no connection between
President Trump and the Russian government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">April 12, what Manafort had denied
vigorously before, it is now confirmed that at least a minimum of $1.2 million
was received by his firm in a wire transfer corresponding with the ‘Black
Ledger’s entries found in August 2016 from pro-Russia’s Ukraine’s ‘Party of
Regions’. These were illicit payments. Also on this day, on a ‘Fox Business
Network’ program, Trump gives the first public inklings of firing Comey when he
specifies, “<i>It’s not too late to fire,
FBI Director Comey, but I still have confidence in him</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">April 13, former Trump adviser, Page tells ‘ABC’s, George Strphanopoulos that he will not reveal the person(s) who
brought him to the Trump campaign. Also on this day, through a letter to Comey,
House Democrats state that Kushner’s security clearance needs to be suspended
due to his failure in disclosing key meetings with foreign government
officials.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">April 14, it becomes known that Andrii
Artemenko, the pro-Putin Ukrainian lawmaker that in January met with two Trump
associates to discuss a possible peace plan for Ukraine and Russia, is paying
$30,000 a month to pro-Trump preacher, Dale Armstrong in Pennsylvania who has
ties to Russia and Ukraine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">April 19, Trump’s White House refuses
the bipartisan congressional ‘House Oversight Committee’ request for more
information and documents relating to payments that former national security
adviser Mike Flynn received from entities affiliated with the Russian and
Turkish governments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">April 25, Rod Rosenstein is confirmed by
senate approval to be acting deputy attorney general due to Sessions’ recusal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">April 27, the </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Defense Intelligence
Agency</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (DIA) announces contrary to the implication of Flynn</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">s attorney on April
25, the DIA has no record of Flynn seeking permission to receive payments from
a foreign source.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a April 29 ‘CBS’ interview that aired
on May 01, Trump cuts off John Dickerson and aborts the interview after being
asked by Dickerson if he had any proof to his claim of Obama wiretapping him.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SHcf6szI09M?ecver=1" width="854"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the earlier portion of the interview,
Dickerson also asked, “<i>You don’t think
it’s phony that they, the Russians, tried to meddle in the election?</i>” Trump
answers, “<i>That I don’t know</i>,” and
adds, “<i>It could’ve been China, could’ve
been a lot of different groups</i>.”<i> <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 02, on the eve of Comey’s ‘Senate
Judiciary Committee’s testimony Trump sends out two tweets:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGVUsy4kOxraAXcsYZEeVSgIJricm-8OiwFnZswOkRJfQD5yfU-Uke4lAjx9UW6O0HXnUt8ccRwHnI4F_KFdWnlTh60rD8WsYiCmCeC0hCyDju8JzDWS5tlJ9Yy1yu_QjtFI4o6Txheht/s1600/1-gop+may2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="600" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGVUsy4kOxraAXcsYZEeVSgIJricm-8OiwFnZswOkRJfQD5yfU-Uke4lAjx9UW6O0HXnUt8ccRwHnI4F_KFdWnlTh60rD8WsYiCmCeC0hCyDju8JzDWS5tlJ9Yy1yu_QjtFI4o6Txheht/s320/1-gop+may2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">May 03, in response to Sen. Patrick
Leahy (D-VT), who asks FBI Director Comey about Trump’s April 29, 2017
interview in which he said that the hacking of the DNC “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">could’ve been China, could’ve been a lot of different groups</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,”
Comey answers, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The intelligence
community with high confidence concluded it was Russia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 05<sup>th</sup> is the day that
James Dodson gave his Boston radio station, WBUR interview describing his 2014
golf outing with the Trump’s on a newly opened Trump golf course. The interview
is explained under the 2014 section of this article.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFx0z16cl4a-7t7-y3e3DW7bSn2TtMZ5hJ8x6ybmNbSViBpgK3SOAvLAH1y89xLIZWDCxk4_htnhO8b-H3BZvHRN_SyS9vYmteVYaCLx0AZf3AhMoSB9pEn6ZRUM2ibgu6FkffXE2HpfPI/s1600/1-gop+always+trmp+lst+wrds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="600" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFx0z16cl4a-7t7-y3e3DW7bSn2TtMZ5hJ8x6ybmNbSViBpgK3SOAvLAH1y89xLIZWDCxk4_htnhO8b-H3BZvHRN_SyS9vYmteVYaCLx0AZf3AhMoSB9pEn6ZRUM2ibgu6FkffXE2HpfPI/s200/1-gop+always+trmp+lst+wrds.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 6-7, in a heated huff, Trump spends
the weekend at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course. He’s fuming over Comey’s congressional testimony,
in which Comey acknowledged the FBI’s ongoing investigation into Trump campaign
ties to Russia and had refuted Trump’s false claim that President Obama had
wiretapped him. In the weeks that followed, Trump grew angrier and talked about
firing Comey. At Bedminster, Trump was really riled over Comey’s congressional
testimonial comment about being “<i>mildly
nauseous</i>” at the thought that his actions relating to the Clinton
investigation might have affected the outcome of the election.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">May 08, after returning to the White
House, Trump tells, Vice President Pence and White House counsel, Don McGahn
that Comey has to go. Pence, McGahn, Priebus and Kushner are members of a small
group that begins to prepare talking points about Comey’s firing. Trump summons
Attorney General Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein to the White
House, where he instructs them to provide a written justification for removing
Comey. Before Rosenstein prepares the requested memo, he knows that Trump
intends to fire Comey.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on May 08, Sally Yates is scheduled
to testify, but before she does, Trump tweets:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSEtn79EY9i7rzZ6a3j4HVrcNJ49iaGYG-PsF315h7eT4pmsE1u8gDXGIRPqsnbm4IpjjitMx_tlZh_95hC6907bMdzEoKu01nfejeWaN4dE0CBB0N8Bh80b8ZG7NjnHfOtuefl7F6G8j/s1600/1-gop+may3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="600" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSEtn79EY9i7rzZ6a3j4HVrcNJ49iaGYG-PsF315h7eT4pmsE1u8gDXGIRPqsnbm4IpjjitMx_tlZh_95hC6907bMdzEoKu01nfejeWaN4dE0CBB0N8Bh80b8ZG7NjnHfOtuefl7F6G8j/s320/1-gop+may3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">What Trump leaves out in his first tweet
is that the Obama administration fired Flynn in 2014. Pence was head of the
Trump transition and did not install proper vetting or, did know of Flynn’s
illegal foreign government lobbying activities as a U.S. official and simply
swept it to the side. Also, on Nov. 10 Obama warned Trump against hiring Flynn.
Two days after being inaugurated, Trump hires Flynn. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 09, Trump fires Comey using the
initial reason of Sessions’ recommendation and Rosenstein’s memo concerning
Comey’s mishandling of the Clinton e-mail false scandal. More than 100
lawmakers, consisting of a few Republicans, call for a special prosecutor or
independent investigator to be assigned for the firing’s true reasoning. In a May
09 ‘New York Times’ report, Comey, just a couple days earlier had asked
Rosenstein for additional resources to expand the bureau’s Trump/Russia
investigation. Department of Justice spokesperson, Sarah Flores denies the
story, calling it “<i>100 percent false</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 10, Trump sends out a batch of early
morning tweets justifying his firing of Comey. Below are two of them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0CTAIt8EHoySWBpriAur6fjXI2jDGWQGqgXBz-jJ1d6l0VrLSNuhO-uC3bzME_ZA02zDgBGnkSakz3GkM8ukjTXfq3I69zw4e2_mrhyphenhyphenTJ9dTxVy1T-Ge-ydy7GYhgS4zuqmJjpJQA6wy/s1600/1-gop+may4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0CTAIt8EHoySWBpriAur6fjXI2jDGWQGqgXBz-jJ1d6l0VrLSNuhO-uC3bzME_ZA02zDgBGnkSakz3GkM8ukjTXfq3I69zw4e2_mrhyphenhyphenTJ9dTxVy1T-Ge-ydy7GYhgS4zuqmJjpJQA6wy/s320/1-gop+may4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">CNN</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> reports that Stone urged Trump to
fire Comey, where Trump tweets:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov
arrives in Washington, D.C. to privately meet with White House officials
including Trump. Secretary of State is the first to greet him in a press
conference where a reporter asks about the firing. Tillerson does not reply,
but oddly Lavrov does saying, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Was he
fired? You are kidding, you are kidding!</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” Then he walks away exemplifying
the Russian mockery of their meddling into American democracy as allowed by
this Trump administration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pence states, “<i>Let me be very clear that the President’s decision to accept the
recommendation of the deputy attorney general and the attorney general to
remove Director Comey as the head of the FBI was based solely and exclusively
on his commitment to the best interest of the American people and to ensuring
that the FBI has the trust and confidence of the people of this nation</i>.”
The ‘let me be very clear Kid Pence’ always states “<i>let me be very clear</i>.” Beware when someone states this, for they
are lying and in this case we know that Pence was lying, for he was in the
front of the original diving board of Comey’s being fired by Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Deputy press secretary, Sarah Huckabee
Sanders reiterates Pence’s position that Sessions and Rosenstein were “<i>absolutely</i>” the impetus for the firing.
By the way, in recusing himself, Sessions had no business in being involved
with Comey’s firing and the FBI’s ongoing Russian investigations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finally on May 10, on the senate floor,
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rejects calls for a special prosecutor
to take over the Russian probes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 11, acting FBI Director Andrew
McCabe contradicts Trump’s tweets while testifying at a Senate hearing that the
White House has misled the public about the FBI’s Russia investigation and
regard for Comey at the agency. He says the Russia probe is “<i>highly significant</i>” and that, “<i>Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI
and still does to this day</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Later that evening, in a, Lester Holt
‘NBC’ interview, Trump said, “<i>I asked
Comey three times whether he is personally under investigation by the FBI for
possible Russia ties—twice on the phone, and once at the January 27 dinner</i>.”
Trump claims that Comey reassured him that he is not under investigation.
Sources close to Comey say this never happened. Trump also contradicts the
Pence ‘let me be very clear’ excuses in the reason of the firings due to the Rosenstein
memo in emphatically stating in the Holt interview, “<i>Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey, knowing there
was no good time to do it. And in fact, when I decided to do it, I said to
myself, I said, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up
story</i>….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on May 11, The Senate Intelligence
Committee sends Mike Flynn a subpoena for the documents he’d refused to produce
voluntarily in response to the committee’s April 28 letter request.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 12, another morning Trump warning
tweet:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">On the same day at the daily press
briefing, Spicer refuses to answer reporters’ questions about the morning Trump
tweet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on May 12, ‘The Wall Street Journal’
reports that the Treasury Department’s ‘Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’
(FinCEN) — a unit that specializes in combating money-laundering — will share
financial records with the ‘Senate Intelligence Committee’ investigating
Trump’s ties to Russia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 15, Trump reveals highly classified foreign
information to Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov and ambassador, Sergey
Kislyak in their White House meeting on May 10. A U.S. official tells the ‘Washington
Post’ that the information had one of the highest available classification
levels stating, “<i>This is code-word
information</i>,” adding that Trump “<i>revealed
more information to the Russian ambassador than we have shared with our own
allies</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">National
security adviser, H.R. McMaster is the first White House official to respond in
reading a forty second statement to the press denying the Washington Post’s
report, while mischaracterizing the substance of it. He says, “<i>The story that came out tonight, as
reported, is false. The president and the foreign minister reviewed a range of
common threats to our two countries, including threats to civil aviation. At no
time—at no time—were intelligence sources or methods discussed</i>.” The paper
didn’t report that sources and methods were disclosed; it reported that the
information discussed could be used to discern intelligence sources or methods. McMaster leaves refusing to take
questions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Finally on
May 15, at the press briefing, Spicer refuses seven times to answer if the
president uses secret recordings of his meetings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 16, Trump tweets:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">On May 16, McMasters continues to tell
reporters that Trump’s chest beating blabbing was “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">wholly appropriate</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” In his three minute explanation, he expresses
his “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">wholly appropriate</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” at least
five times with one more time in simply using “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">appropriate</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 17, Rosenstein surprises everyone in
announcing he’s appointing former FBI director, Robert Mueller as special
counsel to oversee the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference with the
election. A bit later in a White House statement, Trump says, “<i>As I have stated many times, a thorough
investigation will confirm what we already know — there was no collusion
between my campaign and any foreign entity. I look forward to this matter
concluding quickly</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finally on May 17, the ‘New York Times’
reports that Michael Flynn told the Trump transition team, as headed by Pence,
in early January—before the inauguration—that Flynn was under investigation for
failing to disclose more than $500,000 of work as a paid lobbyist for Turkey.
Also, ‘McClatchy’ reports that ten days before Trump’s inauguration, Flynn
asked to delay an Obama administration plan to fight ISIS that Turkey opposed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 18, Trump, after stewing a bit, back
tracks his earlier May 17 statement and tweets:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There is yet another May 18 Trump
rebuttal tweet dissed out:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Finally on May 18, at a joint news
conference with the president of Colombia, a reporter asks Trump whether he
ever asked Comey to close or back down the investigation into Michael Flynn. Trump
answers, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">No. No. Next question</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” He
goes on to characterize the ongoing Trump/Russia investigation as “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">totally ridiculous</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” and a “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">witch hunt</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” In an attempt to go back to
making Roesenstein the heavy, he finally adds, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Director Comey was very unpopular with most people, I actually thought
when I made that decision and I also got a very, very strong recommendation, as
you know, from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 19, the ‘Washington Post’ reports
that federal investigators in the Trump/Russia matter have identified a current
White House official as a significant person of interest. That official will
turn out to be, son-in-law Jared Kushner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on May 19, under growing scrutiny
of contradicting statements once put into context, a Pence spokesperson states,
“<i>The vice president stands by his
comments in March upon first hearing the news regarding General Flynn’s ties to
Turkey and fully supports the President’s decision to ask for General Flynn’s
resignation</i>.” He might be standing behind them, but Pence had better learn
to jump in front of ‘em.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Meanwhile on May 19, in an attempt to undermine
Robert Mueller’s credibility, White House lawyers are toying with a rule that
restricts newly hired government lawyers from investigating clients of their
former employer for at least one year. By executive order on Jan. 28, 2017,
Trump had extended that period to two years; however, the Justice Department
can waive the rule. Mueller’s law firm ‘WilmerHale’ represents Ivanka Trump,
Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort, but the firm says that Mueller has not
personally worked with any Trump-related clients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 22, Michael Flynn refuses to comply
with a subpoena from the ‘Senate Intelligence Committee’ that is investigating
Russia's interference in the 2016 election, invoking the 5th Amendment
protection against self-incrimination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also on May 22, speaking to reporters in
Jerusalem, Donald Trump denies mentioning “<i>Israel</i>”
in his May 10 conversation with the Russian foreign minister and ambassador in
the Oval Office. In making this statement, Trump tacitly implies that he did in
fact discuss classified information with these Russian officials and also appears
to confirm that the classified information originated with Israel—a statement
that the original report and no US official has made publicly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 23, sometimes in being too partisan,
it comes back to bite the politician right in the aspirin bottle. Take for
instance Trey Gowdy in grilling former CIA director, Jay Brennan at the Russian
investigation hearings. In hopes that Brennan had no knowledge to Gowdy’s
Republican sound-bye question of, do you know of any evidence of collusion with
Russia and the Trump administration? Brennan politely fired back that indeed he
does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Brennan replied, “<i>I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that
revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and U.S. persons
involved in the Trump campaign</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In belief that Brennan was no longer
involved as a CIA director, Gowdy was assuming Brennan was way too early in the
startup of the investigations and was now not privy to any information that had
been obtained. That way Gowdy could make it appear that there is nothing to see
here in the Trump/Russian scandal. Instead, it backfired on him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Brennan went on to say his initial
intelligence reports and investigations “<i>were
the basis for the FBI</i>” to begin their investigations. He further added that
the Russians “<i>brazenly interfered</i>” in
the U.S. elections while actively in contact with Trump officials. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After a bit of delay in once the
proceedings were turned back over to Gowdy, his main response was as usual an
uncalled for GOP joke when he blurted, “<i>Sorry,
I was colluding with my friend from Florida</i>.” Apparently another country
attempting to influence our democratic elections with possible collusion ties
to a candidate weighs in with no merit to Gowdy. This is why our congress is
mistrusted due to this type of smirkish behavior. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also, when asked by Representative Adam
Schiff (R-CA) concerning Trump handing classified foreign intelligence over to
Russia, Brennan stated that two protocols may have been violated. Brennan’s
response was this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>I
don’t know what was shared or said in the Oval Office, but if the reports in
the press are true that Mr. Trump decided to spontaneously some intelligence
with the Russians, I think he would have basically violated two protocols, and
those protocols are one is that such intelligence, classified intelligence is
not shared with visiting foreign ministers or local ambassadors…..Secondly,
before sharing classified intelligence with foreign partners, it needs to go
back to the originating agency to make sure that the language in it is even
just providing the substance going to reveal sources and methods and compromise
the future collection capability</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An excerpt to the hearing is below in
the MSNBC video:</span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The final stinger Brennan added was when
Representative Denny Heck (D-WA) inquired why Russian meddling into our
American elections should matter to Americans. Brennan’s response was stinging
when he replied, “<i>Because for the last
241 years, this nation and its citizens have cherished the freedom and liberty
that this country was founded on. Our ability to choose our elected leaders as
we see fit is, I believe, an inalienable right we must protect with all of our
resources and all our authority and power</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A fuller portion of Brennan’s statement
is in the video below:</span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That is one powerful statement. Now, can
any upright true patriotic American get rid of their partisan baggage and agree
with that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 24, coming directly from the justice
department, it was revealed to ‘CNN’ that Jeff Sessions did not disclose his
meetings with Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak and other foreign dignitaries
when he applied for security clearance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May 31, ‘CNN’ reports that Russians
claim to have ‘derogatory’ financial information that can be used as leverage over
Trump. However initially here, CNN has seen no transcripts, and are only
repeating what the Russian officials have informed them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But, a series of deep studies were published in the <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">‘</span>Financial Times<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">’</span> that examined the structure and history of
several major Trump real estate projects from the last decade—the period after
his seventh bankruptcy and the cancellation of all his bank lines of credit. The
money to build these projects flowed almost entirely from Russian sources.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">This Russian drip to pooling to flow
will continue on into a raging current, as more information rip tides through.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The gods can only imagine what the
rightwing reaction would be if Obama had been remotely this close to
adversarial Russia, or ever carried out the relay of classified material to an
unfriendly </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">foreign foe</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Even so, still, the Trumpeteers are defending
Trump’s praise of Russia and actions in giving away classified material. Insisting
this president has every right to declassify and relay intelligence to whomever
he wants, I’ll tell all here right now that is not normal and traditional presidential
protocol.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> But did Trump first declassify it? No, he
did not...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hypocrisy
of It All</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) ~
Back in October, just a couple of weeks away from the elections, former FBI
director, James Comey hand delivered Chaffetz a letter stating the FBI was
going to review some e-mail files they had found in Anthony Weiner’s computer.
Weiner is Huma Abedin’s estranged husband and Abedin was Hillary Clinton’s
trusted adviser. Comey gave a copy of the letter to him because Chaffetz was
chair of the House investigation committee. Immediately, Chaffetz, as a demom with its
pants caught ablaze, leaks the letter’s contents dressing it up as if the FBI
is reopening Clinton’s case. Chaffetz has this to say in his tweet alert:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>FBI
Dir just informed me, 'The FBI has learned of the existence of emails that
appear to be pertinent to the investigation.' Case reopened</i>” Instantly this
was picked up by media outlets moments after it appeared. Chaffetz continued, “<i>It is absolutely correct. They are spending
time, money and resources investigating. Nobody knows where it's going to lead,
but the reality is...it is reopened</i>.”
<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In his defense to hastily spread his
leak, he opines, “<i>I thought I would put
it out there. People have a right to know. It was newsworthy. It caught me by
surprise</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, as the mighty leaker of classified
material so valiantly goes forth in still trying to stick it to Clinton, he
sings quite a differing tune by totally flipping his opinion when it comes to a
leaker from the other side of the aisle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On ABC’s ‘This Week’, George Stephanopoulous
asked Chaffetz if the person of interest in the White House by the FBI needs to
be identified, Chaffetz bypasses that and whines that the leaker should be
sought out and prosecuted. Here’s what he replied “<i>I want to see that this person is prosecuted. I think the President
makes a very good point. No matter who is in the White House you cannot have
the type of leaking of information—sources, methods, classified information. I
don’t care who it is Democrat or Republican, you cannot have that happen. So
not only do you need to wall them off, you probably ought to put them in
handcuffs and put them in jail</i>.”</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">While we’re on the topic of leakers,
Donald Trump constantly harps about intelligence and White House leaks.
Republicans in the Russian hearings always divert attention away from the
actual damage Russia has done to American democracy and jump right on what we
need to do to these leakers...“<i>handcuff</i>”
them and “<i>throw ‘em in jail</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump actually gives highly classified
foreign intelligence to the Russians before sharing it with any of America’s
allies during a warm and cozy private meeting with Kislyak and Lavrov. Pouring
salt deep into the wound, he does this while barring American reporters and
photo journalists from the meeting while allowing the Russian media to attend.
Now how does that ‘make America great again’? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is making a mockery of American
politics. For instance, after his meeting with Trump, Lavrov has another
meeting with the secretary general of the ‘Council of Europe’. The ‘Council of
Europe’s, Thorbjorn Jagland asked, Lavrov, “<i>These
pictures won't cause any problems for you</i>?” Where Lavrov, in thinking he’s
kind of cute replies, “<i>Depends on what
kind of secrets you pass on to me</i>.” They all get a chuckle out of it.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8SA-dRRLxLc?ecver=1" width="854"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I don’t care for any of the Republican
excuses of, ‘Trump as president has the right’, or, ‘well, he at least didn’t mention
the name, Israel where the intelligence originated from’. For all you
self-professed rightwing patriots out there, this is one sorry display of American
patriotism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The main difference between leaks
concerning the Trump administration and Trump’s actual indulgence in sharing
classified information with the Russians is: one is exposing a person or
persons exhibiting deviant behavior towards the nation or American people for
self-interests, while the other is actually exposing classified U.S. interests
to adversaries that could affect national security. Exposing unruly persons is
protected under whistleblower laws, for that is actually a patriotic move. The
one that exposes highly sensitive classified intelligence such as in military
or intelligence strategies...that is actually unpatriotic and treasonous. As we
can obviously see, Trump is more the traitor than any of the leak sources
considering what his administrators (persons), or Trump himself are doing in
seeking under the radar adversarial contacts from U.S. officials.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course all Republicans are pushing
the ‘Trumyan’ (Trump/Ryan) Healthcare bill through secretive policy, pushing it
through before the ‘Congressional Budget Office’ (CBO) could review it and
actually lying about its lack of merit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Remember when Trump promised quality
healthcare for all, how it would be much cheaper and more accessible to all during
his campaign. Now he actually orchestrated a little parade ending up at a White
House lawn podium praising the healthcare bill in barely passing with a House
vote of 217-213 and that was the second time around for the House; the first
time it would’ve failed. So, to ensure passage in the Republican majority
House, Ryan actually made the bill worse to attract the ‘Tea Party’ element in
his party. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With all his little Republican
politicians from the House and his administration smiling as if they had accomplished
the miraculous conception, when instead, they just handed the senate a
healthcare bill far more inferior than Obamacare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On a July 2009 ‘MSNBC’ appearance, Paul
Ryan harangued, “<i>I don't think we should
pass bills that we haven't read, that we don't know what they cost</i>. “<i>Those members in Congress who voted for this
bill already in their committees, did so without knowing what the legislation
costs</i>.”</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hdr49iGZOUw?ecver=1" width="854"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As seen in the above video, Ryan
complained about the rush, lack of transparency and not looking at other
Republican alternatives. Now, let’s fast forward to the 2017 Trumyancare bill. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First-off, Ryan complained about the nonexistent
Republican alternatives not getting looked at. It’s now 2017 and ever since
2009 they’ve said they have a better alternative but would never show it.
Former congressman, Alan Grayson states, “<i>During
a speech to the House and Senate, back in 2009, President Obama asked
Republicans to share their alternative to the Affordable Care Act. They waived papers in the air, to show that
they had their own plan. When the President’s speech was over, I went to look
at those papers. They were blank</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The GOP still has no healthcare bill to
replace Obamacare. Honestly, Republicans would simply prefer to just go back to
the traditional format of health insurers</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> rule. So, even if the ACA is
repealed, it still won the day as it has forced the Republican’s hand to bend
at least a smidgeon towards the American public.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Secondly, there was far more
transparency to the ACA. Republicans were in on its initial implementation, GOP
fingerprints were all over the draft. Democrats weren’t invited on Trumyancare
policy making. In fact, most Republicans weren’t either. The ACA had hearings,
Trumpyancare did not. It took nearly two years for Obamacare passage with a CBO
review, Trumyancare was indeed rushed through without a CBO review. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lastly, virtually all Republican
congressmen, much less Democrats and Independents had to confess in interviews
they had not read or reviewed the Trumyancare bill. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finally, once the Trumyancare CBO report
did come out, we all now realize why the vote on it was rushed through. It
stinks. 23 million Americans will lose coverage. With the aid of Trump’s budget
slash of </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">CHIPS</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> funding, 30 million American children will lose funding.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZKk4uwFw3oM?ecver=1" width="854"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The hypocrisy of it all is in, Budget
Director Mick Mulvaney complaining that the CBO data is “<i>garbage</i>” when it is Trump who just appointed the new CBO director.
Also, the healthcare bill will slash Medicaid for the poor, slash nutritional
programs, slash healthcare for children, the elderly and the sick while giving
massive tax cuts to the rich, Mulvaney describes this budget and Trumyancare as
“<i>compassionate</i>.” This guy really is a
trip, when vainly trying to defend the budget Mulvaney argued, to look “<i>at the budget through the eyes of the
taxpayer</i>,” instead of those in need of social programs. Simply amazing...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watch Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
hammer Mulvaney in the video below.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O1XKkWvXEAY?ecver=1" width="630"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On top of all this, health insurers are
raising premiums due to the atmospheric instability Trump is pushing on
healthcare. For instance, in a May 30 ‘Vox’ article, Brad Wilson, chief
executive of </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, has just filed a 22.9%
Obamacare rate increase for 2018. Why?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even though Wilson feels like the North
Carolina marketplace is finally stabilizing in saying, “<i>2017 is so far, so good</i>.” He further adds, “<i>It’s still early and our numbers for the year run about 30 to 45 days
behind. But the analysis underway so far in 2017 appears to show stability in
the market in terms of price, utilization, and the customer base</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, Wilson alludes to the fact that
Trump is considering cutting funds for a key Obamacare program in ‘cost-sharing
reductions’ (CSR). CSRs are a $7 billion program lowering copays and
deductibles for low income enrollees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wilson states, “<i>The biggest single reason for that rate increase is the lack of the
federal funding for CSRs in 2018. We ultimately filed a 22.9 percent rate
increase. We filed that rate based on what we know today. Part of what we know
today is that there is no guarantee the cost-sharing reductions will be
available in 2018. There is evidence they will not be available. The primary
piece of evidence, being the House bill, does not contain an appropriation for
the money</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yepper sports fan, everything
Republicans falsely complained about in Obamacare, they sneak packed all those
falsities into Trumyancare. It’s shameless ineptitude! Trump and Ryan in being
so hypocritical, have done a major disservice to the American public overall in
their mountainous double upside-down flip-flop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One might recall all of the hollowed out
promises Trump dissed out on his campaign trail like build the wall paid for by
Mexico and build the XL pipeline solely with USA made pipe when indeed foreign
Russian, Turkish and Chinese pipe will be used. One of those promises, since
proclaiming he knows more about ISIS than any generals and only he alone can
defeat ISIS was, “<i>We are going to convene
my top generals and give them a simple instruction. They will have 30 days to
submit to the Oval Office a plan for soundly and quickly defeating ISIS. We
have no choice</i>.” Of course please duly note he goes back to relying on the
generals instead of himself to come up with a plan, but nonetheless, it’s 50
days past due his first 30 days and still no plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Remember all the times Trump declared
that Hillary was too weak in stamina and that only he had the stamina and
energy to be president. Many times he portrayed this. Well, it turns out that Hillary,
as Secretary of State in her travels to 112 foreign nations, logged nearly a
million miles of flight time at 956,733 miles, which is spanning the globe more
than 38 times. She also spent 401 days on the road. She travelled much more than any previous
secretary of state, so much so she was named, “<i>Secretary of Schlep</i>” by ‘Foreign Policy’, while ‘The Atlantic’
dubbed her the, “<i>George Clooney of global
affairs</i>.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUPCs_mQwNt3RCowaKTRnJkrBv3fSDu_3dpiCKrmZz3GJblzzXWuwfv4M3HkphczWIhxNbb9YYydhPb2SFG7N8hIXV4reoSsMhhcO4JTskbaNlMDRvZAHoLLieM_SUkLnnrV1ZtD9i6L_/s1600/1-gop+pooped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="600" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUPCs_mQwNt3RCowaKTRnJkrBv3fSDu_3dpiCKrmZz3GJblzzXWuwfv4M3HkphczWIhxNbb9YYydhPb2SFG7N8hIXV4reoSsMhhcO4JTskbaNlMDRvZAHoLLieM_SUkLnnrV1ZtD9i6L_/s320/1-gop+pooped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As far as Trump, even before his first
foreign trip as president he was whining to shorten the days from nine to five.
It was reported from the White House that Trump was too exhausted by the time
he made it into Israel, that he cancelled two scheduled events. One was to the
holocaust museum and the other was a speech to the Israeli parliament. Oh yeah,
a third one he cancelled was to the ancient site of Masada...why...well the
excuse was because they wouldn’t allow him to use his helicopter to land him
there.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Sicily, the G7 leaders consisting of
young and old, male and female took a stroll down and up the streets to reach
the area for a group photograph. Trump, so winded, instead of walking with the
group, took an electric buggy. They all waited patiently until Trump arrived to
join them in the photoshoot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When Trump got back from his trip,
reporters quizzed why Trump wasn’t giving a press conference as all his
presidential predecessors have? What Gary Cohn, Trump’s chief economic advisor said
was almost admitting Trump was too pooped to poop. He stated that the president
couldn’t do a press conference because he had a “<i>robust schedule</i>” and “<i>worked
non-stop</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hillary proved it in walking the walk. Trump
as yet, has not in merely talking the talk. I say to Trump, if stamina is so
important to falsely bash Hillary in not having it, where’s yours, Buggy Boy?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Christian Billboard Boy, Mike Pence
isn’t exactly a follower of the ‘Ten Commandments’ when it comes to number
nine, thou shalt not lie. But it is his cherry-pick to throttle his full
Christianity when it comes to the LGBT. It appears all Pence’s role is to give
lying cover for his boss. He did it during the campaign and he’s been doing it
during the presidency.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Christian Boy has a long history of
lying through his teeth. In 2009 concerning the new ACA healthcare bill, he
stated, “<i>a government-controlled health
care plan that will deprive roughly 120 million Americans of their current
health care coverage</i>.” He falsely stated this in that Obamacare is not a
government controlled healthcare bill and it didn’t deprive 120 million
Americans of healthcare, it actually gave an additional 21 million more in
coverage. All this while he covets a healthcare and Trump budget bill that will
indeed take 23 million American folk’s coverage away and child healthcare away
from 30 million children in slashing </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">CHIPS</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Another, among many other lies the “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">let me be very clear</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” wonk, Pence has
stated was this doozy on October 05, 2016 during the VP debates. Christian Boy
claimed Trump “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">hasn’t broken his promise</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">”
to release his tax returns. Of course he’s chiming in with his boss because
Trump among multiple other times, as late as January 2016 said “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">absolutely</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” and it’ll happen “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">probably over the next few months</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As mentioned earlier in the above
chronology section when it comes to the Flynn affair, Pence has been acting as
the duped stooge, or liar, or both. I tend to lean to the latter...of both. Through
heading the transition team, there is evidence Pence knew of Flynn’s Turkish
lobbying interests and Pence was in on the ground floor of Flynn’s firing as
opposed to what he publicly stated in denying any knowledge of Flynn’s
background.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But of course Pence was part of the
whole original scheme to initially make it look like it was due to the memo as
opposed to Trump doing the firing of FBI director, Comey on his own accord.
Pence, with his little beady eyes knew of the firing even before the Rosenstein
memo came out. Trump had asked, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein to
draft a letter documenting Mr. Comey’s shortcomings to leave the impression
that it was Rosenstein’s judgment and not his own that led to the dismissal.
This was an idea that was reinforced by Pence, who was part of the small group
of advisers who planned Comey’s ouster in near secrecy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Naturally, this ruse got busted wide
open when Trump announced to NBC news anchor, Lester Holt, “<i>I was going to fire Comey — my decision.
There is no good time to do it, by the way. I was going to fire regardless of
the recommendation made by Mr. Rosenstein</i>.” Guiltless Pence, no longer
appeared as the empathetic oh holy innocent one. He became behind those beady
eyes, the devious one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But by far the worst covert lie Pence is
living is connected to the January meeting with Erik Prince and an unnamed high
level Putin representative as discussed under the above Russian/Trump
chronology. According to U.S., European and Saudi Arabian intelligence
officials, the ‘Washington Post’ reported with information from two U.S. intelligence
officers that the United Emirates arranged a secret meeting between Prince and
a Russian close to Vladimir Putin, with the alleged goal of establishing a
back-channel line of communication between Moscow and the Trump transition
team, headed by Mike Pence. All according to U.S, European and Arab documents.
Prince was indeed under Pence as a junior member of the transition team. Pence
had to be aware of what illegalities were going on.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Someone should tell Sessions, it is the
‘Hippocratic Oath’ and not the ‘Hypocritical Oath’, for Sessions claims to be
tough on crime while rounding up undocumented father, mother and child immigrants
with no criminal backgrounds. But hold on a second, for when it comes to
corporations, he appears to go </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">conveniently</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> blind.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As declared by sessions, Citigroup-owned, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Banamex USA</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> gets away with six years’ worth of illegal activity with a paltry fine
in Wall St. financial terms and with no jail time for anyone involved. Banamex
and Citi officials knew of some 18,000 separate suspicious account activities
yet reported just six to regulators. The activities were transactions of
remittance payments from persons inside the U.S. to accounts in Mexico.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is standard practice of Mexican
workers in the U.S. sending money back to their families in Mexico and these
are carefully watched by bank officials. But the transactions Citigroup failed
to police internally or report to external authorities however, were not
typical small sum worker remittances, no, they were large quantities of money going
back and forth across the border from just a few organized accounts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As attorney general, Sessions keeps busy
rounding up and splitting up families to be deported, but when it came to a
money laundering scheme involving $100s of millions of dollars floating across
the border, it’s best to recite blind justice. Whatever happened to that Trump
moniker when it comes to combating crime with ‘zero tolerance’? It just
appears that it only applies to brown skinned ordinary folk that are working
the crappiest American jobs to support their families. When it comes to big
money corporate, that zero starts it count upwards...1,2,3...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As far as the untold Trumpian promises
to ‘<i>drain the swamp</i>’ go, well, I’ll
simply let Seth Meyers’ eloquent translation speak for all of us in the video
below:</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NkRthmP5JBU?ecver=1" width="800"></iframe>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To round this up, it is pretty much in
the Republican DNA to be hypocritical. They supposedly come from the party of
family values, but recently, beyond voting for a narcissistic perpetual liar
and cheating businessman who swindled millions from subcontractors and service
businesses by not paying them for their work on his construction projects, but
yet lecture NATO members they’re not paying their bills, the GOP seems to
reward all its lewd leaders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After disgraced former, House Speaker
Dennis Hastert had sexually violated boys during his teaching and coaching
tenure with more violations coming in, Republicans feel empathy for him...he’s
too old to be in jail, or he only has to answer to God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mark Sanford, when governor of South
Carolina flew to Argentina on the state’s taxpayer dime to meet and pick up his
mistress and lied about it to his constituents and his wife. So, what happens
to him, he is rewarded. South Carolinian Republicans, after his governorship
term ended, <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">voted him in as a U.S. congressional
representative.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just this past week, Greg Gianforte just
body slammed and punched a reporter repeatedly in the face. The next day,
Republican Montanans vote him into office as their representative congressman.
In addition, Gianforte has ties to white nationalist activists and
organizations. He also stands to gain $800,000.00 dollars solely if Trumyancare
becomes the new healthcare law. It was a healthcare question by the
‘Guardian’s, Ben Jacobs that stirred Gianforte into assaulting Jacobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gianforte has not apologized and his
office only sent out a false statement that contradicts what the witnesses
state happened. Speaking of witnesses, a
‘Fox News’ reporting crew was there and witnessed the whole incident. They
totally back up Jacobs account. ‘Fox News’ correspondent, Alicia Acuna wrote an
account of the attack saying, “<i>Gianforte
grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground
behind him. Faith, Keith and I watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began
punching the reporter. As Gianforte moved on top of Jacobs, he began yelling
something to the effect of, ‘I’m sick and tired of this!’ […] To be clear, at
no point did any of us who witnessed this assault see Jacobs show any form of
physical aggression toward Gianforte</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A slew of stations picked up her story
and reported it...except the ‘fair and balanced’ station. That’s right, ‘Fox’
totally ignores their own ‘Fox News’ crew coverage who were firsthand witnesses
to the attack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Instead, Fox had pundits siding with
Gianforte. By dubbing Jacobs as a “<i>liberal
reporter</i>” that is code for Republican dog whistles that Jacobs is part of
the ‘Fake News’ so deserved whatever Gianforte gave him.</span><br />
<br />
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</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHepAm8xnyDmlXHtyWzoc4NwKLs-CwaeAsbdMqzePc3QGt8EyzCgBYgs6AQMuZt4edO-lb_3Lb97fVGH19jaxiePK5-K_wFQl35t_iumfLiBMIoGTFEaptqbSP4TnT4jUjft0b0-g8xmc/s1600/1-gop-hannity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="750" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHepAm8xnyDmlXHtyWzoc4NwKLs-CwaeAsbdMqzePc3QGt8EyzCgBYgs6AQMuZt4edO-lb_3Lb97fVGH19jaxiePK5-K_wFQl35t_iumfLiBMIoGTFEaptqbSP4TnT4jUjft0b0-g8xmc/s320/1-gop-hannity.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st 5 months in office golfing: Obama~1 Trump~16</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">So much for the party of ‘family
values’...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Posthumous
Corpulence</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We know all the praise Trump has
showered onto, Putin, while making it out to be that it is U.S. news
journalists as the enemy of this nation. But it’s not just authoritative Putin
that he showers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump first praises North Korea’s, Kim
Jong-un in January by saying, “<i>How many
young guys — he was like 26 or 25 when his father died — take over these tough
generals, and all of a sudden — you know, it’s pretty amazing when you think of
it. How does he do that? Even though it is a culture and it’s a cultural thing,
he goes in, he takes over, and he’s the <b>boss</b></i>.”
He further praises him on the April 30 ‘Face the Nation’ program confessing to,
John Dickerson, “[Kim’s] <i>dealing with
obviously very tough people, in particular the generals and others. And at a
very young age, he was able to assume power. A lot of people, I'm sure, tried
to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else. And he was
able to do it. So obviously, he's a pretty smart cookie</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On April 18, Trump is not only the first, but the only western leader to call Turkey’s, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
congratulate him on his razor thin margin victory to increase his authoritative
squeeze on the country. Erdogan just expanded his authoritarian power in a vote
plagued by allegations of fraud. Although Trump beat them to the punch, someone
else did call in to congratulate Erdogan...it was Hamas, Palestine’s Sunni
Islamic fundamentalist party. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump, on an April 29 phone conversation
with the Philippines’ president, Rodrigo Duterte invited him to the White
House, an act of embracing another authoritarian leader who is accused of
ordering extrajudicial killings. Duterte hasn’t been in office a year yet, but
has executed thousands of people deemed as drug dealers or users. He uses his
police goon squads to carry out the massacres in the streets and homes. The
squads have branched out even into killing Duterte’s political rivals and
critics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s not just these leaders’
authoritarian governance that attracts Trump, no, it’s because he craves their
unchecked power. Is this the meaning of ‘Make America Great Again’...to
demolish our constitution?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the other side, all of America’s long
lasting allies, Trump</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">s hastily dissolving the relationships. Seven European
leaders from Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland are
now distancing their governments from the U.S. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This has been precisely Russia’s goal...create
division between the U.S. and its European allies. Trump is handing it over to
Putin on a silver platter.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The conflict of interest that will
continually hang over this presidency is unethical. With domestic and foreign
dignitaries staying at Trump hotels hoping for influence, government officials
staying at Trump Towers and Trump resorts with the stays paid for by the
American taxpayer to Trump’s pockets is the first time this type of immoral presidential
financing has been tolerated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner,
who is a slumlord, stands to gain income from 90% of his real estate holdings
under virtually zero percent transparency. Kushner has financial holding
accounts held by shell companies that are virtually impossible to track, and
Kushner has declined to make public more information on those entities even
though he is Trump’s influencing White House adviser.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump titillates when it comes to walls,
but he hasn’t put up any between his entwined businesses and political podium.
It’s time for Trumpty Dumpty to take that fall. Vladimir Putin helped Trump get
elected, it’s now our turn as an American to get Trump out of office. Divulging
with the Russians is a corpulent contradiction in terms.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2m96Uzb1xp5BMXoXpooEcr1qRNcM9-9wbVFulwTqKY3I3AZEarrAtYshyphenhyphenVk1bT3Uk2klnIcWchNZyrAvrDyOEbNFw9Jmhp2VAGjzjkwjflAm2llWrxEbgKgK1le8FoqJinziKBl7Akdq/s1600/1-gop+pigpen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1204" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2m96Uzb1xp5BMXoXpooEcr1qRNcM9-9wbVFulwTqKY3I3AZEarrAtYshyphenhyphenVk1bT3Uk2klnIcWchNZyrAvrDyOEbNFw9Jmhp2VAGjzjkwjflAm2llWrxEbgKgK1le8FoqJinziKBl7Akdq/s320/1-gop+pigpen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This also includes Pence. When you’re
more than willing to waddle in the mud with pigs, expect to be looking like a
muddy pig. Pence may not have Trump’s colic mouth, but his deceitful ways are
just as upchucking.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Shame requires a conscious. Those
without one, lack in ethical, empathetic and civil character. Trump displays
none of those traits. He attacks the media simply for reporting what he has
said and done. Trump in his constant whining of the U.S. media and U.S.
intelligence, ‘Make America Great Again’ has been reduced to self-pity, for
what else can be said in what he’s accomplished? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s budget proposal and Trumyancare
(Trump/Ryan) is antithetical to true American values and ethics. Already as it
stands, 77% of Americans cannot afford an unexpected medical bill of $2,000.00.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSd1MyqhcUO8NixNu3zXxmmljhfgocpl0mGI6w5_QbpWlMGMQSvohDqMz8Fela_yFgZQgxJxljK6gfaLi-ngAQFTCT5eLeenkwzxySO7RASAgzj6VAuFRNXXFqApFCWymIICElvsn8OZO/s1600/1-gop+spprt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="600" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSd1MyqhcUO8NixNu3zXxmmljhfgocpl0mGI6w5_QbpWlMGMQSvohDqMz8Fela_yFgZQgxJxljK6gfaLi-ngAQFTCT5eLeenkwzxySO7RASAgzj6VAuFRNXXFqApFCWymIICElvsn8OZO/s320/1-gop+spprt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">On healthcare it’s a crying shame it’s
all about giving the rich guaranteed tax cuts instead of improving the health
law already in place.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I leave you with this: From a reply of
Lisa Shields to a ‘Quora’ questioner asking, “<i>Are there any Americans who actually die because they can't afford
healthcare?</i>” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am assuming your question is serious. Long
before ACA, I worked in a library with a woman who did our janitorial work. We
talked from time to time because our kids were the same age. Tales from the
trenches. She worked three different minimum-wage jobs to support herself and
her son. His father had long since split, but she was a good mom and did her
best. One day, without warning, she had a grand mal seizure. It was one of the
most terrifying things I’ve ever witnessed. When the ambulance came, they took
her away. The next time I saw her, she looked OK…but was scared. The med they
prescribed her ran $400 a month. She told me she was “trying to make them
last,” only taking them when she felt “funny.” I told her I thought that was
dangerous. Easy for me. I had health insurance through my husband. But three
part-time jobs don’t offer it. She died six months later, leaving her son an
orphan. She was 38. Yes. People often die without health insurance. And usually
they are poor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Contributing
Words,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">05/31/2007<o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-84459043749100629642017-04-30T18:46:00.002-04:002017-05-09T20:41:18.825-04:00Walking and Chewing Gum<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Walking and Chewing Gum</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Paralyzed</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is an article directed towards the
Christian Right and could be viewed as good ol’ fashioned grandma whuppin</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> with
a long willow tree stem. As far as other Christian denominations go, I feel
they do adhere to the ethical morals and teachings of Jesus with most of them
offended by the spoiled man-child-in-chief. Assuredly, this article will catch
the attention of the Christian Right’s ire.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For sure by now there might be a few of
you belonging to the American proud Christian Right conglomeration that might
feel a bit of remorse in voting for Trump via the evangelical contorted method
of pushing a misogynist, lying, cheating and money scamming narcissist into the
oval office. But for the most of you that continue to wear blinders to any of
Trump’s egregious actions, you see no deception in supporting him over the Judas
acts you’re dealing Jesus. By parodying Trump, of all people, as God’s chosen,
you’ve done a vicious disservice to Jesus Christ, your true savior.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOBcOC2N5UjtGhUlv0ohJerBZODBzioc1sOoY2PbvKKLyWs9vXpSeHTV3v5CZI5mhmzrWfF47q4X5ZW6Rj3X7v7wmcAIi18y4JyRjhOPyh9R0_wLjmGtIqaQT_TTfFoQD7sL9Nvu2ugw_/s1600/1-gop-trmp+rel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOBcOC2N5UjtGhUlv0ohJerBZODBzioc1sOoY2PbvKKLyWs9vXpSeHTV3v5CZI5mhmzrWfF47q4X5ZW6Rj3X7v7wmcAIi18y4JyRjhOPyh9R0_wLjmGtIqaQT_TTfFoQD7sL9Nvu2ugw_/s320/1-gop-trmp+rel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">He is no born again Christian, Trump is
Trump. He’s been Trump for over seventy years and will continue to be. Tell or
show me one sign he has converted over to true Christian values. He’s actually
doubled down in his vain and prideful ways and lack of following in Jesus’
footsteps. As Republicans have been, he is only a conduit for Christianity in
receiving your vote. Instead of church on Sundays, for him, it’s been
Mar-a-Lago on the golf course.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Perhaps you’ve even swallowed a bit of
that false exclusive American patriotism ya claim to possess in voting for
Trump’s exclusion policies. However, in what is to come as the result of your
decision, it is not you that will only suffer from your choice, no, it’s affecting
all Americans. So shame on you with your bigoted scapegoating self as the GOP
petted and stroked those prejudices beholden behind your blinders. Because of
your paralysis in blocking substantial truths and ring-nosed by “<i>alternative facts</i>”; you’ve effectively paralyzed
the nation when considering the common Joe and Jane. Ya just couldn’t walk and
chew gum at the same time could ya when it came to truthful knowledge...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump is the mother lode of all
narcissism. You Christian Right people might want to check out your Bible, for
in it, it condemns haughtiness in many chapters. It states in Isaiah 13:11
(KJV), “<i>And I will punish the world for
their evil and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of
the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible</i>.” In
Proverbs 6: 11-16, it speaks of the six things God hates and considers an
abomination. Yes, being haughty is the first one on the list. In II Samuel
22:28, God claims in displaying haughtiness to even be grounds for execution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ya just might jump to Donald’s defense
and say he’s not haughty, he’s just proud; well let me remind ya that extreme
pride is what made the Devil and besides your point...haughtiness and pride are
pretty much one and the same. For a quick refresher course, haughty as defined
is: portraying arrogant pride and a self-importance with a vainness of pompous
superiority. Donald has continuously displayed this route expunging anything or
anyone critical of him or his misdeeds and never does he ever admit his
mistakes as he sits atop his bragging throne of wealth.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are well over a dozen instances of
the Bible God condemning haughtiness, while there are a multitude of instances
in Trump displaying haughty behavior. Any
speech he gives, it always winds up being about himself with him patting his
own back. On any given interview at any given moment, no matter the topic, he invariably
winds up dishing out contempt layered with conceit, while pathologically lying
about his trumped up self. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When he was addressing the CIA, he
resorted to falsely bragging how much he won the election by. At the White
House Easter egg roll, to the children no less, he can’t ask if the kids are
having a good time, he has to include his stolen slogan of how great he’s
making America again, by pushing his propagandized fluff onto the little
kiddies that he’s gotten America “<i>back on
track</i>.” Children don’t yet understand that nor do they even need to hear it
during a supposed fun time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When giving a joint media speech with
the prime minister of Italy, Paola Gentiloni at the White House, Trump extolls
the values of Italy. But he couldn’t help his narcissist self by including he
is great friends with the famous opera singer, Luciano Pavarotti. He addresses
Pavarotti in the present tense; the only problem with that is that Pavarotti
passed away in 2007. But what is worse, Trump was never a friend of Pavoratti’s
and his surviving family made sure that was known in denouncing Trump for even
suggesting it so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a statement addressing Trump’s claim,
the Pavarotti family stated, “<i>As members
of his immediate family, we would like to recall that the values of brotherhood
and solidarity which Luciano Pavarotti expressed throughout the course of his
artistic career are entirely incompatible with the world view offered by the
candidate Donald Trump</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixU55YdU-7pU-uNR9P1T-_y2zqY5chHHvKRGlLh2oM-sWfzGT9GULY3tE6YtJ6Z87vDhT2gkXcoAy-V-5tXg59tTqmvQuzNxCl6F8ZnMsWhGYIpu__SpRsC7SDw0Vs_zqHhOAQro4odpg1/s1600/1-gop-reltrmp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixU55YdU-7pU-uNR9P1T-_y2zqY5chHHvKRGlLh2oM-sWfzGT9GULY3tE6YtJ6Z87vDhT2gkXcoAy-V-5tXg59tTqmvQuzNxCl6F8ZnMsWhGYIpu__SpRsC7SDw0Vs_zqHhOAQro4odpg1/s320/1-gop-reltrmp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">No matter, the event speech or twit feed,
Trump is going to self-acclaim and quite abnormally at the expense of someone
else. For an adult, this is beyond childish behavior; it is unusually kooky
freakish. Just like his conflicts of interests in not keeping his money separate
from governing decisions, these routes ultimately will lead to a brick wall
dead end. The Christian Right, voluntarily enlisting as passengers is also
going to be included in the smash-up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Flutter
Damnation</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now most could sincerely contend that
the following is childish, but that is exactly why I’m including it. It is for
the fundamentalist Christian who blindly adores the man-child president, so in
just supposing here, I reckon they might be able to readily relate to the
unfolding below.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQK0PAEr5ej5VgN1ibTjGIlhmpgJ-xVrxZmYfFUNdHm0Kg0WAdyuUaXl82pEGKri9PHMIPV5-gvBOMFQDKJ5cT8L4ZIkuyYtKNxWjJ3cIinalixvfKl5utgQTBmYx7NVVTZ0AkSea_8pSs/s1600/1-gop+jackbannon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQK0PAEr5ej5VgN1ibTjGIlhmpgJ-xVrxZmYfFUNdHm0Kg0WAdyuUaXl82pEGKri9PHMIPV5-gvBOMFQDKJ5cT8L4ZIkuyYtKNxWjJ3cIinalixvfKl5utgQTBmYx7NVVTZ0AkSea_8pSs/s320/1-gop+jackbannon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Nicholson/Steve Bannon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapepI-O2jdZxWXn5u_SXbHCMz8kFBZVoVddA0Bf_gm1WT4xH3cXnJI-4grcVYX_Peqp6k3PO8XwkJ3yE_j4ffWXsW2St-I7xHIZ06mmr_g02xT32KXSIfWkX_yMvJCGya_LpdhtXahXTc/s1600/1-gop+millerputin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapepI-O2jdZxWXn5u_SXbHCMz8kFBZVoVddA0Bf_gm1WT4xH3cXnJI-4grcVYX_Peqp6k3PO8XwkJ3yE_j4ffWXsW2St-I7xHIZ06mmr_g02xT32KXSIfWkX_yMvJCGya_LpdhtXahXTc/s320/1-gop+millerputin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vladimir Putin/Stephen Miller</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUtJxDwUYJC3X8AixonlSTx0zNJkZfnejHb0i4gE9kMYE-U2iCKeTHcH4hFCVBwfo9PmCtmmF_dbX9Tu3R7dLwI_SjQ0mJg3Nrhlc0n6GoEI5w1Y4mWyE52rlki8LgpQYuPa2kQl_NEPZ/s1600/1-gop+lenin+sebac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUtJxDwUYJC3X8AixonlSTx0zNJkZfnejHb0i4gE9kMYE-U2iCKeTHcH4hFCVBwfo9PmCtmmF_dbX9Tu3R7dLwI_SjQ0mJg3Nrhlc0n6GoEI5w1Y4mWyE52rlki8LgpQYuPa2kQl_NEPZ/s320/1-gop+lenin+sebac.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vladimir Lenin/Sebastian Gorka</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6_VkeCnX4Xk6f6-NWmmmM0HVYo6XEejGdJYi_bm-Qx1QlK0XmvN696-4hWbh68gjfPmCjsIuj62de_Uh7Fws5Af_OuU8LQ-OTql-g72XBHl4JnlD3xfL8yz-J1jAxXzLBODqcsO-04jT/s1600/1-gop-conehead+lookalike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6_VkeCnX4Xk6f6-NWmmmM0HVYo6XEejGdJYi_bm-Qx1QlK0XmvN696-4hWbh68gjfPmCjsIuj62de_Uh7Fws5Af_OuU8LQ-OTql-g72XBHl4JnlD3xfL8yz-J1jAxXzLBODqcsO-04jT/s200/1-gop-conehead+lookalike.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady Pinhead</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQ3pbQVfL7mKyJV94rUm57iKGVK3ZvUaFwnhLhNjkmASW5zFDC0SfxG9pfoSS54DJ8_R91bf9KONQ1vdhGINS0jG_1Yjzg6nSvktSYtYnxnuOyvbL096-9MxuTDWYvx7IbpDK_hnfZsFi/s1600/1-gop-conehead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQ3pbQVfL7mKyJV94rUm57iKGVK3ZvUaFwnhLhNjkmASW5zFDC0SfxG9pfoSS54DJ8_R91bf9KONQ1vdhGINS0jG_1Yjzg6nSvktSYtYnxnuOyvbL096-9MxuTDWYvx7IbpDK_hnfZsFi/s200/1-gop-conehead.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roger Stone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQOYlNdGiUiGGt590Sfj2jJYfvUXq-jbdzEJ_6tKgwu_nsjW00byjg7oZQ84ETDhpJh5apoPf3htjWG9MNixRMtfy0S8q41iEWzrBtdMqInJjEfutLm19v-6T5EGTuE9cwQp6QhJVph9J/s1600/1-gop+spicerholt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQOYlNdGiUiGGt590Sfj2jJYfvUXq-jbdzEJ_6tKgwu_nsjW00byjg7oZQ84ETDhpJh5apoPf3htjWG9MNixRMtfy0S8q41iEWzrBtdMqInJjEfutLm19v-6T5EGTuE9cwQp6QhJVph9J/s320/1-gop+spicerholt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sean Spicer/Holt Richter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3fUjoTa5Bwbq7ZbI4RKhicMHT4uRPFHHXFdTac6CvHwKTCsGXE0TekVVDscpFVIZ9rAMVyizD6ULLZDy-trNkfzDVpkuXijilpbNCCFA0tiAGo1dUn3PWZD-oKOWH0MvUNbCt29pqiBm/s1600/1-gop-klly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3fUjoTa5Bwbq7ZbI4RKhicMHT4uRPFHHXFdTac6CvHwKTCsGXE0TekVVDscpFVIZ9rAMVyizD6ULLZDy-trNkfzDVpkuXijilpbNCCFA0tiAGo1dUn3PWZD-oKOWH0MvUNbCt29pqiBm/s320/1-gop-klly.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kellyanne Conway/Beavis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I</span>n Trump’s choosing of his
administrative posts, or rather henchmen, it is of no wondering in why he did,
once their look-alikes are revealed. So in following for your viewing enjoyment,
compare and contrast.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When
Angels Cry</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I can hardly blame the Christian Right
for making a mockery of their religion, when they have preying leaders praying
for them such as these below. But how can anyone willingly be duped into their
callous and mythical makeup of Christianity to accommodate their religious
leaders’ greed and rhetorical political conniption fits? How can they?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just listen to what they are preaching
to you religious pawns...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just recently this month, the anti-gay
preacher, Kenneth Adkins who implored to all that the gay victims massacred in
Orlando’s ‘Pulse Nightclub’ got what they deserved, has just gotten what he
deserves. He’s been found guilty of child molestation this month. According to
the ‘Florida Times Union Newspaper’, Adkins had sexual relations with an
underage boy and girl that attended his church services seven years ago. Of
course the fundamentalist can forgive Adkins, but for those innocent gay
victims, why they were in direct conflict to God’s edicts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In March of 2017, ‘WorldNetDaily’
author, David Kupelian went on anti-LGBQT Pastor Kevin Swanson’s ‘Generation’
radio program proclaiming, God intervened to prevent millions of Americans from
going “<i>completely mad</i>” under a
Hillary Clinton presidency. His actual words were, “<i>I don’t think that people have any idea of the horror they were spared
in America by not having Hillary Clinton as president. Having her as president
and just the radiant spiritual effect of having a criminal, a career criminal
as president, my thesis is that she would have driven a large percentage,
especially of the younger generation of Americans, completely mad</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjra0GhouLL4E26aRhOpjr9EvI6v3kWEWpRTT_OwS6lU3NKhIoHRG6PyQP1V9PAD_c9f7KUBhbKUk8BE03jJIssMCl4hJ3NT2nqCHZFW7eImzPLn7IyAOGOd1ZiDTadxZUuUagoj-wkHGHy/s1600/1-gop+pay-go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjra0GhouLL4E26aRhOpjr9EvI6v3kWEWpRTT_OwS6lU3NKhIoHRG6PyQP1V9PAD_c9f7KUBhbKUk8BE03jJIssMCl4hJ3NT2nqCHZFW7eImzPLn7IyAOGOd1ZiDTadxZUuUagoj-wkHGHy/s320/1-gop+pay-go.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In this, he actually is misdirecting who
the real criminal is. Trump scammed hundreds of subcontractors and small
business service providers by accepting their work then not paying them. In
fact, in a Miami Dade County circuit court a small mom ‘n’ pop shop business
called the ‘Paint Spot’ was just awarded the $34, 683.00 Trump owed them for
paint supplied to the ‘Trump National Doral Miami golf resort. In addition,
Trump is going to have to pay the local paint store an extra $390,000.00 for
lawyer and court fee costs. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If ya want to listen to Kupelian, the
‘Soundcloud’ audio is below. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/317247570&color=ff0000" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also concerning Swanson, he is the
preacher who proclaimed that any preacher who has a gay son must quit the
ministry and blasted Walt Disney’s, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ for promoting “<i>inter-species breeding</i>” even though the
beast is really a male human in the cartoon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Listed as a pro Trump Christian leader
on Trump’s campaign website, the conservative Christian couple, Don and Mary
Colbert appeared on an end of March, 2017 ‘Jim Bakker Show’ episode of ‘Reclaiming
the Land: Inauguration 2017’. There, Mary proclaimed that God will curse
Trump’s opponents and their children and grandchildren.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bTZPOtKlYF8?ecver=1" width="814"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In speaking of Jim Bakker, he’s still
peddling his food buckets even though Obama is no longer president and Hillary
did not win the presidency. These of course were the main reasons he was previously
hawking them in order for all to prepare for a holocaust. Now, since Trump is
president, it is the Muslim takeover that is the cause of the forthcoming doom.
Watch the ol’ scam huckster in the video below peddle his wares in the form of
life saving food buckets starting at the low ridiculous price of just $2800.00,
but who can argue a price in saving your family for the end times. Also note
how the bucket ad remains on the video and the somber background music.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LKz2qkW21HI?ecver=1" width="814"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then there’s Pat Robertson who appears
as a walking zombie, unfortunately with no less incoherent but still talking
capabilities. This past April 25, 2017, Robertson in emulating Trump, is still
attempting to blame Obama for all the nation’s woes, even though Obama has left
the WH building four months ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the short video below, watch
Robertson portend the woes of Obama. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m7JgYAadS_g?ecver=1" width="814"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The final preacher clincher here for all
the baseless fear you fundamentalists harbor is end times gossiper, Rick Wiles.
Apparently he has a keen sense on gambling in knowing the finer arts of ‘Texas
Hold ‘Em’s bluffing techniques. He equates this to lying while bestowing the
virtues on the lying master, Satan and says there’s a computer out there now
that can play the card game. So he puts two and two together and exults, “<i>If
you have a machine that is capable of lying, then it has to be connected to
Lucifer. Now we’re back to the global brain. This is where they’re going.
They’re building a global brain that will embody Lucifer’s mind and so Lucifer
will be deceiving people through the global brain</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One perverted Republican leader that you
evangelicals help rise to power in an easy thirty point margin is the now
former Alabama governor, Robert Bentley who was caught cheating on his wife
with his adviser director, Rebekah Caldwell Mason. She’s a woman more than 30
years his junior, while herself is married and a mother of three. But Bentley
was charged with ethics violations in using campaign funds for personal usage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another Alabama politician, you
fundamentalists blindly support due to his brand of religious hatred for all
others not perceived as under the umbrella of his form of religion, is twice
kicked off the Alabama bench, Roy Moore. He’s fond of taking away equal
liberties from Americans namely in the LGBQT and Muslim sectors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now he is seriously looking to run for
the vacated senate office of Jeff Sessions where he can imprint his profound
form of Christian Sharia law before the Muslims ever get a chance to. I’m quite
sure with that in mind the Alabama Christian conservative is lining up to
thrust Moore into a national office to affect us all. Can I have a Halleluiah
or two here...</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AaSu1nDFFsjYhoYxWFZJmbMvTHrysx1eCvyhOSlY5uvYKtu2ynah_OZPsBKupU5SCd7QqsgbQBrzYqNsgajEXSq7OO5GpKocHVoYdECLN8bPyaRt-U-tfgpRvkhxEbI3tCdfj0quQOj1/s1600/1-gop-religiousrt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AaSu1nDFFsjYhoYxWFZJmbMvTHrysx1eCvyhOSlY5uvYKtu2ynah_OZPsBKupU5SCd7QqsgbQBrzYqNsgajEXSq7OO5GpKocHVoYdECLN8bPyaRt-U-tfgpRvkhxEbI3tCdfj0quQOj1/s320/1-gop-religiousrt.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I query all you fundamentalist suckers
voting for and raising your hands upwards to the skies for these scam artist preachers
and politicians, in what exactly is your fundamental value? Is it in hating
liberals, hating the LGBQT communities, hating minorities and hating anyone who
opposes battlefield guns being brought into our neighborhoods as your new
fundamental? How can you listen to these waywards much less stomach them? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Evangelical
Belief Fodder</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To get something out of his first 100
days in office, on April 26, Trump dishes out a one page, double space indented
tax plan with virtually no numbers to sell once again to the American public
that tax deductions for the corporate and wealthiest Americans will create a
‘trickle-down effect’ that will stimulate jobs for everyone else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You need to face it...the Trump
administration, or the Republican congress cannot point out where this trickle
has ever worked. The times Republicans installed it, it failed miserably under the
Reagan and W. Bush years. It has only produced bread crumbs for the rest of
Americans as the wealthy and the corporate don’t even invest anymore much less
hire with their extra bonus money...they keep it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Reagan years produced mainly federal
government employment and only produced as much private sector jobs in his
second term as Carter did in his one term. The W. Bush years after his wealthiest
tax cuts, created the worst presidential employment growth record of a mere
0.24% since another Republican held office that went by the name of Herbert
Hoover. Hoover initiated tax cuts for the corporate and wealthy stimulating the
‘Great Depression’. W. Bush initiated his tax cuts for the corporate and
wealthy stimulating the ‘Great Recession’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yepper, my fine fellow frenzied evangelical
amaurosis, Republicans will always shout out to you in proclaiming cutting
taxes for the rich will create “<i>jobs,
jobs, jobs</i>,” but never point out an instance where it actually has. After a
65-year study by the ‘Congressional Research Study’, there is no evidence
whatsoever that tax cuts stimulate economic growth. However, they do trend in
concentrating wealth into the hands of the few.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Whereas under President Clinton, after
he added taxes to the rich, America experienced an economic boom under his two
terms, only to be thwarted after W. Bush instituted his wealthy tax breaks.
Even under Obama, who had to contend with the worst recessionary grip the
nation had endured, had a total private sector job growth of 2.08% after
eliminating wealthy tax breaks.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kiFfYGPplFk?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yet, there are the Trump surrogates in
Mick Mulvaney, Gary Cohn and Stephen Mnuchin that vow the trump tax plan will
benefit small businesses, give high-end tax breaks to the common American and
insist it will create jobs. That is until they are actually asked to raise
their right hand and promise it will, then they regress, as Mnuchin did in the
above NBC video.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mnuchin on an ABC April 27<sup>th</sup>
interview could not answer George Stephanopoulos’ question if Trump’s tax plan
would increase taxes onto the middleclass. Instead he offers only this, “<i>I can't make any guarantees until this thing
is done and it’s on the president's desk. But I can tell you, that’s our number
one objective in this. The details of taxes are very complicated and we're
committed to working quickly and getting this done</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On an April 26, 2017 PBS ‘NewsHour’
airing, Trump’s Budget Director Mick Mulvaney proclaimed the Trump tax plan
would help small businesses by dropping their tax rates to 15%. Then he gave a
story about his small restaurant business to infer how this would help all the
“<i>mom ‘n’ pop shops</i>” out there. The
thing is it won’t, the ‘mom ‘n’ pop shops’ already get a 15% tax break. What
the Trump administration is referring to aiding in a 15% tax break for small
businesses are law firms, hedge fund offices and investment firms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>We
are going to come out with a unified, united tax proposal from the White House</i>,”
Cohn said on April 20 with no explanation but adding, “<i>that will include individual as well as corporate</i>.” In further
adding on April 26, he confessed, “<i>We
will be attacked from the left and we will be attacked from the right but one
thing is certain: I would never, ever bet against this president. He will get
this done for the American people</i>.” I added this last Cohn statement
because I know how you Christian Right folk would drool over it, but it is only
rhetoric with no substance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Clinton left W. Bush with nearly a
quarter trillion dollar surplus only for W. Bush in his first year of office to
turn that around into a trillion dollar deficit after his rich tax cuts. Obama,
in creating 15 million new jobs under 75 straight months of job growth, while
bringing down unemployment from 10.1% when he inherited the presidential office
to 4.7% when he left office, Trump tried to steal Obama’s last jobs report and
unemployment rate as his own.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggDQe63X4xwLNchcwY0XKd6Xg0envwJfCt-laxIlBLc2OCzC7MRIGN6Wj0diNHUpTK5d5GxxU0yrXvkS106v5JPzF_CHjP6Jq5ZX1EqN8DpcSEtL7mDFWmhc_qcp1359I14Cq0trzruaw-/s1600/1-gop-bdgt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggDQe63X4xwLNchcwY0XKd6Xg0envwJfCt-laxIlBLc2OCzC7MRIGN6Wj0diNHUpTK5d5GxxU0yrXvkS106v5JPzF_CHjP6Jq5ZX1EqN8DpcSEtL7mDFWmhc_qcp1359I14Cq0trzruaw-/s320/1-gop-bdgt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">If reasonable concurred thoughts from observable,
in plain sight action can ever cross your biased Christian Right mind that it
is in reality, Republican presidents that raise debt and deficit. Ya just might
also note, Republicans only begin complaining about it when Democrat presidents
have to mop up the mess. Do I have to remind ya that it was Cheney who
emphatically stated to Treasurer Secretary Paul O’Neil that “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">deficits don’t matter</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” Obama could have
had a much better job performance in attacking the depths of the recession, if
he wasn’t record obstructed by Republicans who were blocking any and all of his
spending bills due to their insistent whining on their magical revelations of
just how high the GOP induced national debt and deficit had magically appeared
once Obama took office.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The same scenario is occurring now, but
in opposite fashion. Since Trump has taken office, the debt and deficit is no
longer an obstacle or even a thing for Republicans. Trump’s tax plan, as
revealed by the nonpartisan ‘Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget’ (CRF),
says that the Trump tax plan, once more data is revealed, will cost anywhere
from an extra $3-7 trillion in added national debt over the next decade. Once
the Trump administration gives out more pertinent data, the CRF will state
exactly where the trillions will lie in whether it is closer to $3 or $7
trillion in lost revenue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course, this flies smack-dab in the
face of what Trump promised to do on the campaign trail when he proclaimed to
the ‘Washington Post’ he would reduce the national debt down to zero in eight
years. But even in Trump’s proposed budget reductions devastating the EPA,
Transportation Dept., The National Institute of Health, Meals On Wheels and
along with other domestic department and program cuts, those savings would not
come near to paying for the loss revenue in the rich tax cuts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Please Mr./Ms. Evangelists, I beg of
thee, duly do note that naturally none of the Trump surrogates are expounding
on their tax plan including the total elimination of the Alternative Minimum
Tax (AMT), inheritance and estate taxes. For ya see, those tax eradications
cannot hide behind any amount of propaganda pretense in that they will benefit
the American working class. They’re explicitly and implicitly for the rich. In
fact, the Trump children stand to receive $4 billion in the elimination of the
inheritance and estate taxes. The AMT only affects those that are well off financially.
None of these three tax eliminations will benefit American working families struggling
to keep afloat financially.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What the Trump tax plan will do, gathering
from what little we know of it, is eliminate all tax deductions but keep
charitable donations and interest on mortgages. It also will give a child
credit, but even that is geared towards the wealthier who hire nannies. For the
average working family, there would be a hardly noticed $5.00 credit. Tax cuts
historically also impact negatively on infrastructure funding; one area Trump
did promise to address on numerous times during the 2016 campaign, but under
his first 100 days hasn’t mentioned a word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the campaign trail, Trump promised a
trillion dollars to fix the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, but instead, in
his budget proposal, he has not only addressed this improvement as president,
he demands $2.4 billion be taken out of the existing transportation budget.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuPdM3mcXCnFLiSPs00QGayjAnCpM-lnoxe_iNqFONCNfVdDH67unKy9Cvg2Px2oonfHhDr2pQXHihatWzgIF2EreJFw2kV_9SAGb2SzRVmhQi-oo3FQe8T9PdZIXmxR4PehIgeCezTUW/s1600/1-gop-graph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuPdM3mcXCnFLiSPs00QGayjAnCpM-lnoxe_iNqFONCNfVdDH67unKy9Cvg2Px2oonfHhDr2pQXHihatWzgIF2EreJFw2kV_9SAGb2SzRVmhQi-oo3FQe8T9PdZIXmxR4PehIgeCezTUW/s200/1-gop-graph.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The whole idea of a democracy is that
the people enact the governance, which implies that the people are the ones
that get to decide on how to spend and allocate resources for an economy. How
is that allocation allotted in a democracy...it is tax and spend...totally the
opposite of yet another Republican ploy to pad the pockets of the corporate and
wealthy at the expense of all the rest. This is truly taxation without full
representation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCvVm0Mhu1sQx8K0fTAGpTXvIiLJyDgD0-IcSIwJDlf1Ci1W0Y4wmNXTGZaG5v-aySNvu6qTAp3VcJB-CQlrKbSHiBnQYYrUMTBcahLzI9NqOo-R_SF08pctJ4iKGKlk5z6PjldoTdwxi/s1600/1-gop-graph1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCvVm0Mhu1sQx8K0fTAGpTXvIiLJyDgD0-IcSIwJDlf1Ci1W0Y4wmNXTGZaG5v-aySNvu6qTAp3VcJB-CQlrKbSHiBnQYYrUMTBcahLzI9NqOo-R_SF08pctJ4iKGKlk5z6PjldoTdwxi/s200/1-gop-graph1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">What is simply an amazing thing is that
under President Obama, because they were so obstinate in saying no to anything
he pushed for, Republicans actually allowed in just the year, 2013 alone, 55
popular working class tax breaks, like deductions for state and local taxes to expire.
For ya see, those taxes didn’t necessarily benefit the wealthy and
corporations, but now that we have a Republican president; Republicans will be
pushing hard for Trump’s tax break for the wealthiest and as they boringly over
and over will tell ya it’ll create “</span></span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">jobs,
jobs, jobs</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,” you the Christian Right, will bite into it hook, line and
sinker. What a sham, what a shame.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Purgatorial
Passed</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, as Trump is giving himself a nice
tax deduction, he and Ryan are attempting to take away healthcare from around
24 million folks with another round of the failed AHCA. This new version of the
previous Republican healthcare bill goes under various names. Besides the
‘American Health Care Act’, the main two nicknames are Trumpcare and Ryancare.
I like combining the two calling it Trumyancare.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNW-BEYAdIGmHhLQ8ECFdTnGEm9WO0yl9-essNpInV-krcyVBm6sdZsFohsUmq5i-P84k6qRYyCRc5y-kWcwyHRYOvnAuRgc7dOr3McJn7vhyEHwQRTBl9kvlYnAtrwMqi1z_MSSHtyJCw/s1600/1-gop-trmpcare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNW-BEYAdIGmHhLQ8ECFdTnGEm9WO0yl9-essNpInV-krcyVBm6sdZsFohsUmq5i-P84k6qRYyCRc5y-kWcwyHRYOvnAuRgc7dOr3McJn7vhyEHwQRTBl9kvlYnAtrwMqi1z_MSSHtyJCw/s320/1-gop-trmpcare.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This Trumyancare II version is the same
as the first failed one that didn’t even get to the House floor for a vote. But
it is worse. To appease the far right of congress, Paul Ryan (R-WI) added
catastrophic insurance to it outrageously raising the premiums for existing
health problem condition folks. It will fail also. Ryan says he needs more time
to get the votes, but Ryan has had time since day one of Obamacare’s passage
seven years ago when Republicans immediately began working on repeal and
replace. Since, they’ve tried repealing Obamacare 62 times with a Republican
majority, they’ve no quality replacement plan to offer since, although Ryan has
said on many occasions he had one. We’re still waiting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To repeal Obamacare and replace it with
a much more inferior healthcare bill in Trumyancare II is ludicrous. Why invent
the wheel. Obamacare does need some adjustments in fine tuning, so why not
simply fix what’s already in place? No, Republicans have to repeal Obamacare
that is working for millions simply to attempt at rubbing salt into Obama’s
eyes. Republicans would rather jeopardize the lives of millions of Americans
just to deny Obama of his signature achievement. They are that crass.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7W0sz-w0Y8Pm2JMg6QucQyQ-2Pz9tp99Vw6NCO9GUCWrNppwa22xoS7MMKXkB5WoZESyOCAGojI-eKd9VZF7hnpnSxq4IrlVRfX8-p46sj-yNlyK80-v1qFQNVU6V_LlzjFpFsEL9hA0/s1600/1-gop+mny+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7W0sz-w0Y8Pm2JMg6QucQyQ-2Pz9tp99Vw6NCO9GUCWrNppwa22xoS7MMKXkB5WoZESyOCAGojI-eKd9VZF7hnpnSxq4IrlVRfX8-p46sj-yNlyK80-v1qFQNVU6V_LlzjFpFsEL9hA0/s320/1-gop+mny+wall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">On ‘Bloomberg Live’ April 20, 2017
airing, in having Mulvaney throw out a carrot stick to Democrat congressmen he
said, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">We’d offer them $1 of CSR payments
for $1 of wall payments. Right now that's the offer that we've given to our
Democratic colleagues</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,” Trump must be crazy. CSR stands for cost sharing
reduction set up as payments in Obamacare to lower an insured’s payments on
deductibles, copayments and coinsurance. Naturally, the Democrats told Mulvaney
to go pound stone. But that was how desperate Trump wanted a win in his first
100 days.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oh, and by the way, with the new
Trumyancare II package of replacing Obamacare’s preexisting care requirements,
Republicans were making themselves exempt by waiving the preexisting conditions
that they excluded for all the rest of Americans in the new plan. They thought
they were going to get away with if it weren’t for the meddling news media. But
once reporters got wind of the ruse and reported it making for some more
angrier constituents, they decided not to exclude themselves from Trumyancare
II. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Funny that though, Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)
claims he’s going to take a medical leave of absence for surgery on a
preexisting foot condition. With this forced about face, he’d better hurry
before he and his fellow Republicans vote for the repeal of Obamacare, or the
foot surgery won’t be insured.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNnrdtFeEyn4yeD5Tvl9W0M1mOv0EuuQC2AV3UmpOHcq2hhhuJ0PeIpSnaDeFw4KsjTCAdAEAziZCAiGsWEO6YawYKwrzwlaTLgWigREPJoU7j97qnANbZpIcEyvUlzueNaCgfMeOYjw8/s1600/1-gop-which+preference.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNnrdtFeEyn4yeD5Tvl9W0M1mOv0EuuQC2AV3UmpOHcq2hhhuJ0PeIpSnaDeFw4KsjTCAdAEAziZCAiGsWEO6YawYKwrzwlaTLgWigREPJoU7j97qnANbZpIcEyvUlzueNaCgfMeOYjw8/s320/1-gop-which+preference.jpg" width="279" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Of course with no true success and
virtually all failures, Trump says the first 100 days are “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">ridiculous</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” and “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">a ridiculous
standard</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” and “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">It’s an artificial
barrier</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” But time after time on the campaign trail, Trump stated it would
be “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">so easy</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” in getting things done
during his first 100 days. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, in a ‘Washington Post’ interview
with Robert Costa, Trump claims, “<i>I never
said I was going to repeal and replace in the first 61 days</i>.” That’s true,
he never did say in 61 days, but, among many other times, he did say in March
2016 on his campaign website, “<i>On day one
of the Trump Administration, we will ask Congress to immediately deliver a full
repeal of Obamacare</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Working overseas in third world regions
and some remote rough edges, I’ve seen some unruly folks, but never have I
witnessed someone so narcissistic, self-aggrandizing and blameless as in Trump.
Trump will in an instant blame others for what he actually does. This shows
that he knows his actions are wrong, but in perceiving himself as perfect, when
he does it, it’s OK, but when he perceives someone else doing it; it’s not OK.
Of course why not, when you fundamentalists will back him up through any mud he
slings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If ya might recall, after years of Trump
proclaiming to you ‘birther’ Christians that Obama was foreign born, you
believed him. Finally, towards the end of the 2016 campaign he admits that
Obama was born over American soil, but he obliterates the confession by falsely
adding, it was Hillary Clinton who started it.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When Trump bellyached throughout the
campaign that Obama’s low unemployment ratings of 4.9% had to be wrong,
stressing that realistically they were more like 42%, he was wrong, but no less
stuck to it in campaign speeches and just beyond the inauguration. But when
this January’s job report came out in February with unemployment at 4.8%, he
flaunted it as his own achievement, even though that was attributed to Obama’s
tenure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To get a public behind him, a leader
will at times create a war to rally the troops. Trump’s military show of force
in Syria was exactly that...a performance. What did the offshore launch of
Tomahawk cruise missiles prove? Yes, 58 0f the 59 missiles hit the target but
the airfield target was abandoned. There were no jets, no equipment and no
military personnel. Why...because the Trump administration warned Russia in
advance, then Russia warned Syria in advance, so both nations left the air base
moving all their equipment and hardware long before the bombing raid commenced.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OMVIYDYAtQWgzcM2GrZI4VvDIrJuyR6hQxAYtNbUcH-wAzenOJt6sz_akrDXlzrev2LFjn3wvylBfbeYOja-6yjR2g44HU2A9AnjZfvGCO_uwdGihOmFtaZsaBnnFmBPMSOCw-PS79MG/s1600/1-gop+stupid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OMVIYDYAtQWgzcM2GrZI4VvDIrJuyR6hQxAYtNbUcH-wAzenOJt6sz_akrDXlzrev2LFjn3wvylBfbeYOja-6yjR2g44HU2A9AnjZfvGCO_uwdGihOmFtaZsaBnnFmBPMSOCw-PS79MG/s320/1-gop+stupid.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The only casualties were nearby Syrian
residents in which four of the deaths were children; the exact reason Trump
claimed he called for the bombing, because Syrians were killing children.
Sarin, Tomahawks...does it really matter on what choice a leader uses to kill
innocent children.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The very next day, the Syrians were back
in operation flying jets from the airfield base to bomb again the rebel held
town of Khan Sheikhoun, which was the same town that Assad had previously bombed
with the sarin gas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump and his Secretary of Defense, Rex
Tillerson, just the week before the U.S. bombing retaliation, had claimed they
had no interests in meddling in Syrian or Middle East affairs. What changed
Trump’s mind was Ivanka Trump pushing him to do so, because she was saddened by
the photos of children affected. That’s not from me or any media news outlet
that you fundamentalists would claim as ‘fake news’ that was from Eric Trump
who revealed Ivanka’s influence. So chew him out for saying it wasn’t Donald’s
decision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since the Syrian bombing didn’t raise
enough favorability, Trump decided to use the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ (MOAB),
technically known as the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast. This large yield
bomb was used in Afghanistan near the Pakistani border on ISIL controlled
hideouts. It killed less than a hundred of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now using the globe’s largest bomb, Trump
figured that would make him really look like the tough guy and get some brownie
points. It didn’t. In fact his favorability actually dropped a couple of
points. What’s shameful is that the military information site, ‘Deagal’ states
it cost $314 million to develop and another $170,000.00 unit cost. That would
more than enough pay for all the Flint, Michigan water woes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, since there’s little North Korea, which
is no bigger than the state of Mississippi, misbehaving, Trump tries a third
time through military might. This foray only winds up in each nation’s leader
threatening the other with bluffs. Kim Jong-un sets off a ballistic missile
that fails. Just after Pence confesses the Syria and Afghanistan bombings were
mere props to send a message to North Korea, Trump sends preacher Pence to
South Korea to spread his gospel. Trump falsely claimed he sent the USS Carl
Vinson aircraft carrier and it’s armada to the Korean Peninsula when in fact it
was on its way to Australia for a training period.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Without South Korea’s knowledge, Trump
sends a</span> ‘<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Terminal
High Altitude Area Defense’ (THAAD) Army anti-ballistic missile system to the
American army base in South Korea. The South Koreans did not appreciate this
move, for fear it might provoke North Korea and South Korea wasn’t notified of the
THAAD unit move.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now at the end of April, North Korea has
launched another ballistic test missile, while we do believe that this time
Trump truly is sending a naval aircraft carrier and battleships to the Korean
Peninsula as North Korea promotes a propaganda video of the small nation
nuclear bombing Washington D.C. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So here we have it, one leader who is a
dictator and another one who is dictatorially minded rattling sabers and
shaking tails at each other, but both with a finger near the nuclear button.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Iron fists with moneyed gloves do not
make for a secure and serene environment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although he complained “<i>bigly</i>” about Obama’s number of executive
orders (and he still does), Trump, just in his first 100 days has signed 79 of
them that he even admits he doesn’t read. In all his deregulating executive
orders, in addition to hurting the environment, competitors can now cheat
hurting small businesses that still carry ethical values.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Trump/Russian collusion once was a
drip by drip bit of information, but those drips have pooled with that pool
beginning to flow. It’s only a matter of time when it starts streaming with
currents. Even the U.K.’s ‘Guardian’ newspaper is reporting that there is now
proof that Russia was in control of the hacking into Democrat computers, while
members of the Trump campaign group headed by Trump lawyer, Gary Cohen funneled
the money to pay for it.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6ETjPffE5dY?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">How you, the Christian Right, listen to
your false prophets (Republican preachers and politicians) as they clutch their
bibles while spraying out lies, but then chastise Hillary Clinton in relentlessly
professing she lies is mind boggling. This is tantamount to devilry, when ya
cannot name one big lie she did except in echoing the lies your GOP prophets
spewed about her from the Whitewater and Vince Foster days to the relentless
unfounded hearings of the Benghazi and e-mail days.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now you have an heir fuhrer along with
an administration that outright willingly lies, such as promising to keep out
of foreign diplomacy then delves right into international waters heightening
tensions over solutions. It’s sickening really. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For the Christian Right, here’s
something to chew on while smacking gum and walking at the same time. With Sean
Spicer carrying the torch, the Trump administration is now attempting to blame
the Obama administration for not vetting Michael Flynn properly, when Obama
actually had Flynn fired in 2014. Then the Trump team hires him in 2016. Guess
who was in charge of vetting Flynn on Trump’s transition team...Mike Pence, the
very one who claims he knows nothing, because Flynn lied to him. Also, guess
who was the first to confirm and inform Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice that the
U.S. embassy compound had been hit by protesters...that’s right, the “<i>lock her up</i>” band leader, Michael Flynn.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gnashing
of Teeth</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">While in Wisconsin, Alabama, North
Carolina, Texas and Indiana, federal courts have ruled the extreme Republican
redistricting as unconstitutional and racist, in Delaware, the Democrat controlled
legislature is hiring an outside nonpartisan independent group to do their
redistricting. No matter the Democrat fair and independent redistricting
policies, Republicans hate it. The minority Delaware Republicans have disdain
for the independent redistricting of their state, which would actually be to
their benefit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Most of the other red states are
appealing their court rulings. The Indiana Republican controlled congress is in
direct defiance of their court ruling by still insisting on incorporating their
rigged redistricting. In the Georgia run-off elections to replace Tom Price’s
congressional seat, Republicans are actively trying to block Democrat leaning
voters from voting by not allowing the newly registered to vote. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course the religious right still
backs Trump’s totally false claim that 3-5 million voted illegally for Hillary.
In this past election the only voting fraud found thus far has been from
Republican voters. The latest one, in North Carolina the illegally voting woman
was let off by the Republican Catawba County prosecutor, David Learner in
deciding not to bring charges. The only real reason he had as a Republican
devotee in not pressing charges, is that she voted twice for Trump; one for
herself and one for her deceased mother.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqEuQryGAmBtXoxRXGUxN8d3MEjhd4PsY89XJJ7i0OsNdMjA-Vt7eW5IGzcq_AhSS8QspMn1bL1WWTeBjdQ0DG_AzhLB_PDGuf4pGa8Gk9QVVEh8ziBBTnIEO0VLe0tYC0JmfWB23GyNf/s1600/1-gop-blind+and+deaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqEuQryGAmBtXoxRXGUxN8d3MEjhd4PsY89XJJ7i0OsNdMjA-Vt7eW5IGzcq_AhSS8QspMn1bL1WWTeBjdQ0DG_AzhLB_PDGuf4pGa8Gk9QVVEh8ziBBTnIEO0VLe0tYC0JmfWB23GyNf/s320/1-gop-blind+and+deaf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As soon as Trump won the election with
his promises to make America great again and provide for U.S. coal miners, the
Republican congress went right to work in showing how the party duped the
religious right in once again claiming to be the party of religion. The
Republican congress in December of 2016 immediately in legislation lowered coal
miners’ healthcare and took a provision out to buy American in appeasing
corporate cronies.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even with both congressional Houses as
majority Republican, there is no successful story to Trump’s first hundred days
in office. Try as ya like, but there just isn’t. His slew of executive orders
are not a success, for there is no one to challenge them; they<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span>re freebies. I’ve
really grown tired of you evangelists saying oh, but he got an extreme
conservatist into the Supreme Court, but that was another freebie too. That
judgeship should have Merrick Garland in that seat, but thanks to senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) partisan political ploys, Garland
never got a hearing much less a vote. Neil Gorsuch was the first Supreme Court
justice in the entirety of this nation’s existence to be sworn in under the
nuclear option that McConnell instituted because, even though the senate holds
a Republican majority, Gorsuch would not have received the necessary sixty
votes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">McConnell claims Gorsuch was the right
man as he was approved by the ‘American Bar Association’ (ABA), but what he
ignored was that the ABA also approved Garland. If Gorsuch is such the
honorable man as McConnell claims, he would not in good conscience accept the
judgeship, knowing full well that Garland should be sitting there. In fully
knowing how the vote occurred to get his seat, how could a man of upright standing
honesty and ethics accept it under those circumstances? He should have
withdrawn if he had any moral fiber. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Currently, Trump has 75 lawsuits against
him. At one of those lawsuits where a veteran and supporter of Trump is being
sued for physically assaulting a protester at a Trump rally is counter suing
Trump claiming that Trump incited rally goers to violence. Of course Trump and
his team of lawyers insist he is immune to lawsuits simply because he is now
president. His lawyers aren’t denying he did it, they’re merely saying Trump
can’t be touched. Trump even falsely claimed in an 11/16/2016 ‘New York Times’
interview that, “<i>The law's totally on my
side, the president can't have a conflict of interest</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You, the religious right backed the
false Trump and Republican claims that the voting system was rigged for
Democrats. Yet you ignore, even defend all the extreme gerrymandering
Republicans have redrawn and the fallacious red state voter ID laws keeping
minorities out of the voting booths. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You, the American fundamentalist along with
all your TV preachers, ripped into Obama for opening up ties to Cuba shouting Fidel
Castro is a usurper of liberties when later praising Trump hoisting him up onto
the religious right’s shoulders after he praises a murderous thug leader in
Russia’s Vladimir Putin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How can the religious right claim to be
a values voter for Trump when Jesus healed the maimed while Trump mocks the handicapped.
Jesus turned the other cheek, Trump grabs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After Trump’s ban was considered
illegal, in a Trump tweet it warned, “<i>Because
the ban was lifted by a judge many very bad people and dangerous people may be
pouring into our country</i>.” But then again, most likely they’re not. Even
Trump claims in the current trending drop starting from Obama’s tenure that
illegal immigration is down under his new presidency.<i> </i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With attacks on minorities, Islam,
immigrants and refugees, Republican politicians, Trump and you, the religious
right are attempting to prove that a repressive society is a free society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Funny that, but the American
Judeo-Christian in particular just celebrated the Jewish refugee story in the
Passover, but want nothing to do with its storyline when it comes to today’s
Syrian refugee crisis. I don’t even know what ‘Judeo-Christian means, do you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You, the Christian Right have pushed
this nation into choosing the normal diverse American culture versus the not
concerned with European Pilgrim illegal immigrants into ignoring America’s
normal diverse culture. You’re portraying Jesus as pushed into then cornered in
a turret.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Conservative religious folk have an
entrenched mentality of who they perceive. To you as the religious right, all
American Moslems are bearded dudes running around in desert sands imposing
Sharia law...what Latino Americans are...illegal immigrants...what American
Blacks are...unproductive welfare queens...what poverty is...the lazy won’t get
a job poor... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To the religious right; don’t make this
nation in doubt ask, “<i>Who are we</i>,”
but keep it undoubtedly answered, “<i>Who we
are</i>,” for the world to see and be proud of. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘Washington Post’s editorial board
in the April 27 edition, pretty much sums up Trump’s first 100 days in office.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Mr.
Trump has reversed a generation-old trend toward openness, becoming the first
president in modern times to conceal his tax returns and scrapping an Obama-era
policy of publishing a list of White House visitors. He and his spokesmen
frequently ignore facts and embrace misinformation. If he gets his way on
policy, the nation will plunge more deeply into debt, global warming will
accelerate and millions of vulnerable Americans will lose access to health care
while the wealthy are further enriched</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7b00KQTTPMVQGSrbk9yLjiXK3KvGuEA36PWkCcUdNBmMN96hYZFpl88-51kwEsAiFnsi-8UkJ4K2QNMq1UOWTB_DpHbeC5-FiM0cKA2ef2YwoMc6ujlvteyiRg_WGZTztceGftO599L7/s1600/1-gop+mdl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7b00KQTTPMVQGSrbk9yLjiXK3KvGuEA36PWkCcUdNBmMN96hYZFpl88-51kwEsAiFnsi-8UkJ4K2QNMq1UOWTB_DpHbeC5-FiM0cKA2ef2YwoMc6ujlvteyiRg_WGZTztceGftO599L7/s320/1-gop+mdl.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">To support Trump’s persona much less
defend his actions, for any Christian to do so is a moronic act when it comes
to believing in Jesus Christ. If ya truly believe in your Christian spirit,
well ya overexposed it and left it to hang up and dry out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After all this, to even imagine that the
man in a July 2016 press conference called Obama “<i>the most ignorant president in history</i>,” was none other than Donald
J. Trump. Oh the irony...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Sermonized
Mount Reporting,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">04/30/2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-33739334528427940392017-03-31T18:02:00.001-04:002017-04-01T10:23:41.260-04:00Frontyard Sense/Backyard Science V<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Frontyard Sense/Backyard Science V<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Snow
Day</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Snow is a magical phenomenon; it’s just
that in the cold country we take it for granted because it commonly covers
everything and I mean everything in the wintry outdoors. However, snow
requires specific conditions to even be.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyx1ibwf9AbwaGPHp3d_8vTZFUPX4QF6sSyewHVLamgISCzqQtljqDPHudS7tHvp_H4I5-dvL6RZj8MYYTIeo0df_J9Yr8oY-KU3jICWVw393iO8jr7h_WJPesq0PbYpKjZiD7IaXTF2tK/s1600/1-snowfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyx1ibwf9AbwaGPHp3d_8vTZFUPX4QF6sSyewHVLamgISCzqQtljqDPHudS7tHvp_H4I5-dvL6RZj8MYYTIeo0df_J9Yr8oY-KU3jICWVw393iO8jr7h_WJPesq0PbYpKjZiD7IaXTF2tK/s320/1-snowfall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Snow forms by sublimation. Water exists in three
stages due to Earth’s typical atmospheric and climatic conditions complimenting
water’s properties. The three stages are: solid, liquid and gas (vapor or steam
as we call it, when seen). </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Actually, all elements exist in these
three stages but the conditions on Earth usually don’t allow it to be observed.
Metals to gases can exist in all the three stages of gas, liquid and solid. We
think of iron as a solid and oxygen as a gas because conditions mostly keep
them in those states, but yes they can occur in all three states. Carbon
dioxide (CO</span><sub style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">2</sub><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">) is a naturally occurring gas in Earth’s atmosphere,
which contains the solid, carbon and the gas, oxygen. When pressurized above a
5.1 atmospheric pressure, CO</span><sub style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">2</sub><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> will become a liquid and if frozen at </span><span dir="RTL" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>۔</span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">78.5 °C (</span><span dir="RTL" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>۔</span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">109.3
°F) it becomes a solid known as dry ice or cardice as chemists sometimes call
it. Before we drift off too far away, let’s get back to snow.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In explaining the rare characteristics
of water sublimating into snow, we know when water is a block of ice, if one
applies heat, the water will change into a liquid. If one continues to apply
heat onto the liquid water, it will further evaporate into a gas. The same
applies in reverse. When water in the gaseous state hits cold, it will condense
and with further cooling will condense into its liquid phase. Subjected to
further colder conditions, the liquid phase will turn into the solid ice phase.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For snow to form, water must first
sublimate to form the snow crystal. In sublimating, the gas phase skips the
liquid phase and goes directly into the solid phase in the form of, not a block
of ice, but a six-sided crystal. In addition, for this to occur there must be a
nucleus for the crystal to form around. Normally in Earth’s history, this
nucleus was a dust particle suspended in the atmosphere. Unfortunately today, after man’s
intervention, this particulate is most likely a pollution particle.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUN9qqJQ6x7ud-NjDtXGa0Rtm_z8-VgeUe333SmfRLpev3xmiyhfNPyWX8QoCsq5YB2ClMFfaQTLEXrTX9gCt88Xoc1OhaGN28PIsZejIf_NfuZkkPasNL3_3OkWMPj53f5b8h6TIqMU3P/s1600/1-nucleated+snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUN9qqJQ6x7ud-NjDtXGa0Rtm_z8-VgeUe333SmfRLpev3xmiyhfNPyWX8QoCsq5YB2ClMFfaQTLEXrTX9gCt88Xoc1OhaGN28PIsZejIf_NfuZkkPasNL3_3OkWMPj53f5b8h6TIqMU3P/s320/1-nucleated+snow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nucleated Snow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">To divert away from natural snow again,
we’re going to mention a synthetic snow of sorts due to pollutants that is now
being called ‘nucleated snow’. With pollutants increasing as the nucleus of
snow formation, snow is now beginning to sublimate more in reverse going from a
solid directly into a gas. In particular with higher amounts of aluminum,
barium and trace percentiles of strontium, arsenic and molybdenum, snow in
heavily congested pollutant emission sectors, when exposed to higher
temperature elevations is going from solid to gas by evaporating while mostly
skipping the liquid phase. These pollutant point sources are primarily from
heavy industry, mining and jet plane entrails.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One can check out the differences
between natural snow and fully nucleated snow for themselves, by using frost
from an older freezer. Frost is a drier form of solid water than natural snow,
but it also, since it is shut out from the ambient atmosphere, is formed almost
exclusively from pollutant particulates originating from the manufactured
freezer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To compare, scrape some of the freezer
frost and form a snowball from it. Go outside collect some fallen snow and also
form a snowball around the same size as the frost snowball. Carefully expose
both to a constant heat source like holding them near a small heater or
suspended over a pan being heated on a stovetop. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From your observations, you will note
that the natural snowball begins to melt almost immediately while the nucleated
snowball may display only a few drops of liquid after minutes have elapsed. The
nucleated snowball may be getting smaller, but that is due more to it
sublimating through evaporation. So, why the difference; well it all has to do
with the endothermic reaction process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The metallic pollutants absorb and
retain heat while liberating cold that shields the melting components of the
nucleated snowball. But as it evaporates, one can also sniff a whiff of a
putrid smell emanating from the nucleated snowball’s evaporation. Further, ya
might want to let the water drips from both snowballs dry out and see which
residue is harder to clean up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pollutant endothermic reactions in the
atmosphere are also playing an effect on localized climate. Locals may be
experiencing ambient temperatures above freezing, but with the heavy
concentrations of pollutants absorbing heat from the ambient atmosphere and
releasing cold, this can cause snow to fall regularly at surrounding
temperatures far above freezing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is a certain element to climate
change deniers that are now speculating that global warming may be occurring,
but not due to man. So, to counter they’re insisting that putting up even more
pollutants into the atmosphere will act as an offset by cooling down the
atmosphere in creating nucleated snow. This is a continuous demise in ignorant
thinking. More pollution is no solution to pollutants’ harmful effects. It’s
like the old saying of ‘fighting fire with fire’ when a little water would have
a much greater impact.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ug3JK9f-t-J1XgCsl6bOfIXfDkEFpyOrvCuDDkp1wWnjbW2PeAKrDuVDXHPQ2ANPDiGFYVJhwKz6htEDt_deUHvwBYp_X7GBKfWgwstrY4wxiLryZmbtBY-lkKGFCWf1k8CU5Lhg5Xt7/s1600/1-gop+snowcrystal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ug3JK9f-t-J1XgCsl6bOfIXfDkEFpyOrvCuDDkp1wWnjbW2PeAKrDuVDXHPQ2ANPDiGFYVJhwKz6htEDt_deUHvwBYp_X7GBKfWgwstrY4wxiLryZmbtBY-lkKGFCWf1k8CU5Lhg5Xt7/s320/1-gop+snowcrystal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In getting back again to just plain snow,
have ya ever wondered why it is white when water is naturally clear? When you
shave a block of clear ice, the shavings are white, which is the same reason
why snow is white. In shaving the ice block you incorporated air. Air reflects
all the solar color wavelengths and when combined appear white when reflected into
your eye. The same is true for snow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The reason for snow having more air than
water is its six-sided crystal structure. The six facet pinnacles take up more
space allowing it to trap air. When the crystal begins to fall, it congeals
with other snow crystals to form a snowflake. This process further traps air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dependent on freezing temperature range,
snow is anywhere from 4-10% water; the rest is air. The reason being is that
the snow crystal is not only always six-sided, but, as mentioned the six
elongated facets trap air by taking up more space for air to become entangled into
the snowflake matrix.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBk5YMc4-vqHqpt5j2f8VJ2EMF2xgVMI3w8LnAWsE8DExvJu4L4bz4UTRNzmYKZkrP2Z5DTZs4YsZ_uPNA4w8XU-i5TkpwgSoq03vXKcuK8Pa18y0JXMHfVR05hMk_u_QmAU71f8t9eWkZ/s1600/1-snowfall2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBk5YMc4-vqHqpt5j2f8VJ2EMF2xgVMI3w8LnAWsE8DExvJu4L4bz4UTRNzmYKZkrP2Z5DTZs4YsZ_uPNA4w8XU-i5TkpwgSoq03vXKcuK8Pa18y0JXMHfVR05hMk_u_QmAU71f8t9eWkZ/s320/1-snowfall2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To measure water and air in a snowfall,
one uses the ‘snow water equivalent’ (SWE) factor. If there was a good snowfall
measured at 20in/50.8cm, to find the water percent let’s simply fill a volume
graduated marked container with fresh unpacked snow. Mark the level and allow
it to all melt. Mark where the lower water level is and convert the two numbers
into percentage points. To do this, say your snow level was at level 60. Once
the snow melted, your liquid level was at 4. Now, in converting to percentage
you have .60 and .04. Dividing .04 by .60, you get .024 or as a percent, 2.4%
water. In using SWE, we would derive from the formula: 20in/50.8cm x .024 =
.48in/1.22cm the amount of water in the snow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fresh snow density ranges from ~5% at 14°
F/-10° C air temperature to ~20% at 32° F/0° C air temperature. Due to ambient
conditions older snowfall becomes denser caused by gravity, wind packing,
refreezing and recrystallization. For the intermediate numbers, one can
interpolate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First, the midrange between 5% and 32%
is 18.5%. The midrange for Fahrenheit would be 23°. Therefore, ~18.5 = 23° F.
Then you could find the lower midrange between 5% and 18.5% and the higher
midrange between 18.5% and 20% and so on with the temperature midranges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With SWE and density, we can determine
the total depth of snowfall with the simple formula: SWE ÷ Density = Total
Depth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If SWE has been measured at 26.4in/67.1cm
and density is at 28% (.28), then 26.4/67.1 ÷ .28 = 94.29in/239.64cm total snow
depth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To close out the snow section we’re
going to have a bit of fun. First off, if you want your next snowball fight to
be a bit more colorful, simply get some food dye to color your snowballs with.
Mama, don’t worry about staining as most food dyes will easily wash out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnTOuwHkiKu9g-kyTbtSqbOfJzgdiIMUcCgeXxBoCOyY6v1SWAtQlVCdyVzpwuIKgUp18pUHm8zkdzR4DuMJ2refnQXwgp0cA0Iz7VAEtuts2GHnlas6wzb_KMxEebirkww8d2RWLPzUu/s1600/1-color+snowballs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnTOuwHkiKu9g-kyTbtSqbOfJzgdiIMUcCgeXxBoCOyY6v1SWAtQlVCdyVzpwuIKgUp18pUHm8zkdzR4DuMJ2refnQXwgp0cA0Iz7VAEtuts2GHnlas6wzb_KMxEebirkww8d2RWLPzUu/s320/1-color+snowballs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Instead of calculating SWE to determine
a fresh snowfall’s depth and liquid water percent, let’s go the simple path.
After a snowfall, simply measure it’s depth with a ruler. Try to pick a spot
where wind didn’t have any effect creating any distortions like snow drifts, or
in the opposite where wind blew snow away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once measured, collect the snow in a
cup, don’t pack it and bring it all inside into the warmth of the house. Stick the
ruler to the side of the cup, or inside if the ruler is plastic. Measure the
level of the snow, record or remember it then allow the snow to totally melt.
Now record the water level, but keep in mind if you put the ruler inside it
displaced some water, so would give you an inaccurate higher water level
reading, but that would be technical and we’re only after good estimates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A good rule of thumb is that for every
10in/25.4cm of snow there is 1in/2.54cm of water. Check to see how your
measurements compared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now to really compare, let’s talk about
the conservation law of mass. If you weigh the cup and snow before melting
starts, then weigh them after the snow has melted, you will note that the
weight is pretty much the same even though the volume has drastically been
reduced from the solid snow to the liquid water. The reason being is that in
the conservation law of mass in a closed system, matter is neither destroyed
nor created. So the mass (the cup, and water in solid or liquid form) should
exhibit the same weight. We weren’t so technical in making it a truly closed
system by putting a lid on the container and ensuring no precipitate ever
collected on the outside of the container, no, we’re just having some fun
looking for close approximations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkw_XOs0x9vHUsThOvH1IfAWcwcbtXT_CpwGNaRuQB957AcVXVuzfy4HLjFKqb31L7ooyan4-kN7Zx5nrLxsGM0etEmEb72GTz0RO-5fZ6kXFQTHOesskkVWY1J3bBOmIM4DN6Bah9OmX/s1600/1-snow+bubbles1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkw_XOs0x9vHUsThOvH1IfAWcwcbtXT_CpwGNaRuQB957AcVXVuzfy4HLjFKqb31L7ooyan4-kN7Zx5nrLxsGM0etEmEb72GTz0RO-5fZ6kXFQTHOesskkVWY1J3bBOmIM4DN6Bah9OmX/s200/1-snow+bubbles1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc5KfRyxoXuE3yYC65sd6mXbjUOYizLST5axU0ev64kzYAsigR6SnCsYaZ4iWO1napeCOMaaAe16YM7IFnIcwFPUxoPkwt_oGvw99bIAcXuxUnQ0xxHVJAfHOMAYu1nySbGVhQGQe_7KB/s1600/1-snow+bubbles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc5KfRyxoXuE3yYC65sd6mXbjUOYizLST5axU0ev64kzYAsigR6SnCsYaZ4iWO1napeCOMaaAe16YM7IFnIcwFPUxoPkwt_oGvw99bIAcXuxUnQ0xxHVJAfHOMAYu1nySbGVhQGQe_7KB/s200/1-snow+bubbles.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">If it’s really cold out, say at, 5°
F/-15° C or below, this little bubbly experiment works really well. Get a hold
of some bubble solution either from bubble bath or those 5 & Dime store
bubble solutions that come with a wand. Pour out a certain amount into a metal
pot and heat it up until it is warm to the touch. Have the kids and the adults
that behave like kids then go outside and start making snow bubbles. The bubbles
will freeze almost instantly and can be, not only therapeutic, but quite artistic
as the photos attest to.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Inferno
Blitz</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since opposites attract we’re gonna
divert from the watery cold of snow and do a few fire experiments. In the video
below, please watch it first where the directions will be explained before the
experimental demonstrations unfold. Then below the video I’ll explain what is
going on in each experiment.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/chKqFfsgw2g?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘Candle Re-flame’ is a pretty nifty
sight to behold. The reason the candle reignites is that the flame travels back
down the smoke from the candle’s extinguished wick. How this is accomplished is
due to the fact that smoke is minute particles of matter. The upward flame reignites
the smoke particles that travel down to the point source in the wick and
relights it. Remember, in order to have fire three things are required: oxygen,
fuel source and heat. The ambient air is the source for plentiful oxygen. The
minute smoke particles as the fuel source have a very low flammability flash
point and while, if one reacts to reignite the smoke trail rather quickly,
enough heat is retained to reignite the smoke that carries the heat to reignite
the still warm smoldering wick. Classic stuff, huh!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘Candle See-saw’ is simple physics.
When one side first drops a wax dripping, it causes a loss in weight balance
sending that side upwards until the other side drips sending it upwards and the
other side downwards. This will repeat itself over and over creating the
see-saw effect. The physics witnessed here is a preponderate influence. Preponderate
explains greater convincing weight that affects an evenly balanced event into a
favor sided event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the ‘Fire & Water’ experiment a
lot of physics and chemistry apply here and to explain it, unfortunately
mathematics is also involved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
chemical aspect</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:
Combustion is taking place from the burning of the candle’s hydrocarbon
components. Here is the chemical empirical formula: n=1 CnH<sub>2</sub>n+2(s) +
(1.5n+0.5) O<sub>2 </sub>(g) = n CO<sub>2 </sub>(g) + (n+1) H<sub>2</sub>O (g).
For n=1, two moles of oxygen reacts with a mole of CH<sub>4</sub> to produce
three moles of product molecules. The number of moles of the product molecules
is 1.50 times that of oxygen. During combustion, the consumption of oxygen does
not create empty space, but rather the number of product molecules in the jar
increases over that of the consumed oxygen, thus giving rise to an increase in
overall pressure within the jar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
physical aspect</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:
As the candle heats the air inside the jar, the air expands. This cancels the
depletion of the oxygen temporarily and the water level stays down. When oxygen
is depleted within the jar, the candle goes out where the air begins to cool. The
volume of the air decreases causing the water to rise in occupying the space
the air once held. The ambient temperature change inside the jar delays the
rise of the water. Water as an initial gas condensates and helps to delay the
effect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
mathematical aspect</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:
To mathematically interpret the physics and chemistry, perhaps this linear
algebra suffices: (1+3n) O<sub>2</sub> + 2 C<sub>n</sub> H <sub>2n+2</sub> = 2n
CO<sub>2</sub> + (2+2n) H<sub>2</sub>O.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For a larger n, it is 1/3 instead of 1/2
of the oxygen amount which matters. With 21 percent of oxygen in air, we get
about 8 percent of the air volume removed inside the sealed jar, although some
has been converted to CO<sub>2</sub>, where about 1/11 to 1/12 of the air has
been replaced by water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Jet</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Pulse’ experiment deals in vapor
pressure volume and pulsation created by the outtake of emission gases that
create a vacuum. This induces the intake of the outside atmospheric air
containing the oxygen to maintain the burning fuel. The vacuum coaxes the
dancing of the liquid fuel. The intake and outtake are being conducted through
the constricted lid hole, therefore in the taking turns of gas out and gas in,
the pulsation is the result. Again, to note here, be very careful, for most
likely due to the pressure and heat, the jar will shatter at one point.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The pressure is created by the
combustion of the isopropyl alcohol in a semi-sealed glass unit. With a boiling
point of 760 mmHg (millimeter of mercury) and a vapor pressure of 33mmHg, this
makes for a 727 mmHg of partial air pressure. 33/760 equates to 4.3 volume
percent of isopropyl alcohol, which is adequate enough under heat to shatter a
glass container under short term exposure. The lower explosive level (LEL) for
isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) is 2 volume percent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘Fiery Erupting Volcano’ is fairly
straight forward. By rotating the jug, the isopropanol begins vaporizing
filling up the jug’s air volume, while leaving a thin wet film adhering onto
the walls. With enough of fire’s requirements, (fuel, oxygen and heat), the
flame will reach into the jug then out of the jug’s neck seeking further oxygen
enrichment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘Fire Tornado’ all has to do with
angular momentum. Try doing the spin without the screen and no matter how many
attempts, you will fail to create the tornado. The reason is that, although you
have the ambient air molecules rising due to being heated. The spinning without
the screen only heightens surface area of the heated air. But, coupled with the
screen in the spin, angular momentum kicks in causing the heated rising air molecules
to collide with the strained air molecules entering through the screen mesh.
The angular momentum of the rotating screen air molecules, transfer their
rotational movement to the vertically rising heated air molecules that we can
see as fire. As the heated air molecules are more rapid than the entering
screen air molecules, the lag collisions create the twisting effect; thus your
tornado. As long as fresh air fuels the fire from the bottom, the rest of the flame’s
collisions will twist.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXSmmTlkNSiUI-FTArdJsAZt-hruGU04rm3QaXPNgUnC1HdpkUEFxnO-I2T8qIdP4oVfBc9JKChc7mZvUp6415X8tkYHEvwUKYgDFT92UMdsaa6OLJSHLtmI-lET2n-KnVUYE_G6L93Go/s1600/1-fire+tornado.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXSmmTlkNSiUI-FTArdJsAZt-hruGU04rm3QaXPNgUnC1HdpkUEFxnO-I2T8qIdP4oVfBc9JKChc7mZvUp6415X8tkYHEvwUKYgDFT92UMdsaa6OLJSHLtmI-lET2n-KnVUYE_G6L93Go/s320/1-fire+tornado.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On a much larger tornadic fire scale is
in the potential of a forest fire, where the cause of angular momentum is in
the trees replacing this experiment’s screen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With all of this fire play, it would not
be responsible enough on my part if I did not include a fire extinguisher. The
handy self-made or homemade extinguisher could come in handy at any household. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The equipment and material to make it
are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">1)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">empty
plastic water bottle<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">water<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">3)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">vinegar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">4)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">a
squirt of liquid soap<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">5)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">two
sheets of toilet paper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">6)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">baking
soda <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The instructions: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">. No matter the
size of the water bottle, premix the water and vinegar at 2 parts water and 1
part vinegar, then a squirt of liquid soap to act as an emulsifier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">B</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">. Fill the
bottle to two-thirds full with the mixture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">C</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">. Take the
bottle cap and drill or bore a 1cm/.4in hole into the center of it. Be sure
there is no serration along the rim of the hole that might easily tear paper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">D</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">. Take the 2
sheets of toilet paper, lay them out flat and sprinkle ~2 level tablespoons of
baking soda lengthwise in the center of the paper up to a ½ inch away from both
ends. Carefully spread the baking soda evenly down the center and be careful
not to go beyond the ½ inch borders of each end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">E</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">. Once the
baking soda is evened out all along the two sheets of toilet paper, fold one
end longitudinally to the center of the baking soda then fold the other
opposite end to the center. Grab the two ends by the ½ inch borders; fold them
inwards together as to bend the whole into a loop at the center. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">F</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">. When you have
both ends together, twist the two tip ends together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">G</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">. Holding the
two twisted tip ends together, get the cap and from the inside of the cap,
carefully thread or twist the tip ends through the hole from the bottom to the
top of the cap. Be sure the hole is adequately snug and sealed by the toilet
paper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">H</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">. With the paper
containing the baking soda now snug in place through the hole, screw the cap
back onto the bottle, but be sure the loop end does not touch your liquid
mixture inside the bottle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">. We now have a
homemade extinguisher. Set it aside right side up until needed ensuring the
paper roll is free from getting wet by the liquid mixture. Once it is intended
to be used, first shake the contents then aim it at the fire you intend to put
out and squeeze the bottle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watery
Grave</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If I told you that there was this
compound, dihydrous oxide where just a spoonful could cause respiratory
failure, kills millions each year and being linked to hydroxyl (OH-) ions corrodes
all kinds of metals; would you keep the stuff handy around the home? Well I’m
quite sure you would, because we cannot exist without it. Definitely you are
more aware of its formula, than its chemical name, so I’ll give away what
dihydrous oxide is in revealing its formula; it is...H<sub>2</sub>O...that’s
right, water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes, in order to live and survive, we
need water. Anywhere from 57-67% water, the human body is of a mean average,
composed of 62% water. The biology it conducts on life down to the cell is
critical to life’s existence, but yet water is a killer and in ways you might
not be thinking about. We know a lack of water in our body will kill us, but
also an excess of water in our body will too. Water is the ‘cum eo’/‘sine qua
non’ (with it/without it) to life’s provenance, but also to life’s doom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Besides drowning, we usually don’t
equate water much as a killer, but pure water can kill if a certain amount is
drunk. Public water at safe levels of purity still has some contaminants, such
as percentiles of dissolved salts, sugars or dissolved minerals or elements
from the piping or hose water transports. Since pure water is tasteless,
impurities is what gives water any taste. In addition to taste, these
impurities affect a property of water called tonicity. Tonicity is the ability
of any solution to draw or repel water from adjacent solutions when separated
by a membrane.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In biology, there are two types of
tonicity solutions in, hypertonic and hypotonic circumstances. Hypertonic
refers to a concentration of solutes that are greater outside a cell than
inside it. Hypotonic refers to the opposite, where the concentration of solutes
is greater inside the cell. Hypertonic solutions therefore gain water, while
hypotonic solutions lose water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cytoplasm in cells has a tonicity. So,
when they are exposed to hypertonic solutions, the cells themselves lose water
and shrivel up. When they are in hypotonic solutions, they gain water, swelling
up and can burst like a balloon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With absolutely no impurities, pure
water is a most hypotonic solution. So, if you drink enough of it, your cells
will start absorbing water. This disrupts the balance of electrolytes
(electrically conductive ions) in your body and creates cellular havoc. In this
water poisoning, the brain is the most immediately affected, causing damage,
coma and even death. So, be a little more vigilant on those bottled water
commercials that claim they only market the purest of water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Speaking of water, yes one can drown
from it when inundated to it exteriorly, but one can drown from it from within
as well, due to amount and time. In getting back to the cells that makeup our
body, if one decides to drink a sizable amount in the smallest amount of
time...cells will drown.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2LCSq61s9LuTPL59ik_h6EPHq62IzenSWhqu_yl5d-gYN4j3ccUKKT1rqwuKM3tTU0MGVv2ZLzy4thNRE_sUXZkChKM15WrU15LPocW93S-IVCdjDvww48Zv6WjUZQV-IpPkP4dPLFi6/s1600/1-water+jug+derinking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2LCSq61s9LuTPL59ik_h6EPHq62IzenSWhqu_yl5d-gYN4j3ccUKKT1rqwuKM3tTU0MGVv2ZLzy4thNRE_sUXZkChKM15WrU15LPocW93S-IVCdjDvww48Zv6WjUZQV-IpPkP4dPLFi6/s320/1-water+jug+derinking.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">While I was attending college back in
the last century, there was a news report of an Indian student that wanted to
purge his body and purify his soul, so he drank a gallon (3.79 L) of water
within a minute’s time. He died. There are even more reports of this happening
in this century, such as a California woman dying in a 2007 water drinking
contest and a 2005 California State University, Chico fraternity hazing in
making an initiate drink excessive amounts of water. In abusing ‘ecstasy’,
folks have died after attempting to quench the thirst the drug induces with
excessive amounts of water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Two things occur with the consumption of
excessive water within a short period. Cells transport solutes from outside to
inside through an osmosis membrane that allows solutions in, but not out. Kidneys
cannot handle and eliminate an excessive amount of water. When too much water
is incoming with none outgoing, this causes cellular mayhem in rupturing cells.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another excessive water result is hyponatremia,
a condition describing insufficient levels of salts in blood. Normal sodium
salt concentration levels are from 135-145 millimoles per liter (0.4-0.43
ounces per gallon). By drinking excessive amounts of water, the salts in blood
are diluted down below 135 millimole thresholds. This waterlogs the blood and
begins seeking normal sodium salt levels inside cells. This inundates the cell
where again, causes it to swell beyond its flexibility so bursts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Water can even be detrimental to those
organisms that live in it. It’s very difficult to freeze pure water without any
impurities even well below freezing. You can demonstrate this by attempting to
freeze pure water contained in a plastic bottle inside a freezer. Pure water
will not aptly freeze long after impure water has. But if you take the bottle
out and stick a pin through the bottle into the water it will then begin to
freeze reaching outward throughout the bottle from the pin. A brinicle, or
brine icicle in nature presents the same phenomenon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Brinicles are supercooled salt
concentrated (brine) water that seeps from underneath icebergs into the
surrounding lower liquid water freezing it as it flows and descends by gravity
in being heavier than the surrounding seawater laden with the brine
concentrations. F</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">reshwater </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">sea ice freezes only after the salt content has
been squeezed out. Of course most icebergs are already composed of freshwater
originating from land glaciers. That’s exactly why they float, for fresh water
has less density than saltwater which makes icebergs buoyant in salty oceanic
waters.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As super saline water is being produced
by the extraction of salt from the freezing sea ice, the super saline water
begins to flow and as supercool, forms an outside frozen skin. This frozen
skin, or wall, is further thickened by more supercooled brine water
continuously flowing through hindering any melt from the warmer surrounding
seawater. As ice accumulates in the brine stream, the brinicle becomes stable
until finally reaching the seafloor, instantly spreads out its freezing effect
on the seafloor and every living creature that was in its path. Benthic sea animals are simply too slow in
mobility to move away from the freezing flow’s deadly grasp.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lAupJzH31tc?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The above video is an excellent film of
brinicle formations and its effect on life too slow to escape its frozen
clutches.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lastly, the original rains of Earth in
its early beginnings before life would’ve been deadly to all organisms. This
rain however wasn’t liquid water, it was liquid metal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Due to cosmic impacts, such as the
constant bombardments on early Earth by comets, asteroids and planetesimals, iron
was vaporized and shot up into the atmosphere. The high speed impacts caused
the vaporized iron to plume over the earth’s surface then condensed enough,
would rain out as droplets of iron. It is a good thing however that Earth’s
atmosphere was thick enough to contain the iron vapor, for if the iron
vaporized farther out into space, there most likely would not have been enough
iron to form Earth’s core and thusly, no electromagnetism to shield Earth from
deadly solar rays hence, would’ve wiped out any chance of life to take hold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Weightlessness</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why is it that when our astronauts are
up in space they can float around seemingly as if they have no weight? If you
answered it’s due to lack of gravity,
you’re wrong; in fact you are so, so very wrong, as it is totally the opposite
reason. Here</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">s why...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9o_ifmL3nM62z_-WPPV-HOR8HcYML7pmj12dReet515A3YGeo1RxOXIaF68oi5B440nqq7FTe7BVMoEe-S5MBeHvqFBx1V632YQmfw5KzA1uWJkHmrZaRH1YnNJ1rOni3MqTlyMHYfYzG/s1600/1-weighlessnes1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9o_ifmL3nM62z_-WPPV-HOR8HcYML7pmj12dReet515A3YGeo1RxOXIaF68oi5B440nqq7FTe7BVMoEe-S5MBeHvqFBx1V632YQmfw5KzA1uWJkHmrZaRH1YnNJ1rOni3MqTlyMHYfYzG/s320/1-weighlessnes1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In explaining, we’ll start with Earth
where we are accustomed to gravity’s effects. No matter where one stands, sits
or lays on Earth, gravity is pulling in one direction downwards towards the
center of Earth’s mass. This creates an imbalance of gravity’s force placing
impact of a unidirectional path. Now just suppose we could reach Earth’s
center, what do ya suppose would happen there? You would experience
weightlessness, because all the unidirectional gravity pulls, as a resultant of
Earth’s mass, would neutralize and cancel each vector out, for they have reached
the critical target point...the center of Earth.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijt0XM2ZAF9F_EtFO-vJX2j8S1op_8so0eTcwvHEqkHX0gvaqT3EsmFhtW6mh6H7R_6_xvk_lVqShcZw6FvhdOV99lgcjMwIz73iNhdnmFpmKRU33lggZqmx5uJ4WLPsRnlkhbo-H7h5sv/s1600/1-gravity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijt0XM2ZAF9F_EtFO-vJX2j8S1op_8so0eTcwvHEqkHX0gvaqT3EsmFhtW6mh6H7R_6_xvk_lVqShcZw6FvhdOV99lgcjMwIz73iNhdnmFpmKRU33lggZqmx5uJ4WLPsRnlkhbo-H7h5sv/s320/1-gravity.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is what is happening out in outer
space. Do not think that gravity is only a force here on Earth, for it is
everywhere distributed evenly throughout the vastness of the universe since
inception. The only points where gravity fluctuates is where there is
considerable mass. The reason is explained by Albert Einstein’s work. If you
understand Einstein’s ‘General Theory of Relativity’ then you know that body
masses warp space-time influencing the direction of gravity’s pull. This warping
scenario by mass, confines gravity into an ambient unidirectional pull down
towards its center, just like here on Earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With a very negligible gravitational
pull of mass composed of the space capsule and astronauts, there is not enough
influence to create a unidirectional gravity pull, so the astronauts experience
equal multidirectional gravity pulls resulting in weightless effects.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, in the much larger scheme,
Earth is still floating through space, just as the astronauts, but </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">as a minor component, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">it’s not so
evident as being tied into our solar system in which
makes Earth appear to be stationary in space time. As well, our solar system
does not appear to be floating through space due to being contained in another
object that is much greater than it; our ‘Milky Way Galaxy’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Being able to not detect motion on
bodies of mass contained within larger bodies of mass through simple
observation, is due to what I call ‘the sum effect of the components to the
total,’ for there is simply no reference point to gauge subset velocities
within the confined set. But nonetheless, from you to our galaxy, we are traveling
through space-time <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">at</span> a solar system warp speed of 828,000kph/515,000 mph. That’s
a turtle walk though, for in pun fashion, the overall traveling speed of our
galaxy is an astronomical, 2.1 million kph/1.3 million mph.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdemFg4nzO4Yo_0Sau_al-rbdHrYdlnElWn81aQ6QF9PegcuNvyqlAMWcvQ2m1rbwEK8MmFOJ6uMkjmGhF6twHNNV7JEByPgPXQzg2sJEkfUM-_casl3QX7Ll2KKIGJSsOX5yrJoK39vfS/s1600/1-GravityWaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdemFg4nzO4Yo_0Sau_al-rbdHrYdlnElWn81aQ6QF9PegcuNvyqlAMWcvQ2m1rbwEK8MmFOJ6uMkjmGhF6twHNNV7JEByPgPXQzg2sJEkfUM-_casl3QX7Ll2KKIGJSsOX5yrJoK39vfS/s320/1-GravityWaves.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now ya might think that if larger bodies
create larger warps of space-time, therefore inversely affecting the attractive
force of gravity, why doesn’t Earth and all the other planets fall into the
sun? Why doesn’t our solar system fall into the center of our galaxy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sure, we all know gravity attracts, but
once neutralized in gravity balancing out from two bodies, it also repels. In
going back to Einstein’s relativity thesis, as gravitational density increases,
the attractive forces are changed to repelling forces. This is known as the
gravitational wave. Gravity waves prevent two objects from collapsing into one
another by generating spin, or as we call it here on Earth...rotation about the
axis. This wave/spin motion acts as a tidal force that repels rather than
attract.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKYGU1EC1o9ea7Dsp3FKALNezOw26vwEn71F5bKV6Wj5qIuDxJ4EqbOMCgKfuDXJUZcMIYG1L6WiN4ZOkJ9l4RYu1Jqam9KnfNxaJVsGDJM0Ruz0MPkh4_QSsIRGr003s0x3dqsokr_-V/s1600/1-weightlessness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKYGU1EC1o9ea7Dsp3FKALNezOw26vwEn71F5bKV6Wj5qIuDxJ4EqbOMCgKfuDXJUZcMIYG1L6WiN4ZOkJ9l4RYu1Jqam9KnfNxaJVsGDJM0Ruz0MPkh4_QSsIRGr003s0x3dqsokr_-V/s320/1-weightlessness.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Being a gas, the sun spins deferentially
opposite of Earth’s spin, which is composed of liquid rock and metal. Where the
Earth’s spin is slowest at its equator and quickest at its poles; the sun’s
equator spins faster than its perimeter poles. This rotational spin and
gravitational influence has balanced Earth’s orbit around the sun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mind
Game</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Look at the picture below and quickly
read the simple slogan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm83MRNhTDcyyoVi3gW1cDc4bJEVHq4If3N5gwmYroPDnc4WGUh7klZ6Xzel667VPuphT0J6dUcmLbgaWB7QqZM0m4QcbONufPAnDYNoHjtSJjYtzP313t4w1wFN6Ay0oo_9OfvPUodgmZ/s1600/1-Brain+teaser+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm83MRNhTDcyyoVi3gW1cDc4bJEVHq4If3N5gwmYroPDnc4WGUh7klZ6Xzel667VPuphT0J6dUcmLbgaWB7QqZM0m4QcbONufPAnDYNoHjtSJjYtzP313t4w1wFN6Ay0oo_9OfvPUodgmZ/s320/1-Brain+teaser+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You may have been able to immediately
detect the error, as my eleven-year-old daughter did, but most of us, me
included, didn’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are various illusions that deceive
our interpretation of an event. To name a few are tactile illusions which are
visual and optical rivalries. Auditory illusions deal with deceptive sound interpretation.
Ambiguous illusions are images exploiting graphical similarities between two
distinct images. Physiological illusions work by excessive stimulation
utilizing brightness, colors and/or movement. Paradox illusions are consciously
deemed as impossible, but yet optically appear as real. The one illusion
demonstrated above that tricked you in not seeing the word, ‘<i>the</i>’ written twice is a cognitive
illusion which is based on worldly perceptions of an individual leading to
unconscious inference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In seeing a familiar phrase within a
triangle sign, we feel through experience that we are adapted to quickly interpret
both quantities (slogan/triangle), so the mind misses the smaller ‘<i>the</i>’ in favoring the larger to be only
noticed. In other words, instead of constructive observance, we rehashed an
assumption that we already felt we knew. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Miracle
You</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ya know; you...you, yourself are not
only a miracle but a miraculous miracle of miracles. In you, if the big time
Las Vegas wagers had to bet on you in coming into existence, they would’ve
hedge funded against you a billion fold, for the odds were totally against you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4c8J-TMgSiEfd9X7b5Q7H068Y_p8Xa_TuRloPoZT3faJYcHTBZQXGN9HyStxNJSq42xLJViiMZtd1t6v9CtUv-IkBnck5mfdBxYGZyjtRp8XCj8NExrbrdXqBNAkExJ6zOW92av2M__lU/s1600/1-children.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4c8J-TMgSiEfd9X7b5Q7H068Y_p8Xa_TuRloPoZT3faJYcHTBZQXGN9HyStxNJSq42xLJViiMZtd1t6v9CtUv-IkBnck5mfdBxYGZyjtRp8XCj8NExrbrdXqBNAkExJ6zOW92av2M__lU/s320/1-children.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Human diploid cells contain 46
chromosomes. Haploid cells, in a person contain half the number of diploid
chromosomes at 23. In mammals, the only haploid cells are the germ or sexual
cells. The male carries spermatozoa haploid cells while the female sanctuaries
the ovum/egg haploid cells. Once the haploid sperm cell fertilizes the haploid
ovum cell, they form a diploid cell known as a zygote. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For you to have become you, in arising
from this single celled zygote, your parents had to meet, then become
romantically involved enough to procreate. In doing so, out of your father’s
sperm, only that particular one out of millions in competing for fertilizing
bragging rights could fertilize that one particular egg that your mother had
dropped from the hundreds of thousands she has still basketed in her ovaries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If that one haploid sperm that made you
was a bit slower and another was a little faster, you would not be you. If your
mother’s body decided to drop another mature egg, besides the one she did, you
would not be you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If the fertilization had happened a
microsecond earlier or a microsecond later, you would not be you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For you to have been conceived, all
these steps had to occur with your parents’ parents and their parents and their
parents and ad infinitum...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Not only of what has been stated above
that you beat the odds in being you, but a composite of trillions of drifting
atoms that are the same atoms even at the other end of the universe had to come
together to composite you. This atomic assemblage is so intricate that the
arrangement to define life in you is so finite, it will only occur once in
convening you in the entire universe’s existence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These atoms will do their atomic duties
in life to assure that you remain as you throughout your life even though in
keeping you as you is not a guarantee on an atomic level. Indeed, these
mindless atoms that compose you really don’t give a hoot about you; yet steadfastly
devote their services in keeping you as you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An unfortunate happenstance is that
atoms are flighty and will turn you to dust on average in 74.2 years, or
27,083.3 days, or 650,000 hours. However, your death makes you even more of a
miracle in exemplifying your rarity. Nonetheless though, you overcame those
tremendous odds and became an entity in life as a specificity of this universe.
So let’s not view life in any form as mundane simply because we are surrounded
by it, while today, feeling births are so commonplace. You are a purely
miraculous event...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Telling the
Tale,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">03/29/2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-3541194181773694622017-02-27T10:43:00.000-05:002017-03-04T15:29:54.806-05:00Opinioned Notion Discourse<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Opinioned Notion Discourse<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">American
Political Culture:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">American politics has taken a swing ever
more toward the extreme right. It’s obvious in its results of the 2016 U.S.
elections outcome and is following a global trend apropos of not only rogue
nation leadership, but of civilized nations gravitating into nationalizing fronts.
In the notion, ‘we like who we are in likeness’, whether it transcends from
race characteristics, social order or to economic structures...an ever
increasing majority is wanting to shut out minority entities who they deem are unlike,
therefore unlikeable to their own wants, beliefs, religion and ethnicities.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwTV4KRsm23uWK4pMoujlWL3R-7jH7pknl6klu38ffm4OMUTGepvYIKxZC9N7h7brwwPd8m6bRaK_gxc1wRm4n-tkk6A6oPfzwb3aJag1wFYPGGXaJbAbTAFhsScfbhCcNUQNZhp5gbXC/s1600/1-gop+being.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwTV4KRsm23uWK4pMoujlWL3R-7jH7pknl6klu38ffm4OMUTGepvYIKxZC9N7h7brwwPd8m6bRaK_gxc1wRm4n-tkk6A6oPfzwb3aJag1wFYPGGXaJbAbTAFhsScfbhCcNUQNZhp5gbXC/s320/1-gop+being.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Perception is an innate survival emission
in the animal world and mankind is no exception to this. Perceiving, though
inbuilt, utilizes tools to enforce it. However, environmental events are
perceived differently from one species to the next.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When demolition of a building occurs,
the birds resting atop the building perceive what is about to transpire a split
second before detonation and fly away to safety. The tortoise crawling on the
ground just below does not, getting hit by falling debris before it even knew
what has happened. In a wolf trotting by, the common housefly sees it so in
slow motion, whereupon a sloth sees the wolf as a hurried blur. Metabolic rates,
although not exclusive, are a tool used in perception in both of these cases. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A specific species can also show varying
levels of its perceptive world and this is where <i>Homo sapiens sapeins</i> comes into play. Metabolism allows organisms to
convert fuel (food) into energy using that conversion as cellular building
blocks to carry out life’s functions. The converting process is known as
‘catabolism’ where as the component building process is known as ‘anabolism’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Enzymes play a critical role in this
process by acting as a catalyst, speeding up metabolic rates. Acting as a
catalyst, enzymes are not a part of the chemical transformations, so are still
utilized for future chemical conversions. Nonetheless, in man as a species enzyme
levels can either be lower, or higher, or fluctuate in individuals. This either
speeds up the energy format or slows it down...hyper versus lazy. This hyper/lazy
extreme ends of the spectrum is where man’s political nature comes into play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Metabolism in man is not solely a
physical trait, but also a mental one in how one perceives his ambient
environment and this includes one’s political nature. Hyper versus lazy also
entails how one reasons in perception, which can be a blind spot to what
perception is real, or not. As in the tortoise and the sloth, this can be
detrimental in the species’ perception of the dangerous elements in its
surrounding environment; henceforth, the Trump supporter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In our perceptive being, we need
purpose; it is a self-organizing aim in life. Perceptive purpose of self is an
identity tag providing a framework of behavioral patterns for short term
everyday life. As motivation, this purpose dictates dedication in pursuing
specific directions within finite resources limiting perceptive means, such as
time, energy and reason for long term achievement. Since a life aim is not
achievable merely through purpose, long term perception is deceived, so
devotion kicks in becoming delusionary in amicus reasoning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We see this in man placating that
misconstrued devotion onto religion and leadership to further heighten that
deceptive purpose hold. There are no gods...only the faithful purpose man
employs onto those gods. It just appears that it is in the ethos of the human
being in delegating confidence of self over to some ethereal deity or rogue
leader.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A case in point along this train of
thought is Gene Huber of Trump’s last weekend 2020 campaign rally in Melbourne,
Florida. Huber was the fella that was allowed on stage to get a hug from Trump.
Huber claims he has a life-size cardboard Trump standee that he not only
salutes to, but religiously prays to every day. This is a classic example of
relinquishing all self confidence in one’s self by rolling that confidence to
some other entity in feeling they can improve their own life better than they
can.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">What’s so dangerous in this; it is bad
enough to put one’s confidence into another’s hands relinquishing not only
one’s self-confidence, but also one’s self-identity and self-determination. Add
to the admixture that the leader is not only self-serving but as well a proven
narcissist, poor Huber hasn’t a chance in life worshipping a cardboard cutout</span>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">What I conjecture as worse than a bad
leader is that leader’s followers. No matter how bad a leader is, he/she will
have devoted followers; ie: Trump. But in the same token, no matter how good a
leader is, he/she will have an entourage of opponents; ie: Obama. I don’t like
including these two comparisons with Trump/Obama examples, for it precludes to
perhaps most that I am bias in this writing. But in my experienced
observations, please read on to see if I might amend your thoughts concerning
intentional bias on my part.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With a perspective on life without
purpose, folks feel disparaged and if the sensible path has made them feel
alienated, they will emotionally disengage and seek a subjective alternative
for self while not weighing in intellectually. Undesirable outcomes become
nonessential as fervor engulfs their emotional sensibilities degrading common
sense and social compassion. In this newly found enigma, they give their total
devotion and relinquished confidence to the one they feel can do no wrong.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is borne out in Trump and his
followers. No matter Trump’s daily lies to his followers, in their perception
he only spreads the truth. Satisfied with his propaganda, it is the ‘fake news’
media that constantly lies. By insistently calling out commonly used Republican
scapegoats as the enemy, Trump supporters now feel more comfortable and
empowered to hiss at minorities, other religions, cultures and now the media,
the judicial system and intelligence agencies. Trump is fueled by disruption
and he is “bigly” willing to pass on that disruptive cause to his allegiant
following.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Divide and conquer is a good concept in
a military war, but to divide one nation is a history lesson always worth rereading.
This is exactly what Trump is doing while his followers relish along its
destructive path. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In effect, Trump supporters have allowed
narrow minded religiosity to meld purpose with unrealistic goals warping their
perception. This is purpose without goals and in erasing the complexities of
goals, their new found symbolic savior reigns in a simpleton awakened refreshment.
For ya see, to grasp and take hold of goal accomplishments requires abstract
cognitive individual intuitiveness. It also enlists an individual’s perceptive
tools of insight, perspective, introspect and conceptual planning. This takes
effort and there are those that won’t put forth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I dare say, most Trump supporters cannot
grasp, or won’t devote thoughts to abstract cognitive concepts, for it is
difficult and time consuming in generating logical purpose. Being ignorant is
much simpler allowing one to avoid suffering as opposed to those who seek out
purpose, but fail to meet its mandates. However, this false immunity to the
suffering in playing ignorant does not compete with those that did indeed perceive
purpose but still failed. Attempting is a far better outcome than ignoring.
It’s an ongoing learning experience and to know, or knowledge gained is
happiness. Whereas, the ignorant will remain angry always seeking out the fall
guy to constantly replenish that pent upped anger. Expectations can and does
deceive perception. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Purpose for Trump supporters has been
lost in their avoidance of goals warping their perception. This, not only in
long term, but even short term will endanger or at the very least negatively
impact their lives and others resulting in an outcome that is totally opposite
of what perception is biologically supposed to do and that is preservation.
Trump supporters illogically think they are persevering in what they perceive
as substantive, but in not even knowing it, have been hoodwinked instead.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Irregardless of Trump’s supporters the
Trump/Russian connection will bring Trump down. As I wrote just after the
elections, Trump will either quit or be impeached within two years. Trump’s
chief strategist, Steve Bannon, who is a proud curator of white nationalist
propaganda needs to go immediately, for he is not only a threat, but an
internal threat to the security of this nation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bannon wants to destroy our government.
At the Conservative Political Action Conference he unveiled his ‘destructive
economy policy’ and admitted that Trump's Cabinet picks were chosen to destroy
the agencies they’re supposed to lead. He describes his new form of government
as “<i>economic nationalism</i>.” As a
self-proclaimed Leninist he stated to journalist, Ronald Radosh, an adjunct
fellow member at the ‘Hudson Institute’ that, “<i>I want to bring everything crashing down</i>.” This nation is not quite
ready for a Vladimir Lenin idolater.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Antic
Perishables</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Zero sum thinking is the thought that to
receive anything, first, someone else must lose it. This zero sum thinking in
perception, keeps the loyalty of the Trump fan base tethered, through lies, but
too, in Trump’s overshadowing those lies by
constant shirking on blaming whom he deems as his enemy as the ones
lying. His “<i>so-called judges</i>” and “<i>fake news media</i>” baseless accusations
are an affront to the U.S. Constitution. He also insinuated U.S. intelligence
has lied about him and Putin by claiming, “<i>These
are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College
victories in history. It’s now time to move on and </i>‘<i>Make America Great Again</i>.”’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Besides the fact in insisting the
seventeen intelligence agencies are lying through association with 9/11, Trump
and his administration also lied about the electoral win spread and ended the
statement rather pretentiously with the stolen slogan, ‘Make America Great
Again’.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qy5DIHGIY8Y?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anything outside the realm of normality
is assuredly perishable and certainly an orange thin skinned adumbration is no
exception. Sure, all politicians lie, perhaps more so than folks in other walks
of life, but to the level and consistency Trump has is incorrigible.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On top of that, from common folk who
disagree with him to established traditional U.S. institutions, Trump blames
everyone else as the deliberator of ‘fake news’ and if that is not enough,
Trump supporters not only believe the blatant Trump inaccuracies, they promote them.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How can the media be lying when for the
most part they’re reporting what Trump has actually said or did? This is a
harmful sickness and it’s a behavior that is going to eventually bite back
hard. Just hopefully, that bite isn’t deep enough to bring the nation down to
its knees as it will Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson had to
defend NATO allies breaking from Trump’s NATO attacks. Vice President Mike
Pence and Defense Secretary James Mattis had to fly over to Europe to assure that
the U.S. will honor its commitments to the international organization. They
were speech smoothing that the bonds between West European countries and the
U.S. were still lock-in-step after unease had crept in from Trump’s NATO and
Swedish comments and his lack of reason in his abhorrence for Germany’s
Chancellor Angela Merkel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course, all the Trump surrogate
officials have been running around each week to try and amend or appease Trump
tweets. Apparently there is burnout on that job, for now it is performed in
weekly shifts. Kellyanne Conway as Trump spokesperson has been replaced by
Stephen Miller who has been replaced by anyone else in the administration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just this last week, it was Reince
Priebus hitting all the Sunday political talk shows as Conway and Miller had
left the building being visibly absent. About the only defense Priebus could
muster over Trump’s defense when it comes to claims of the lying media, is that
the media throws all these stories out there without naming any sources. Actually,
Priebus should evaluate his boss a little more, for that is exactly what Trump
does. Lest we not forget during Trump’s years of birther claims, he would be
asked on numerous occasions where he got his information and he would always
reply with no names, just, “<i>an</i> <i>extremely credible source</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">More recently, Trump’s claim of 3-5
million fraudulent Hillary votes is totally baseless. Their only defense is how
many dead people in states are still registered to vote </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">and registrants in two states</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, but that is sloppy
states’ record keeping; it is not voter fraud. In fact Trump’s chief
strategist, Steve Bannon was registered in the two states of California and New
York when the November elections occurred, but that still doesn’t prove he
committed voter fraud unless he did vote in both states.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the video below, NBC’s Peter
Alexander stops Trump dead in his irascible bully tracks relegating him to a whimpering
sycophant. Alexander questioned Trump at the 02/16/2017 press conference about why people should believe him when he’s
rolling out false information on claims he had a record Electoral College vote
count. Trump demurs by saying he was given information without saying from whom,
then devolves in changing his story in that he was referring only to Republican
presidents. Alexander further embarrasses Trump, if that’s possible, by
revealing both Bush presidents had higher electoral votes. Trump once again
says he was given that information. It’s just numbers, but the addition to all
this is that Trump was proclaiming he had 306 electoral votes when it is
actually 304.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AhZhxgz5yJU" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump is putting the nation and the
world on edge. This is the consequence of governance by chaos when Trump
officials are always scrambling to repair what Trump has proclaimed either in his
attacks or lies, for...who is to be believed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump even lies to the American public
when it is so easy for the public to fact check him. Concerning the
intelligence ‘Steele memos’, after a 01/11/17 conference with Director of
National Intelligence James Clapper, Trump tweets this the following day:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As evident in the public summary of the
‘Steele memos’ put out by U.S. intelligence, it clearly states, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">No one in possession of the memos has yet
verified them or determined them to be inaccurate</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump and his administrative officials
have incessantly denied that there were any communique between Russia and Trump
or his administration during the presidential election campaign. However, this
is in stark contrast to U.S. intelligence officials and Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak who have all
stated there was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">U.S. intelligence reports confirm Trump’s
2016 presidential campaign had repeated conversations between Kislyak and
Flynn. Communications between the two continued after Trump’s victory on Nov. 8<sup>th</sup>
according to officials with access to intelligence reports on the matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rybakov, in a Thursday 11/10/16 said, “<i>Obviously, we know most of the people from
his entourage. I cannot say that all of them but quite a few have been staying
in touch with Russian representatives</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Kisylak himself in a short interview
with the ‘Washington Post’, admitted having contacts with Flynn before and
after the election, but he declined to say what was discussed. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">It’s a sure hedge bet Kisylak is not a common
Joe name to the average American, but I’ve an itchy scratch it soon will be</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There’s a corollary here manifesting;
the more Trump’s administration lies about having no Russian contacts, the more
intelligence leaks occur saying they do.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As put out by the ‘Toronto Star’, just
his first month in office, Trump has spewed forth over 80 <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2017/02/24/daniel-dales-donald-trump-fact-check-updates.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">lies</span></a>; that’s an
average of three a day and there is never an apology offered for misleading the
nation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="359" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xecEV4dSAXE" width="648"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oh
the Hypocrisy</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What Trump’s outright lying leads to is
his overt hypocrisy; oh the hypocrisy of it all. In his Florida campaign rally
last Saturday (02/18/17), Trump had this to say in the video below to his pawn
supporters:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/npbKOHmx1Is" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He not only said it, but Trump repeated
that the rich have to pay their bills. Yet, supposedly as a very rich self-proclaimed
multibillionaire that he ever “</span></span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">so-called</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">”
is, Trump did not pay his bills to hundreds of small businesses and
subcontractors working on and in his real estate properties. A lot of them had
to lay off employees, for some they even had to close their small family businesses
because they couldn’t absorb Trump’s nonpayment while working on tight budgets.
They thought doing business with the Trump name recognition would be a big
boost for their businesses, instead; it drained them of most or all of their
assets.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One example is GOP strategist, Brian
Walsh. Speaking to NPR host, Ari Shapiro on the September 28, 2016 airing, Walsh
stated that Trump stiffed his father on a six-figure 1980’s telecom job. Walsh
claims that Trump, although giving no detail whatsoever as to why he might be
unhappy with Walsh’s father’s work, refused to pay, instead attacked his father
and said that if he wants to sue him for the salary, it would cost him more in
litigation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Walsh confesses it hurt his father’s
business, but was able to recover and become successful, although he knows of
other small businesses that went under due to Trump not paying them what he
owed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In strategizing for Republicans and
being a lifelong member to the party, Walsh said he could not vote for Hillary,
but he emphatically said he would not cast his vote to Trump. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When asked on why he wouldn’t vote for
Trump, Walsh contended, “<i>Well, I think
like many Americans, you know, I have very serious concerns about not just
Donald Trump's temperament, but his experience and qualifications for the job.
And as an American and a voter, Hillary Clinton's attacks resonated with me and
I just was sitting there smiling saying yes, you know, I actually have a
personal firsthand knowledge of this</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmobAyAbP7-AU5-QyoyJDIlAhKon6P78nT4kE8XL1ek2pQVKxj1j079t3u7RDhShHNqIW24y5PqWubw9OM0fY9TOi_NQRB6ctpFjPOiQ89hNzR2H6rh29rxmsJJlgPK4m7HOIy6R5hkjD/s1600/1-gop+trump+golf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmobAyAbP7-AU5-QyoyJDIlAhKon6P78nT4kE8XL1ek2pQVKxj1j079t3u7RDhShHNqIW24y5PqWubw9OM0fY9TOi_NQRB6ctpFjPOiQ89hNzR2H6rh29rxmsJJlgPK4m7HOIy6R5hkjD/s320/1-gop+trump+golf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Now first off, I don’t believe that
presidential vacations are something to make a fuss about, for the president is
still in contact and working the current issues. Also, the cost of presidents
taking vacations would cost about the same if they didn’t go on vacation, for
presidental secret service and other services is on duty 24 hours a day no
matter where the president is. However,
Trump has made a big deal out of it, so I’m going to relay his hypocrisy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump, during Obama’s presidency
consistently complained about Obama’s vacation and golf outings. Some of his
tweets are below.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_23Ve4HG9-B8kMmuP2mkxUBH3Zxan5k3PgjcxZlez3X5Xt2dcjjBbzU6iSmwZogKLn6XkESwoj1JdwgReiw4HK2qpIPYj2AREuXnqXVcdCfFJxjQU1vCEPJRxBJdcnr-WeitNRABN4OP/s1600/1-gop-trumpgolf3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_23Ve4HG9-B8kMmuP2mkxUBH3Zxan5k3PgjcxZlez3X5Xt2dcjjBbzU6iSmwZogKLn6XkESwoj1JdwgReiw4HK2qpIPYj2AREuXnqXVcdCfFJxjQU1vCEPJRxBJdcnr-WeitNRABN4OP/s320/1-gop-trumpgolf3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqe34csLXLeTIyCv0kwR_mnash7R8Begy7LhUsoCvZoNRfo_j3DracHBZBy1MKedoNZVldopMt5LS98SUBIwh1H9n6ItDfO1A0LYvZ8zltqedoWihWlABPL-LdBddTXkBANQbQxTcv4DC/s1600/1-gop-trumpgolf5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqe34csLXLeTIyCv0kwR_mnash7R8Begy7LhUsoCvZoNRfo_j3DracHBZBy1MKedoNZVldopMt5LS98SUBIwh1H9n6ItDfO1A0LYvZ8zltqedoWihWlABPL-LdBddTXkBANQbQxTcv4DC/s320/1-gop-trumpgolf5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Now Trump confesses he won’t be playing
golf or vacationing at all, but for his first month in office, he has turned
his Mar-a-Lago into the Winter Fun White House three weekends in a row making a
lot of money off of it by inviting elites over with $200,000 fees each to do
so. These socialite members also are getting an opportunity to watch Trump go
over classified material and take selfies with the nuclear football, the person
who carries the briefcase holding the nuclear codes around with him wherever
the president goes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unfortunately this is costing the local
West Palm Beach airport a ton of money. Each Trump visit puts heavy airspace
flight restrictions coming or going from the airport during Trump’s visits;
they’re losing paying aircraft fly-ins and fly-outs. If it continues they may
go out of business.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">$97 million of taxpayer dollars is what
Obama spent in his eight years of office on vacation travel. Trump in just his
first three weeks in office spent over a tenth of that at $10 million. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Obama during his eight year tenure
played golf once every 8.8 days. Trump currently is worse off than that at 7.8
days. But lo, Trump said in May of 2016 on the campaign trail, “<i>I’m going to be working for you. I’m not
going to have time to go play golf</i>.” All of this...is on the taxpayer’s
dime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, as of 02/24/17 he’s reported to be
going on his fourth consecutive Mar-a-Lago vacation which bumps the taxpayer’s
dollars up to $13 million in Trump’s weekend getaways. That is more than the
average of what Obama took in a year at $12.125 million. Remember, it was Trump
who declared and promised on his campaign trail in a 6/23/2016 interview with
‘The Hill’, “<i>I would not be a president
who took vacations. I would not be a president that takes time off</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s terrorist Sweden comment at the
Florida campaign rally (in which by the way, calling it a 2020 campaign event
allowed him to hock his various Trump paraphernalia), baffled everyone. After
going on about Islamic Terrorism, he suddenly interjects, “<i>We’ve got to keep our country safe. You look at what’s happening in
Germany, you look at what’s happening last night in Sweden</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nothing happened that night in Sweden
except for an amorous bull moose attempting to make it with a wooden decorative
moose as confirmed by Swedish police reports. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With everyone scratching their heads as
to what Islamic terrorist incident Trump was referring to, WH damage control
came pouring out. Speaking to reporters Sunday (02/19/17), principal deputy
press secretary, Sarah Sanders told reporters, “<i>He was talking about rising crime and recent incidents in general, and
not referring to a specific incident</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Later that Sunday, Trump tweets: “<i>My statement as to what's happening in
Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning
immigrants & Sweden</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First-off, Trump was specific in stating
what happened “<i>last night in Sweden</i>.”
In immediately making the statement after expounding on Islamic terrorism, it
did not come off as generalization. Secondly, Trump says he got his material
from TV’s ‘Fox News’ Tucker Carlson segment concerning a crime wave report ever
since refugees had been accepted into the country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Funny why he would use a news source
instead of not referring to U.S. intelligence, but anyway that ‘Fox News’
report was a bit phony in itself. Carlson was interviewing conservative
filmmaker, Ami Horowitz whose sole intention was to blame crime waves on Middle
Eastern refugees. Police officers, Horowitz interviewed were led under the
impression that Horowitz wanted hot spots of crime in Sweden. Whether it is
from Swedish nationals or refugees, Horowitz didn’t stipulate. Most Swedish
crime indeed is conducted by Swede nationals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One of the police officers, Anders
Göranzon told the ‘Dagens Nyheter’ newspaper the following Monday, “<i>I don’t understand why we are part of the
segment. The interview was about something completely different to what Fox
News and Horowitz were talking about. It was supposed to be about crime in
high-risk areas; areas with high crime rates. There wasn’t any focus on migration
or immigration</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Concerning fake news...in speaking of
Tucker Carlson and ‘Fox News’ as the only news worthy of Trump’s praise,
Carlson recently went for an interview segment over current protesters. He
could not get any protester organizers to agree to be interviewed on the
segment. They all refused his offer. So ya know what he did, he hired an actor
to act as if he was a protest organizer, then aired it on his 02/20/17 show. It was all a sham and with an added
‘e’...shame...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump may have been half baked, but in
his defense, there really was a recent Swedish terrorist attack this past
month, however it wasn’t Islamic terrorism. A neo-Nazi fascist group carried
out a homemade bomb attack on refugees stationed at the ‘Gothenburg Asylum
Center’. One person was seriously injured.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, Trump fires his national security
advisor, Michael Flynn. He claims it wasn’t for Flynn actually speaking to Russian
agents about sanctions imposed by Obama before Trump’s inauguration, but only
because he ruses Flynn lied to VP Mike Pence about it in telling Pence
sanctions were never brought up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Actually, I feel that Pence knew Flynn
had discussed the Russian sanctions with Russians and lied to the media when he
reported that Flynn didn’t. For ya see, Trump was briefed by intelligence
officers almost two weeks before Pence’s 01/15/17 CBS interview that indeed
Flynn had spoken about sanctions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. So,
since Trump knew, why did he not tell Pence? Might be because <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">T</span>rump has taken
the Hypocritical Oath and used Flynn to be the stooge?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">No one needs to feel sorry for Flynn,
for if ya might recall, Flynn at the RNC this past summer cheered on the
Hillary chant to “<i>lock her up</i>.” Even
stated if he’d done only a tenth of what she has done to damage national
security, he’d be locked up. Well then, “<i>lock
him up</i>.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UFBAjhxjQ90?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump quipped during a listening session
with manufacturing CEOs that, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">All of a
sudden for the first time we’re getting gang members out, we’re getting drug
lords out, we’re getting really bad dudes out of this country and it's a <b>military operation</b> because what has
been allowed to come into our country</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Using the military to apprehend people
living illegally in the interior of the country is unconstitutional and a
violation of U.S. law. All the Trump administrative surrogates had to run out
and do more damage control. Sean Spicer at a WH press conference, attempted to
gloss it over with white crayons in saying, “<i>The president was using that </i>[military operation] <i>as an adjective</i>.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Spicer needs more
English refresher courses, for “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">military
operation</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” is not an adjective.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is the second time Trump has
mentioned using military force. The first was enlisting the ‘U.S. National
Guard’ to combat Chicago gangs. Also, Obama had already been getting the
undocumented ‘bad guys’, so much so his administration has deported more ‘bad
guys’ than under any other president, so Trump is not doing anything new with
criminal immigrants, but he has with the meek and mild undocumented.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump goes around sallying forth he’s
only rounding up the “<i>bad hombres, thugs
and murderers</i>,” but with ICE agents going into a hospital, hand and feet
cuffing an undocumented woman that is suffering from a brain tumor then hauling
her to the detention center is a bit too much for me. This actually happened last
week in Texas. Where does she fit into the “<i>bad
hombres, thugs and murderers</i>” scenario? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes, Trump has been, to say the least
quite spiteful concerning illegal immigration, but how hypocritical is this? In
2013, undocumented immigrants, in working the cheapest jobs, paid out $12
billion in federal taxes; as for Trump, a billionaire, 0. Trump has paid zero
(nada) in federal taxes since 1999 due to his bankruptcy filings. Along with
that, undocumented workers contribute 3% to the nation’s GDP.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump himself, Trump administrators,
Trump pundits and Republican politicians continually on a daily basis spread
fear of how dangerous a threat Islamic terrorism is to Americans. Funny that
though, in the week of February 12-18, 2017 there were three terrorist plots or
attacks that were thwarted on American soil by law enforcement officers. But it
wasn’t Muslims, it was white nationalists. But of course, nothing was said
about that from Trump and friends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just this February 23<sup>rd </sup>,
Adam Puritan stepped up to two men of Indian decent while eating in a Olathe,
Kansas bar and grill and apparently mistaking them for Middle Eastern origins, but
for sure in recognizing their darker skin color yelled out, “<i>Get out of my country</i>,” then shot both
of them killing one and seriously injuring the other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fueled by Trump fervor, there have been
144 mosque attacks from confetti to burning the building down since Trump’s
election. Jewish synagogues haven’t been faring well either, 100 synagogues
were defamed and damaged just within a ten day period after Trump’s election.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is nice to know though that American
Muslims donated $100,000.00 to the ‘Chesed Shel Emeth’ Jewish cemetery just
outside of St. Louis, Missouri that had many of its headstones knocked down and
broken just last week. In like, leaders of the Victoria, Texas Jewish community
donated their synagogue for Muslims to worship in after a January 28, 2017 set
fire had burned their mosque down to the ground. Trump should take note of this
and spread its American diversity unity spectrum instead of using rhetoric to
enflame division. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According to the, ‘Southern Poverty Law
Center’ who compiles these statistics, there’s been 1,094 hate crimes conducted
just in the first month of Trump’s election. Since Trump’s election win, Muslim
mosques have been receiving hate messages like, “<i>He’s going to do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the Jews</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Except for Spicer calling it “<i>absurd</i>” in comparing this uptick to
Trump’s nationalism stoking, Trump and company have not mentioned one thing
about white nationalist terrorism. Needless to say, nothing has been mentioned
either about the Quebec, Canada mosque attack where a white supremacist killed
six this past January. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump didn’t even feel the need to send
his personal condolences to the Canadian victims and Canada; for it might just
be he didn’t want to recognize this form of terrorism, which goes against the
grain of his framework of terrorism as only being Islamic related. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The white misogynist nationalist, Milo Yiannopoulos
had his U. C. Berkley speaking engagement cancelled due to a student uproar
over it. Trump, although legally he can’t without congressional approval, threatens
to revoke the university’s federal grants for the cancelling. Other Republicans
complained the university acted out against free speech. Why, Dan Adamini,
former chair and current secretary of the Marquette County Republican Party even
went so far as to say on a ‘Facebook’ post that, “<i>I’m thinking another Kent State might be the only solution protest
stopped after only one death</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsL0HDlzL9UcDH1C9troYWCyCqzn4DhmkIqQaEH2Yz8u4XBYJrRU2ZL93KJp7MmjK4JzBzhfFDH51eE53iFgSZrRW6bvsAPd40LYmDD8ZIWAOsJ1VGtH4TcpJ0uSrrzRH_jzFKr_CgyZlP/s1600/1-gop-trumpUCB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsL0HDlzL9UcDH1C9troYWCyCqzn4DhmkIqQaEH2Yz8u4XBYJrRU2ZL93KJp7MmjK4JzBzhfFDH51eE53iFgSZrRW6bvsAPd40LYmDD8ZIWAOsJ1VGtH4TcpJ0uSrrzRH_jzFKr_CgyZlP/s320/1-gop-trumpUCB.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lo and behold, Yiannopoulos was also
committed to speak at the CPAC meeting, but instead, got jilted again, for CPAC
cancelled him. It appears that they could tolerate his white supremacy efforts,
his female bashing, even his being gay, but when a pedophile account came out
about him, they shuttered the door.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, where is the Republican outrage over
free speech? Where is hypocritical Donald Trump’s threat to CPAC for doing the
same thing? Nowhere...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump claims he “<i>inherited a mess</i>” but yet takes all the credit for the January’s
‘Department of Labor’s job report when it was concluded on January 12, 2017, a
full eight days from his inauguration. The report stated that 227,000 jobs were
added at a 4.8% unemployment rate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s funny why he would claim the 4.8%
as his own, when on the campaign trail he repeated numerously that any
unemployment rate around 5% is “<i>such a
phony</i>.” He also stated, “<i>The number
isn’t reflective. I’ve seen numbers of 24 percent. I actually saw a number of
42 percent unemployment. Forty-two percent! 5.3 percent unemployment; that is
the biggest joke there is in this country. The unemployment rate is probably 20
percent, but I will tell you, you have some great economists that will tell you
it's a 30, 32 and the highest I've heard so far is 42 percent</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well it appears Trump’s confused on
which number it actually is so decides to keep raising the unemployment bar,
while mind ya, not revealing what source where he heard these so-called factual
figures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s clueless hypocrisy also extends
into the national debt. He says this in his tweet below:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4ipE1QwCsXgWms1c7vtDNbVXz2yC_E2H1xcdcqqjisPjR0qOTuUAJPqgfOXNq3nfXKBPsRTAGWJn0gYYe5Dq1RO75Qq8-lzOeZhwYlQGIGNZponjMAR0cUo6SYQk-5pdnVwotRUPYVbm/s1600/1-gop-trumpdebt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4ipE1QwCsXgWms1c7vtDNbVXz2yC_E2H1xcdcqqjisPjR0qOTuUAJPqgfOXNq3nfXKBPsRTAGWJn0gYYe5Dq1RO75Qq8-lzOeZhwYlQGIGNZponjMAR0cUo6SYQk-5pdnVwotRUPYVbm/s320/1-gop-trumpdebt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Again, what Trump inherited from Obama
and what Obama inherited from W. Bush are at opposite poles. It takes a full
nine months into a newly elected president’s office for his actual policies to
start affecting entities like the national debt and employment. Trump’s got
eight more months to lay claim to what is actually being impacted from his
administration.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynGO9UrlRSIIE4CVHPUURbksJHepL_3v3KTeGbjtOnH8nCGbW_tVndi2HBRSPJXepvYaUEdXqCSr3uVvYH080NNGAMNPzuqw6PI1WBCNN6lis2ScLksIG9eDS0yU_YMy8AiqmpInJZew5/s1600/1-gop+drn-swp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynGO9UrlRSIIE4CVHPUURbksJHepL_3v3KTeGbjtOnH8nCGbW_tVndi2HBRSPJXepvYaUEdXqCSr3uVvYH080NNGAMNPzuqw6PI1WBCNN6lis2ScLksIG9eDS0yU_YMy8AiqmpInJZew5/s320/1-gop+drn-swp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump not only hasn’t drained the swamp,
he’s filled it with snapping gators that will snap shut on the everyday
American worker. Trump’s first regulations were to repeal financial regulations
to allow financial institutions to begin doing what they did that lead to the
‘Great Recession’ of 2008.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In his first hours in office he made it
pricier for first time homebuyers. Just an hour in taking office, Trump suspended
a rule that would have made certain mortgages less costly. Bannon and Mnuchin
both worked for Wall Street’s ‘Goldman Sachs’ making millions off of hedge
funds that helped lead to the financial recession.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As far as Trump’s administration goes
there has never been such a collected group of billionaires in any president’s
office. Trump’s billionaire list is:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Secretary of Education: Nancy Devos ~
$5.1 billion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Secretary of Commerce: Wilbur Ross ~
$2.5 billion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Deputy of Commerce: Todd Ricketts ~ $1
billion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Small Business Administration: Linda
McMahon ~ $1 billion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Veteran Affairs Advisory: Isaac
Perlmutter ~ $4.1 billion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Economic Advisory Council: John Paulson
~ $7.9 billion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Economic Advisor: Diane Hendricks ~ $4.3
billion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Economic Advisor: Andrew Beal ~ $9
billion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Inaugural Committee Head: Gail Icahn ~
$16.46 billion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">President Strategic & Policy Forum:
Elon Musk ~ $13.4 billion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">President Strategic & Policy Forum:
Stephen Schwarzman ~ $11.6 billion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">President Strategic & Policy Forum:
Travis Kalanick ~ $6.3 billion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘President Strategic & Policy
Forum’ are corporate CEOs advising Trump on how government policies will affect
the economy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just Trump’s initial fifteen secretarial
cabinet picks were worth $13 billion. The total so far for his current
billionaire administrative seats secured is $82.52 billion. How Trump voters
were conned into a billionaire looking out for their welfare by flooding the
swamp with more billionaires still eludes me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Running
Crybabies</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In holding up, or should I say in lack
of holding up to constituent meetings to promote transparency and the sharing
of concerns, Republicans as of late have been running scared like crying
cackling chickens with a fox in the coop. Instead of facing the backlash of
repealing Obamacare or refusing to investigate Trump over his Russian
connections, more than 200 Republican congressmen will not hold a town hall
meeting, or holding private invitation only meetings, or holding impersonal
robocalls, or if holding meetings, allowing only Republican constituents to
fill up the room or at least the front rows, or canceling meetings altogether.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For those that did go through with the
meetings, they indeed tripped and fell into a buzzing hornet’s nest, with some
Republican politicians cowardly sneaking out before the meeting’s end. Perhaps
if they weren’t attempting to defend Trump and repeal or degrade public
policies from the ACA, Medicaid and Medicare to Social Security, all the while
doing irreparable repeals to environmental laws, they wouldn’t find themselves
under such scrutiny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hundreds of thousands across the nation
are packing into town halls:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9AfLMebA8sE?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZjtFSbbrUcM?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There are simply too many town hall
meetings where the Republican politician got an earful to relay here, but
following below are a few highlights.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8KhVeM1eKZc?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Voters are upset and Republican
politicians may justify it as paid professionals, or folks from out of district
or state, or it’s a Democrat affront, but it is an authentic reaction to common
folk finally getting upset with Republican rhetoric, why no interests in the
GOP congress in investigating the Trump/Russian connection and how Republicans
are going to dismantle concrete public policies.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is a collage video of Republican
town hall meetings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DOQXiNixBiA?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Many congressmen ducked and ran for
cover before hosting their appointed town halls. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)
announced the cancellation of his town hall because he had to be in Europe. He
lied, for he was seen in Florida lecturing at a ‘Florida International
University’ political science class, then ventured on over to a private ‘Jackson
Memorial Hospital’ event closed to the press and public the same time his
no-show town hall was supposed to start.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then there’s ol’ Rep. Louie Gohmert, who
usually talks so tough, but was so fearful for his life that he cancelled his
town hall meeting. Herein lies his scaredy-cat excuse, “<i>Unfortunately, at this time there are groups from the more violent
strains of the leftist ideology, some even being paid, who are preying on
public town halls to wreak havoc and threaten public safety</i>.” He then
proceeded to compare himself to Gabby Giffords in that he could get shot by
some crazed leftist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rep. Marsha Blackburn did hold a meeting
where she was met with boos and shouts of “<i>shame
on you</i>” after stating lies and being very condescending. She also kept
stressing on a CNN next day interview that the crowd for the most part were not
her district constituents, but Wolf Blitzer kept cornering her misleading lies.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IebGuCUt5Xw?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rep. Michael Coffman (R-CO) saw how big
his constituent crowd was, so said that he would interview four a time behind
closed doors. After doing around sixteen, he then attempts to sneak away. He
does sneak away out the back door to a waiting chauffeured car, but is caught
in the process with the crowd shouting “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">shame
on you</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b5Uhr2CIjXc?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) skedaddled
from her two scheduled town hall meetings. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) has his
staff abruptly cancel his meeting that was scheduled weeks in advance. Rep.
Darrel Issa (R-CA) was a no show at his packed town hall meeting. At least Tom
McClintock (R-CA) did appear, but then decided to bolt commencing the crowd to
chant shame on you.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0kk3DVl_cSnNrbiqjLhEF2YOHlwOa9Ws3n3HiMtuRqLlWyl13ngqqTfqLUs0Lt7ijyP7QVlylXVuZlQcc7i8ZagrTUfKOUA8kt3-a5LxsdupRYcqad-3L8_r3XA2Fz4W14Hr_eWeGlGw/s1600/1-gop-skips+twn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0kk3DVl_cSnNrbiqjLhEF2YOHlwOa9Ws3n3HiMtuRqLlWyl13ngqqTfqLUs0Lt7ijyP7QVlylXVuZlQcc7i8ZagrTUfKOUA8kt3-a5LxsdupRYcqad-3L8_r3XA2Fz4W14Hr_eWeGlGw/s320/1-gop-skips+twn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rep. McClintok with a police escort bolting from Town Hall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) scheduled a meeting,
but then holds the meeting privately with only invited Republican attendees in
a different location. Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) took Brooks’ suggestion and held
his meeting 60 miles away from where it was scheduled to be held, but his
constituents sniffed him out and over 200 of them were as angry as a junkyard
dog. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Out of all of this though, Rep. Gus
Bilirakis (R-FL) licks the icing off the cake. He did hold a town hall. But, in
that meeting he stood up to tell his constituents a bare face lie. He’s still
hung up on the old Republican ‘death panel’ ruse in stating that Obamacare is
indeed a ‘death panel’. While doing so the crowd boos him where he insults
their integrity again by calling them children. Watch Bilirakis in action in
the short video below</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="391" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/njbt8PPCFPg?ecver=1" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It turns out rather clearly that Trump
and the GOP have lied to Americans about Obamacare ever since its inception and
have lied for six years in claiming they have a wondrous replacement. Partisan
showing is all it has been.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The GOP can demean and stomp on folks,
but when it comes to democracy in action their chicken side suddenly kicks in
by not showing up, running away, moving meetings to differing locations
unannounced, or merely outright lying at an event. However, this protesting is
simply democracy in motion and it assuredly is nothing to be afraid of.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHPLI_Rem6nQ6kHp-2up5FWPjhYRS7T5vqQiBJN5NA7Lj9zSVUKkg62HNjx402OW6hoQhSm-eXX9HqjUSZ9MesXP-SPDHBIEyD2Vte9Qkr5o1EVRRViy6t6zIZnjyDjbxKhE4NrPLY-pX/s1600/1-gop-run+n+hide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHPLI_Rem6nQ6kHp-2up5FWPjhYRS7T5vqQiBJN5NA7Lj9zSVUKkg62HNjx402OW6hoQhSm-eXX9HqjUSZ9MesXP-SPDHBIEyD2Vte9Qkr5o1EVRRViy6t6zIZnjyDjbxKhE4NrPLY-pX/s320/1-gop-run+n+hide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Republicans falsely whining that these
are so-called paid protesters by George Soros, had better wizen up, it is a
grassroots movement from the bottom up and the election years will return.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finality
Opine</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump claims he has inherited an
economic mess in stating, “<i>What I am
essentially inheriting is a mess. The finances of our country are a mess, but
we’re going to clean them up...we’ve already saved a lot</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The thing is this is coming from someone
that has filed bankruptcy six times. American bankers and financial
institutions no longer granted him loans due to all his bankruptcy filings, which
is why he reached out to foreign financial and investment entities like Russia.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For after all, Trump now promises to
clean up America’s finances, but most likely through the same streamline of
bankruptcy once his building the wall costs and wealthy tax cuts kicks in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/boKnLy6Azok?ecver=1" width="500"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">On the 02/22/17 press conference, WH
Secretary Sean Spicer whimpering about all these protesters and angered folks
showing up at Republican town hall meetings stated that they should be
applauding Trump, instead of blurring the facts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He also stated, “<i>They’re losing their coverage and premiums are spiking, and so if
people are truly worried about losing their coverage, they should be applauding
the President’s action for wanting to make sure that we put a system in place
that does what they were promised a while back, and that’s what I think has
been missing from this dialogue</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In fact, it’s Spicer who is blurring the
facts. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is health care legislation that impacts areas
of the health insurance system. If you are on employer-based insurance many of
the benefits, and the increase in coverage came from the ACA. Medicare and
Medicaid are both impacted by Obamacare, which by the way is the ACA. Obamacare
is not an insurance plan that folks are on. They are indeed on Medicaid,
Medicare and employer based health coverage as constructed through Obamacare. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Concerning the rise in premium costs,
this is due to the fact that private insurers hold the helm to insurance and
not the government as Republicans like to ruse. Just imagine how much private
insurance companies would have raised costs without the litigation of the ACA
as they have traditionally done. Still though, Obamacare has cut into the
stampeding costs in the rise of healthcare, for as since the law’s
implementation, healthcare costs have dropped down to the 1960’s inflation
rates. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course these folks aren’t going to
clap for Trump, he and Republicans are taking away their only safety net for
healthcare. Republicans are about to repeal the ACA and Trump claimed during
his Fox News Super bowl interview that he won’t have an Obamacare replacement
until after a year or two elapses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump is nothing new when it comes to
unethical social policy issues; Republicans have been attacking them for
decades. Even Trump’s lying to the nation’s public is nothing new as
Republicans through misinformation, scapegoating and deceit have used the
public. Trump merely is the apex, the crowning achievement in Republican goals
to set up a caste system of the “<i>haves
and have nots</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Again I’ll repeat for all the Trump
followers...expectation can deceive perception.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Other countries look up to America as an
example of how democracy works and its intricacies of transparency and battling
corruption. The world looks up to our judiciary system so much so, that it is
U.S. judges that merit decisions on international sporting events whether it be
lawful implementation or scandals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s administration may in short
course begin to unravel and flame out America’s beacon by showing it is OK to
exert corruption and to scoot towards more authoritarianism thereby diminishing
democracy. It’s only a matter of time that this nation is going to tire of its
iconic image being marred.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A perfect storm is quietly brewing picking
up enormous energy and strength. As I stated before, within two years Trump
will either be forced out of office or impeached...enough said...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIoHV-8cFHENWJDfCKYOABi3B31j8nD5CeDuE_zqprXrnu8uxgvufjoBZM9ffuTdcjb7WTSRSaDw6-jDjoXfNaFpEL4sBUP3wqw0E-PVvvdOd2IjyY7xsa8Pye53UHhxGoisLSCil1ctv/s1600/1-gop-trump+grope1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIoHV-8cFHENWJDfCKYOABi3B31j8nD5CeDuE_zqprXrnu8uxgvufjoBZM9ffuTdcjb7WTSRSaDw6-jDjoXfNaFpEL4sBUP3wqw0E-PVvvdOd2IjyY7xsa8Pye53UHhxGoisLSCil1ctv/s320/1-gop-trump+grope1.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A wise one knows to learn from a foolish
question. A foolish one knows not to learn from a wise answer...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Philosophical
Overture,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">02/27/2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-30518203055645027022017-01-31T19:21:00.001-05:002017-02-09T09:35:39.914-05:00Et Tunc Nulla Erat VI <div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "algerian"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Et tunc nulla erat V<o:p></o:p></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "algerian"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">(And Then There Was)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Road to Archosaurs</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Before we get started with archosaurs,
as we did in the last article, we’ll do a little bit more briefing on
cladograms. First off, remember anytime an animal group name ends in: ‘id’ in
technical reporting, it is referring to the group’s Family identification, which
properly ends in: ‘idae<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span> in technical nomenclature. Properly named Orders end in: <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">‘</span>ia</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> ‘ria</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">es</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> or ‘era’ for this writing. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the taxonomic advent of new fields of study,
such as phylogenetics, cladistics, and systematics, the Linnaean structure has
progressed to group rankings of modern biological classification based on the
evolutionary relationships between organisms, both living and extinct. In
cladistic nomenclature, the Order suffix usually ends in formes meaning,
‘having the form of’.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> The two graphs below help explain descending lineage and where
speciation diversifies from the ancestral lineage.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRyOgfzM6fTBhJ5oYYEi-7rrvReryrZ25YqEfgw1IuciBl9xEjowNXKy14fUR9k4NlBfIKWOXx-s6sEMoN-p5yDF6jOU7LJ7RFVgr_5W5PuJ4HcLvRzvd1L9Zel8eNaWP2id1e4DhPz3v/s1600/1-Cladogram+understanding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRyOgfzM6fTBhJ5oYYEi-7rrvReryrZ25YqEfgw1IuciBl9xEjowNXKy14fUR9k4NlBfIKWOXx-s6sEMoN-p5yDF6jOU7LJ7RFVgr_5W5PuJ4HcLvRzvd1L9Zel8eNaWP2id1e4DhPz3v/s320/1-Cladogram+understanding.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBof8Z1K6EuNXzM7wceMNksKnRF42eeTfHCiIFDIAqyh4HjeLqv2OQEhXtqD_2QjgnMTSjZHiSsFsHlxaJWj7O1jZfFf_QWsCjmP3sf2nk95uBwOvMKcxQX1GrjPMsH2OQz-NxwVPSLdg/s1600/1-Cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBof8Z1K6EuNXzM7wceMNksKnRF42eeTfHCiIFDIAqyh4HjeLqv2OQEhXtqD_2QjgnMTSjZHiSsFsHlxaJWj7O1jZfFf_QWsCjmP3sf2nk95uBwOvMKcxQX1GrjPMsH2OQz-NxwVPSLdg/s320/1-Cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Monophyletic clades display a taxon or
group of organisms consisting of a basal common ancestor and all its
descendants. Paraphyletic clades, with ‘para’ meaning ‘almost’ or ‘nearly’
refers to a common ancestor, but excludes one or some of the monophyletic
groups. Polyphyletic clades display convergent evolution where common features
of a group were not inherited by a common ancestor. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MFyXIGhLCs6pGJyoEZaFOsTRUMd6iljmBtjMEgMPQpYUcXd6-QYeUES5_DueM1xlriHq27KWqOKw8XLhiy-u4f2WMzqQcpZnZqJnZRK46EnASwrhh58bZpfWsorw-T5U392Z44d22ybD/s1600/1-archosaur+taxon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MFyXIGhLCs6pGJyoEZaFOsTRUMd6iljmBtjMEgMPQpYUcXd6-QYeUES5_DueM1xlriHq27KWqOKw8XLhiy-u4f2WMzqQcpZnZqJnZRK46EnASwrhh58bZpfWsorw-T5U392Z44d22ybD/s320/1-archosaur+taxon.jpg" width="163" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVkftFUwWpVDl-hLvGe-83TWZC5MvWhWtLTdgQ4SmmnufSOplUg6pmJ-pS5HFQnJ6XpdM-IfYJm80rIso7MtQb1zXaE88K3ogCGyMki-IQJz1nAcVqxVSsYl1czuthbmgZhr-24JIZToX/s1600/1-clad-mono-para-poly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVkftFUwWpVDl-hLvGe-83TWZC5MvWhWtLTdgQ4SmmnufSOplUg6pmJ-pS5HFQnJ6XpdM-IfYJm80rIso7MtQb1zXaE88K3ogCGyMki-IQJz1nAcVqxVSsYl1czuthbmgZhr-24JIZToX/s320/1-clad-mono-para-poly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In </span><b style="font-size: 14pt;">Et
Tunc V</b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> under</span><i style="font-size: 14pt;"> Diapsida</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, we
discussed</span><i style="font-size: 14pt;"> Archosauromorpha</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">,</span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">
Archosauriformes </i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">and touched on</span><i style="font-size: 14pt;"> </i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">archosaurs</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. A breather you deserve. It’s true there is a lot of similar technical
jargon to keep pace with here, but please bear with me. Except for mammals and
lizards, what most current vertebrate land animals the world over have in common
today are in being progeny to ‘archo’- animal groupings.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Archosauromorpha</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">, or
archosauromorph(s) is an infraclass containing all the archosaur clades that were
diapsid reptilians first appearing in the Permian Period 255 mya from <i>Sauria</i> ancestry. <i>Archosauriformes</i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, or archosauriform(s) </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">is a clade that branch evolved from
archosauromorph ancestry, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">while the true archosaur groups derived from the
archosauriform, <i>Archosauria</i> Order
common ancestor.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, to make it simple, from common
ancestor to predecessor the line goes: <i>Archosauromporpha</i>
→ <i>Archosauriformes</i> → <i>Archosauria</i> → Archosaurs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This points out the fact that archosaurs
are archosauriforms and archosauromorphs, but archosauromorphs are not
archosauriforms or true archosaurs and as well, archosauriforms are not true archosaurs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To add to the admixture, now, archosauromorph
groups have been placed under the new clade, <i>Crocopoda</i> (Phonetics: Croc-o-poda) meaning crocodile foot.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHqP5ZEBLgUXi1k5nErbtn5gzIljKO7cSi5b4MoZb29o_-PMtdwzgc595P5PfGA-n5xYVoLv0sqUyj6EdQJXOHUW09oqJmFWL2i8g2zJMbS-wXvm0PFxh9t1lmFfsudag1gVR3viCZQsD/s1600/1-archosaur-crocopoda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHqP5ZEBLgUXi1k5nErbtn5gzIljKO7cSi5b4MoZb29o_-PMtdwzgc595P5PfGA-n5xYVoLv0sqUyj6EdQJXOHUW09oqJmFWL2i8g2zJMbS-wXvm0PFxh9t1lmFfsudag1gVR3viCZQsD/s320/1-archosaur-crocopoda.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykXytMx_pdx7E80UDxh7-zPH6dgoxqoRH1-4zpNViPeTQAiWz29nmtwJzv_knTTJ4jpTLGGDmDFSSvR7iQevnjix8mj8xfWMzkAzsJ3iZFrkqzpYqFrS39_x8u-QFeB1Hea9xbF4AUckc/s1600/1-archo-Scaphonyx-rhynchosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykXytMx_pdx7E80UDxh7-zPH6dgoxqoRH1-4zpNViPeTQAiWz29nmtwJzv_knTTJ4jpTLGGDmDFSSvR7iQevnjix8mj8xfWMzkAzsJ3iZFrkqzpYqFrS39_x8u-QFeB1Hea9xbF4AUckc/s200/1-archo-Scaphonyx-rhynchosaur.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rhynchosaur: Scaphonyx</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Along with </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archosauriformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, also included in the archosauromorph infraclass
and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocopoda</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> clade are: </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rhynchosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Rink-o-sor-ee-ah) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trilophosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Tril-o-pho-sore-ee-ah). Rynchosaurs have their own clade, where
trilophosaurs now have been put in the newly grouped </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Allokotosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Al-low-kot-o-saw-ria) clade. The clade
name is derived from Greek meaning ‘strange reptiles’ in reference to their peculiar
features as herbivores. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Azendohsauridae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Ah-zen-doe-saw-rus)
is also in the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Allokotosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> clade
consisting of two herbivorous species. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Choristodera</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Core-is-toe-dira), once considered an archosaur, is now determined to
be a sister group to archosauromorphs in both sharing the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> clade as their common ancestor.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5K9rPERB-HucB5jj3T0yezt-Uw008FEFRUiDsVFYX-XSIRtWeQoUyJMxs1BGIiG_tLzUAba27Bb_NVQHkDtY3XJykUrKJTFXufavwbZMhWG6_aua-S5mpTVRxVTcLaxrnzAHpeZoWSgkz/s1600/1-archo-scaphonyx+head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5K9rPERB-HucB5jj3T0yezt-Uw008FEFRUiDsVFYX-XSIRtWeQoUyJMxs1BGIiG_tLzUAba27Bb_NVQHkDtY3XJykUrKJTFXufavwbZMhWG6_aua-S5mpTVRxVTcLaxrnzAHpeZoWSgkz/s200/1-archo-scaphonyx+head.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">scaphonyx head</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rhynchosaurs, which looked like a
hammerheaded pig head with a wedged skull that was wider than long, were
archosauromorph herbivores. The trilophosaurs were beaked herbivorous archosauromorphs,
while choristoderes were semi-aquatic resembling modern gavials with a long
narrow snout and were primarily piscivorous, but most likely snatched up any
small aquatic prey with their sharp conical teeth.</span><br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5oRPtgklzbf4a9HfbqK3jDS-zMkCES3yj0FyX86W_svcYYE3b-pUSO9jvoKd06ofm_Wa3FvidQlP-3_XpvbZheDvwdqjFgulo2jfQHXa3GZYXrX_Y2FKcWiFRIdEQm_3MvVMJIR9HDzO/s1600/1-archo-choristodere-champosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5oRPtgklzbf4a9HfbqK3jDS-zMkCES3yj0FyX86W_svcYYE3b-pUSO9jvoKd06ofm_Wa3FvidQlP-3_XpvbZheDvwdqjFgulo2jfQHXa3GZYXrX_Y2FKcWiFRIdEQm_3MvVMJIR9HDzO/s320/1-archo-choristodere-champosaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The choristodere: Champosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Prolacertiformes</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Pro-lah-sir-tee-for-mees) meaning ‘before lizard forms’, were long necked
diapsids such as <i>Tanystropheus</i>
(Phonetics: Tan-ee-stro-fee-us) protosaurids living during the Late Permian
into the Triassic. I mention this here, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilr5BKPAhYdmDnN9M2m0RS1SxNMzPz7u8ueSUIlj9R7OuHa21KITIIJNWTJaxpJFu73rLqS90lffD6s0O1Y5r4WTPZJnV8UZUbqt7MG2QA85tj06Cbciwo2Kcv4yqLXG3SAlhZQY0c-sXd/s1600/archosauriformes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilr5BKPAhYdmDnN9M2m0RS1SxNMzPz7u8ueSUIlj9R7OuHa21KITIIJNWTJaxpJFu73rLqS90lffD6s0O1Y5r4WTPZJnV8UZUbqt7MG2QA85tj06Cbciwo2Kcv4yqLXG3SAlhZQY0c-sXd/s200/archosauriformes.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">for</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Prolacerta</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, meaning ‘before lizard’ is represented by only</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> one </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">species, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Prolacerta broomi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. But </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Prolacertiformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was named after </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Prolacerta</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">that is now considered a
sister taxon to </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archosauriformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> due
to the most recent phylogenetic analyses. This means </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Prolacertiformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is also archosauromorph derived, although their
phenotypes appear to have converged or reverted through convergent evolution to
be the same. These like appearances may not have been inherited from a common
ancestor. Therefore, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Prolacerta</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is
now the single </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">species in </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Prolacertiformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
while the other animal groups formerly listed there have now been moved to the
order, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, but all are still
considered to be archosauromorphs. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Boreopricea
funerea</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is a single species so far found in the genus and at only
10cm/3.94in in body length, is considered a small protorothyrid related to the
larger protorosaurs, such as </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pamelaria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jaxtasuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPElWvicw-dMVYZqQXOZYKaK0meAJwPnS_VQpeull922qRHRnKJcHHDnyYne2ZW8avcXc1X0_D1RpqQq9p6gHRbXBk-0ewW1iSB0fXGgyg9RYKDgt6gUK2gDSwUr2fAnQCUsrV6WRwNpb/s1600/1-archo-protorosaurs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPElWvicw-dMVYZqQXOZYKaK0meAJwPnS_VQpeull922qRHRnKJcHHDnyYne2ZW8avcXc1X0_D1RpqQq9p6gHRbXBk-0ewW1iSB0fXGgyg9RYKDgt6gUK2gDSwUr2fAnQCUsrV6WRwNpb/s320/1-archo-protorosaurs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Protorosaurs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />We will not elaborate any further on the
archosauromorph groups except for those that led to the </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Archosauriformes</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> clades as the others all became extinct leading to
a dead </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">end along the evolutionary line. Except for choristoderes, the rhynchosaur
and trilophosaur species all died out by the end of </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">the </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Triassic extinction;
choristoderes lived a long span from the Middle Jurassic to the Miocene, a span
from 165 to 20 mya.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PmOOwi1BqArfULdhViQJ2WwF5nReGWyA2mILw2cE_tG0eY8tfblTyXrS5MKWE4oiJZGeTcC39GujYSZy1MUGPOlIqUCu8I6d8Ko4AzHRySERgPO9CywICxxEhZIgG0W69BbmEa6EGy2B/s1600/1-archo-Trilophosaurus_buettneri1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PmOOwi1BqArfULdhViQJ2WwF5nReGWyA2mILw2cE_tG0eY8tfblTyXrS5MKWE4oiJZGeTcC39GujYSZy1MUGPOlIqUCu8I6d8Ko4AzHRySERgPO9CywICxxEhZIgG0W69BbmEa6EGy2B/s320/1-archo-Trilophosaurus_buettneri1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trilophosaurus buettneri fossil Note:beak, flattened cheek teeth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZn2heZxEq6YfwE93ChtSsXr3AbBpwJhTMwpNUFVPYmGDeZ9tDELPCPSXjRtnZCA3AsJcs6WFU_rUAqzqZT5JIO06HDfiL3oFVqAtfpz7CdqGI2ICkJ03U_hEp30hK9sCKpVFiNK4XgyE/s1600/1-Protorosaurus_speneri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZn2heZxEq6YfwE93ChtSsXr3AbBpwJhTMwpNUFVPYmGDeZ9tDELPCPSXjRtnZCA3AsJcs6WFU_rUAqzqZT5JIO06HDfiL3oFVqAtfpz7CdqGI2ICkJ03U_hEp30hK9sCKpVFiNK4XgyE/s200/1-Protorosaurus_speneri.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Protorosaurus fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Protorosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Pro-tor-o-sor-us), along with the closely related <i>Czatkowiella</i> (Phonetics: Zat-ko-we-el-la) occurred right along the
Permian/Triassic border 260-251 mya. Both were archosauromorph protorothyrids, linking
them to a captorhinid lineage that is an early stem reptilian line. They acquired
a rather long </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">neck in comparison to the rest of the anatomy and most likely
evolved for reaching high hanging plant material like leaves. We know they were
herbivores, for fossilized stomach contents of digested plant material and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protorosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> coprolites (fossilized
do-do) highly suggest so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From the mid-Devonian onwards, land
witnessed a widespread diversification of trees and shrubs and herbivore
trending archosauromorph protorothyrids took advantage of it through natural
selection in evolving shifts. To access higher edible plant parts, these
animals also were rather large with longer hind limbs in so far as being the
first quadruped to show biped abilities in rearing on hind legs to reach higher
up in treetops.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Archosauromorphs/Archosauriforms</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">On the path to archosauromorphs, the
clade, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Saw-ree-ah)
is the first bump in the road encountered. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Atopodentatus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Ah-top-oden-ta-tus) was an oddball saurian and thus far, is the earliest
marine herbivore found. Being semiaquatic while swimming the Middle Triassic
sea shorelines 240 mya, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Atopodentatus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
with its hammerhead rimmed with small cutting teeth would chisel out the
seafloor foraging for algae.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCsgq8oDt-K-bORMJWtL2Nxda-GisHv7kL8KXl8zcULyF78nOURnsye_R5jlIZKBP3H2xYCYGvBEll9bOk_Uwn4OrDJIIGAUt1de4iLscno-nvce0fqk_g9Rv5cvxDIZozOAyUSfChV09/s1600/1-archosaur-Atopodentatus-unicus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCsgq8oDt-K-bORMJWtL2Nxda-GisHv7kL8KXl8zcULyF78nOURnsye_R5jlIZKBP3H2xYCYGvBEll9bOk_Uwn4OrDJIIGAUt1de4iLscno-nvce0fqk_g9Rv5cvxDIZozOAyUSfChV09/s320/1-archosaur-Atopodentatus-unicus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atopodentatus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The first fossil finds misinterpreted
that the upper jaw had a centered vertical split where the teeth fitted
together in a zipper-like fashion for filtering. Later fossil finds disproved
this bearing out the hammer styled head. Although in either case the head was
indeed odd, the body was already showing trending archosauromorph features with
robust appendages, longer hind limbs, hip arrangement and in the morphology of
the cervical vertebrae.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">These two archosauromorphs survived the
‘Great Dying’ at the Permian/Triassic border. Due to the ‘Lilliputian Effect’
where post extinction smaller specimens are favored, the long necked </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Czatkowiella</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Zat-ko-wee-el-ah) was small at 1.5m/4.9ft. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protorosuarus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Pro-toe-ra-sore-us) was almost double that reaching a length of
2.64m/8.67ft, but was considered small for what was to evolve as predecessors.
At times these two basal archosauromorphs are described as semi-aquatic, most
likely though, they were fully terrestrial.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrKEnNsVskJK7MCSwV1Gxd6ZX8K4SWm81CfnpHXOx-codPmdZzn5MSIc9KPzYnUpRTJLrKOzaW3pfFyDs6_xRw8P2sRjsciiLi1KgDAjnAfLE3ZBZoDsc8CBkd93JOIr71knfGSR0xo1R/s1600/1-archo-Drepanosaurus1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrKEnNsVskJK7MCSwV1Gxd6ZX8K4SWm81CfnpHXOx-codPmdZzn5MSIc9KPzYnUpRTJLrKOzaW3pfFyDs6_xRw8P2sRjsciiLi1KgDAjnAfLE3ZBZoDsc8CBkd93JOIr71knfGSR0xo1R/s320/1-archo-Drepanosaurus1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Depranosuarus (Note: clawed finger and prehensile tail tip)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAm3yrnMLuRL-Me1EMnty-jjcvFfliWO2g4dTqDpuBnRaKYnCvya8P-8StpPyWmQ-pBLMmVhSQqPDoRGm2PZpu9ITmsLOOfHQ68-Y0GA6gYGSj8xiT9uEf1OfVZ0pelBuiI711n-MdR8lY/s1600/1-archo-Drepanosaurs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAm3yrnMLuRL-Me1EMnty-jjcvFfliWO2g4dTqDpuBnRaKYnCvya8P-8StpPyWmQ-pBLMmVhSQqPDoRGm2PZpu9ITmsLOOfHQ68-Y0GA6gYGSj8xiT9uEf1OfVZ0pelBuiI711n-MdR8lY/s200/1-archo-Drepanosaurs.jpg" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Depranosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">47.5cm/18.7in long </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">protorosaurid, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Drepanosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Dray-pan-o-sor-rus) was a Late Triassic </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">(225-210 mya) </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">archosauromorph and a very peculiar one at that. Being arboreal it is the first
known tree dwelling reptile archosauromorph and was equipped for it. Having a
typical basal archosauromorphs’ longer neck that supported a superficial bird-like
looking head, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Drepanosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> also
possessed a prehensile tail ending in a claw tip and supported a hefty claw on
each forefinger of the front feet. These claws may have been used for digging
into bark in search of insects with the tail tipped claw for anchoring into
limbs when using the tail for grasping. The animal is considered an insectivore </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">digging up invertebrates from tree bark</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbl8_2HhIcxiXU-ROPELKTK7cwQdAW22Hrmtef3_J4BJeMuQuSUJLMwHiddClhCWPRkURjvn3vP__3s3nC1YwWrhGUhmfCYNyx4MMWNWKwQo0CZk5xiO2ogjf-9eNeXsdkhj5r78wgZOt/s200/1-archosaur-Tanystropheus_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tanystropheus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As mentioned earlier, another protosaurid archosauromorph during
the Middle Triassic (245-228 mya) was the 6m/20ft long genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tanystropheus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. The three known species </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">had an unusually long neck supported by 12-13 super elongated cervical
vertebrae. The neck, at 3m/10ft was as long as the body and tail combined. With
weak cervical spines suggesting underdeveloped epaxial musculature, on first
thought, paleontologists felt that it could not hold its neck up on land. But
due to later fossil discoveries that heavily massed hip muscles countered
weight distribution while intrinsic back muscles supported the neck, it is now
known that </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tanystropheus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> could
support their neck on land and not be dependent on an aquatic environment for
movement. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tanystropheus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, however, was
piscivorous hunting down fish much like long necked shorebirds do today along
shorelines and/or swam along the shallow shorelines reaching in with their long
necks into fish schools.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGUvFus3YDeGo8sOh2snzT00LXBPS3vxELKb4gCXmXzza0VIYCWAarJeBNWZM5n4RYwG3AKHvwagbEVvvk7JyqXcuQhkOYTmfmdDEZAzv9sLgT2zsqaVrIm-wjjdb7algPmq6YMW31d4F/s200/1-archosaur+Tanystropheus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tanystropheus, semiaquatic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eventually around 260 mya ago,
Archosauriformes refined the archosauromorph’s line of evolvement. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archosauriformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> still retained the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archosauromorpha</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> thecodont socketed
teeth, but were more derived diapsid reptiles. In skull morphology, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archosauriformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> species had strongly
downturned premaxillae, had a pair of plate-like bones known as septomaillae
and the nasals were restricted to the dorsolateral surface of the snout
possessing an extensive suture with the maxilla extending from anteroventral (in
relation to underside front of the head) to posterodorsal (situated posteriorly
on the underside of the head). Also, the hind limbs had extended even more
physiologically on average than other archosauromorph groups. There are other
varying characteristic traits, but to laundry list it here would become too
boring for this treatise.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">During the Triassic 250 mya ago, a branch
of archosauriforms evolved into the clade members of, <i>Crurotarsi</i> (Phonetics: Crew-row-tar-see). With the Latin word, <i>crus</i> combined with the Greek word, <i>tarsos</i>, the clade name refers to
specialized articulation between the fibula of the limb and calcaneus of the
heel. This is witnessed in all archosaurs under <i>Archosauria</i>, as all extinct crocodilians, extant crocodilians, all
birds (which are avian dinosaurs), non-avian dinosaurs, pterosaurs and the
extinct phytosaurs possess the arrangement or a version of it.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTibiF6-L5dvEito_GAYYvUodclkZVPfpzkcFLviA4oSu6E19BnI4CyE5h8e8u5OTPVxG7uKY9jFRt2gazjAQQBC_iop0rQ4yRGQiR-gum0MTTvRh96LERsFg_fBvwB0moY1eP4jNKmOU/s1600/1-archosaur-crurotarsi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTibiF6-L5dvEito_GAYYvUodclkZVPfpzkcFLviA4oSu6E19BnI4CyE5h8e8u5OTPVxG7uKY9jFRt2gazjAQQBC_iop0rQ4yRGQiR-gum0MTTvRh96LERsFg_fBvwB0moY1eP4jNKmOU/s320/1-archosaur-crurotarsi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The archosaurian phlyogeny split into
two group clades. Originally named the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pseudosuchia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithosuchia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, they have
currently been replaced since 1990 with </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crurotarsi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
for the crocodilimorphs and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Avemetatarsalia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
or sometimes </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithodira</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> with both
referring to all crown archosaur groups related closer to dinosaurs rather than
crocodilians. Just remember though</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> both sets such as </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pseudosuchia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> opposing </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crurotarsi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
are still both used singly and interchangeably as I have done as well in this
treatise.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archosaurs are (I said ‘are’ instead of
‘were’ for archosaurs are still with us in the form of extant crocodilians and
birds) diapsid tetrapods, but in addition of distinguishing them from all other
diapsids, are an extra pair of openings in front of the eye sockets known as
antorbital fenestrae. Where crocodilians have lost this anatomical process,
birds still retain it, while in other later evolved archosaurs the fenestrae
digressed into a small depression known as the antorbital fossa. The antorbital
fossa is a basal depression including the antorbital fenestra, which is a skull
opening and as well includes the surrounding fossa. Later archosaur trends will
be to close the fenestra opening, yet retain pneumaticity in the antorbital
region. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In general, archosaurs anatomically had
larger hind limbs than the forelimbs, a more narrow longer snout as compared to
the ancestral reptiliomorphs and the modified ankle that gave greater ease in
pivoting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By the time the true archosaurs came
around 245 mya, there was a great diversification in speciation with increasing
sizes. There were many herbivores and carnivores occupying all ecological
niches from being fully terrestrial, semi-aquatic and to being fully aquatic.
This was due to the archosaur line and in so doing the Triassic became the ‘Age
of Reptiles’.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As witnessed through taxonomic phylogeny
and putative detection of several proteins, hemoglobin, etcetera in extant
genera DNA gene sequencing, the clade chart below relays this burst of
diversification.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNTaERFgCwv9zPjgDdnJREjm6e22QtDz2fdf6UZBiORbSoTeyiykzidATMPKJm2_iniQyLadxz58Cr1LRaZ3qpKBIOHb1pvCrYCJM5n3eSksVu8VpBYo25LgycwVXR9m1p5lF21GG-nsb/s1600/1-archosaur-age+of+reptiles.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNTaERFgCwv9zPjgDdnJREjm6e22QtDz2fdf6UZBiORbSoTeyiykzidATMPKJm2_iniQyLadxz58Cr1LRaZ3qpKBIOHb1pvCrYCJM5n3eSksVu8VpBYo25LgycwVXR9m1p5lF21GG-nsb/s320/1-archosaur-age+of+reptiles.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Again, as stated above, diapsid
archosaurs diverged into two clade paths. One was the crurotarsan, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pseudosuchia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Sue-doe-so-key-ah) which includes phytosaurs, aetosaurs and all extinct/extant
crocodilomorphs. The other route taken was </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Avemetatarsalia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Ave-met-ah-tar-sal-e-ah) otherwise labeled in earlier clades as </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Or-nith-o-such-us).
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ornithodira</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Or-nith-o-deer-ah) entails all the bird-line groups from the basal forms of the
genera, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Marasuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lagosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Saltopus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> through </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pterosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dinosauromorpha</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> to all birds
extinct and extant.</span></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZwzeEw7nGmdgTkgeaR8qnvj-AxxHzIIqqB3HNYdRlbb8HXmd9VhtZJQhLiUKzzx8vW2mEUbycmB_biKnC63keL9chitj47yG8I3h7jPdnm5TaY_9dUQGU5KQnmviKoMxkvXlSPgw8_CE/s1600/1-archosaur+ankles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZwzeEw7nGmdgTkgeaR8qnvj-AxxHzIIqqB3HNYdRlbb8HXmd9VhtZJQhLiUKzzx8vW2mEUbycmB_biKnC63keL9chitj47yG8I3h7jPdnm5TaY_9dUQGU5KQnmviKoMxkvXlSPgw8_CE/s320/1-archosaur+ankles.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">From archosauromorphs evolved the true
archosaurs. Archosaurs came from the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archosauriformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
clade, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crurotarsi</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
Crew-row-tar-sigh). Crurotarsans are so named due to the specialized
articulation between the crus (Latin: bone between fibula/tibia and tarsus) and
tarsus (Greek: tarsos) bones of the foot. These are located between the
fibula’s ankle end and the calcaneum (heel bone). The term crurotarsan literally
means ‘cross ankles’. Extant crocodilians retain vestige features of this
unique foot arrangement between the fibula and heel called crurotarsal, while
dinosaurs held and hold a revised ankle joint arrangement known as mesotarsal.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is a cladogram of crurotarsans and
we will only elaborate a bit through the crurotarsans (archosaurs) to phytosaurs,
euparkians, aetosaurs and rauisuchians.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwDcAaVoMQTUBRryF_YAXLlDMeUc8Ed6akaw8SokBSP_ojlZ9i32WQ1-zoMEU9jXPyLqmcfln1B_VxZeE_ri696PCpoA276H47mCUVvwJbfpDlD_CdfNXHu4b4K60zqVdSVYysex_d9R1/s1600/1-archo-crurotarsi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwDcAaVoMQTUBRryF_YAXLlDMeUc8Ed6akaw8SokBSP_ojlZ9i32WQ1-zoMEU9jXPyLqmcfln1B_VxZeE_ri696PCpoA276H47mCUVvwJbfpDlD_CdfNXHu4b4K60zqVdSVYysex_d9R1/s320/1-archo-crurotarsi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phytosaurs (extinct), aetosaurs
(extinct), crocodilians, ornithosuchians (extinct), rauisuchians (extinct), non-avian
dinosaurs (extinct) and birds are all descendants of the archosaurimorph node
clade, <i>Crurotarsi</i> enlisting all the archosaurian
forms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Showing up a little before 251 mya in
the Triassic, crurotarsans are the most primitive of archosaur phytosaurs and
suchians (the crocodile line).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The archosauriforms listed under the
clade, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Poposauroidea</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Pop-o-sore-oid-e-ah) are basal to the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ctenosauriscidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Ten-o-sore-is-see-die) clade. These clade names front crurotarsan
archosaur species such as, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Poposaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and the sail-backed, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ctenosauriscus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
but not rauisuchians or aetosaurs, so therefore are used to model the earliest
crocodilian lineages.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One of the earliest of archosauriforms
was </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Xilousuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Zee-lew-sue-kuss)
arising in the Early Triassic of the Olenekian Stage 250-247 mya. Originally
classed as a protosuchid, but after careful phylogenic analysis in 2011 by the
famed paleontologist, Sterling Nesbitt, the animal was relocated back further
in time as one of the first of the primitive crurotarsan archosaurs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Not looking much like anything that
would descend from this ancient archosaur, (as all sphenodonts, crocodilians,
dinosaurs, extant reptiles and birds eventually did), <i>Xilousuchus</i> had elongated vertebra neural spines that supported a
sail. This primitive archosaur’s sail is convergent evolution as the synapsid
family of dimetrodons supported sails, as well as the theropod dinosaur, <i>Spinosaurus</i> (Phonetics:
Spine-o-sore-us). All were from varying time periods and at best were remotely
related. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fwSVNeMXdwZsi_NzOsR0iz441w3hVvfFelehyphenhyphenHuglZT-N-IPCKvHpwllHHHxPgsfxsmmPIJqRh20pqeTNKrG7WZMIqRZVO9iHIQxxlAsw2IZJH2K1GvAJ1uji7vfXWVaNkuLNPGOYnq3/s1600/1-archosaur-xilousuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fwSVNeMXdwZsi_NzOsR0iz441w3hVvfFelehyphenhyphenHuglZT-N-IPCKvHpwllHHHxPgsfxsmmPIJqRh20pqeTNKrG7WZMIqRZVO9iHIQxxlAsw2IZJH2K1GvAJ1uji7vfXWVaNkuLNPGOYnq3/s200/1-archosaur-xilousuchus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xilosuchus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There has been long debate concerning
the function of sails. Some say they were for sexual and intimidating display
among the species. Others state they were for thermoregulation. One more I would
like to add is that the sails were more of a trend towards bipedalism in a
mostly quadrupedal animal; in particular when it concerns <i>Xilousuchus</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Xilousuchus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was a
quadruped, but it possessed longer hind limbs as compared to the forelimbs. Its
sail would have projected the animal’s center of gravity too far forward to
have actually made it bipedal, but it would have allowed the animal to stand on
its hind limbs.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Pa_e_ex_9aVsQRG3oL3_7r-081u-CgkiMM57BnfapW_t_Gx5MkNu-6OdCgo233scqpzHS2V5YPhO7GcbVc8paZI_Y0pUWxsd_wVzvkk46J0VD6ZK4UQPw4AlA3EK2Bi2nsc2YSjwzbQX/s1600/arizonasaurus-walter-colvin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Pa_e_ex_9aVsQRG3oL3_7r-081u-CgkiMM57BnfapW_t_Gx5MkNu-6OdCgo233scqpzHS2V5YPhO7GcbVc8paZI_Y0pUWxsd_wVzvkk46J0VD6ZK4UQPw4AlA3EK2Bi2nsc2YSjwzbQX/s200/arizonasaurus-walter-colvin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arizonasaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Along with</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Xilousuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> in the crurotarsan line arising as archosauriform, was
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ctenosauriscus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
Ten-oh-sore-is-kuss) of Early Triassic times 247.5-247.2 mya and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Arizonasaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Ah-rih-zone-ah-sore-us) of the Middle Triassic 243 mya maintained the sail. A
sister taxon that didn’t, but nonetheless derived and branched from the crurotarsan
form was </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Euparkeria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
U-par-kare-ree-ah).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhwSyAHb4Ub0lfrq8VF7Qv7PxTjGvVf1LT5eHX61_j-MhG2cieFHcvsLD6gaH9MGTKk9tj5_9LyP_nAg-zBa9MawzclrDjhsGF-vl5sf33Kbr-cSk04UBKiiJqCeBd4gpO3XOOBK7ODPl/s1600/1-archo-ctenosauricus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhwSyAHb4Ub0lfrq8VF7Qv7PxTjGvVf1LT5eHX61_j-MhG2cieFHcvsLD6gaH9MGTKk9tj5_9LyP_nAg-zBa9MawzclrDjhsGF-vl5sf33Kbr-cSk04UBKiiJqCeBd4gpO3XOOBK7ODPl/s320/1-archo-ctenosauricus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ctenosauriscus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Much smaller at 60cm/24in, this little
archosauriformes took advantage of the sail’s </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">center of gravity minus the sail.
Replacing the sail with neural spinal nubs as represented in a pair of rows
called osteoderms (bony plates) and growing a longer tail for counterbalance,
put the body’s center of gravity just above the pelvis giving true facultative
bipedalism and perhaps even true bipedalism. This biped was one of the first
animals to utilize bipedal locomotion; another example of convergent evolution
with later archosaurs, certain dinosaurs, all birds and the hominid line that
eventually led to man.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVI8uVdFE5F5WF7tmwKymInwOLpETo1EMslCoBCYKqM5J9rR1qjWVI8xq0UWscpRADAJwVIMmQTPQGlK1T5fW2TGVzemW8lylFcd8fi9yVdW7ZHFWoBA1i5B1WdolNHbCEmGIybPjmTsvd/s1600/1-Euparkeria+skeletal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVI8uVdFE5F5WF7tmwKymInwOLpETo1EMslCoBCYKqM5J9rR1qjWVI8xq0UWscpRADAJwVIMmQTPQGlK1T5fW2TGVzemW8lylFcd8fi9yVdW7ZHFWoBA1i5B1WdolNHbCEmGIybPjmTsvd/s200/1-Euparkeria+skeletal.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Euparkeria skeletal strucure</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6df9kKIC4dlNAWJdhRmmgh8tr-Y1jEsTDNDUb1Yuw-Fdh5viWS46I74xJUbFvaPFydpbAEv3BbnOtO_k3lJb9h5mR9Zzxc2bvKwxSDH7LDoWt4bx-4IXt2PC9TrvxqziQjP_YY2rvPmm/s1600/1-Euparkeria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6df9kKIC4dlNAWJdhRmmgh8tr-Y1jEsTDNDUb1Yuw-Fdh5viWS46I74xJUbFvaPFydpbAEv3BbnOtO_k3lJb9h5mR9Zzxc2bvKwxSDH7LDoWt4bx-4IXt2PC9TrvxqziQjP_YY2rvPmm/s320/1-Euparkeria.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Euparkeria</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Euparkeria</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was fast and
quick on its hind feet and was most likely the swiftest tetrapod during its
time in the Triassic 245-230 mya. Coming from the world continent Pangaea in
the section now called South Africa, <i>Euparkeria</i>
also is one of the first to possess sclerotic rings that supported the eyes.
These bones encircled the eye orbits supporting the eyes. Sclerotic rings were
also numerous in dinosaurs, ichthyosaurs and in all birds past and present.
Along with these rings, <i>Euparkeria</i>
also had large eyes for its minute skull and was most likely nocturnal and/or
crepuscular. With its numerous needle-like teeth it was an insectivore hunting
down insects like quick dragonflies, so it had to be fast itself. With all the
adaptations to bipedal speed, <i>Euparkeria</i>
also had a large backward pointing bone projection on its hind calcaneum giving
strong leverage to the ankle during locomotion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUe0WdIs8mGcgibvsPgJA-gUdz8EzcxZWoitDTg_UdYZbt_oIpxOsPCW2gNPQj-Yf50KFR9tT4hJvgk7RW-_bunP8sA2K39hQZRYThx1eTPvWKH7zqExAFIfeuadzJ3tieHKOdHa-VUpaJ/s1600/1-sclerotic+ring1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUe0WdIs8mGcgibvsPgJA-gUdz8EzcxZWoitDTg_UdYZbt_oIpxOsPCW2gNPQj-Yf50KFR9tT4hJvgk7RW-_bunP8sA2K39hQZRYThx1eTPvWKH7zqExAFIfeuadzJ3tieHKOdHa-VUpaJ/s320/1-sclerotic+ring1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sclerotic ring</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Euparkeria was truly one of the first
tetrapods to being cursorial in that they were adapted for speed. The <i>Euparkeria</i> line is also now viewed to
have been basal to all archosaurians.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXeNtSUH6CJvDIJwSGN_Ccv_EQxXaiRYV73MbXYJrVUIYe3VQVTVCS1T-mfvOj54to3prfkVZ0iEfpuvFYkRP5bVtOx-dFLkY3i0UQgHJmKI0YyGJYYLc1lAvSniicWMt6Fj33by7zq_r/s1600/1-archosaur-Longisquama-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXeNtSUH6CJvDIJwSGN_Ccv_EQxXaiRYV73MbXYJrVUIYe3VQVTVCS1T-mfvOj54to3prfkVZ0iEfpuvFYkRP5bVtOx-dFLkY3i0UQgHJmKI0YyGJYYLc1lAvSniicWMt6Fj33by7zq_r/s200/1-archosaur-Longisquama-1.JPG" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longisquama fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Another strange little archosaur, although
not fully confirmed as an archosaur, was </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Longisquama</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Lawn-gis-sqaw-ma) living 235 mya. Latest data is tentatively
listing it as an archosauromorph, but due to the latter time period it was
living, I’m convinced, along with its archosaur characteristics of acrodont
teeth, interclavicle, crocodilian scales and evidence of, though not confirmed
antorbital fenestrae that this tiny creature is a pseudosuchian archosaur.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YtRe5idLQUw7C3I6kBzxsgBAVZITw4bjPLeUflBZN4GkKvtlG6uGYfsOUkfiMQZeDSvpU6V2DDX-hsanQQ1peMiYJQtVZUwkY5YU0CGxO1_GrERubECPPRbDO98OPffYTmlLEyXJ5G2g/s1600/1-archosaur-longisquama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YtRe5idLQUw7C3I6kBzxsgBAVZITw4bjPLeUflBZN4GkKvtlG6uGYfsOUkfiMQZeDSvpU6V2DDX-hsanQQ1peMiYJQtVZUwkY5YU0CGxO1_GrERubECPPRbDO98OPffYTmlLEyXJ5G2g/s200/1-archosaur-longisquama.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longisquama with flesh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At only 4.5cm/1.8in, this tiny archosaur
had long hockey stick-like appendages rising from the neural spines of the
dorsal vertebrae. They were considered at first to be palm frond impressions,
but later were confirmed to be tubular scales. Whether these hollow stalks
supported feathers is unknown, but <i>Longisquama
</i>fossils do show evidence of pycnofibres, the fuzzy hair found in certain
pterosaurs and all bird hatchlings. This may bear out that the bird line has had a much longer archosaur ancestry than merely first evolving from
dinosaurs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phytosaurs</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As a sister taxon to crurotarsans, the
archosauriform phytosaurs were members of the order, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Phytosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Fi-toe-sore-e-ah). Phytosaurs first evolved
in the latter part of the Middle Triassic 228 mya but all were extinct by the
end of the Triassic 199.6 mya. Evolutionary relationships dictate that
phytosaurs evolved before the split between suchian crocodilian and bird-line
archosaurs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Phytosaurs were semi-aquatic inhabiting
the inland freshwater shorelines during the Late Triassic. The name phytosaur
is a misnomer for it means, ‘plant eater’ in which the paleontologists in
discovering the first fossils thought they were. Later fossil finds exhibiting
sharp conical serrated teeth bore out that they were indeed predators.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEICgFgLFns6beaRBjiUetH6v3nR9cRcPf7dvxqTSyO2miws_GsYC7c0OG7KM57bavJkSlBT_L_Gl33eroQtuJsOlPAnDI4wQ6fnCf330tdGSSzbIslskCXsK48NS8U05-hB492Rm-711/s1600/1-phytosaur+rutiodon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEICgFgLFns6beaRBjiUetH6v3nR9cRcPf7dvxqTSyO2miws_GsYC7c0OG7KM57bavJkSlBT_L_Gl33eroQtuJsOlPAnDI4wQ6fnCf330tdGSSzbIslskCXsK48NS8U05-hB492Rm-711/s320/1-phytosaur+rutiodon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The phytosaur: Rutiodon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anatomically resembling crocodiles and
gavials/gharials, the differences are in having a much more primitive ankle
structure than crocodilians, were more heavily armored with heavy bony body
scutes, nostrils were placed just below the eyes where crocodilian nostrils are
located near the end of the snout and the belly was reinforced with a dense
arrangement of abdominal ribs known as gastralia. With various snout crests, dolichorostral
‘long snouted’ types had a long, slender snout as gavials, where brachyrostral ‘short
snouted’ forms are the opposite, having a massive, broad snout more like alligators.
Phytosaurs were a successful group of animals and had a global
distribution.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakE8H55RysyvcUhopE-Qzvg64wa6pUFtoVnvw2gLlC7jdnHztoU3sbkrBeFgdgmCIaEzKdPwKqz93UTd8m3Cm7qlUGBQ1golHWvsJ6QTFZn15xmmx89a68Xn3k_kxjCQO2NA12PcoXvi5/s1600/1-archosaur-phytosaur-Redondasaurus-bermani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakE8H55RysyvcUhopE-Qzvg64wa6pUFtoVnvw2gLlC7jdnHztoU3sbkrBeFgdgmCIaEzKdPwKqz93UTd8m3Cm7qlUGBQ1golHWvsJ6QTFZn15xmmx89a68Xn3k_kxjCQO2NA12PcoXvi5/s320/1-archosaur-phytosaur-Redondasaurus-bermani.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The phytosaur: Redondasaurus bermani </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The crocodile body plan and type
livelihood have been around a lot longer than crocodiles have. Phytosaurs took
over the lie in wait ambush aquatic bank strategy with a crocodilian morphology
from the stereospondyl trematosauroids. Crocodilians did the same in filling this
ecological niche once phytosaurs exited life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The difference was that phytosaurs as a
sister taxon are more closely related to crocodilians where both diapsid groups
filled the amphibian trematosauroid cranny through convergent evolution. Neither
group had a direct ancestral lineage with trematosauroids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When phytosaurs died out, the
crocodylomorphs rapidly evolved almost into the same phytosaurian form once
filling the niche phytosaurs had abandoned.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MYMTpcNMabsZac5gnGEtYir_8kZjLGV4cg15wolbfxu2UG9fxb_BSY39deMSm9Zm3EOjMKBnjJzIkLPjz49IcWJSrncuqlmFMIrWENvZXNCtCSnPxuvyofUeRO6_pD4xwOlh1UUxq9ID/s1600/1-Prionosuchus-temnospondyl2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MYMTpcNMabsZac5gnGEtYir_8kZjLGV4cg15wolbfxu2UG9fxb_BSY39deMSm9Zm3EOjMKBnjJzIkLPjz49IcWJSrncuqlmFMIrWENvZXNCtCSnPxuvyofUeRO6_pD4xwOlh1UUxq9ID/s320/1-Prionosuchus-temnospondyl2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prionosuchus restored skeletal fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuLxrVI6wfuqo_uZi9HUVbo6Sga_3MCINFVFS-10hDgGpnOAjRBx80y-xMbl-8ta6GCv-9EVdlSDoRAd-yyOaztm_79ZiTKgFr5NnpsA8TxHkHyoZtlAAeRtTRiDubO8mXAyfh5us5WTo/s1600/1-prionosuchus-temnospondyl3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuLxrVI6wfuqo_uZi9HUVbo6Sga_3MCINFVFS-10hDgGpnOAjRBx80y-xMbl-8ta6GCv-9EVdlSDoRAd-yyOaztm_79ZiTKgFr5NnpsA8TxHkHyoZtlAAeRtTRiDubO8mXAyfh5us5WTo/s320/1-prionosuchus-temnospondyl3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temnospondyl, Prionosuchus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To add a note here, in the photos above,
most at first glance would surmise that it represents some crocodilian like a gavial,
but it is not. The restoration photos depict a temnospondyl salamander. Its
name is <i>Prionosuchus</i> (Phonetics:
Pree-on-o-sook-us), a salamander that lived in the Permian 270 mya, long before
the first archosauromorph came into being. It just goes to show that convergent
evolution can elude discerning polyphyletic genetics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Aetosaurs</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<b> <o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdBi57IJHEstEoYqFdGgr4F9jCIyzk7_pcrkRh_YNUDLVUkR94Zo1vsS74MWq2HpWEV5otlOu354nIx_dqoYl2u28eW7PUY0fH8cfCrcun9l_lIIo6ecIsikd086_f0Gyizj7V3uxeucK/s1600/1-archosaur-aetosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdBi57IJHEstEoYqFdGgr4F9jCIyzk7_pcrkRh_YNUDLVUkR94Zo1vsS74MWq2HpWEV5otlOu354nIx_dqoYl2u28eW7PUY0fH8cfCrcun9l_lIIo6ecIsikd086_f0Gyizj7V3uxeucK/s320/1-archosaur-aetosaur.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The order </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Aetosauria</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: e-uh-toe-sor-e-uh) were archosaurs that,
although fully terrestrial, were close early relatives to semi-aquatic crocodiles
where both groups derived from early pseudosuchian archosaurs. Dentition shows
that aetosaurs were strict herbivores, but in the aetosaur genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Saurosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Sar-o-sook-us),
with backward pointing sharp teeth, it may have been omnivorous. Aetosaurs had
a pillar erect posture, swaying to evidence they were agile and quick in locomotion.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJMzMLx4VvFV-Jh3OUnAw5UL9BBTlacwbanb2sAE7vGW55_jhqSPawRYVR_sch0_Qp6fvQCB3pBVW8N7gcrpuA7UYu6jARxvl6HcQbB3oYOu5N4ovsJCLItXv18joMqh2kK6heJXMOeUW/s1600/1-archosaur-revueltosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJMzMLx4VvFV-Jh3OUnAw5UL9BBTlacwbanb2sAE7vGW55_jhqSPawRYVR_sch0_Qp6fvQCB3pBVW8N7gcrpuA7UYu6jARxvl6HcQbB3oYOu5N4ovsJCLItXv18joMqh2kK6heJXMOeUW/s320/1-archosaur-revueltosaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Revueltosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The pseudosuchian suchian, <i>Revueltosaurus</i> (Phonetics:
Ray-veil-toe-sar-us) with primitive morphological and anatomical features akin
to aetosaurs may have been a direct ancestor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Occurring in and going extinct by the
end of the Late Triassic (235-208.5 mya), aetosaurs with the name meaning,
‘eagle lizard’ kind of reminds one more of an anklyosaurus dinosaur
anatomically, but, as an archosaur, were one of the closest relatives to
crocodilians. All aetosaur species have only been found in Late Triassic
sediment layers when all continents were connected during Pangaea. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On average, aetosaurs were 3m/9.9ft long
with species ranging from 1m/3.3ft to 5m/16.5ft. Along with an upturned snout,
anatomical shorter forelimbs and stout clawed feet features show they were adapted to
digging. As modern day crocodilians, aetosaurs built complex and elaborate
nests by honing out rock into horseshoe or circular depressions lipped with
high ridges. Many <i>Desmatosuchus</i>
(Phonetics: Dez-mat-o-such-us), a horned aetosaur footprints were found in
northeastern Italy all around and near the nest sites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ77dVxa9e5SYARnN9eNYYhUDzz8ruDznAVUqHvNVZW6GdhSAxEkUm5JaPp6vucGoibeln0jOT_sOMsnhihZTH8Hda66iTnnc5wHbg7N5-CkPHVopu84u4ee13nwczkkIIgUKoI7klmXff/s1600/1-archosaur-aetosaur-gorgetosuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ77dVxa9e5SYARnN9eNYYhUDzz8ruDznAVUqHvNVZW6GdhSAxEkUm5JaPp6vucGoibeln0jOT_sOMsnhihZTH8Hda66iTnnc5wHbg7N5-CkPHVopu84u4ee13nwczkkIIgUKoI7klmXff/s320/1-archosaur-aetosaur-gorgetosuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newly discovered aetosaur: Gorgetosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Please note: except for <i>Xilosuchus</i>, in which the ‘suchus’
portion in the name is ‘sue-kuss’, all other ‘suchus’ nomenclature are pronounced
‘such-us’ or ‘sook-us’. I chose ‘such-us’, but most certainly ‘sook-us’ </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">can be used interchangeably</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rauisuchians</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgitE7ABjg4fVKVJl9le4cFshHVyRMy3OEWwCzNLksZHnFRCg0mtG6ZZntDbyijSCU7ZQxu1uOdhqHPH8_ilCy43YMq-E2mMvrqt9cjXD8HFYR1TrrBf0yXbG7lpG9v3oq-HPLNYhflfd5m/s1600/1-archosaur-rauisuchia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="52" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgitE7ABjg4fVKVJl9le4cFshHVyRMy3OEWwCzNLksZHnFRCg0mtG6ZZntDbyijSCU7ZQxu1uOdhqHPH8_ilCy43YMq-E2mMvrqt9cjXD8HFYR1TrrBf0yXbG7lpG9v3oq-HPLNYhflfd5m/s320/1-archosaur-rauisuchia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rauisuchia</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Phonetics: Ral-ee-sue-chee-ah)
occurred during the Triassic and ranged in size from 3.9m/13ft to 6.1m/20ft.
Along with aetosaurs, rauisuchians in having a hip socket face downward in
forming a shelf bone for the femur to connect underneath, had a pillar erect
gait. They also had a well-defined rotary joint between the astragalus (talus)
and calcaneum that was very similar to crocodilian ankles. All of the species
possessed a thickening, or a ridge or rugosity on the anterolateral surface of
the ilium positioned immediately above the acetabulum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rauisuchian hind limbs were much longer
than the forelimbs, but except for <i>Postosuchus</i>,
who was bipedal with much reduced forelimbs and foot digits, the rest were
quadrupeds. Rauisuchians had a pillar erect stance much like aetosaurs.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZq4HnoXNGbzPl8xnLCNz3t_3iqRe4v-boSm5gpY5cZALBfVDoKBPOXNGs7hkK1XvJZKZxRGqk3w-Plbs0i5MAjHHuQ1nhh6ATnmRnrm9CmV9WCpTDC53423gQ-FN6rK8uJaeHkJYC8cHE/s1600/1-archosaur-fasolasuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZq4HnoXNGbzPl8xnLCNz3t_3iqRe4v-boSm5gpY5cZALBfVDoKBPOXNGs7hkK1XvJZKZxRGqk3w-Plbs0i5MAjHHuQ1nhh6ATnmRnrm9CmV9WCpTDC53423gQ-FN6rK8uJaeHkJYC8cHE/s320/1-archosaur-fasolasuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rauisuchian, Fasolasuchus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Most Rauisuchian skulls were heavily
built that bore recurved dagger-like teeth. Species ranging from 4m/12ft to
6m/20ft, Rauisuchians were carnivorous and must have been an apex predator, for
only after they had died out did dinosaurs begin to make their rise.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOow2ZrdfyvKdNPe9AQ3hx-Wo3sWdar_H1M059R_AmprnSw5HAZx_3YWiw0RxRRsb_VwyJdwEe5cEYWvjFYiJ1IVe47t5K6R67fOrtNiEHQlUm_KuJ1JGSe7HYyKKFVTUqIt8cWN3hSMK/s1600/1-archo-Postosuchus1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOow2ZrdfyvKdNPe9AQ3hx-Wo3sWdar_H1M059R_AmprnSw5HAZx_3YWiw0RxRRsb_VwyJdwEe5cEYWvjFYiJ1IVe47t5K6R67fOrtNiEHQlUm_KuJ1JGSe7HYyKKFVTUqIt8cWN3hSMK/s320/1-archo-Postosuchus1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postosuchus fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Postosuchus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Pos-toe-such-us), from the Late Triassic 221-203 mya, it was a typical
rauisuchian, with a massively built skull that was narrowly constructed
anteriorly while extending deep and wide posteriorly. The skull was riddled with
fenestrae to alleviate weight and act as muscle anchoring. It also possessed
osteoderms (thick plated scales) than ran the course of the dorsal side from
neck to tail.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincwq_LSke8r-VwzCIa9BO_3NsqJV4MAZ40TKPHjaj800bmpYSOlLtyCE3AEVese1F8v20irhwE5bv7GKiwMtxxEZxPRLnc8SJ6MBl1EmvhnVAdbCPrx8ecBYfY-IvSAgyDxfp2j-lnqJ2/s1600/1-archo-Postosuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincwq_LSke8r-VwzCIa9BO_3NsqJV4MAZ40TKPHjaj800bmpYSOlLtyCE3AEVese1F8v20irhwE5bv7GKiwMtxxEZxPRLnc8SJ6MBl1EmvhnVAdbCPrx8ecBYfY-IvSAgyDxfp2j-lnqJ2/s320/1-archo-Postosuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postosuchus in the flesh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Standing at 1.2m/3.9ft in height, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Postosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> measured 4m/13ft long and
weighed ~ 275kg/255lbs. With the forelimbs around 64% smaller than the hind
limbs, it surely most likely preferred bipedal locomotion for accuracy and
speed, although it could walk in tetrapodal fashion as well. All four limbs were
situated directly under the body, but over osteological aspects, were structured
for a leaning gait rather than a straight up posture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With dagger-like teeth, this apex
predator was surely the scourge for herbivores sharing its warm tropical
ecosystem of what was to become the United States where <i>Postosuchus</i> fossil remains have only been found. <i> <b> <o:p></o:p></b></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Crocodylomorphs/Crocodyliforms</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just as we did for archosaurs, we’re
going to look at the crocodylomorphs that lead to crocodyliforms that gave rise
to the true crocodiles in crocodilians, therefore: <i>Crocodylomorpha</i> → Crocodyliformes → Crocodilians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">From the main primitive common ancestor to
crocodylomorphs was <i>Suchia</i>
(Such-ee-ah) and through its many branchings led paraphyletically to paracrocodylomorphs
that became a paraphyletic common ancestor to crocodylomorphs.</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlxX8t-nw8VSocoavozYlMG14F8s7xR64vuxTFtmwnqWmjcRnWihwWyfrcq6EnLvbwGUNMJCXeWqH99aqPumMlF3aYtXMGlV9za4Q5vfkcVY97varhOhCNBkQKoOE9s461Ezv_rFb8jy6/s1600/1-croco-suchia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlxX8t-nw8VSocoavozYlMG14F8s7xR64vuxTFtmwnqWmjcRnWihwWyfrcq6EnLvbwGUNMJCXeWqH99aqPumMlF3aYtXMGlV9za4Q5vfkcVY97varhOhCNBkQKoOE9s461Ezv_rFb8jy6/s320/1-croco-suchia.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The <i>Crocodylomorpha</i>
members are the only crurotarsan/pseudosuchian archosaur animal groups that
survived the Triassic/Jurassic extinction, whereas, <i>Crocodyliformes</i> are the only crocodylomorphs that survived beyond
the Early Jurassic. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Below is the phylogenetic taxon relationship in dendrogram
form.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2fpC8JIl67ulAEpQuR1lmVCmDlJeQaM2hyVvsfBfvlkqelqwdIjBxH5rn9gy_fKv_4oqqPG7P69HcTJmRzS44SZHH6c_hO5Fl9PHg0H-fZaBztsbA36OpLKpDUn69ei41R4flQ8Nl5X0/s1600/1-croco-crocodyliformes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2fpC8JIl67ulAEpQuR1lmVCmDlJeQaM2hyVvsfBfvlkqelqwdIjBxH5rn9gy_fKv_4oqqPG7P69HcTJmRzS44SZHH6c_hO5Fl9PHg0H-fZaBztsbA36OpLKpDUn69ei41R4flQ8Nl5X0/s320/1-croco-crocodyliformes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An early archosaur occurring during the
Middle Triassic (242-235 mya) belonged to the <i>Paracrocodylomorpha</i> (Ponetics: Pair-ah-crah-co-dill-o-mor-pha)
clade that, along with other archosaur branches, eventually gave rise to
crocodylomorphs. One paracrocodylomorph archosaur belonged to the genus, <i>Batrachotomus</i> (Phonetics:
Ba-trac-o-toe-mus) and was a formidable predator in the Triassic swamps it
roamed reaching 6m/20ft in size. The name comes from Greek with ‘batrach’
referring to ‘frog’ and ‘tome’ to ‘slicing’. This alludes to its cutting edged
teeth and to the amphibians it preyed on in the swampy environs, in particular
the 1.25m/4ft salamander, <i>Mastodonsaurus</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnza8QOjzkwzaPZ5357YwctV_TdnxhzNyI3PckoLy5Z8xzPHKv667L7R9SMRWEZehEK4kRZHMwx7f4YgtmYlwwqgEcF8KPEaojbwNhnDF5wrJLJ2pXAXz4Ai3IejzsRBAhV5qBUDzI-vol/s1600/1-Batrachotomus_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnza8QOjzkwzaPZ5357YwctV_TdnxhzNyI3PckoLy5Z8xzPHKv667L7R9SMRWEZehEK4kRZHMwx7f4YgtmYlwwqgEcF8KPEaojbwNhnDF5wrJLJ2pXAXz4Ai3IejzsRBAhV5qBUDzI-vol/s320/1-Batrachotomus_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batrachotomus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
Batrachotomus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’ upright stance due to hip and joint socket arrangements,
later crocodylomorphs would inherit its erect stance with smaller forelimbs
than hind limbs making for agile locomotion. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JeZLS9oIEpz4OMkijPPNOL0U-j_VDtQfuyEHfrelT8Uy0SDanr5o0LF6FwnHHg-wXSQv9egD-_u6bQVGfzw70za1K6A5ENN36JXt06c1KAKO4-jfQ4GLXwyG9KUepWfDO76_e8oRD8Db/s1600/1-croco-gracilisuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JeZLS9oIEpz4OMkijPPNOL0U-j_VDtQfuyEHfrelT8Uy0SDanr5o0LF6FwnHHg-wXSQv9egD-_u6bQVGfzw70za1K6A5ENN36JXt06c1KAKO4-jfQ4GLXwyG9KUepWfDO76_e8oRD8Db/s200/1-croco-gracilisuchus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gracilisuchus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First showing up in the Late Triassic
225 mya, the first crocodylomorphs listed under the <i>Crocodylomorpha</i> basal clade, were upright standing terrestrial
animals and not only that, later species arrivals developed longer legs
becoming terrestrial runners. On top of that crocodylomorphs evolved much
longer hind legs becoming more bipedal than not and some used the forelimbs
more as hands than feet</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">; something we do not think of when referring to
modern day crocodilians</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Crocodylomorphs also filled about every
niche available evolving from species less than 30.5cm/1ft in the
earliest of crocodylomorphs within the sphenosuchian genus, <i>Gracilisuchus</i> (Phonetics:
Gra-sah-le-such-us), to later ones reaching over 3m/10ft, such as the 231 million
year old bipedal <i>Carnufex</i> (Phonetics:
Car-nu-fex). </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Carnufex </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">is </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Latin for </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">butcher</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yWLv4H3ZwMrcsnVn4gHT3FB2D8uMhQ_75GTeKRU8peDX-YG3QietPenKiPpncAr8MUmuhk0adflVEo-dSVnX3MKgkBYbBtB0VBNFj80KEkpavTm-tp-qiEn5ggUwO1bk_oNoXjR5W629/s1600/1-croco-terrestrisuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yWLv4H3ZwMrcsnVn4gHT3FB2D8uMhQ_75GTeKRU8peDX-YG3QietPenKiPpncAr8MUmuhk0adflVEo-dSVnX3MKgkBYbBtB0VBNFj80KEkpavTm-tp-qiEn5ggUwO1bk_oNoXjR5W629/s200/1-croco-terrestrisuchus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terrestrisuchus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gracilisuchus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> and the larger,
more derived sphenosuchian crocodylomorph, <i>Terrestrisuchus</i>
(Phonetics: Tuh-res-tri-such-us) at 80cm/2.6ft, were strictly terrestrial
animals. Bearing no resemblance to modern day crocodiles, their thimble legs
were designed for galloping and sprinting. Inherited from these much smaller
earlier crocodylomorphs, modern day crocodiles today exhibit short bursts of
terrain galloping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Carnufex</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">, a suchian
crocodylomorph was a holy terror of the Late Triassic 231 mya. As a fairly
speedy bipedal predator, it filled a terrain niche and ecological gap in
tropical Pangaea that later was to be filled by theropod dinosaurs. It most
likely preyed on anything it ran down, which included some of the earliest mammals.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DzENIofAqYfGmGUSHub-e-B-D_xAtdyVGX2RbfhGKnHWvl0v7Ur9dkEAdvFrz8mpo4ytAdCNGEsCHdKG6DVXjJXpl3WguEDOHaV-WqO9v_HuqiopvpgIeykxcRiDCexitzXdYClVRWFr/s1600/1-Carnufex+carolinensis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DzENIofAqYfGmGUSHub-e-B-D_xAtdyVGX2RbfhGKnHWvl0v7Ur9dkEAdvFrz8mpo4ytAdCNGEsCHdKG6DVXjJXpl3WguEDOHaV-WqO9v_HuqiopvpgIeykxcRiDCexitzXdYClVRWFr/s320/1-Carnufex+carolinensis.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carnufex carolinensis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ranging from 228-165 mya in the Late
Triassic/Early Jurassic, even though their slender bodies made them look more
like greyhounds with scales in anatomical appearance, sphenosuchians are a
paraphyletic clade chain of successfully primitive crocodylomorphs that with
each new derived species in crocodylomorph clades became more paraphyletic crocodilian eventually leading to the clade, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocodyliformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
This ultimately lead to the primitive crocodyliforms clades, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protosuchia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Pro-toe-such-e-a), as primitive crocodilian relatives and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Mesoeucrocodylia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Mez-o-u-croc-o-dill-e-a), as more
derived and advanced crocodilian relatives.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ve6E9sgxD7FP6fdZebtCzTIpsj89Gmm4T1gSHVemgvCqbPx2ny451ukQ4BIeC6wIjPbKF8p_l7VH5DGwo5rlY3FbLKDkdf_nXz9OhNV04Al3CVh0CRrTgnOzZcETSzTzgWhc3Cm0K561/s1600/1-croco-Chimaerasuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ve6E9sgxD7FP6fdZebtCzTIpsj89Gmm4T1gSHVemgvCqbPx2ny451ukQ4BIeC6wIjPbKF8p_l7VH5DGwo5rlY3FbLKDkdf_nXz9OhNV04Al3CVh0CRrTgnOzZcETSzTzgWhc3Cm0K561/s320/1-croco-Chimaerasuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The herbivore crocodyliform: Chimeaerasuchus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Chimaerasuchus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Phonetics: Ky-mare-ah-sook-us) was a mesoeucrocodylian
crocodyliform showing up in the Early Cretaceous 115-110 mya. Showing various
teeth structure, which are ziphodont (blade-like), tribodont (bluntly rounded) and
multi-cusped crown teeth, this notosuchian was a strict herbivore. Phylogenetic
analysis has determined that <i>Chimaerasuchus</i>
was a sister group to notosuchian sebecosuchian crocodyliforms.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZbcUFP2xmmOucADSHBvR2hwhujZ-hHvLAdYW9I1fn0HTzQgwcJgs-EVJK4H-NvtM4ZcEQCIydHHyBN1HHdbMx5VZ0dEVnuCyNrL5zPtFpWndcES3z6B-2ehekslyHnXZxnuMUPO3DrWi/s1600/1-croc-mesoeucrocodylia1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZbcUFP2xmmOucADSHBvR2hwhujZ-hHvLAdYW9I1fn0HTzQgwcJgs-EVJK4H-NvtM4ZcEQCIydHHyBN1HHdbMx5VZ0dEVnuCyNrL5zPtFpWndcES3z6B-2ehekslyHnXZxnuMUPO3DrWi/s320/1-croc-mesoeucrocodylia1.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
Notosuchia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: No-toe-such-e-ah) and </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Neosuchia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Nee-o-such-e-ah) are crocodyliform clades
that arose from mesoeucrocodylians splitting the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Mesoeucrocodylia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> common ancestry.
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Mesoeucrocodylia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> contains many
other crocodyliform groups. It is the paraphyletic clade that neosuchians arose from,
eventually leading to eusuchian crocodilians, which is the line we will primarily
follow. Below is a much simpler cladogram.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZA3OH3IGXQvqNRyT22OSY5nNvq7zxo-RDaqjURj9LLH6rRnXB-IPMe7RHXQzEBfxHepQhdtNllEPSSCoxHDcZ65WR1TuH6ayIzJ_5QifM6dYUxVV2NROhB8ZcggkZ8h30VovxBKl9QatM/s1600/1-croco-simosuchus1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZA3OH3IGXQvqNRyT22OSY5nNvq7zxo-RDaqjURj9LLH6rRnXB-IPMe7RHXQzEBfxHepQhdtNllEPSSCoxHDcZ65WR1TuH6ayIzJ_5QifM6dYUxVV2NROhB8ZcggkZ8h30VovxBKl9QatM/s200/1-croco-simosuchus1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simosuchus fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocodyliforms were a successful group
that radiated out into every ecological niche available during their reign.
There were herbivore, insectivore, omnivore, carnivore and filter feeder
crocodyliforms. They were terrestrial, but also claimed domiciles on riverbanks,
littoral lakes, swamps, marshes, seashores and were pelagic as some permanently
swam the oceans.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeoxnPPqwDYGB0BRuypyLdKFoNFGp2oB7JdCLUN6tEuETVBHlRnFLh6r3JSBOiwxiUVTGMOJcYw3hw-FNeZlmQ4VnGTco-QKHTAzes4UPXolv4fCFPBjj_2MVaEM3HMKSDL8Znj0nYRsm/s1600/1-croco-simosuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeoxnPPqwDYGB0BRuypyLdKFoNFGp2oB7JdCLUN6tEuETVBHlRnFLh6r3JSBOiwxiUVTGMOJcYw3hw-FNeZlmQ4VnGTco-QKHTAzes4UPXolv4fCFPBjj_2MVaEM3HMKSDL8Znj0nYRsm/s200/1-croco-simosuchus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simosuchus restoration</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Two notes on notosuchians before
following the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Neosuchia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> clade. 70-66
mya in the Late Cretaceous, there was a notosuchian metasuchian crocodyliform
that was covered in bony plates, had a blunt nose and due to its clover shaped
teeth and jaw chewing arrangement was an omnivore. With the name meaning pug
nosed crocodile, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Simosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Sim-o-sook-us) was covered in boney plates (osteoderms</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> that were
heavily compacted but flexible along the back, short tail and outer portions of
the limbs. This notosuchian was 0.75m/2.5ft long.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ytei4V0xpv9Hm7Q_hJsSFgKbl8iZBTcNoggWXdE8mIw6Q5z7wWJ5sKEelKAKo5lCwu3JGLkdmcCCgEC3fFXH-prJlOvg1ed6veTLmvi1sexBB5Pze-YdqzUkT9nPaDMtFmWpc5OsBsLV/s1600/1-croco-aplestosuchus1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ytei4V0xpv9Hm7Q_hJsSFgKbl8iZBTcNoggWXdE8mIw6Q5z7wWJ5sKEelKAKo5lCwu3JGLkdmcCCgEC3fFXH-prJlOvg1ed6veTLmvi1sexBB5Pze-YdqzUkT9nPaDMtFmWpc5OsBsLV/s320/1-croco-aplestosuchus1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aplestosuchus fossil with last meal remains</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
J<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">ust one more notosuchian we’ll note. An
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Aplestosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
A-pless-toe-sook-us) fossil find was a significant discovery for in its
abdominal cavity, it appears its last meal was an unidentified sphagesaurid
crocodyliform. We know the sphagesaurid was eaten due to its deteriorated state
as compared to the </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Aplestosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
remains. This is significant in knowing that one crocodyliform would prey upon
another. Due to this the name, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Aplestosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
is Greek derived meaning, ‘filthy gluttonous crocodile’.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinUMPLvV4_ARkeUTtlr-Pk1y8BWeO6M2O6XxJYgx3KUJ5RYxpAntJwYFjhfXT-hNeNMTAgYWOnJYohWVJJsokc6ZqC-Amz2YTcWZ5bmyqx1BUqNMpYt_aXaQJBYmFZKZQ-GYRu0IMO5d0/s1600/1-croco-aplestosuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinUMPLvV4_ARkeUTtlr-Pk1y8BWeO6M2O6XxJYgx3KUJ5RYxpAntJwYFjhfXT-hNeNMTAgYWOnJYohWVJJsokc6ZqC-Amz2YTcWZ5bmyqx1BUqNMpYt_aXaQJBYmFZKZQ-GYRu0IMO5d0/s320/1-croco-aplestosuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aplestosuchus with prey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br />Where most of crocodyliform ancestry was
terrestrial, as just stated, crocodyliforms had also migrated to watery
environs. However, not all crocodyliforms were relegated to a semiaquatic
lifestyle along riverbanks and shorelines acting as ambush predators waiting
for prey to come along.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The neosuchian, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Stomatosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Sto-mat-o-sook-us), meaning ‘mouth
crocodile</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was perhaps the largest seafaring crocodile of all time with an
estimated length of 10m/32.8ft. However, with gracile small conical teeth in
the upper jaws, the lower jaws (the mandible) were toothless</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> but supported a
large gular pouch much like a pelican’s. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It was not a predator, but a filter feeder
known as a planktivore filling the gular pouch with plankton, krill and small
fish while patrolling the shallow mangrove shorelines, then squeezing the water
out through the teeth trapping its prey and finally swallowing the contents. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Stomatosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> lived during the Late
Cretaceous 100-94 mya.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfd6Ughgjkr-I3F057PpiDEXhHZCj_JZ6xc0y6p5QeM9KMv7izGuJPadjO9AEerYESKMqBJ47CmsXwZR_B_Xw9l9yuDVlNI_eiJP_6jIwDI6e0wkTrcG1jI2KE1FZW-VgR7LF2cMfwOu9r/s1600/1-croco-stomatosuchus-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfd6Ughgjkr-I3F057PpiDEXhHZCj_JZ6xc0y6p5QeM9KMv7izGuJPadjO9AEerYESKMqBJ47CmsXwZR_B_Xw9l9yuDVlNI_eiJP_6jIwDI6e0wkTrcG1jI2KE1FZW-VgR7LF2cMfwOu9r/s320/1-croco-stomatosuchus-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stomatosuchus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />Sarchosuchus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Sar-ko-sook-us), was a pholidosaurid crocodyliform living in the Early
Cretaceous 112 mya. Known as supercroc, it is the largest member of
the crocodylomorph line thus far discovered. It was at least 11m/36.1ft with
upper size estimates reaching upwards to 13m/42.7ft. We know this for the
osteoderm rings found in one fossil find shows that it was forty-years-old and
still growing.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTMS5iet5_auG43kJju4XtB5_z6AMxAPC_vqilQMpr3eLKQ6Z55fvmktlQKrmmLQyjsLOP7SetrjjiNm8cJrlmO_-oEaMSEaECXFRBkIu2d_vsDApQPXqn3YaE2Gw5ATEsrSr6-8nXa-X/s1600/1-croco-sarchosuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTMS5iet5_auG43kJju4XtB5_z6AMxAPC_vqilQMpr3eLKQ6Z55fvmktlQKrmmLQyjsLOP7SetrjjiNm8cJrlmO_-oEaMSEaECXFRBkIu2d_vsDApQPXqn3YaE2Gw5ATEsrSr6-8nXa-X/s320/1-croco-sarchosuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarchosuchus (note bulla snout)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">An adult</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Sarchosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, living wholly in inland freshwater was an ambush
predator along lake shorelines and riverbanks. The young had more slender snouts
and most likely subsisted on fish prey. Both male and female adult snouts
broadened and ended in a bulla, much like the ghara extant male gharials
display, except the bulla was much broader with the upper jaw longer than the
lower creating an upper bite.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With 35 teeth on each side of the upper
jaw and 31 on each side of the lower, the jaws were made for seizing and holding
onto prey. For its size and bulk, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sarcosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
required larger prey and what was abundant in its day were dinosaurs that it
would ambush and drag into the water to drown then tear and break apart for
swallowing, much like crocodiles and alligators do today.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjAdzC3h_iaQUsn91CCfxeV4SIhj0PGk96KvQ3O5pM6j9jHaYlZyKx4uVB8Db2bOYRC6kUp1Nprtdfkky98WDK0OZiDbyojXI9imo5Ah7oeId92vjMDt81tVv54H6-_wmV3H6wexSwBgN1/s1600/1-croco-Sarcosuchus+human+and+modern+crocodile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjAdzC3h_iaQUsn91CCfxeV4SIhj0PGk96KvQ3O5pM6j9jHaYlZyKx4uVB8Db2bOYRC6kUp1Nprtdfkky98WDK0OZiDbyojXI9imo5Ah7oeId92vjMDt81tVv54H6-_wmV3H6wexSwBgN1/s200/1-croco-Sarcosuchus+human+and+modern+crocodile.jpg" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarchosuchus skull vs. Human & extant croc</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Instead of being semiaquatic, some
crocodyliforms were both semiaquatic and marine venturing into deeper waters,
but still having feet to swim with. <i>Machimosaurus
hugii</i>, a thalattosuchian crocodyliform was just such one of these.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLmoXKFXKK6idWgOytQnbh5iwTSxd6W35hWqxXlFthg3qYqnTKe2yKB5O9aZrW5TNukqWHyuLR8RQyBAn5suGKqKb5OLBzdyeOpiGeLtwAvHHwLPsFeOGTQs44KeDf_RmTLkIsq9Uasw5/s1600/1-croco-machimosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLmoXKFXKK6idWgOytQnbh5iwTSxd6W35hWqxXlFthg3qYqnTKe2yKB5O9aZrW5TNukqWHyuLR8RQyBAn5suGKqKb5OLBzdyeOpiGeLtwAvHHwLPsFeOGTQs44KeDf_RmTLkIsq9Uasw5/s200/1-croco-machimosaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M. hugii</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This thalattosuchian crocodyliform, at 9.25m/30.4ft
in length, patrolled the ocean shores 160-145 mya on the Jurassic/Cretaceous
boundary. Fossil turtle shells and dinosaur sauropod, <i>Cetiosauricus</i> fossilized<i> </i>bones
bear <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84Hzvd_WDscq284O1dE62Cta0Qy8Jy-u3cFGFuspLiQkMZ6Y7VKxyN4rD3VnDjbeDjWXH8K6mGgCDmE_HssmQYuaWA3dbhdJB_zONMXm__XHcHHrrfvQXRDobhsPyzGLU5hJLtHeKsYEM/s1600/1-croco-M.+rex1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84Hzvd_WDscq284O1dE62Cta0Qy8Jy-u3cFGFuspLiQkMZ6Y7VKxyN4rD3VnDjbeDjWXH8K6mGgCDmE_HssmQYuaWA3dbhdJB_zONMXm__XHcHHrrfvQXRDobhsPyzGLU5hJLtHeKsYEM/s200/1-croco-M.+rex1.jpg" width="158" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M. rex</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
teeth marks from <i>M. hugii</i>’s
conical blunt teeth, with some fossils having <i>M. hugii</i> embedded splintered teeth. <i>M. hugii</i> was the apex predator in his domain, until a most recent <i>Machimosaurus Rex</i> fossil find from 145
mya edged out the former titan at 10m/32.8ft. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnByHqqdy_m5ocXN3l29-KUDg12mrxkyQSE5J56zMe04ohzfe0KD1K6HHnAk1uM0l1727BlNo9aQXvglMXGAAFQ5_jPo-qa0MBwTfAdPbFbgRb3LrDxDQfNTX7WameOxcB5PjG9HjaovY3/s1600/1-croco-dakosaurus3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnByHqqdy_m5ocXN3l29-KUDg12mrxkyQSE5J56zMe04ohzfe0KD1K6HHnAk1uM0l1727BlNo9aQXvglMXGAAFQ5_jPo-qa0MBwTfAdPbFbgRb3LrDxDQfNTX7WameOxcB5PjG9HjaovY3/s200/1-croco-dakosaurus3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dakosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dakosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Duh-ko-sar-us), also a thalattosuchian crocodyliform from the Late
Jurassic-Early Cretaceous 157-137 mya was evolving paddles for limbs </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">as webbing covered the entire foot </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">with only
the claws still exposed, while the tail evolved into a vertically fish-like finned
rudder. Its short and broad jaws were built for grabbing and swallowing fish
whole, while its name means ‘greatest biter lizard’, it had large serrated and
compressed lateromedially teeth that it used to bite chunks out of much larger
prey than it.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DkDr8XKqusixAuOKzYypsOjnOSzBZsQwWE4DiEaSVFdHv1cNkv6MmQDfZZL8pfGl0Bt0mW-N7slLy1X8eIQWx0QZBTqTEXdc-Bszcjbh-ShBGKTCeJwVBTORJpa3BenRzIca1pyqrTUN/s1600/1-croco-Metriorhynchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DkDr8XKqusixAuOKzYypsOjnOSzBZsQwWE4DiEaSVFdHv1cNkv6MmQDfZZL8pfGl0Bt0mW-N7slLy1X8eIQWx0QZBTqTEXdc-Bszcjbh-ShBGKTCeJwVBTORJpa3BenRzIca1pyqrTUN/s200/1-croco-Metriorhynchus.jpg" width="200" /></a><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Metriorhynchidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Phonetics:
Met-ree-or-rink-ah-day) were fully aquatic adapted for a total marine life and
although there is no proven fossil finds yet, metriorhynchids might even have
given birth in the waters. <i>Metriorhynchus</i>,
found in Mid-Late Jurassic deposits with a temporal range of 167-155 mya, while
losing scalation for smoother skin, evolved fully whole paddles for limbs while
utilizing a vertically ruddered tail used for sinuous propulsion. It swam the
shallow seas while at times venturing into deeper waters to prey on the gentle 16m/52.5ft
fish, <i>Leedsichthys</i> by taking chunks
of flesh off of the victim. But in deeper waters, <i>Metriorhynchus</i> must’ve been prey to the short-necked pleurodon, <i>Liopleurodon</i> that ate just about
anything that swam its way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzHPuV-Q3oE3QJB3nQ2YVMfCy5V5epKaU4sr44muZGf_II2C0OLHkRIlbeXYU30aoKX_3OCi5iZg3nt1XsoiVfcc16R0p3tiQFyZEqrpB8kdhdLQZxUgTv5Lnlycr2ZJ_tKjsOkf684Hi/s1600/1-croco-Leedsichthys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzHPuV-Q3oE3QJB3nQ2YVMfCy5V5epKaU4sr44muZGf_II2C0OLHkRIlbeXYU30aoKX_3OCi5iZg3nt1XsoiVfcc16R0p3tiQFyZEqrpB8kdhdLQZxUgTv5Lnlycr2ZJ_tKjsOkf684Hi/s320/1-croco-Leedsichthys.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gentle giant fish: Leedsichthys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There were some odd crocodyliforms
either in morphology or habits that one wouldn’t really think of as being in
the crocodilian line. Below are a few.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqF8hQz2u_FGevj5EhB9ZTLc89B0hFb_I0_h1yodNDV1Dr9zoxu0N3zs_iq300BdYj_RXO6mEtKVebmFrWwQSiKTgItWYlwjfJ2JLtx045vlvMpAUzM-ES9LxgbvgGslR3xQahFw5tsM9Z/s1600/1-croco-Armadillosuchus2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqF8hQz2u_FGevj5EhB9ZTLc89B0hFb_I0_h1yodNDV1Dr9zoxu0N3zs_iq300BdYj_RXO6mEtKVebmFrWwQSiKTgItWYlwjfJ2JLtx045vlvMpAUzM-ES9LxgbvgGslR3xQahFw5tsM9Z/s320/1-croco-Armadillosuchus2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Armadilliosuchus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Armadillocroc, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Armadillosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">: (Phonetics: Ar-mah-dil-lo-sook-us); Late
Cretaceous 93-84 mya; 2m/6.6ft.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxF1WvDaR0wCTRE0McQBT389Nj6LoL55ILN53U2wJDURhHmpXQpb4EMmt2LpsxTQvn3IO6vZ_EO8W9Lj5wkOYzKTQuo-qAxn8hwnMY2PTXz98_fDhB3xVm8g0oYkWyes4nTaB4Vujn5bg/s1600/1-croco-armadillosuchus0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxF1WvDaR0wCTRE0McQBT389Nj6LoL55ILN53U2wJDURhHmpXQpb4EMmt2LpsxTQvn3IO6vZ_EO8W9Lj5wkOYzKTQuo-qAxn8hwnMY2PTXz98_fDhB3xVm8g0oYkWyes4nTaB4Vujn5bg/s200/1-croco-armadillosuchus0.jpg" width="174" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Armadillosuchus fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Armadillosuchus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was a fossorial
crocodyliform that had mammal like characteristics such as in chewing with
similar mammalian teeth and jaws and not only in resembling an armored
armadillo but burrowing as one. The osteoderm armoured bands also were flexible
in bending as in the armadillo. As in mammals, the jaws were capable of sliding
back and forth, an unheard of motion in any other representatives from
crocodylomorphs to modern day crocodilians. It comes from what is now Brazil
that at the time was hot and dry, which is not a secure environment for
crocodyliforms. It most likely dug burrows to escape the heat and root out
small animal prey.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgtGQEVKnXsc3QcPMd7bC3Skd_u-w5c9JOvURB_w8PfhaKYCzholDhFxh7PkiEPhd7jt5qFn8TNWr1n9xg9uLxmdF6teWHpfGvN_tHWe5DwZIXeUtXJ6xWfEucSwEB3iFuuFPLZHeh7Z-/s1600/1-croco-Anatosuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgtGQEVKnXsc3QcPMd7bC3Skd_u-w5c9JOvURB_w8PfhaKYCzholDhFxh7PkiEPhd7jt5qFn8TNWr1n9xg9uLxmdF6teWHpfGvN_tHWe5DwZIXeUtXJ6xWfEucSwEB3iFuuFPLZHeh7Z-/s320/1-croco-Anatosuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anatosuchus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Duckcroc, <i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anatosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">: (Phonetics: Ah-nat-oh-sook-</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> us); Early
Cretaceous 115-110 mya; 0.9m/3ft.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With a duck-like snout, <i>Anatosuchus</i> had a pointed protuberance
at the tip of the snout which has been determined had extra sensory receptors
to root out small fish, frogs and grubs. Once prey was located it snatched them
out with hooked-shaped teeth.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxmpr_vHvHy5N9j4Fl1xV7b7sRfBeo5MdQbDY0D1ZD5whyphenhyphen-6KEizjkw_qKg6WdWEuckMqiNXvnXGmChvWkcZKHeAU3gBfaRLDKV5WQg_wTQmb1Jqr8rTik0JWq6oItEkTKJ6OY4WmE74E/s1600/1-croco-Araripesuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxmpr_vHvHy5N9j4Fl1xV7b7sRfBeo5MdQbDY0D1ZD5whyphenhyphen-6KEizjkw_qKg6WdWEuckMqiNXvnXGmChvWkcZKHeAU3gBfaRLDKV5WQg_wTQmb1Jqr8rTik0JWq6oItEkTKJ6OY4WmE74E/s320/1-croco-Araripesuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Dogcroc, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Araripesuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">wegeneri</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">:
(Phonetics: Uh-rare-ip-uh-sook-us Wig-uh-nar-e); Early-Late Cretaceous 125-66
mya; ~ 1m/3.3ft.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This terrestrial and semiaquatic
notosuchian crocodyliform had limbs for galloping on land and a tail for
swimming in water. On land, it was adapted for speed having an upright
quadrupedal stance with elongate carpals (wrist bones) in relation to the
metacarpals (hand bones). It’s unique dental morphology leads to an omivorous
diet. There were six <i>Araripesuchus</i>
species that most likely evolved from the breakup of Gondwana isolating the
genus in geographical fragmentation. This is known as ecological vicariance.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbBn16iTmN0l_Q2VET58csZD-FNfxoqWYTmW6hJSgwTMH_ldgemzP_XQpNH7ZAyDLE1RlVrw4JKGpz6p72Lg-OWDR80EDvLdCuH9hugP4TN4rXRVEWHoMnUUfHxU_FOfE7cn-RVSnoME5/s1600/1-croco-Araripesuchus+ratcroc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbBn16iTmN0l_Q2VET58csZD-FNfxoqWYTmW6hJSgwTMH_ldgemzP_XQpNH7ZAyDLE1RlVrw4JKGpz6p72Lg-OWDR80EDvLdCuH9hugP4TN4rXRVEWHoMnUUfHxU_FOfE7cn-RVSnoME5/s320/1-croco-Araripesuchus+ratcroc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A. rattoides</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Ratcroc, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Araripesuchus rattoides</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">: (Phonetics: Uh-rare-ip-uh-sook-us Rat-toi-dees),
Late Cretaceous 100-94 mya; ~ 1m/3.3ft.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With a pair of buck teeth in the lower
jaw this little land crocodyliform used its dentition to root out insects, grubs
and small vertebrates and to dig up plants tubers and roots. It was agile and
quick on land.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmEhVTan26k5IrrtOlckAkRiwqEjLXfR-Xe3Lj5cs7tBfPoKY4DBjz7v4yOiE7OTFhexZxfdDGyyKJ44E_UouAi_cYwKxsjfZZYTgyhqKA45loKdPLZVD84MSXFznFA25yZXtYPREndMO/s1600/1-croco-kaprosuchus_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmEhVTan26k5IrrtOlckAkRiwqEjLXfR-Xe3Lj5cs7tBfPoKY4DBjz7v4yOiE7OTFhexZxfdDGyyKJ44E_UouAi_cYwKxsjfZZYTgyhqKA45loKdPLZVD84MSXFznFA25yZXtYPREndMO/s320/1-croco-kaprosuchus_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaprosuchus displaying lethal teeth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Boarcroc, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Kaprosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">: (Phonetics: Kap-row-sook-us) Late Cretaceous 100-94
mya; 3.3m/10.8ft.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This neosuchian, shared several phylogenetic
characteristics with <i>Mahajangasuchus </i>(Phonetics:
Ma-ha-jawn-ga-sook-us).<i> Kaprosuchus</i>
swam swamps, or other slow moving bodies of water, almost fully submerged
stalking water and land animals. On land, it was agile and could display short
bursts of speed. When a land animal was taking a drink on the shore, <i>Kaprosuchus</i> would swim away come on land
and charge its intended victim bowling it over by ramming it with its
reinforced armored snout. Once the victim was down it would use its dagger like
teeth to take hold of its prey to tear or rip it apart.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhze63tJjfisD-_d7WVQi5qQOlf0FPeTEKIjntdGMU10Op4fzoSg4c9_ZJ2SCigsDBVUhMctApBv4diA17tFIK3EjEfxVtZvX3rpTczoZk2xGIlWhIGF2YCHLVKfFQ_yYPaoSEnDTRV7m00/s1600/1-croco-Laganosuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhze63tJjfisD-_d7WVQi5qQOlf0FPeTEKIjntdGMU10Op4fzoSg4c9_ZJ2SCigsDBVUhMctApBv4diA17tFIK3EjEfxVtZvX3rpTczoZk2xGIlWhIGF2YCHLVKfFQ_yYPaoSEnDTRV7m00/s320/1-croco-Laganosuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laganosuchus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Pancakecroc, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Laganosuchus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">: (Phonetics: Lah-gah-no-sook-us), Late Cretaceous 95 mya;
6m/19.7ft.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Laganosuchus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> was primarily
piscivorous and with mouth agape, patiently lied in wait for a fish to swim across,
whereupon the jaws would be instantly shut entrapping the victim, then
swallowed. This crocodyliform was dorsally flat from snout to tail, although
the tail most likely did support raised scales on each edge. This stomatosuchid
crocodyliform was very patient lying motionless until the next meal came along
triggering the snapping of the jaws shut.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is an excellent ‘National
Geographic’ video explaining the fossil findings and lives of the last five
above mentioned crocodyliforms.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S7EeZue8O8Q" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After radiating out in diversity, crocodyliforms
suffered a major biodiversity decline during the boundary between the Jurassic/Cretaceous
in both the marine and terrestrial groups. This is accompanied by elevated
extinction rates in the Late Jurassic, at a near level mass extinction status, severely depressing origination rates in the Early Cretaceous. Sea-level
changes were primarily responsible for this biodiversity decline, both in
marine realm and land species, due to greatly reduced amounts of habitable
shallow marine regions. Also, secondary factors driving biodiversity changes
included perturbations to the carbon and sulfur cycles that, together with
sea-level fluctuations, indicate a prominent role for large-scale tectonic
processes in shaping crocodyliform biodiversity in the Late Jurassic to Early
Cretaceous. There is also evidence for a mediating paleotemperature decreasing effect
on Northern Hemisphere crocodyliform declines during this interval. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Overall, this suggests the fate of
Mesozoic crocodyliforms was coupled more broadly to a combination of
environmental factors with a wider impact on pelagic and shallow marine
ecosystems. Sea-level rise is the principal driving factor in shaping the
evolution of continental shelf biotas. This is not to say that minor additional
ecological factors were also at play across the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary;
it’s just so far, not evident.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, several non-marine groups with a
high biodiversity before the boundary extinction, most notably non-sebecid
notosuchians, the marine dyrosaurids and terrestrial sebecids survived
alongside crocodylians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nevertheless, the extinctions of these
groups, and other non-marine crocodylomorph taxa were balanced by rapid
radiations of the three surviving clades in the early Paleocene, including
substantial range expansions of marine dyrosaurids and terrestrial alligatoroids
into what is now South America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We mentioned the methods of how
crocodyliform species could be at home on land just as much in water, for this
high command of environmental domination must be a key factor in it escaping
predation as well as surviving mass extinction periods.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Below is a much generalized cladogram of
the archosaur path leading crocodilians.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To recap in simple cladograms, first
arose crocodylomorphs.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAPfzquZc9vb07HRrfvWi33XtiSIb86Bhh8rrgJ1dLgVanjQSxqXMIWGVH22rhKhYt7pdMOujHlNuQKjwBVtnDcmQFylKWBHBPUe_Hg0HspQjQWFXVhanxeu6Vhs0mpnOhiiDaTA_hVFT/s1600/1-croc+crocodylomorpha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAPfzquZc9vb07HRrfvWi33XtiSIb86Bhh8rrgJ1dLgVanjQSxqXMIWGVH22rhKhYt7pdMOujHlNuQKjwBVtnDcmQFylKWBHBPUe_Hg0HspQjQWFXVhanxeu6Vhs0mpnOhiiDaTA_hVFT/s320/1-croc+crocodylomorpha.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The next clades to appear were the crocodyliforms
that split with one of the two clades, mesoeucrocodylians forming neosuchians.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBGPiY7RrMG41FKeQhVTLVlTSGxgj9KxHonYz-17Ty0g-ogpiVrrtFJd9xPoeHtdFrNdo1-VUu7_r7jzic_hHwLohevtcQBEQwW9OBGajRkM4lmLryJn5ssQl_yftOHLwnlyZ4aTwFR1X/s1600/1-croco+clade+formes-eusuchia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBGPiY7RrMG41FKeQhVTLVlTSGxgj9KxHonYz-17Ty0g-ogpiVrrtFJd9xPoeHtdFrNdo1-VUu7_r7jzic_hHwLohevtcQBEQwW9OBGajRkM4lmLryJn5ssQl_yftOHLwnlyZ4aTwFR1X/s320/1-croco+clade+formes-eusuchia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">From neosuchian common ancestry arose the eusuchian clade that gave rise to the order, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocodilia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, the true crocodiles.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Crocodylians</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You may bump into your own research with
<i>Crocodilia</i> spelt as <i>Crocodylia</i>. Either way is accepted in
nomenclature.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">From the main primitive common ancestor
to crocodylomorphs was </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Suchia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Such-ee-ah) and through its many branchings led paraphyletically to
paracrocodylomorphs that became a paraphyletic common ancestor to
crocodylomorphs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Under <i>Eusuchia</i> (Phonetics: U-such-ee-ah), <i>Crocodilia</i> (Phonetics: Croc-o-dill-ee-ah) arose evolving into the
extant crocodilians we have today. This includes, alligators, caiman, gharials and crocodiles.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Below is a clad of all extant crocodilians.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Order members of </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocodilia </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">have been around since 83.5 million years. In that time
frame, archosaur crocodile morphology hasn’t changed much as exhibited in
extant crocodilians of today in comparison to extinct crocodilian species. With
that, we call modern day crocodiles/alligators/caiman/gharials as primitive.
But, we shouldn’t interpret them as primitive simply because they’ve evolved
little change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sharks have been around in their current
general form a lot longer than crocodiles have in their primitive forms. As
geologically spoken in timelines, the <i>Crocodilia</i>
line has not been that long, originating 45 million years ago; the Silurian jaw
explosion on the other hand made its appearance 442 mya, in which ‘Jaws the
Shark’ came soon after.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This should not be an area of question
marks, for evolution works through natural selection of a particular
environment. If that habitat changes, those mutations that were once
detrimental suddenly become an advantage stimulating genomic change and
speciation through natural selection. If environmental stresses do not have
enough input to affect required changes, then the species will survive as it
always has in physiological and morphological survival strategies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s useful in knowing that in the crocodiles’
embryonic stage, unlike other reptiles, develops a four-chambered heart until a
bypass further develops in latter fetal development making it functionally
three chambered; thus evolving from homeotherms into ectotherms. Birds also <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">bypass the heart chamber</span> during embryonic development</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, but remain warm-blooded</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Too many people consider being ‘cold
blooded’ as an inferior archaic state, for after all, it was the primitive
condition. But in crocodiles it is derived as a reversion to the primitive
condition, because being ‘cold blooded’ is superior in some cases. Crocodiles
actually came from warm blooded terrestrial ancestors.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVpBFo3Z7Uqrq8CLifDRX7cUh5MevPeKdmYksee857JcbD2q3aV1XxhF-pQ5znvCISiHGsV8VZo6w8-j3t8A7nHMMGYD-0Wv41YD8kVlfiD66J1Bwx5i8Eg2MrE2S8_jALUSa-TZ4uNDv/s1600/1-croco-susisuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVpBFo3Z7Uqrq8CLifDRX7cUh5MevPeKdmYksee857JcbD2q3aV1XxhF-pQ5znvCISiHGsV8VZo6w8-j3t8A7nHMMGYD-0Wv41YD8kVlfiD66J1Bwx5i8Eg2MrE2S8_jALUSa-TZ4uNDv/s320/1-croco-susisuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Susisuchus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">(Phonetics: Su-see-sook-us) </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">is a neosuchian
crocodyliform that lies just outside the clade </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eusuchia</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, but is associated with the
transition between basal and advanced neosuchians and the rise of early
eusuchians.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3E3pAebvKd_lvQW7JD1qfSynh98LbUWojNGsWEEuzUw3IxqWPWhJipme6W4waPGABY_YijV4YEeRe0VjzMgKz7FVFoF3qBrK7ReMg6miSKy8jQT30S12OmvyftB1F7pANpuffyPR7Ip5/s1600/1-croco-susisuchus-anatoceps-sergey-krasovskiy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3E3pAebvKd_lvQW7JD1qfSynh98LbUWojNGsWEEuzUw3IxqWPWhJipme6W4waPGABY_YijV4YEeRe0VjzMgKz7FVFoF3qBrK7ReMg6miSKy8jQT30S12OmvyftB1F7pANpuffyPR7Ip5/s320/1-croco-susisuchus-anatoceps-sergey-krasovskiy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susisuchus anatoceps drawn by: Sergey Krasovskiy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As recently as the Eocene in the middle
of the Paleogene Period (formerly the Tertiary Period) 56-33.9 mya, there was a
crocodilian that lived fully on land and ran. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pristichampsus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Pris-stee-champ-sus) had long cursorial
legs adapted for running. This was an advantage to being fully terrestrial and
on its topside, the jaws were equipped with ziphodont teeth that were
characteristic of land predators to grab and tear prey rather than to simply
hold onto prey and drown them as aquatic crocodilians do.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqgxe_U_prxKrQM3M9zYHptC1fmJUwX5JTsbA-bnpS6-J3WqymSHKC19l4pJpBgcISUiaGdjbeqDMEZKYQk_4ApRh3gK-UdBdgv85iQ_Y1bJD0DJjzENftejbjbx63yeWj4ZOtYx6KzmG/s1600/1-Pristichampsus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqgxe_U_prxKrQM3M9zYHptC1fmJUwX5JTsbA-bnpS6-J3WqymSHKC19l4pJpBgcISUiaGdjbeqDMEZKYQk_4ApRh3gK-UdBdgv85iQ_Y1bJD0DJjzENftejbjbx63yeWj4ZOtYx6KzmG/s320/1-Pristichampsus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pristichampsus</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">This </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">3m/9.9ft </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">crocodilian had longer legs than its
contemporary semiaquatic crocodilian cousins and in addition, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pristichampsus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s toe ends were hoofed
for better traction on land. The tail, instead of flattened for swimming was
rounded. due to the center of gravity being well forward of the hips, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pristichampsus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> was primarily a
quadruped, but at higher running speeds could obtain bipedalism.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The oldest known eusuchian is </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hylaeochampsa</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> from the Early Cretaceous
130 mya and was already living a modern day crocodilian semiaquatic lifestyle.
It is a very primitive eusuchian, but shares a pterygoidal choanae and the
absence of a fossa on the medial wall of the supratemporal fenestra as all
living susuchians do. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A more derived 100 million year old eusuchian was <i>Isisfordia</i> (Phonetics: I-sis-for-dee-ah) and no it’s not named
after the terrorist group ISIS, but after the nearby town of Isisford,
Queensland, Australia where its fossils were found.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu44V2WhAvuixBoIuYJLfnOPNMZDfB1Rr2M1_iijErvY9lJb3xL9Kga3ZQYcLhXlW89iJ9tBUQinXuAkTIXtk9HY1ad_LkFj8IeHJ9FaWYK8Qm_astqGjigrh-lNlo8Y9x66sAg55D_LJh/s1600/1-croco-isisfordia+skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu44V2WhAvuixBoIuYJLfnOPNMZDfB1Rr2M1_iijErvY9lJb3xL9Kga3ZQYcLhXlW89iJ9tBUQinXuAkTIXtk9HY1ad_LkFj8IeHJ9FaWYK8Qm_astqGjigrh-lNlo8Y9x66sAg55D_LJh/s320/1-croco-isisfordia+skull.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isisfordia skull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Isisfordia</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> living around
100 mya was a more derived eusuchian than the earlier primitive ones in sharing
increased dorsal osteoderm segmentation for more flexibility, ball and socket
type vertebrae connections and possessed a secondary palate allowing breathing
without passing air through the mouth with all of today’s crocodilians.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The first true crocodilians were in the
alligator family showing up as <i>Alligatoridae</i>
(Phonetics: Al-la-ga-tor-uh-day) 83 mya. In general, extant alligators have
wider but shorter heads supporting an obtuse snout and the webbing on the hind
feet reach only halfway to the tip. Alligators also cannot tolerate saltwater.
Currently there are two alligator species in the subfamily, <i>Alligatorinae</i>, while <i>Caimaninae</i> is represented by eight extant
caiman. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdWJDElUVnUONLNqjtOwDcqY6q3Ylm_CwkHBH5JSm6rnh4NFN0FFHvLCWH0ehUx51AMhi25kkUM1bg_pJZB-Np20h0Zja-RxBaZj7kk8A59Kq6kBkwzETu_PLWuF4Dnk2fSXqYsJrJacj/s1600/1-croco-Deinosuchus-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdWJDElUVnUONLNqjtOwDcqY6q3Ylm_CwkHBH5JSm6rnh4NFN0FFHvLCWH0ehUx51AMhi25kkUM1bg_pJZB-Np20h0Zja-RxBaZj7kk8A59Kq6kBkwzETu_PLWuF4Dnk2fSXqYsJrJacj/s320/1-croco-Deinosuchus-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deinosuchus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The family,<i> Alligatoridae</i> includes caiman, in which we perceive as small
alligators as all extant caiman, with exception to the black caiman, are on
average, no more than 2.25m/7.4ft in length. However, in the Late Cretaceous
82-73 mya, there was a caiman known as <i>Deinosuchus</i>
(Phonetics: Dye-no-sook-us). This caiman was huge weighing in at
7,257.5kg/16,000lbs while having a total length of 12m/39.4ft. For sure this
apex predator caiman, in patrolling the swamps, lakeshores and riverbanks was a
scourge to even dinosaurs of the day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoIXYbIk0B2qqgWz2WtOhvEX7rFZsRMpiPKMcfn6mFZnaGRblsCZmn2VaqsOsbzngbufgQzbm23vZM-5iw-8nvHWaU149-JbxgtjYpeuAxxUgcqmVYRL7O4kEhcmjjvaPTuu1pvGANtUB/s1600/1-Dinosuchus3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoIXYbIk0B2qqgWz2WtOhvEX7rFZsRMpiPKMcfn6mFZnaGRblsCZmn2VaqsOsbzngbufgQzbm23vZM-5iw-8nvHWaU149-JbxgtjYpeuAxxUgcqmVYRL7O4kEhcmjjvaPTuu1pvGANtUB/s320/1-Dinosuchus3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In water, Deinosuchus was a shoe-in to win, on land not so much</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As modern day crocodilians do, <i>Deinosuchus</i> would ambush its terrestrial
prey as it came up to the water’s edge to drink, then by dragging the victim
into deeper water it would drown them. There is hadrosaurid and ornithopod dinosaur
fossil finds bearing <i>Deinosuchus</i>
tooth marks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another extinct caiman, <i>Purussaurus</i> (Phonetics: Pu-ruh-sore-us) lived
as recently as the Miocene 8 mya. Its size was comparable to <i>Deinosuchus</i> with estimates ranging from
10.3m/34ft to 12.5m/42ft. This high-end estimate would make it the largest
crocodylian thus far discovered. Its bite force has been estimated to be 7
metric tons or 15,432 lbs of pressure.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZzT2S4GmYKXMC8J8iqMqsqgwl7hbcm8cs7BDH-HGlywzyyYIOSdA7-x24tim_zpvWF8pSLYoTbnaDHCUbah09SmAwQCV4p29OKrsJv2G86gmxtwtjDay-pvJm16dLArfiBa6NyTtrtqP/s1600/1-croco-Purusaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZzT2S4GmYKXMC8J8iqMqsqgwl7hbcm8cs7BDH-HGlywzyyYIOSdA7-x24tim_zpvWF8pSLYoTbnaDHCUbah09SmAwQCV4p29OKrsJv2G86gmxtwtjDay-pvJm16dLArfiBa6NyTtrtqP/s320/1-croco-Purusaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purussaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />Purussaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> ate large prey
by drowning them, as a biochemical analysis indicates it could physically perform
the death roll maneuver utilized by the much smaller extant crocodilians of
today. In this caiman’s Miocene South American ecosystem, rivers, large
floodplains and lake environments existed, offering up many large vertebrates.
Unfortunately, the Miocene’s constantly changing environment and climate which
began to favor smaller size is a major factor to <i>Purussaurus</i>’ extinction. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One more extinct caiman, <i>Mourasuchus</i> (Phonetics: Moo-ra-sook-us),
was also from the Miocene 8 mya, so was contemporaneous to <i>Purussaurus</i> and also shared the same environment in the Miocene
South American ecosystem. However, <i>Mourasuchus</i>
did not compete with large predators as it was a filter feeder. Like its distant
cousin, <i>Stomatosuchus</i>, this caiman’s
weak lower jaw supported a gular pelican pouch that when it swept or swiped its
open mouth through shoals of small fish or krill, throat muscles would close
and force water through rows of conical teeth on each side of the
jaws acting as a strainer leaving the caiman with a mouthful of food.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4UCv_mrF1BBSQTukxODmhKoIJm8A5Y7MMqSk35p-bZRPLmdXl0XBS-a-iFK58lC-5zR1nN1n3xFdjNVhXhzZJ8jl7uYlpZr0_HzdQcjYEtymuGBugvX3tndfPR-ptGSyLBV-ZI8fLAT8W/s1600/1-croco-mourasuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4UCv_mrF1BBSQTukxODmhKoIJm8A5Y7MMqSk35p-bZRPLmdXl0XBS-a-iFK58lC-5zR1nN1n3xFdjNVhXhzZJ8jl7uYlpZr0_HzdQcjYEtymuGBugvX3tndfPR-ptGSyLBV-ZI8fLAT8W/s320/1-croco-mourasuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mourasuchus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The first true crocodiles under the
family, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocodilidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Craw-cro-dill-uh-day) appeared 55 mya in the Eocene. </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocodilidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is further divided into four subfamilies being, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocodylinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (crocodiles) with 16 extant
species in the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocodylus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, one
extant species in the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Mecistops</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">;
</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gavialinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> with one extant species in
the genus </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gavialis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">; one extant </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tomistoma </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">genus </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">species</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> in the subfamily, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tomistominae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and two species in the genus, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Osteolaemus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
representing the subfamily, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Osteolaeminae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are 10 extinct species in <i>Crocodylinae</i> while in<i> </i>the subfamily, <i>Gryposuchinae</i>, all species are extinct. All living <i>Crocodylus</i> crocodiles originated from a
common ancestor from the Indo-Pacific somewhere
~16 mya, radiated out into Africa between 8-12 mya and invaded the
Americas via a trans-Atlantic migration by 4 mya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Modern day crocodiles can tolerate
saltwater due to the possession of salt excretion glands. Although all feet
have webbing the limbs are tucked to the side using only the tail for
propulsion when swimming. A distinction between crocodiles and alligators are
the narrower snouts forming more of a ‘V’ shape as opposed to a more ‘U’ shape
in alligators.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWP-soqLyT4x_41dh0ilzMnZwQDL8SoB3syj3bK0R1dM4kEiT9sLsKv9L4SlvLkB0LRFh5bsWncjLMiv_BCQhs_h8Wiz9gKMZ5OxBhCsQI9b2OZRnyt2cY3_ubTeTuOrfdtTmN2OyGLxNG/s1600/1-croco-snouts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWP-soqLyT4x_41dh0ilzMnZwQDL8SoB3syj3bK0R1dM4kEiT9sLsKv9L4SlvLkB0LRFh5bsWncjLMiv_BCQhs_h8Wiz9gKMZ5OxBhCsQI9b2OZRnyt2cY3_ubTeTuOrfdtTmN2OyGLxNG/s320/1-croco-snouts.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a) alligator b) crocodile c) gavial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although true extant crocodiles have a
direct common ancestor going back only 16 mya, the saltwater crocodile, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crocodylus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">porosus </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">has a direct link to crocodilians going back as long ago as
98 mya when Gondwana had sutured the current Southern Hemisphere continents,
which includes Australia, Africa, Madagascar, South America, Antarctica and the
India Subcontinent and the Arabian Peninsula with both currently in the Northern
Hemisphere. The earliest fossil dates for </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">C.
porosus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is around 4.25 mya.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Males rarely exceed 6m/19.7ft where the much
smaller female seldom surpasses 3.1m/10ft. The record though was pulled
from the</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Bunawan Creek in the Philippines’ province of
Agusan del Sur.<i> </i>It measured at a record
of 6.2m/20.3ft. <i>C. porosus</i> is not only the largest crocodilian living today; it is
the largest extant reptile.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Extant gharials, or gavials and the
false gharial have a common ancestor from the Eocene 55mya. These narrow
snouted crocodylids are piscivores swinging their jaws back and forth
underwater while searching for fish. Once a fish is spotted they quickly snatch
it with their </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">sharp interdigitated teeth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hZ2d-a5BVjBpbrpJfHVTnWxkXwJoTRLESnrewN36_dK27lXHdYBNqwJKI3tMT9q4opANZhLn4UPXhSXXhN0FbI2AvbIqpKlnNiRnRni5yrlzvPCyCutjKtgAl7vqoxxTqo4k-gjogaqo/s1600/1-croco-grypsuchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hZ2d-a5BVjBpbrpJfHVTnWxkXwJoTRLESnrewN36_dK27lXHdYBNqwJKI3tMT9q4opANZhLn4UPXhSXXhN0FbI2AvbIqpKlnNiRnRni5yrlzvPCyCutjKtgAl7vqoxxTqo4k-gjogaqo/s320/1-croco-grypsuchus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gryposuchus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
Grip-o-sook-us) was a gavial that lived in the Miocene 13.65-7.25 mya beside <i>Purussaurus</i> and <i>Mourasuchus</i>. However, it did not compete directly, as it didn’t go
after the larger prey <i>Purussaurus</i> did
and did not filter feed small prey as <i>Mourasuchus</i>
did; it preyed on fish primarily that were in between the preferred prey size
of the other two crocodilians. Also, it grew to comparable lengths at
10m/32.8ft. This gavial was active in riverine and coastal shorelines.</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8c4Fm3bmO77yqLTqzccdVnn9DwUWMvtiiyR_GXXXxr9pYBm3EFwd6vRFxCdXsSrjPyGOxVoVEeJbOYzZg6Dqpv-KHwkFYNf2ZA8vYKK7BllLu4Se9pjZSIbJM4qoE_TpYEjOT-kGUvBq/s1600/1-Crocodilian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8c4Fm3bmO77yqLTqzccdVnn9DwUWMvtiiyR_GXXXxr9pYBm3EFwd6vRFxCdXsSrjPyGOxVoVEeJbOYzZg6Dqpv-KHwkFYNf2ZA8vYKK7BllLu4Se9pjZSIbJM4qoE_TpYEjOT-kGUvBq/s320/1-Crocodilian.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In the next ‘</span></span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Et Tunc</b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’ series we’ll review the further evolvement of archosaurs
within the pterodactyl, dinosaur and bird lines.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Evolving
Onwards,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">01/31/2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-61757401526873479752016-12-23T12:24:00.002-05:002017-01-20T17:47:01.258-05:00Knocking Down Heaven's Door<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Knocking Down Heaven’s Door</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Doesn’t
Matter</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-7uM4aCwizqP9hegTGZujXxUkWNRjSHAuon4JcLKRllVAQ1CSGFA6-2fToLyFF1BFLrdwKTTJBVOCm1vh0-tr2SlIzKpMJ5T2kMbn7HaLounYDBhE7JauPKRhc-4mMFN3Fmkw-JgjVL7/s1600/caution-symbol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-7uM4aCwizqP9hegTGZujXxUkWNRjSHAuon4JcLKRllVAQ1CSGFA6-2fToLyFF1BFLrdwKTTJBVOCm1vh0-tr2SlIzKpMJ5T2kMbn7HaLounYDBhE7JauPKRhc-4mMFN3Fmkw-JgjVL7/s200/caution-symbol.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Caution</b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">For American Right Christians, the
following is a good old fashioned willow tree limb spanking.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the eyes of an American Christian
Right, it didn’t matter electing a conspiracist, sexist, misogynist,
racist, narcissistic and foul mouthed president. Everything Donald Trump has to
offer goes against the supposed ethics of what a fundamentalist Christian
purports to believe in. Certainly Jesus Christ, the man himself would have
quickly, not only seen, but feel and reel at the faults of Trump in his
ineptitudes. This, in expressing what it truly means to be Christian, it too, also
relays in what it means to be an ethical human.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So here’s what your Christian Right
preacher ensemble is preaching...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just prior to the election, you had pastors,
John Hagee and Janet Porter stating God will hold you accountable if you don’t
vote for Trump. On the ‘Hagee Hotline’, Hagee warned his listeners that, “<i>God will not hold us harmless. I’m going to
vote for the candidate that’s going to make the U.S. military great again. I’m
not going to vote for the party that has betrayed Israel for the past seven
years</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On her August 2016 video, Christian
right-wing Porter proclaimed, “<i>God
actually told us not to sit [out the election] when He gave us His voter guide
in Deuteronomy</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Immediately after the election results
and in a celebratory mood, senior pastor of Dallas’ ‘First Baptist Church, Dr.
Robert Jeffress, inferred in a short video, “<i>In Daniel, chapter 2, it’s clear that God alone establishes our leaders</i>.”
Huh, no it doesn’t. But if it does, God surely picks despicable leaders, as
this narcissist King Nebuchadnezzar in the biblical dream story was to have his
astrologers cut up into pieces if they couldn’t interpret his dream. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Contrary to nonpartisan fact checker</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Daniel
Dale’s mid-September up to Election Day count of no less than 560 outright Trump
lies, preacher of ‘Morningstar Ministries’, Rick Joyner wails about Trump by
saying, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">He is an honest man. He is one
of the most honest people I’ve met because he tells you what he really thinks.
There [are] no facades there. He is not hiding anything</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” That 560 lies
averaging out to a torrid 20 Trump lies per day, somehow doesn’t phase Joyner
at all.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Televangelist Joyner has also declared on
his ‘Prophetic Perspectives on Current Events’ that, “<i>If you look at the
disciples That Jesus chose, they were all Donald Trump</i>.” Do you really believe
that?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSKmfNl8EDCzDQ7XyeILniCwjZEg3whE_y5OvALUquFeQvBYQyQ_FNWZG6KwsrarQKe1GYylZrl-fVD7Lf4_McYAa4JgUy_2mc_GEhtuhQgLuKXlkQyS0QM8JhnD74Qfk-InqdIlyKvpHt/s1600/1-gop+end+times.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSKmfNl8EDCzDQ7XyeILniCwjZEg3whE_y5OvALUquFeQvBYQyQ_FNWZG6KwsrarQKe1GYylZrl-fVD7Lf4_McYAa4JgUy_2mc_GEhtuhQgLuKXlkQyS0QM8JhnD74Qfk-InqdIlyKvpHt/s320/1-gop+end+times.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">End Times pastor, Tom Horn proclaimed
Trump as the forerunner if not the Messiah himself. On the ‘Jim Bakker Show’
earlier this month, Horn claimed that Trump’s bloodline goes back to the
‘Davidic Dynasty’ and that certain Israeli rabbis told him that name “</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump actually means ‘Messiah</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">”’;
although he didn’t enlighten us as to what language stresses so.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Speaking of pay-day preacher Bakker, on
his November 25<sup>th</sup> show he urged viewers to buy his ‘Tasty Pantry
Food Buckets’, for his prediction of anti-Trump riots will make it impossible to
go to the grocery store. You can watch the video below and see for yourself how
he is duping his followers.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/txvQkpPfRD0" width="814"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jim Bakker also stated that Hillary
supporters are going to get earthquakes as sent down by God for punishment.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On ‘Fox News Sunday’ December 11<sup>th</sup>
program, Trump’s House Chief of Staff pick, Reince Priebus asserted that “<i>every single thing</i>” President-elect
Donald Trump has done “<i>has been factual</i>”
and is “<i>supported by 80 percent of Americans</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">None of this nonsense is true, but who cares;
right?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX), on
the Virginia’s, Rob Schilling radio show professed, “<i>We can never, ever allow
this country to come that close to immediately losing four of the 1st ten
rights, 1st ten amendments that the founders gave us</i>.” He falsely claimed that
Hillary Clinton supports an “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">international
law that makes it a crime to say anything negative about Islam</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” and that
the “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">10th Amendment means nothing</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” to
her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course you Christian Right folks love
Trump’s threat to repeal the 1954 ‘Johnson Amendment’ which states, “<i>houses of worship, cannot endorse or oppose
political candidates for office if they want to retain their tax-exempt status.
While pastors are free to endorse or oppose candidates, the church itself
cannot and pastors cannot do so from the pulpit</i>.” But what you don’t
realize in mixing religion up with politics, all other religions may do it as
well under America’s democratic umbrella. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Do ya really want that?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This upcoming Trump presidency threatens
the face of American values by empowering the radical right that had been,
until this election, relegated to the fringes of American culture. This, in
thanks to a large part of the Christian Right that has displayed bigotry in
abetting a Trump victory. Certainly, Jesus Christ, who was not only for the
befallen poor, but for the destitute, would not have befallen, then swayed as
the fundamentalist Christian has for Trump. Christians are supposedly to be a
follower of Christ and are not to be tempted in being weakened into biased
thought. But American Christianity is based on bias to fuel a corrupted belief.
This is why, as the founding fathers imposed, religion should always be
maintained as separate from the state because religion is a biased opinion and
not a substantive policy in equality for all.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So for all you Christians out there,
Trump and these false professors of Jesus had you turn over your religious
morals for political immorality. That is why religion and politics should
remain separate as the founding fathers intended. Believe me; you will regret
your Trump voting decision somewhere down the line if your religious beliefs
truly dictate your life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Book
of Fief</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump, rather than concentrating on
reason and be motivated by policy, places all efforts on emotion by using
populist ideology that caters to bias, fear and ignorance. He has refined this
into an art form throughout his tweets. The word demagogue is specifically
defined as:<i> a political leader who seeks
support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using
rational argument</i>. When espousing on the antics of candidate and
president-elect Trump, do the bells of demagoguery ring clear and loud; do you
hear how well the rings synchronize?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump, without a blink of an eye will
lie to curry favor from his ardent base. He enflames the burning winds of
scapegoating Muslims, immigrants, and American minorities, while debasing the
media, union workers, women, even SNL, or any other responsible critic. Anyone
who disagrees with his deceitful tactics and disinformation rhetoric, to keep
his plain folk base’s torched embers in a perpetual glow; his narcissism and
ego requires that he will attack those critics directly to his base through
‘Twitter’, where in turn, slings their frothing slobber.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn84FUM76Gsw1wYk6hinua9aGIxfoWcDlZGKqCo7bxeKmqrFvi7viEZwjDF4zciTf2jBP3yJw_-kGHKnUeCPvmSCI5kxoWaRNxy8r56MPglxMDWgY5xkQdL-Ttgx5ispVZxCntQ4KZMqwb/s1600/1-gop+rig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn84FUM76Gsw1wYk6hinua9aGIxfoWcDlZGKqCo7bxeKmqrFvi7viEZwjDF4zciTf2jBP3yJw_-kGHKnUeCPvmSCI5kxoWaRNxy8r56MPglxMDWgY5xkQdL-Ttgx5ispVZxCntQ4KZMqwb/s320/1-gop+rig.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The people Trump has surrounded himself with
actually aids him in spreading falsities. When asked by news anchors and
reporters on Trump’s totally fabricated proclamation that three million votes
cast for Hillary were illegal, would </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">surrogates</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> deny his claim or at least council
him on tightening his rhetoric? No, they all pawned it off as harmless opinion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mike Pence, after grilled by George Stephanopoulos
on ABCs ‘This Week’ called it “<i>refreshing</i>,”
and “<i>it is his right to express his
opinion on that</i>.” When asked by John Dickerson on ‘Face the Nation’ Reince
Priebus said, “<i>Well I don’t know if
that’s not true</i>” and “<i>I think he’s
done a great job</i>,” in spreading the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As in the ‘Pizzagate’ case where the
right-wing conspiracy claimed Hillary had chopped up children into little
pieces and drank their blood, there is emphatically no factual evidence to back
up Trump’s false proclamation; it is to the contrary of truth. Nonetheless, it
is what the Christian Right, along with the rest of his base want to hear to
back up their bias and misbeliefs, therefore it is truth to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In fact, Trump cheerleader, Scottie Nell
Hughes on NPRs, ‘Diane Rehm’s show</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> said, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">There's
no such thing, unfortunately, anymore of facts and so Mr. Trump's tweet amongst
a certain crowd, a large -- a large part of the population, are truth</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unfortunately for Ms. Hughes, facts can
be checked and whether one likes or dislikes it, it still remains substantial.
But what else is unfortunate here is that a substantial amount of Americans
feel that relevant facts don’t matter. Hughes went on to further add that it’s
not that facts don’t matter, they don’t even exist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is not normal behavior; its
extremity indeed parallels an empowerment of another demagogue monger to engage
in accepted scapegoat ethnic cleansing in its horrific push in crimes against
humanity in the total lapse of ethic humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For the Christian Right, by no means was
a vote for Trump a vote cast for genuine Christianity. I am not myself
Christian or beholden to any form of religion, but even my eyes can see through
the smoke and dust Trump’s presidential trail will lead this nation into. It is
not the stolid and solid embodiment of human values that this country, the
United States of America has historically bestowed and most certainly he does
not extend an inkling of Christian morality, much less Jesus Christ the Savior
values. He has utilized Christianity for his own gain. And why not, for all of
Trump’s goals throughout his whole life has been geared towards his </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">own </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">gain at the expense of others. He’s 70-years-old now and is not going to change. Either
out of ignorance, the unwittingly Christian who voted for Trump, or out of bias
the willingly Christian who voted for Trump, has scorched Christian identity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To each and every Trump Christian voter,
if these are fighting words for you, then back it up...back it up instead of
backing up into a squirreled corner simply to lash out with third grader
mentality slurs...back it up with some substance...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Living
on Nettles, Pea-shells, Reeds & Briars</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If the fundamentalist Christian thinks
or feels Trump embodies the reconciliation of the kingdom of God, they need to
think again. In Trump’s recorded comments of bragging about his sexually
aggressive assaults and admittance in watching models dress and undress by
walking into their dressing rooms, for sympathy, he currently denies that he is a perfect man.
You, the so-called Christian gave him his free pass right out of the gates of
Hades...right out of the bowels of your own tortured soul’s Hell when he said,
“<i>I’ve never said I’m a perfect person</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Mp5VsBt4UnlgOK_vhGGpz2wF03KA-s_2_iZg7diSc_SJC9h0aEMcjMTMV9JDynD3Fx8MXtx8m-MEU3q6q31x1nfNiZRu_E1FA2hm0io-yt7cOB7-ilBNm04Ym04BqLi6S-32k3RlfTnk/s1600/1-gop+trump+modus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Mp5VsBt4UnlgOK_vhGGpz2wF03KA-s_2_iZg7diSc_SJC9h0aEMcjMTMV9JDynD3Fx8MXtx8m-MEU3q6q31x1nfNiZRu_E1FA2hm0io-yt7cOB7-ilBNm04Ym04BqLi6S-32k3RlfTnk/s320/1-gop+trump+modus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Conveniently forgetting he actually has
stated he’s perfect not once but publically twice, you still showered it over
and gave him that free pass. You can’t quite jar your memory that in 2011,
Republican strategist, Frank Luntz flat out asked Trump if he had ever asked
God for forgiveness. You further ignored Trump’s reply when he answered “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I am not sure that I have…I don’t think in
terms of that</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Perhaps your long term memory isn’t up
to snuff, but more recently in 2015, CNNs, Anderson Cooper asked Trump if he
would like to refine previous comments concerning his failings where Trump
insisted, “<i>Well, I like to work where I
don’t really have to ask for it. I like to do the right thing where I don’t
actually have to ask for forgiveness. Does that make sense to you? You know,
where you don’t make such bad things that you don’t have to ask for
forgiveness. I mean, I’m trying to lead a life where I don’t have to ask God
for forgiveness. Why do I have to repent? Why do I have to ask for forgiveness
if you’re not making mistakes</i>?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Do you really feel that Trump has
immunity from your God? Knowing he said this, but still supporting him I just
suppose you no longer concern yourself with original </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">sin</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> as much as ya do now
for your original </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">spin</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. My, oh my...what a wonderful made-up world you live in.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzEsezMLmeBbTbVqxxkUB9reYFmGJ5vr10brfCjTO9_sHvgJYFmUwysK6Hqtm1ymHuIXTvWKywoEybC48PfivISVSw3PZtlMkzji1q8YzvrNktZciGMmqjc5ztd39g78LoQKx_jMhhx-P/s1600/1-gop+fake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzEsezMLmeBbTbVqxxkUB9reYFmGJ5vr10brfCjTO9_sHvgJYFmUwysK6Hqtm1ymHuIXTvWKywoEybC48PfivISVSw3PZtlMkzji1q8YzvrNktZciGMmqjc5ztd39g78LoQKx_jMhhx-P/s320/1-gop+fake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">But while justifying voting for Trump,
you’re emptying your picnic lunch basket, because justifications in doing
so only attract ants to your basket. No, there is more to it than your
make-feel-better rogue excuses...your deviate choice was far more in line with
your biased beliefs whether ya realize it consciously or not.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump’s brash pompousness has a glaring
and blaring signature attached to it and surely reveals why he’s so reluctant
to apologize for anything. That includes his blatantly offensive remarks about
immigrants, minorities, veterans and women. If he won’t ask God for
forgiveness, why the heck would he ask anyone else? This is so inherently
obvious, but yet you...the Christian Right ignored it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once in to Trump’s tenure, it will
become apparent what Republicans will take away from the common American and
being a Christian will have no immunity from its onslaught. Most of America’s
poor are in the Christian Bible Belt. If Republicans proceed full bore with
their wishes...Obamacare, SNAP, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid,
environmental laws and national parks/federal public lands are going to be
impacted negatively. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All these domestic and public policies
are to have cuts in funding, have far more difficult access, sold off to
private capitalist/industrial entities or flat out be repealed. It’s a shame
that the very ones that voted Republicans into office are not <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">exempt</span> and are going
to be denied policies that were the greatest yet this nation has come up with
in benefiting the public. What’s even more shameful, the ones that didn’t vote
Republican are going to have to share in the misery right alongside the ones
that did.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dishonored
Badge of Fleur-de-Lis</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In grafting religion into politics, you,
the Christian Right have desecrated your own savior’s teachings. The oval
office doesn’t ensure your prosperity, nor strengthen your values, no, but the
oval office can corrupt your prosperity and tarnish your ethical values. The
only entity that guarantees your values’ rights is your fellow individual
American. You’ve destroyed that gift for others to greedily ensure your own,
but eventually, you’ve blindly furthered your own <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">belief</span>’s demise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nell Ziehl, a person suffering from and
coping with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) wrote down the symptoms
after professionally being evaluated. They are: A) It’s not curable and it’s
barely treatable. You are who you are. B) You’ll say whatever feels most
comfortable or good at any given time. You will lie a lot, and say totally
different things to different people. C) Entitlement is a key aspect of the
disorder and one will likely not observe traditional boundaries of an office
holder insisting rules do not apply for one’s own self. D) One with NPD only
cares about himself/herself and those he/she views as extensions of themselves,
like children. E) It’s very difficult and confusing for the non-afflicted to
reason with a person with NPD because while often intelligent, charismatic, and
charming, the NPD person does not reliably observe social conventions or
demonstrate basic human empathy. So to get along</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> the non-afflicted try to
normalize the behavior. F) The afflicted person will engage in gaslighting—where
someone tries to convince you that the reality you’ve experienced isn’t true—is
real and torturous. The afflicted person with NPD will gaslight and so too, his/her
followers will gaslight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Any of this sound all too familiar at
what is about to become our president? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For all you Christian Right voters, in
which 8 out of 10 white evangelical Christians pulled the voting booth lever
for Trump, you’ve got to ask yourself...would you like your children, teachers,
your boss, your friend or even your spouse to behave like Trump?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You all had your justifications in
voting for Trump such as the lesser of two evils, although pitting a
billionaire “<i>grabbing</i>” egomaniac
versus someone who has committed their entire life to enhancing children’s
lives, appears to be not much of a valid comparison. Or, because you wanted the
D.C. swamp drained, you casted your vote for Trump, but still on the down
ticket ballots, you voted for every Republican incumbent there was. You contend
Hillary can’t be trusted and is a liar even though you cannot come up with one
concrete pertinent lie of hers that hasn’t been conspired by the countless
Republican hearings and investigations of her that all wound up as baseless and
pointless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Meanwhile, you completely ignored all of
the endless Trump lies and deceptions. Those danged Trump lies that covered
birtherism, the Iraq War, Immigration, tax returns, unemployment rates, Benghazi,
crime, LGBT rights, etc., etcetera...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">You, as the Christian Right even
proclaimed we need to get the dollars out of our politics. But lo, Trump has chosen, at the latest five billionaires to
run his administration along with countless millionaires. Where is the common
man represented here? One billionaire, Steven Mnuchin, whom Trump has picked as
Secretary of the Treasury, comes from Wall St., risky hedge funds and mortgages.
Mnuchin once had an 87-year-old lady evicted from her home in Florida due to
the fact she owed a mere 0.27¢ on the reverse mortgage policy his lending
company held. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">No, the real reason you voted for Trump,
is that he stoked and patted your biases and catered to your frustrations and
unfounded fears elating your want, perhaps even your need of America to being
one-of-a-kind...your own kind. But I have news for ya...America has always been
an admixture and will always be. It’s due now that all Americans can have a
fair start. It doesn’t mean that your values will disappear or lose importance;
it only means that all others’ values won’t either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course you, the upright Christian Right,
the very one who claims to be the true patriot, dished out the gravy in more excuses
in Trump picking billionaires, former W. Bush appointees and Wall Street
executives. You shrug it off by stating, he needs appointees with experience
when before, this is exactly what you claimed you hated about D.C. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yet that even digs you deeper into the hypocritical
slime you’ve enveloped yourself in, for Trump indeed did pick those with
absolutely no experience. Rick Perry, ya know the one in the Republican 2012
presidential primaries that had the “<i>oops</i>”
moment. He couldn’t recall the third department he would shut down, but is now
slated to be secretary of that department. That office is the ‘Department of
Energy.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, as Trump’s choice of Secretary of
Energy, in replacing Obama’s nuclear physicist, Ernest Jeffrey Moniz pick,
Perry shuns science and has no experience whatsoever in energy; even once
proclaimed to just abolish the department altogether. What’s he to do now as
its head; go ahead and shut it down along with his new post putting himself out
of a job? I highly doubt it, but if he is so inept in managing it for the
betterment of the nation, it may well be forced to shut down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Perry’s just one instance of Trump’s
vastly inexperienced picks. A couple of others are Scott Pruitt to head the
EPA, who knows nothing about the environmental sciences and once joined a
lawsuit against the EPA because he’s so deep in the fossil fuel industry’s
pockets. The Secretary of State pick is Rex Tillerson who may have ties with
Putin and was awarded the ‘Order of Friendship’ by Russia, but has no understanding
of state interests. He only knows how to enrich a corporation. Billionaire,
Andy Puzner after stating that automation is so much better than employees
because they don’t ask for </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">any </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">overtime pay is now Trump’s pick for Secretary of
Labor. As owner of ‘Carl Jr’s’ and ‘Hardees’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Puzner only knows how to flip a
burger and fire employees.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Perhaps, like their boss, all these
Trump picks are there simply to enrich themselves financially adding to
personal gain at the expense of sound policy for the nation.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHE-wK0s2wZW3Opp5rpgr12z9Nlnf8UQl8qm8UAOYEKsoZ2wC-76gaRlA5oT99VS1QIDN_g5SmmkbxR3u6KvZsjT7CKv9QYMD5Bew4SbWxNQs_eNfcI4PdUGfyefDm5KwT2TlylcjRpxA/s1600/1-gop+mny+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHE-wK0s2wZW3Opp5rpgr12z9Nlnf8UQl8qm8UAOYEKsoZ2wC-76gaRlA5oT99VS1QIDN_g5SmmkbxR3u6KvZsjT7CKv9QYMD5Bew4SbWxNQs_eNfcI4PdUGfyefDm5KwT2TlylcjRpxA/s320/1-gop+mny+wall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Until you accept the fact that an
American Muslim is as American as you are and that immigrant Americans have as
much rights as you do and that Americans rifted in poverty are as deserving as
you and that American minorities share the same access to equalities as you do,
you will remain in a bubbled up world that eventually is going to pop exposing
your willing hypocrisy and detrimental ways.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In your claim of being the ‘real’
American, if the truly original and real Native American thought as you do,
then the lot of you with your ancestral European heritage should have been sent
back to your humble origins a long time ago. Surely this is not Christ-like and
until you realize that; you will always create and incorporate divisive
friction into a nation that was meant, as from the founding fathers to be based
and formed solely on unity as the United States of America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You, the Christian Right are going to be
doing some real soul searching as a result of Trump’s tenure that you yourself
created and self-inflicted </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">the infecting wound </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">onto all of us. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">May Your Bells
Jingle this Christmas!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">12/23/2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-33459425579520022012016-11-19T17:25:00.000-05:002016-11-23T15:08:38.833-05:00Remorse in Following<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Remorse in Following<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ending</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Boy-howdy, I guess those of us who say
anyone can become president of the United States weren’t kidding. However, for
those that said anyone can grow up to be president are a bit off, for...has
Trump truly grown up? Need I not have to remind ya of his vulgar slurs, vile
insults, incessant lying and bullying ways? Is that truly adult behavior and
maturity?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Qv5GFaksY_LYn2G3PVjCg6svK-TbVgY5h5v42ONrN_SRZiMJVs47vXMYJobufaAsJBicI2l28q26lO53beoHP_fNR6e0vYRNzRKUeKrPcurI6jkFHzO66hfIm8XHEnKtNIlYxGcgkdHl/s1600/1-gop-elctn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Qv5GFaksY_LYn2G3PVjCg6svK-TbVgY5h5v42ONrN_SRZiMJVs47vXMYJobufaAsJBicI2l28q26lO53beoHP_fNR6e0vYRNzRKUeKrPcurI6jkFHzO66hfIm8XHEnKtNIlYxGcgkdHl/s320/1-gop-elctn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This will be my last political article. It is
not due to the election results that I am giving up; no, quite the contrary,
for I’m more energized than ever to combat the lying and deceitful Republican
strategies they have endorsed and carried out throughout these past decades simply
to hold onto power at expense of the nation.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The reason is mechanical. I have only thirteen
more spaces to write articles on my website before it totals out to its
capacity of one hundred. The remaining thirteen publishings I wish to write
will be devoted to science articles and a couple of religious and philosophical
writings.</span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Currently, I want to get more involved
than ever by organizing some grassroots movement, to set priority goals and to
hold Trump and Republicans in check. Not through the signing of a few
petitions, but through actively engaging in one-on-one, eye-to-eye
conversations with those that are now marginalized and fearful of the election
results and to those that are initially elated by the election results, but
will be sadly disappointed in the longer term in realizing they voted for the
very entities that wish to continue their struggles through policies that only
benefit the upper elites. Change is coming; that is what they voted for so they
say, but the change will be even more profound in negatively impacting average
Americans’ lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once organized, in the off election years
I want to canvas neighborhoods. Go up to homes, knock on doors, ask pertinent
questions, listen to the answers, evaluate data, revisit, have a question and
answer follow up, revaluate data then give that data to progressive fronts and
Democrats to focus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There will no more be an Obama
presidency or a Hillary first woman ever U.S. president to blame it on; it will,
as the 2016 electoral year right-wing voter, be on the shoulders of the bigoted
voters’, Christian Right’s, Trump’s and the Republican congresses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Various Republican relatives, friends,
bloggers and the ones met in the streets, tell me, to get over it and give Trump
a chance. Yeah OK, I will, just like they gave Obama a chance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">They say, in Trump’s victory speech, he
wants the nation to unite and that he represents all Americans, ya know the old
reliable rehashed speech that all past triumphal American presidents have said
at their victory speech. But none of the past presidents based their entire
campaign on such divisive issues as Trump has pitting American against American
through social, race, income, class, cultural and religious intolerances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I do accept him as the new president of
my nation, but as far as respecting him, well he’s going to have to really earn
that first before respect is even considered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With this last political commentary, I
thank ya kindly for your readership and am grateful to all that won’t give up
on the fight. So to those that agreed with my thoughts and words in my exposés
and to those that didn’t, I salute you all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Effect & Fallout</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For me personally the initial shock of
the election results was a 10 ton megawatt jolt, unfathomable in the
consequences of the outcome. It was a downtrodden result for sure. There was to
say the least, a tad bit of sulking ramping up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protests over Trump’s victory
immediately spread nationwide extending into a week with Los Angeles holding
over 100,000 protesters. Protests also went global spreading out into European
major city streets.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7zwQ5JwXlbRZH02NSQA_zkrgdeOKP7jUERH7nG_jQFCm50lBHFlwiyHDmyFejsIXJk1Bz52vfWdUEeQ6skwnouqOBMxsAR8egpuo6rpEiIF6YiGQaAr0TiE_m3VvZ8HqlvA0LR6P8a0w/s1600/1-gop+fml+dspr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7zwQ5JwXlbRZH02NSQA_zkrgdeOKP7jUERH7nG_jQFCm50lBHFlwiyHDmyFejsIXJk1Bz52vfWdUEeQ6skwnouqOBMxsAR8egpuo6rpEiIF6YiGQaAr0TiE_m3VvZ8HqlvA0LR6P8a0w/s320/1-gop+fml+dspr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I felt for Hillary and all her female
supporters. With an impending despair they were lost for words. In the 242 years
America has been a nation it still hasn’t elected a female president. So close
this time, but vanquished by electing a misogynistic sexist over her. That is a
blatant reminder of adding insult to injury.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hillary gave a fine concession speech
asking for unity and in how much she believed in this nation, even how proud
she was to be an American. Her speech was a far cry from what Trump was foreboding
if he lost. How many times did he express the election is rigged, encouraging
supporters to rebel and take to the streets if he lost. That he wouldn’t
concede. Hillary’s concession spoke through the heart; as for Trump, well he
has excreted through the bowels so many times throughout this election cycle,
one can only imagine what diarrhea would have squirted forth from the guts in
his concession speech if he had lost.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKglB-m0_38KhJiPCaIc2wkaG73pcb9QjV1H_eeTQLZ_tXE_uCPzJi-hZQw78UH8ddIB1JW2ktiGZF1ky12f6mPPflJ4CcmoHwuEx9ujR1g40riEG2cgRWpmOXJ8ISzrLPUYRSur3zsgK/s1600/1-gop+fear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKglB-m0_38KhJiPCaIc2wkaG73pcb9QjV1H_eeTQLZ_tXE_uCPzJi-hZQw78UH8ddIB1JW2ktiGZF1ky12f6mPPflJ4CcmoHwuEx9ujR1g40riEG2cgRWpmOXJ8ISzrLPUYRSur3zsgK/s200/1-gop+fear.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hundreds of thousands of female voters
have expressed their heartfelt disbelief. They are disparaged and for sure it
has to do with Hillary losing, someone they identified with and felt secure
with in what it’s like in being a female in this country. However, they truly
are fearful because it goes beyond Hillary’s loss.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHMZhvR-y9DffrUyJ6OtOcU07uWrM3zNx2unpbpzR01ECi3MFjNOueFpbPm27ehNlmVC4wc7_-75Ajo8Ank0J3KKfyJSCV4N_9Vmwcq0G-3T8s3RDVUEea6LTH6rLrxXTmlH8LzLTabGU/s1600/1-gop+fear1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHMZhvR-y9DffrUyJ6OtOcU07uWrM3zNx2unpbpzR01ECi3MFjNOueFpbPm27ehNlmVC4wc7_-75Ajo8Ank0J3KKfyJSCV4N_9Vmwcq0G-3T8s3RDVUEea6LTH6rLrxXTmlH8LzLTabGU/s320/1-gop+fear1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Most women at one point in their lives
have been sexually assaulted in some form or another. Now, the nation has just
elected a known sexual predator as president. So don’t ever question why they
are bereaved. Allow them the time to accept this in their own due time frame,
for there is no time limit for their disappointment to end. They’re bereft of
the hope that vanished overnight in these election results.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cMJ-ec89EhfIjbptSFq2mJMK9J3IRTREjYAJR4qsXMvMe0CnmQ7iZBJ1HHCuPFK-dNl8lCWPlPaV_53GDWLhpPqpcRPf-Eztm7D-0t9H-miWc2JFSBFxuA1FpX33zrcgIZdjj9sAhX1i/s1600/1-gop+sad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cMJ-ec89EhfIjbptSFq2mJMK9J3IRTREjYAJR4qsXMvMe0CnmQ7iZBJ1HHCuPFK-dNl8lCWPlPaV_53GDWLhpPqpcRPf-Eztm7D-0t9H-miWc2JFSBFxuA1FpX33zrcgIZdjj9sAhX1i/s200/1-gop+sad.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sure right-wingers might want to bring
up, Bill Clinton for comparison, but there is no comparison. I won’t defend
Bill’s actions for they were wrong, but Clinton behaved in the manner as more
of a charmer; Trump was an aggressor ‘grabbing’ what he wanted and that is much
more threatening.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">After this election, I plainly see now
that substantive facts are subpar; trivial as compared to rhetorical ideologue.
Trump campaigned that he and he alone is going to create millions and millions
of jobs, so many jobs that workers will tire at which job to choose from. In
various speeches he proclaims, “</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
wealthy are going to create tremendous jobs</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” He claims under his ideas, “</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The economy will average a 3.5% growth and
create a total of 25 million new jobs</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">So, the Trumpers liked that and bit into
the bait hard...hook, line and sinker. But, when I speak to the Trumpers and
Trumpettes, I ask, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">How is he going to
achieve this</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">?” They have no idea and merely respond by saying, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I don’t know, but he said it, so he’ll do it</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”
They truly don’t know for Trump has given no policies or detail on how he will
achieve it. Just like they confess, Trump merely says it, but it appears that’s
good enough for them.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is no arguing, racism climbed
after the nation elected its first black president. Trump tapped into that in
forming his base support. Since Obama’s inauguration, according to the ‘Secret
Service’, he receives a minimum of thirty death threats per day. That’s a 400%
increase over all past presidents. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">So, I also tell Trump supporters that
you voted for and am celebrating the victory of the very same person the Ku
Klux Klan (KKK), every white nationalist group and every American Nazi social
media outlet praised, endorsed and voted for.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Calling it the ‘Victory Klavalkade Klan
Parade’, I explain the KKK is even planning a victory parade this December 03. Former
Grand Wizard, David Duke thanked Julian Assange for helping elect Trump. Heck,
for that matter, Marine Le Pen of France, Geert Wilder of the Netherlands,
Nigel Farage of Britain and Norbert Hofer of Austria, all leaders of European white
nationalist movements were one of the first to phone and congratulate Trump on
his triumphal victory.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">These Trump voters I spoke with didn’t
care, didn’t even flinch while flashing a skirmish smile, but yet are the same
ones to label a liberal as fascist. As a religious right-winger, one female
Trump voter even tried telling me that the KKK was backing Hillary and
Democrats. She got learned real quickly from a little bit of my own brand of West
Texan growing up schooling after that comment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Seeing people cheering for the outcome
of this election waving the Confederate flag, one can understand the real
bereavement, the disenfranchisement to their nation and the concern the other
half of Americans feel. I mean there are minority children waking up from this
election result asking their parents if they are going to be taken away from
their homes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watch the video below for Van Jones’
take on how and why insecure feelings have overwhelmed half the nation.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MA9aSvHzEIU" width="600"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the following, before I point out the
extremist right-wing actions due to the elections, I would like to say there
were a few isolated left-wing transgressions as well, but it was only a handful
due to the frustration in the loss. No less, there is no excuse for it, but it
does not compare to the scores of numbers of right-wing transgressions in
feeling Trump’s victory opened the doors to behave as such and one can only
imagine how they would have handled the frustration in losing if this is how
they acted in winning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also, as an attempt to diffuse the
right-wing actions, some of the claimed left-wing violent acts were false. The
bogus posting of a video showing liberals beating to death a Trump fan in
Philadelphia was fabricated. The video is of an unfortunate result, but is
actually the footage of irate family members assaulting a homeless man on April
07, 2015 after a boy had told his mother that the homeless man had hit him. The
man had to be put into a medically induced coma to treat his severe injuries,
but it had nothing to do with the outcome of the November 2016 elections.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Or how about this anonymous post that
was circulating through the right-wing websites: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>The
father of a 4-year-old girl died after anti-Trump protesters blocked roads and
delayed an ambulance from reaching the hospital, according to an anguished
message posted on Facebook.</i> <i>I have to
unfacebook for a few days. I had a patient die during a transfer last night
because our ambulance was stopped by protesters and had to drive an extra 45
minutes around the blocked roads</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The post concludes, “<i>I can’t today. They can give their f**king
safety pins to my patient’s fatherless 4 year old daughter</i>.” This post is
totally unfounded and is a common thread that has been used in years past
blaming ‘Black Lives Matters’ (BLM) protests for the exact same false actions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then there was this false claim:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>And
a Black Lives Matter protester realized how stupid she really is after she
slapped a police horse. The horse immediately kicked her in the head. She fell
flat on her face and then ran away holding her nose. That’s instant karma!
These horses are military grade they are trained for riots and will defend
themselves if stupid human beings attack them Think again before touching Gods
chosen</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is true that an incident of a white
woman in Kingston, Ontario, Canada was kicked in the leg by a policeman’s
horse, but she was not part of the BLM. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, there were without doubt two
confirmed reports of a Connecticut and Bronx man punched and kicked for being a
Trump supporter. This is uncalled for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There has been a spike of hate crime
reports, an increase in racist vandalism and a rash of hateful threats to
American minorities since the election results. The day after the elections,
‘The Southern Law Poverty Center’ received over 200 hate crime reports. Since
the election, the center has seen a 40% spike in hate crimes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As the center’s president, Richard Cohen
says, “<i>Since the election, we’ve seen a
big uptick in incidents of vandalism, threats, intimidation spurred by the
rhetoric surrounding Mr. Trump’s election</i>.” Pert-near every state has been
impacted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In total as of November 14, there have
been over 300 at 332 reported hate crimes committed and still climbing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some examples of the day after elections
are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The left leaning Democratic Underground
was shut down on election night by a Trump supporting hacker.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bFBCstFOSC8Hdw2AvKJwnK_u2r-2yuPg9CqGWkV4re6wyBCfJsKn9ksObqhVJI2VpGrVPmyaNMj6tnoPBIJFJrbkdloOdsrOMNXBnR8vNTnRDqgZ3XhhGUXj6bzo8Eu2Ij78DJzYY7VN/s1600/1-gop+dem+undrgrnd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bFBCstFOSC8Hdw2AvKJwnK_u2r-2yuPg9CqGWkV4re6wyBCfJsKn9ksObqhVJI2VpGrVPmyaNMj6tnoPBIJFJrbkdloOdsrOMNXBnR8vNTnRDqgZ3XhhGUXj6bzo8Eu2Ij78DJzYY7VN/s320/1-gop+dem+undrgrnd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">On the morning of 11/09/16 in Cambridge
Massachusetts at a Shell gas station, bystanders and the Hispanic of interest
witnessed a USPS white male employee yell at the Hispanic, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Go back to your country. This is ‘Trump
Land’. You ain’t getting your check anymore</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a Muslim woman
was threatened by a man that he would set her on fire if she didn’t take off
her hijab.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The vehicle of a transgender woman in
Denver, Colorado was spray painted with hate graffiti.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-1cTihrEKwj7wJXwjl77bRbTKPVbuvmvsWMzoM0hyDA4-MIE0hhGbF6gPkvkNw-RuNhwUjA4ddck2D8SpLW7nra4xfG7Ht5W2mH5iqvNnheWfUI46IQ6-SNgP_S9H7qK2DXBOkiiivL0/s1600/1-gop+htrd3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-1cTihrEKwj7wJXwjl77bRbTKPVbuvmvsWMzoM0hyDA4-MIE0hhGbF6gPkvkNw-RuNhwUjA4ddck2D8SpLW7nra4xfG7Ht5W2mH5iqvNnheWfUI46IQ6-SNgP_S9H7qK2DXBOkiiivL0/s320/1-gop+htrd3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Parents encouraged by Trump and in
cycle, children encouraged by their parents have resorted to some post-election
ethnic taunts at their schools.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At a Pennsylvania high school, ‘York
County School of Technology’, white males were video recorded walking down a
hallway with two holding up a Trump sign while others behind them were shouting
“<i>white power</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At Detroit’s ‘Oak Brook Middle School’
in Michigan, white students in the school cafeteria were recorded chanting
“Build the Wall” to students that were Hispanic; some were crying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also in Dewitt Michigan’s junior high
school, a group of white students, by forming a handheld human wall blocked the
entranceways to classes and lockers for those they deemed Hispanic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Texas’ Plano </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">East </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">High School a group
of male students forcibly took off a female student’s hijab.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also in Texas at the small northwest border
town of Fort Hancock, visiting supporters from the Archer City volleyball team
were shouting from the stands “<i>Build The
Wall</i>” while holding Trump signs during play. It most certainly would’ve
been nice if Fort Hancock</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, who are primarily Mexican American, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">had won the game. Unfortunately they didn’t, but hung in there and played the whole game nonetheless.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In Maple Grove, Minnesota, graffiti was
written in a male bathroom saying, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Go
back to Africa. Make America Great Again</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,” and on the stall door...well, I
don’t need to repeat it, just look at it if ya want in the photo below.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFcGNsUGL1UZYzQIezzJSdYj6ZDslqXBWodWs2dys8Y3FpTvkYKYxGeqQVj4-G7YjWRYAeA5ABb4H5DOSdAQsXRVbPHbeVpiMm9DeZ_-ytlkee8_hR34_C6XWa1VBkGlQ_lDogM_cUElk/s1600/1-gop+htrd5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFcGNsUGL1UZYzQIezzJSdYj6ZDslqXBWodWs2dys8Y3FpTvkYKYxGeqQVj4-G7YjWRYAeA5ABb4H5DOSdAQsXRVbPHbeVpiMm9DeZ_-ytlkee8_hR34_C6XWa1VBkGlQ_lDogM_cUElk/s200/1-gop+htrd5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In New York City at a dorm, swastikas
were drawn on the doors of three Jewish young women who live in residence at
the ‘New School’, while at the residence hall of ‘State University of New York’
(SUNY) a swastika and Trump were scrawled on walls.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF23kAXsgVhd3NGVlAPF7UbU1eEBWdkoXn3aw6Feo38nKswffvysmAoYKCct2bA8GVBeHNsSsMnl3hcMf2OKV_flCbcNJ6Z3GrMgb9HAEOpci9ABVVR4yt3yET4Ae8qF2VVkWoHZcKfCRr/s1600/1-gop+htrd6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF23kAXsgVhd3NGVlAPF7UbU1eEBWdkoXn3aw6Feo38nKswffvysmAoYKCct2bA8GVBeHNsSsMnl3hcMf2OKV_flCbcNJ6Z3GrMgb9HAEOpci9ABVVR4yt3yET4Ae8qF2VVkWoHZcKfCRr/s200/1-gop+htrd6.jpg" width="153" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Originating from Oklahoma, someone is
using ‘GroupMe’, a Microsoft mobile App for racial profiling where sordid
people send Black students names to and then vile racial messages are sent out
through the account. Two Black freshmen at the University of Pennsylvania were
targeted by the account. Along with racial slurs, there was a calendar invite
for a daily lynching and n----r lynching with real images of earlier African
American lynchings. One of the Black students, Calvary Rogers said he couldn’t
help it, but just began crying and couldn’t stop when discussing it with a
school administrator. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A Muslim student at ‘San Diego State
University’ was first harassed by two men making comments about Trump and the
Muslim community, they then accosted her and took her purse, backpack and car
keys. She went to the campus police department and by the time they arrived
back at the scene they’d stolen her car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As reported by President John J. Hurley
of Canisius College in eastern New York, students hung a black doll from a
dormitory curtain rod with a meme about congratulatory Trump fans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is an incident at ‘Ohio State
University’ where a Trump supporter rams a peaceful Trump protester down a
flight of stairs.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2Cb_CBJsKZ0" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">These were not isolated incidents
happening across the nation at our children’s schools on the very next day
after the elections, they are just a few examples.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below are some images of post-election
graffiti:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUk63O-7sasUimofsvb0L3skYAKFIF7jTuHvYsrfRCkhQriGkW4Gse7TpwrCD_8NHF8HdOPnfpTkHOaw48s0DizPjc4X0NrD_2Z9Xkji0mR9otYRh5Z-qIIfsAVT379Hfakj7gjH0PieE/s1600/1-gop+hate+wllsvll+ny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUk63O-7sasUimofsvb0L3skYAKFIF7jTuHvYsrfRCkhQriGkW4Gse7TpwrCD_8NHF8HdOPnfpTkHOaw48s0DizPjc4X0NrD_2Z9Xkji0mR9otYRh5Z-qIIfsAVT379Hfakj7gjH0PieE/s320/1-gop+hate+wllsvll+ny.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnxcWcnPjrLFMGGYMB_YrTzOLmDMwx1J2L-yLVnDuEcEqszOeLFr5qGo6Vg5d27vZW08LpIsRYGvNjsSverbG9I23kOmivDpzN6imdGVRBmF6UUhhMSj4U61_Lid8sh10Jp7YKKe5qbr8/s1600/1-gop+htrd4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnxcWcnPjrLFMGGYMB_YrTzOLmDMwx1J2L-yLVnDuEcEqszOeLFr5qGo6Vg5d27vZW08LpIsRYGvNjsSverbG9I23kOmivDpzN6imdGVRBmF6UUhhMSj4U61_Lid8sh10Jp7YKKe5qbr8/s200/1-gop+htrd4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4QA5jNtuWZ_nOpz0eY7XA77c7tiVXgV_w4vsO_MWFe011rmDuKTJb06SscGqiyQExWqV8W0HOuzfB3HKNVnQFs2BGHZlkGcHQqraP2B7brNbXawD8DqslwGUCdz0sCIIsnXW9syAmPKO/s1600/1-gop+htrd7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4QA5jNtuWZ_nOpz0eY7XA77c7tiVXgV_w4vsO_MWFe011rmDuKTJb06SscGqiyQExWqV8W0HOuzfB3HKNVnQFs2BGHZlkGcHQqraP2B7brNbXawD8DqslwGUCdz0sCIIsnXW9syAmPKO/s200/1-gop+htrd7.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">So, why are these attacks going on by
the Republican nationalist commoner? Perhaps it might have to do with the
encouragement by Republican leaders. In reference to First Lady Michelle Obama,
a local official in Clay, West Virginia, as director of the ‘Clay County
Development Corporation’ posted this on her ‘Facebook’ message list:</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As in all crises, there blooms a silver
lining. First off, in the day after the elections, artist, Mathew ‘Levee’
Chavez set up a little booth in an underground subway station filled with
post-it notes, pens and a sign that read “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Subway
Therapy</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” He felt the despondence and depression he was witnessing needed a
soothing hand, so provided for anyone to write down their thoughts of the
elections and post-it on the walls.</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6I9TK3BrplfELywaMoxXNFRxE215vovXLN1XahovOkFpoGAVxWjjo_Aa9DwRiKMOjodKytz9G_QPyoucVic6dwl8pLDXi_x2H8nMYxth8UwmEjfn0qpkcvHcjjhyphenhyphenTrIlNwQa-vj8Yiymh/s1600/1-gop+sbwy+mathew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6I9TK3BrplfELywaMoxXNFRxE215vovXLN1XahovOkFpoGAVxWjjo_Aa9DwRiKMOjodKytz9G_QPyoucVic6dwl8pLDXi_x2H8nMYxth8UwmEjfn0qpkcvHcjjhyphenhyphenTrIlNwQa-vj8Yiymh/s320/1-gop+sbwy+mathew.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This is when he just set up his little
booth.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECu0Env7Q26f6WIip6iY-5Sq1YTsE2vmnm9gMERsLpXO-8oyb0FAClVtgqmjNkmZxY9GaQqcAWhO4dmLhAsnVo6Ikn2PSuSW9t_x5r0HXUG0bHCx23O3Wa3xgU2Gku7Uz7M2skWQ-CF2G/s1600/1-gop+caring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECu0Env7Q26f6WIip6iY-5Sq1YTsE2vmnm9gMERsLpXO-8oyb0FAClVtgqmjNkmZxY9GaQqcAWhO4dmLhAsnVo6Ikn2PSuSW9t_x5r0HXUG0bHCx23O3Wa3xgU2Gku7Uz7M2skWQ-CF2G/s320/1-gop+caring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This is the result just a couple hours
later.</span><br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Texas, the day after the elections,
Natasha Nkhama was walking down the sidewalk to her class on the ‘Baylor
University’ campus when another white male student bumped into her knocking her
from the sidewalk, then said, “<i>No n----r
allowed on the sidewalk</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">She was devastated which led to becoming
fearful as she told a friend. Word of the incident must’ve erupted, for by the
time her class ended, over 300 students were waiting for her to have her back
and walk with her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you would like to see the outpouring
of the students in solidarity with Miss Nkhama, <a href="https://twitter.com/SmithCassie/status/797106988090097664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">click here</a> to
watch the 45 second video as she is overwhelmed when first seeing how many
students are willing to walk with and stand with her in solidarity. It’s a tad
touching.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">On a CNN November 13, 2016 interview,
Jake Tapper confronted Paul Ryan with this, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">There are millions of Americans out there who are, frankly, terrified
about what a President Trump will mean for them. Is there anything that you as
Speaker of the House, one of the leaders of the nation want to say to them</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ryan, acting surprised, even a bit
stunned as if this is the first time of hearing it retorts, “<i>I hate it that people feel this way and
second of all, they should not. I think people should be rest assured America
is a pluralistic inclusive country. It is, it has been and it will continue to
be. So, I really think people should put their minds at ease</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course, in Ryan’s reply, there is
some parallel in what fascist members were saying to the German public in their
rise during the 1930s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In explaining to Ryan all the hate
crimes presently going on, Tapper impresses, “<i>There are these incidents taking place all over the country</i>.” Ryan
replies as once again acting surprised, “<i>That’s
terrible. By the way, that’s not Republicans. We are the party of Lincoln</i>.”
Maybe once upon a time, but today, Lincoln is not rolling, but roiling in his
grave due to current Republican coterie behavior and penurious nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s not just half the population of
America that is fearful of a Trump presidency. I have to add here what the
Irish senator, Aodhán Ó Riordáin opened up with in the Irish Upper House
convening after the American election results in the video below. Watch it and
see what he has to say; it’s powerful stirring stuff.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="359" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VOTpuF0TMzk" width="648"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Who knows what Trump’s acting prowess is?
Is it what he contended in the campaigning stage, or is it his backtracking
after the victory on repealing Obamacare in its entirety? Trump can literally
change in mid-sentence ending it with an ideology that totally contradicts the
sentence’s beginning. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In any case, Republican leaders, now
that they feel totally in charge with mandates to serve, have all proclaimed
they will repeal the ACA Act. It is a social program primarily geared for the
folks in poverty and alleviated taxpayer dollars going to pay for emergency
care visits by low income means folk that couldn’t afford healthcare. It didn’t
matter in the Act’s good intentions or successes, since it was an Obama policy,
Republicans despised it and attempted to repeal it in part or whole nearly sixty
(60) times. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The GOP has also been in total
opposition to the Act due to their slant towards racism. They’ve been opposed
to everything Obama has offered in policies, merely because they literally
disdain what he represents...a black president fighting for the American that’s
been marginalized. That’s why they tried to demean it by calling it Obamacare,
although the president wore that nametag on his lapel with pride. They’ve
failed miserably in their obstruction in trying to shred the Act and don’t seem
to realize that plenty of the white poor are on Obamacare too. In fact 22
million, plus another 100,000 new enrollees for this month alone are presently
insured by Obamacare.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MOcssiiGM85yWHl9bn36FZ0AKXroBD6r_TCO7cG5Sx6GuNX8w7a7eI4n_KIOez2d9NBFHC_JcdY8uPtVl1RRfQqSL3UkjbcmvC35sUfcORz3JrNoUNQATMLQOBP6eHrRz-sTBW-WlsqG/s1600/1-gop-gop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MOcssiiGM85yWHl9bn36FZ0AKXroBD6r_TCO7cG5Sx6GuNX8w7a7eI4n_KIOez2d9NBFHC_JcdY8uPtVl1RRfQqSL3UkjbcmvC35sUfcORz3JrNoUNQATMLQOBP6eHrRz-sTBW-WlsqG/s320/1-gop-gop.jpg" width="190" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I got a feeling there is going to be a
lot of delay in what the GOP and Trump have promised they will repeal, defund
or get rid of on day one. Just watch all the campaign proclamations start
melting away. But, whether they hem-haw in all their repeal threats or actually
act out in going forth; they will either be slain by their extreme right-wing
base for reneging, or blistered by the liberal left for doing away with tried
and true social programs. They cannot sway blame, for in the past under Obama’s
presidency, they were that dog that always chased the car down the road and
now, in control of both houses of congress and the White House, they are that same
dog that finally caught the car. That is not a good thing when the dog lastly
catches the car. No it is not. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This also includes Ryan’s plans of implanting
Social Security into Wall Street allowing the next recession or market crash to
devour it leaving senior Americans, (who’ve contributed to Social Security
their whole working lives), without that once guaranteed safety net pension. Ryan
also plans to shove Medicare into the private corporate insurer sector to
manage seniors’ annual subsidies that are limited in funding. All this is
primarily being conducted by Republicans to pay for the offset in the budget
due to the furtherance of the rich and corporate tax cuts they plan to install.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In general, police unions opposed
Hillary due solely to all the uproar in cops killing unarmed Blacks. It’s
presently up to 102 for this year in police killings of unarmed Blacks. Of the
234 Blacks killed thus far by cops, it turns out, 57% were unarmed. Since San
Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick’s silence on bended knee during
the playing of the ‘National Anthem’ as a protest for this very reason,
sixty-seven more Blacks have been killed by cops.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Along with Trump supporters, the police
have come up with the moniker, ‘Blue Lives Matter’ to counter the ‘Black Lives
Matter’ slogan in suppressing its meaning. It’s a non-repentant standing. I
feel most everyone does empathize with police being killed in the line of duty,
but only while a lot ignore a Black’s death at the hands of a cop.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizN1DX-K17yRw0n1I_91mZsq8JJ2yGa_dNqXrS3OZzRh7OdYvHWmP-KqITLbgo4AjVRiH1ivzGCaLHPZBULh-r2RBH3LHV5JEfQ1pSvHbKEIrtBVxD4JIMmnYroyQ-eBdF-pxKibpC1p6W/s1600/1-gop+ethics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizN1DX-K17yRw0n1I_91mZsq8JJ2yGa_dNqXrS3OZzRh7OdYvHWmP-KqITLbgo4AjVRiH1ivzGCaLHPZBULh-r2RBH3LHV5JEfQ1pSvHbKEIrtBVxD4JIMmnYroyQ-eBdF-pxKibpC1p6W/s320/1-gop+ethics.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">That’s utter nonsense in trying to defuse
the warranted issue Blacks are facing every day during police encounters. A cop
can take off his blue uniform and as much as the bigoted would like, Blacks
cannot take off their darker skin color. In fact in America’s past, any Black
that tried to lighten their skin, they were incarcerated for trying to pass off
as white.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes indeed, nonwhites and non-Christians
have a lot to be apprehensive of in this election result. According to a
post-election Gallup poll, 42% of Americans are afraid of the election results
while 34% feel devastated. That shows Trump really has a lot of confidence
building to do. Is he up to it if it draws sharp contrast between his hyper
ego?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Realization
Setting in</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is a video by CNNs Joy-Ann Reid’s
take on Trump’s election victory. It is grounded and eye-opening.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/714Te5r0rE8" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Christian Right, for cryin’ out
loud...the fundamentalist religious</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> lost souled Christian Right and their
greater than thou evangelical soothsaying preachers. Preacher Kenneth Copeland on
his ‘America Stands: Election Coverage in the Spirit of Faith’ proclaims that
now he has a direct line to deliver messages from God to Trump. Copeland also
believes, or rather likes you to believe he believes he can cure Ebola merely by
speaking in tongues. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These prosperity gospel TV evangelicals in
saying how America escaped the wrath of God because Trump won are sort of, but
basically puke in a myriad of ways. Essentially stealing money from lonely
elderly viewers is actually an assault on Jesus’ teachings and I’m sure he has
a place for them in Hades, for getting rich off of the lonely poor and budgeted
in his name no less, is pure unadulterated greed. Profits for prophets!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fundamentalists and evangelicals pretty
much adhere to a one way street when it comes to judging folks of their
lifestyles until veering into a sharp U-turn in electing Trump. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These fundamentalist American Christians
would have voted for the Anti-Christ as long as he had a big red R painted on
his forehead before thinking of voting for Hillary. In fact, in voting for
Trump, some could reasonably argue they did.</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKg7rq-IXrqn7vV3j_hj_QKDNSaaDrNOEO1Jhyphenhyphen-stzUFCx_eWUqKzr3u2QWAqoZRUpC-i1HrWrEBqVrV2czsrMf76XNdh_RpcPqNkMxiJED5sp8YbYHG76XE1lb1jeEgV7q4ZjOzxFgVdi/s1600/1-gop+gun+nra+nuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKg7rq-IXrqn7vV3j_hj_QKDNSaaDrNOEO1Jhyphenhyphen-stzUFCx_eWUqKzr3u2QWAqoZRUpC-i1HrWrEBqVrV2czsrMf76XNdh_RpcPqNkMxiJED5sp8YbYHG76XE1lb1jeEgV7q4ZjOzxFgVdi/s320/1-gop+gun+nra+nuts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Christian Right fundamentalists’ psyche
requires a human-in-form redeemer, but oh what a redeemer they have chosen; a
very distant one from Jesus Christ, but it is only a front for their biased
views as they will bend it when it is in direct conflict with their moral views.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For instance, Trump, in knowing his past
infidelity escapades and misogynist/sexist quotes, they still blindly pulled
the Trump lever. Steve Bannon and his ex-wife are the parents of twins that
were born just days after they married. Now, as an ol’ West Texan redneck
liberal, that doesn’t bother me one iota and I would not hold it against him
and his ex-wife. But, the Religious Right with their ‘family values’ moniker
entrenched within the Republican Party, it definitely should not have assuaged
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pretty much, suffice it to say from the
election outcome...Christian Right underlined is white nationalism. If that is
still too hard for you to see then you never will, for you are destitute of
vision and it will soon be called ‘post trumpatic disorder’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Along with Ken ‘Wink n Nod’ Blackwell, a
fundamentalist also, who currently sits on the ‘Family Research Council’ is to
head up Trump’s domestic transition team, composed of special interest
lobbyists and former W. Bush appointees.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At least a few Trump supporters are
paying attention as one disgruntled Trump fan relayed to ‘Politico’s team
reporters, Andrew Restuccia, Isaac Arnsdorf and Nancy Cook that, “<i>The Bush crew is definitely trying to
pretend that Trump’s win is not a direct repudiation of their failed
administration. I’m surprised by the hypocrisy of the whole thing</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Blackwell first gained national
notoriety as Ohio’s ‘Secretary of State’ in his 2004 election attempts of voter
suppression. He also has compared ‘same sex marriages’ to farm animals when on
January 05, 2009 he came out against homosexual marriages sating “<i>it defies barnyard logic</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Former W. Bush employees being
considered include, Kay Cole James, Jamie Burke and Aldo Machida who was Dick
Cheney’s top domestic policy aide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why even a few former W. Bush officials
are even slated to hold permanent offices such as Victoria Lipnic for ‘Labor
Secretary’, William Evers for ‘Education Secretary’, Van Hipp Jr. as ‘Army
Secretary’ and Pamela Patenaude is being considered to run ‘Housing and Urban
Development’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some corporate lobbyists working with
Blackwell on the transition are, Cindy Hayden of tobacco giant, ‘Altria’,
Michael McKenna and Mike Cantanzaro who both lobby for the oil, petrochemical
and chemical industries and David Bernhardt, who has special interests with
mining companies such as ‘Rosemont Copper’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why, even Pam ‘Pay-for-Play’ Bondi, the
Florida Attorney General has been slotted to be on the transition team.
Remember her, when she was considering charging ‘Trump University’ (TU) with
fraud in the state, but after visiting Trump personally where he purchased her
with a $25,000.00 campaign gift for reelection, then three days later she drops
all charges, leaving Florida TU students milked out of thousands with no
justice? Apparently the ‘pay-for-play’ paid off. It’s hard to believe she had
the corrupted gall at the RNC convention to proclaim in reference to Hillary, “<i>Lock her up; I love that</i>,” as she
pointed to a Trump supporter’s sign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Longtime establishment, Congressman Lou
‘Anti-Immigrant Extremist’ Barletta (R-PA) is onboard the transition team. As
mayor of Hazelton, Pennsylvania he led a sweeping crackdown on immigrants
making those that lived there legally, possess identity at all times on their
persons and penalized landlords and employers who rented or hired to
immigrants. He enforced his town laws until a federal court ruling deemed it
unconstitutional. He has carried his anti-immigrant extremism to the House of
Congress as well introducing a bill that would require exit fingerprinting at
all airports and borders. The unconstitutional bill failed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also, Kansas Secretary of State Kris
‘Voter Suppressor King’ Koback is being assigned to the transition team to sort
out candidates for immigration reform. Nice choice for immigration, for he is
the Kansan architect of draconian anti-immigration policies. The ‘Kansas City
Star’ reported in their March 04, 2015 newspaper edition, he also once
concurred with a fellow Republican on a radio talk show that it was “<i>not a huge jump</i>” to think Obama might
try to stop future criminal prosecutions of Black people in America. Kobach
continued, “<i>Well, it’s already happened
more or less in the case of civil rights laws. So I guess it’s not a huge jump,
I think it’s unlikely, but you know I’ve learned to say with this president,
never say never</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Kobach, along with ‘Trump PAC’ spokesperson,
Karl ‘Get the Muslims Out’ Higbie are pushing for the days of America’s
Japanese American internment camps by recommending a national registry
targeting Muslim American immigrants. Higbie cites WWII USA internment camps as
precedent for Muslims.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">George Takei gives an excellent take on U.S.
internment camps in the below video.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LeBKBFAPwNc" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Myron ‘LOL’ Ebell, who is director of ‘Global
Warming and International Environmental Policy’ at the ‘Competitive Enterprise
Institute’ is Trump’s pick to lead the transition team for head of the
‘Environmental Protection Agency’ (EPA). Even though he is not a scientist,
Ebell has been instrumental in drawing up fake scientific statistics in his strategy
to deny that Climate Change is manmade much less that it even exists. He is not
only a Climate Change contrarian, he promises to have all energy related EPA
regulations annulled, so coal industries can dump their pollutant waste
anywhere they please.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In an organized stunt, on 11/17/2016,
Ebell ripped up a copy of the ‘Paris Climate Agreement’. Climate Change is
serious. If you cannot already see the changes here, you’re definitely
illiterate enough to not realize what other changes are coming in the ignorant
zest for temporary economic and partisan political gain. We have only one
home...Earth...mess it up and there is permanently nowhere else to move to. He
will fast track The GOP agenda in privatizing America’s public lands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am ashamed of my generation in leaving
a legacy that will profoundly affect the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness
of future generations in our reckless pursuit of fossil fuels that is not only elevating
climate temperatures, but as well, is choking off the very fresh air that
sustains us in every breathe we take. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For Homeland Security chief, Trump is
earmarking either, Arizona’s Maricopa County Sheriff Joe ‘Pink Prison Garb’
Arpaio or Milwaukee County Sheriff David ‘Pichforks & Torches’ Clarke.
Currently, Arpaio has been charged with contempt of court and once convicted,
perhaps he should be forced to wear the pink prison clothing he issued to
Mexican American prisoners. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Clarke has tweeted, “<i>It’s incredible that our institutions of
government, White House, Congress, DOJ and big media are corrupt. Pitchforks
and torches time</i>.” Clarke followed up, “<i>Just
heard from a friend that there has been a run on pitchforks and tiki-lamp oil
at Home Depot</i>!” Both men are vile, abusive, corrupt and bullying in their
form of serving out justice. Now it appears, one of them will be in charge of
national justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Our ol’ friend, Ben ‘Joseph Built the
Pyramids’ Carson is being considered for ‘Secretary of Education’. I don’t
really know why because some Republicans want to wholly get rid of the
educational department, but regardless, what a fine choice for running
America’s education. Remember, Carson denies evolution, promotes false history,
and opposes LGBTQ youths. It was Carson who declared the U.S. should cut
funding to liberal universities for what they teach, but give a pass on
conservative and religious universities on what they teach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course, then there is Jefferson
Beauregard Sessions who doesn’t need a pun name like I’ve put in the middle of
all the other names, for he was named after a Confederate general. Sessions is
slated to be the attorney general, a post that is the main legal governing
advisor. He migrated to Trump early in the campaign defending Trump’s ban on
Muslims entering the U.S. His racist background is sparkling with his proposals
of canceling funds to sanctuary cities, criticized civil rights groups as “<i>un-American</i>”, “<i>communist inspired</i>” and dubbed a white civil rights lawyer as “<i>a disgrace to his race</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In 1985, Sessions prosecuted Alabama
civil rights workers for attempting to register Black voters and said that the
only thing he disliked about the KKK was that some of them were pot smokers,
although later he said he was only kidding.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4Z10GtXQrB-jPVxDBoiajau4sxVUYxFving154ovKYr_tCikbB70KA_E-G755cWqUsNokwAvdOjj45wfpgJNZbebUFZnJ1o2D7g6_QFzHJ_2yK-dCeIyWDh_oHJO2L17yeI7rMrnu_GG/s1600/1-gop+duke+puke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4Z10GtXQrB-jPVxDBoiajau4sxVUYxFving154ovKYr_tCikbB70KA_E-G755cWqUsNokwAvdOjj45wfpgJNZbebUFZnJ1o2D7g6_QFzHJ_2yK-dCeIyWDh_oHJO2L17yeI7rMrnu_GG/s320/1-gop+duke+puke.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Chief of Staff was between two
candidates, RNC Chairman Reince ‘Weenie Boy/ Shelf Elf’ Preibus and Trump’s
campaign manager, Steve ‘Loose Cannon’
Bannon. Trump went with the Republican establishment Preibus. I’m sure that
wasn’t Trump’s true call, as it has Pence fingerprints all over it. Preibus is
close friends of fellow Wisconsinite, House Speaker Paul Ryan. This triage will
allow Pence to have more sway in allowing Ryan to move his agenda. But Trump
didn’t totally ignore the alt-right Bannon, he has tapped Bannon as his chief
strategist/senior aide.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump wasn’t going to leave Bannon out,
so he made him senior aide to the president, ya know, the same position Karl
Rove was to W. Bush as just a whispering earshot away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Due to domestic violence, according to
Mary Louise Piccard vs. Stephen Bannon 2007 divorce papers, Ms. Piccard,
Bannon’s ex-wife testified that Bannon didn’t want the couple’s children
attending Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles because of the number of
Jewish children there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ms. Piccard’s testimonial reads, “<i>The biggest problem he had with Archer is
the number of Jews that attend... I told him that there are children who are
Jewish at a competing school and he asked me what the percentage was. I told
him that I didn’t know because it wasn’t an issue for me as I am not raising
the girls to be either anti-Semitic or prejudiced against anyone</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course, even if the divorce documents
are in court records, Bannon spokesmen only and not Bannon himself, claim he
never made those document statements like the good Republican always does in
denying past actions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bannon intentionally is not exposed to
the public and most likely you’ve already noticed that there are only a few
photos of him that is tossed around in the media. There is a reason for keeping
him hidden in dark recesses. Trump members do not want him to be interviewed,
for that might shed light on his domestic violence past and white supremacist
strong leanings, so, only surrogates go out defending him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As you might recall, Bannon was Trump’s
campaign manager who left Breitbart News’ social media as its executive
chairman to take over management of Trump’s campaign. Breitbart disperses
misinformation like weeds disperse allergenic pollen. Bannon controlled
Breitbart headlines like, ‘Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy’
or, ‘Bill Kristol Republican Spoiler Renegade Jew’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dylann Roof, a confederate flag waving
white supremacist summarily shot and executed nine Black folks in a Charleston,
South Carolina church. Under Bannon’s executive editorial management, two weeks
after the tragedy, Breitbart put up a front page that bristled, ‘Hoist it High
and Proud. The Confederate Flag Proclaims a Glorious Heritage’. The headline
timing wasn’t off...it was deliberate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bannon has even admitted so himself that
in Breitbart interviews when he ran the misogynist, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBT</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Q</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
xenophobic, racist Breibart media outlet, he did so as a platform for white
nationalist viewpoints.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trouble is, even if the Republican
congress would ever be so persuaded to protest Bannon’s role as senior aide,
they couldn’t do anything about it for that role is an appointment and not a
nomination to be voted on for congressional approval. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With a Breitbart audience of 37 million,
Trump and Bannon could have a media outlet that is comparable to Putin’s
government controlled ‘Pravda’ news outlet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A president is a presidency. It has to
show a standard and that standard must represent all Americans. I don’t care
how much Trump feels he must appease his supporters in picking an outsider to
D.C.; choosing Bannon, a well-known established anti-Semitic white nationalist
is too far a drift.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans have a real double standard
issue at play here. Using Obama’s words in their propagandizing of his plea to
America that “<i>it’s time to unite</i>,”
yet have mercilessly excoriated every word Obama has put out during his entire
presidency is incredulous. They’ve also been blasting of all people, Van Jones for protesting Bannon’s appointment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One might recall, Jones, in Obama’s
early administration was seated as a low level official. Republicans lashed out
in guttural screaming protests for something Jones had said when he was in
college. So loud and insistent were their screams, Jones resigned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The video below is an example of the
double standard with Van Jones and Republican pundit,</span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Kayleigh McEnany.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zwjt8h82YUc" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Other possible cabinet holders being
considered is Sarah ‘Drill Baby Drill’ Palin as ‘Secretary of the Interior’. Slated
is, Rudy ‘Mad Foam Mouth’ Giuliani as ‘Secretary of State’. Giuliani assures us
that Trump will not leave out Chris ‘Bridgegate’ Christi when he stated on
November 11</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I can tell you
that from Donald Trump's point of view, he tremendously respects Gov.
Christie's contributions, and greatly respects the governor's intellect,
ability and loyalty</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Frank ‘Conspirator Purge’ Gafney is
slated to be Trump’s ‘National Security Adviser’. Gafney is a proud Islamophobe
and has served as a base for baseless right-wing conspiracies including that
Obama is a closet Muslim. He intends to purge the security agency of anyone he
fears won’t be loyal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The other Trump appointee that might get
the nod as ‘National Security’ Adviser’ is Lt. General Michael ‘Temperament
Like Trump’ Flynn, who is known to frequently fly off the handle. He also fits
the anti-Muslim Trump administrative requirement. Describing American fear of
all Muslims as <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“<i>RATIONAL</i>,”
(his caps and not mine)</span> earlier
this year he tweeted his followers to deem a ‘You Tube’ anti-Muslim video as a
requirement to watch.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Newt ‘RHINO Deceit’ Gingrich will hold a
title in some general planning capacity and Laura ‘Disinfo’ Ingram, who daily
has broadcasted a right-wing radio show, is being eyed for ‘Press Secretary’. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The street Republican is going to be
duped, but it is self-inflicted. Scapegoating others does not lift one up.
Until the common Republican realizes if one doesn’t care for others, nothing in
the long run is going to be better for their own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yepper, down with the Berlin wall and up
with the Trump wall...or is it? According to Newt Gingrich, just two days after
the election he confessed on a conference call sponsored by the global law
firm, ‘Dentons’ that, “<i>He’ll</i> [Trump] <i>spend a lot of time controlling the border.
He may not spend very much time trying to get Mexico to pay for it, but it was
a great campaign device</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But who knows, as Kris Kobach just said
in a ‘Reuters’ interview, the Trump administration may move forward with a
costly $8-12 billion border wall while not seeking congressional approval.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Heck, for that matter, as of 11/17/2016,
Giuliani and Gingrich might be out of the run for ‘Secretary of State’, ousted by
none other than, Mitt ‘Never Trump’ Romney </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">in him taking away the ‘Kiss Butt Award’ from
Chris Christie</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OMn3lchiEdV3tVpkfpgmiB2Pb3zQ-1HVjirK5M1ROb6MTcvjStVNUsIIs_XIYR_8EXHFPKSOchna_Y9k6-kFzk3gage_p0oX9s9OKQCHaYh31zCE5UiqCdyOYgELEJHLxrabMZcCp5-X/s1600/1-gop+da+take.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OMn3lchiEdV3tVpkfpgmiB2Pb3zQ-1HVjirK5M1ROb6MTcvjStVNUsIIs_XIYR_8EXHFPKSOchna_Y9k6-kFzk3gage_p0oX9s9OKQCHaYh31zCE5UiqCdyOYgELEJHLxrabMZcCp5-X/s320/1-gop+da+take.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">To prevent upheaval, there are certain
norms a newly inducting administration must establish for reasons of
transparency and emotional security of the nation. The early signs of what
Trump is incorporating as the new norm are indeed troubling. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just to add this in here, Trump, who
proclaims, “<i>I love the veterans</i>” did
not attend one ‘Veteran’s Day’ event and neither can I gather that any of his
immediate loyalists did either. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Such
Contrast</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To give Trump credit, Republican
‘Federal Communications Commission’ (FCC) officials are delaying and deleting
the agenda items to incorporate the video accessibility access for all the
millions of blind Americans. Due to this decision, the 1.3 million Americans
who are totally blind and the millions who are impaired enough to be legally
blind will have to wait for experiencing the expanded video description
somewhere further down in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This gives the Trump administration say
in whether they will even incorporate it or not. If Hillary had been elected,
the program would already have begun the preliminary stages of incorporation
that began under Obama. Republican’s obstinate and continuous obstruction of
Obama policies are still in affect even in the waning days of his office.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In trying to warn Americans how Trump
operates through manipulation, Jeff Daniels had issued this warning back in May
2016.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BBEnDxOc2lw" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hilary’s campaign was about hope,
inclusiveness and a big ethical heart. Trump’s was based on frustration,
exclusiveness and hatred. She was going to build bridges for this divisive
moment in American history; Trump will build a wall. As Hillary went ‘high’,
Trump went and has gone ‘low’. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s ego is obviously being rubbed
the wrong way with the popular vote. Just like the W. Bush administration did
in the 2000 election in campaigning, Trump exalted that the electoral is a “<i>disaster</i>;” today, he is calling it “<i>genius</i>.” Why? Well it’s the same result
as in 2000 because Trump won the electoral, but lost the popular vote; same as
W. Bush did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In fact, the W. Bush campaign thought
they would win the popular vote, but lose the electoral vote so much so that
they had set up a legal team to take it to federal court in attempts to repeal
the electoral vote count. Of course as it turned out, W. won the electoral but
lost the popular by over a half million votes. The same outcome as well occurred
in the 2016 results. In fact, for over a quarter of a century, Republicans have
only won the popular vote one time for the U. S. presidency. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As the final tallies on the popular vote
keep edging in, Hillary’s popular vote continues to increase. As of this
writing on November 17, the popular vote stands at: Hillary- 62,916,638 — Trump-
61,547,580. That’s going on a million-half more votes cast for Hillary
currently standing at a 1,319,580 difference in her favor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ya know, Trump said during his campaign speeches
that he’ll be the “<i>greatest jobs
president that God has ever created</i>.” Hillary mentioned that too, but with
policies to back it up and other programs to support it like bold investments
in infrastructure/manufacturing, equal pay, limiting childcare costs to no more
than 10% of annual income, paid time off for new baby care and raising the
minimum wage to a living wage. She never expressed job creation without backing
it up with her policies. Trump, well, there was nothing there but hot air and
blown smoke with no facts on how he is going to accomplish it.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbB9VK1eUIec3WA3SJo7piMjACn1XzMajaBjylVkfnKI8AzNOZOHWOQlo2ARjNb6PJ6g-bOy_UkCRQYC6u8FDueRxrQVyjlXBGqqN7w22omrCrOzz5tsO5wbgytFQnIrQNZpncxglWy0_e/s1600/1-gop+dmb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbB9VK1eUIec3WA3SJo7piMjACn1XzMajaBjylVkfnKI8AzNOZOHWOQlo2ARjNb6PJ6g-bOy_UkCRQYC6u8FDueRxrQVyjlXBGqqN7w22omrCrOzz5tsO5wbgytFQnIrQNZpncxglWy0_e/s320/1-gop+dmb.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">During Hillary’s concession speech, one
could tell she was visibly upset, but she so gracefully went through it,
calling for respect of the outcome and unity for the nation. She called trump
to congratulate him and even he himself said it was a gracious call.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If Trump had lost, how would he have
acted? Unfortunately we’ll never find that out, but if you judge him by his
proclamations of a “<i>rigged election</i>” and
touted the “<i>election as a conspiracy</i>”
during the campaigning while throughout threatening to not concede, he had
geared his followers to start a rebellion.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I don’t see Trump changing. His only for
Trump blueprint views on life hasn’t changed in seventy years, so why now. It
is who Trump is. If he changes then he is not Trump.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EMouaQAhyNj6mXzgl2uC2EXMbphXx83p5zbvnFe2gDHu5HDj6QdXCC4hSoEygvgE3NZ3YvtTu1HFj55nux_LFALUcIXfUylMB9rVNJzH0UXfWpkhVyRmqXNIlCZjEDL1Jmcyh3mIyszQ/s1600/1-gop+penny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EMouaQAhyNj6mXzgl2uC2EXMbphXx83p5zbvnFe2gDHu5HDj6QdXCC4hSoEygvgE3NZ3YvtTu1HFj55nux_LFALUcIXfUylMB9rVNJzH0UXfWpkhVyRmqXNIlCZjEDL1Jmcyh3mIyszQ/s320/1-gop+penny.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">But it’s Pence waltzing into the oval
office that concerns me even more. Those beady little eyes, leering smiles,
smug look and condescending always patronizing attitude reveals his inner self
and intentions. His ever incessant whine of religious freedoms is one thing, but
as he directs its benefits only toward fundamentalist Christians is another.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mike Pence, who is among crowded
Republican red state governorships, has one of the strictest religious freedom
bills in his state. He will in his supercilious way nudge Trump to pick Supreme
Court justices who will reverse the decision on marriage equality. He borders
on child abuse by supporting gay children conversion therapy. He has allowed
Indiana businesses to exercise prejudices in refusing service and freely
discriminate against LGBTQ communities and youth. Of course LGBTQs feel a real
impending threat to this administration elect. They knew Hillary would have
ensured all Americans equal rights and now, they’re in a vulnerable limbo of
what’s to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pence always puts up the façade that he
is serious and stately covering up his real intentions to mold legislation into
his warped perspective at the expense of minority equalities. To further hide
his true views, surprise, surprise...Pence is going to court to ensure his private
e-mails are not to ever be made available to any inquiry or investigation and remain
nontransparent permanently to the public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Funny that, well ya know on how
Republicans demeaned and discredited Hillary for her private server and
e-mails, but how it is A-OK if they not only do it, but get court orders to
protect it from any congressional or judicial investigation like they
constantly hounded Hillary with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In essence, Pence is negating judicial
branch checks on executive power and removing the public’s right to know what
the current government is doing and how it is spending American tax
dollars.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6j_4JZloOvhXwaBmEN0dh8AcI6KBOKOBzdhug_BYIaexKonLLqU6ZGqIXUihawfvwt5GL7fM9MMOIIgnUaiPv9aBoxVnKHpH7W-7zwmbMoMJD6FX73BIZwgudYu4KS3fHlx5o-2bfZc9/s1600/1-gop+vlad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6j_4JZloOvhXwaBmEN0dh8AcI6KBOKOBzdhug_BYIaexKonLLqU6ZGqIXUihawfvwt5GL7fM9MMOIIgnUaiPv9aBoxVnKHpH7W-7zwmbMoMJD6FX73BIZwgudYu4KS3fHlx5o-2bfZc9/s320/1-gop+vlad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putin/Russia meddling in U.S. elections </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br />I must admit, FBI Director James
Comey’s letter to the Republican House Congress, did affect the outcome of the
elections to a degree. Republican women that were looking for anything to sway
them back to Trump...this was exactly what they were looking for.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Red state voter suppression also hurt,
shaving off percentage points and for sure the Republican’s relentless bogus
conspiracy Benghazi and Clinton e-mail lies hurt her chances with voters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, more than 200 million Americans
that were of voting age did not vote. That’s 46.9% of the voting populace
decided to sit this one out on their couch duffs rather than going to the polls
and cast a vote in this ever so important election year. That is what really
hurt Hillary, she could not get voters enthused enough to turn out and vote in
key electoral states due to all the Republican conspiracy theories that
abounded; falsely implanting the ‘Crooked Hillary’ syndrome, when all
along...it was Republican actions that were crooked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The GOP should be ashamed in destroying
a woman’s, a grandmother’s, a mother’s and to all children as a surrogate mom’s
true character.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The spinal character in what Republicans
bring out in their cellar voter and what Democrats bring out can show no greater
a contrast than in subsequent post-election thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the following day after election
results, Trump surrogate, Michael Hill, as president of the white supremacist,
‘League of the South’ said this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>So
here is my warning to the victors: do not go back to sleep and think all is
well. If you don’t finish the job by routing your enemies and driving them into
the sea while you have the chance, they will re-group and be back at your
throats in no time! You have been given a reprieve by God; do not give your
enemies and His a reprieve.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Their
goal is to dispossess you of everything. If you have not heard that over the
past year, then you have not been listening. Just what the hell do you think
multiculturalism, diversity, and tolerance are all about? Your enemies care
nothing about those things. They are merely used as weapons against you for
your dispossession and ultimate destruction. The sum of their effect is White
Guilt.</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These
media elites (and others of their elite ilk) look forward to the demise of old
white America and the rise of a new paradigm in which they will hold sway. You
will be dispossessed, sequestered in the equivalent of ghettos, and will be a
despised and hated minority in the country your ancestors built</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You,
by God’s grace, may have been given a short reprieve from this scenario. Redeem
the time! As for me, I recommend that we get busy with Southern independence.
We need our own country, and it must be run by us for our own interests. It
must once again be White Man’s Land</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, compare the ‘NAACP’s national
president, Cornell William Brooks’ response following the election results. He
was a stout Hillary supporter but stated:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Even
as we extend our congratulations to President-Elect Donald J. Trump, the NAACP,
as America’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, must bluntly note
that the 2016 campaign has regularized racism, standardized anti-Semitism,
de-exceptionalized xenophobia and mainstreamed misogyny. Voter suppression, as
the courts have declared, has too become rampant and routine.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From
the day that General George Washington accepted the people’s charge to become
their first commander-in-chief, to the day that we elected Barack Obama as our
country’s first African-American president, America has come together to ensure
a peaceful transition of power. This most recent presidential election must
meet this distinctly American standard. President-Elect Trump’s victory speech
avoided a divisive tone and thus invoked this standard.</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">During
this critical period of transition, we are now calling upon the next president
to speak and act with the moral clarity necessary to silence the dog-whistle
racial politics that have characterized recent months and have left many of our
fellow citizens snarling at one another in anger and even whimpering in fear.
The more than 120 million Americans who cast ballots in this election – as well
as the more than 100 million more eligible voters who declined to vote –
deserve no less</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you’re thinking of true American
patriotism...there is no comparison between the two speeches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Final
Say</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican legislation will surge
targeting the impoverished, the disabled, LGBT</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Q</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> communities, seniors, and other
religions in defunding or reshaping public policies. It is a frightening
thought when you know that the only thing standing between the onslaught of
Republican corrupt legislation and you is Trump.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These are tough times for emotional
health, but our mind is our greatest asset; allow reason and common sense to
rescue you. Tough times are analogous to choppy waters making one feel stranded
and/or hopeless. Once you come up from under that last wave’s deluge for a gasp
of fresh air, another wave smashes in inundating you once again below the
surface. But even in this survival mode, if one reasons, calm will come and be
restored in due time; corrections will be made. It’s not only mechanical
survival it is also...spiritual. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is a common thread in all of us
which includes, believe it or not, gays and skinheads. We all have common likes
and wants and could readily see this if we weren’t so hung up on the small
differences, rather than affirming the vast similarities. It is this bond of
humanity that appeals to respect. If Trump realizes this human factor, he can
qualm the nationalism he has fostered and nurtured throughout his campaign. But
will he absorb the implications he has rejuvenated in hate, anger, conspiracies
and hate crimes to correct them, when after all, these were driving forces to
his support base?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is a tweet from Nancy Sinatra, the
daughter of ol’ blue eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. For me, her tweet is
courageous in its foretelling of foreboding consequences from this election.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7p2ZLR6K1hBi-wIq7W_T3rBEpY2JopYdrfYfotWlXdEFKQHbwdhJjvQKoXPxnESuJZMsD1e8ym4aPhSzN7-U5BWJwy2gnUekR4jRSjA7LMkPqb-0btt80GH41P8PBSycTxhMiU8_qN_t/s1600/1-gop+N.+S.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7p2ZLR6K1hBi-wIq7W_T3rBEpY2JopYdrfYfotWlXdEFKQHbwdhJjvQKoXPxnESuJZMsD1e8ym4aPhSzN7-U5BWJwy2gnUekR4jRSjA7LMkPqb-0btt80GH41P8PBSycTxhMiU8_qN_t/s320/1-gop+N.+S.1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Also in reassuring minorities they are
not alone, safety pins are being worn as a sign of solidarity. I like how
swiftly a positive counter reaction can form. Below are my daughters, Amber,
Claire and Paige, my son, Jason and myself wearing that symbol of we are all
together in one safety pin.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-LjLuoPXAzMFZzkMXC4TNy3rEIKtHfHPt-OB2FnirVHBa6zWkcUdTRNuiw3-D9MfPl6mKNCPg7scsI7ZxfBZ4toVYqDXL_FFVFmLEbQinHJbXTJNa47sqrB5ZmzYVjCQ2GDfVbW14evJ/s1600/1-gop+sfty-pn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-LjLuoPXAzMFZzkMXC4TNy3rEIKtHfHPt-OB2FnirVHBa6zWkcUdTRNuiw3-D9MfPl6mKNCPg7scsI7ZxfBZ4toVYqDXL_FFVFmLEbQinHJbXTJNa47sqrB5ZmzYVjCQ2GDfVbW14evJ/s320/1-gop+sfty-pn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Composited by my wife, Veronica of Shticks fame</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Indeed I do feel for Hillary and not
simply due to sympathy in the loss. This loss is on all of us and not just her
shoulders.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Thank ya kindly, Hillary for what you
stood for and for what you stood up to. Hillary’s never ending endurance in
holding her head up high above the scorching embers of countless attacks, extreme
political partisanship, incessant conspiracies and false accusations has left a
lasting impression on all of us in standing up for who you truly are and in
making a society just and empathetic for the downtrodden. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hillary’s long fought ongoing battles
mirrored the way sincere Christians see just how Jesus truly felt in her
constant calling of attention directed towards the minority, the impoverished,
the afflicted and our children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hillary, we all saw you wipe away the
tear rolling down your left cheek during your concession speech. Us too, we all
feel the pain in loss as we weep through our hearts lingering anguish. But the
secured inlay you have shielded us with will allow us to continue in our
permanence to endure.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqSl-3S68L6PJqT3Mb8D9ZP1tqLvFw9Wywsw9vnxHT68IbBSNyg_pB1aSl4xHGaPgGHDguytARo4_lvH-mOlDRDwMMzuoJzwpEYcQpKbaKjFsMG9HrwVAe1tV5W3gp-jozlUzbpusxIYR/s1600/1-gop+tear1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqSl-3S68L6PJqT3Mb8D9ZP1tqLvFw9Wywsw9vnxHT68IbBSNyg_pB1aSl4xHGaPgGHDguytARo4_lvH-mOlDRDwMMzuoJzwpEYcQpKbaKjFsMG9HrwVAe1tV5W3gp-jozlUzbpusxIYR/s320/1-gop+tear1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I hear argument that it wasn’t the
constant petting and stroking of bigotry that took Trump to victory, where the
argumentative ones claim it was just anger and frustration. Not so. Right in
the beginning, Bannon saw an outlet for a nationalist movement and hitched that
ride onto the coattails of Trump, turning Trump’s campaign into a furtherance
of that movement. It resonated and rejuvenated well with the vociferous extreme
right, but too, collected the attention of the silent bigoted majority that
prefers keeping a white stall in authoritative control.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This rampant and fast moving nationalist
movement has actually normalized bigotry in its tentacles of racism, sexism and
xenophobia. It is freely argued for and defended today when just a year ago it
would have been the death knell toll for any politician to argue on its behalf.
Trump freely expressed bigotry throughout his campaign and was rewarded for it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This election result is viewed by all as
a nationalist victory and in particular by the nationalist right.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCxUdwrmr22MmbigTxWp8m05WrKdlZJMPY4Cl1umqG2b4uvZn7RB9K6wlmlyQP83mC5zF9qDPsi0Rl7trREKdXQeIxuuNRiePLDFoSzKbU7DW5cyhnzPleB1AUDF4OPG2jWfm4MS5A-0D/s1600/1-gop+duke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCxUdwrmr22MmbigTxWp8m05WrKdlZJMPY4Cl1umqG2b4uvZn7RB9K6wlmlyQP83mC5zF9qDPsi0Rl7trREKdXQeIxuuNRiePLDFoSzKbU7DW5cyhnzPleB1AUDF4OPG2jWfm4MS5A-0D/s320/1-gop+duke.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">For Republicans to normalize Trump and
his entourage endangers national security foreign and domestically. Trump is so
surrounding himself by people who are anti-establishment, angry and vengeful in
feeling as once victims now out for revenge. So much so, experienced national
security personnel are bowing out not wanting to work for the new
administration.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is a big reason why the public
feels Hillary is dishonest and always pathetically state choice as the lesser
of two evils...even with Trump over Hillary. As I’ve stated before, it was due
to the constant stream of actual Republican dishonesty in their conspiratorial
attacks of her, so what the gilded pig ears do ya expect? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of my opinion, Trump really didn’t
expect to win and would have been most comfortable in crawling back to his
Trump caverns firing up his brand of conspiratorial media to be a constant
harassment to Clinton’s administration by firing up his challenged supporters
in keeping with the incessant Republican subliminal rage. Trump’s a confirmed
conspiratorial follower.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But he did win. Trump, as a candidate
spent the entire election cycle stoking racial animus, hate and misogyny, but
regardless, this nation saw fit to elect him president. Since his election,
reports of hate crimes have ricocheted across the country. Ethnic minorities,
varying religions, immigrants, those impoverished and those who believe in American
inclusiveness...all are terrified and justifiably so, no matter how pretentious
Republicans are in saying there is nothing here to fear as they wallow in their
celebratory control of power backed by the spineless racist backbone in America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He has got to mature and jump out of his
authoritative business <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">suit</span> and democratically begin to lead. Mercurial Trump
has got to quit being a twitter-bug and rise to the office he’s inheriting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If Trump goes into negotiation talks
with diplomats to meet him halfway, but he walks all over them demanding that’s
not enough, or if he strong arms, insisting it’s his way or the highway for
American politicians that were willing to compromise, then he deserves to not
be given my respect or chance. We’ll know within a month into his presidency.
Remember, this is the authoritative man that admitted he walked in on women
dressing and undressing because he could.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump is middle fingering concerns about
conflicts-of-interest, saying he would just hand over control of his business
interests to his children; calls it a blind trust, but that is not a blind
trust. A blind trust is when assets are liquidated then handed over to a third
party. In his knowing his children, take for granted, he will know his business
dealings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At the other end of the Trump spectrum,
allowing his children (Ivanka with Japan’s president, Shinzo Abe) to be sitting
in on government diplomacy calls, picking out administrative top official
positions (Donald Jr./Eric) while assigned to the transition team and
strategizing (Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner poised to wield clout) their
administrative moves with Trump’s new government officials, nepotism has run
amuck merging both Trump business and governance. There are anti-nepotism
federal laws, but apparently the nose is being thumbed as the Trumps’ feel they
can bypass them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump voters want a change yes, but all cultural,
ethnic and minority American blue collar workers wanted change too, because all
American workers not only see, but through a burgeoning pain, feel the wealth
moving into the hands of the elite few while they struggle simply to pay a
monthly bill. This is what made Bernie Sanders so popular in constantly
pointing it out with substantive fact.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, by pushing America’s withering
democracy into an oligarch, Trump voters want change backwards, not change
forward. They want the exclusiveness that once was and not the inclusiveness of
what being American truly means...cultural diversity and not just solely from
European heritage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But with all the above said, I don’t see
Trump taking a wrecking ball smashing all the social programs he’s promised to
do. He may even hinder the GOP congress in their attempts to do so and actually
caucusing with Democrats in some instances. Nonetheless, in utilizing special
interest lobbyists for his transition teams and picking old line established
Republicans for posts; I don’t see him seeking out a pump to drain the swamp
either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s funny that, Republicans claim
special interests are odious too, for it is lobbyists’ money’s change of hands to
politicians that corrupt government. They know the American public sees that.
But when special interests serve them, then they refer to the lobbyist as on
his/her side; a team member of the GOPs political base.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For now, it certainly seems like Trump
has already been inaugurated into D.C. in the frame of business as usual. Give
Trump his two years due in seeing who he really is, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">as I feel that is within the bounds of what it
will only take for major impeachable concerns and malfeasance from this administration</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump is not only the culmination of the
Republican Party; I wager he will be its conclusion too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As time goes on...let’s all see... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In my final political say, I would like
to compare this Trump election result to the ‘Portsmouth Sinphonia’. This was
an orchestra formed by the English conductor, Gavin Bryers in 1970. He
purposefully picked orchestra members that could not play an instrument so that
two-thirds of its members were musically illiterate. Naturally the result was
appallingly bad. But curiously, the orchestra received good reviews by critics
calling it “<i>refreshingly original</i>”
and “<i>unhampered by preordained melody</i>.”
Leonard Bernstein even went so far as to credit the ensemble in, “<i>changing my attitude to the ‘William Tell
Overture’ forever</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Due to this populist movement, the
orchestra made record deals and became quite popular in their inept and
unskilled symphonic performances. So what does the ‘Portsmouth Sinphonia’ have
to do with the Trump election victory...the moral...they both yet again
demonstrate the public’s great appreciation of incompetence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Have a Happy
Turkey Day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">S’ long Podnuhs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">11/18/16 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;"> </span> </span>B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-29355000999276731662016-10-31T14:52:00.002-04:002016-11-19T14:06:10.384-05:00Ergo the Depredated Suspect<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Ergo the Depredated Suspect</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Explanation</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Under Obama and under Hillary, Trump has
always complained that the USA looks “<i>weak</i>,”
“<i>embarrassed</i>,” and “<i>ineffective</i>” by the rest of the world.
Only he, because of his “<i>good brains</i>”
can make the U.S. strong again. Why he even claims, “<i>I know more about ISIS than the generals do, believe me</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Concerning Obama, one of Trump’s recent quotes
of, “<i>We were laughed at all over the
world, as we have been many, many times</i>,” unfortunately for Trump, it is
the other way around as nations are gawking at his antics in this election.
Many nation newspapers are calling Trump, “<i>historically
unpopular</i>,” “<i>an epic illusion</i>,” and
that’s just from one newspaper, the ‘Toronto Star’, others are even worse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Israeli, ‘Haaretz’ says of Trump’s
rise, “<i>It is a frightened, angry America;
an America that has lost its way</i>. <i>Suddenly
Israeli politics seem a little less embarrassing</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As far as foreign metrics go, here’s a
plug of tobacco for Trump supporters to chew on; virtually every other nation
would have Hillary trumping Trump by a landslide if they were able to vote for
the American presidency. Now I said virtually because there is only two that
would have him winning by 23 percentage points and losing by only 9%.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According to the recent conclusion of
the worldwide survey by ‘WIN / Gallup International Association’, Trump would
be trounced anywhere from 25% in Bulgaria to over 85% in Portugal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In France where the major newspaper, ‘La
Libertѐ’ calls Trump, “<i>America’s
nightmare</i>,” Hillary wins by 72%. All the Scandinavian and Latin countries,
all the eastern European nations, the whole continent of Africa and the Middle
East nations, the Southeast/Near East Asian countries, Australia and the
Pacific nations would all highly favor Hillary. Even the nation that voted for
‘Brexit’, Britain goes to Hillary over Trump by 64%.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The only two nations that aren’t in this
category is China, where Hillary wins only by 9% and the lone country that
actually voted for Trump...drum roll please...Russia, where Trump would win
easily by 23%.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In another recent polling by
‘Politico/Morning Consult Poll’, nearly half of Trump supporters at 49% view
Russia as friendly to America, where only 19% of Hillary supporters had the
same view.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">So for all you Trump supporters claiming
the left as communist...please explain.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Round
II & III</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’ve already covered the first debate in
past articles. I will mention a bit concerning the second and third, but instead of grueling over the
specifics of the final two debates between Hillary and Trump (that I’m sure
you’ve already been over abundantly exposed to), I’ll leave ya with a couple of
videos that indeed shed light onto the debates spiced with a bit of humor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First though, just one more comment
about the first debate that was rarely mentioned or overtly overlooked. When
discoursing about national security, Trump made a reference that I am most
familiar with when talking to right-wingers. After saying that the greatest
threat facing the world is nuclear weapons, Trump then turned to Hillary and
said, “<i>Not global warming like you think
and your President thinks</i>.” Now, Trump was referring to President Obama. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In choosing to say “<i>your</i>” instead of “<i>our</i>,”
he was coding to all the right-wingers who despise the U. S. president, as this
is how most right-wingers always address the president to me when discussing
politics in person or on conservative blogs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump and the right feel this is a way
to disown Obama, but in reality while using all kinds of patriot monikers, like
‘American Patriot’ or ‘American Born Patriot’ or just ‘Patriot’, in denying
President Obama, they are disqualifying true patriotism no matter how many
patriot stickers they slap onto themselves. If Obama is not their president,
then what country are they from? Obama is the duly elected president of the
United States of America. No real patriot denies his president; enough said
period.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course, Trump claims African
Americans are rigging the election, so naturally assumes the first debate
moderator, Lester Holt, who is black, <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">is a Democrat as he</span> conveyed that to ‘Fox News’ on an interview
by Bill O’Reilly. No he is not; Holt’s a registered New
York Republican. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In debate two, revelations of T-rump
talk, or locker room talk with Billy Bush had just come out three days before,
so the audio tape was a focal point for the debate. To set the stage, watch the
Seth Meyer video below:</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6UkAjnx7x1g" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Immediately after the debate, Trump’s
spokeswoman, Kellyanne Conway laid out a rather strange comment that added even
more fuel to Trump’s burning inferno statement of, “<i>grab ‘em by the p*ssy</i>” statement, when she said on ABCs ‘Good
Morning America’ concerning Paul Ryan’s dis-invitation of Trump to a Wisconsin
Republican rally, “<i>Well we want the
support of anybody who’s going to publicly endorse us. But enough of the ‘pussyfooting’
around in terms of, you know; do you support us or do you not support us</i>?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Either she was thinking about her own
little kitty cat when she stated that or it merely was an unfortunate bad
timing choice of word. Surely, she could have chosen: ‘hedging’, ‘dodging’, ‘avoiding’,
‘prowling’, ‘skirting’ or a myriad of other word choices, but instead, it was
‘pussyfooting’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Over at ‘Fox News’, the excuse given by
Trump for his harping over Alicia Machado was that, “<i>She had gained a massive amount of weight</i>.” Yeah that’s right a
mere 12 pounds of massive weight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Samantha Bee expounds a bit more on the
second debate in the video below:</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s0hY04WnlWI" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the third debate, Stephen Colbert
picks up the slack.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wMAuk5D6h1w" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump claimed Chicago has the toughest
gun regulations but the highest gun crime rates. Perhaps half his thinking is
true, but he didn’t think it all the way through. Chicago’s access to guns
doesn’t come from Chicago, but across the border from Pence’s state of Indiana
where there is virtually no regulation on purchasing guns; even for out of
state folk. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump declared in the last debate that “<i>NAFTA was the worst and stupidest deal of
all time</i>.” Later on in the debate, he then declares, “<i>The Iran diplomacy was the worst and stupidest deal of all time</i>.”
Well, which one was it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After discoursing admiration for Vladimir
Putin, Trump proclaims, “<i>Putin has no
respect for this......person</i>.” Trump paused before saying “<i>person</i>.” Before the hesitation, I wonder
exactly what word he was going to inject in describing Hillary before finally
inserting “<i>person</i>.” He did however
manage to call her “<i>such a nasty person</i>”
that has actually become a Hillary rallying cry for her female voters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where Trump ever got the idea that a
fetus is ripped out of the wound on its due date is quite a quandary, for
abortions are not performed on the day it’s being born...ever. For sure he
wasn’t referencing abortion, was he; whether knowingly or not, he was stipulating
birth. Besides, starting with the ninth month, abortion is illegal. Of course
Trump is not alone in this misconception and that is why he chose to misinform
in that brutal descriptive way.</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump learned a new word from Hillary in
the third debate. That word is puppet. After she used it in conveying that
Putin was the puppeteer and Trump was the ‘puppet’, he repeated it twice
apparently to memorize it, for he is now calling the Independent presidential
runner, Evan McMullen a ‘puppet’ being manipulated by the ‘Weekly Standard’s
Bill Kristol. The reason; who knows but perhaps McMullen is thwarting Trump’s
chances in Utah. Who says ya can’t teach an ol’ dog a new trick?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’ll leave the third debate with a
quote: “<i>When a woman scores points in a
debate, Donald Trump calls her “nasty.” When women hear a woman make solid
points, they call her someone they will vote for</i>.” Margaret Carlson (former
White House correspondent for Time Magazine)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finally, all the debates were dumbed
down in lowering the bar for Trump so that if he said anything remotely reasonable,
it would be a Republican win-win-win situation. But alas, the bar was so low in
nearly touching the ground floor he still couldn’t even step over it much less
jump. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pence
< Penny</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mike Pence is the wormiest politician
I’ve ever seen and that is saying a lot as far as American politicians go in avoiding
a direct answer after being given a direct question. Before giving an answer,
in wiggling a tunnel for an exit outlet, he will wormhole and be on another
topic before the reporter even knows what has transpired. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the video below, listen to “<i>unsubstantiated</i>” Pence avoid questions
asked by ‘Meet the Press’ Chuck Todd then divert to other subjects. Todd
valiantly tries to intervene in Pence’s diversions.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xTN6y1DklHk" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Why, Pence can’t even give an
eleven-year-old girl an honest reply to her question. During an interview with
a Columbus, Ohio TV station earlier this month, Pence was asked a question
coming from a Girl Scout stating that Trump’s words about women “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">make me feel bad about myself</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When asked what he would say to her,
Pence promised that Trump would bring about “<i>a safer and more prosperous future</i>” for families and children. Then
he immediately runs the stoplight and begins criticizing Hillary’s “<i>week and feckless foreign policy</i>.” A
heap pile total avoidance and diversion of the question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pence claims to be a Christian proper in
highlighting his so called Christian values; that is why he has signed into law
as governor of Indiana some of the most stringent anti-LGBQT laws. Yet during
the VP debate he refused to give answers to Trump’s anti-Christian behaviors. He
deferred from answering Trump’s avoidance of paying taxes and went straight to
bashing Hillary claiming she will raise taxes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pence simply cannot answer a direct
question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As first noted by Bill Maher, Pence
denies evolution, climate change and now in the VP debate, the Donald. Every
item that Democrat VP contender, Tim Kaine stated of what Trump and Pence have
actually said, Pence either interrupted Kaine with denials or did his rendition
of a bobblehead by constantly shaking his head no with little beady-eyed
smirks. In fact, taken from Seth Meyer’s ‘Late night Show’ the video below is a
collage of his head shakes with his and Trump’s own actual comment.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7c2UyOloZ-0" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the debate, Kaine brought up a couple
of times concerns of Trump insulting Mexicans when Pence countered, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Senator, you whipped out that Mexican thing
again</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” The comment caused a stir on social media outlets. Justifiably so,
for “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">that Mexican thing</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” is actually
people, folks with names like Miguel...ya understand that, Mike?</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODHlsQc6RnzFBZ6swKhP1ljHtqZhsH70Cq5HZFoqbnntVW6nTFuA06rGiHL8VVt5XF1Fz4hDtUv5xPoquzOuqpaB0WFxskFZRn7REGjqftvAGOTTcvo-lR3jhLFlsyssYmJsJAy6aggNm/s1600/1-gop+pence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODHlsQc6RnzFBZ6swKhP1ljHtqZhsH70Cq5HZFoqbnntVW6nTFuA06rGiHL8VVt5XF1Fz4hDtUv5xPoquzOuqpaB0WFxskFZRn7REGjqftvAGOTTcvo-lR3jhLFlsyssYmJsJAy6aggNm/s320/1-gop+pence.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As innumerably mentioned, Pence always
defers any question then pivots to bashing Clinton as he can’t defend his
candidates actions or be contrite to GOP policies, so attacks. In once doing so
yet again, Chuck Todd was wise to it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On a NBC September 04, 2016 ‘Meet the
Press’ Todd interview, Pence claims he is all for transparency and slams
Hillary for dishonesty in using her private server, no matter most all
politicians do so; even Pence. He is having all his governor internal e-mails,
official papers and memos sealed even after his death. When confronted by Todd,
Pence’s reply was, “<i>You know me Todd, I’m
for transparency</i>.” Todd rebutted, “<i>Then
will you rescind the seal</i>?” Pence merely but everly (my word; not Trump’s) once
again dodges the question and goes back to bashing Hillary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This certainly is an amazing method in
displaying one’s own transparency. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Pettiesburg Address</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s redress of Abraham Lincoln’s
Gettysburg Address in Gettysburg, PA was called the ‘100 Days Speech’ but
turned out to be a 100 minutes rant. He was supposed to emulate Lincoln and lay
out his plans for his first hundred days in office if elected as president.
Instead, he opens up with an avalanching cascade of assaults using intimidation
tactics in attacking his sexual assault accusers with threats, personal insults
and lawsuits. In his first hundred days, Trump stated he would be suing the
women charging him with sexual assault. That’s fine, but at the least, one of
them, the ‘People Magazine’ reporter, Natasha Stoynoff has six witnesses to
testify in her behalf. There are also, lawyer firms lining up to represent the
women pro bono.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Also, the so-called reliable source the
Trump campaign has dug up as his highly credible witness to the commercial
plane incident is actually a rogue. Anthony Gilberthorpe who claims he was in
the plane and saw absolutely nothing unbecoming of Trump. He would have been
eighteen at the time. He even claims that the accuser, Jessica Leeds was
wearing a white pantsuit. He knows this for fact, for he also claims he has an
excellent memory; ya know, just like Trump. Wrong; Ms. Leeds was wearing a
skirt at the time. Gilberthorpe also attempted to turn the tables by insisting
it was Ms. Leeds who was being flirtatious with Trump and even asked Trump to
marry her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now mind ya, Mike Pence claimed
Gilberthorpe was a very reliable witness and would put all these women’s sexual
assault charges in bed to rest so to speak. On NBCs ‘Today Show’, Pence was
even emboldened enough to say, “Stay tuned, there’s more information coming
forward,” and insisted the campaign was just hours away from releasing damning
evidence of these women’s accounts. Then later, sure enough the Trump campaign
coughs up Gilberthorpe. I don’t know how Pence thinks, even if it was reliable,
how can one woman’s discredited story mean that all the other women are lying
as well. Anyway, it doesn’t matter, for Gilberthorpe’s story is the one that
wound up as discredited. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unfortunately for Pence and all the
Trump campaign staffers, Gilberthtorpe has a pattern of seeking instant fame.
Back in 2014, Gilberthorpe, who is British, claimed that when he was a 17-year-old
he helped hire underage boys for sex parties with high ranking British
politicians. It was royally proven as false.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gilberthorpe also had a front page published
announcement in the ‘Gloucester Express Newspaper’ of his engagement to a
fictitious California fashion designer. He even made up a name for his phantom fiancée
as, Leah Bergdorf-Hunt. There never was a wedding for there never was an
engagement, for there never was a Bergdorf-Hunt </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">to </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">begin with...nada.
Gilbethorpe is an instant fame con guy. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Word is out now that Gilberthorpe is
seeking money from Trump for his services rendered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pence...cleanup detail in first class...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In his onslaught of evisceration, Trump
has called his accusers “<i>horrible women</i>”,
“<i>all liars</i>”, “<i>disgusting</i>”, and inferring due to their looks not worth his time to
sexually assault them. “<i>Just look at them</i>,”
he says; no way could he touch them with a ten foot pole. Of course most of the
accusations occurred years ago, so the women have aged a bit since the time of
the offense when they were considered more appealing to Trump’s taste in women.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A total of <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">twelve</span> women thus far have
shown up to tell their story. Even Trump’s former first wife, Ivana claimed
Trump raped her without consent, although she has later recanted saying she
didn’t mean it in the criminal sense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If that is not enough for his ‘100 Day
Plan’, he then follows up with his continuing tirade that the system is broken
and rigged with 1.8 million people that are dead but registered to vote. He’s
trying in vain to insinuate that Democrats are registering dead folks, but what
that 1.8 million refers to is that over 2 million Americans die annually and it
takes a bit of time to remove them from the voting registrar. On top of that a
deceased person is not coming into vote even if their name is still registered
and no one can vote in their place as cross checking Social Security data and
double checking signatures ensures that. Someone who gets away by voting with a
deceased registrant is very rare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In fact, registering the dead as of late
has been a Republican ploy. In the 2012 elections, the RNC and the Mitt Romney
campaign hired Nathan Sproul’s ‘Strategic Allied Consulting’ services to
register Republican voters. The firm, in addition to registering addresses that
only led to vacant lots, Sproul also had dead people registered to vote; 106 in
Florida alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Turned up by legal authority
investigations, Sproul has a record of fraudulent Republican voter
registrations going all the way back to the 2004 elections with his ‘Sproul and
Associates’ outfit, but the GOP still kept hiring him.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-cPSoSZkUtwyED1_bLg8nXorJQoDKOBJTBNM9TQSn_T7QlJHJ6SUTDlsYhPWf9skD9iL8gfhU0r33ChrhlqTOqfKyIOCU_MvH61FyZG4y56RrP1T8Bi6JP2ajCTb_xujKmuKTBjE4PdP/s1600/1-gop-100d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-cPSoSZkUtwyED1_bLg8nXorJQoDKOBJTBNM9TQSn_T7QlJHJ6SUTDlsYhPWf9skD9iL8gfhU0r33ChrhlqTOqfKyIOCU_MvH61FyZG4y56RrP1T8Bi6JP2ajCTb_xujKmuKTBjE4PdP/s320/1-gop-100d.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To end this, Rudy Giuliani literally
confessed to Jake Tapper on CNN that, “<i>Dead
people generally vote for Democrats rather than Republicans</i>.” Well if that
were only true, there must be an awful lot of low voter turnout for
Democrats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rationalizing
Irrationally</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At the Catholic charitable Al Smith
dinner, Trump</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">himself</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> actually plagiarizes when he introduces his wife as plagiarizing
Michelle Obama.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He comments, “<i>Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone
loves it. It's fantastic. They think she's absolutely great. My wife, Melania,
gives the exact same speech, and people get on her case! And I don't get it! I
don't know why...</i>”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FkRrVFDtLSl3LPzE4WgQlp-kDTqiqfI_wxxCTORQWNtNuH7_gsKYCUOo3VcIDKnJ5ZcFrrktoTnv9uNl6Z5DRCeOQeQIxRbJUw8Cj5hQtfx6mx68_8Nksghf3fakbyK4eZEtGcTOC3B1/s1600/1-gop+plagerize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FkRrVFDtLSl3LPzE4WgQlp-kDTqiqfI_wxxCTORQWNtNuH7_gsKYCUOo3VcIDKnJ5ZcFrrktoTnv9uNl6Z5DRCeOQeQIxRbJUw8Cj5hQtfx6mx68_8Nksghf3fakbyK4eZEtGcTOC3B1/s320/1-gop+plagerize.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It was Trump’s best
joke of the night but it almost repeated word-for-word a R.J. Matson July 2016
cartoon. Can<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span>t any of the Trumps come up with original material? </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now let’s get this straight; according
to Trump, the race is rigged because ‘Crooked Hillary’ is in collusion with
unknown and unidentified Jewish international financiers, all the while he is
being fed Wikileaks from Russia that is known and has been identified by the
U.S. National Security and FBI agencies. Does that really make a pinched loaf
of bread sense? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For weeks now Trump has been trumpeting
the elections are rigged. Earlier this week in Ambridge Pennsylvania, Trump
told his rabid supporters:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>So
important that you get out and vote...so important that you watch other
communities, because we don’t want this election stolen from us. We don’t want
this election stolen from us. We do not want this election stolen</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Later, in Wilkes-Barre he said:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>And
we have to make sure we’re protected. We have to make sure the people of
Philadelphia are protected that the vote counts are 100 percent. Everybody
wants that, but I hear these horror shows. I hear these horror shows and we
have to make sure that this election is not stolen from us and is not taken
away from us. And everybody knows what I’m talking about</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One of Trump’s Ohio supporters had no
qualms proudly boasting to the Boston Globe that come Election Day, he would
seek out the “<i>Mexicans, Syrians, people
who can’t speak American</i>,” so he could just “<i>go right up behind them and make them a little bit nervous</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just to emphasize this point, Kentucky
Governor Matt Bevin in his speech to this year’s right-wing ‘Values Voter
Summit’, in reference to a Hillary election, he revved up a hate speech
suggesting that there be a patriot uprising in shedding tyrant (liberals)
blood. But in the process, the sacrifices of the patriot’s bloodshed, it will
water the tree of liberty. Watch his declaration in the video below.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZlukBB3Hn1g" width="600"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This week former Illinois Republican congressman,
Joe Walsh tweeted this:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QbmOHWN7XcUhJ1Wndtsq-tNoK63xy2PWXMAGPgTnrweYIbT2cvIQPjFnm1VsflBiVTtaxaaIUY7_cmPYunJAquMRISWmjf6N1vyL2Q5bZdWq6bRwGZQ15Wf1IkiwAhYOjn4thyphenhyphenlzqqav/s1600/1-gop+walsh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QbmOHWN7XcUhJ1Wndtsq-tNoK63xy2PWXMAGPgTnrweYIbT2cvIQPjFnm1VsflBiVTtaxaaIUY7_cmPYunJAquMRISWmjf6N1vyL2Q5bZdWq6bRwGZQ15Wf1IkiwAhYOjn4thyphenhyphenlzqqav/s320/1-gop+walsh.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Trump base is heeding Trump’s and a
few radical Republican politicians’ rallying cries. With a nationalist sleeve
and false patriot identity embedded in Trumpites that has been brewing under
Republican ‘we are the true American’ dogma for the past three decades, radical
extremist Americans feel they have been rejuvenated and uplifted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There’s been an unflinching rise in hate
speech and threats on social media and almost exclusively by the right. Hadas
Gold, a reporter and writer for ‘Politico’ has withstood a myriad of threats
due to her criticisms of Trump. In a couple of tweets, one had an image of her
with a yellow star of David on her shirt and a bloody bullet hole in her
forehead. Another superimposed photo had her face on a corpse in a Nazi concentration
camp oven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">David French, a major in the U.S. Army,
Iraqi war veteran and writer for the conservative ‘National Review’ is not even
immune to threats due to his critique of Trump. His family has even been
threatened with a photoshopped image of his seven-year-old adopted Ethiopian
daughter’s face in a gas chamber. The right-wing threats like to refer to his
daughter as “<i>niglet</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">John King, a devout conservative is a
construction contractor out of Corvallis, Montana. He built two four-plex
apartments for single workers. By mistake, they were posted on social media as
a housing complex for Syrian refugees. Someone took a picture of the complex
and assumed it was for refugees as there has been a push to resettle a few
Syrian families in the area. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He’s had at least 175 social media
threats and 100 threats a day on his cell phone directly aimed at him and his
family. One stated, “<i>You don't deserve to
live. We will be asking for help to run you out of Montana and burn your
buildings to the ground</i>.” Ravalli County commissioners voted not to accept
refugees but the threats still keep coming to the point, King won’t leave his
family for work out of fear something may happen to them during his absence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘Arizona Republic’ Newspaper has
never endorsed a Democrat in its 125 year history. This time around, they have
endorsed Hillary and have been paying the wrath for it from white nationalist
Trump supporters. One reminded them of Don Bolles, the Republic reporter that
was assassinated forty years ago by a car bomb then threatened that is what is
going to happen today with current reporters.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A Las Vegas’ ‘Westside Armory’ gun store
is advertising a pre-Hillary sale on semi-automatic weapons with the phrase, “<i>Don’t wait! Prices will skyrocket after Crooked
Hillary gets in</i>.” Why not, it was Trump who more than subliminally dropped the
hint to his adherent gun followers, “<i>If she gets to pick her judges — there’s
nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there
is, I don’t know.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Right-wing blog sites are explaining how
to either buy assault rifles or how to build one; either way both with
untraceable guarantees. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why even those that are sworn to uphold
law and order are disavowing their oaths. By tweeting, David Clarke, the
sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin stressed that if Hillary wins then “<i>its pitchforks and torches time</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjLl0eO-Nj054aiILtaHe2W4tDxKrbmCBsfdA_Jh17coh1z9pHtkuH9XGaSZ9B0KlfMXT5EsHNT4ya2Nid53fCEg3MdhMb5avkPCVKOKHlNnYmSlzfw7MuiBFlLJu_nTTds8eo3uSsqy_/s1600/1-gop+ar-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjLl0eO-Nj054aiILtaHe2W4tDxKrbmCBsfdA_Jh17coh1z9pHtkuH9XGaSZ9B0KlfMXT5EsHNT4ya2Nid53fCEg3MdhMb5avkPCVKOKHlNnYmSlzfw7MuiBFlLJu_nTTds8eo3uSsqy_/s200/1-gop+ar-15.jpg" width="128" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">No matter all of this, according to
Trump, it is Hillary and the Democrats that are the violent ones as he insists the
heavily edited James O’Keefe video proves.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First off, Scott Foval, who described
how to instigate violence by Trump supporters in the video was an independent
subcontractor who was immediately fired by the DNC. It had nothing to do with
Hillary or Democrat policies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Now compare that to actual Trump
proclamations concerning protesters. At a Las Vegas stump, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I’d like to punch him in the face, I’ll tell
you that</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” He’s shouted “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Get ‘em
outta here</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,” at Iowa City and other Trump rallies.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At his last stop in Iowa during the GOP primary
rallies, directed toward would-be hecklers, Trump told supporters to, “</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Knock the crap out of ‘em, would ya</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just this week in Kinston, North Carolina,
a couple hours after boo-hooing how deserving he was for African American
votes, he has a black person kicked out of his rally calling him a “<i>thug</i>” while in the process, attempting
to link him with the O’Keefe video. That black person was not a protester, but
an ex-marine who served in Afghanistan supporting Donald Trump. C.J. Carey just
wanted to tell Trump to be more conciliatory toward blacks and women. Since he
was black, of course Trump considered him a protester and told the mainly white
audience to kick him out. They did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m sure that 69-year-old, Shirley Teter toting with her an oxygen tank to properly breath was not posing much
as an intimidating factor. She has a chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease. A Trump supporter punched her
in the face as she was protesting outside a Trump Asheville, NC rally. Miss
Teter wasn’t seriously injured, but had to be taken to the hospital for jaw,
elbow and rib injuries.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGE25wKAZsxaRSsNwnuXtTgrY3A0HgxDIWsakpoEI6RL9mxT2vJrM13qvmhFQP7QEd_buHvAO9F7wlUWxKOb8dECnQkJUZF4yttGdkJPv-BZpg6tcq_9FtdTxAPIecClwtJTi2EF-Z-Jk/s1600/1-gop+dplrbl-69.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGE25wKAZsxaRSsNwnuXtTgrY3A0HgxDIWsakpoEI6RL9mxT2vJrM13qvmhFQP7QEd_buHvAO9F7wlUWxKOb8dECnQkJUZF4yttGdkJPv-BZpg6tcq_9FtdTxAPIecClwtJTi2EF-Z-Jk/s320/1-gop+dplrbl-69.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump consultant, Roger Stone is
planning to have an army of Trump supporters go into inner city voting
facilities to harass minority voters. He claims he has 1,300 Trump supporters
willing to go.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is making the GOP nervous and for
good reason. Ya see, <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">the ‘80s</span> Republicans conducted the very same tactics way
back in 1981. The GOP enlisted ‘watchmen’, mainly off-duty cops and security
guards to monitor minority districts across the states. They were intimidating
wearing armbands and guns. The GOP wanted to be sure that the votes were in
favor of their boys and it worked. They won big time, but were slapped with a
court ordered consent decree severely limiting their activities in the polling
facilities. This decree is due to expire in 2017, so with all this Trump voter
intimidation rumbling going on, they’re plenty ‘nough concerned about the
expiration being rescinded.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It’s not only Trump</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> as Republican
political consultant, Aaron Harris in Tarrant County, Texas, as reported by
Fort worth’s ‘Star Telegram’ has been sending his browbeating squads to
primarily Hispanic senior citizen nursing homes to harass residents by claiming
they are investigating them for voter fraud under mail-in voting.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mail-in voting is perfectly legal and is
for those that cannot go to their registered polling booths due to reasons such
as elderly convalescence, the disabled or for residents being out of state or
overseas. Harris contends this is a front for voter fraud. Senior citizens
who’ve been grilled by Harris’ goon squads with harassment and threats that
they are committing voter fraud if they mail in their vote are confused in
knowing what is legal and are afraid to cast their vote. The ‘United Hispanic
Council of Tarrant County’ has filed a complaint with the Justice Department
against Harris’ actions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With this and Trump’s voter
intimidation, sure enough, GOP fears have come true. The DNC have just filed a
federal legal action in court for racial voter intimidation and to extend the
consent decree another seven years. So far, Trump isn’t giving in on his
threats. As a party, Republicans, if they truly do not want the decree extended
might have to completely absolve their affiliation with Trump...my oh my, what
drama that will portend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In 2014, being interviewed by Michael
D’Antonio for his book, ‘The Truth about Trump’ Donald Trump’s two sons had
this to say about their father. “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Whatever
he wants to do, he's earned the right to say it, and frankly...right, wrong or
indifferent, whether people agree or not, I'm glad that someone actually has
the proverbial fortitude — to use a word less vulgar than I'd like to go with
it — to actually say, 'I don't care if it's popular. This is what I think</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”
As stated by Donald Trump Jr. on his father’s brashness. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eric Trump had this to confess to
D’Antonio concerning his father kick starting the birther conspiracy. “<i>There's always, I think, a moral to the
story. I think with the birthers it's, 'Okay, well, then, just prove it.'
Meaning these people are going out saying that which a lot of people were at
the time, 'Then just show us. Just be transparent. You're the leader of the
free world, be transparent.' There are underlying themes to this, and in fact,
he has done his best to start the conversation that was unwilling to be had
before. Now that conversation might flush itself out in one of several
different ways. But at least the conversation is being had</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The apple doesn’t fall too far from the
tree now does it...</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="359" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5sBhANSz--k" width="648"></iframe>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some Trump quotes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>If
Hilary Clinton can't satisfy her husband, what makes her think she can satisfy
America</i>?” (Twitter post 2015)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>The
line of ‘Make America Great Again,’ the phrase, that was mine, I came up with
it about a year ago, and I kept using it, and everybody’s using it, they are
all loving it. I don’t know; I guess I should copyright it, maybe I have
copyrighted it</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">(My Fox New York 2015) The Reagan
campaign first came up with it in the ‘80s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>I’ve
been so lucky in terms of that whole world. It is a dangerous world out there;
it’s scary, like Vietnam. Sort of like the Vietnam era. It is my personal
Vietnam. I feel like a great and very brave soldier</i>.” After four deferments from being drafted
during the Vietnam War, he compares Vietnam vets’ risks in soldiering to his sleeping
with women who could have STDs. (The Howard Stern Show 1997)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sure one can say he was joking, but
concerning his daughter, Ivanka, to say publicly on a 2003 ‘Howard Stern Show,
“<i>You know who’s one of the great beauties
of the world, according to everybody? And I helped create her. Ivanka...my
daughter, Ivanka. She’s six feet tall; she’s got the best body. She made a lot
money as a model—a tremendous amount</i>.” Also, on a 2006 episode of ‘The
View’ he responded to the question if he would be disappointed if Ivanka were
to pose for ‘Playboy’ by stating, “<i>It
would be really disappointing — not really — but it would depend on what's
inside the magazine. I don't think Ivanka would do that, although she does have
a very nice figure. I've said if Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be
dating her</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This is just kind of gross, joking or
not and I’m simply speculating here, but perhaps that is why all the Trump
females pose for family pictures like in the photo below.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibp6d18bUIJLHni6RUrrak0Oe-7vx5CYlZQ_CFFnFRcoRTl6bthKqCyPTss9GMdVK0PQ49gaHGUcJiULS6uB0yj_jSU5v-T2WYd7bEZl5N35PY77jKXvkIKyG-q43-ICw-qDVrAOqcV_AJ/s1600/1-gop+T-women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibp6d18bUIJLHni6RUrrak0Oe-7vx5CYlZQ_CFFnFRcoRTl6bthKqCyPTss9GMdVK0PQ49gaHGUcJiULS6uB0yj_jSU5v-T2WYd7bEZl5N35PY77jKXvkIKyG-q43-ICw-qDVrAOqcV_AJ/s320/1-gop+T-women.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘The New York Times’ posted an array of
Trump insults during this election season that took up two full pages.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLltqN-NNzZarGC4YKY5jb5RvYes5ilwuPgxe71-zrKRdwtXcxWFBrYVlT9FeCYHxBiS_LbN6tZOSZHYOGUZFcsAr8ro80S8FZhyphenhyphenBPCWVfT23CpDkE2oo8iCyCGpAcx7Ns11xvH4ask9v/s1600/1-gop+nyt+twit+insults.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLltqN-NNzZarGC4YKY5jb5RvYes5ilwuPgxe71-zrKRdwtXcxWFBrYVlT9FeCYHxBiS_LbN6tZOSZHYOGUZFcsAr8ro80S8FZhyphenhyphenBPCWVfT23CpDkE2oo8iCyCGpAcx7Ns11xvH4ask9v/s320/1-gop+nyt+twit+insults.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Along with Trump’s admiration of Putin, a
Trump consultant had this to say about Trump in the photo below when it comes
to another dictator guised as a leader in Kim Jong-un.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyppbskli-faqqicFlOav3XRvw2ooS9kP_H1aJEDhjBqUGFufvOroU0QmEReTJyjc9-K0bhUZY6G2p-mTy4IItVOr_PIuPYFJctQcczaY2r_VOb5pSf7pGy-KNm7wOekWguiLZcCaeVmXZ/s1600/1-gop+sept16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyppbskli-faqqicFlOav3XRvw2ooS9kP_H1aJEDhjBqUGFufvOroU0QmEReTJyjc9-K0bhUZY6G2p-mTy4IItVOr_PIuPYFJctQcczaY2r_VOb5pSf7pGy-KNm7wOekWguiLZcCaeVmXZ/s320/1-gop+sept16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With Trump always bellowing Hillary is a
pay-for-play scoundrel in dealings with the ‘Clinton Foundation’, he might
consider his own sly acts. It all has to do with pure greed from cheating
workers and small businesses out of pay to using Republican donations and his
charity for personal expenses, I’ll mention two here out of many.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s false philanthropy bears out in
this incident. In a 1996 ribbon-cutting held by the </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Association to Benefit
Children</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> for a nursery school, Trump made an appearance, sat down beside Rudy Giuliani, made sure his face was
seen, ate their meal, made sure his mouth was heard, took some photographs with
some of the attending children then left without dropping a dime for the
charity. That’s it! He wanted to look generous by attending, but left without
donating a penny.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump has used $258,000.00 of donation
money from his Trump charity foundation to pay for his lawsuits and legal
matters. He has also dug into the supposed charity’s till taking $30,000.00
worth to buy two portraits of himself that are hanging in his New York ‘Trump
National Golf Club Westchester’ walls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">What’s confounding</span> is in figuring out which
portrait is really accurate of him; Portrait A or Portrait B. Can ya give me a
big hand in figuring this one out...? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKI1um6IFaiJjArULbxrRGE6SNqbQOW6MJ1jxulndqfxcKhZ1VknXjyxGPuFR6Ld4eXoSuqLUofzO43fItv8XLbUSvC_v9L8dcCkS8b8qivIWNjqXZa7VaynPJGKZa6LQXsXJDwBHeoRz/s1600/1-gop+hnds+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKI1um6IFaiJjArULbxrRGE6SNqbQOW6MJ1jxulndqfxcKhZ1VknXjyxGPuFR6Ld4eXoSuqLUofzO43fItv8XLbUSvC_v9L8dcCkS8b8qivIWNjqXZa7VaynPJGKZa6LQXsXJDwBHeoRz/s200/1-gop+hnds+1.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait A</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vM09Nl_dOgQZnY3ascPgHAPWzc42ligjcYBVJ8zZOBsttMOiwzU9mzur7G2v9e5KfHont-wVps3dcg5FQgk5H5hfNWmNKVquJSa8Ha9rQNV2NGEVreGdhuBlG0ybfVWDVgMuyBFGJIen/s1600/1-gop+hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vM09Nl_dOgQZnY3ascPgHAPWzc42ligjcYBVJ8zZOBsttMOiwzU9mzur7G2v9e5KfHont-wVps3dcg5FQgk5H5hfNWmNKVquJSa8Ha9rQNV2NGEVreGdhuBlG0ybfVWDVgMuyBFGJIen/s200/1-gop+hands.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait B</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bed
Wetters</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>And
the only question that’s still up in the air is how close the Democrats will
come to retaking the House Majority. What this exposes, though, is much deeper
and it goes to the Republican Party as an institution. This, this candidacy,
the magnitude of its disgrace to the country is almost impossible, I think, to
articulate. But it has exposed the intellectual rot in the Republican Party. It
has exposed at a massive level the hypocrisy, the modern day money changers in
the temple like Jerry Falwell Jr. And so, this party, to go forward and to
represent a conservative vision for America, has great soul searching to do.
And what we’ve seen and the danger for all of these candidates is over the
course of the last year, these, these candidates who have repeatedly put their
party ahead of their country, denying what is so obviously clear to anybody
who’s watching about his complete and total manifest unfitness for this office</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The above was not written by me, but was
stated by Republican strategist, Steve Schmidt.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqTnjt4dyUg60oX5oCSf5H9P_DelhP4Qlimm9PooqnXORuU3pf9xDZx2pCQ6K0DXg8WKIcT4Ek9cswjAjc_lEy5wtYid8j2kDRLLt_yHd8o8-YrN5-J7lsC19YCpyK3mWfxtvGjos0oo3/s1600/1-gop+denial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqTnjt4dyUg60oX5oCSf5H9P_DelhP4Qlimm9PooqnXORuU3pf9xDZx2pCQ6K0DXg8WKIcT4Ek9cswjAjc_lEy5wtYid8j2kDRLLt_yHd8o8-YrN5-J7lsC19YCpyK3mWfxtvGjos0oo3/s320/1-gop+denial.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump is the crowning achievement of the
GOP, no matter how current Republicans running for office are distancing
themselves from him. Remember, Trump is a product of the Republican Party; the
party that has now for decades been catering to extreme and exclusive elements
for decades. The GOP embraced the initial Tea Party movement that has currently
evolved into Trump’s base.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump in the microphone video wasn’t
just spouting off profanity in demeaning women; he was expressing predatory and
abusive behavior in actually bragging about his explicative nature in assaults
he’s committed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s gross talk video was like
throwing ice water into Republican faces. It finally woke a number of GOP
politicians up to what they’ve been doing all along to women one step closer to
the edge at a time. Republicans have addictively voted down both ratifying or
funding for reproductive rights, violence against women, equal pay, child care
and in healthcare have not yet acted on Obama’s emergency request to aid the
fight against the Zika virus allowing it to encroach into our borders affecting
pregnant women. It has been 238 days since Obama asked for the relief and still
no action by the Republican congress. I thought Republicans were pro-choice and
all for the unborn? If so, it’s a strange way in showing it.</span><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHx6GJUqgqq_XpMHetTEJio1esHr7bvodwvbG19dA6umbuiQ8EBlrqkkR148q4xhCzedqGR9nCUHzFfhctP050pwzVUaTGXKPMMvQBKfYAIqYv_n0Pb3YmgFPosACZYMOK1MfSm88HXXG/s1600/1-gop+inaction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHx6GJUqgqq_XpMHetTEJio1esHr7bvodwvbG19dA6umbuiQ8EBlrqkkR148q4xhCzedqGR9nCUHzFfhctP050pwzVUaTGXKPMMvQBKfYAIqYv_n0Pb3YmgFPosACZYMOK1MfSm88HXXG/s320/1-gop+inaction.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump’s merely the precipice of the GOPs
own doings against women in attempts to make legal abortion a criminal act,
defunding ‘Planned Parenthood’, gut the ‘Violence Against Women Act’ that had
the statistics in showing it was working with a 60% drop in domestic violence
since its implementation. The lame excuse they gave in gutting the Act was it
also protected undocumented women immigrants and Native American women. First
off, Native Americans are the only true Americans and secondly undocumented
women represent life just as much as anyone else’s; especially within our
borders.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuH77vIuBPDHzdtZPSne933RFVVPP8eJTQbTA3eH5F_BjVJyc8KEn_9B5cTdoD8Vum_qTRdwQWdvjD8Z1HInpAVP3_Bb53Jr5m2KsjCI1tQhSYlwsW_ZnNBNM8AvwzIVAONC0oKVPqCcd/s1600/1-gop+immis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuH77vIuBPDHzdtZPSne933RFVVPP8eJTQbTA3eH5F_BjVJyc8KEn_9B5cTdoD8Vum_qTRdwQWdvjD8Z1HInpAVP3_Bb53Jr5m2KsjCI1tQhSYlwsW_ZnNBNM8AvwzIVAONC0oKVPqCcd/s320/1-gop+immis.jpg" width="154" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Newt Gingrich’s excuse for Trump’s lewd
behavior is that it all depends on which Trump shows up, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">the Big Trump or the Little Trump</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” That’s nonsense, both the
little Trump and big Trump are lumped as one. Trump praised Gingrich for
chastising Fox News’ Megan Kelly. Kelly though, actually won the l’il tirade as
viewed by most. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gingrich gave her a lecture on sex over condemnation
of Bill Clinton’s escapades and excuses for Trump’s vile sexism, then accused
her of being obsessed with sex. She could have curtly pointed out how he cheated
on his first and second wives and was impeaching Bill Clinton for sexual
shenanigans while he was having an affair at the same time, but she was polite
enough to not bring that up as he was bashing her, the Clinton marriage and
everyone else’s sex life, but his and Trump’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dang all those Trumpers, including Trump
himself, Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, Roger Aisles and Steve Bannon...all who’ve
mistreated women, but are out there in mass attempting to attract female votes.
What a team, huh? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump adamantly admitted that he’s “<i>smart</i>” to not pay his federal taxes in
the first debate and following stump speeches, yet Trump at the ‘Ronald Reagan
Library’ during the GOP primaries had this to say:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>What
I’d like to do—and I’ll be putting it in the plan in about two weeks and I think
people are going to like it...it’s a major reduction in taxes. It’s a major
reduction for the middleclass </i>[No it’s not...both his tax plans give little
tax relief for the middleclass].<i> The
hedge fund guys won’t like me</i> [Oh yes they will, as these guys, the
corporate and rich stand to gain the most in tax cuts under his latest plan] <i>as much as they like me right now. I know
‘em all. But they’ll pay more. I know people who are making a tremendous amount
and paying virtually no tax</i> [like him]<i>
and I think that’s unfair</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, in a pretzel twisted sort of way
logic, Trump thinks he’s smart by being unfair. Either an imbecile or a person
ravaged with greed would only contradict their self as such. You have no
Republicans snorting about this for it is merely already the established
Republican way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Illegal immigrants, who take on
America’s lowest paying jobs, are consistently demeaned by Trump and the right.
Republicans have used Latino/Latina, bambino/bambina illegals as scapegoats for
decades now. But guess what...these illegals paid just over $12 billion dollars
in 2013 taxes while Trump who is a proclaimed billionaire paid
zero...nada...not a dadgummed red cent. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just as the Donnie attempting to smote
the vote, Republicans have been doing it for a good decade now. A few
Republicans will now admit that voter fraud is virtually nonexistent, but in
the same breath will say that Republican voter suppression is virtually
nonexistent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oh, Really? I guess that is why federal
and federal appeals courts in just a span of thirty days this summer, struck
down red state voter suppression laws in Texas, North Carolina, Alabama, Kansas,
Ohio, North Dakota and Wisconsin. In the North Carolina ruling, the presiding
judge determined that the states voter ID law’s provisions deliberately “<i>target African-Americans with almost
surgical precision</i>” in an effort to depress black turnout at the polls. It
was noted in court that Republican leaders had drafted their restrictions on
voting only after receiving data indicating that African-Americans would be the
voters most significantly affected by them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From requiring birth certificates,
because it is known that minorities have significantly a less likely chance of
having acceptable IDs, to making it extremely difficult to have voter
registration drives in minority precincts in red states, these are the same
tactics once used during the Jim Crow days; Republicans are smearing democracy
through disenfranchisement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Pence’s Indiana, on October the
fourth of this year, police raided the ‘Indiana Voter Registration Project’
(IVRP) minority district offices and seized all the IVRPs records and
equipment. This just one week before registration closes in the state. Almost
40,000 voters were registered from the IVRP office and were expected to get
another 5,000 more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even though the Republican ran Indiana
government won’t say what is illegal or what IVRP has done to have initiated
the raid, GOP officials say IVRP will not receive their documents and equipment
until the investigation is concluded, which naturally will be well after the
elections.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Meanwhile, all the IVRP voter
registrants are in limbo and the Indiana Republican Secretary of State Connie
Lawson is keeping mum with no comments on the matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s a shame, for out of all the states,
Indiana was the worst state for participation in the 2014 voter turnout.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Funny that though, the only real voter fraud
that has come up is that Trump surrogate, Terri Lynn Rote voted for him twice
in the early general election and was arrested and jailed last week on a first
degree charge of election misconduct. She’s since posted bond and is due for
her preliminary hearing on November 7<sup>th</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If Republicans truly want to attack
voter fraud they just might want to look inward a wee bit more first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans, whether they’re RHINO, or
Tea Party have been hinting towards whittling voter participation. Syndicated
columnist, George Will, ‘National Review’s, Daniel Foster, congressional
representatives, Ted Yoho and Stevie King all are leaning soft or hard towards
democratic voter disenfranchisement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From their lips, Will has stated when it
comes to voter filtering, “<i>A small voting
requirement such as registration, which calls for the individual voter's
initiative, acts to filter potential voters with the weakest motivations. They
are apt to invest minimal effort in civic competence</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Foster proclaims, “<i>It improves democratic hygiene because the people who can't be bothered
to register...are, except in unusual cases, civic idiots</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yoho and King (the two names together
sounds kind of like a clown duo, doesn’t it) both claim that a voter should
have skin in the game like owning property.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sounds a bit like these guys are
speaking more about Republicanism more so than about the poor and minority in
slinging words like ‘competence’ and ‘civic idiots’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s sickening how the Trump campaign
can actually say they are for the American worker when Trump went overseas for
manufacturing, his former campaign manager Paul Manafort is a special interest
lobbyist for foreign entities and Steve Bannon is a former Goldman Sachs
executive. As Trump is no more for the American worker as Republicans, Trump
stiffs American small business like Republican politicians refract American
workers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For just one example out of innumerable
hundreds, Republican strategist, Brian Walsh says Trump stiffed his father, a
small business man out of thousands. In an interview by NPR host Ari Shapiro,
Walsh stated, “<i><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">True story, my dad's company was stiffed by Trump on a
six-figure telecom job in the 1980s. Trump told them it would cost more to sue
him</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">.”</span> Walsh goes
on to explain finally Trump agreed to pay him $50,000.00 but even stiffed him
on that.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GpIEusV-7k6fSc9GTewW4jDBKLqDgIDE9NmgY-xPqQxdX_uZAeS_gAaZAAC9yHFHvNWjh-wWRYZ7HHqsJYqOmbIHjF4lMtpGeEkoRj5exOF_JOFYL-l-kamJINXxk2yhTHS6m-hmDc3k/s1600/1-gop+walsh+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GpIEusV-7k6fSc9GTewW4jDBKLqDgIDE9NmgY-xPqQxdX_uZAeS_gAaZAAC9yHFHvNWjh-wWRYZ7HHqsJYqOmbIHjF4lMtpGeEkoRj5exOF_JOFYL-l-kamJINXxk2yhTHS6m-hmDc3k/s320/1-gop+walsh+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Walsh says due to his job as a
Republican consultant he cannot vote for Hillary, but he adds by stipulating he
certainly won’t be voting for Trump.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans, during the days of the
‘Great Recession’ turmoil that erased millions of middleclass livelihoods,
refused to extend Obama’s ‘Emergency Jobs Fund’ and unemployment insurance for
American workers in dire straits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans, even before his
inauguration, have been vilifying America’s only black president while also
ignoring the fact that he is also half white with a lineage that goes all the
way back to revolutionary days. Forget race, Obama is a true American. But the
GOP can’t forget, so falsely blame him to try and blemish the man for all of
America’s woes when most of America’s turmoil has been Republican induced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First, Rush Limbaugh blamed Obama for
the ‘Great Recession’ before he ever first set foot into office stating that
his winning of the 2008 presidential election put all financial institutions
and Wall Street markets into an uproar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican members of congress have
blamed him throughout his tenure in office for the debt ceiling crisis,
unemployment, the fiscal cliff, the sequester and the government shutdown when
all these were Republican doings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican senators and congressmen led
by Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan even blamed Obama for their own votes to
override his veto that was against the ‘Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism
Act’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lastly, Rush Limbaugh, along with a few other
Republicans has the audacity to blame Obama for Donald Trump. It for sure is a
mind boggling thing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Besides, no matter how Trump and
Republicans swipe the Obama presidency and whine that Hillary is just another
four more years of Obama. When ya consider what the Obama administration’s
policies have done in ending the recession, put regulations with teeth on ‘too
big to fail banks’, eliminated the bin-Laden threat, seventy-eight consecutive
weeks of job growth for the nation that was hemorrhaging 800,000 per month when
he was first inaugurated, through Janet Yellen has maintained the lowest
interest rates in over 200 years, Obama’s specific policies have only raised
the debt $857 billion, the deficit has been cut by two-thirds, Obama dropped
unemployment from 10.1% down to 4.9%, the nation is currently enjoying the
highest private sector job growth in American history, overall inflation has
been less than half the historic average at 1.7% and the U.S. has experienced 80
straight months of economic expansion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even though over 20 million more
Americans are now insured by the ACA and has added years to the life of
Medicare, Republicans are now charged thinking they finally have an argument
against it in that premiums are going to increase 25% next year. As well though,
according to conservative figures by Northwestern University law professor,
Daniel Austin’s concluded research, the ACA has ameliorated medical
bankruptcies from its inception from 57.1% in 2009 to 21.1% in 2015. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What the GOP is ignoring, is that health
insurance is still being run by private insurers, so what are Republicans
offering in its place ...nothing...so why are they whining? Do they want to go
to a single payer public option that would guarantee no rise in health insurance?
Heck, no; to them that’s Lord forbid communism. What they are offering is going
back to the traditional method, where private insurers had free reign to raise
premiums far and above the inflation rate every year. Overall, since the
passage of the ACA the nation has experienced the slowest rates of healthcare
expenses experienced ever since 1960 and it has saved taxpayers billions in now
not having to foot the bill for uninsured ER visits.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02VU-qDVpFmCLNHTl6Q9OkJm25vEyfJOBtgMEH4VzMkerZrhaqOe9kAE-Jxl8h8uQPGZhPvnmOmBTtggInBzqNczvdby2CsYXd5h8ZSqR6lQ9IuGXHnkLQzsHFB0hR9OUycbSAGho7DYb/s1600/1-gop+obama+econo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02VU-qDVpFmCLNHTl6Q9OkJm25vEyfJOBtgMEH4VzMkerZrhaqOe9kAE-Jxl8h8uQPGZhPvnmOmBTtggInBzqNczvdby2CsYXd5h8ZSqR6lQ9IuGXHnkLQzsHFB0hR9OUycbSAGho7DYb/s320/1-gop+obama+econo.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With all that in mind, dog gone it all,
I’ll surely go for another four more years.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Facts and the truth are viewed by a good
portion of Republicans as merely items to drop a stool on or make the bladder
gladder on. They’ve turned substance into raw sewage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Religious
Right A(s)toning</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Christian Right in attempts to view
the world in a one sided lens wants to force that image onto all Americans.
They feel if you are not one of them through ethnicity, culture and religion
then you are not a true American. God, guns and conforming to their beliefs is
the only path in their eyes of truly being a patriotic God fearing citizen.
It’s warped!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Claiming that the Christian God has
blessed America more than any other nation is totally unbiblical. Except for
the original Jews, God has not blessed anyone else more than others. Since the
New Testament days, in fact God has pretty much been out of the picture. He
claims no favorites today, except in the minds that claims he does. Most
certainly, Jesus has not blessed Trump no matter how fundamentalists Christians
try to wrap that around <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">other</span> noggins. Besides, Jesus said to love and bless
everyone equally The bellyache preaching done today by the Christian Right is
certainly not based on love and peace. It’s based on fire and brimstone hatred. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These TV and radio evangelical Jesus
hucksters, while getting rich off of Christ, are preaching a tough lopsided
message during these election times. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Right-wing evangelist, Kenneth Copeland
was dead wrong when he claimed Ted Cruz had been called and anointed by God to
be the next president. Since God blew Cruz off, Copeland’s now with Trump
shouting, “<i>This is God’s nation and
nobody is going to take it away from Him. You’re going to be guilty of murder.
You’re going to be guilty of an abomination of God</i>,” if ya don’t vote for
Trump as if Hillary is Satan and Trump is Gabriel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Evangelizer, Lance Wallnau on the Oct.
27<sup>th</sup> ‘Jim Bakker Show’ in promoting that Trump is the candidate that
God is using, claimed liberals are using witchcraft on conservatives putting a
fog in Christians’ heads.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the Oct. 24<sup>th</sup> ‘Stand in
the Gap’ radio program, Gary Dull of the ‘Pennsylvania’s Pastor’s Work’ says “<i>Trump is a babe in Christ</i>” and when a
caller phoned in inquiring why Trump won’t state this publically, Dull replied,
“<i>because it will be used against him
politically</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Before warning Christians that they
cannot just sit on the sidelines and not vote, because “<i>Hillary and Democrats are coming to take our Bibles away</i>,”
Christian capitalist, Wayne Allyn Root, after promoting his book said on the
‘Real Side’ radio show, “<i>Donald Trump is
a middle finger to Washington D.C.</i>” and that Trump never groped any woman
simply because he’s “<i>one of the
handsomest billionaires that’s ever lived</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Appearing on the Oct. 6<sup>th</sup>
‘Jim Bakker Show’, Steve Strang, CEO of the Christian monthly magazine,
‘Charisma’ said, “<i>I believe, as odd as it
is, that God has raised him </i>[Trump] <i>up
just as God raised up Abraham Lincoln to save the nation</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Christian historian quack, David Barton
appearing on the June 2<sup>nd</sup> ‘Today’s Issues’ insisted to not hold
higher religious standards over Donald Trump. Then he pointed out a standard
for voting in corrupting Exodus 18:21 by citing it in this fashion, “<i>But select capable men from all the
people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint
them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens</i>.” Well it’s
quite obvious this is not going to aid in Barton’s cause for Trump is no
contender in qualifying with these standards as anyone who observes would know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, these next two are so ludicrous,
I’m giving you the pleasure in viewing their videos. As Trump promoter, Roger
Stone claims he fears for his life if Hillary is elected, so too do these two
poor lost souled preachers. Religious Right preacher, Dave Daubenmire is in the
first video and former navy Chaplin and current religious exorcist and Colorado
state representative, Gordon Klingenschmitt is in the second. Listen at what
they have to say, if Hillary gets elected.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="428" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9mqk9ob6I6s" width="760"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="428" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lVctIcEdcPU" width="760"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Christian Right set out to conquer
all of America’s wretched sins, but instead got caught up and was conquered by
Trump’s. Maybe they should refresh themselves of Matthew 7:15-20.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Departing words: Trump’s not even a
goodly man, much less a godly one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">United
States of Anxiety</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There has been some pandemonium since
FBI director, James Comey sent a letter to congress stating that there were
some more e-mails to be investigated concerning Clinton off of Uma Abedin’s
(her aide) estranged husband’s e-mail. Abedin’s departed husband is former
congressman, Anthony Weiner. This caused a raucous, for Representative Jason
Chaffetz (R-UT) immediately leaked it to the press eleven days out from the
elections as political bounty. In the Republicans’ ever pressing deluge to
discredit Hillary, they figured this would be a bombshell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now we all simply need to take a couple
of breaths and calm down, for this has no teeth and here is why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why Comey released the letter to
congress at this period instead of waiting till after the election results,
it’s a guess, but in my estimation, Comey is a registered Republican and was
raked through the fired charcoal grill mercilessly in finding no charges to
convict Hillary over the bogus e-mail scandals that the GOP congress has
intensely pursued. If Comey had waited till after the elections, Comey would
have once again been raked through by Republicans. He probably felt he owed his
party at least this much to announce it now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now it’s only in my estimation on what I
wrote above, but all of this is speculation, for after the time bomb exploded
with the announcement, facts are starting to pour out as the dust is clearing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First off, it was wrong of Comey to
respond and announce it to congress right before the election. It was too early;
he has no detail what is even in Weiner’s laptop. It is not even Clinton
e-mails, though they want to look and verify. The laptop has been tied in to
the e-mail investigations because Abedin used it to print out some government
e-mails. In fact, the search warrant to confiscate the laptop had not even yet
been conducted. There is even opinions that if any information contained is relevant
are just copies of what the FBI has already viewed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Comey in rushing the letter to congress
before any findings, much less conclusions violates the Hatch Act and
government ethics rules on misuse of official positions. The rules highly
stipulate that an executive branch official under pressure from any politically
motivated members of congress, it is not permissible for he/she to respond in
kind under any circumstance; in particular if that agent is from the FBI.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even the former chief of the White House
Ethics counsel, James Painter under the W. Bush’ administration filed a
complaint against Comey for acting so soon; in particular without any knowledge
of information contained in the laptop. Painter calls Comey’s actions
inexplicable and he may warrant prosecution for abuse of power under the Hatch
Act.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hillary, just as much as the public
does, announced over the weekend, she wants all the e-mails to be immediately published
publicly for all to see what content is in them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now once more, what most might not know,
an FBI investigati<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">ve inquiry</span> is currently being conducted on Trump and his campaign in conspiring
with Russia. No, Comey has not announced that because there is no conclusion
and why...it would break ethics rules if he did. Apparently with the applied
GOP pressure, Hillary he made as the exception.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although Trump has seized on this and is
running away with it at every stump he’s holding, it will be of little benefit
to him. But it could quite possibly benefit down ticket voting for
Republicans of those voters that were hesitant to vote for Hillary but would
unless there was anything else that would pop up to give them the excuse not
to. This disorganized bit of e-mail information could possibly be the push they
were looking for further tying into Hillary’s previous e-mail witch hunts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It does appear that Comey finally went
ahead and bought the putrid vile of snake oil that the Republican congress was
selling him. As long as they can prolong their endless quest of Clinton
scandals, Comey is perceived merely as the one sacrificial lamb who took the
bullet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican politicians have already been
setting up and planning to continue the barrage of their Hillary ceaseless hearsay
investigations if she is elected; this was the icing for that cake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now just imagine; what if Republicans
had put just one-fifth of the effort put into solving the nation’s problems as
they’ve invested in endless time and wasted effort into their prearranged
Clinton scandals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Comprehendo</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<b> </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s for sure not solely due to lack of
income and feeling left behind and left out in supporters favoring Trump. Based
on exit polls, Trump supporters’ median household incomes average $72,000 per
annum. No, the main component that bonds Trump and his base is indeed bigotry
and a nationalist populist resurgence. For sure, if disenfranchisement was
their main plea, then indubitably, instead of berating ‘Black Lives Matter’ they
should be feeling a kindred soul envelope the two groups, for who else could
enlist being deprived of the American dream more so than America’s minority
folk and for not a couple of decades, but for a couple of centuries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However in Appalachia, the Deep South,
the rustbelt and other regions, there has been a lack of living wage jobs
and folks truly are hurting. I can see their point; the corporate, financial,
elite and political systems are rigged against them. What I don’t get is that
these are the very entities impoverished whites will vote for keeping those
very same principles in place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump is their only grasp to change; to
change their burgeoning hardships due to lack of income. He just happens to be
the wrong choice for change. Trump is the essence of current corporate,
financial and elite systems. He brags incessantly about his corporations, brags
incredulously about his wealth and is very insensitive to others’ plights from
being sheltered his whole life in an elitist environment. Insensitively calling
African Americans “<i>the black people</i>”
is not going to receive him any minority votes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If Hillary wins this election, she had
better get off her duff and reach out to these and all other hurting Americans.
Don’t just disappear into the realm of D.C. Get out there and be visible. Be
transparent and not via Trump’s perception of transparency in having any worker
of his sign non-disclosure clauses, no, don’t just say transparency get out and
show transparency. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump is the heir fuhrer. “<i>I mean, you can say, oh, isn’t that a
terrible thing—the man has very strong control over his country</i>.” When
Trump praises Putin as such, it is a reflection of his own projected thoughts
of how he would act and behave. Trump perceives Putin’s power grab and total authoritative
control as some kind of laureate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v5_zIqpVWkfzPNnSPq4TVt0k-fHaIPsx69E6LhofjPJOF_iCG9kyZE5etyn-k4NKR0XHFHBKTWINOUXEze1yMsDZ0pz9jTfHmCwpPN1r_FPuclLKvwDT745Ckvee6-90rtQjuSMiiT80/s1600/1-gop+h-t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v5_zIqpVWkfzPNnSPq4TVt0k-fHaIPsx69E6LhofjPJOF_iCG9kyZE5etyn-k4NKR0XHFHBKTWINOUXEze1yMsDZ0pz9jTfHmCwpPN1r_FPuclLKvwDT745Ckvee6-90rtQjuSMiiT80/s320/1-gop+h-t.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This Trump praising of Putin, the one
who once headed the Soviet Union’s KGB, Republicans won’t comment on or
criticize; Pence even glosses over it. Now just imagine if you will, if it were
Hillary praising Putin, why Republicans would immediately be branding her a
communist traitor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My wife once said to me as I was
flabbergasted how anyone could vote for Trump, “<i>There’s no liking Trump, it’s merely a symptom</i>.” I had to sit back
and think a bit about that one. But she’s right, it is a symptom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s devout supporters will not
register any truth that bodes badly for Trump. They simply will not recognize
it. They will cheer at Trump rallies based on hatred for Hillary. On social
policy aspects, Trump is exclusive. This rings a bias bell for those wanting a
scapegoat for all their ills. Trump is not the antidote, but the dope that
continually fuels the necessary euphoric high they feel whenever he spits out
their thoughts and echoes their emotions. The short answer...racism supports
racism and is the dividing element in this nation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump definitely knows how to talk to
his base by using the shortest number of syllables for the shortest word of the
shortest sentence from the shortest paragraph </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">then smash it all together</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. An example below foretells his
third grader speech talent:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Look,
having nuclear—my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr.
John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton
School of Finance, very good, very smart—you know, if you’re a conservative
Republican, if I were a liberal, if, like, OK, if I ran as a liberal Democrat,
they would say I'm one of the smartest people anywhere in the world—it’s
true!—but when you're a conservative Republican they try—oh, do they do a number—that’s
why I always start off: Went to Wharton, was a good student, went there, went
there, did this, built a fortune—you know I have to give my like credentials
all the time, because we’re a little disadvantaged—but you look at the nuclear
deal, the thing that really bothers me—it would have been so easy, and it’s not
as important as these lives are (nuclear is powerful; my uncle explained that
to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would
explain the power of what's going to happen and he was right—who would have
thought?), but when you look at what's going on with the four prisoners—now it
used to be three, now it’s four—but when it was three and even now, I would
have said it's all in the messenger; fellas, and it is fellas because, you
know, they don't, they haven’t figured that the women are smarter right now
than the men, so, you know, it’s gonna take them about another 150 years—but
the Persians are great negotiators, the Iranians are great negotiators, so, and
they, they just killed, they just killed us.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">[Source: Slate magazine]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Along with a few of his choice words like
“<i>moron</i>,” “<i>slob</i>,” “<i>zero</i>,” “<i>nasty</i>,” “<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">YU</span></i><i>UGE</i>” and “<i>bigly</i>,” Trumpers
and Trumpettes fully not only understand his simple coded rhetoric, they <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">are absorbed into it like water into the Trump
orange(ly) pumpkin headed</span> sponge. Trump by his own admission has the “<i>best words</i>” because he has “<i>good brains</i>.” Now how could anyone deny
him that...?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you are a Republican of reasoned mind
and conscience, voting against Trump at the ballot booth is not disloyalty to
your party; it is <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">loyalty</span> to your nation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I must confess, it’s not just symbolic,
but it is substantive in U.S. history as a melting pot nation in our subversive
dealings of one another. Originally in America, the poor, slaves and women
could not vote. Due to gender, culture, societal standing and religious varying
biases, exclusion has been imprinted as a stain on American culture. But due to
shared ideas and reflection for the common good, inclusion has erased much of
the exclusive thoughts. So far, America’s truest power that has held us
together is that inclusive embrace. The divisiveness has to end or the USA will
end in abridging us as a just and well-ordered nation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With all the political divisiveness and
the social widening gap that is rifting America, I’m going to leave you with a
Canadian video. It is kind of heartwarming in realizing from another nation’s
perspective that America as a nation and Americans as a people, are not as bad
as we think the other half of us are after all.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/stGhjokq57U" width="645"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Feliz Dia Das
Bruxas! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">(Happy Halloween!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">10/31/2016 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-56407749757331357242016-09-26T13:26:00.001-04:002016-09-27T13:57:37.109-04:00Xanthic Prevaricating Barf<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Xanthic Prevaricating Barf<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dictate</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A true dictator up on stage will always
clap for himself to make the audience continue to clap.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnfn3BzMlBxa9TE3KKKWVonHefIZHP0sRAY8qZeBEiOm_HrBDuYZthyIhgwwrQkzFHX4pVxs2zScIihaioREZJml2OFPP8hacrCjsYy4frzCihme65rZ-_PsRp39iZsUGdbyyFsoMcqSv/s1600/1-gop+kin+jung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnfn3BzMlBxa9TE3KKKWVonHefIZHP0sRAY8qZeBEiOm_HrBDuYZthyIhgwwrQkzFHX4pVxs2zScIihaioREZJml2OFPP8hacrCjsYy4frzCihme65rZ-_PsRp39iZsUGdbyyFsoMcqSv/s320/1-gop+kin+jung.jpg" width="264" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A wannabe dictator will do the same
thing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb89kXnLnsAyvT7nzBHoAG3RSwGhAKIP2RhpXU2ntJ8Idez8N6VwU5oFvHUr0fntj4ZGLUpeMm9pt8208emDZxUSerQlNWNOcxsGgGb_AeewdsszzJvKkbP3f5cVkkPSV6V5fPn9pM-Ytn/s1600/1-gop+trump+clap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb89kXnLnsAyvT7nzBHoAG3RSwGhAKIP2RhpXU2ntJ8Idez8N6VwU5oFvHUr0fntj4ZGLUpeMm9pt8208emDZxUSerQlNWNOcxsGgGb_AeewdsszzJvKkbP3f5cVkkPSV6V5fPn9pM-Ytn/s320/1-gop+trump+clap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A true dictator once on stage will
suggest his might and promoted strength by displaying a constant lip locked
frowning sneer.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJsCkdqxEeQU-EVDu0lK_vvAllWq1Zmy1bIe4Je970Nnm3gvDAztkEgBXKHFkSmINN9-R82PG-poUQVOJVKmFbXOLWSDN7__Od6Ot6UekvlCXt3EMFqXO37Isq-Hxxx6lyY8Iqt8Tuxk4/s1600/1-gop+kim+sneer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJsCkdqxEeQU-EVDu0lK_vvAllWq1Zmy1bIe4Je970Nnm3gvDAztkEgBXKHFkSmINN9-R82PG-poUQVOJVKmFbXOLWSDN7__Od6Ot6UekvlCXt3EMFqXO37Isq-Hxxx6lyY8Iqt8Tuxk4/s1600/1-gop+kim+sneer.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A wannabe dictator will do the same
thing.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjQv-SxUGz9m-zeHnpMJTPaIZmbIVr4shS8VFOSgNf4inXuixaa0UpB8P82teIseh1WP9tAgjrP4i5rlUVvUSR7PRqOypPHJ7Dme9gxVoEAjeEBQ0b5UspyF3Wa1DAGfWl4LQ54Zc9KKG/s1600/1-gop+trump+sneer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjQv-SxUGz9m-zeHnpMJTPaIZmbIVr4shS8VFOSgNf4inXuixaa0UpB8P82teIseh1WP9tAgjrP4i5rlUVvUSR7PRqOypPHJ7Dme9gxVoEAjeEBQ0b5UspyF3Wa1DAGfWl4LQ54Zc9KKG/s1600/1-gop+trump+sneer.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Why even rogue leaders with the same mentality as Trump’s want him to ascend to the throne. Vladimir Putin praised Trump when he said in December of 2015, “</span></span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">He's a really brilliant and talented person, without any doubt</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxbnregmmhSFD5utcRXD16LYdtDSqrtbVPu_xcJ1N9mws7Cnxizrnku2ftK5m9VwM2oZJQgEkaEc33YZEO0kOzUQrXsb0pRmZdK4iuZze3Gry8QdGAUJzjaBKPrgrgSkbMIJXKkpzFAaV/s1600/1-gop+nicities.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxbnregmmhSFD5utcRXD16LYdtDSqrtbVPu_xcJ1N9mws7Cnxizrnku2ftK5m9VwM2oZJQgEkaEc33YZEO0kOzUQrXsb0pRmZdK4iuZze3Gry8QdGAUJzjaBKPrgrgSkbMIJXKkpzFAaV/s320/1-gop+nicities.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Someone of dictatorial leanings will
always attack any of his opponents by accusing them of being and behaving of what
he truly is and does. It is a diversion strategy, no matter how temporarily, to
sway his actual conduct off onto his opponent. It throws the interviewer off
guard causing an imbalance in reporting facts. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For example, Trump’s spokesperson,
Katrina Pierson on a 12/23/2016 CNN interview accused Hillary of bullying, when
she said without any proof or naming of a witness, “<i>What’s interesting about this, this notion of being bullied is, I mean,
I can think of quite a few women that have been bullied by Hillary Clinton to
hide her husband’s misogynist, sexist secrets</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This whole event started after Trump
ripped into Hillary by saying she got “<i>schlonged</i>”
(no interpretation required) by Obama in the 2008 Democrat primary campaign. Pierson
said this in rebuttal to Trump being pointed out of bullying reporters and his former
GOP presidential primary contenders. Of course, if she really wants to get into
the misogyny and sexist dig, then yeah, on Bill, definitely ya could go there,
but does she really, in considering the load of misogynist and sexist acts
Trump has acted out just in the presidential campaign, much less throughout his
adult life. Also, it is he who is running for president and not Bill. What’s the
Trump campaign on this matter got on Hillary...absolutely nothing; nada.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why even in New Hampshire while on the
stump speaking to a small crowd this past August 25, 2016, Trump himself blurted,
“<i>What does she</i> (Hillary) <i>do when she can't defend her record</i>? <i>She bullies voters, who only want a better
future, and tries to intimidate them out of change</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, for Trump’s obnoxious
bullying...let me state and remind us all of just a recent few.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s childish name calling in his
tweets and speeches is classic requisite number one in being a bully. Trump
caters well to this. Trump’s bullying transfers mostly into bluffing. He
attempts to hit home hard with it while at the same time bringing a sort of
nauseating and obnoxious entertainment strolling along with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Lyin’
Ted</i>,” “<i>Little Marco</i>,” “<i>Low-energy Jeb</i>,” “<i>Crooked Hillary</i>” and the word, “<i>stupid</i>”
flung out to just about everyone he felt threatened by in their response to his
baseless accusations, or in calling him out, or in correcting his falsehoods. An
array of Trump tweet slurs to public figures, media and journalist personnel have
ranged from, “<i>terrible person</i>,” “<i>lightweight</i>,” “<i>loser</i>,” “<i>moron</i>,” “<i>unattractive</i>,” “<i>has no clue</i>,” to “<i>dumb guy</i>,”
“<i>a totally overrated clown</i>,” “<i>boring</i> <i>and not even a little relevant</i>,” “<i>a waste</i>” and of all things “<i>a</i> <i>total
hypocrite</i>.” For the few out of much more Trumpisms here, I’ll let you the
reader search if ya want to in who he has said these to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Who could forget Trump mocking prize
winning investigative journalist, Serge Kovaleski at a South Carolina campaign
rally. Kovaleski is disabled with a congenital joint condition from birth. When
Trump continued to back his false claim that he saw thousands of Newark
American Muslims celebrating the 9/11 attacks, after much scrutiny by reporters
requesting Trump to prove the claim, he finally falsely pointed out that he
read it from a Kovaleski article. This even sidestepped Trump’s original claim
that he saw it on TV. Of course Kovaleski never reported that and said so.
Trump didn’t like that, so attacks the disabled journalist at the S.C. rally by
raising his arms in a jerky motion.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PX9reO3QnUA" width="640"></iframe><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump further creates falsehoods in
stating he never mocked Kovaleski, because he never met him. That’s a fairly
large sized dropped cow chip, for Kovaleski covered Trump person to person
while working with the ‘New York Daily News’ between 1987-1993. But, as the video above poignantly
shows...oh, yes he did. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According to bully experts like, Jaana
Juvonen a development psychologist and professor at UCLA, one can tick off with
a check every character bully trait Trump exhibits. She states, “<i>Bullies feel really good about themselves.
They come out looking like they have very high self-esteem, but one way to
think about it is that self-esteem is so highly dependent on the popularity, so
if there’s any problem, if somebody dares to criticize them that might make
them more vulnerable. When somebody criticizes them, they attack
immediately…they can’t stand that they are being criticized</i>.” Sound
familiar with ol’ thin-skinned? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To see a glimpse of what a bully is and
isn’t click on the DNCC video below:</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kwecRMPa2BM" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">On numerous occasions, Trump and his
campaign has accused Hillary of being a bigot and racist. In that same August
New Hampshire event stated above, Trump once again accused Hillary of being a
racist in only wanting to grab minority votes. A little reminder is one of his
supporter’s reactions when Trump claimed Hillary a bigot is below in the 23
second video.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OQTZVNjyV2w" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It’s kind of mindboggling in accusing
her of being bigoted, when Hillary was on the front lines in the very inception
of the ‘Civil Rights Movement’. After first hearing a Martin Luther King speech
at only fourteen years of age, she volunteered for civil rights and babysat for
migrant workers who could not afford any kind of child care. At age twenty she
denounced her party, the Republican Party for being biased at the Miami RNC
convention due to Richard Nixon supporters, who wanted segregation to continue,
physically beating Nelson Rockefeller supporters who wanted segregation to end.
At Wellesley College, she graduated as class valedictorian where she led
demonstrations and an affront to racial barriers, forcing the college to admit
more Blacks. She’s been championing civil rights for all Americans ever since.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even Ben Carson, who spoke by phone to
the ‘Daily Beast’, has told Trump to cut it out in calling Hillary a bigot. He said
that, “<i>I would not call Clinton a bigot.
That’s what people do who don’t have anything to talk about</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As for Trump, well in insisting Hillary
as racist when insinuating, “<i>Only
desperate liars call their opponent racist. Also Hillary is racist</i>,” kind
of defies logic. To insist Hillary is a racist, then from his own illogical
words he must be the desperate liar. That is what he said right...and as we’ll
see below he is right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As mentioned in my last article,
‘Overdosed Conjoined Carnies’ Trump had his apartment supervisors list a ‘C’ on
current tenant</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">s leases and tenant applications coding them as people of color.
Any application with a ‘C’ on it minority prospects were denied apartment
rental and any existing tenant with a ‘C’ on their lease were forced out or not
renewed. He was sued for it, but settled the case to keep it from going to
court and never admitted any wrong doing blaming it all on the supervisors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the ‘Central Park Five’ case of five
Black youths, who were innocent but found guilty of brutally beating a female
jogger, Trump showed his true orange color. These youths were only 14-16 years
old. Trump in bold ‘New York Daily’ headlines belts out: ‘<b>BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY</b>’ while calling them in the article “<i>roving gang</i>,” “<i>park marauders</i>” and “<i>crazed
misfits</i>.” Even after Matias Reyes later confessed to the attack, among
other rapes, Trump would never apologize for his convenient racialized hysteria.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump Tower and Casino former president,
John O’Donnell wrote a memoir about the financial troubles being experienced by
the Trump syndicate and Trump’s response to it. O’Donnell wrote what Trump said
and felt was wrong, “<i>I’ve got black
accountants at Trump Castle and at Trump Plaza—black guys counting my money! I
hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that
wear yarmulkes every day. Those are the kind of people I want counting my
money. Nobody else; besides that, I’ve got to tell you something else. I think
that the guy is lazy and it’s probably not his fault because laziness is a
trait in blacks. It really is; I believe that. It’s not anything they can
control</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s incorrigible insistence for over
six years that President Obama was foreign born is demeaning to the nation’s
first African American. Even after Obama had first issued a copy of his long
form birth certificate in 2009, Trump was still relentless with it, accusing it
was a forged copy, or that he was sending nonexistent investigators to Hawaii
to prove the forge, or that Sid Blumenthal, a democrat said that Obama was born
in Kenya, even though Blumenthal insists he never said that. Then Trump calls
Blumenthal a liar. Funny though in insisting Blumenthal did say that, he was
touting him as a deliverer of truth. But to meld and gloss it all over in saying,
“<i>Hillary started the birther movement, I
finished it</i>” is as about as throat gagging obnoxious as one can get. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Trump’s comments concerning the
Mexican-American federal judge/Trump University lawsuit, Paul Ryan called it, “<i>textbook racism</i>,” even though of course Ryan’s
still voting for him. Loyalty to party over nation is still that strong a pull.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To top this racist portion off, when
Trump said Hillary was catering to Blacks simply for their votes, what the heck
has he been doing? With his recent campaign shakeup, I’m quite sure new
management said we’re going to have to attract some minorities if Trump really
wants to win. So that’s why you’ve seen him lately with lackluster pandering to
Blacks simply for their votes. The real truth though is that the Trump campaign
knows the minority vote is a lost cause for them. What specific electorate
they’re after is the white suburban educated female vote that is taken aback by
his racist antics. This Trump campaign performance is to show them he really
cares, really he does....not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s funny though, in kicking off the
new and improved Trump image, he goes to Michigan to address minority, in
particular Black problems to an almost exclusive White district and audience.
Then just this week gallivants off to Cleveland to have Don King praise him
with the camera only showing a few Blacks behind Trump and King, with an audience
composed virtually of all White folk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump falsely claims Hillary is for getting
rid of the constitution’s 2<sup>nd</sup> Amendment therefore all Republicans
proclaim she is anti-constitutional. Speaking of that, Trump is for banning
reporters and journalists that disagree with him; even to sue any legitimate
media. A big strike against the 1<sup>st</sup> Amendment in freedom of press. Trump
claims, if he becomes president he will make it legal to sue them if they
confront his falsities. For over five decades now, during the early sixties, a
conservative leaning U.S. Supreme Court said for a public figure to sue a
respectable news outlet, “<i>actual malice</i>”
must be proven. That means the media source intentionally printed a falsehood
to wrong you; ya know like ‘Fox News’ and ‘Breitbart News’ does but gets away
with. The ruling ensures that the press may have broad freedoms and not be
censored.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs8WiZWtn2Qm0OKtEwXVoMgG_1-jfrnKvT__6gEMIrfmaJF9fWUTYC0nv3cvwCqJgkPvy0oUuRnBVYBWWjrynqojuu43ZB_KExkTVLilF846w-pWe9Fv7_q5fWNJtFbz7ewZ3L5hCoHQM/s1600/1-gop+religious+zealot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs8WiZWtn2Qm0OKtEwXVoMgG_1-jfrnKvT__6gEMIrfmaJF9fWUTYC0nv3cvwCqJgkPvy0oUuRnBVYBWWjrynqojuu43ZB_KExkTVLilF846w-pWe9Fv7_q5fWNJtFbz7ewZ3L5hCoHQM/s320/1-gop+religious+zealot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Most all Republicans preach religious
liberties, but only if it applies to fundamentalist moral majority Christians.
According to right-wing dictates, all other denominations and various other
religions do not get to lay hands on that 1</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Amendment cornerstone
that guarantees all religions freedom of expression. I mean, why, how dare a
Muslim restaurateur refuse fundamentalists service.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump throws water at and dunks the 8<sup>th</sup>
Amendment of delisting cruel and unusual punishment in promoting and wanting to
bring back waterboarding torture. Trump has even suggested not stopping at
killing terrorists, but further, to execute their entire families as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The 14<sup>th</sup> Amendment’s ethic
clause of equal protection has been blown out the window in Trump claiming “<i>a total and complete shutdown of all Muslim
mosques</i>”<i> </i>and “<i>ban reentry of Muslim Americans who have
traveled abroad.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But it’s not just Trump’s ignorance of
the constitution; he simply doesn’t care if his policies go against the U.S.
Constitution.<i> </i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I don’t know exactly why, but occasionally
I get letters from Rep. Keith Rothfus (R-PA) who represents a Pittsburgh
district that I have no affiliation with. His latest is below preaching about
adhering to the constitution. The e-mail I fired back to him follows Rothfus’
letter.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tBBUkHUlwMXqzCGCI4ly8-Ub9x373bw3LAwu5xNgzwiBC-3Dx3YC64Y12z4kYoiKgv0cIA7twxG5rC7ilf4t9Gi9GT696YzJAo52ntmcasLxD7VOvMGyR1j9CZEdnfEY1_VLP8iZ-rT4/s1600/1-gop+bja+email.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tBBUkHUlwMXqzCGCI4ly8-Ub9x373bw3LAwu5xNgzwiBC-3Dx3YC64Y12z4kYoiKgv0cIA7twxG5rC7ilf4t9Gi9GT696YzJAo52ntmcasLxD7VOvMGyR1j9CZEdnfEY1_VLP8iZ-rT4/s320/1-gop+bja+email.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Rothfus office never responds to my
replies, but still I will inevitably send them one back.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pay for play...that is what Trump has
accused Hillary of with the beefed up turkey jerk Republicans have been fueling
on yet another GOP induced tiring Hillary conspiracy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Clinton’s have not on personal
expenditures spent one dime of the ‘Clinton Foundation’ donations. The
foundation is a good cause in saving countless millions of lives globally. So
what if a donor that happened to be Nobel Peace Prize, Muhammad Yunus, or Nobel
Laureate and Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, or Melinda Gates met with
Hillary? Yes they have donated to the foundation for its worthy humanitarian
causes. As Secretary of State, she had every right to meet with them. They’re
international public figures and surely did not ask Hillary for any under the
table handouts in return for their donations. This is even an insult to them
and their causes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But as for Trump in his pay for play,
what about the 2013 $25,000.00 donation to Florida’s Attorney General Pam Bondi
in her bid for reelection and the $30,000.00 to then Attorney General Greg
Abbott to add to his campaign’s bank account while running for the Texas
governorship. In both states, Trump University was being considered by both respective
state governments to proceed with a lawsuit in Trump U. taking student money
but not offering any education or classes. But also in both states, once the
Trump donation came in the lawsuits magically disappeared; in Bondi’s case a
mere three days later.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqmhGzK12F5To0OlZ5PA7JL7y5IYFUp7LD7uhlWFqPhJ2hLUi1K6zWTZws7ubLrM12Ypg8juhJXCOdyqeYe5G4svuBtakmWtDzRwCxmjgpSpFwSpL9zAkJNYpkCUaTBnAi2_gI0RGvhjm/s1600/1-gop+trumpbondi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqmhGzK12F5To0OlZ5PA7JL7y5IYFUp7LD7uhlWFqPhJ2hLUi1K6zWTZws7ubLrM12Ypg8juhJXCOdyqeYe5G4svuBtakmWtDzRwCxmjgpSpFwSpL9zAkJNYpkCUaTBnAi2_gI0RGvhjm/s320/1-gop+trumpbondi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trump & Bondi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ms. Bondi actually claims she didn’t
return Trump’s foundation money because then that would’ve looked like a bribe.
Ain’t that nice, thoughtful and considerate...</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On Trump’s plane, CBS digital journalist,
Sopan Deb hit Trump up with the big question, did you discuss the contribution
with Bondi? Now Trump insists, “<i>No,</i> <i>I never spoke to her. First of all she’s a
fine person beyond reproach. I never spoke to her about it at all. She’s a fine
person. Never spoken to her about it. Never</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">OK, we get that she’s a swell person and
all and that the two, according to Trump never talked about it, even though the
repeating of words appears to be a very nervous state. But according to an AP
report this past June 2016, “<i>Florida's
attorney general personally solicited a political contribution from Donald
Trump around the same time her office deliberated joining an investigation of
alleged fraud at Trump University and its affiliates</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even though Bondi was very aggressive in
pushing back at the report and ranted at length claiming it to be impropriety,
she never disputed the core of the story that she personally met with Trump
privately in soliciting the contribution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Heck, we all know what was going on,
Trump even admits it himself, when he boasted on the GOP primary campaign trail
that when it comes to pay and play of being on the other side, he knows the
game well. Last year he said to the ‘Wall Street Journal’, “<i>As a businessman and a very substantial
donor to very important people, when you give, they do whatever the hell you
want them to do</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On July 08, 2015 Trump reiterated to
CNN’s, Anderson Cooper when he confessed, “<i>As
a businessman I could have gotten anything from anybody. Everybody loved me.
When I called them they always treated me well. And that's part of the game.
And that's part of what's wrong with this country</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yet...Trump’s still playing that game,
but now, just on the other end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Deplorables”</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Originally I was going to list a few of
Trump’s lies; there are over 200 to choose from in the presidential campaign
season alone. But I’m not going to sit here and list not even one. What for;
I’m only relating to the choir, but mostly to myself. If anyone on the right
reads an article of mine, they cannot get past the first sentence without
convulsing in disgust. They can’t even attempt to be reasonable and come up
with a factual argument to counter with. If they pointed out I truly
misinformed, I would immediately correct the error. I don’t like misinforming;
in fact I despise falsities accepted as the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I had a friend, a smart friend from
Texas come up to visit. We got rolling into a conversation of politics. He’s a
devout Republican and Trump supporter. In debating he came out and said how
Democrats lie and used the example that it was the local Democrat officials
that gave the decision to use Flint River for the city’s drinking and tap
water. Not so lightly, I told him, “What are you talking about, it was Governor
Snyder’s emergency management’s decision to cut costs and that local officials
had no say due to the fact Snyder’s management had total authority in what was
to be conducted, overriding any authority of local officials once the emergency
management had taken over.” He denied it, I denied his denials. So, to prove a
point I looked up several reliable articles he could see for himself. He walked
over to the computer, did a quick two second scroll then, without reading,
promptly got up with a puckered smile still insisting it was a local decision.
He shunned the truth in favoring not to be exposed to it simply to adhere to
his belief. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The right-wing doesn’t care about facts...it
is all about biased ideology. When Trump lies his supporters believe him even
more. When Trump fallacies are factually pointed out, they cheer him even more.
The more he insults others with third grader mentalities, the more his base
leads him on. The more Trump puts on cheap entertainment performances rather
than appearing more presidential, the more his supporters clap. Trump will
never be held accountable for his crimes and his Trump supporters love him even
more for that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But what’s most sickening is whenever Trump
pops out innuendos of Hillary being executed by some gun nut, they find that compelling.
Ya know when he behooved at a North Carolina rally, “<i>Hillary wants to abolish -- essentially abolish the Second Amendment.
By the way, if she gets to pick, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you
can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't
know</i>.” Or, at a Miami, Florida rally where he demurred, “<i>I think they should take her bodyguards</i>’
(in reference to the Secret Service agents that guard her) <i>guns away. Take their guns away. She doesn't want guns. Let's see what
happens to her. Take their guns away. It would be very dangerous</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is not a side-by-side comparison
between Hillary’s 50% deplorable statement and Mitt Romney’s 47% as Republicans
are attempting to portray it as her own 47% moment. Romney said it in a private
meeting where no reporters were allowed along with photography or videoing
forbidden. In Clinton’s case, she stated it in the open with reporters and with
recording equipment in attendance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqu5YxbIz7eKOOwfRfx7OpzVkC03H2Yejy4qVcu31kKob4hyphenhyphenB3kV-p-KQLsG11kFh0Yor21CiE9p7tfxwmdgWL0gixYU60tC_d5GbW-2YYKuSP_lv5jVii5NwS_7DZjYFQ-sFfcFb-Cnt/s1600/1-gop+gun+fanatics2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqu5YxbIz7eKOOwfRfx7OpzVkC03H2Yejy4qVcu31kKob4hyphenhyphenB3kV-p-KQLsG11kFh0Yor21CiE9p7tfxwmdgWL0gixYU60tC_d5GbW-2YYKuSP_lv5jVii5NwS_7DZjYFQ-sFfcFb-Cnt/s200/1-gop+gun+fanatics2.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkP0tmoga0O7n1Fbo7U0c_1nPEn_d3xucY7dQ6j5YSFZw4TpG8ILMrhrhPgBbW7ETtBPdedDSY6RamcYNH7ASMJgwJydAOz8qGjA04XO_DBV9fRC2TX4dCv_dzjY2nRSqRtsbJT6djprWG/s1600/1-gop+bikers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkP0tmoga0O7n1Fbo7U0c_1nPEn_d3xucY7dQ6j5YSFZw4TpG8ILMrhrhPgBbW7ETtBPdedDSY6RamcYNH7ASMJgwJydAOz8qGjA04XO_DBV9fRC2TX4dCv_dzjY2nRSqRtsbJT6djprWG/s200/1-gop+bikers.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s base truly is composed of the
deplorable. The only point wrong on Hillary’s comment was that it is far more
than just half in the ‘deplorable basket’...it’s all of them...the basket is
full.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3CN1455dfvnJ0upByEfLp7EOrVaLvwrSLWdUsUFY1vTWcENlWWUIkBZVtfVPNX2wz10J65kfeyWjcZkgnDhZm3o62MZUzpWQH2vJ40-hN-DzibYTdlFfgu1Z8wV2QWC4n8cpka9Q02nM/s1600/1-gop+bskt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3CN1455dfvnJ0upByEfLp7EOrVaLvwrSLWdUsUFY1vTWcENlWWUIkBZVtfVPNX2wz10J65kfeyWjcZkgnDhZm3o62MZUzpWQH2vJ40-hN-DzibYTdlFfgu1Z8wV2QWC4n8cpka9Q02nM/s200/1-gop+bskt.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It’s composed of the most obvious deplorable
kind including biker gangs, unstable gun fanatics who think of assault weapons
as toys, the racist Klan and religious zealots thinking that God has chosen him.
Why not, for Trump has surrounded himself with white nationalists and spurious
characters. He’s awakened them all to a new beginning. This is their chance for
revival.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj467BaxXlbJ2adZliSdWLw1xgCPYQdP189bqSF-MQMCV-RCWAlDF5FNTXeu_NGZYY3lwQE4kQ1sWwYUwwZpTEGq6keL_mFrnJYkaHZW6Lnk4hIarOcgHQPyrsJfIF1ccaEEqIyr9EWptZM/s1600/1-gop+religious+zeal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj467BaxXlbJ2adZliSdWLw1xgCPYQdP189bqSF-MQMCV-RCWAlDF5FNTXeu_NGZYY3lwQE4kQ1sWwYUwwZpTEGq6keL_mFrnJYkaHZW6Lnk4hIarOcgHQPyrsJfIF1ccaEEqIyr9EWptZM/s200/1-gop+religious+zeal.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The newly invigorated white nationalist
movement likes to now call themselves the ‘Alt-right’, but it’s still the same
old dominance racist movements hiding behind the sheets of white supremacy and
cultural nationalism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s new campaign manager, Steve
Bannon is of the Alt-right fold. When he was CEO of ‘Breitbart News’ he pushed
articles moving towards the fringe of coddling nationalist extremism. Under his
tutelage there was a push to villainize minority victims like Trevor Martin and
Mike Brown while praising their shooters. Bannon’s beefed up anti-immigrant rhetoric
in articles manipulated or made up numbers to fuel anti-immigrant sentiment. So
of course it was a natural move to go from ‘Breitbart’ to Trump headquarters. Trump
has reportedly given the internet site money to speak highly of him. Breitbart
staffers have confessed that Trump gave money to ‘Breitbart’ for favorable
coverage. Bannon has written and produced white nationalist films like
‘Torchbearer’ which is designed to frighten in putting the wrath of fear into
Whites in believing their culture is being wiped out in America. The movie
features Phil Robertson of ‘Duck Dynasty’ infamy who is the guy riddled with
anti-gay rhetoric and said “<i>Blacks were
all happy and singing pre-entitlement, pre-welfare</i>.” It is a movie geared
to Christians containing footage of actual people being shot and killed and
burned to death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican strategist and conspiracist
enthusiast, Roger Stone is the one who headlined the conspiracy on Fox News that
there was a film exposing Michelle Obama as referring to White people as ‘whiteys’
during the 2008 campaign. Of course the video never materialized. Stone has
been consulting and advising Trump, even to the point of apologizing for his
tardiness at the ‘America First’ Cleveland rally explaining he had an important
meeting with the Trump campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Roger Ailes, noted for his spread of
misinformation, sexism and a load of sexual misconduct over at ‘Fox News’ is
now Trump’s chief strategist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Former Representative Michelle Bachmann
(R-WI) is Trump’s religious guru advising him on evangelical issues, even
though she says she’s advising him on of all things...foreign policy. Bachmann
claims God picked Trump to be the Republican nominee. Of course she declares
this only after he has won the general election. She originally endorsed Ronald
Reagan where, at a MENSA prayer breakfast this past January she defended it by
saying, “<i>Let me just get this out of the
way too. Yes, the Constitution says that you can’t serve more than two
consecutive terms in the White House. But it doesn’t say anything about ghosts
or zombies having a third term, and I’m pretty sure since he’s been dead for
almost twelve years, and out of office for over 25 years, that the consecutive
part doesn’t count either. I don’t care if he’s a ghost or zombie, he’s going
to be more respectful of the Constitution that Obummer was, I can promise you
that</i>!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">She also proclaimed on ‘The Christian
Network’s ‘Brody file’ in reference to Hillary winning the election, “<i>I don't want to be melodramatic but I do
want to be truthful. I believe without a shadow of a doubt this is the last
election. This is it. This is the last election. This is the last election when
we even have a chance to vote for somebody who will stand up for godly moral
principles. This is it</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Al Baldasaro, a state lawmaker in New
Hampshire and current co-chair of Trump’s national veterans’ coalition, on a
number of times has demanded, “<i>Hillary
Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump gladly accepts the backing and
endorsement of Richard Spencer, Jared Taylor, David Duke, Texe Marrs and David
Barton. Spencer is head of the ‘National Policy Institute’ calling for an
ethnic peaceful cleansing to halt the destruction of the U.S.s European
culture. He says of Trump, “<i>Even in all
his vulgarity and I would never deny him, this is what we want in a leader</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Taylor is editor of the racist magazine,
‘American Renaissance’ who wants to have civil rights disavowed. He has said, “<i>Trump should concentrate on his natural
constituency, which is white people, suggesting that winning 65 percent of the
white vote would overwhelm any Democratic gains with minorities.</i>” Of course
we all know the former KKK Grand Duke Wizard, was so enthralled of Trump’s
speeches that it motivated Duke to run for Louisiana’s U.S. senate as a
Republican.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just today (09/25/16), Duke was going to
protest the protesters protesting Andrew Jackson’s statue in New Orleans,
Louisiana. He was drowned out by the protesters, but before he was jeered down,
he said this, “<i>I tell you one thing. It
was built by the forefathers of the European Americans who created this country
and who gave us our constitution. Who gave us our freedoms and they should not
lose their rights and liberty in their own country</i>.” Although Duke doesn’t
realize it, but that is exactly why the minority protesters were there...they
haven’t been given their true freedoms and in having to worry if a cop is going
to shoot them or not for any minor violation, they haven’t yet had any real
rights or liberties to be taken away “<i>in
their own country</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyFOSKGDqdXsRv-djGzeQGkq98DA7-ifGURnwBgjIC_H7BJed-G2RWMVzYcA8E5sCc_O7Uyle7xEl6h2PO7o0nZaaHvIlwKFG_9f_uy3oY2B23NhzzE7fGkYer3Yu79JFWco4f2Inj9dH/s1600/1-gop+pnce-dk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyFOSKGDqdXsRv-djGzeQGkq98DA7-ifGURnwBgjIC_H7BJed-G2RWMVzYcA8E5sCc_O7Uyle7xEl6h2PO7o0nZaaHvIlwKFG_9f_uy3oY2B23NhzzE7fGkYer3Yu79JFWco4f2Inj9dH/s320/1-gop+pnce-dk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duke amongst his pals</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Marrs is a conspiracy theorist and
Christian writer who has strong anti-Jewish leanings. He said on the Jeff Rense
radio show, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Israel is going to be
destroyed and it is going to happen so fast we'll all be shocked about it. It's
going to happen and I've been wondering if maybe, let me just say something
here, could Trump be the instrument of God in this? He doesn't have to be a
Hitler, he doesn't have to be a Stalin; he can simply be a good guy</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Barton is a part-time preacher barker and myth maker historian. At a moral
majority voter mobilization, a caller told Barton that she, as a Christian
found it hard to vote for someone like Trump. In dismissing those concerns,
Barton told her, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Christians do not have
a choice about whether or not they are going to vote because God has commanded
them to do so and therefore they must vote for the candidate who is going to
promote policies that most closely align with the Bible.</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” He then assures
her that God’s choice is indeed Donald Trump.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So Trump, the sage of anti-political
correctness baby cried about being called a deplorable then whines to his
supporters that she also was referring to them and they all wail in unison; so
sad. Well, as outsourced from ‘News Corpse’ the list below is a response of
‘Fox News’ bloggers to Hillary’s pneumonia bout during the 9/11 ceremonies. You
be the judge if their comments are acts of deplorability.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh564uHP4yphNamgKvnuUeqQZC_upreAKr-xHP13Iq0GBq1dFjucgpzX_IYsHMIj9lWRr5h_t_CslooxqPVLbcCO52hWF8zGnhUQq-14WfVIr-SebljGi6gNV1gBKXPHT80_XmJMX6M8swG/s1600/1-gop+deplor-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh564uHP4yphNamgKvnuUeqQZC_upreAKr-xHP13Iq0GBq1dFjucgpzX_IYsHMIj9lWRr5h_t_CslooxqPVLbcCO52hWF8zGnhUQq-14WfVIr-SebljGi6gNV1gBKXPHT80_XmJMX6M8swG/s320/1-gop+deplor-1.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yepper, some mighty nasty folk in that
Trump basket and for sure some higher ups are included as well. Take for instance
Alex Jones’ comments after hearing word of Hillary’s illness. He tells the tale
of his initial reaction on his September 12, radio show, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yes, I’ve been containing a Cheshire Cat grin all day long. My dad, we
were out at the lake with the kids when this news came in.</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Infowars
reporter) </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lee Ann</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (McAdoo) </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">was texting me, so was</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Infowars
reporter Joe</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">) Biggs. I went and saw the
video. And I went, Yeah! Yeah! I was just like, just literally just in ecstasy.
And my dad said, ‘“That is horrible, celebrating over that sick woman even
though I hate her too.’” And I went, No, this is a devastating victory against
the enemy and more of the avalanche of them being discredited and the hand of God
is upon this. And it’s only going to get better the more good people take
action. That’s why evil always fears us and does everything they can to try to
contain us throughout history and suppress us because they’re scared of us.
Look at these hunchbacked demons. They’re nothing.</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s been said whenever emotions are
high, intelligence becomes low. That is exactly what has happened to Republicans
in the relationship between the Republican politician and base. Republican
politicians stoke the fires of fear and anger building on the emotions of their
base with misinformation and scapegoats to further frustrate their mainly white
aging base and fringe supporters. Whether a Republican politician admits or
not, he/she knows that their base has gone extreme. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What is the Trump moniker, ‘Make America
Great Again’? What exactly does that mean? Whenever I ask a Republican Trumper,
they literally cannot come back with an answer. They have not thought about it
or analyzed its meaning. They seem to seek some fantasized glorious past in
America’s history where the streets were paved of gold and all the white folk
well fed and employed, all housed in two car garage homes with two cats in the
yard and one dog on the couch. It simply did not exist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The slogan of ‘America First’ Trump
first used, was originally created by a very Liberal movement in 1940 called
the ‘American First Committee’. Apparently Trump got wind of that so changed
the moniker to ‘Make America Great Again’ that he conveniently stole from the
Reagan campaign.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bumper
Sticker Crass</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘Daily Show’s host, Trevor Noah sent
his sidekick, Jordan Klepper out to interview Trump supporters at a Trump rally
concerning conspiracy theories. Believe me, there was more than a tugboat ton
full of ample conspiracies. Watch the video below for ample nonsense.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eFQhw3VVToQ" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I almost am tempted to say the video is
so funny, but it’s not...these are the folks making it a possibility that Trump
will be the next U. S. president. Still, in the video where the voter says: “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">We don’t even know if he’s a citizen</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”
Klepper: “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">If you don’t look at the birth
certificate there’s virtually no evidence</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” Trump Voter: “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Exactly</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">!”...is priceless.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The thing is: Yes, the obvious ‘deplorables’
are evident of their improprieties, but the silent Trump voter keeping thoughts
to themselves are in that basket as well. As a former microbiologist, I say you
are going to vote for a petri dish full of germ infested grime. You are just as
responsible if Trump wins in saying it is OK due to allegiance to the
Republican Party ‘trumping’ true loyalty to nation. If it were the other way
around, Hillary sublimely suggesting Trump be shot, or calling everyone that
disagrees with her imprudent grade school names...“<i>slob</i>,” “<i>fat</i>,” “<i>ugly</i>,” “<i>moron</i>,” “<i>stupid</i>”...names
Trump has actually tagged opponents with, ‘Fox News’ would be rolling out the
red carpet every day for folks vilifying her; but with Trump, they attempt only
to normalize it.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55Xj9a0tqyLvmnXTRCSJbrw75MhTD_GR4n2dLWIlKI7SfiaNzXrhyphenhyphenCvAfaf5tTxVMdc6QrOF_y9IDsRqh9ISyNaPt9EsueZOzxqeM18qelCL4fHa5d3rjI9UNmWOdAUcHYMDL-hIZDz8t/s1600/1-gop+silent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55Xj9a0tqyLvmnXTRCSJbrw75MhTD_GR4n2dLWIlKI7SfiaNzXrhyphenhyphenCvAfaf5tTxVMdc6QrOF_y9IDsRqh9ISyNaPt9EsueZOzxqeM18qelCL4fHa5d3rjI9UNmWOdAUcHYMDL-hIZDz8t/s320/1-gop+silent.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The silent ones</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump brags quite often about his
business background, but corporate mentalities are not democratic; they are
authoritarian. Take for instance the one he is considering to replace Antonin
Scalia on the Supreme Court; it is 1-percenter Peter Thiel. You might not
recognize the name, but he is the one that bankrolled Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit
against Gawker.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Imagine Thiel on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Thiel is a venture capitalist and states that capitalism is far more important
than democracy. To cement that thought he insists that giving women the vote in
the U.S. was a disaster due to his opinion in that its creation of a more
equality democracy further hampered capitalism, threatening the very existence
of corporate entities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course Trump and his campaign are out
there pushing for no fact checking, not only in the debates but at any time.
Trump and Republicans rely on misinforming; it is now a solid part of their repertoire.
On CBSs ‘Face the Nation’ yesterday, House Majority Leader Paul Ryan (R-WI)
after being asked by John Dickerson in reference to the Trump campaign pushing
for no fact checking, don’t you think there should be a standard to live up to
in telling the truth; Ryan replied, “<i>So,
I think Donald Trump is new. He’s a business guy running for president. He’s
not even a politician</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Does that excuse Trump from being
truthful, therefore afraid of fact checks? Every politician when they first ran
weren’t a politician, so in Ryan’s mind as his argument suggests, this recuses
Trump from being fact checked? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Thinned skinned, egotistical, maniacal, narcissistic,
never apologizing President Trump...also to be commander-in-chief of the
world’s mightiest military, to be the world’s main foreign diplomat with
economic ties in other countries, the one that will still maintain self-benefactor
to economic Chinese money ties, the one cozying up to former KGB chief, Count
Vladimir Putin strictly for personal gain in wealth, the one of inclusive
domestic policies, the one who claimed he could shoot anyone and get away with
it and the very one with the only finger to push the nuclear button. Once the
president has said it, it is not the job of the military to argue, their only
job is to conduct the issuance of the Commander-in-Chief’s command.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, I inform you Republicans, if ya like
the fear factor to be scared by all of the scapegoating of other Americans by
your GOP politicians...you’ll have a lot to be fearful of in a Trump
presidency. So go ahead and pull the lever for Trump, see if he will deliver
all his promises in jobs and security, but be afraid, be very afraid when they
never materialize if he wins, for your own Armageddon of his true vendetta
self-glorification nature and policies are just around the corner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ya know, even though Trump boasts of
having a “<i>very good brain</i>” and the “<i>world’s best memory</i>,” he appears to
conveniently forget that he was for the Iraq War, even said so beginning in
2000. On a ‘Fox News’ September 18 interview, he claimed he was never a fan of
Colin Powell when he called Mr. Powell the “<i>best
and brightest</i>” in his own book, ‘The America We Deserve’. As far as his ties
with the Russian government and Russian oligarchy ties go, he all of a sudden
has contracted amnesia of Carter Page, a former Russian energy consultant who
was on Trump’s foreign policy team. Page had under the shelf dealings with the
Russian government. Claiming now that Page had no role in the Trump
administration, Trump himself said just this past March to the ‘Washington
Post’ editorial board’s recorded interview that Page was one of five on Trump’s
policy advisory team. Trump claims he has never done business or been
associated with convicted felon, Felix Sater, who has had ties to the Russian
mafia. Unfortunately for Trump and his world’s greatest memory, there are
plenty of photos with the two together as the business card below aptly shows.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6el6MlJwHC5wKih_Bch80_076UCBnj-Pq5D7ZKTeh3sbs6FkHznvNUkxAbI36Vk-UKVStAqOWirwuCwiuGiAMl6f29muBPRZwAvMsa8SswUJpi42fQN4svvr3Gw06wXVZqEkxYJkvl7gC/s1600/1-gop+sater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6el6MlJwHC5wKih_Bch80_076UCBnj-Pq5D7ZKTeh3sbs6FkHznvNUkxAbI36Vk-UKVStAqOWirwuCwiuGiAMl6f29muBPRZwAvMsa8SswUJpi42fQN4svvr3Gw06wXVZqEkxYJkvl7gC/s320/1-gop+sater.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump most likely perjured himself denying
in a general GOP debate argument with Jeb Bush that he had never approached
Bush to allow Florida gambling where Trump could open a Miami gambling casino.
Then stated if he really wanted it he would have gotten it. The debate goes as
follows:</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bush: The one guy that had some special
interests that I know of that tried to get me to change my views on
something—that was generous and gave me money—was Donald Trump. He wanted
casino gambling in Florida.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump: I didn’t—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bush: Yes, you did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump: Totally false.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bush: You wanted it, and you didn’t get
it, because I was opposed to—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump: I would have gotten it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In 2007, Trump hired the shady
character, Richard Fields to convince Bush to allow casino gambling in Florida.
But Fields quit, whereupon Trump sued him insisting he lost the opportunity to
develop a Florida casino. The trial went like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lawyer: You knew that Governor Bush, Jeb
Bush at that time, was opposed to expansion of gaming in Florida, didn't you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump: I thought that he could be
convinced otherwise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lawyer: But you didn't change his mind
about his anti-gaming stance, did you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump: Well, I never really had that
much of an opportunity because Fields resigned, telling me you could never get
what we wanted done, only to do it for another company.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One of Trump’s stories is false and if
it is in the court version under oath that is a felony. And Republicans call
Hillary the ‘crooked’ one...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Look, Trump is a thoughtless man except
when it comes down to his needs and wants. One thing I will give him is that he
is very transparent on his lack of ethics and </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">subtlety</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. For some strange
reason, like a magnet this draws his base even deeper into his clutch.
Republicans saying not to worry, he’ll settle once in office surrounded by his
team of professionals to keep him in tow, don’t get that there are no core
values to him. You do what he says and if one doesn’t, she or he is fired.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So don’t be hoodwinked by the
McConnell’s and Ryan’s who declare that Trump will graciously fall in line
with his White House counsel. He won’t. Trump is not going to change overnight
after 70 years in the making. If someone criticizes him or even disagrees with
him, with his shallow confidence, he will attack. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">True conservatism is no longer vital in
the Republican Party. Exclusive nationalism under the cloak of being a
predominately white family values, provincial Christian nation has finally
caught up to the GOP vendetta. This alienation in all things Americana has made
the Republican Party the minority. If Trump has any message tacked onto his
lapel it is solely this: Republican connotations of untruths in taking
advantage of ignorance in truth, Trump is their sounding board messaging in the
most simplest of terms the vermin of bias, hate and fear to achieve his own
goals at the expense of everyday Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Truthfully, which is the most logical
pick for the betterment of all Americans? One shouldn’t have to even speculate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Vigilance in
Reporting,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">09/30/2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-35266283363945558042016-08-31T18:00:00.001-04:002016-09-02T18:24:37.864-04:00Overdosed Conjoined Carnies<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Overdosed Conjoined Carnies</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Depiction:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In only giving passing mention of last
month’s two political conventions, I was going to give an in depth
compositional juxtaposition utilizing side-by-side comparisons of event
contrasts and how the resultant outcomes affected the Democratic National
Convention (DNC) and the Republican National Convention (RNC). However, so much
has transpired since the conventions’ elapsed time, I instead will focus more
on the current developments. But due to the variable contrasts as so
distinctive, I’ll relay a stark, but brief synopsis between the two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First off, the RNC centered on speeches,
comments and chants of ‘locking up’ or even executing ‘crooked’ Hillary while
the DNC primarily remained on substance. With the initial RNC roll call of
delegate votes causing a raucous rift between Trump and anti-Trump states that erupted
into chaos roaring throughout the GOP convention. The DNC had an initial
dissonant exchange between Hillary and Bernie delegates after the hacked
Democratic National Committee e-mails were revealed at the same instance the
convention commenced. With Bernie Sanders’ great aid, the Democrat convention
managed the turmoil quite nicely, as it did not disrupt the rest of the
convention. Once the convention was over, the e-mails were hardly even an
afterthought.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv58pbVt950XAHf99H2llXu-_P4iZxw7W5FPFH0TeAopCdBB6kqugoBq0gO_CUu7m2US4IYf9QKLCRnNlnDVAQq2aPK51D4pzjaJfOIN5BWmCjUGBSiMFI33N6_Sr-l2k7X3la3TP5UsYI/s1600/1-gop+dnc+khan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv58pbVt950XAHf99H2llXu-_P4iZxw7W5FPFH0TeAopCdBB6kqugoBq0gO_CUu7m2US4IYf9QKLCRnNlnDVAQq2aPK51D4pzjaJfOIN5BWmCjUGBSiMFI33N6_Sr-l2k7X3la3TP5UsYI/s320/1-gop+dnc+khan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Khizr Kahn visiting his Arlington Cemetery son's gravesite </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Republican convention pretty much
was centered around fear mongering and spiteful ‘</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">crooked</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’ Hillary rants while at the Democrat convention, there were
swipes directed at Trump, but the swipes could be backed up with substance of
exactly what trump has stated like building the wall, incarcerating then
deporting all eleven million immigrants and swearing he saw Muslims in New
Jersey on television cheering for the 9/11 attack.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One of the highlights in the
GOP convention was Melania Trump’s plagiarized speech in stealing a large swath
of Michelle’s former speech. Of all the folk to plagiarize, she picks Michelle
Obama’s 2008 convention speech. This must have had a heartfelt warming
sensation to all the right-wingers that literally despise the Obamas’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course Republicans attempted to put
spin on it, even tried to say that First Lady Michele stole the speech herself
from Saul Alinsky; it never panned out though, just more Republican fodder
rumors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But for Republicans to have criticized
Michele Obama’s own words as grunge when she gave them, only to praise
Michele’s words when they were copied and regurgitated out of a white
Republican woman’s mouth is priceless in revealing the biased idiocy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the right hand in the GOP convention,
you had House Speaker Paul Ryan, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, New
Jersey Governor Chris Christie, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), RNC Chair
Reince Priebus, right-wing commentator Laura Ingraham, Wisconsin Governor Scott
Walker, Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), TV Evangelist Jerry Falwell
Jr., retired Army General Mike Flynn, U.S. Senator from Arkansas Tom Cotton,
former governor of Texas Rick Perry and for sure U.S. Senator from Texas Ted
Cruz whom all gave no substantive speeches, but instead enlisted rants, biased
rhetoric, or conducted self-promotion. In fact some like Giuliani left the
podium foaming at the mouth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where were all the superstars in movies
and sports promised by Trump? Instead, we got Scott Baio and Antonio Sabato Jr.
as pretty much washed up B-actors and little known professional golfer, Natalie
Gulbis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tom Brady and Tim Tebow, who are or were
NFL quarterbacks, backed out of their GOP invites as did a slew of actors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although there was much complaining
carried out by Republicans for the Democrat convention having black mothers of
unarmed children killed by cops be represented with their presence and
speeches, it didn’t bother them a bit to parade Pat Smith, mother of Sean Smith
killed in Benghazi and let her exhort her thoughts on the podium of why her son
died in utilizing Republican political rhetoric. She’s now attempting to sue
Hillary and the Obama administration for negligence in her son’s death, but as
in all the wasted GOP investigations have deadpanned, so too will this lawsuit.
It’s simply an amazing thing that Republicans are still attempting to raise
political donations off of Benghazi and the deaths of those four Americans.
They even had a propagandized video of Benghazi after Mrs. Smith’s speech. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the left hand though, First Lady
Michelle Obama gave an eloquent performance that by far was the highlight
speech of both conventions. Vice-president Joe Biden, retired Marine General
John Allen along with his entourage of military backers, Bernie Sanders, gold
star parent Khizr Kahn, factory worker Beth Mathias, Jake Reed, Jensen Walcott,
Henrietta Ivey, injured in the 9/11 attack Lauren Manning, former congresswoman
Gabby Giffords and her astronaut husband Mark Kelly, U.S. Senator Al Franken
(D-MN), U.S. Representatives injured Iraqi veteran Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and
Joe Kennedy (D-MA), Independent Michael Bloomberg, U.S. chamber of Commerce
official and co-founder of ‘Republican Women for Hillary’ Jennifer Pierotti Lim,
former Ronald Reagan administration official Doug Elmet and President Obama all
gave above average admirable speeches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Due to health issues, former President Jimmy
Carter gave a compelling video speech. His two and a half minute speech is
below.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XXyD-B0HO1s" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">All three living Democrat presidents
gave speeches at their convention. But where were any past Republican
presidents at the GOP convention? They made it a point not to attend in person
or on video.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I know Kahn’s Constitutional speech
ranks high and most likely Trump has never read the U.S. Constitution in whole,
but I’d like to take note here of another speech that closely parallels the
‘Sermon on the Mount’. This one speech that wasn’t political in nature at all
was Reverend William Barber’s. It was inspirational and if you’d like to watch
it, the C-SPAN video is below.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aw3PUghqlAA" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In stark contrast, Evangelist Falwell
Jr’s speech over at the GOP convention was a tad vile. He recalled a dream of
his father’s, the Evangelist Jerry Falwell Sr. As he recalled the mythical
vision, Jr relayed his father’s dream of Chelsea Clinton interviewing him,
where Chelsea asked what were the three greatest threats to America. Jr
continued in saying his father said, “The three greatest threats facing this
nation: Osama, Obama and yo mamma. Chelsea’s mamma…you’re fired!”</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m just supposing Jr thought this was
cute as the right-wing crowd lapped it up, but it is a tad on the vile side in
being racist and superimposing Obama as Muslim, as if anything would be wrong
with that; it’s just that it is to a crowd full of Republicans.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although absent at the GOP convention, just
to mention a few of the superstars that appeared at the Democrat convention,
there was: actresses America Fererra, Lena Dunham, ‘Disney Channel’ prodigy
Demi Levato, Star Jones, Angela Bassett, Sigourney Weaver and Meryl Streep. Pop
stars who performed at convention events were Lenny Kravitz, Cindi Lauper, Kate
Perry and Alicia Keyes, among others.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Desperate Housewives star, Eva Longoria
gave a convention speech, who said at the convention she is a ninth generation
American, and that her family, originally from Mexico, “<i>didn't cross the border, it crossed us</i>,” while the legendary folk
rock star, Paul Simon performed ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rounding it all off, NBA basketball legend,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gave a speech opening up with some light humor and then
gave a good ol’ fashioned American history lesson. His two and a half minute
C-SPAN video speech is below.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5z-nEsE2MtE" width="640"></iframe>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hillary Clinton’s acceptance speech
certainly wasn’t an unforgettable one, but the Donald’s prompter speech if not
boring was loaded with dire consequences if he’s not elected due to Islamic
terrorism, refugees and immigrants taking us over.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Most like to say that the conventions
aren’t really what voters pay attention to, but for this election cycle, I
disagree. Trump got a modest 4.5% bump in polling after the Republican
convention, but Hillary got a bump into double digits that has been maintained
ever since the Democrat convention. They say it is the debates that truly
matter. Well, maybe so, but going into the debates that Trump is already
hem-hawing about in canceling his participation, having a double digit lead is
a very comfortable margin for any politician. Trump must perform a most
admirable showing, which he has not done yet and there will be no
teleprompters, so he’ll be on his own armed only with rehearsals in which he
invariably will go off on, sifting into tangents as he’s always done. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To put it all in perspective, while the
GOP convention’s overall message, besides locking up Hillary, was clamant
measures enlisting fear of terrorism and guns taken away as the primary
objective in voting Republican. The Democrat convention was uplifting in
messaging hope based on policy and substance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So terrorism and guns are the GOPs
bullet points. Really? All Americans should put terrorism as fear number one
when on median average (whether by accident, suicide or homicide) over 105 Americans
are killed per day by privately owned guns? That adds up to 38, 000 Americans
dying yearly due strictly to our own firearms. Seriously, an American has a
1:11,668 chance of being killed by an Islamic terrorist than by home grown
firearm violence. This is based on the ‘Center for Disease Control’ (CDC)
statistics where from 2005-2015, 24 Americans were killed by terrorists while
280,024 were killed by home grown gun violence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In fact, in all of 2015 in the U.S.,
toddlers, aged three and under killed more Americans with home guns than
terrorists did. The total count of 2015 toddler shooting deaths was 21. The
total number of U.S. deaths by terrorists, including the Chattanooga and San Bernardino
shootings was 19.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even more Americans were killed by cows
per year in that decade on average than by a terrorist act at 20/yr. as opposed
to terrorism of 3.2/yr. If ya want to be fearful, then be very afraid of farmer
Jones’ moo cow standing out in that pasture just waiting for an opportunity to
strike. Logically, it makes more sense to the odds-makers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Don’s
Plum:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Have ya ever heard of ‘Don’s Plum’? Most
likely ya haven’t, for it was a low budget movie that never made it to the theaters.
Leonardo Di Caprio and Tobey Maguire starred in it and thought that the film
was so bad that they sued to never have it shown in the U.S. Well, there’s
another Don that’s so bad in his acting performances, someone might want to
lasso a lawsuit around him to make him stick more to facts rather than spouting
out constant rhetorical slanders. We all know the Don of whom we’re speaking of
here right? Come on sure ya do. It’s Donald J. Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Trump and some Republican supporters
demeaning the Gold Star Kahn family, then justify it in insinuating the father,
Khizr Kahn is trying to gin-up notoriety off his soldier son’s death is
egregious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump in any other worldly contest of
import would be considered a loudmouth imbecile that speaks only in simple
terms of what he’ll do without any elaboration on how he’ll do it. Of course
Trump acts this way because he knows his support base, which is intentionally ignorant
of facts, only wants to hear of what will stoke their misguided beliefs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is simply an amazing thing how Trump will
complain in insinuating what his opponent is, when the complaint actually fits
around his own neck. Whether it’s being accused of being a bully, slandering,
or a bigot, he invariably displays these components, but yet declares that is indubitably
what his opponent is. Below are a few for instances:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump bellows out that China is ground
zero for unfair trade practices and will bring back all American companies that
have fled there to manufacture goods. He just might want to start with his own
corporations. Watch the video below to see how he’s busted by David Letterman.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HekJtr8hyX4" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Of course Trump claims he can’t bring
his businesses back to the U.S. because there are no longer any American
manufacturers, but in the video below, this manager in the U.S. garment
industry begs to differ.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X5s-m4ld7jo" width="320"></iframe><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">Trump is simply like all other American
corporations; he’s chose the source of cheapest labor.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump vociferously shouts out that
Hillary is a bigot. No sound reasoning, just that her policies have miserably
failed minorities because as he said to Anderson Cooper on CNN
08/25/2016...she’s lazy. He’s even doubled down on this venture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of all people...for Trump to accuse
someone else of being a bigot would be a laughing matter if not for its bogus
accusation. Trump is the square peg in showing out loud bigotry. I really
needn’t remind anyone of his, not only bigoted, but racist stances; although, I
will anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Let’s see, Trump
has insinuated, even declared that all Latino illegal immigrants are criminals,
rapists and murderers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">B)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bypass
how Americans condemned the Berlin Wall only to build America one much taller
and electrified along the Mexican border.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">C)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
an American federal judge with Mexican lineage is not fit to oversee his Trump
University lawsuit case. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">D)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That he
witnessed Muslims celebrating 9/11 joyously dancing in New Jersey streets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">E)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
all Muslims should be banned from entering the states even if they are American
citizens wanting to reenter after visiting abroad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">F)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Denying
that ‘Black Lives Matter’ has a legitimate claim to police killings of unarmed
minorities preferring instead to call them thugs and criminals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">G)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump was sued
and paid out an unknown sum to would be Black tenants in his apartment
complexes by marking their applications with a ‘C’ for colored. The ‘C’ was a
flag not to rent to or kick out. The superintendent said he was only doing what
he was told to do. Trump denies it of course and blames it all on the
superintendent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Today, in wanting their votes, Trump in
his own insane way is trying to reach out to African Americans by telling them</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">What the hell do you have to lose</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” Meanwhile
he hires a white nationalist in Steve Bannon to run his campaign.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Most right-wingers like that in Bannon’s
far right leanings, but minorities certainly don’t. What right-wingers won’t
like though once they truly find out, is that Bannon rents his Washington, D.C.
mansion from a Muslim. Yes that’s correct; Brietbart News has a Muslim
landlord. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The so-called ‘Breitbart Embassy’
mansion where website staff works in the basement and Bannon lives in the rest
is owned by an Egyptian Muslim named, Mostafa El-Gindy. Bannon claims he owns
it, but tax statements and revenues state that Gindy does. As a former member
of the Egyptian parliament, Gindy has received very complimentary coverage from
‘Breitbart News’. Got to keep the landlord happy ya know... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just this August 28<sup>th</sup> Trump
sends out a tweet as stated above. The problem is Hillary has already given a
full medical and detailed report from her doctor; even gave details of her
health’s history. She’s a healthy 68-yr-old. On the other hand Trump has
released a medical report that was written in five minutes without the doctor
examining him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKKdbUCBKKXKGza96Z16eQnQyOTMDWCZpFsRN3y_LwAL2dgStToFiLT9qT4pjMcnDs6Et-0bs9jz6EsB_Lyh6ns8GXpkYFwjlUuPLLU0QoNNliuvjSJq8cMbxycWON43HX8R7VzPSPewp/s1600/1-gop+trump+hlth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKKdbUCBKKXKGza96Z16eQnQyOTMDWCZpFsRN3y_LwAL2dgStToFiLT9qT4pjMcnDs6Et-0bs9jz6EsB_Lyh6ns8GXpkYFwjlUuPLLU0QoNNliuvjSJq8cMbxycWON43HX8R7VzPSPewp/s320/1-gop+trump+hlth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The doctor who filed Trump’s medical
health report is Dr. Harold Bornstein, a digestive tract doctor. His report was
so elementary that other doctors questioned it. He claims he wrote it where
Trump could understand it and also expressed it was hurriedly written due to
the folks in the limousine impatiently waiting on it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbUiiifaF_F3nbSCvIWIs-ZTTmqN3TskPywWh2BjzXINdRCZFiHNBUjH-RdiB7GL-aS7_BRR264HVkGldv42P_fU8fr9r6t9ec9x2RqLuqwtBKa3gxbLwvL4FLB5zqgl2xR8waeUWr_mh/s1600/1-gop+trump_dr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbUiiifaF_F3nbSCvIWIs-ZTTmqN3TskPywWh2BjzXINdRCZFiHNBUjH-RdiB7GL-aS7_BRR264HVkGldv42P_fU8fr9r6t9ec9x2RqLuqwtBKa3gxbLwvL4FLB5zqgl2xR8waeUWr_mh/s320/1-gop+trump_dr.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trump/Dr. Harold Bornstein</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Now with the entire Republican conspiracy
clamor that Hillary is too ill to be president, Donald Jr feels that she is too
old as well by tweeting her as “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">grandma</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”
I dunno man, since Hillary is 68 and
Donald is 70, maybe that makes Donald Sr a great grandpa.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqn3U1U0EpXR-VRE2xSecFOPUu4SjWVh8MtLN0GRhXNKctekbsRhdCK74rINbAXo0Z5_rO9Kmo64hLAfJ7eXRV5PeKCshUF3TfUOlCVbAzPFPv_zD7qKaJpKUctMdmcRh_fJXChyOIGulH/s1600/1-gop+don+jr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqn3U1U0EpXR-VRE2xSecFOPUu4SjWVh8MtLN0GRhXNKctekbsRhdCK74rINbAXo0Z5_rO9Kmo64hLAfJ7eXRV5PeKCshUF3TfUOlCVbAzPFPv_zD7qKaJpKUctMdmcRh_fJXChyOIGulH/s320/1-gop+don+jr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Besides, if Hillary is too ill and old
to be president, why did Trump suddenly cancel four events in the states of
Oregon, Colorado, Nevada and Arizona without explanation except for blaming it
all on the flooding in Louisiana? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump banters not of Mrs. Clinton, but
on Bill Clinton’s past devious deeds with women. From Jennifer Flowers to
Monica Lewinsky, he makes sure these episodes aren’t forgotten in hopes that it
will reflect negatively on Hillary with female voters. Then he immediately
turns around and hires Roger Aisles who is the former Fox News CEO resigning in
disgrace because of an array of sexual harassment charges from the network’s
female staff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump himself has been under several
sexual assault charges and one federal lawsuit just filed by ‘Jane Doe’ claims Trump
and his longtime friend Jeffrey Epstein raped her as a sex slave repeatedly in
1994 under an original premise of Epstein offering her a modeling career. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">She claims Trump was the first and
continued his acts three more times for a total of four rapes. In 1994, Jane
Doe was thirteen, so using a defense of consensual agreement, as he has in other
cases will not work this time, for she is considered at the time, an underage
child at 13-yrs-old.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">New York has a five year statute of
limitation. Definitely this April 2016 filing is well past 1994 at 22 years,
but since the claimant and witness testified that Trump had threatened them and
their families with bodily harm or death and in considering her duress in both
the men’s large caches of money and power she kept quiet. In other words, she
was a kid scared to death. So the limitation may be struck down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What is really sad during the initial
hearings in this case is this document relating to Trump first raping her, “<i>Defendent Epstein then attempted to strike
me about the head with his closed fists while he angrily screamed at me that
he, Defendent Epstein, should have been the one who took my virginity, not
Defendent Trump.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This has been reviewed by Lisa Bloom, a
legal NBC analyst and comments that it is credible court testimony.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now I’m not condoning Willy Clinton’s
extramarital affairs while condemning Trump for his; I’m just saying Trump
might just want to keep a low brow on bringing up Bill Clinton’s for he has
done exactly more of the same and it is him and Hillary running for the
presidency, not Willy. But I’m sure Trump will continue along on his foray of
this crude adventure in vain attempts to keep women from remembering what he
has called women; such as “<i>fat pigs</i>,”
“<i>slobs</i>,” “<i>dogs</i>,” “<i>disgusting animals</i>”
and references to their menstrual cycles.
<i> </i> <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIOzte1fMXI3PpPcHzA3xeltuVOLA1AGy0CG0n_J7TT7YwZCCQncd-6RMhU__NFKDGcAfdmTGgRkVlaj_8drFtw8Y3oMjnvdj5UZiNa-Cuv3vdVX8gzFZRgg8SDzzwjwwGmC3ljmgKFOi/s1600/1-gop+mk-ovr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIOzte1fMXI3PpPcHzA3xeltuVOLA1AGy0CG0n_J7TT7YwZCCQncd-6RMhU__NFKDGcAfdmTGgRkVlaj_8drFtw8Y3oMjnvdj5UZiNa-Cuv3vdVX8gzFZRgg8SDzzwjwwGmC3ljmgKFOi/s320/1-gop+mk-ovr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump forever likes to refer to Hillary
as “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crooked Hillary</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” or “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Criminal Hillary</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” but he and his
campaign claims it is Hillary who started the name calling when it comes to the
word “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">bigot</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” Just this past Sunday
(08/28/2016) on the morning political shows, Trump’s newly installed campaign
manager Kellyanne Conway and RNC head Reince Priebus respectively said that
Trump doesn’t insult and acts mature. The Trump campaign meme now is that Trump
“</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">doesn’t hurl insults</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” and unjust
accusations and “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">shows maturity</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” as a
candidate. Of course after announcing this, the very next morning Trump
immediately goes to tweeting insults just like an immature third grader would.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-ZREVHUY0l1XnidR9bFPtVn-FtFxGtElQ_c2OnVoa3D0TiQo8_1KJX9yRI-M9332d-MZ80hitXMoLPnGfYvs-l4Luc3bZZAnz_60sftYLeEI_AEQNPAScqhLYoRwNWuBsEWYlDIAMjrV/s1600/1-gop+trump+insults.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-ZREVHUY0l1XnidR9bFPtVn-FtFxGtElQ_c2OnVoa3D0TiQo8_1KJX9yRI-M9332d-MZ80hitXMoLPnGfYvs-l4Luc3bZZAnz_60sftYLeEI_AEQNPAScqhLYoRwNWuBsEWYlDIAMjrV/s320/1-gop+trump+insults.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the first above tweet, just hours after Conway and Preibus’
proclamations, Sunday night Trump tweets that MSNBCs commentator, Donny Deutsch
is little, nasty, a failure and irrelevant.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Besides calling someone criminal when
you’re under federal investigation for fraud in two states, sounds at least a
tad ironic if not moronic don’t ya think...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Currently it’s been revealed that the
Trump campaign recently bought up 8, 500 copies of his new book, ‘Crippled
America: How to Make America Great Again’ at the tune of $55,000. Now that’s
great to buy up your own books to artificially increase sales, but use your own
money; Trump used campaign donation money and that is illegal according to a
‘Federal Election Commission’ filing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Speaking of donor money, Trump has
jacked up the price of using his office and is having donors pay for it.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump has unjustly accused both Hillary
and Bernie for inciting violence by sending loads of unruly protesters to his
campaign stumps. As far as violence goes, Trump and the people he surrounds
himself and his campaign with, at his speeches and on tweets attests to his very
own brand of inciting violence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On numerous occasions Trump gave the OK
and instructions for his supporters to beat up protesters at his rallies. In
referring to Michael Bloomberg during his DNC speech, at a Davenport, Iowa
rally, Trump said, “<i>I wanted to hit a
couple of those speakers so hard. I was gonna hit one guy in particular, a very
little guy. I was gonna hit this guy so hard his head would spin, he wouldn’t
know what the hell happened</i>.” Of course all bullies pick on the “<i>little guy</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why, the Don even stands behind his
veterans’ adviser, Al Baldasaro’s bold statement to violence, who broadcasted
that Hillary should be put in front of a firing squad and shot. After
Baldasaro’s wishes were aired, Trump gave an interview to New Hampshire’s NH1
News analyst, Paul Steinhauser. After being asked what his reaction was to
Baldasaro’s remarks, Trump claimed he knew nothing about his words, but instead
of professing if the allegations were true, he would punish Baldasaro in some
form, Trump merely stated, “<i>Well, I
didn’t know that but I will tell you he’s a very fine person. We’re incredibly
grateful for his support, but we don’t agree with his comments</i>.” At first,
he wasn’t aware of Baldasaro’s comments, then acknowledges them as if he was
aware of them, but praises him anyway while stating he (<i>we</i>) don’t agree. For sure a total contrast in principles I’d say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump portrays himself as tough and to
make his toughness persona stick, rarely smiles, instead, wearing a constant
frown of aggrandized seriousness. He always portrays Hillary as weak and timid.
On that thought, once viewing the quick video below comparing the two in their
responses to a perceived threat, judge for yourself of who displays more stolid
valor.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ts8HAbqeK_E" width="640"></iframe>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump is a pansy. He literally flipped
his wig. Yepper sports fan, he wigged out when the protester charged his
podium. On the other hand, Hillary remained calm wearing a smile the whole time. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s lone protester was Thomas
DiMassimo, an ardent Christian anti-racist protester. He claims, before he was
intercepted by secret service agents, was that he only wanted to take the
microphone from Trump and preach about the ills of racism. Apparently that is
backed up for he led an anti-racist protest on April, 2015, is an ardent
supporter of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and once burned a confederate flag. Trump
later, without any merit, claims DiMassimo works for ISIS.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric Trump</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">Hillary was charged by a group of animal
rights protesters. As she said in the video, if they want to complain about
animal rights they ought to go after Trump and his sons and for good reason
too. For ya see, the Trump boys are avid big game hunters.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump Jr<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Greenmail or greenmailing is a neologism
word derived from a word it has strong relations to. That word is blackmail.
Greenmailing is purchasing a majority share of a public corporation to
challenge its executives in a corporate takeover with full intentions that the
officers will be forced to buy back the shares at a premium. Thus removing the
greenmailer threat which returns the shares back to the firm, but at such a lucrative
price the greenmailer makes off with hundreds of millions more than what he/she
paid for in the original share price purchase.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump has conducted greenmail. Yes it’s
legal, but highly unethical, ya know just like the EpiPen pharmaceutical,
‘Mylan’ and Martin Shkreli who bought the rights to sell the drug, Daraprim
which treats parasitic infections and the nervous system from HIV. Both Mylan
and Shkreli jacked up their prices 500% and 5,000% respectively, significantly
affecting the poor and afflicted in obtaining the life sustaining prescriptions.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/08/22/donald-trump-greenmail-stock-dnt-mattingly-erin.cnn" target="_blank">Click here to see a CNN video on Trump and greenmailing.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Change in life overall is a good thing
although most folk are hesitant for it to occur. The reason being is that we’re
set in our ways; more comfortable with a routine format, for it’s what we know.
But change just for the sake of change can be disastrous. Donald Trump fits
that description of change to a tee. Besides, Hillary, who no one speaks of in
this context, fits the scenario of change in American politics far better than
just another grumpy old white male. After all, if elected she will be the first
female U.S. president. That’s change I feel is long overdue. It is history
making.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course as far as gibberish goes Trump
is the equivalent Sara Palin male. Here is an actual excerpt from one of his
South Carolina speeches. See if you can decipher for I really can’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Look,
having nuclear—my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr.
John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton
School of Finance, very good, very smart—you know, if you're a conservative
Republican, if I were a liberal, if, like, OK, if I ran as a liberal Democrat,
they would say I'm one of the smartest people anywhere in the world—it's
true!—but when you're a conservative Republican they try—oh, do they do a
number—that's why I always start off: Went to Wharton, was a good student, went
<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">there,
went there, did this, built a fortune—you know I have to give my like credentials
all the time, because we're a little disadvantaged—but you look at the nuclear
deal, the thing that really bothers me—it would have been so easy, and it's not
as important as these lives are (nuclear is powerful; my uncle explained that
to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would
explain the power of what's going to happen and he was right—who would have
thought?), but when you look at what's going on with the four prisoners—now it
used to be three, now it's four—but when it was three and even now, I would
have said it's all in the messenger; fellas, and it is fellas because, you
know, they don't, they haven't figured that the women are smarter right now
than the men, so, you know, it's gonna take them about another 150 years—but
the Persians are great negotiators, the Iranians are great negotiators, so, and
they, they just killed, they just killed us</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What does all this dribble actually
mean? Is this coded message for what it boils down to in his token phrase, <i>Make America Great Again</i>?</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PuazTfmTYFU" width="600"></iframe>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Reap
the Sown</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Former Republican senator, Jack Kemp
once said something like this, “<i>People
don’t care what you know until they know that you care</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That Kemp phrase might have been true
once upon a time in the Republican Party an era ago, but today it is exempt.
The foot soldier Republican (and call them what you will: Tea Party,
right-wing, old white men, nationalist) don’t care much for the facts; they
simply want their biases patted. The Republican Party is most definitely not
fighting for their interests; only for their votes just like Trump is now
attempting with African Americans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I call this phenomenon the ‘equivalency
shortage’ in that there is no valence in equality; it’s exclusive. The average
Republican who has been hurting just as much as anyone else in the middleclass
or lower from Republican economic and social policies, don’t care; they simply
want to hear about scapegoats to blame their self-inflicted dilemmas on. The
GOP politician gladly will serve them that tray. There is no equal valence here,
just a judgmental bias to paint blame on and thwart others they deem as not a
true American or patriot. Thought of inclusivity is drowned out by exclusive
messaging in errantly defining who the real American is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It doesn’t matter that there are untold minorities
and those that worship another religion that have died fighting and serving
this country and are stellar citizens, if they aren’t white Christian, then, in
their minds how can they be a true patriot of this nation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The GOP has offered up a barrage of
scapegoats in serving up the poor, minorities, Latino immigrants, hurting
refugees, non-Christians and oh yes, liberals as fodder for their voters’
angst. It is these groups’ fault for the way you’re hurting in America now.
Never mind that the GOP caters only to the rich, get rid of these groups and
you’ll make America great again where you can prosper under the 1% wealthiest
authoritarian rule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On why middleclass and poor whites
continually vote against their interests in pulling the polling booth’s ‘R’
lever, I would suggest reading an excellent ‘Truthout’ article by Arlie Russell
Hochschild. <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/37404-donald-trump-in-the-bayou%20Arlie" target="_blank">Click here to read</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At any time of national crisis, values
are tested. That is when American values should shine at its brightest.
Unfortunately fear mongering is currently dimming that brightness. With the
political fodder of Benghazi, Republicans took hold to gain political brownie
points. Instead of aiding in bringing the nation together, they chose a
divisive path, simply to gain political clout. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For sure, it is sad that four Americans
needlessly died and questions needed answering, but the GOP’s ploy wasn’t to
seek out better opportunities to learn from, they went down the path of
accusations and witch hunts. But where was the GOPs outpouring of 54 folks
being killed from 13 terrorists embassy attacks under their rule during the
Republican administration of the W. Bush/Cheney years? That is not even
including 9/11. Democrats didn’t use that as political capital, no they helped
lead the nation responding as a whole to seek out the perpetrators and begin
the healing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I grew up in a West Texas small town,
where if anyone (and I do mean anyone) needed a helping hand you had better be
the first to offer with no questions asked. Apparently, lifting up one another
for the greater good is no longer in fashion under Republican thinking.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wHJzUVAjeWHi7f0AOlwtIGtvBM_rmzUVx2imMsNE0809XmcEbKxSSIfnb7MEVSWIlAJwyuXdtbYbCESdQhrOgPNi8On-3SaNk3XOarHdTSfM9H0iOSmH_soNCbiz8MotOJNNj03CE3hE/s1600/1-gop+trophy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wHJzUVAjeWHi7f0AOlwtIGtvBM_rmzUVx2imMsNE0809XmcEbKxSSIfnb7MEVSWIlAJwyuXdtbYbCESdQhrOgPNi8On-3SaNk3XOarHdTSfM9H0iOSmH_soNCbiz8MotOJNNj03CE3hE/s320/1-gop+trophy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Trumpettes: Eric, Don Jr & Don Sr</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Trump is literally and figuratively a
symbol of periorbital whiteness. His racist and biased overtones attract the
right-wing. Anyone that attempts to say Trump will win the Black and Latino
vote are delusional, but for Trump and his campaign to say it, is downright
obnoxious.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s whole foreign policy is to build
an unreal virtual wall to keep foreigners out. His whole campaign is centered
wholly around complaints of illegal immigrants when he himself has broken
immigration laws. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Iowa this past Saturday at a stump
speech, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to crack the whip on foreigners in the
U.S. who overstay their visit visas. He also stated, “<i>When any American citizen loses their job to an illegal immigrant, the
rights of that American citizen have been violated</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course he doesn’t mention his New
York modeling agency, ‘Trump Model Management’ profiting by hiring foreign
models with tourist visas cheaper than they would have in hiring home grown
models. These noncitizen models were not permitted to work here. Financial and
immigration records bear this out and are in clear violation of existing
immigration laws. With an existing lawsuit, Trump could be fined in court
$16,000 for each foreigner he illegally hired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This flies past the Republican radar,
for to them, pretty skinny models as illegal immigrants is one thing as opposed
to brown skinned family immigrants as totally being perceived as another matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The whole point to bringing all this up
is that Trump is not an original; he’s not change from the Republican, RHINO,
or conservative policies, for he is directly from the GOP mold. This created
Republican Trumpenstein, via a loud megaphone simply has brought out into the
great wide open divide all undercover Republican policies that have been
stewing for decades.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans are on average biased and
fueled by fear mongering, false conspiracies and rhetorical myths. Trumpenstein
has emerged exposing the Republican doctrine of divide and conquer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Post-era Trump, to expose the GOP, ya
had to be a fly on the wall of their concealed room during private and
secretive Republican conversations. Today, all ya have to do is go to a Trump
rally. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans are wholly to blame for the
Trumpatosis that is in a cancerous way spreading throughout the nation. This
division, for sure Republicans will blame on liberals, but it was Lee Atwater
decades ago during the Reagan and HW Bush years that kick started the rifting
of a nation. On his dying bed, Atwater so admitted to this and apologized for
his ineptitude to country. But the spread had already taken hold. The torch was
passed on to Newt Gingrich spreading divisive unethical policies that then even
some Republican congressmen couldn’t tolerate and he was forced to resign. Tom
DeLay then took up the torch in the divisiveness mantle actually referring to
Democrats as the enemy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, divisiveness is so widespread
within the Republican fold it is par for course. How the GOP for years have
tried to demean Hillary Clinton has been so abrasive, but no matter in every
allegation tossed at her, Clinton has been vindicated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The constant roar of Republican
subliminal and loudspeaker messages of “<i>lying
Hillary</i>...<i>distrustful Hillary</i>”
has been charged by Republican bogusness to the point that most Americans feel
she actually is a pathological liar and untrustworthy. It is flatly shameful to
try and destroy someone like that with conspiracies of their own lies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once Obama was elected, but before he
was even sworn into office, Senator Mitch McConnell and his cast made a pact to
never agree with anything Obama would want no matter if it would aid the nation
if they did agree with him or harm the nation when they didn’t. Then they blame
the divisiveness squarely on President Obama’s shoulders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why even right now, Republican Trey
‘Double Standard’ Gowdy is opening up yet another ceaseless hearing with no
information to allude to of Clinton’s e-mails on whether she perjured congress
or not over the e-mails. It’s funny though that they totally ignore the
millions of deleted e-mails conducted by the W. Bush/Cheney administration when
officials used a gwb.43.com RNC private server. Why even Gowdy himself won’t
acknowledge whether he has or hasn’t used his private domain treygowdy.com for
congressional tasks. It’s supposed to be used only for campaign work. Gowdy
won’t even elaborate on this personal server whether it is secured or not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you don’t think hate and racism are
rooted deep in Republican politics, think again. In Trump’s book ‘The Art of
the Deal’ Trump actually brags about punching out a second grade teacher and
nationalist Republicans applaud that behavior.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIToK_jGFKnfKBsmWvReS01kUyYAx03yqRNWYJY40NAj0ZEupGJsc8jlxO9GFLESzIP8HbiTJinHuyGV4Bi-25Ahi6zKTGOHpth4gHNuSu5wD6kbopurGJR44BSt7cZjB7dqi6pRRJC95/s1600/1-gop+hate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIToK_jGFKnfKBsmWvReS01kUyYAx03yqRNWYJY40NAj0ZEupGJsc8jlxO9GFLESzIP8HbiTJinHuyGV4Bi-25Ahi6zKTGOHpth4gHNuSu5wD6kbopurGJR44BSt7cZjB7dqi6pRRJC95/s320/1-gop+hate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As far as the street Republican goes,
there are innumerable examples, but this one is of ex-cop, Jim Stachowiak, a
nationalist Republican who of course claims he’s a ‘proud patriot’ urging other
‘proud patriots’ to shoot dead ‘Black Lives Matters’ supporters.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpo9CduoNMUUf99uzeitLe62fINeZlSjicgX2izvCde4FfpuDkaBl8QKsfKa_z1O81fCG3BxA73PD0IHC29T3_JC5C4y1t4om_X11hhNsc4dFpmQE5WLYQvzKf2o5Id9i16eXn9EplZ_g/s1600/1-gop+dire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpo9CduoNMUUf99uzeitLe62fINeZlSjicgX2izvCde4FfpuDkaBl8QKsfKa_z1O81fCG3BxA73PD0IHC29T3_JC5C4y1t4om_X11hhNsc4dFpmQE5WLYQvzKf2o5Id9i16eXn9EplZ_g/s320/1-gop+dire.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">We’ve already spoken of Trump’s Al
Baldasaro expressing Hillary should be put in front of a firing squad and shot,
but there is also a West Virginia Republican lawmaker, Michael Folk that has
jumped onto that bandwagon insisting that “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hillary
be hung on the Washington Mall</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” for all to see.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Maine’s Republican governor, Paul LePage
ridiculously states that people of color are over 90% of America’s drug dealers
and feels that “<i>people of color are the
enemies and should be shot</i>.” A Democrat legislature criticized him for the
comment, in which LePage left a message on his phone expressing, “<i>This is Gov. Paul Richard LePage. I would
like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you
c**ksucker. I want to talk to you. I want you to prove that I’m a racist. I’ve
spent my life helping black people and you little son of a bitch, socialist
c**ksucker. You… I need you to… just friggin’. I want you to record this and
make it public because I am after you</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Texas, the Republican chairman of
Travis County, Robert Morrow, to prove how he disdains political correctness,
left this tweet below for all to read.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRWPB3UmEppsxriFn79q45-3jpur-pMUuZZ8TteqosbdYwwRapNnkmPQUDuPwbIwMIFYPhSGRzipCbOpLxmA8hf8vDdrA1RjbZaPMeJGOgagDbiLmeLd4BoZPqUAFy0HctrTgPqFoTGcP/s1600/1-gop+racist+refib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRWPB3UmEppsxriFn79q45-3jpur-pMUuZZ8TteqosbdYwwRapNnkmPQUDuPwbIwMIFYPhSGRzipCbOpLxmA8hf8vDdrA1RjbZaPMeJGOgagDbiLmeLd4BoZPqUAFy0HctrTgPqFoTGcP/s320/1-gop+racist+refib.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Now I can just imagine the reaction of
the Republican Party if a minority holding political office would have said the
reverse in having Trump snuffed, or that all whites are drug lords, or
repeating the phrase, white trash, white trash, white trash, honky, honky,
honky...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Conserving
Integrity<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">08/31/2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-6706836612664986092016-07-31T19:23:00.000-04:002016-10-22T12:09:40.853-04:00FERVOR<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">FERVOR<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Comprehension</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Do you like the word fervor? I most
certainly do, for to begin with, it is a little word with intense meaning. When
spoken, it, in English anyway, uses the tongue as a diving board then jumps off
the tip of the tongue plunging out into the external abyss for all to hear and
bear witness to. By definition, fervor typifies ardor exemplifying either
heated spirit, vigorous </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">exposed </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">feelings or heightened emotion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, fervor can exhibit a good thing in
showing emotion on principle and standing behind a core of beliefs, but when it
gets out of hand it can roll out into a mob mentality. By all accounts when
religious fervor or political pitched fever erupts, folks no longer have a
civil mind. Reason, substance, any trace of common sense, critical thinking,
facts, comprehension and civility are flung out the door. These qualities no
longer matter in being displaced and expunged by emotive forces. No longer does
the reasoned mind function; it has been taken over by primal emotion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Take for instance the Republican
National Convention held in Cleveland this past week. Honestly what were the
highlights? Focal point features included roll call chaos, delegate walkouts,
plagiarism, a whole lot of hollering by attendees and attenders, a whole slew
of Hillary bashing mystical chants, exclusivity, scapegoats, a Cruz rebellion,
a VP appearing as a smart contender replacing a usually grumpy face with a
stolid face facade in attempts at giving off a stern air of authority, more
Hillary bashing, lack of conceivable behavior and the presidential nominee
giving not one ounce of substantive policy issues, but instead, replaced by a
fear mongering speech loaded with fall guys that only Trump can protect the
nation from sprinkled with lies throughout and more Hillary bashing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is a video composed by John Oliver that fairly well sums up the Republican convention. When
afforded the time click on it and watch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zNdkrtfZP8I/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zNdkrtfZP8I?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It literally amazes me how on Earth can
working and middleclass voters say Trump will give us back America. Besides...who
has taken America from them? It’s certainly not minorities, immigrants,
refugees or other religions; it is the wealthiest one percent.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">These working and middleclass, usually
under educated whites are totally whitewashing the fact that Trump, who has
always belonged in that elite 1% class, is running as a Republican, the very
party that has through legislation denied working and middleclass Americans unemployment
extensions, quality healthcare and higher wages. Republicans have
systematically dismantled workers’ only true voice...unions and unilaterally
have axed funding for foreclosure relief mortgage programs that were critical
when the recession hammered homeowners’ savings and income stability/prospects.
GOP legislation has also cut pensioner benefits and veteran benefits.</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSsn70txj2JKCtjfvuLNdi0GpMm-of2vjBrJAF_cyYY_5SgqjSUJcEGn2lJ5VmP5h3RfUubEcoa3ijV8g1pUqygPC05EXRp5mkBf-arlmxGXwPw_py-1ns_ueKTKdkIBqvc9N4g2cYEMV/s1600/1-gop+base.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSsn70txj2JKCtjfvuLNdi0GpMm-of2vjBrJAF_cyYY_5SgqjSUJcEGn2lJ5VmP5h3RfUubEcoa3ijV8g1pUqygPC05EXRp5mkBf-arlmxGXwPw_py-1ns_ueKTKdkIBqvc9N4g2cYEMV/s320/1-gop+base.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Republican Party has literally done
nothing for the hurting middleclass, veterans and poverty stricken Americans except
for obstructing the very programs and legislation Democrats and Obama fought
for to help average Americans; in particular during the Great Recession crisis.
If one seriously at least gave a glance at Republican legislation, it is not
for struggling Americans, but for the elite. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Forget substance, playing on fear and
bias is the Republican way. Make things up and make a slogan out of it for all
to cheer. For instance, it was convenient to tag Obama as the worst president
ever and he will take America down. They repeated this over and over for it to
stick to the gullible like gorilla glue. But for sure we are all far better off
now than we were eight years ago. All numbers indicate so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, since Obama’s successful policies foiled its
intent, the GOP has transferred their slogan to Hillary. She will be the worst
president ever and take this country down. Is this the type rhetoric one really
wants to unite around with no substance, only darkness and character bashing?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unconventional
Convention</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although as I type today this Sunday
July 24, there is a bit of an uproar with Democrats before starting into the Democrat
National Convention (DNC) tomorrow this coming Monday July 25. Democrat committee chair, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz has resigned due to
some Democrat committee e-mail leaks. Most likely the leaks originated from WikiLeaks’
hacked material that is presently in the hands of Russia. Putin would love to
see Trump win, so timed the e-mail leaks right when the DNC was about to kick
off. The e-mails revealed clear prejudices within the Democrat committee ranks
in favoring Hillary with Schultz even relating that Bernie Sanders will not win
in one e-mail of hers. This is not a good way to start off a convention,
but we’ll wait and see how the contents of the convention play out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now that the nonsense above is over, for
sure the Republican National Convention held in Cleveland last week is
certainly no way to run a show. The antics carried out there throughout were
more like a spectacle than an adult performance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Next month, we’ll compare notes between
the two convention outcomes, but for right now since it’s already over, we’ll
elaborate a bit on the RNC big circus top event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Let’s see, first we had an atrocious
Republican platform formulated and designed as a wish list on what the GOP
intends to make law. Some of the GOP convention platform included: making
Christianity the official American religion which is totally going against the
U.S. Constitution. They proposed furthering corporate tax cuts in saying, “<i>We propose to level the international
playing field by lowering the corporate
tax rate to
be on a par with,
or below, the
rates of other
industrial nations</i>.” Only
problem with that is if Republicans truly want to put us on par with other
nations, then they’ll have to increase taxes, not decrease. In emerging or
developed countries, only Chile and South Korea are less taxed in the wealthier
nations; all other wealthy nations have higher taxes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A few other GOP goals are to:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Deregulate banks
(ya know to set up for Great Recession II), <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">B)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Repeal
all environmental laws, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">C)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ax
consumer protection,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">D)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Appoint
anti-LGBT justices, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">E)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Further
loosen gun laws, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">F)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Expand
fracking, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">G)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Require work for
welfare recipients while further cutting SNAP (food stamp) budgets, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">H)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Extensively
expand the burial of nuclear waste (except not in their backyards), <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rebuff
global climate change agreements, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">J)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Privatize
Medicare, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">K)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To definitely
build the border wall (ya know, to replace the Berlin Wall) and they consider this their “highest
priority,” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">L)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Penalize
cities that give sanctuary to immigrants and migrants (even though this goes
against their philosophy of the federal government intervening on state and
local governments), <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">M)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Give all federal
lands to state governments and private citizens, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">N)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Declare coal as
‘clean energy’ even though environmental experts all agree burning any form of
coal releases loads of dangerous pollutant heavy metals in which the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tried to curb to only be thwarted by
GOP politicians, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">O)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Require Bible
studies in all public and private schools (another direct violation to the U.S. Constitution), <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">P)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cancel
the Iran nuclear treaty even though it is working according to the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Q)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Federally
mandate and restore the death penalty while ignoring the recent rash of DNA results proving an inmate on
death roll as innocent, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">R)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To
further increase the defense budget even though it currently eats up 58% of the
total national budget, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">S)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
pornography, (not guns...oh no), should be considered “a public health crisis”
even though X-Hamster, a pornography website said it experienced its largest
hit amounts ever in Cleveland during the week of the RNC. Go figure... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A nice list, huh...</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Then there was the roll call debacle
with sides shouting at one another interrupting announcements, speakers leaving
the podium halfway through their speech, while throngs of delegate crowds left
leaving three-quarters of the convention hall’s seats empty.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Representative Steve Womack (R-AR) who
broke the gavel when he first pounded it was just a prelude of the disarray to
come. Womack went up to the podium announcing that the anti-Trumpers had been
overruled in their wish for a roll call vote on the adoption of the Republican
rules. This was a last ditch effort in the anti-Trumpers forces to halt any
furtherance of Trump’s official nomination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The anti-Trumper delegates in opposing
the rules had hoped to vote them down in the roll call. According to the
current rules, the anti-Trumpers needed a minimum of delegates from seven
states to invoke the roll call, in which earlier they say they had eleven
states. Womack announced that several states had abandoned their original vote
for a roll call without stating specifically which states had done so, thereby
negating the roll call. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mayhem erupts as Womack exists off stage,
most likely mumbling under his breath wanting to pop House Majority Leader Paul
Ryan in between his nostrils, for it was Ryan as leader of the majority
Republican House that should’ve been making the announcement. But instead, he
relegated the duties to Womack in knowing full well what a disturbed hornet’s
nest it was going to create.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Considering Womack’s simple and single
voice vote trumping a delegate roll call, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and former
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli began leading the protest roars while
the entire Colorado and Iowa delegates walked out of the building. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘Right Wing Watch’ video below gives
a bit of detail of how ‘unity’ is displayed by Republicans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Ys0ytgUh3E" width="500"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To get Republicans back on par with one
another, Demeaning Hillary chants were instigated and orchestrated by speakers
and the crowd alike. This is about the only item that unified the Republican
sects throughout the whole convention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The usual Hillary sign fodder for sure
showed up with ‘Crooked Hillary’, ‘Trump that _itch’ and with a photo of
Hillary expressing, ‘Life’s a _itch, Don’t Vote for One.’ I left out the ‘B’
leaving itch, but you fully get the phrase. There were even placards displaying,
‘KFC Hillary Special with 2 Fat Thighs, 2 Small Breasts…Left Wing’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But what is infringing on the egregious,
are the chants of “<i>lock her up</i>” that
was recited not only by the crowd but by the speakers themselves such as in the
speech of retired General Michael Flynn as witnessed in the video below. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FrNJBWYbkBw" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Surely, why should they not chant ‘<i>lock her up</i>’ when they are being coerced
and worked up into its frenzy by the likes of Chris Christie? Apparently, he must’ve
thought he was real cute in whipping out bogus Hillary accusations then asking
the crowd, “<i>Guilty or not</i>.” After
each accusation of his can you remotely guess what the crowd’s verdict was?
Pretty good guessing, for they were all ruled as guilty as the ‘<i>lock her up</i>’ chant resonated during
Christie’s false accusations of her lying and criminal activity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is hard to imagine though how Mr.
‘Bridgegate’ Christie himself can trash someone else over lying and criminal
activity. Christie was about the only GOP heavy political leader that gave a
speech at the convention. I use the term ‘heavy’ lightly in stating an oxymoron
here, but nonetheless, it doesn’t infer weight.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The infringement on being egregious got
worse though, as it became ‘downright egregious’. Trump’s veteran’s adviser and
a current New Hampshire state representative, Al Baldasaro had this to say
prior to the RNC on the ‘Jerry Kuhner Show’ when asked about Hillary, “<i>This whole thing disgusts me, Hillary
Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He got a call by the secret service
after that comment, but apparently it didn’t sway him much for he repeated it
again at and during the RNC. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Broadcasting live from within the RNC, when
asked by the white nationalist ‘Liberty Roundtable’ radio’s broadcaster what
should be done with Hillary, Baldasaro said, “<i>Actually, she</i> (Hillary) <i>should
be put in front of a firing squad for treason</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzG_5isUeok4f09xofRhGittuWmJ8SZP8SBjnD1h1h8tUlHlyWoletSLa3h7-2lrFwibintbUL563CCbkC_Cj_e0sVsMwHXpOVe7L5nYLA7uD756yc7gcNftimG_rbmT6Go4Xq92tRstg/s1600/1-gop+folk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzG_5isUeok4f09xofRhGittuWmJ8SZP8SBjnD1h1h8tUlHlyWoletSLa3h7-2lrFwibintbUL563CCbkC_Cj_e0sVsMwHXpOVe7L5nYLA7uD756yc7gcNftimG_rbmT6Go4Xq92tRstg/s320/1-gop+folk.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Not to be outdone, Republican Michael
Folk, a lawmaker in West Virginia’s House of Delegates declared that Hillary
should be hung at the Washington Mall. His actual tweet is above.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Now all this might be funny serious for
some who claim they’re sick and tired of ‘political correctness’, but this is
pressing pass the bar of no return. For leaders to express this when they know
full well there are those right-wingers salivating through their gills in
agreeing with this, while also exercising another Republican stance of
limitless military-style gun ownership. There’s just too bad an admixture in
these angry white boys to be toying with. This little nudge is all it would
take for the hate mongering gun crazed. One of them is liable to attempt it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes you read right, white supremacists
and nationalist parties were in attendance and had their social media and
tweets put up on the big screens. No the tweets weren’t screened and were on
display pretty much throughout the four days of the convention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Because he is a rabid Trump fan, white
supremacist and broadcaster, Matt Forney reported live from the floor on the
convention’s Tuesday events. Forney has a long record list of racist and sexist
comments. A couple are, “<i>Blacks do
nothing but murder cops, rob and rape people, and bring death and destruction
wherever they go</i>. He continually calls for “<i>black control</i>” always refers to Trump as<i> </i>“<i>God emperor Trump</i>” and
points out his belief that women deep down desire to be raped and beaten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tweets from various white nationalist
groups were from #AltRight, #ProWhite, #RaceRealist and #LoveYourRace. Some of
the tweets said by ‘Western Triumph’ were, “<i>Hillary
says whites should "recognize our privilege". I say whites should
recognize (((the traitors))), and begin the Great Purge</i>!” and “<i>Detroit, Birmingham, Baltimore, etc Proof is
clear: Whites build things, and blacks destroy them.Hence.....Africa</i>.”https://twitter.com/h0woriginal/status/...
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The tweet in the below photo is from
‘VDARE.com’, a Virginia based anti-immigrant hate group that quoted South
Carolina’s Chris Collins. This group, supposedly composed of “<i>intellectually inclined</i>” white
nationalists offers donors “<i>patriot packs</i>”
composed of various supremacists’ paraphernalia. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFmh4REHFcaEffym6J3u7ilvuYCrokQ4Rm-mJQXsOwLwCEcVo3Z3JT65XYS460cLRQh9T6yeLpovSs3cjlPK3IVBR_RxempQv9NBlOPzMiRPeMwX8toj90BJqn6KVDTvoVQtIyx0tnTMu2/s1600/1-gop+vdare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFmh4REHFcaEffym6J3u7ilvuYCrokQ4Rm-mJQXsOwLwCEcVo3Z3JT65XYS460cLRQh9T6yeLpovSs3cjlPK3IVBR_RxempQv9NBlOPzMiRPeMwX8toj90BJqn6KVDTvoVQtIyx0tnTMu2/s320/1-gop+vdare.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">No sir/ma’am, not one was filtered.
Whether this was just a sloppy overlook or intent, who knows, but I will tell
ya one thing’s for sure...there weren’t any liberal tweets that made it through
the filter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nationalist parties have been making
robocalls for Trump ever since the GOP primaries. They’ve pretty much all have
endorsed him, for they see eye to eye and Trump will cater to anyone who will
vote for him. In a way, they both appeal to one another. Trump even uses
slogans straight from these hate groups. With this, Republicans have willingly
allowed their party to be infiltrated with white nationalist dogma just to
retain power; loyalty of party over nation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why on MSNBC this past July 06, 2016,
Republican strategist, Rick Wilson confessed that Trump supporters “<i>range in sophistication from the guys who
are fairly clever race-baiters to the crazies in mom’s basement screaming for
Hot Pockets and a new Holocaust</i>” and that “<i>racism is baked in the cake</i>” when it comes to Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yepper sports fan, even as Trump’s
nomination speech had just ended, a tweet from white nationalist ‘Western
Triumph’ was displayed on the convention floor’s big screens for all the
fascist minded to see. Generic for sure, but all the same, understand its
source, intent and influence. The white supremacist tweet broadcast to the
world at the RNC convention is below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, instead of all the fear Republicans
represent due to liberal causes, it just might appear that it should be the
progressives to be a tad fearful. For me personally, this is an assault on what
it truly means in being American. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rudi Giuliani was pert near frothing at
the mouth acting as if he was going for a heart attack while slinging slurs on
Hillary. Meanwhile, someone called for a doctor and after being resuscitated by
Dr. Ben Carson, Giuliani was carried off stage where Carson takes over the
podium and ensures us Hillary acknowledges Lucifer through Saul Alinsky, an
American organizer for the poor. If Carson feels it’s pure sin on Hillary’s
part to be a fan of Alinsky’s he might want to also include on that list,one of
the greatest heroes of American conservatism, William F. Buckley Jr. Buckley
also admired him and stated Alinsky was, “<i>very
close to being an organizational genius</i>.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then Carson took over a Fox News microphone
proclaiming to Fox’s moderator, Greta Van Susteren, “<i>All of the Trump children are absolutely delightful people. And I think
that speaks volumes about the man. Anybody who can raise children, particularly
in the environment they came up in, which I think is a disadvantaged
environment. Because I know a lot of people who are very rich and their kids
are so spoiled, and I think it’s a disadvantage. I really do</i>.” A few more
attacks of the ‘affluenza’ disease first exposing Ethan Couch and now the Trump
children, why we might have an epidemic on our hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gee, I wonder what the children’s
advantage in tin plated poverty really is over the Trump children’s
disadvantage in pure gold wealth? I wonder...
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As they say in West Texas, Whoa cowpunch...plagiarism...now
that’s ah whole ‘nuther matter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes indeed, Melania Trump did plagiarize
a portion of Michelle Obama’s 2008 DNC speech. At first on day one, the Trump
campaign and he himself <i>denied</i> it,
then they tried to <i>deflect</i> the blame,
then they accepted it but put <i>spin</i> on
it, even said it was <i>okay</i> to
plagiarize and then on the third day, they blamed it all on a 65-yr-old <i>fall guy</i> junior speech writer. Finally,
the speech writer takes the blame rap. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Denial</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: After
revelations by journalist, Jarret Hill that the Melania Trump speech
plagiarized FLOTUS Michelle Obama’s speech, the denials came rolling in. Donald
Trump denied his wife committed plagiarism and even though the Trump campaign
originally expressed Melania personally wrote her speech, but had a little help
from speech writers, Trump said he would fire whoever might<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">’</span>ve plagiarize. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Chris Chrisitie comes out to absurdly
say, “<i>If we’re talking about 7% of a
speech that was really, universally considered to be a good performance by
Melania. I know her. There’s no way that Melania Trump was plagiarizing
Michelle Obama’s speech</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ben Carson remarked that he saw no
evidence of plagiarism and if there was, it was a good thing. This is his
comment, “<i>I don’t think they were
plagiarized. I think there are general principles that are very valuable to
Americans, and of course to express those principles you’re going to use
similar language. If we happen to share values, we should celebrate that, not
try to make it into a controversy</i>.” So to Carson that’s a good thing,
huh...I just might wonder what would be the Republican response if it had been
the other way around. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump campaign spokeswoman, Katrina
Pierson said on the website ‘The Hill’ that, “<i>This concept that Michelle Obama invented the English language is
absurd</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort
in an interview with CNN’s ‘New Day’ called the plagiarized allegations “<i>crazy</i>” that, “<i>There’s no</i> <i>cribbing of Michelle
Obama’s speech</i>.” Later on a CBS interview he stated, “<i>We’re talking about words like compassion, love of family, respect. These
are not words that are unique words that belong to the Obamas</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Deflection</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: Thomas Del
Beccaro, a California Republican candidate running for the U.S. senate really
made his campaign look stupid when he tweeted, “#<i>MelaniaTrump proved tonight she is total opposite of #MichelleO. No
anger. No complaints. Just about what can happen through opportunity</i>.” Ya
know, as if Michelle’s own words from Melania’s mouth somehow made Michelle
seem like an angry black woman, but reasoned when they flowed from Melania.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Paul Manafort finally hints at admitting
Michelle’s words were stolen at a press conference, but blames it all on
Hillary of course, when he whined, “<i>There’s
a political tint to this whole issue. The Clinton camp was the first to get it
out there and try to say there was something untoward about the speech that
Melania Trump gave. It’s just another example, as far as we’re concerned, that
when Hillary Clinton is threatened by a female, the first thing she does is try
to destroy the person</i>.” But lo for Manafort, the Clinton campaign never did
comment or issue a statement about the plagiarism scandal, much less to be the
first to put it out there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fox News’ financial commentator, Stuart
Varney proclaims, “<i>I say the mainstream
media is pathetic on this and I mean that in every shape of that word.
Pathetic. This morning, I wake up and I’m looking at the headlines of the major
news outlets and they say, “Oh, she is a plagiarist!” They’re doing anything
they can to bring her down, to bring the Republicans down. Why is she a
plagiarist? Well, in one paragraph that she came out with last night, she used
the expression,‘“Your word is your bond.</i>’” <i>Do what you say
you’re gonna do. Treat people with respect</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Actually there Barney it was Mrs. Obama’s expression.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Varney finally adds a really oddball
conclusion when he piques, “<i>I really
think the mainstream media wants America to be more like bankrupt, socialist
Europe. I think they’re leading us down that path. They just want to get us
there as fast as possible. What a disgrace! What a disgrace</i>!” Really, what
does that have to do with Melania’s plagiarism? <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The word disgrace I suppose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Picking on Saul Alinsky again,
Republicans then propagandized that Michelle plagiarized Alinsky from his
‘Rules for Radicals’ in her 2008 speech by a few words from one sentence.
Really? Michelle Obama: “<i>And Barack stood
up that day, and he spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. He talked
about the world as it is and the world as it should be</i>.” Saul Alinsky: “<i>The standards of judgment must be rooted in
the whys and wherefores of life as it is lived, the world as it is, not our
wished-for fantasy of the world as it should be</i>.” The whole sentencing between
the two has nothing to do with each other in conveying different meanings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the plagiarism being blatantly revealed,
Michael Savage in his crybaby way, attempts to deflect on his right-wing radio
show by crying, “<i>Oh yeah? Well Hillary
Clinton ‘looks like Stalin’s housekeeper</i>.” not that he hasn’t said this
before, for he recycled it from when he first said this about Bernie Sanders’
wife, Jane Sanders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Savage further continues on deflecting
from the stolen speech by talking about Melania’s beauty in stating, “<i>You know, she’s so appealing that she’s
liable to garner a good percentage of Hillary’s woman vote simply because she’s
so appealing. Now, regarding Melania’s speech, yes, there’s some overlap, but
that’s of course not the issue</i>.” For savage it’s more about beauty and the
beast rather than honesty and ethics over lying and stealing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Spin
& OK</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:
The RNC’s chief strategist, Sean Spicer in a very stupid way claims plagiarism
is OK as long as who it is you’re plagiarizing. Spicer claimed on CNN that it wasn’t Michelle Obama she plagiarized
but the ‘My Little Pony’ cartoon character, Twilight Sparkle with the dream portion
of the speech. The video is below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UULi7x_LT8Q" width="640"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Christian Broadcasting Network’s David
Brody puts spin on Melania’s speech in insisting it was OK. On Pat Robertson’s ‘700
Club’ Brody portended, “<i>The long-term
story here, Pat, is that the reality is that Melania Trump gave a very good
speech last night. She was poised, smart, articulate on that stage on Monday
night and what that means, Pat, going forward is that Melania Trump needs to
get out on the stump. Cleary, she is
articulate, doing a very good job — and they need help among women voters and
she can be a key part of that</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I guess Brody, the good Christian that
he is, conveniently forgot about the ninth commandment in lying. Even Robertson
appeared a bit lustful with his olden self by noting Melania Trump was, “<i>We mentioned the language in that speech,
although she was absolutely gorgeous and I think that's why they wanted to put
her on. Mr. Trump has a good eye for beauty</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Fox & Friends’, Brian Kilmeade
actually said it’s OK for her to plagiarize, for, “<i>It actually applies to her life. It talks about her parents and the
values and the values she wants to put to her kids</i>.” Hmmm, again, I ponder
what he would’ve said if it were the other way around with a black woman
stealing from a white woman? Would it have been good for her black kids...I
just ponder...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fall
</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Guy:
As the plagiarism scandal rolled into its third day, the Trump campaign pinned
it all on a grandmother and former ballerina, Meredith McIver. This lady who
helped in the speech writing became the fall guy. She came forth with a written
letter in which a copy of it is below.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ya see, the thing is, why did she not expose
her plagiarism in the beginning? She appears honest. All the blame was now wrested
on her shoulders alone. Funny thing though, she’d taken the blame for Trump
once before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a 2007 deposition, Trump was being
hammered for overstating in his books of him of being in debt for billions and
billions of dollars, but still managed a miraculous comeback. Trump acknowledged
the over statement, but insisted he didn’t write that in his books. Guess who
he blamed that on...yep...Mrs. McIver. So now she’s been blamed but once again and
has taken the fall for another Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stephen Palitz, a lawyer friend of Mrs.
McIver who claims he has known her for decades said while pointing out her meticulous
attention to detail, “<i>It sounds like
she sort of stepped up and fell on her sword</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I guess that right-wingers love the same
words when it only comes from the mouth of a white woman as second hand. Other
than that, if they had heard the original words poured out from Mrs. Obama’s
mouth, they would’ve spat on it right away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Not only should the obvious plagiarism
be an embarrassment, but in how the Trump campaign and Republican households
responded to it should even be more so. I mean of all people to plagiarize.
Right-wingers literally despise Michele Obama calling her anything from a man
in drag to a monkey. This had to sting having their hopeful First Lady Melania steal
words directly from First Lady Michele Obama. Below, from ‘News Corpse’ is the
side-by-side comparison of the two speeches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2VL-FoSndyM" width="560"></iframe>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’ll end this section with just a
comment concerning Ted Cruz and his debacled contribution to the convention.
For next month’s article we’ll cover Trump’s acceptance speech side-by-side
with Hillary’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some say Ted Cruz’ refusal to endorse
Trump then have to walk off stage amidst screaming boos was principled.
Hogwash! Cruz is as egomaniacal as Trump; he’s just much slyer with it. All
Cruz is doing is betting on Trump losing the 2016 election while kicking off
and already campaigning for the 2020 election.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Closing
Segment</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Racists don’t just pop into view from
out of nowhere. Just like Trump, they have a history and that history has been embedded
in the Republican Party for over half a century. Again, just like Trump, they
have bid their time, sometimes testing the waters, but now it is, in their
minds to jump in and fan the flames. Racists not only feel connected to Trump,
they feel Trump is them.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Filtering through the GOP, a prelude of
the party’s comradery with racism really kick started under Reagan’s helm with
his “<i>welfare queen</i>” and “<i>black buck</i>” statements in using food
stamps to buy T-bone steaks.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09qFku0OMHuV1wYP238llkle62_rkTFmjsPvCr_POMa4o4fy6TI7SRgDDrfetQ-4Dvj3KS1MFhgun5yW7lmN2Qex8D720aF3mVewfwd4Tomy0ZC2E6aH5V4ZZjZ2m_mCuVFG0bIKeayFy/s1600/1-gop+tump+ntnlst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09qFku0OMHuV1wYP238llkle62_rkTFmjsPvCr_POMa4o4fy6TI7SRgDDrfetQ-4Dvj3KS1MFhgun5yW7lmN2Qex8D720aF3mVewfwd4Tomy0ZC2E6aH5V4ZZjZ2m_mCuVFG0bIKeayFy/s320/1-gop+tump+ntnlst.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White nationalist group: American Freedom Party</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although the Republican Party has always
had nationalism hitched and anchored to their politics, they never quite
exposed it like the Donald has. He became the megaphone for racism exposing the
party for what it has been promoting under the bed sheets. Trump exposed the
GOP. Yes he is getting the racist vote, even is recharging their burning
crosses, but Republicans have all along been receiving the racist vote and this isn<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span>t by coincidence. Racists
trust Trump more for he energizes them instead of just accepting their vote as
the Republican Party has done.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This rocky relationship, due to Trump
has now turned on the Republican Party. The RNC had no choice but to accept
Trump for they knew if they didn’t their base composed of ignorance, bigotry
and racism would create untold upheaval. This current GOP is in disarray. It
cannot climb out of its hole.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes, they are claiming the voter base is
angry, but don’t confuse cynicism with wisdom. This right-wing anger has no
roots in wisdom. For the youngest of children on playgrounds, it’s so easy to
criticize another child for a fault. This is exclusive behavior. Where with
wisdom, there is always recognition of others’ merits and of what can be
learned from another. This is inclusive behavior. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cynicism comes from a self-inflicted
deepened wound; wisdom is a resultant of enduring shared hope. Progressive
thought resides more in experienced hurt and pain, where fear and panic is more
of a conservative gut reaction. I just wonder which side of the political aisle
is rooted more in wisdom and which one is more in cynicism. I’ll let you decide...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Promoted
Reporting,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">07/31/2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-16694274659274866632016-06-27T21:06:00.000-04:002016-07-08T11:17:50.558-04:00Is Your Soul in the right Place<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Is Your Soul in the Right Place?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Motormouth</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican politicians are fidgeting
every which way from acceptance, denial and ignoring of the motormouth that
hath cometh unto their fold. Filled with the inconsistency of a flopped
Broadway play that is so unappealing to a general audience, the GOP is
scrambling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For the Republican Party, Donald Trump
is the epitome of a walking, breathing and living nightmare that arose from out
of their bed to wreak havoc in the naked relevance of rightwing idealism bore
from their own stances in social, domestic and foreign policy issues. Greed and
exclusion is the open glaring aftermath of its wake. The GOP has no out, no
deportment or no excuse in what they have molded. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Who knows what will be the aftermath of
the RNC convention, for there are under consideration a three-fold outcome at
play here. In particular, Republican Colorado and Wisconsin delegates are going
to the convention with the aim in mind of convincing other Trump delegates to
change their polls in favoring another Republican besides Trump. Then replace
him with someone that perhaps did not even run for the presidency in the GOP
primaries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Chairman of the Republican National
committee (RNC), Reince Priebus has been measuring a yardstick by interviewing
Republican state chairmen to gauge how large the GOP anti-Trump movement really
is. If big enough, he’s weighing in on dumping Trump as the Party’s presumptive
nominee for president.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">If these scenarios bear out, it will be a
double-edged sword sharpened to the hilt, for it is literally stealing the
presumptive nominee (Trump) away from the Republican voters that legally cast
the ballot in his fair and square win. The voters will revolt, the Republican
brass is fully aware of this and know most likely, Trump would run as an
independent and split the GOP in half.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But within their own Republican ranks they
are also aware of Trump’s 70% unfavorable results and in recent poll after poll
taken, his median average of over 60% un-favorability with the general American
public. Even the sensible Republican (if there is such a thing) do not like
Trump and will either cast a vote for someone else or refrain from voting
altogether.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course in viewing the graph below, to
find any inkling of a silver lining, Republicans will say, well at least he is
better positioned this June by being down 9 percentage points from his June
2015 69% unfavorable ratings. Well, if that makes sense to them and their case
for winning, then I say go for it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmD_aJt82XElM29NQQUH3hY6NDiQ18dADmpMpgEBEBISyzvzbPxmerciGYMwcdVHu-ljeycTSH0z9lPk5AhEkR-uTHMAjxBnyFo9Q55MmFLUEwPlRJ-aawRncb6Bu1Fs05d_GGXrGPkhvY/s1600/1-Trump+favorability.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmD_aJt82XElM29NQQUH3hY6NDiQ18dADmpMpgEBEBISyzvzbPxmerciGYMwcdVHu-ljeycTSH0z9lPk5AhEkR-uTHMAjxBnyFo9Q55MmFLUEwPlRJ-aawRncb6Bu1Fs05d_GGXrGPkhvY/s320/1-Trump+favorability.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Composite polls from June 2015-June26 2016</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Whether endorsing, supporting but not
endorsing, or outright denying Trump and publicly announcing they’ll vote for
Hillary, Republicans are not unified in their candidate with huge uncertainties
on what route they’ll take. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The more Trump opens his mouth, the more
his blind, deaf and ignorant to the facts core base will support him, while the
GOP establishment reels away even farther from him with just as much pushing away
as the base is pulling towards. The GOP elitist just cannot shut him up. This
is much to the chagrin of the Republican establishment with as much delight for
Trump’s base.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Orlando</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On June 12, 2016, yet another mass
killing occurred on American shores inside the ‘Pulse’ gay nightclub. Just
after, the Orlando massacre, Trump had a chance to rise to the occasion in
bereavement for the 49 Americans who had lost their lives. Instead, he makes an
announcement about “<i>crooked Hillary</i>” and
how we need more guns. Political posturing, no substance, blame gaming with the
favorite rightwing Muslim scapegoat and a chiding speech was all his rant
amounted to. He did however speak hypocritically, when touting himself as the
president for the LGBT community. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course the bulk of gay rights activists
are rejecting Trump’s overtures. ‘Human Rights Campaign’ spokesman, Jay Brown
pretty much sums up the LGBT community sentiment towards Trump when he stated
in response to Trump’s gay overtures, “<i>What
he is peddling isn’t protection. It’s poison. Let’s be clear: LGBTQ people are
Muslims. We are also Jews and Christians, women and immigrants, people of color
and those living with disabilities. We are as diverse as the fabric of our
nation, and Donald Trump’s attack on Muslims today is intended to divide us.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tXwrHzpUERU" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Two days later at a Tuesday June 14</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
North Carolina rally, Trump further inferred that the Orlando massacre was
solely the fault of President Obama when he stated, “</span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Once again we’ve seen that political correctness is deadly. President
Obama claims to know our enemy, and yet he continues to prioritize our enemy
over our allies and, for that matter, the American people.</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In contrast, Hillary gave an eloquent
speech acknowledging the victims and the survivors, while also alluding to the
fact how the lack of proper gun regulation has brought the nation down again in
grief.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9HsP7prY4Tg" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican politicians are literally
running, from reporters that want them to comment on Trump, or pretending they
don’t hear the questions thrown at them as they hastily seek any refuge to duck
and cover. Why, just this Tuesday (06/14/16) in the senate hallways, as Senator
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) was rushing through, her staffers got between her and
reporters stating she will not comment on Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">House Speaker Paul Ryan, although he
shames Trump for Islamophobic speeches, he still endorses him. Nonetheless,
that endorsement kept him in hiding, for after Trump’s Orlando and North
Carolina stump he canceled a press conference and had staff shield him from
reporters as he concealed himself from the public.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1AXdNurlaIqPqOHLVwjbKRrUtqFvFcXiUbuYvvN65tpseguIFfrCQDfxrpnIVt7gPEs0YAZLYMFvG1Asma-GaO5I5A5MOn0PWqhxYT9ZuX-S1TAkGmBZqhBt7fpgCzPBES4RQacv8nj9/s1600/1-gop+paulryn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1AXdNurlaIqPqOHLVwjbKRrUtqFvFcXiUbuYvvN65tpseguIFfrCQDfxrpnIVt7gPEs0YAZLYMFvG1Asma-GaO5I5A5MOn0PWqhxYT9ZuX-S1TAkGmBZqhBt7fpgCzPBES4RQacv8nj9/s320/1-gop+paulryn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">While on Ryan, as typical Republican
irony goes, in a recent interview with NBCs Chuck Todd, Todd asked Ryan about
his supporting and endorsement of Trump, when Trump was issuing racist and
outrageous religious remarks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ryan replied, “<i>Imagine the Speaker of the House not supporting the duly elected
nominee of our party, therefore creating a chasm in our party to split us in
half, which basically helps deny us the White House and strong majorities in
Congress.</i> <i>The last thing I want to
see happen is another Democrat in the White House. I don't want to see Hillary
Clinton as president. I want to see a strong majority in the House and the
Senate. And I think the way to achieve those goals is to have a more unified party,
than a dis-unified party.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Todd quickly responds, “<i>You just made a case though of party over
country</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But alas, Ryan finally retorts back, “<i>No, I didn’t. I know Hillary Clinton won't
agree with anything we want to do</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Do you see the hypocrisy here? In
defending he is not for party but for country, he uses the justification in
voting for a rogue Republican as opposed to Hilary is because Mrs. Clinton
would not want to do anything Republicans want to do. That in itself says it
all...he is for party over nation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But further, what does his party want to
do? Judging by the last eight years, it is merely to impeach Obama, cut the
rich’s taxes, privatize Social Security/Medicare, act as NRA water bucket
carriers and repeal Obamacare. Is that really good for the nation or more so
for the Republican Party? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In going back on script, Republicans
that did take any interviews simply made fools of themselves. Take for instance
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In expressing he’s still supporting Trump,
he merely states in numerous interviews, “<i>I
think he’d have a much better chance of winning if he would quit making so many
unfortunate public utterances and stick to the script</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yeah see, in McConnell’s mind, by using teleprompters,
Trump’s monstrous ego will suddenly vanish wringing out of him eloquent
speeches. It won’t happen. There is nothing anodyne in Trump’s exposure of
Republican undercover policies. Trump’s ego trip, whether scripted or ad-libbed
is always going to wind up being offensive. Trump knows his base laps this up;
factual substance is out the door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then there were the Republicans that failed
miserably in switching gears trying to smooze and cuddle up to the victims as
if all along they represented them. Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi being
interviewed by CNNs Anderson Cooper is a classic case. In point, the video of
the interview expounds the obvious milking Bondi is pouring.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BkSUE7esjG8" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bondi later claimed that Cooper ambushed
her and heavily edited the interview. It wasn’t true. He only exposed her
fraudulent compassion as explained in Cooper’s follow-up to her bogus radio follow-up
in the video below. To end her squeal, Bondi ran on a platform of anti-LGBT. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IFM5o98yENI" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even Representative Steve King (R-IA)
attempted to show some compassion for the LGBT community. On CNNs 06/15/21 ‘New
Day’ program, King was asked by interviewer, Chris Cuomo if King felt that gays
were specifically targeted. King’s answer, “<i>I
think it’s clear that gays were targeted in Orlando</i>.” But he further added,
“<i>It does matter. It’s tragic they were
targeted because of their sexual orientation. It’s tragic and we’re sorry about
that</i>.” He even pronounced that he considers gays “<i>in equal standing with God</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This, coming from a guy, who in
innumerable past instances has bashed LGBTs withholding all mercy. In recent
prior times, he has proudly described himself as the savior of mankind in
taking on “<i>screaming, profane gays</i>.”
He has insisted same sex marriage is “<i>a
purely socialist concept,</i>” He is also the representative in the House of
Congress that introduced an April 2015 bill barring federal judges from
overseeing cases involving arguments and decisions concerning biblical marriage
standards. This would have effectively shielded traditional marriage by ruling
out marriage equality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When introducing the bill on the House
floor, here are his own words, “<i>We could
pass this bill before the Supreme Court could even hear the oral arguments, let
alone bring a decision down in June. That would stop it right then, there would
be no decision coming out of the Supreme Court. This is a brake, and whether we
can get the brake on or not between now and June that we don’t know</i>.” The
bill never came to fruition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What Republicans don’t see, or are simply
trying to steer clear of this discussion by defraying the line to ‘Islamic
terrorism’, is that their rhetoric and actions over the LGBT community has
inflamed extremists.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge48Arsg07sUDxMQ_m7cndtmH2NRKvZAQ__pq1LdYwEZ6dlXPGWPBJPHgMwC-BuXsJGIzXOPYKWBhNIDGhK5fSglI7U0wP2UsnS2OZvnlCWiIPyTDRFibAalDR2y0-a8BiejmiU03k6A2w/s1600/1-GOp+politics+pat-bagley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge48Arsg07sUDxMQ_m7cndtmH2NRKvZAQ__pq1LdYwEZ6dlXPGWPBJPHgMwC-BuXsJGIzXOPYKWBhNIDGhK5fSglI7U0wP2UsnS2OZvnlCWiIPyTDRFibAalDR2y0-a8BiejmiU03k6A2w/s320/1-GOp+politics+pat-bagley.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are the few Republicans that have
seen the light. George Will has just denounced his Republican membership at a
‘Federalist Society’ meeting this week due to Donald Trump. He stated, “<i>This is not my party</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mike Treiser, a former member of the
Mitt Romney 2012 campaign staff, wrote on his ‘Facebook’, “<i>In the face of bigotry, hatred, violence, and small-mindedness, this
time, I’m with her</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Former South Dakota Republican senator,
Larry Pressler endorses Hillary after the Orlando mass killings and states, “<i>I can’t believe I’m endorsing Hillary
Clinton for president, but I am</i>,” after expressing that trump makes him
feel disenfranchised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As Secretary of the Treasury under W.
Bush, Henry Paulson after endorsing Hillary wrote in a ‘Washington Post’ Op-ed,
“<i>The GOP, in putting Trump at the top of
the ticket, is endorsing a brand of populism rooted in ignorance, prejudice,
fear and isolationism</i>. <i>This troubles
me deeply as a Republican, but it troubles me even more as an American. Enough
is enough. It’s time to put country before party and say it together: Never
Trump</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Summing all this up, Republican pundit,
Meghan McCain, daughter of Arizona senator, John McCain stated, “<i>I guess when I said in 2012 that my party
was going to evolve or it was going to die – it was easier to choose death</i>.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Brexit</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When first hit up on ‘Brexit’, Trump did
not know what it stood for. Before going over to Scotland to promote the
opening of his Turnberry golf course, he was interviewed. In the interview,
Trump was asked about ‘Brexit’. In the tweet below is what ensued.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN19RBI5FYmjsfArE_Gbpc437ihLD3T-utuR4XArJET0Wx42sNPA_Oz5LSVGPxqGKn1jqob8f_HL0zRPc4bEeT2psITIHW-WlgpHnJ7GgkkWI8KKSFMnNV_vc3bvMKwoJGinxt9A4EvgIm/s1600/1-Trump+goofiness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN19RBI5FYmjsfArE_Gbpc437ihLD3T-utuR4XArJET0Wx42sNPA_Oz5LSVGPxqGKn1jqob8f_HL0zRPc4bEeT2psITIHW-WlgpHnJ7GgkkWI8KKSFMnNV_vc3bvMKwoJGinxt9A4EvgIm/s320/1-Trump+goofiness.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I have to concur with Trump’s initial
shortcomings, for ‘Brexit’ is a new term and it is unclear who first coined it.
As far as trying to decipher the term, I feel it combines the name Britain with
the word exit referring to Great Britain leaving the European Union. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course, we all now know the
referendum was put to a public and binding vote where Great Britain voted by a
narrow margin of 51.9%-48.1% to leave. Immediately in following the resultant
vote, over $2 trillion were lost in global markets, while the British pound
dropped to its lowest currency value in decades.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump, who coincidently arrived on the
grounds of his Scottish golf course just after results of the significant vote
were announced, began by marketing and advertising his resort’s opening while
not speaking a word of the historic voting outcome. Once someone apparently
whispered in his ear that the ‘Brexit’ results were in, he then went on his
good for entertainment only values expressing how the result is great for
Britain and his golf course by lowering the pound that will bring more tourists
into the United Kingdom and his golf course resort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The trouble is...he was speaking to a
Scottish assemblage in Scotland where Scotts had overwhelmingly voted to remain
in the EU. Now, Scotland is digging back up their referendum to leave Britain
as they want to remain as economic partners with the EU. Scotland’s First
Minister, Nicola Sturgeon has hinted in that direction. Trumps’ isolationist
and nationalistic rhetoric did not resonate well. Misguided aftermaths have
consequences. With Britain leaving the EU and thinking they can go it alone in
a globalized world, the consequences are going to appear soon.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Again, he squelched another golden opportunity
to appear as presidential.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">After pimping out his golf course resort
opening, Trump then met up with media mogul, Rupert Murdoch and dined out. No
one can say what really went on with their private conversations, but I’m sure
it was a Murdoch peace treaty signaling to his Fox News Network employees who
he is bending for.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Murdoch has good reason, for Trump has torched
pert near everyone on the network. Of course we all remember just after the
first GOP primary debates, Megyn Kelly was called “<i>the worst</i>” and has a “<i>terrible
show</i>” by the Donald. He also called Karl Rove a “<i>total fool</i>” and “<i>a biased
dope</i>.” He proclaimed George Will as a “<i>broken
down political pundit</i>” and “<i>boring</i>.”
Chris Stirewalt was deemed by Trump as “<i>one
of the dumbest political pundits on television</i>.” Trump as well, snickered
off Charles Krauthammer as “<i>a totally
overrated clown</i>,” “<i>a loser</i>,” and
“<i>a dummy</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He finally claimed the whole network was
disappointing when he tweeted “<i>having a
really hard time watching Fox News</i>.” Then he called on his followers to
boycott the network. For added measure, Trump has even hit up Rupert’s ‘Wall
Street Journal’ newspaper saying that the writers there are also “<i>dummies</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well like they say, it takes one to know
one, but, back to ‘Brexit’... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A lot of political pundits, media
outlets and rightwing politicians are saying that the ‘Brexit’ nationalist
outcome could easily become the same response in the U.S.s November elections
and that this anti-immigration nationalist movement is shadowing America’s
current trending.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are a few parallels, but retain
your ease and brave heart, for this is not a tit-for-tat scenario. Yes we do
have a resurgence of Texan mentalities cheering secession from the union. As
head of the ‘Texas National Movement’ (TNM), secessionist, Daniel Miller has
surged forward in his bid to secede the Lonestar State as encouraged by
‘Brexit’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As soon as the British had voted to
leave, Miller, along with changing his Twitter handle to #Texit, submitted a
formal request to Governor Greg Abbott, for Texas to go it alone. Also, long
before the ‘Brexit’ enthusiasm, a 2014 Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 23.9% of
the American populace was in favor of their respective state in seceding from
the union.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The bulk of Americans though, in each
state won’t tolerate a breakup. They realize the vulnerability that would be
incorporated. Texas is big, what if, as in the UK with Scotland, West Texas
wanted to secede from the Republic of Texas. How far would secession reach?
Each breakup leads to vulnerability to foreign influence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Brexit’ is not even a true comparison
to America’s national concerns. Yes, there is the anti-immigrant utopia wish
list, but the main item that led to UK disapproval was austerity measures setup
by European conservative governments following the ‘Great Recession’. Thank
America’s lucky stars that we had a president that chose to add a stimulus
instead of austerity quotas. That is the night and day difference between the
nations of the U.S. and Europe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trickledown Reaganomics did not occur fully
in the states, but zapped European citizens hard in mopping up economies, jobs,
pensions, mortgages and lifestyles that the recession had not yet reached. Of
course conservatives require a scapegoat, so immigrants became the nasty word
building up a focused reason for all their woes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans have attempted austerity
trickledown economics in red states, but with failed and miserable results.
Republican governor, Sam Brownback of Kansas quickly instituted austerity
measures and trickledown economics by privatizing Medicaid, incorporating
generous tax cuts for the rich and corporate, defunding public education,
eliminating four state agencies while laying off 2,000 government employees and
making life much harder and more miserable for the average Kansan to bear the
brunt in increasing their taxes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QqnaQvo5TMF7anTJePBgX33KjZBkKvLPo1p43KZnyRtYKE1hC-I9DXtQnZzllzM0RVX8Tp7zTgdNW0GRzxmNH2sTyNKNyNvhxkNbLS4yh3aGAeimma_US6AHfEBieHe0sKUhyK2uQwO0/s1600/1-+American+Economics+101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QqnaQvo5TMF7anTJePBgX33KjZBkKvLPo1p43KZnyRtYKE1hC-I9DXtQnZzllzM0RVX8Tp7zTgdNW0GRzxmNH2sTyNKNyNvhxkNbLS4yh3aGAeimma_US6AHfEBieHe0sKUhyK2uQwO0/s320/1-+American+Economics+101.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Brownback said in 2013, after signing
the largest Kansas wealthy tax cut in history, “<i>My focus is to create a red-state model that allows the Republican
ticket to say, ‘See, we have a different way, and it works.</i>’” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oh, does it? The real results of his
governance is a stagnant economy, a failed job and economic growth, lower
personal income, massive budget shortfalls, loss of healthcare coverage,
significant delays in health care services and CEOs who dig up stakes moving
their businesses elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s so bad in Kansas now that this is
what CEO Jeff Blackwood of ‘Pathfinder Health Innovations’ had to say after
deciding to pull up his corporation’s roots and move out of state:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>I
can’t, in good conscience, continue to give our tax money to a government that
actively works against the needs of its citizens; a state that is
systematically targeting the citizens in most need, denying them critical care
and reducing their cost of life as if they’re simply a tax burden that should
be ignored. More importantly, there’s a motivation of conscience that factors
into it, too. It’s not so much that I’m moving the company to Missouri as I’m
moving it away from Kansas</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">No sir and no ma’am...austerity measures
and trickledown Reaganomics, whether on an international, national or state
level never work for an overall economy and they are not intended to...it’s
only for the 1-2% elite. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here in the U.S. there is also that rallying
cry of anti-immigration voiced through rightwingers, but it is more muffled as
the Obama stimulus, though cut short, did generate a workable economy when
European economies continued to bleed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also, most Americans realize the
inevitability of a global market. If America wants to lead it must hold
steadfast and jump early to remain in the marketization of the world economy.
Russia and China would love to see America breakup, but it won’t happen.
America is too international with a melting pot of diverse cultures that retain
national, state and community identities, but understands its entrenched roots
in world economics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Origin
& Aftermath</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although I do use polls, I don’t place
the utmost of importance on them for they are simply a gauged average as
results from random participants that could hold bias. The average can also
reflect slants in the ‘for’ or ‘against’ sides in being presented as a mean,
mode or median average giving a lot of wiggle room for partisan results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a mean average (the average most are
familiar with), it is simply all the added results divided by the amount of
results. An example is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. So, in adding those six numbers, it
gives a total of 21. 21 divided by 6 gives the mean average of 3.5. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The mode is the most common number, such
as 1, 2, 3, 3, 4 where 3 is the mode average. For the median, it is simply the
middle number in sequences, such as 7 being the median average in the sequence
of: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where fudging can occur is when larger
numbers, as in polling, are used; any ordering of the three statistic averages
can be manipulated. In large sets of sequences, this can result in statistics
concluding a median bigger than its mode, but in turn, the mode bigger than its
mean. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m sure both parties have their averaged
polling schemes, but in Republican strategist, Sean Spicer’s 06/21/16 CNNs
‘Berman and Bolduan’ interview, he takes it to an extreme spin when he said, “<i>When you look at the entirety of where our
party is at and where our efforts are at, combined with the party and the
campaign, it's the Republicans who are far ahead</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans are intentionally foot
stomping Brexit for its immigrant impetus, but sidestepping Orlando as they’ve
done in all the other American mass shootings in cruel attempts to deflect and
even conceal the root cause...ease of access to battlefield weaponry for
anyone. Whether one has mental issues, overtly angry in temperament, criminally
minded, terrorist or murderous, to gain a military weapon is so easy in America.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The only GOP response to mass shootings
is a moment of prayer then back to business as usual in defending weapons as
the fallacious stroking by the NRA gets them off. A minute prayer most
certainly hasn’t stopped American mass killings and more guns dumped onto the
marketplace clearly hasn’t either. Currently there are 382 million guns privately
owned out there in American streets. This statistic surpasses the total
population of America at 323 million.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In picking a platform to stand on that
caters to extreme right groups such as the Ku Klux Klan (you’ll never witness a
KKK member voting Democrat), nationalist groups, fundamentalist conservative
Christians, ammosexuals and all the rest of the rightwing groups that spread
bigotry, deceit and prejudice; the Republican politician is now in a place
where he/she fears most. Their damned if they don’t as held accountable by
their support base’s extreme ideology, but damned if they do as held in
contempt by the general public due to Republicans upholding extreme strategies
for decades now. The hiney boil has finally festered enough; it has popped and
it is oozing out thanks to Trump’s theatrics.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In getting down to the brass ‘n’
knuckles when it’s all said and done, Trump is not pro Republican, pro guns,
pro Christian, pro middleclass, pro wealthy, pro tax cutting or even pro life.
No, the only thing the Donald is prone to being is pro Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lCFyJIDGztA" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">“America First!” Recognize that slogan?
It’s what Republicans led by their noses by Trump keep chanting as if it has
always been their rallying cry. Little do they know that the slogan originated
from a strong liberal leaning cause.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘America First Committee’ was first
formed in 1940 by the son of ‘Quaker Oats’ founder, R. Douglass Stuart Jr. Its
main theme was anti-war with one of its original members being Gerald Ford.
Republicans corrupted the slogan to use it as a frustration stance in longing
for America’s once white purity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Republican base, in emphasizing
catchy social phrases over substantive facts has created a composite of
ignorance in many fields such as socio-economics, religion, foreign policy,
ethics and even the constitution. The street Republican could care less about
truth. Republican leaders have long realized that and stepped up their deceit
campaigns and fear mongering to cater to their base’s ignorance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Republican establishment has always
been about free market. That is why GOP politicians are so deep in Chemical and
NRA lobbyists’ pockets. But their base could care less about free markets.
Their only concerns were in a socially biased comfort zone; thus, the
Republican elite authority’s myth strategies of birthers, death panels, Ebola
scares and a rogue president in Obama.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">GOP strategists dropped the free market
approach, although that is their main concern, and hitched up to socio-culture
wars enlisting religion, immigration, abortion and mistrust in big government
even though historically...it is Republican presidents that raised the most
U.S. debt and deficit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Republican base’s anger and
fearfulness over immigration, ‘welfare moms’ and a black president with a
Muslim middle name was taken advantage of by Republican politicians. Anything
to go wrong with the world or even their own policies, Republicans simply
blamed it on Obama. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But the Trump campaign, in its full
bored throttle has exposed the fault lines in neo Republicanism that has
imploded the party. Trump surely is the Republican scenario to buyer’s remorse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even the ‘Washington Post’s Jennifer
Rubin, who has fiercely, without flinching, defended W. Bush and covered for
Republican lies for sixteen years now, has finally thrown in the towel when it
comes to the ignorance of the Republican voter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In her June 20, 2016 ‘Washington Post’
column, she hurled, “<i>One is left with an
unpleasant reality: A plurality of GOP voters wanted Trump. They did not care
or may have actively embraced his lunacy, bigotry and ignorance. His rotten
character and abject honesty elicited shrugs. They wore his “pants on fire”
fact checks like badges of honor. A significant segment of the GOP primary
electorate itself lacked common sense, standards of decency, and intolerance of
bigotry and cruelty. No group was worse than the evangelical ‘leaders’ who
cheered him along the way</i>.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslRJMyH1ewivN-1L0vXw4chMffgutAYSLzZ4_C5upTgH0eSm5Y6JkOo7MSrqVbj0ADgoOYgYAUCCkK4nTcoJCKa7_V0CQ8V8dMhlu2PCXEYum2bVx0s-rwl84CBrRS8P5tlpht6fkbDp1/s1600/1-trump+loose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslRJMyH1ewivN-1L0vXw4chMffgutAYSLzZ4_C5upTgH0eSm5Y6JkOo7MSrqVbj0ADgoOYgYAUCCkK4nTcoJCKa7_V0CQ8V8dMhlu2PCXEYum2bVx0s-rwl84CBrRS8P5tlpht6fkbDp1/s320/1-trump+loose.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Refuge...oh where is the refuge for
Republican politicians that have boxed themselves into a yanked corner exposing
their naked souls with GOP decades of stances and appeal to radical groups? Now
that the bag is out, the jig is up; Republicans have nowhere else to hide.
Preferring to appeal to voter fears instead of to voter aspirations has finally
caught up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But it wasn’t the homeless, the
minority, other religions, the refugee, the immigrant or God forbid, the
liberal who exposed the GOP for what it has become...it was the Donald. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a transfer of globalization, it
accounts for volatile times. But during volatile times, America, in hopes of
leading the globalization certainly doesn’t need a volatile president.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Trajectory
Broadcasting,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">06/27/2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-68666689714318291832016-05-26T16:22:00.001-04:002016-06-02T08:29:14.998-04:00Elephant in the House of Doldrums<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Elephant in the House of Doldrums<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Inactivity</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Besides as atmospheric nomenclature,
doldrums as defined is: a state or period of inactivity, stagnation and depression.
This fits the description of the GOP to a tee ever since Obama’s inauguration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican legislation has been so
inactive that theatrics have been employed in vain attempts to prove that their
doing nothing is something in doing nothing. Does that make any sense? No, it
doesn’t, but nonetheless is the case. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Republican majority congress in the
house and the senate have been so inactive these past seven and half years in not
passing constructive legislation that they have gone from inactive, through stagnation,
then depression to simply plain ol’ dumb. What any activity they’ve done for
the nation was simply to say </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">no</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> to anything remotely tied into Obama’s
policies. Why, they’ve said nay so innumerable amount of times, they ought to
change the elephant mascot to a horse. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A record number of filibusters in not
ratifying presidential official and judgeship nominee appointments have been
their only activity. What Obama wanted to do for the nation off the cusps of
the greatest recession ever experienced, in the likes of the Stimulus Bill,
employment policies, make sensible budgets on time and to end the sequester, Republicans
merely fought against them with lavish falsities.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfqgAfA1VH9Wo-wRMOGcUPOVx1ic73QyiMA8fculMsHs6V98H_xotr0l6xId7hH74nXFhVyTuO8zTa2vmhkSh971LOeEKsZ1TBkLCKhqggVWHm-6ZMV6igyUDTeufgSgs6Xf7W70XUzhq/s1600/1-American+Obamacare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfqgAfA1VH9Wo-wRMOGcUPOVx1ic73QyiMA8fculMsHs6V98H_xotr0l6xId7hH74nXFhVyTuO8zTa2vmhkSh971LOeEKsZ1TBkLCKhqggVWHm-6ZMV6igyUDTeufgSgs6Xf7W70XUzhq/s320/1-American+Obamacare.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">What the president did for ensuring,
currently now historically at 90% of the country’s population, equal access to
quality healthcare, Republicans did and are still fighting Obamacare. As I
write, senate Republicans, before they spend a penny on Zika funding, have
attached a rider onto the bill before a mere portion of the requested Zika
virus funding is allocated. The rider states that Obamacare must be repealed.
The Republican House this past February, failed to override Obama’s veto of
their GOP legislation that would have repealed Obamacare and defunded ‘Planned
Parenthood’. The GOP has turned American’s health, welfare and well-being into
partisan politics.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These past seven and a half years of
Obama’s presidency has simply been met with Republican no-no-no and more nopes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, Republicans have moved from
stagnant to despaired depression; for Donald Trump, the entertainer is their
new heir apparent leader. The very one who voices and reveals GOP agendas out
loud for what they are, leaving a distasteful naked exposure in conservative mouths.
Establishment Republicans hitched their bathtub to the ‘Tea Party’ all too
willingly, resulting into the Donald as being their presumptive presidential
pick. It wasn’t supposed to happen and yet it did. The backside boil had
festered too long, popping out its whole contents of gooey pus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The conclusion: endorse him and look the
fool to the American public, or defy him and be voted out of office by a very
extreme rightwing electorate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All Republicans up for reelection are in
a quandary due to this concern. Do they, or don’t they endorse their candidate?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmCx3quenx2N2EgHHiszQqi1EelnH4xVhKASvfBd7HZWamnxlmBpKbtQklbKD0quIXL1V7j2h4i8XlGD5HP3Jv-izfFvKV6EKyLs-2_rYjmG3bT4uUnQAb73jef9S85NX0hSleniOwHQ8/s1600/Trumpla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmCx3quenx2N2EgHHiszQqi1EelnH4xVhKASvfBd7HZWamnxlmBpKbtQklbKD0quIXL1V7j2h4i8XlGD5HP3Jv-izfFvKV6EKyLs-2_rYjmG3bT4uUnQAb73jef9S85NX0hSleniOwHQ8/s320/Trumpla.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">A for instance is Republican Senator, Chuck
Grassley of Iowa, who has endorsed him. Grassley is a thirty-five year senior
senator, who currently chairs the ‘Senate Judiciary Committee’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At the end of last week, Grassley
staunchly stated in a ‘Bloomberg Politics’ interview that he has, “<i>never heard him accused of being a liar</i>.”
That “<i>him</i>” he’s referring to is none
other than Donald Trump. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Grassley, yeah you, as the www community
writes after hearing your above statement, is simply three letters...LOL.
Grassley, you busted them up as doubled over in laughter. You’re a funny guy
and should be a comedian instead of a politician holding legislative authority.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Really, of Trump’s recent lies, I could
make a list that would push you way past your bedtime if you insisted on
reading them all. So, I will not make out a list. But, I will state this;
during Trump’s CNN Town Hall event this past March, he amassed seventy-one lies
within only an hour and that included time spent on TV commercials. This was
tallied and recorded by journalist fact checkers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of Trump’s primary campaign bid,
according to ‘PolitiFact’, which is more conservative leaning, Trump statements
have been false 76% of the time and have a morsel of truth 23% of the time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For Grassley to open with this statement
as an excuse to endorse his heir fuhrer, it only dispels the creed of American
patriotism as being rearranged and shifted to partisan politics in the nth
degree. He truly is making the GOP look stupid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Republican National Committee’ (RNC)
chair, Reince Priebus was asked about Trump’s honesty on all the 05/15/2016
Sunday political programs he circulated through. In everyone, with awkward
pauses, after it was pointed out what others had said of his lying, he replied
that it is only what he says to me that counts if he lies or not. Holy gee!
Isn’t the squirrel boy, Reince so privileged?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In ABCs ‘This Week’, Jon Karl confronted
Priebus on the questionable honesty of Trump, which essentially, Priebus merely
cops out by saying the “<i>traditional
playbook</i>” doesn’t apply to the Donald. Priebus did his darndest to dodge
every question asked of him. If you would like to view, the video is
below: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TOh4Zdr6mnU" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This Grassley/Preibus head-in-the-sand
mentality stretches across the whole Republican voters’ spectrum. Republican
voters simply do not care about facts, experience or reason. They are literally
playing the deaf, dumb and blind monkey role when it comes to Trump.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you viewed the video, you saw Priebus
try to deflect lying all onto Hilary Clinton. Concerning that yes, please, tell
me an egregious lie of Hilary’s. Name one, please. Oh, no, you can’t say
Benghazi, for after $7 million worth of wasted taxpayer dollars and still
counting spent on the Benghazi hearings. They never proved anything, but
Republican political partisan quests. It is the Republicans who lied and used
the deaths of four Americans to generate campaign funding and degrade the name
of Hilary Clinton in hopes of hurting her candidacy.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMj2jseFYOlA4DAzsD7r6vUQwqGkPrxLqx0EMm9mXnCVDttv553LBIWfY3bVdgqrPFCmbgDPVRRL-ss4X-u7RVckSB-8E1EtSCA7KBrgNX0qoBpDz2MuHKzOWg6MfAe_P5IHmuERdjKf2x/s1600/Trump-Romney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMj2jseFYOlA4DAzsD7r6vUQwqGkPrxLqx0EMm9mXnCVDttv553LBIWfY3bVdgqrPFCmbgDPVRRL-ss4X-u7RVckSB-8E1EtSCA7KBrgNX0qoBpDz2MuHKzOWg6MfAe_P5IHmuERdjKf2x/s320/Trump-Romney.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Going all the way back to 1993,
Republicans have been targeting the Clinton’s with fabricated stories. Vince
Foster, who was President Clinton’s Deputy White House Counsel, was also a
close personal friend to the Clintons’. Suffering from clinical depression,
Foster committed suicide. Republicans tried to blame it as a murder scheme by the
Clintons’ and lied about it in falsely claiming the Clinton’s were lying about
it. Even though six investigations (one by the GOPs star, Ken Starr) concluded
that all evidence leads to suicide, Republicans still hold dear to the murder
conspiracy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The latest Republican lie is that Hilary
was fired as a 27-year-old staff attorney working as an understudy for the
‘House Judiciary Committee’ during the Watergate investigations. In this bogus
conspiracy, rightwingers contend that she was fired for lying and unethical
conduct by her supervisor, Jerry Zeifman. First off, Zeifman did not fire her
and had no authority to even have her fired. Secondly, she did not work for
Zeifman, but rather worked under Impeachment Inquiry Special Counsel, John
Doar. She was not fired by Doar, or anyone else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With all these years of phony and bogus
attacks, conspiracies, statements and hearings by Republicans, the public has
sublimely bought into some of it, doing some damage to Hilary’s integrity and
honesty. Without doubt, in Hilary’s case, it is the messenger to blame.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuADFnNC24-LaZFwRuChFum0D_5_yMMw5hBxxNFgmKgjCv21ferGT4dwPGZ6cyTRQPKAi2SsGUbKE7BG4XJESaHv72KeIXBAK900CdQooylF2nrYoJt-WXIZ88narsQp0j9DgC83Ptn3o/s1600/GOP-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuADFnNC24-LaZFwRuChFum0D_5_yMMw5hBxxNFgmKgjCv21ferGT4dwPGZ6cyTRQPKAi2SsGUbKE7BG4XJESaHv72KeIXBAK900CdQooylF2nrYoJt-WXIZ88narsQp0j9DgC83Ptn3o/s320/GOP-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Now, before we go on into the next
section, let’s finalize and sum this up here. To give impact to all this GOP
inactivity, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Republican senate is to
work only six days throughout the whole of July and zero days throughout the
whole month of August, with just three work days granted to October.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30kjh86Tw6PS3O2lZc3GoGfkqbCtEFewLL2Tnq1oWkkWhclnn6NK29SqBYMHoCiNsBwPDTdbawj0ID6l1pYJWp60WexYMhPAADOQxrA_eNIs0Ktp-tKt8821o6QZXvnC5tX0KO8p3uhXB/s1600/GOP+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30kjh86Tw6PS3O2lZc3GoGfkqbCtEFewLL2Tnq1oWkkWhclnn6NK29SqBYMHoCiNsBwPDTdbawj0ID6l1pYJWp60WexYMhPAADOQxrA_eNIs0Ktp-tKt8821o6QZXvnC5tX0KO8p3uhXB/s320/GOP+4.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forget inactivity; the GOP doesn't even work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Forget the inactivity, Republicans can’t
even show up for work...</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Constitutionally
Impaired</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We all know which party claims sole
rights to the U.S. Constitution, in laying claim they are the only readers of
it while at the same time, are the very ones that butcher it whenever it
conflicts with their ideology. It is the GOP. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Intentional misrepresentation is the
GOPs modus operandi when it comes to the constitution. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Take for instance, religious freedoms.
That is a big rallying cry for the GOP as of late and what it essentially means,
is that it is the Anglo Christian’s right to have access to all the religious
liberties by taking away any form of religious freedoms from other religions
and communities, or even other Christian denominations that are more in line
with Jesus’ teachings and tolerance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the ‘Bill of Rights’, the ‘First
Amendment’ implicitly expresses that the federal government, a state government
or a civil group shall not infringe on religious freedoms. The original
amendment only covers the federal congress against Christian denominations when
it states, “<i>Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of
the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress
of grievances</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Originally, the intention was for one
Christian denomination to not exceed authority over another Christian
denomination, for that was essentially what existed at the time, but later,
other religious forms came into play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To address this, in 1947, the
establishment of ‘religion clause’ was added to the ‘First Amendment’ meaning
no religion’s freedoms can be encroached upon. It states, “<i>Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither
can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion
to another . . . in the words of Jefferson, the [First Amendment] clause
against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect ‘a wall of
separation between church and State' . . . That wall must be kept high and
impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach</i>.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here are Jefferson’s words concerning
this ‘wall of separation’ in an 1808 letter to the Virginia Baptists: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Because
religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person's
life, freedom of religion affects every individual. Religious institutions that
use government power in support of themselves and force their views on persons
of other faiths, or of no faith, undermine all our civil rights. Moreover,
state support of an established religion tends to make the clergy unresponsive
to their own people, and leads to corruption within religion itself. Erecting
the "wall of separation between church and state," therefore, is
absolutely essential in a free society</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>We
have solved, by fair experiment, the great and interesting question whether
freedom of religion is compatible with order in government and obedience to the
laws. And we have experienced the quiet as well as the comfort which results
from leaving everyone to profess freely and openly those principles of religion
which are the inductions of his own reason and the serious convictions of his
own inquiries</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a letter to Edward Dowse, a U.S.
representative from Massachusetts, Jefferson wrote, “<i>I am for freedom of religion, & against all maneuvres to bring
about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BHecKLfFRaOcqjUBwpkDcZNgHugG0xNSiGLSSzlim0pZ8nv-ej_KG2ssKejMyVaDO3TH6VEFtVokNPq1IQ9Z6v0nk9TaCHUlRXFOU2Nos2svD1DRogKhGRR-yd7CwMb0L6UfCK5_nwub/s1600/1+Jesus+GOP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BHecKLfFRaOcqjUBwpkDcZNgHugG0xNSiGLSSzlim0pZ8nv-ej_KG2ssKejMyVaDO3TH6VEFtVokNPq1IQ9Z6v0nk9TaCHUlRXFOU2Nos2svD1DRogKhGRR-yd7CwMb0L6UfCK5_nwub/s320/1+Jesus+GOP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As far as keeping religion separate from
state, evangelical moral majority preachers are actually the opposite in keeping
religion infused to politics while their holdings continue to be tax exempt. A
for instance is John Hagee using his sermon pulpit as a political perch to
preach the rightwing gospel. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On his 05/17/2016 ‘Hagee Hotline’,
Preacher Hagee said to his listeners, “<i>I’m
going to vote for the candidate that’s going to make the U.S. military great
again. I’m going to vote for the party that is going to solve the immigration
problem, not the one that has created the immigration problem. I’m going to
support the party that brings jobs back from China ... I’m not going to vote
for the party that has betrayed Israel for the past seven years</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hagee further adds, “<i>If you can read a newspaper, you know who I’m
talking about. No candidate is perfect, but I want you to go vote and may God
give us a leader who has the courage to put America first and stand up for we
the people</i>. <i>God will not hold us
harmless</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Being clever enough to not mention any
name, but it is abundantly clear, Hagee is telling his followers if you don’t
vote for my pick in Donald Trump, then you will be held accountable to God, as
God has clearly chosen Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Funny that though for earlier, in the 2015
primaries, Hagee had supported the risen Messiah, Ted Cruz. That didn’t work
out, so he might as well throw in the towel to the rightwingers’ choice in
Antichrist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Speaking of Antichrist, Hagee when he
spoke to the ‘Zionist Organization of America’ in November 2014, accused Obama
of being anti-Semitic when he proclaimed, “<i>The
executive branch is in the hands of one of the most anti-Semitic presidents in
the history of the United States of America</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He also thinks women only play a role in
child production when he stated in the 2011 ‘What God Wants in a Woman’ sermon
of his, “<i>Women are only meant to be
mothers and bear children ... Childless marriage equals dead, poison, empty</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So much pity and sorrow for the poor
woman, I guess, whom God has laid barren. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Comparing all the above to Republican
religious principles, it is crystal clear they have misconstrued the ‘First
Amendment’ and use that end deceitfully.</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The ‘Second Amendment’ has almost been
bent in half in the rightwing’s incessant misrepresentation of it. The ‘Second
Amendment’ to the ‘U.S. Constitution’ states, “</span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free
state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Concerning the ‘Second Amendment’, I’ll
simply state what I have in past articles. The amendment was ratified in 1791
at a time when the nation had less than a hundred soldiers in its army. To
counter any foreign invasion, of course it made sense to have the public armed
to add to the defenses against a foreign military attack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is what gun nuts misrepresent by
leaving out the ‘militia’ portion. Today though, there is no need to call on
any militias to protect our shores. Today, the nation has what is considered
the mightiest military power in the world, known as the United States Armed
Services in the form of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard
and Coast Guard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That was solely the founding fathers’
intent; to provide armed militias for defense against invasion. According to
weapon aficionados, if one wants a bazooka or even to purchase a howitzer, they
have that right under the ‘Second Amendment’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The next sentence is a bit long-winded,
so bear with me. Truthfully though, if you were sincere and you know that our
founding fathers held at least a certain amount of common sense and reason, do
you really think they would have wanted the ‘Second Amendment’ to give rights
to any nut job dispersed throughout our neighborhoods and communities where our
kids play, to own and drool over his semi or fully automatic rifles that were
intended strictly for battlefield missions?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ignoring President Obama’s nomination to
the U.S. Supreme Court, merely because Republican senators don’t like him is
not an excuse to carry out their constitutionally bound duties. It is not an
option permitted in the constitution. They need to fulfill the role of their
constitutionally mandated job.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With the tiring and lame excuse that it
is an election year and/or Obama’s presidency is about to end, Republican
senators contend they will not give Obama’s U.S. Supreme Court judge nominee,
Merrick Garland a hearing much less a vote in order to allow voters to decide in
this coming November elections.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First off, as all editorials have
pointed out, the American public has already decided by voting Obama into
office, as it is the president who picks the nominees. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Secondly, even though this partisan
positioning is so transparent, in their cover-up lies, they’re making a mockery
not only of themselves, but of the nation as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This GOP partisanship is causing
uncertainty for the nation’s courts, laws, societal concerns, financial
investments, technical institutions and capital markets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Article II of the constitution gives the
president the authority to pick a nominee for judgeship in the Supreme Court,
while delegating the senate to advice and consent over the president’s choice
in a timely manner. There is no reference of any exceptions if it is late in a
president’s term, or if it is an election year to delay the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is the senate’s constitutional duty
to follow through in the process. During an election year, it has happened
twenty-four times in the past to U.S. presidents. In every case, the senate
held a hearing and 87% of those hearings actually confirmed the appointment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All these Republican partisan senators
are aligning themselves with Mad Dog Cruz as constitutional strict
constructionists, whom most claim they despise Cruz. A strict constructionist
is one who claims the constitution should be adhered to by law as strictly as
possible. Yet, they all are the ones reneging on that legal standing (Cruz
included) in not fulfilling their constitutional duty of due process in advice
and consent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lastly, Texas governor, Gregory Abbott,
who is a staunch conservative and relays most extreme conservative viewpoints,
actually wants to trash the U.S. Constitution and remold it to fit conservative
narratives. One of the main changes he wants, is to give states the power to
overrule federal laws. Another is to allow states the right to overrule Supreme
Court decisions, if a majority Republican state congress does not like the
decision. I just s’pose it’s either a major revision to the constitution, or
secession. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Indeed, secession has been floated around by
Abbott and other Texas Republicans rather than follow and abide by the U. S. Constitution.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Insane
Swag</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is beginning to be too much brazen
posturing in Republican mentalities, which is creeping into mainstream America;
even into the corruption of innocent children’s minds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Latina and black soccer players at a girls’
high school soccer game walked off the field traumatized by the home team
school kid crowd’s taunting chants of, “<i>Donald
Trump, build that wall</i>.” Playing at Elkhorn High School in Wisconsin, the
visiting Beloit High School girls’ soccer team was playing the game, when a
portion of the Elkhorn crowd started shouting the racially charged chant. It
upset the visiting team’s members so much so; they couldn’t continue or resume
play last Thursday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m quite sure the kids involved in the
chanting thought that it was cute and didn’t realize the consequences, but I’m
also quite sure that there are grownups who feel, the girls that were offended
should grow up and be able to take a little fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When it comes to kids, Trinity Academy,
a private Christian school in Kansas City, Missouri claims now under the bogus
religious freedom rights that they can kick any student out of the school if it
is found not only that the student might be gay, but also that any member of
the student’s family is gay. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Students that are suspect have to fill
out a form verifying all family members are straight. Then the form must be
signed by the student and parents. Traditional students do not have to fill out
the form. The reason the school feels it can do this is that it is under
religious freedoms and any gay member of a student’s family “<i>is counter to the school’s understanding of
a biblical lifestyle</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In President Obama’s push to raise the
minimum wage, he got a lot of flak from fast food chains and Republican
politicians with the sidelined excuse that it would hurt employment by forcing
businesses to lay-off workers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well, pressured by the president’s
administration of income inequality, ‘McDonalds’ raised wages for over 90,000
of its employees, along with better benefits and incentives. Guess what the
results were. ‘McDonalds’ CEO, Steve Easterbrook delightfully stated, that
where the pay increases and benefits were incorporated profits rose, employee
turnover is historically lower while customer satisfaction is higher. Also, in
markets losing growth, he stated that now they are growing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">His actual statement last week was, “<i>I am pleased with the progress we’ve made in
the 13 months since I became CEO. We are making improvements that our customers
are noticing to serve hotter, fresher food with improved overall service
experience. We are returning many of our critical markets to growth in terms of
sales, guest counts, and market share. And we’re increasing profitability both
for the company and our franchisees, whose cash flow’s approaching all-time
highs in many of our major markets</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So much for the Republican squeal that
raising wages is a job killing, hurting businesses venture. But of course,
never has raising the minimum wage in times past shown any history in doing so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As if the state of Louisiana needs more
Republican policies since the state budget is now tanked after eight years
under Republican control, one would think that Republicans would be trying to
halt the bleeding out of the budget. But no, they got better policies to come
up with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican State Representative, Kenny
Havard decided to write up and attach an amendment to a bill before a house
floor vote, because it was so important a legislation law. On page one, the amendment
stated that all Louisiana strippers must be “<i>between twenty-one and twenty-eight years of age and shall be no more
than one hundred sixty pounds in weight</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ol’ Kenny boy, who’s forty-five himself
and well over 160 pounds, caught quite a bit of slack, even by a fellow
Republican Representative, Julie Stokes. Her remarks sounded more Democrat than
Republican when she said on the house floor, “<i>I’ve never been more repulsed to be part of. I can’t even believe the
behavior. I hear derogatory comments about women. I see women get treated
differently than men. That was utterly disrespectful and disgusting</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It goes without saying that Havard
rescinded his amendment, but the catch was his excuse for doing so. It was, “<i>I don’t know if I’ll ever apologize for
being politically incorrect, it’s just not in my nature. Politically
correctness, in my opinion has ruined the country, and it looks like it’s
ruining the state now</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">No, Kenny, Republican policy has ruined
you’re state. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ), who was
out-bullied by Trump in the GOP presidential primaries, finally clocked back
into his governor’s job and the first thing he did was to deny those in need of
assistance for heat and food.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To keep from having the state pay $3.2
million for a federal aid assistance of $137 million in providing heat and food
for 160,000 poorer New Jersey residents, Christie refused the federal aid.
Funny that, he can refuse poor families heat and food, but the $360,000 of
taxpayer money he spent on booze, food and dessert while on the campaign trail,
was a given.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKtp_SP6Gs-KbkhR9JSSZOHbtrwW9NNjBD1iRk056CVOzpX6F8W6C68wJH5WkuMdQatMQ3yUYr9STdaNFvbHJE7iOdY1deYZb72CN4FJunsbt3ejF-dJpwddjjq3KR3QHCxG6eOgI4pP3/s1600/1-+american+GOP+Hypocrisy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKtp_SP6Gs-KbkhR9JSSZOHbtrwW9NNjBD1iRk056CVOzpX6F8W6C68wJH5WkuMdQatMQ3yUYr9STdaNFvbHJE7iOdY1deYZb72CN4FJunsbt3ejF-dJpwddjjq3KR3QHCxG6eOgI4pP3/s320/1-+american+GOP+Hypocrisy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rightwing Hypocrisy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Of course Republicans insist on cutting
federal dollars to social programs like Social Security, Medicare and the ‘U.S.
Postal Service</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, but let’s not forget their animosity toward national parks
either.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It has been Republicans that have been
defunding U.S. national parks for over a decade now for two reasons. One,
Republicans claim the ‘National Park Service</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (NPS) is a failure in revenue,
even though the national parks system was set up by Republican President
Theodore Roosevelt and was not intended to generate revenue, but to protect
America’s natural heritage. Secondly, Republicans want parks to be corporately
controlled and its resources utilized by private industries.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The NPS has had so many GOP funding cuts
that currently they are entertaining the thought of partnering up with
corporate entities just like the U.S. Postal Service had to do, due to their
cuts, with corporations like ‘Staples’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The NPS is currently proposing corporate
partnerships to give some relief from all the systematic funding cuts. The NPS
recently stated, “<i>A relaxation on rules
governing ‘corporate partnerships’ that will ensure parks become commercialized
and dependent on corporations and private donors to stay in operation</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the Florida Republican arena, you
have Carlos Beruff running in the Republican general election for a U.S. senate
seat. In a 05/12/2015 county meeting with constituents, Beruff said repeatedly
in reference to Obama, “<i>This animal we
call president”</i>...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Besides Representative David Jolly
(R-FL) kind of protesting the slang in stating that it proves he is the
reasonable Republican candidate, there has been no outrage by any individual
Republican or GOP entity to condemn this egregious criticism concerning the
president of the United States of America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Patrick Murphy, who is a Democrat senate
hopeful, immediately demanded that Beruff apologize. Beruff’s only reply was to
accuse Murphy of “<i>resorting to name
calling and the politics of racial division</i>.” This is mind boggling;
accusing Murphy of what he, Beruff, did himself. A video below shows the Beruff
rancor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="354" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wl3RkzTxiPA" width="630"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Normally, I never speak about candidate
spouses. I could have said a lot on some of Heidi Cruz’ comments and Mary Pat
Christie’s roll eyes up in the head glazed stare she gave Trump, during a
sexist rant of his. But here, I’m going to make a rare exception and break that rule to comment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Melania Trump must be a bit thin
skinned, for she couldn’t accept the truth a reporter wrote about her after
interviewing Mrs. Trump. Journalist, Julia Iofe writes for the ‘New York Times
Magazine’. Her Melania column was published in the ‘GQ’ magazine and even
though there was nothing too critical or false, Melania didn’t like it, felt it
wasn’t flattering enough, so tweeted, “<i>yet
another example of the dishonest media and their disingenuous reporting</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Immediately, Trump supporters, himself
included, bombarded Iofe, who is Jewish with hateful Nazi rhetoric through
phone calls, e-mails and tweets.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurGus3b0QoTcJjjIgHuEq-EDNXou9_ZT7yg_SAkoQyi48WyWs8rnXgJW_AYzHDisTZrb9GVZ1UGbHa54xXqbMk8xdXm-fDnN9grxU0eXc9kJpuaK9J4rIgVuioOGO-sRVcOr8GxCrIrF8/s1600/GOP+IofeTwitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurGus3b0QoTcJjjIgHuEq-EDNXou9_ZT7yg_SAkoQyi48WyWs8rnXgJW_AYzHDisTZrb9GVZ1UGbHa54xXqbMk8xdXm-fDnN9grxU0eXc9kJpuaK9J4rIgVuioOGO-sRVcOr8GxCrIrF8/s320/GOP+IofeTwitter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">These Trump supporters are the very same
ones (or at least the ones who enjoy reading them) who bash Michele Obama with hundreds
of daily dirty feeds from calling her a monkey to claiming she’s systematically
deranged or unpatriotic. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After Donald Trumps’ NRA speech, Melania
has come out with a photo of herself pointing a pistol in a thong bikini. Now
imagine that. As First Lady, Michelle Obama was hypocritically bashed for
exposing her arms by rightwingers. I can only postulate what they’ll say about
Melania, but I surely know it won’t be negative.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepJVqchyphenhyphenmbgcGK23ZBBmj7Bnk49kg2D1ahRXbfvXLLnUflzdnuNHhju4szXmfxfUKcGzs2ALRP2UsixBc5axxM0X4UUV1tbgT1u9wLcGv8IwKnbuDMjXf1LmBLm375E-VA0_879dd_Tak/s1600/Trump+melania.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepJVqchyphenhyphenmbgcGK23ZBBmj7Bnk49kg2D1ahRXbfvXLLnUflzdnuNHhju4szXmfxfUKcGzs2ALRP2UsixBc5axxM0X4UUV1tbgT1u9wLcGv8IwKnbuDMjXf1LmBLm375E-VA0_879dd_Tak/s320/Trump+melania.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melania Trump; the future First Lady?<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Formed
Opinion</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump has an ape level understanding of
national security policy. Now, don’t go all monkey crazy on me. Those are not
my words but of a GOP strategist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On MSNBCs Chris Mathews show last week,
Republican consultant, Mike Murphy said in reference to Trump: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>He
fails my commander-in-chief test. I think he is a stunning ignoramus on foreign
policy issues and national security, which are the issues I care most about.
And he’s said one stupid, reckless thing after another and he’s shown
absolutely no temperament to try to learn the things that he doesn’t know and
he doesn’t know just about everything. <b>The
guy has a chimpanzee-level understanding of national security policy</b></i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According to mathematicians anyway, the
Republican mindset graphically could look much like a mathematical S-shaped
curve as the one in the illustration below.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHtX7rmoUyergSK7ZoOkIy-RzLZ4Bw6UGNV5bvr1ApjZ1Ns3A-1PYBdlMm1SpHnyLKgjeIVrfODfA_E7T_wKJ8GKZ2C9gETxgia89urK2VU0p8qEhL0TVkpdkdJT7vHQYYW_OOZf-zL2P/s1600/img002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHtX7rmoUyergSK7ZoOkIy-RzLZ4Bw6UGNV5bvr1ApjZ1Ns3A-1PYBdlMm1SpHnyLKgjeIVrfODfA_E7T_wKJ8GKZ2C9gETxgia89urK2VU0p8qEhL0TVkpdkdJT7vHQYYW_OOZf-zL2P/s320/img002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Microbiologists use the S-curve graph in
plotting out bacteria cultures in petri dishes. Initially, in giving the
bacteria a food source, the population will increase, but once the population
begins overcrowding and the food source has dwindled, the population will peak
and then begin to decline. The dot represents the point of growth starting to
level out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This S-shaped curve is sometimes
referred to as the logistic curve, interestingly enough. The curve describes
disparate human phenomena such as fads, which initially increase then level off in decreasing over a short time span. That describes Trump’s popularity to a tee...it will level off
and fade just like any fad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are just too many flaws in the
Donald faddish inconsistencies that the leveling off will counter the increase
once folks become more fully aware of truly who he is. The decrease will kick
in once the entertainment’s newness wears off. For the S-curve’s conclusiveness,
reveals its consistency that over time, depletion will set in eroding the sense
of novelty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is a natural human condition to focus
on the unusual or new celebrity, but interests will wane just about as quickly
as they gained in proclivity inclination. Trump will become a sideshow.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KEISx0DfaN4QOsEzgWIMq67pWh82PhWKDJqrnTHfJsGpp8i8Iu4cwAPCE9tG2KwDC5zSDDvjbrHU3VmLuswGL123vRwN6_wommcbcWhD4goO0dSnQHz0JmDKe58S4eNovmZxrw6MbzNY/s1600/Trumpola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KEISx0DfaN4QOsEzgWIMq67pWh82PhWKDJqrnTHfJsGpp8i8Iu4cwAPCE9tG2KwDC5zSDDvjbrHU3VmLuswGL123vRwN6_wommcbcWhD4goO0dSnQHz0JmDKe58S4eNovmZxrw6MbzNY/s320/Trumpola.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Republicans are so bent on power that
Carly Fiorina will make a last ditch effort to accept Cruz’ picking of her for his
vice president, when Cruz wasn’t even the winning nominee. All this short lived
bravado, only having it fizzle out in their faces.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Chris Christie electing himself to
become Trump’s gopher boy in hopes of a future standing in power.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wqlrsuJPMq_vPUrVRp3Rkzxi7BKXX5qTdAZ7BLdPSpZfFJp3Q12zRyl0GgLzMD89ZMsFtMr552mO2YG4ChsBfDKdzV2DHO-9Il2jS-bbyRnaTF6xwX1PSzT8GJohT2sm-95JqzkQ3EFT/s1600/Trump-Ryan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wqlrsuJPMq_vPUrVRp3Rkzxi7BKXX5qTdAZ7BLdPSpZfFJp3Q12zRyl0GgLzMD89ZMsFtMr552mO2YG4ChsBfDKdzV2DHO-9Il2jS-bbyRnaTF6xwX1PSzT8GJohT2sm-95JqzkQ3EFT/s320/Trump-Ryan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rick Perry’s candidacy, in the
beginnings of the GOP presidential general election, to retain power, was the
only candidate that came out bashing Trump. As it turned out, Perry was the
first casualty, in being candidate number one to drop out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">During the primaries, Perry endorsed and
stumped for Cruz in hopes that Cruz would win the nomination and carry Perry to
some authority in power. It fizzled and didn’t happen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since then, he now insists that voters
vote for Trump and has thrown his hat in the ring as a hopeful vice presidential
pick by Trump. Trump will never consider him. Perry probably most likely knows
that, but again, to cling to power, he once again for the third time...makes a
fool of himself being on the losing end of the stick.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Exactly the stances the rightwing stands
for go totally against humanness. Virtual war, individual greed, rich tax
waivers, the refusal of immigrants/refugees, torture acceptance, religious intolerance,
subjugating female status, attacking the poor instead of poverty, anti-science,
anti-environment, anti-social/anti-veteran programs, employment deterrents and
gun violence diminishes a society’s humanity. Honestly, the right-wing element
needs to step out of society and go stake their claim on a remote mountaintop somewhere
and really try living their lives out of society and on their own. Play with
their own money all they want, but see how far it gets them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s not the poor who drag a society
down; it’s lack of opportunity for all. Currently, over 64% of the poor work,
while 35% of the poor are seniors, disabled or students. It is less than 1% of
America’s society that cheats on social programs. This data has been compiled
by the ‘Economic Policy Institute’ (EPI) through the paper, ‘Broad-Based Wage
Growth is a Key Tool in the Fight Against Poverty’.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLQLkl0C7RARMbEjxybCsTQfzJVKnV9IiP4k0Ww7eovu7CwbhvRC4PNBYzCkw9yU2AjTyl4PBfULg4lwqtWUyr9Y-bc_4-LUHfoigS8HL-uG0iGhq7X5H7Re3pQYnMGmrWOkzA0IkcDnF/s1600/1-american+GOP-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLQLkl0C7RARMbEjxybCsTQfzJVKnV9IiP4k0Ww7eovu7CwbhvRC4PNBYzCkw9yU2AjTyl4PBfULg4lwqtWUyr9Y-bc_4-LUHfoigS8HL-uG0iGhq7X5H7Re3pQYnMGmrWOkzA0IkcDnF/s320/1-american+GOP-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Truly, Republicans are the leeches of a
society in wanting all the conveniences offered for themselves only, but yet, keeping
and giving nothing back in return. In their thinking, it’s as if all societal
realms were conceived and produced by them and not from a governmental entity
or societal group effort.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Every time in voting, Republican
politicians push for deregulation, whether it be financial or corporate. The
very governmental regulations put in place to combat a Wall Street system that
created the ‘Great Recession’ to regulations guaranteeing industry is
responsible for their pollution clean-up, Republicans want struck down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Exclusivity is their ball of wadded and
knotted yarn. Inclusivity is their enemy, pertaining to whomever they deem
unlike or unlikeable. This mentality is all based on fear. The rightwing is simply
afraid. Republican politicians and rightwing entities, like the NRA play that
trump card incessantly, with a constant barrage of drumbeats in deceitful
portrayals of what the street Republican is going to lose. From proclaiming false religious freedom attacks through Obamacare’s taking away of healthcare
choices and a drag on the economy, to immigrants taking away jobs...the GOP
mythical beat goes on...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As politically
reporting goes on,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">05/26/2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-15730329354792129392016-04-29T22:23:00.000-04:002016-05-14T17:45:46.293-04:00PONTIFICATION<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">PONTIFICATION<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dogmatic:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Annoyingly pompous, lecture prone,
declaim, preach, ‘pastorize’ (my word play for pastor with a play on
pasteurize), sermonize, mouth-off, bloviate and lay down the law...do those
words and little catch phrases ring a bell or smell of something somewhat
wretched? Well, for what’s been going on in the GOP candidacy for president...all
these words and much more sum up the tactics being played out by GOP
candidates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Do ya not believe there could be more sour
noted words to express? Well how about—egomaniac, admonish, harangue,
evangelize, religious hypocrisy, soap opera, bully-off, fear monger, race bait,
pulpiteer, puppet/puppeteer, machismo, egotistic, misogynistic, illogical
rhetoric, scammer, hatred misplay, political thievery and downright deceit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To visualize the rampant Republican
pontification, just view the cartoon below.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_xx9G54UVjpeRR3I4dP_UzbBNQDw6Flw1oZn1y8_2Rfaz3JP8gYJDTXPn8_9NJzGxFwSR9NG58t_KnTIVtpTEd7da_MV7JDW5GMrkaTnvfY-wkCP4SmSvpca5USKKxQMP2tlqYy_qFyZ/s1600/1-american+GOP+Slogans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_xx9G54UVjpeRR3I4dP_UzbBNQDw6Flw1oZn1y8_2Rfaz3JP8gYJDTXPn8_9NJzGxFwSR9NG58t_KnTIVtpTEd7da_MV7JDW5GMrkaTnvfY-wkCP4SmSvpca5USKKxQMP2tlqYy_qFyZ/s320/1-american+GOP+Slogans.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Really, what does the size of a penis,
small hands, badmouthing each other’s wives and how GOP candidates slop eat
pancakes, steaks and spaghetti have to do with policy stances and leadership
direction? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">America WAKE-UP! Isn’t it about time we
figure this out? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For today’s Republican, GOD stands for <b>G</b>old, <b>O</b>il, <b>D</b>emagoguery. That’s
right, only for the power of money’s endowment and the fossil fuel industry,
Republican politicians demagogue to the majority public that they stand for the
average common everyday Republican and their fundamentalist lily white religion
when in reality are only servicing the 1% as benefactors of John and Jane Doe’s
duped vote.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s easy to fall into the trap and say
it doesn’t matter who wins, I’ll still live my life as I always have. In this
2016 election cycle that thought is beyond the border’s realm of false
incredulous gasps. What’s truly at stake
here is the full spectrum of religious beliefs, employment, income amounts,
pensions, America’s land/water/air/wildlife/climate, the nation’s strength in
diversity, local community governance, mortgages and specifically your own life’s
effects. All these will not only be a mantra, but reality by the 2016 November
election outcome. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To express the point, below is a video
spoof of Paul Ryan’s terms in running for an office:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-BK3Lro8Xd4" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The full Republican stranglehold on
average Americans is mathematically much like an inverted pyramid where the
very few rule as the base while the mass, being held by the tipped privilege
few is the larger upper portion of the unknowns. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This inverted pyramid analogy correlates
with Zipf’s law where the frequency of an entity in a given situation is
inversely proportional to a ranking order of that entity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The American linguist, George Kingsley
Zipf popularized the empirical law utilizing it in word ranking but it can be
useful in any form of statistical derivatives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The formula is: <i>f</i> = 1/[<i>r</i> x <i>log</i> (<i>E</i>)]
where <i>f</i> is frequency, <i>r</i> is rank order and the <i>logarithm</i> is of the number of <i>E</i>, which is any entity one chooses to empirically
study.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For instance, in dealing with unknown
masses, Americans, when it comes to geographical isolation are the masters and
could care less for other nations, whether it is due to simple ignorance or
straight forward intended bias. Maybe a few foreign leaders can be brought to
mind, but concerning a nation’s particular culture, forget about it. Us
Americans as a whole don’t care to go into depth, even though we are
ancestrally rooted in other nations for the most part. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A reflection of this is the U.S.
journalistic rule (because journalists want to write articles that will
maintain an interest in U.S. citizen reader or viewership) is that one American
equals five British, in which equals 50 Portuguese, in which equals 500
Bolivians, in which equals 5,000 Burundians. Get the picture?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So in comparison to today’s Republican,
empirically, they only want to be associated with internal entities they can
easily identify with. They tolerate likeness, such as European upper and middleclass
Englishmen, but not so much as with poorer Europeans like Portugal; even less
of non-European Hispanics as the case for Bolivia and at the bottom of the heap
is Burundi, a nation smack-dab in the middle of Africa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Try it and you’ll see this model fits
quite well in current day Republican politics, even in their fundamentalist
religion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nasty
Divisiveness:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As if external divisiveness weren’t
enough in pandering to only the rich and bigoted, Republicans are currently
looking inwards to create internal division within the ranks of their own party.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mainstream Republicans are so blind in
their biases and self-immolating squander that their presidential candidates
and convention officials are openly attempting to steal the GOP primary
nomination right under the Republican voters’ noses.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I abhor Trump on many fronts, but Ted Cruz
and John Kasich teeming up against him in the GOP only shows desperation on
their part. Doing anything to deny frontrunner Trump the nomination, is also an
affront to his voters. The Cruz/Kasich collusion is far too late, for their
campaigns have deteriorated in the waning remainder of states’ primaries. The
remaining GOP voting demographics favors Trump heavily in the Republican’s
warped sense of white socioeconomics.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzwNcnaSo1bGPmq6Y8iilMS2Wtd2Z4p2BaEgcMCKqTkOD3BCfoYux_LJ_YEpWZdzXR5jJjGXW8oEmE_IihtnPzi2GvSCjg2fhY-EGKn3JU1R1RIZhw5-Xz64H6AChdOJXGWZIXgxAuRTC/s1600/1-america+collusion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzwNcnaSo1bGPmq6Y8iilMS2Wtd2Z4p2BaEgcMCKqTkOD3BCfoYux_LJ_YEpWZdzXR5jJjGXW8oEmE_IihtnPzi2GvSCjg2fhY-EGKn3JU1R1RIZhw5-Xz64H6AChdOJXGWZIXgxAuRTC/s320/1-america+collusion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the Cruz/Kasich alliance, Cruz will
get Indiana without Kasich campaigning there and in return Kasich will receive
Oregon and New Mexico. How the state divvy-up was derived, who knows? Perhaps
Cruz feels Indiana to be more religiously conservative and surely is a must win
state for his current frantic political state. Kasich must feel Oregon to be
more RHINO. New Mexico was thrown in most likely to make delegate votes more
even to Indiana’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Kasich seemingly appeared he was backing
out sorta, when just hours after the alliance was revealed, he stated that he still
wanted his Indiana voters to vote for him. But he said a bit later that the duo
alliance against Trump was still on the grill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Kasich though, might want to stand guard
after Indiana. For with Cruz’ win at all costs mentality complex, it wouldn’t be
surprising at the least if Cruz reneges on his half of the bargain. His past
conniving tactics in the GOP primary have included social pressuring Iowa
voters through fraudulent mailers that falsely stated among other falsities, “<i>We intend to mail an updated chart. You and
your neighbors will all know who voted and who did not</i>.” The mailer
literally put the wrath of fear into Republican voters by accusing voters of
committing “<i>voter violations</i>” if they
do not vote. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If ya might recall, his campaign also
deceptively put out a statement that Ben Carson had suspended his campaign
hightailing it to Florida. As well, Cruz has secretly met with states’
delegates prior and post to an election. He has even bribed Rubio’s delegates. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Texas, there has been a federal
complaint filed with the Federal elections Commission (FEC) against Cruz
concerning multiple violations of campaign finance laws. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The audio below reveals how Cruz’ national
co-chair, Bob Vander Plaats broke federal campaign laws in soliciting donations
that exceed federal limits. At the Dallas fund raising event, donors are urged
to give money to a supposed unaffiliated Super PAC, known as ‘Stand for Truth’ which actually
does support Cruz. This would in effect make the donors exceed their donation
limits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N3dFpzANr5w" width="500"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz may have even broken a Texas law
with a mail order fraudulent sham. As reported by the ‘Houston Chronicle’: <i>The solicitation came in an envelope
featuring a return address in official government type and the words “check
enclosed.” The “check” was a fake check made out to Cruz’s campaign,
accompanied by a missive asking the recipient to send in a “matching donation.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz, to put it bluntly is certainly not
the second coming Messiah as his dad portrays him out to be, no, he’s merely a
simple scam artist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Never mind the Cruz vote rigging scams being conducted, Trump
may have more votes than Cruz and Kasich combined, but at the RNC convention, the
GOP bigwigs could be planning a coup in the form of a contested convention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nothing here shows that Cruz has
creditably, honestly and legitimately won. No, it’s as if it’s a corporate
takeover. The Republican voters’ choice has been excluded, if indeed the
contested convention commences. It’s all a con game as of sorts with backroom
betting bribery. That ‘Dump Trump’ phrase established Republicans, corporate
conservatives and the ‘#Never Trump’ GOP
movement are steamrolling on, might be a choice from bad to worse if verily it
is Cruz they are bending for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just ya never mind the vote rigging in
the Wisconsin GOP primary Trump has close the same amount of votes as Cruz and
Kasich combined, but at the RNC convention his most delegates count may be
contested.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3gshEbfRUf0C0gs7MStjOhfysFKkLoH-a82uE3qOLUgyFSkXEwIARYhW8Ar5cwKlbBFLbWsjUAjuSWjhiIkBnZyIgaSCb3AbS8Xus6gSKr1-gIMM-tnkHZ4AufMK6U6vQ-TacotKGneB/s1600/1-America+GOP+voting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3gshEbfRUf0C0gs7MStjOhfysFKkLoH-a82uE3qOLUgyFSkXEwIARYhW8Ar5cwKlbBFLbWsjUAjuSWjhiIkBnZyIgaSCb3AbS8Xus6gSKr1-gIMM-tnkHZ4AufMK6U6vQ-TacotKGneB/s320/1-America+GOP+voting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Due to unbound GOP delegates, they may
switch their allegiance away from their respective states primary results and
cast it to whomever the GOP really wants. Forget and to heck with the
Republican voter results.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Pennsylvania, only seventeen
Republican delegates out of seventy-one are bound. The fifty-four unbound
delegates could abandon their states majority of casted votes on a primary
winner and cast it elsewhere to whoever titillates, or wines and dines them
most. Ya know, like Cruz surely would do as he did in Colorado and Iowa
caucuses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Contemptible:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican politicians for the most part
do not want Trump leading their party into the general election. They see him
as contemptible in his egotistic personality flaws, his errant proclamations
and his loudly spoken prejudicial gaffs when it comes to race and religion.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1S4DimK18OKLw_b6H4bcGQxP2RJTAomsx-mQTETBY4CuOGKVW2I0llTOM5KTOXuxZ6jn_qRLIt7UUhORUVykzzRc6QFDnKvx4LdWjtySgaNl6mhzG9cQc-TeA97ThLjhVhPib5EGueSx/s1600/1-america+GOP+Tump+Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1S4DimK18OKLw_b6H4bcGQxP2RJTAomsx-mQTETBY4CuOGKVW2I0llTOM5KTOXuxZ6jn_qRLIt7UUhORUVykzzRc6QFDnKvx4LdWjtySgaNl6mhzG9cQc-TeA97ThLjhVhPib5EGueSx/s320/1-america+GOP+Tump+Card.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump though, is merely a mirror’s
reflection of the Republican Party. It makes the GOP feel exposed; ya know...a
too close for comfort type of analogy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Senators, Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John
McCain (R-AZ) have even spent taxpayer dollars conducting a hearing with
military brass to reveal the fallacies of Trump’s foreign affair policies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Former GOP presidential candidate and
Florida senator, Marco Rubio, along with other Republicans attacked Trump for
hiring Polish construction workers at minimum wage far below the construction
labor wage of $11.00/hr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz and Rubio, as with other
Republicans have attacked Trump over his attraction to nativism and the
building of a Mexican wall. Unfortunately the reason is not over ethics or the
humanities, but economics. Nonetheless they are attacking him on his strong
anti-stances over Hispanic and Middle Eastern immigration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The point is it’s not just the GOP
candidates contradicting each other’s denials; it is the whole of the
Republican Party. Trump is simply the mouthpiece stating out loud exactly what
the Republican Party stands for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where Trump is upfront and in your face
with it on the very same issues Republicans hold, the party has always kept it
under a dome of silence even though their actions are rife with exactly what
Trump says he would do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Take for instance, the foreign policy
stances of Trump. Let’ start with the wall construction between Mexico and the
U.S.s border. Do ya really think Trump was the originator of the wall idea? No,
it was the Republican Party who, while always harping to tear down the ‘Berlin
Wall’ were all behind the building of the Mexican Wall. Trump has simply put it
to the forefront and added a little spice to it in demanding Mexico pay for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, the wall was brought forward in
the Lindsey/McCain military hearing with military generals saying it was a bad
idea period by creating a bad policy with a neighbor and wouldn’t stem its
objective of immigrant flows into the U.S.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans also have blasted Trump for
holding a veterans charity and not giving all the donated money to veteran
affairs. The glowing hypocrisy in this is that sure, Republicans love dishing
out the dollars to our military, but when the soldiers come back home whether
still in one piece or maimed for life, can you recall one instance the GOP has
voted for a veteran’s benefits’ bill? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well, I can, but it is just one. It’s
the one Bernie Sanders (I/D-VT) brought forward two year ago. At first they voted
it down in the winter of 2014, but after the VA scandal broke out, they had no
choice but to vote for it when Bernie brought it back up to the senate floor
for a vote that following summer. It would have been callous political suicide
if they hadn’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the hearing the military officers
also specified that denying Muslims entrance into the U.S. (a Trump plan) would
have adverse effects in intelligence gathering and would serve as a terrorist
recruitment tool. But wasn’t it all these GOP governors that denied Syrian
immigrants into their states? Also, wasn’t it not even a handful of Republican
politicians that said it would be OK like Jeb bush, but only for Christian
refugees?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqoBe9IhKvfe7zlhbtjzNGxuKqY4fO4fkrOHo90nJATNdxWB-z9rKlUbhho0SCQSn0xDbtv1MPWDYGWR_dOV3T61UU5kDckYcq5x7wK2Nv8JXBsF12QFzrI7jF-Yyykq37F4qVRhcBjrS/s1600/1-America+Repub+greedy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqoBe9IhKvfe7zlhbtjzNGxuKqY4fO4fkrOHo90nJATNdxWB-z9rKlUbhho0SCQSn0xDbtv1MPWDYGWR_dOV3T61UU5kDckYcq5x7wK2Nv8JXBsF12QFzrI7jF-Yyykq37F4qVRhcBjrS/s1600/1-America+Repub+greedy.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Concerning the minimum wage; since most
Republicans don’t want Trump elected and complain out loud on his hiring
workers at minimum wage, can you tell me at least just once if Republican
politicians have ever voted ‘Yea’ on a minimum wage increase or equal pay for
women? No, you cannot because they have invariably voted against every minimum
wage increase or equal pay bill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The mythical reason in justification
they resort to every dad-gummed time as to why...wage increases result in job
losses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is a wealth of conservative
Republicans telling us this is so. Besides, every Republican politician, there
are a slew of conservative media smears over the ills of increasing the
minimum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just listen to Fox News’ Dan Springer’s
false claims that Seattle, Washington will face an onslaught of “<i>unintended consequences</i>” after the city
raised its minimum wage, or Stuart Varney promoting a debunked Seattle job loss
claim; even after it was proven false. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At no time can anyone show statistics
and data that this is the case after a minimum wage increase. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In fact, the state of Washington bumped
their minimum wage up to $9.47/hr. in 2015, the highest in the states. The
municipalities of Seattle and SeaTac are set to automatically rise to
$15.00/hr. this year due to its success. Currently, the private payroll firm,
‘Automatic Data Processing’ (ADP) gives the state of Washington the highest
score on wage and job growth over all other states during the fourth and last
quarter of 2015 in spite of all the Republican doomsayers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">While Republican congressmen run
straight to congressional floors to bring up legislation written by special
interests representing the wealthiest
among us to help them keep all their money in tax shelters and offshore
accounts, they’re also running to the floor to vote down any public welfare
programs. They do this with claims that the nation is broke. Is it really? Naw
and most certainly is the nation’s bank account not busted in aiding the
economically strapped. If we are so broke as a nation, why not then have those
recently revealed Panamanian Paper freeloaders start upping and paying their
debt to the nation they made all their income from?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7KnAmWCjD-2jMEFRQb5ThRRFJra8imvXVm-2WYlb-GFGRLdEPkQZlBuNHmsxlfyV6MYUZ0eqIN4-trLU3eMFtkrDBRwQrRjdrsZNnNXZ71ZS9KWw4btcxxjFm69qs3xgKeHjvoxb8Hlg/s1600/1-american+discretionary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7KnAmWCjD-2jMEFRQb5ThRRFJra8imvXVm-2WYlb-GFGRLdEPkQZlBuNHmsxlfyV6MYUZ0eqIN4-trLU3eMFtkrDBRwQrRjdrsZNnNXZ71ZS9KWw4btcxxjFm69qs3xgKeHjvoxb8Hlg/s320/1-american+discretionary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Let’s give a quick look at the above
pie-chart depicting 2015’s discretionary spending. The graph was put out by the
2014 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, ‘National Priorities Project’ that use
government statistics. From the federal government’s $1.11 trillion dollars in
discretionary spending allocation for last year, the graph breaks down where
all that $1.11 trillion went.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you add all the public assistance
programs together, it still doesn’t compare at what was allocated for military
defense spending. Food and agriculture, which includes SNAP assistance, were 1%
of total. Social Security, unemployment and labor were 3% of total. Energy and
environment were 4% of total. Housing and community were 6% of total. Veterans
Benefits was also 6% of total, along with education also at 6% of total. The
grand total of these six public departments is 26% as compared to the one
entity of military spending at a whopping 54%. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, if one prided him/herself at being
a model businessperson, where would you want to cut spending? How about
concentrating on the biggest slice of the pie covering over half of where your
profit margin leaked out. Also, where would you want to seek more income? How
about looking where the income is in the 5% richest populace’s foreign stash as
opposed to seeking it in the bottom half of the 95% where income isn’t. Make
sense?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Republican politicians that
continually attack food assistance for the poor, well that is only 1% of total
and even includes agricultural assistance, farm aid and food safety. So, I guess
that hungry family of four is really making this nation go broke in their take
of less than 1%. That equates out to roughly under $10 million. Not that much
now is it? Especially in considering it feeds a lot of little hungry children’s
mouths.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Beyond
Failure:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Duly please note, the Republican Party
is rifting, but no need to go celebrate as a strong redneck liberal like myself
would want to. The GOP will still remain a body and its main rift could even be
more extreme than it is currently under the shade of the Republican umbrella.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is one thing that liberals and the
right-wing have in common; they both have had enough of the Bush brand as Jeb
had to exit early. Due to a lack of Republican votes in the primaries, Jeb was
an instant failure for the mega donors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">GOP mega donors are upset on their lack
of investment return and have quit placing their money on Trump rivals even
though they despise the Donald. In most part thanks to the Citizen’s United
SCOTUS decision, ol’ Jeb had a pirate’s chest full of dark money, but it got
him nowhere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘Right to Rise’ super PAC gave over
$100 million to the Jeb cause and lost it all for its donors. Texas
multimillionaire businessman, Doug Deason proclaimed after Jeb’s poor performance
that, “<i>Somebody should be indicted over
Right to Rise’</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Deason’s family also plopped down and
handed over $5 million to support Rick Perry, but pretty much lost that
millions of dollar pile before walking out the door after the exchange. Perry
was the first to drop out of the presidential GOP race. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Minnesota’s billionaire, Stanley Hubbard
started out the gates early in his flaunt, wagering on Scott Walker. But Walker
was so dull, the Koch Brothers saw the imminent early forecast and pulled-up
anchor very early for the dismal Walker cause. Walker’s budget dried up in a
hurry and he went back home crying to momma that God wanted his leadership
elsewhere.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBP_DC7uyzcUe0KZofHcQPhP4eGtQhOKfSdNLDSG-LLwh0lpc4qfpO4rDirGkKJGdLR_W1OTqTp9qJDd88EYiPl4wuOJ9gfkgfzrlhvXsU3-yn3CUvJox6rnGY1XKfsvSIQB5AWLwUCHh/s1600/1-American+mega+donors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBP_DC7uyzcUe0KZofHcQPhP4eGtQhOKfSdNLDSG-LLwh0lpc4qfpO4rDirGkKJGdLR_W1OTqTp9qJDd88EYiPl4wuOJ9gfkgfzrlhvXsU3-yn3CUvJox6rnGY1XKfsvSIQB5AWLwUCHh/s320/1-American+mega+donors.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GOP Mega Donors & Teeny Donees</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since, Hubbard professes he isn’t doling
out any more money until maybe the general election, for in his words as
reported by ‘The Hill’, “<i>The problem is
that nobody prefers either of those two candidates</i> [referring to Trump and
Cruz] <i>and the third candidate </i>[Kasich]
<i>no one thinks he has a chance, so why
waste your money</i>?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In referring to capital punishment, the
guy who said in his stump speeches, “<i>A
life is a life, and if you criminally take an innocent life you’d better be
prepared to forfeit your own.</i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: white;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My only complaint is that lethal injection is too
comfortable a way to go</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">,” is the very same one who also said, “<i>I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and
shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters</i>.” That person is Donald Trump,
the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for president of the United States.
Like party like Trump; a direct irony in full scale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ever since Walker’s exit, the Koch
Brothers aren’t giving any free handouts either, no matter how much Cruz has
been nosing up to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, after being burned by donating their
money to the lost causes of Jeb, Rubio, Christie and the likes, before they get
too furious, GOP mega donors are keeping their money stashed away in their own
pockets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ending
of an Era’s Error:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mark Snyder, the Republican governor of
Michigan behaving guiltless while allowing his attorney general to lay blame
lower down the echelon onto government employees is appalling. Two state
employees and a local employee have been left holding the bag in the Flint tap
water crime that has placed many a child’s future in jeopardy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The problem for Snyder though, is that
when he institutes his Marshal Law into local communities, neighborhoods, towns
and cities in the guise of his emergency management team, local officials no
longer have authority once the emergency management takes over. Folks tend to
forget that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">All local officials must relinquish
their authority to the management team. If not, then state troopers are called
in to remove them. Snyder’s emergency management begins making the local
decisions and reports only to him; no one else. Not to local officials or other
entities involved such as state or technical governmental agencies. Lower
officials are taken out of the loop.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmMDlXdYVL3tapUWR7QtfXvxdMzZITve1NNDU5pXQ-QrWGvC_kCA9EKiaELUbonXbFbiMb1hT3qN0bVYyaESqiE9JIr1lMyIAAOg7leXHqSpB66rSY85uyQODVb-0MMOg4opagHXspuhB/s1600/%2521-American+Flint+Wtr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmMDlXdYVL3tapUWR7QtfXvxdMzZITve1NNDU5pXQ-QrWGvC_kCA9EKiaELUbonXbFbiMb1hT3qN0bVYyaESqiE9JIr1lMyIAAOg7leXHqSpB66rSY85uyQODVb-0MMOg4opagHXspuhB/s320/%2521-American+Flint+Wtr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This Flint tragedy occurred under
Snyder’s emergency management watch after it decided that Flint tap water
supplies should be transferred from the treating facilities of the ‘Detroit
Water and Sewage Department’ to then be pulled from the heavily polluted Flint
River. The Flint River’s corrosiveness is what leached all the lead from the
city of Flint’s outdated water piping. Emergency management in their haste to
save money had not even an afterthought in testing Flint River water qualities
first before initiating their action plans. Saving money was the only
goal. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lead poisoning today is highly
preventable if proper action and steps by authorities are taken. In the flint
case, there were none, until private citizens, doctors and scientists revealed
to the public what was occurring after the fact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This horror story in knowing that much
of the Flint children have been exposed to lead through ingesting and bathing
and the negative effects it will do to their little brains and nervous system
as they grow has not even begun to play out yet. Snyder won’t escape its wrath
no matter how much he shucks responsibility.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican leadership in shirking
responsibility is commonplace as is the case with Snyder and with Governor Pat
McCrory (R-NC). Even though it’s his signature on the transgender
discriminatory HB2 North Carolina bill, Republican governor, Pat McCrory is
laying all the blame squarely onto the city of Charlotte’s mayor, Jennifer
Roberts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since irrevocable heat has been
spreading throughout North Carolina in the loss of corporate income and the
cancellation of convention events and musical concerts due to McCrory signing
that Republican legislative bill into law, he has been avoiding the blame and
displacing it as the fault of others. McCrory claims that if only Mayor Roberts
had laid off in implementing a local LGBT anti-discriminatory ruling, he and
his Republican legislation wouldn’t have had to come up with their bathroom
bill. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The bill enforces by law that one has to
use the designated bathroom according to the gender that was placed on their
birth certificate. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONyN1KSZUIK57ER9sJzyxWhjbetfX00ygDTtRWDyctfd-hFxI4SvlwhR0t_RfysqGyDAChoB1cp_kyPgluesGZ43ErLrGRMPh1WYO-SNp6gCkXec3y62WkG_Ta4py5t7EhfDWkZfYCZlM/s1600/1-America-NC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONyN1KSZUIK57ER9sJzyxWhjbetfX00ygDTtRWDyctfd-hFxI4SvlwhR0t_RfysqGyDAChoB1cp_kyPgluesGZ43ErLrGRMPh1WYO-SNp6gCkXec3y62WkG_Ta4py5t7EhfDWkZfYCZlM/s320/1-America-NC.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In regards to the tweet above, one bearded
transgender from female to male sent a tweet to McCrory that pretty much sums
up the idiocy of it all. I mean, how is the law going to be enforced...maybe by
having an enforcer inside each bathroom huh, checking the genital areas to see
if everyone is legit or not in using what they deem is the proper pot to sit
on?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The only reasoning given for the law is
that it will protect children. Really? Is that the true crux of the matter
here? Then I suppose it is high time Republicans stop the hypocrisy and start
the reality. The number of our children (ages 1-17) in the states killed by gun
violence just in the beginning months of 2016 is 1,084. The number of our
children harmed by transgenders in our bathrooms...zero!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Not to be outdone, Mississippi’s
Republican governor, Phil Bryant and its Republican controlled legislation have
just passed this month an even more extreme LGBT discriminatory law. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The bill is HB 1523 and is based on the
Republican so-called ‘religious freedoms’ yell. Ya know, the ones that give
fundamentalist Christians full rights to do whatever they want by forcing their
bigoted beliefs onto all, while being discriminatory to any other religion. HB
1523 gives the right to anyone and that is whether that anyone be preacher,
doctor, a business or trash collector to discriminate based on religious
beliefs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now Mississippi claims this only applies
to discriminating against the LGBT community, but a landlord by the name of
Gene Baker just recently in Tupelo, Mississippi evicted an interracial couple
based on the new religious freedom law and that neighbors were complaining
about the interracial marriage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">She is mixed Hispanic and Native
American and he is an African American serving in the National Guard. Both
sound pretty much like America’s great diversity. The couple also has a child.
A video of the incident is below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/amWa4B0UlWc" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">LGBT discrimination is attacked in all
forms by Republicans from religious freedom excuses to denial of same sex
marriage. As always attached with justifications, it is simply a matter of
catering to their bigotry and concealing it through other excuses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is the Republican way. All the voter
ID laws passed in red states, is to deny voter groups the GOP deems lean
liberal. Even though the real reason is out there due to common sense and a few
internal leaks, the GOP still insists on the old worn out argument that voter
ID laws are to combat nonexistent voter fraud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From House Leader Mike Turzai (R-PA)
after both Republican controlled state Houses passed voter ID professing, “<i>Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor
Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania...done,</i>” to, Georgia’s Fulton
County’s admission in disenfranchising black voters under Voter ID
gerrymandering laws and Florida Republicans in a private meeting discussing
ways to rig elections, still use that excuse even though guilt signs are written
all over it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In addition to the voter suppression
laws, Republican controlled states like Wisconsin and Alabama have closed
voting registration and identification services, but only in more progressive
districts. In Wisconsin as stated, have
shut down the DMVs where one can register in progressive districts, but then
actually moved them to Republican leaning districts adding to the facilities already
there for a more voter friendly convenience. They’ve shut down early voting or
weekend voting and have shortened the voting hours in democrat leaning
districts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Besides, of the few and minor voter
fraud incidents that occurred in the last two presidential elections, guess who
committed them...that’s right Republicans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the 2008 elections, then (R-NH)
Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley’s son voted twice; once in Colorado then in
New Hampshire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the 2012 elections, Republican
representative, Stephan Smith of Massachusetts pleaded guilty to voter fraud in
a Boston federal court.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once it was publicly exposed, the
‘Republican National Committee’ (RNC) dropped longtime GOP consultant, Nathan
Sproul’s ‘Allied Consulting’ firm for conducting voter fraud for the Republican
Party in multiple Florida counties.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just this past week, John Kasich when
pressed by the Washington Post editorial board on why Republicans refuse to
give Washington D.C. statehood status, Kasich replied after hem-hawing, “Well
look, I am not – I don’t – I am not, because you know what, what it really gets
down to if you want to be honest is because they know that’s just more votes in
the Democratic Party. That’s what!”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcoVA4bxi80YOZi_9HOjU5TTWmgipuSAd_sfpm97kIcNu8bpd7yY4XC17917RcIY413vPJQQaIVAACTpB_NPL0dT4v0GButD3VNuu_63UAisliRJIh66IRJF9uIF_py3AJnd-4q6wt_py/s1600/1-American+GOP+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcoVA4bxi80YOZi_9HOjU5TTWmgipuSAd_sfpm97kIcNu8bpd7yY4XC17917RcIY413vPJQQaIVAACTpB_NPL0dT4v0GButD3VNuu_63UAisliRJIh66IRJF9uIF_py3AJnd-4q6wt_py/s320/1-American+GOP+3.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Look at all the red states with
Republican controlled legislation passing primitive laws to discriminate in one
form or another. Kansas is becoming a ghost town of sorts in going bankrupt by
patronizing the rich tax shelters while shifting most of the tax burden onto
average folks, defunding education and eliminating public programs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Benghazi hearings have been exposed
by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in what most knew all along as bogus. It was
simply to further plant seeds of distrust and doubt about Hilary in the
public’s eye and to boot, it was a good campaign fund raiser. It never materialized
any pertinent scandal or wrong doing except for the cost amount of taxpayer
dollars spent in holding the wasted hearings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As of late it’s the senate Republican
SCOTUS nominee refusal. Most of the Republican senate is taking Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell’s lead. In refusing to give Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland a
hearing much less an up or down vote. Why they’ve even elected not to
individually meet with him.The excuse...with the upcoming election, the people
should decide with their choice of the next president. As all decent folk have
pointed out that excuse is lame, for the people have already made their choice
in reelecting our current president. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This ruse is only going to bite them,
for most likely they are not going to appreciate much the next president
whether it be Democrat or Republican and their SCOTUS nominee. Republicans are
only doing this to deny Obama his rightful job as president as they have before
he was even inaugurated. It’s been no-no-no to anything Obama, even towards
pertinent issues affecting the nation. From the stimulus, through putting
immigration reform on the backburner and shutting down the government and to a
SCOTUS nomination, Republicans have only resisted Obama making congressional policy
issues and warranted legislation nonexistent. Truthfully in transportation, foreign
policy, domestic issues, veteran benefits...can you name one bill that
Republicans have passed for the welfare of the nation?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In healthcare, although they continually
bash Obamacare, Republicans have as yet to come up with anything equal to its
positive impact on the citizenry and nation. As Cruz does, they still promote
it as a job killer even though America is going on its record setting of eighty
months straight in job growth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Might you recall when former Speaker of
the House, Dennis Hastert (R-IL) in 2003 said, “</span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">it is equally important to stop
those predators before they strike, to put repeat child molesters into jail for
the rest of their lives”... Guess what, Hastert has just been convicted and
sentenced to prison for multiple child molestation abuses. Not for life as he
specified, but for one year and two months.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">To add to this, former speaker of the
house himself, Tom Delay (R-TX) along with forty other republicans wrote to the
judge overseeing Hastert’s case stating that Hastert gets his “integrity and
values from God.” I reckon that typifies: So much for the Republican’s God on the
GOP logo of family values, huh?</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">There’s still a spat
more to this Republican family values tale. Tennessee lawmaker Jerry Durham, is
currently a co-sponsor of a bill to strip transgenders from bathroom use due to
the ‘oh so dear GOP concerns’ of women being molested. Well now, he is being
investigated for that very exact reason. Durham has just been banned from all
offices in the ‘War Memorial Building” due to the fact it has been proven that
he is a danger to “unsuspecting women” and is now listed as a sexual predator.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCdaDtxe9PnQQbeam2wokfI938X6Ck8uIM4mZfuq6mxwKQNeRDu80g8j9hR-4Up5m6vw4-ZV3zvc94iCFYw5VgtQk10OCpExnM767LmPaoNuHlYS7nGgQmaqDAW1Z7sYv9PCpD4BUBQEg/s1600/1-+america+GOP+creep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCdaDtxe9PnQQbeam2wokfI938X6Ck8uIM4mZfuq6mxwKQNeRDu80g8j9hR-4Up5m6vw4-ZV3zvc94iCFYw5VgtQk10OCpExnM767LmPaoNuHlYS7nGgQmaqDAW1Z7sYv9PCpD4BUBQEg/s320/1-+america+GOP+creep.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creep TN Rep Jerry Durham</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Kentucky’s new Republican governor,
Stevie Beshar threatened Democrat state legislatures to either switch parties
or he would cancel all road improvements in their districts. This form of political
blackmail could be grounds for a federal investigation.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In Florida, the state’s Skeletar of a
governor in Rick Scott, just vetoed a bill that was passed unanimously in one
state house to provide some form of healthcare for the rural poor. His only
excuse for vetoing bill HB 139 he claims, “helping poor and rural Floridians
was unnecessary and wasteful because they already have great dental care from
Medicaid. The only problem with that dumb statement is he knows that earlier the
Florida GOP rejected Medicaid due to the fact he was a contributor to the
rejection. It cut off 800,000 Floridians from any healthcare services.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You might believe in the Republican
utopia, but at the same time do ya like being in the great outdoors? Well, ya
might then want to think twice in voting for the red R because of a Koch money
induced push. With that incentive, twenty Republicans from the senate and rep
houses are caucusing to block any more land to be turned into a monument or
national park and to push for the privatization of existing parks where private
individuals may run their 4x4s over them and corporate can raid resources
through mining, extraction, agriculture and ranching. Private signs of ‘no
trespassing’ would then be stapled on land that was once public national parks.
Something the Bundy’s might appreciate but certainly not the public at large.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lJ_JqscK5qIDLcPVpd9ydnbZhgWjh3ZzKsh3eG9K4D2x-M8ntsyzWjppV9Cuk4yN3lkR-cA-mS90QXthEdHnQXbsXP7Azf1daaZse6TohUN-UfyS13YsMO8mSj9tX0x6vbbawnCCyeVe/s1600/1-+America+Republicanism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lJ_JqscK5qIDLcPVpd9ydnbZhgWjh3ZzKsh3eG9K4D2x-M8ntsyzWjppV9Cuk4yN3lkR-cA-mS90QXthEdHnQXbsXP7Azf1daaZse6TohUN-UfyS13YsMO8mSj9tX0x6vbbawnCCyeVe/s320/1-+America+Republicanism.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The political right behaves much like
ISIL, ISIS, IS, Daesh, or whatever name ya want to call them. In proclaiming
all American Muslims who are patriotic, ISIL says that they are enemies, but so
too does the rightwing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">American Muslims, Iman Webb and Mohamed
Elibiary have been verbally attacked by ISIL in claiming they are apostates as
infidels to their religion. ISIL also does not like Webb’s public praising of
President Obama and attacks Elibiary for working at the ‘U.S. Homeland
Security’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wow, praising Obama and working for
Homeland Security is right up the right-wing’s hate speech topics and sure
enough...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Both ‘Fox News’ and ‘Breitbart.com’ have
attacked Webb in falsely accusing him of being radicalized against America’s
religion and has links to terrorism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Both Cruz and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
have attacked Elibary by waging a jihad in accusing him of being an infiltrator
in Obama’s administration as a member of the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) has been targeted
for death by ISIL. Not quite yet any death threats by the right, but they have
slung a few double fisted hatred slurs his way. Former Rep. Michelle Bachmann
claimed Ellison was part of the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’. Glenn Beck as sanctimonious,
questioned Ellison, who is far more sacrosanct by demanding, “<i>Sir, prove to me that you are not working
with our enemies</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In my final comment: beyond surreal,
Cruz in nominating Carly Fiorina as his vice president after losing to Trump
and Kasich badly in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania
and Rhode Island that voted in this week’s Super Tuesday is downright creepy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz is carrying on in Indiana as if he
is on the road to victory. What does he think he knows that the rest of us
don’t? Well, the nonexistent Cruz/Fiorina president/vice president ticket may
be a typical Republican mythical ploy reacting out of despair, or merely
child’s play, but whatever it is...it molds and enhances the image of a
self-aggrandizing pair of sniffling, trifling snobs proportionately to a tee. It’s
embarrassing to the nation. Oh, to win at all costs I reckon it...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How can anyone call all this
Republicanism a democratic form of government?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Exposing the
Louse<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">04/28/2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-81089081587003698692016-03-31T16:54:00.003-04:002016-04-13T17:41:07.556-04:00Harvesting a Loss in Eulogy<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Harvesting a Loss in Eulogy</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Storied:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My baby brother passed away this past
Thursday in Grapevine Texas at 8:36 in the AM. David was 59. I</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">ve begun
writing this today exactly to the day and minute in the week</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">s time lapse of his passing. Hepatocellular
carcinoma (liver cancer) took him although it should never had advanced to
stage IV as David once had hepatitis C. Through interferon treatment he was
cured, but Hep C survivors should have three month checkups then go to six
month checkups if all is going well after a year’s time. The reason being is
that hepatitis C survivors run a good risk of developing liver cancer. David’s
doctor, Dr. Theodore Nophsker, his supposed health care provider never ordered
an annual liver checkup much less a three month evaluation. Liver cancers are
slow growth tumors and this one had three and a half years to reach its deadly
zenith in being inoperable. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmIPslnNGTcLJ-n1LVMfU7tKjgtEUcU5yFh0AcnbwlzWRbhOjSt3YxgDNZOb0ncLns7L4JfXJm2eH2dSZeAojhflB69-ybijXraKoFBl-qJfP_iJqkR6D16PZYBIWG4-bXrT5ShRpDCz_6/s1600/david.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmIPslnNGTcLJ-n1LVMfU7tKjgtEUcU5yFh0AcnbwlzWRbhOjSt3YxgDNZOb0ncLns7L4JfXJm2eH2dSZeAojhflB69-ybijXraKoFBl-qJfP_iJqkR6D16PZYBIWG4-bXrT5ShRpDCz_6/s320/david.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother Dave and I</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although in only wanting to remember the
times in his life, I was there through it all in his last remaining days because
he so wished it. The last twelve hours were grueling, but the last six minutes
were pure torture. To helplessly sit and stand there by the bedside as...the
one you grew up with, shared deep thoughts with...his life ebbs away is closing
in on the specifics of catastrophic. It is so final, an ending witnessed to all
that was once before. The hearing of his voice and laughter, that tranquil
feeling in being in his company no more...gone...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This episode all started when my brother
Dave was visiting me up here in N.W. Pennsylvania. The night before he was to
go back to Texas, he had the initial painful chest attack that became the
beginning of the end while we were watching my daughter Claire’s gym practice.
He had previously had a heart attack and this is what it initially appeared to be.
Rushing him to the hospital and once stabilized, the medical personnel ran a
CAT scan. The results were puzzling as they informed us whatever was causing
the blockage must have exited fairly quickly as no real damage could be
detected in the vicinity where he was complaining of the pain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After further evaluation of the chest
scan, they noticed the large mass in his liver. They theorized the mass began
applying pressure to his diaphragm. This caused the heart to convulse. The
stints put in from his former heart attack are rigid and when the heart
convulsed, the stints rubbed up to and irritated the softer heart tissue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It first appeared that this was a
blessing in disguise, no real heart attack and a chance to reveal the cancer
and commence treatment. But due to the tumor’s massive size and its metastasizing
to his lungs and throat beside his larynx, as it turns out, it was only a
harbinger of a few weeks left. That is another thing David’s doctor ignored or
overlooked.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">When he was visiting me and the family last spring, he had a
peculiar cough. I asked him what it is and how long he’d been doing this. He
felt it was a cold that he’s had for a couple of months. I told him colds don’t
last two months, why don’t you go see my doctor up here. He preferred to go
back to his and check it out. Once he left for Texas, he did make an
appointment. Doctor Nophsker told him to open his mouth where he stuck a tongue
depressor inside, gave a quick look then wrote up an antibiotic prescription.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">David said during phone conversations
that the antibiotic kind of walloped him, but didn’t do anything for the cough.
No wonder, he had a condition, not an infection. If the good doctor had really
observed his throat he would have seen there was no bacterial infective
redness, but a small lump in his throat. If that was detected back then, the
disease could have undergone earlier treatment by almost a year’s time and
perhaps have saved David’s life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In getting back, once David was stable
enough to leave Pennsylvania, we rebooked him for a flight back to Texas where
he was to begin treatment. Back in Texas he forced an open appointment with his
doctor as his office had not reserved one, even though we had been in contact
with them while he was still up here to get an immediate appointment for him
once he arrived in Texas. Supposedly that was arranged on their end and
verified by my phoning them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">While there, the good doctor reviewed
the records and CD scan taken in Pennsylvania, then pronounced to David, you
have three-six months and I hope you don’t have Obamacare because it won’t be
accepted down here in Texas. This upset David and rightly so; what business is
it of his what insurance David had, but to throw that into the mix after just
telling David his end is near, in my opinion is asinine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Further after David inquired, the good
doctor told my brother that health care is a privilege and not a right. If that
is your opinion, fair enough no matter how crass it may be, but if that is your
opinion, in my opinion you have no business being in the health care profession.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With the quick appointment wrapped up,
Doctor Nophsker walks him to the receptionist desk to fill out the paperwork
and as he’s leaving to go back to the patient receiving rooms, he turns around
telling his office girl to, “Oh yeah, why don’t you write down an appointment
for David in six months this June;” this, after he had just issued a three-six
month death sentence. One day, I will visit the good doctor’s office and will
find out if he was giving David some hope or was merely being sarcastic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It took a week before David could see an
oncologist then another two and half weeks before treatment could commence.
Meanwhile, his health is deteriorating daily. On a Wednesday his treatment was
supposed to start, but that Monday before, he became jaundiced indicating liver
failure. His daughter, Jennifer was there as his caretaker, flying in from
California. She phoned me in asking what to do, so I stated, get him to the
hospital since his oncologist was on vacation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From there, I arrive in Texas early that
Wednesday morning. Immediately speaking with the doctors, it appeared that they
weren’t doing ‘this’ because an ‘aforementioned’ came up first and couldn’t do ‘that’
until ‘these’ go away. Meanwhile, David’s kidneys are at two-thirds failure as
overloaded in attempting to perform what they can’t and what the liver has failed
to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To me, in my interpretation, it was as
if they were justifying a chain reaction of events to not treat. It was
specifically explained as nobly as I could that we are not simply going to roll
over and allow David to die without first putting up a good fight. We are going
to do our darnedest in reversing the chain reaction, so told them to give me
options and elaborate on them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The attending gastro-intestinal (GI) doctor
stated that the main bile duct that empties into his small intestine is totally
obstructed and blocked by the tumor. They cannot blindly try to unblock it by
stinting it. I inquire about the minor bile ducts within the liver and the
doctors say yes they are visible and dilated, but they felt these tributary
ducts would not aid the liver if they were stinted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I replied, “Look, I understand an
endpoint, but not until we’ve exhausted all avenues, this is a shot no matter
what low percentage you give it in being successful.” Finally, with my brother
Mike seeing my side and aiding me in the discussion, the GI concluded he would
talk to the surgeon to set up a surgery for tomorrow morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That morning as Jennifer and I
accompanied David into the surgery room, the surgeon said, “This most likely
won’t work, but I’ll do my best.” I quickly replied, “Good! Your best is the
best and I thank you for it.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The surgeon performed the surgery and attached
a drain bag to collect the bile from the liver. The next day, David’s kidney
count had dropped from 2.72 to 1.04 nearly there to normal functioning within
the range from 0.01-1.00. His liver bilirubin count had dropped from near 20 to
9.98. Another GI doctor came in and stated that if it continues, it should
reach 5.0 or less in four-six days, then we can start treatment. It was
fantastic news, but wasn’t to last.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">David had an episode that Saturday night
hallucinating on the morphine. With his open palm he hit Jennifer on her right
temple then literally tore his IV line in half and ran into the hallway trying
to leave the hospital by entering other occupied rooms. Jennifer phoned me and
by the time I got there, he had already been secured and calmed with sedatives.
That morning his bilirubin count instead of going down went up to 12 something.
However, his kidney count had still dropped further to 0.94 which is now in normal
functioning range. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I said, before we do anything let’s see
if the bilirubin count was a fluke. Perhaps with the adrenalin his body had also pumped
more bilirubin into his bloodstream. Before David’s hallucinating episode, his
bile bag had to be drained once every six hours. Now it was filling up every
hour. I was hoping it had opened up another stagnant area and was draining more
efficiently, but that was not the case. The next count had climbed to over 15
then over 17. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">David’s wish was to stop treatment and
allow the disease to take its course. I was wrong and the physicians were
right, but even in realizing the endpoint had been reached, I surely knew we
had done the right thing in fighting. It wasn’t that I was pushy; I was simply aiding
his body which was doing all the pushing and fighting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">His body had fought hard and won in
battling hepatitis C and interferon treatment that has its own side effects on
the liver. His body fought hard and came back strong from a previous stroke and
a ‘widow maker’ heart attack. It wasn’t giving up any inch either on this
cancer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">David has always had a low tolerance to
pain. It didn’t matter if it was a pinch on the arm, <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">stumped toe</span> or a tumor in his
liver, he dramatized the pain. Bless him though, for out of us four siblings,
he was always the prime target prone to injuries. For sure he was in pain with
this affliction, but he did dramatize. He would say, “Oh Lord take me,” then I
would interject his pain level scenario and he would change from a forlorn defeated
face and whispering voice to chewing me out. I adored that, for it signaled to
me he still had fight in him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once after accepting there was nothing
else that could be done I had to tell our mother. She had intentionally not
been going to the hospital, because for her as out of sight everything would
turn out OK. I understood this well, for no matter how old a child is, a mother
does not want to see her child die. Going back home and telling mom was very,
very difficult in explaining that David’s status was now changed from healthcare
to imminent care; in other words taking him off any life support, only now to
simply make him comfortable for the ultimate end. Explaining this to mom, it
finally hit her and hit her hard. She agreed to go up and see him.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Arriving
in his room, I led her to sit next to him where he was already unconscious due
to sedation. As we were all there, she put her arm up around him then gently
hugged his head saying, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">David, David, my son.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> The scene was surreal and emotionally
draining, but also uplifting in seeing
mom display her love and affection for her son. It was also good for her in an accepting
value. She released her emotions for her baby son instead of having them remain
pent up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am forever glad though she did not
witness the end. In his last minutes after his kidney’s had failed, then his liver
and then his lungs, his heart resisted making his shoulders lunge upwards and
his lungs gasp. Then slowly within the next five minutes his heart beat no more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Holding, watching your loved one pass is
ever so hard. Feeling his warmth turn to cold, feeling his body go from
flexible to rigid was an enduring saga. Then to see his daughter Jennifer, who
had to witness her mother passing almost ten years to the date of liver failure
as almost the same fate as her fathers was wrenching. She hugged him sobbing
uncontrollably repeating, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">my daddy, my daddy, oh daddeeey.<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At that moment David was here no more...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Epilogue:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I have protected my brothers from
bullies all their lives. If anyone was going to pick on them it was only going
to be me. But this bully I could not touch and much worse could only watch as
it did its bullying damage. My only conciliation is that while my brother is in
final peace somewhere else that tumor is now dead and nowhere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgy4Lzx4bDcmr0zKzNy4Yqyj4C_uMdCy8fiZzUGwYoJDOWdlZa3UMj-BulGC8CQ_0r1IXN2jDHI4SaeJLU3RKXo47BibFjRjQLu_IrGacvoLVbEYR2fpSk8nbMuhRavJDFZgD0HqmCSTJ/s1600/david5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgy4Lzx4bDcmr0zKzNy4Yqyj4C_uMdCy8fiZzUGwYoJDOWdlZa3UMj-BulGC8CQ_0r1IXN2jDHI4SaeJLU3RKXo47BibFjRjQLu_IrGacvoLVbEYR2fpSk8nbMuhRavJDFZgD0HqmCSTJ/s320/david5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Brother Dave advancing his politics</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I have learned from this that the
hardest two breaths we take in life is the first one when we are born that gives
us life and the last one taken when we die that takes </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">away </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Death is as much a part of life as birth
is, but in comprehending that, it still doesn’t alleviate any pain from its
finality. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Grievance has no time frame.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is nothing no one can say that can
ease the current pain. The only true deed a friend can offer is in simply
letting you know they are there whenever you call them to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From some relatives, some of the medical
staff and even David, I was told to let him have his wish to die and eliminate
the suffering. I was even told I made him suffer an extra few days due to the
surgery decision. But I am proud of my decision, for I was not going to let my
brother go down without <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">throwing a few fighting punches back</span>. We all experience the same emotional pain
during a death, but we express it in our own individual terms. I expressed mine, they expressed theirs, but we all did so in sympathy for my brother’s passing.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At one moment when I was alone with
David and his comfort level was at a higher point, he mustered some strength,
then sat square up in his bed and told me he wanted to live ending with a little
smile. No matter what he was saying in his painful hours, I did my best to
honor that moment of what he told me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Many times a chaplain would come into
the room and along with him, family members would pray and say he is going to a
better place in heaven. I am the heathen of the family and would think that’s
fine, but I don’t want him to be stuck in heaven; I’m greedy, for I want him to
check out of heaven and come visit me every once in a while.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Without any measure of doubt, David, out
of the four siblings gave my parents the most trouble. But it was him that was
most impacted from our father’s death. David possessed a very kindhearted soul.
Thrifty in all aspects when it came to spending on himself, he’d give his last
dime to anyone he felt so in need of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I terribly miss my brother Dave. He not
only was my brother he was the only true ally I had in battling life’s punches.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I hear his voice and deep laugh as plain
as day, but only from within and never again from outwards. I love you David...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Four Seasons:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I place David upon a higher pedestal rather
than mixing him up with manmade gods that are no older than six thousand years.
Of time immemorial, I place him with that very element that causes an atom to
vibrate and issue warmth. I put him squarely within this universe intermingled
with the exploding nova, galaxy formation and the force that keeps the universe
forever expanding. I place him as fixtured permanence to this universe’s energy and
relish in the memories I have of him when this universal energy transformed a
minute part of itself into David’s life force.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">No one can say where he is now, for no
one has truly come back from the dead to express what it is after an earthly
death. Some might quip, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">but oh yes they have,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> but no they haven’t. For if you
are truly dead, you are not coming back. Experiencing a few moments’ worth of a
coma state is not being dead once you regain consciousness </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">no matter where the brain’s misfiring neurons
took you</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. My brother could
just be nonexistent as one whole to being in a state far grander to any one
god’s mythic heavenliness.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">David wanted to come visit me during the
four seasons we have up here in Pennsylvania. Of this last trip, he completed that
wish in making it here this winter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArCAuUa53TaQ2x6oWYB14WcffSXaILSlNxgQQp9aYkwS5f-wwq_BNYR5xKkKBQap074voNDOroi1q0OpsAJja3NzXPis5xSsFBwwwIVr1CASNSnsmBae0ZfwufTUPm0NpaZUtpyDvGD8g/s1600/david4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArCAuUa53TaQ2x6oWYB14WcffSXaILSlNxgQQp9aYkwS5f-wwq_BNYR5xKkKBQap074voNDOroi1q0OpsAJja3NzXPis5xSsFBwwwIVr1CASNSnsmBae0ZfwufTUPm0NpaZUtpyDvGD8g/s320/david4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun setting moment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just before he became unconscious and
although he couldn’t really talk, I hurriedly wrote down a quick note and held
it for him to read. I titled it ‘The Four Seasons/Brother to Brother’ It was
short and addressed in large lettering. He read it, tearing in between then
stating “I miss them, I miss them” in reference to my two daughters, Claire and
Paige. They had an especially fond bond for one another based all on having fun
in life. He wanted so much to see them one more time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Debating on whether to publish it here,
I decided the note to remain as shared by only the two brothers. Therefore, it
stays with me and of course with David.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8HXthiI0248fG66gN81-v_JocTnFmx-AZyj8mwyq9psvifUjG9t2cEvLUuDCJ0uAKuOApWyBNkqs6cB-bq8cXuzeJtsPF2hxo-75dut4Sw6JmNBZQVDLKJXLLfHCGmkFWUBJ1D3YTBz8J/s1600/david9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8HXthiI0248fG66gN81-v_JocTnFmx-AZyj8mwyq9psvifUjG9t2cEvLUuDCJ0uAKuOApWyBNkqs6cB-bq8cXuzeJtsPF2hxo-75dut4Sw6JmNBZQVDLKJXLLfHCGmkFWUBJ1D3YTBz8J/s320/david9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paige, Claire and Uncle David </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">David, as a son, brother, father, uncle,
nephew, cousin and esteemed friend, you left us in sorrow, but more so forever
richer in being attached to us all impacting our lives immensely for the better.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Memories all the way back from day one
continually flood into constant thoughts of you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">What I would give just to share one more day...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUg26z56korIPY9d2GmibtCf3Ss3KjFF6B-gmydOBom8cKgQDMtFV12TyXbSRUiWtNPfGkuD2u3ZuvTwCdwcFHkQD5VfoCbeXCigoR1n3JvIDBTo-vaWZo07M7Wv0xi4bWAE7LURXfLoQ/s1600/david2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUg26z56korIPY9d2GmibtCf3Ss3KjFF6B-gmydOBom8cKgQDMtFV12TyXbSRUiWtNPfGkuD2u3ZuvTwCdwcFHkQD5VfoCbeXCigoR1n3JvIDBTo-vaWZo07M7Wv0xi4bWAE7LURXfLoQ/s320/david2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During the biopsy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Deep Remorse,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">03/31/2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-10027743960125272162016-02-26T22:27:00.000-05:002016-04-08T12:54:55.406-04:00Et Tunc Nulla Erat V<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "algerian"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Et tunc nulla erat V<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">(And Then There Was)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">REPTILIA:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Et
Tunc Nulla Erat IV</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
led us through the history of amphibian evolution from very early
labyrinthodonts up to the modern or extant lissamphibians. In the attempt to
continue on in the saga of life’s further evolution, we’re going to now
introduce the reptile line that arose from diapsids slugging through extinct,
lizards turtles, amphisbaenians and marine reptiles the euryapsids, while ending
with some extant groups; but first, a better introduction to cladograms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cladogram is from Greek with <i>clados</i> meaning ‘branch’ and <i>gramma</i> emphasizing ‘character’. We will
be using the cladistic diagrams more with reptiles in tracing ancestral lines
instead of graphs of family trees. Cladograms do not show direct ancestral
relationships to species descendants, nor do they display evolved changes as
evolutionary trees do, but a cladogram does point to common ancestors of a
group. Cladograms can also utilize relations morphologically (et al: invertebrate/vertebrate,
prokaryote/eukaryote, skull types: synapsid/diapsid) or as a molecular unit in
DNA sequencing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LK-6MoFqHxV9e8oUS1XgUHSNiuW8Jdf6KA04hMxmpaH3Xa-WpYksucks8vs4PlQna-QwKy48MA6mSSdgpCuYGK-J5u7P-jKkDrz40_nyumOwSq4eEzMnT1K4dLbnaAHhoQSapKGwqTef/s1600/1-Cladogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LK-6MoFqHxV9e8oUS1XgUHSNiuW8Jdf6KA04hMxmpaH3Xa-WpYksucks8vs4PlQna-QwKy48MA6mSSdgpCuYGK-J5u7P-jKkDrz40_nyumOwSq4eEzMnT1K4dLbnaAHhoQSapKGwqTef/s320/1-Cladogram.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As an aid in understanding cladograms,
the first graph shows that it is the baseline as always being the ancestral
original root with speciation commencing from there. The second graph depicts
two simple forms of cladograms with speciation always arising from the base
stem. The third and fourth cladogram graph gives more detail in showing the
ancestry base’s descendants and in what order was the earliest to the latest by
numbering or naming the lines normally from oldest to younger as from left to
right or from top to bottom.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoRohofplXeY4DF7kWv7d9fAmB9hvmmWqy9ZLoWcWWG0esQ9SYKO1WlCO2_WSMKJAAiAlk-iVxRiAqY07iXZZn5SqgU5E_qIkBct3JHwYEKgoVP0pWPz-0B0GGorASjUQNX3UZOiZTFsD/s1600/1-Cladogram+understanding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoRohofplXeY4DF7kWv7d9fAmB9hvmmWqy9ZLoWcWWG0esQ9SYKO1WlCO2_WSMKJAAiAlk-iVxRiAqY07iXZZn5SqgU5E_qIkBct3JHwYEKgoVP0pWPz-0B0GGorASjUQNX3UZOiZTFsD/s320/1-Cladogram+understanding.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Simply put, cladograms are straight
lines with a main common ancestral line amidst other lines branching off from
it in representing different clades of the common ancestral main line. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Towards the end of the Carboniferous and
into the early Permian, atmospheric oxygen levels peaked at ~32% while
displacing higher oxygen levels into the oceans serving as sinks. This high
level created some of the largest insects with <i>Meganeura</i>, a dragonfly reaching lengths of 66cm/26in. That’s the
size of some sea gulls. The millipede, <i>Arthropleura
armata</i> reached lengths of up to 2.3m/8.5ft. Surviving into the middle of
the Permian, this arthropod was the largest invertebrate to ever walk Earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyRXEWTbU2GTLBLzKiBX9eqb2BHzN5KNli6FBo-FwLjTbzeAOzDgrV6WDZoDmPVSFkhMvngmIOT-W2373bYprmhfWPHr5wdJCUNhfSn3f0sQQ0TSFlbkEj3QCxO0yrI4gEYwxcCaU9lXg/s1600/1-meganeuropsis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyRXEWTbU2GTLBLzKiBX9eqb2BHzN5KNli6FBo-FwLjTbzeAOzDgrV6WDZoDmPVSFkhMvngmIOT-W2373bYprmhfWPHr5wdJCUNhfSn3f0sQQ0TSFlbkEj3QCxO0yrI4gEYwxcCaU9lXg/s200/1-meganeuropsis.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The higher oxygen levels benefitted
larval metabolism more so in reaching gargantuan sizes since the aquatic larvae
cannot control oxygen intake in breathing through their skin. The terrestrial
adults breathe through spiracles that can be voluntarily closed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVnxRW8dSQCC95woeHmSoW3ZI9CtoanRwY5U5UtMslCyXJWyl8KL1tW2QWtQbfz69Hdn1ZeoaA0gCpbAieeucOWk5ZYa0RJ0nfg-V35e8l51HgHFcLOdxms9PQzcE9yRUKCqD8Wh1kZRg/s1600/1-arthropleura+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVnxRW8dSQCC95woeHmSoW3ZI9CtoanRwY5U5UtMslCyXJWyl8KL1tW2QWtQbfz69Hdn1ZeoaA0gCpbAieeucOWk5ZYa0RJ0nfg-V35e8l51HgHFcLOdxms9PQzcE9yRUKCqD8Wh1kZRg/s200/1-arthropleura+1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A model of Arthropleura</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Permian Period lasted from ~299-252
mya. Although the beginning of the Permian was cool while ending the
Carboniferous Karoo Ice Age, the end of the Permian experienced a super mass
extinction that almost annihilated all marine and terrestrial animals due to
heated climatic change. It appears the culprit was a combination of events in the
last million years of the Permian that culminated into the wholesale slaughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The current Siberian basalt flood plains
~ 6,500m/21,325.5ft thick, is indicative of a million years of intensive
volcanic eruptions during the end of the Permian. During that time frame, there
was an extensive release of volcanic carbon dioxide and other obnoxious gaseous
releases that in turn warmed the atmosphere and ocean waters releasing an
immense amount of methane into the oceans that was tied up in methane hydrate reservoirs.
The methane in turn consumed free oxygen levels making ocean zones
uninhabitable for life by creating widespread anoxic/dysoxic regions, in
particular along coastlines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Using a new method to estimate the
oxygenation of ocean water in the past, scientists found that the ratio of
thorium and uranium isotopes changed dramatically at the time of the
extinction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Meanwhile with acidification of the
oceans due to the upper threshold release of greenhouse gases, the atmosphere
warmed so much it resulted in ocean level increases and hot climatic zones that
made it lethally too hot for life to exist along the equator and dry interior
portion within the Pangaea continent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Today, Global Warming deniers will tell
you that warming of the atmosphere is a natural event and has occurred many
times over Earth’s history. Yes it has, but they leave it at that. What they
don’t include is its following impact and effect on life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fortunately, most of the earth’s Global
Warming events were small scale in the dispersion of carbon dioxide allowing
the climate and life’s adaptations to compensate and recover. Unfortunately for
life at the Permian/Triassic boundary, the change was rapid and intense killing
off most of life. Whether you agree or disagree if the current carbon dioxide
emission climatic warming is natural or manmade, it doesn’t matter, for in also
being a rapid transition, even more so in concentration than the Permian ending
witnessed, life is going to have a hard time adjusting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The warmest NASA /NOAA global year on
record was this past 2015. It beat the previous warmest global land/oceanic
surface record, which was just the year before in 2014. To put these back-to-back records into
context, if temperatures hadn’t been rising recently, previous normal
back-to-back record high temperatures correlate to a chancy every 1500 years.
With prevailing temperature rises that is now correlating into every ten year
intervals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1BJCXh37jaWmd01-RL22gI_uwhPDzjnYL_eSeFvHoBkCbN_vHBxNMXaaa3k-otmhQWJw9O55SUcAf6YYjWyE3bRG4-0y1K913M143prZZ0ewSPr-y7p9uAu7tCkdcnu4Bx_UiG_KKWqU/s1600/1-CO2+global+temp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1BJCXh37jaWmd01-RL22gI_uwhPDzjnYL_eSeFvHoBkCbN_vHBxNMXaaa3k-otmhQWJw9O55SUcAf6YYjWyE3bRG4-0y1K913M143prZZ0ewSPr-y7p9uAu7tCkdcnu4Bx_UiG_KKWqU/s200/1-CO2+global+temp.jpg" width="71" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Struggling to survive with this latest
event where carbon dioxide atmospheric concentrations have already surpassed
400 ppm, a sixth massive extinction is poised. Present carbon dioxide
concentrations have more than doubled the 200 ppm concentrations that current
life has adjusted to. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, with that over with, let’s dig into
reptiles… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Road to Reptiles:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Reptiliomorpha</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (phonetics:
Rep-til-e-o-mor-pha), otherwise sometimes listed as <i>Anthracosauria</i> (phonetics: An-thra-co-sor-ee-ah), is a stem clade
order deriving from a temnospondyl line. They are an ancestral lineage,
therefore more related to reptiles, birds and mammals than they are to
lissamphibians. The laying of the first terrestrial egg occurred some 340 mya
in the Mississippian Period of the Carboniferous by a reptiliomorph and most
likely one that still spent most of its days in aquatic environments, but could
definitely roam land possessing stiffening knee joints geared for a more
pronounced gait in favoring walking.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHful7K43Ogdvmt0uXCH6WjTDfavRS8HIPsqowjcgFun03GHVfIDiqzrN2Cy8fosZ8n80X-4tfIA4FJY32XT_4ad0Eb0UrtRqcCeZTxWR23J4sVXkAPYzHjhPEoGSr4TJLPMWWFrZz7NHx/s1600/1_anthracosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHful7K43Ogdvmt0uXCH6WjTDfavRS8HIPsqowjcgFun03GHVfIDiqzrN2Cy8fosZ8n80X-4tfIA4FJY32XT_4ad0Eb0UrtRqcCeZTxWR23J4sVXkAPYzHjhPEoGSr4TJLPMWWFrZz7NHx/s200/1_anthracosaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anthracosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Scalation was clearly a convergent
parallel evolutionary trend from both groups of labyrinthodonts. Convergence is
morphological similarities that were acquired independently in different
species that are not related as opposed to homology. When morphologies are
homologous, it is due to two species having a common ancestor that the
morphology was inherited from.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In many of the lepospondyl microsaur
species, such as <i>Trimerorhachis</i> (phonetics:
Try-mer-or-ah-chis), overall body dermal scale patterns are not unlike
primitive reptile scalation. <i>Trachystegos</i>
(phonetics: tray-key-stay-ghos) of the latter Carboniferous and <i>Saxonerpeton</i> (phonetics:
Sax-unh-ner-pe-tawn) of the Early Permian had an extensive scale covering from
head to tail.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIkzzq4AMcmd4bmJTFq9usOc0WYZfsZ5rIR_63lpj0BgqLXxpKznbugsY_yLLHfaV1wt_NyAuUTgYklbX9liWYy0m__c3hpqdv0gEWnzhxUdgJr3RIvBYoh_9YhSKsFXLp4wNy59Nuir6/s1600/1-saxonerpeton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIkzzq4AMcmd4bmJTFq9usOc0WYZfsZ5rIR_63lpj0BgqLXxpKznbugsY_yLLHfaV1wt_NyAuUTgYklbX9liWYy0m__c3hpqdv0gEWnzhxUdgJr3RIvBYoh_9YhSKsFXLp4wNy59Nuir6/s200/1-saxonerpeton.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saxonerpeton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This terrestrial egg or amniote was
completely self-sufficient from desiccation in a dry environment, therefore a
huge advantage for the continuing survival of a species in arid conditions. At
the end of the Permian Period which ended the Paleozoic Era, the continents
Euramerica and Gondwana became one forming the supercontinent Pangaea. The
interior, far from coastal regions became very arid, so the steamy swamplands
of the latter Paleozoic gave way to drier conditions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Amniotes had replaced buccal pumping for
breathing relying instead on a complex and an in-folded pair of lungs. Early
day amniotes also possessed a longer, more flexible neck devolving the skull’s
otic notch in making for a more terrestrial lifestyle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As mentioned above, known as the ‘Great
Dying’, the Permian/Triassic extinction resulted in the largest mass extinction
ever causing ~72% of all tetrapods to go extinct. Thus ended the reign of the
amphibian-like labyrinthodont, which was still wholly dependent in laying
jelly-like egg masses in watery environs. The amphibian’s environment had gone
from widespread to isolate. During this extinction episode, even insects were
scathed losing up to 83% of all insect genera. However, this left room for a
small indiscrete animal known as a reptiliomorph to raise a legion into dominance…the
reptile…whose egg was suited for the transition. As a result, reptiles began to
rule the land, arboreal settings, air, and waters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50YEu9_ZDMRT9JdvZ9wW-DIr1ljWv2ID6iJl7eLBNKU5y5H0HpYenafJvAGaM8KOZuOzEzbnqWYseZYpYkp0SxXHIMM2z3l_i6_p6dHbQlGAPWtbDsjqwQdQdRupGQ0xAAvUjaPZpFqCU/s1600/1-amniotic+egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50YEu9_ZDMRT9JdvZ9wW-DIr1ljWv2ID6iJl7eLBNKU5y5H0HpYenafJvAGaM8KOZuOzEzbnqWYseZYpYkp0SxXHIMM2z3l_i6_p6dHbQlGAPWtbDsjqwQdQdRupGQ0xAAvUjaPZpFqCU/s320/1-amniotic+egg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reptilian amniotic egg vs. Amphibian egg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Going from outside inwards, the amniote
egg consists of an outer shell, albumen, another protective layer called the
chorion where inside it rests the yolk sac (nutrients reservoir), allantois sac
(respiration facilitation/waste receptor) and finally within the amnion, rests
the embryo. In theriodont eutherian and metaeutherian animals extinct and
extant, the placenta affords the protection served by the shell, so in mammal
species, the chorion is the first protective membrane.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Animals such as most fish and amphibians
that lay non-amnion eggs are considered in contrast to amniotes as anamniotes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwz-Sd5g70Ptv25g1_moQrDucGmzGpaUT1mMJVyeoUgUxCJ40pyywFUTuFVJtZ9qgSU66zTZsZxOC4A_9C1vvAKTtMt5KAoCsQTjbM6kkFpfHeYhBWdH_hyzeOatchQ2gO6xK3jxw5mrwa/s1600/1-Amniote+Clad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwz-Sd5g70Ptv25g1_moQrDucGmzGpaUT1mMJVyeoUgUxCJ40pyywFUTuFVJtZ9qgSU66zTZsZxOC4A_9C1vvAKTtMt5KAoCsQTjbM6kkFpfHeYhBWdH_hyzeOatchQ2gO6xK3jxw5mrwa/s320/1-Amniote+Clad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amniote Clad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The exact line where reptiliomorphs
evolved from labyrinthodonts is very blurred as the reproductive units,
including eggs, fossilize very poorly. There is however fossilized evidence of
amniote reptiliomorphs occurring during the Carboniferous 340 mya. The fossil
remains are from a transitional animal containing both amphibian and reptilian
features that were laid down in very arid conditioned sediment. This animal was
the small <i>Casineria</i> (phonetics:
Cass-in-eh-ree-ah).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With a total length of only 15cm/5.9in, <i>Casineria</i> lived and laid eggs in dry
conditions hunting down the multiple invertebrates for food and possibly
finding moist spots to lay its buried eggs. Its fossil remains have only been
found in dry imposed bedrock.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0zEQXOf-9WjHHMrtLwHnoyUISf2SN9YRckOQU270f_26aZL6z95IG2zWB6WUV7qnD_TxZmE2lXPrMbvVvuKsIkgg-L5Ljl9vWtZDE18rdu0MvG39RuO1YTjIAiwjCrRqj5p0IE_RYHTm/s1600/1-Casineria+assembled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0zEQXOf-9WjHHMrtLwHnoyUISf2SN9YRckOQU270f_26aZL6z95IG2zWB6WUV7qnD_TxZmE2lXPrMbvVvuKsIkgg-L5Ljl9vWtZDE18rdu0MvG39RuO1YTjIAiwjCrRqj5p0IE_RYHTm/s320/1-Casineria+assembled.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casinera</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Casineria</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> would have
appeared as a small lizard in life complete with a scaled body and possessed on
its five toes the first known claws. Indeed, it is the first truly known fully
terrestrial tetrapod, if not the first reptilian animal.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfXG_NEZxMIDubZTOxiaY4NnfUefkRRZV3Uoszga6REOaexKujK0cVHw9l4idHjOcEf2b3AbByktacBh04J5oihem-id573RNL3LqKAztwYpmQh2Uo7dEka0kl9NvL7UYXCIHcyxh07t2/s1600/1-westlothiana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfXG_NEZxMIDubZTOxiaY4NnfUefkRRZV3Uoszga6REOaexKujK0cVHw9l4idHjOcEf2b3AbByktacBh04J5oihem-id573RNL3LqKAztwYpmQh2Uo7dEka0kl9NvL7UYXCIHcyxh07t2/s320/1-westlothiana.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Westlothiana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another early reptiliomorph is <i>Westlothiana</i> (phonetics:
West-lo-thee-an-ah) that occurred 338 mya. Its overall anatomy is also small at
20cm/7.9in. In the body plan there were short legs as in labyrinthodont
temnospondyls, while reptilian characteristics were unfused ankle bones and non
labyrinthodont infolding of dentin and it laid leathery amniotic eggs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Both these animals had no otic notch and
in being small they laid small eggs. The smaller eggs experienced a much lower
volume to surface ratio. This was an advantage in developing primitive amniotic
eggs which first arose from non-amniotic terrain egg laying labyrinthodonts
that sought out moist environs such as moss covered ground or stumps that
trapped moisture.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Q6rLiczSjw1XXiipU-FEnu0g-F4BW9JppjBYnCaKxqedZ3_MiEsT-H91PY3QUo0k17-GdwrJ8bVPYx7A34GjgoTwB_FMQF1PUymQTFG5g3bgYa25nq3fPyfM4KOIDiQCn0nsWVUJX7ZQ/s1600/1-diadectomorphs+basal+phylogeny.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Q6rLiczSjw1XXiipU-FEnu0g-F4BW9JppjBYnCaKxqedZ3_MiEsT-H91PY3QUo0k17-GdwrJ8bVPYx7A34GjgoTwB_FMQF1PUymQTFG5g3bgYa25nq3fPyfM4KOIDiQCn0nsWVUJX7ZQ/s200/1-diadectomorphs+basal+phylogeny.JPG" width="182" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Westlothiana</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> is most likely
a stem clade for diadectomorphs. <i>Diadectidae</i>
(phonetics: Di-uh-dec-tuh-day) was a family of reptiliomorphs that although
still retained long sharp teeth protruding from the mouth had evolved from an
insectivorous diet to vegetarian. The most primitive diadectomorphans like
limnoscelids were omnivorous. Eating an insect and the plant that it was on,
over time, the latter diadectomorphs developed a plant diet until the last of
the group, the diadectids were strictly herbivores and most likely the first
tetrapod to subsist solely on plants. Diadectids were also the largest land
animals of their time in the Early Permian with the genus <i>Diadectes</i> (phonetics: Di-uh-dek-tes) reaching 3m/9.9ft; thus, the
measure for larger carnivores to appear.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcaQd3DaW-MRAhvocylG3S50ZW7XqbsT6VoaHd1MtIaa5o9QoNSNjs5a3bU5gVf0bqH3LFVAO_HlB5T3SzLBtrK05s3IYc2J48w9mj_V0Z74Nw0GsWEO9dr15FP3uZO4Nv9sDMkGJx8Ey/s1600/1-diadectes+forms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcaQd3DaW-MRAhvocylG3S50ZW7XqbsT6VoaHd1MtIaa5o9QoNSNjs5a3bU5gVf0bqH3LFVAO_HlB5T3SzLBtrK05s3IYc2J48w9mj_V0Z74Nw0GsWEO9dr15FP3uZO4Nv9sDMkGJx8Ey/s200/1-diadectes+forms.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The fact that diadectomorphs developed
an herbivorous diet was revolutionary, for before there were only piscivores,
insectivores and carnivores due to limitations in being tied to water margins.
The herbivore opened up the field of range pushing and radiating tetrapods out
into other ecosystems. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eggs from these trending reptiliomorph
labyrinthodonts housed non-feeding tadpoles that hatched not as tadpoles, as
they fully metamorphosed as miniature adults within the egg. Moisture from the
eggs’ ambient environment protected the eggs from desiccation through infusion.
The fetus now developed all its larval stages within the watery domain of the
egg instead of in bodies of water like the tadpole was and is still today
chained to. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">About this time in the Mid-Late
Carboniferous, the reptiliomorph <i>Gephyrostegus</i>
(phonetics: Gee-fy-ro-steg-us) had already veered away from temnospondyls
creating its own order of <i>Gephyrostegida</i>.
It had tiny circular scales covering the body, large eyes and insectivorous
pointed teeth. <i>Gephyrostegus</i> had
fused small ankle bones into one large bone known as the astragalus; a trait
found in all later reptiles. This small creature was leading to convergent
reptilian forms, but died out during the Late Carboniferous so is more
distantly related.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6GtVM-l1nhzPgPZ1mh6_c5ZESdcjaygiUsYs6dBiAcJiyQ2ZJ-1MB1ZekAtRgbiYCNlBckmFjIdZrAQ8QWSXHIZRXXXTzWYwtbru2EV_rX7-hU0J4Jiphgvvxp5cq0TH6LuLHOI8rS6q/s1600/1-Gefyrostegus-anthractosauria+land.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6GtVM-l1nhzPgPZ1mh6_c5ZESdcjaygiUsYs6dBiAcJiyQ2ZJ-1MB1ZekAtRgbiYCNlBckmFjIdZrAQ8QWSXHIZRXXXTzWYwtbru2EV_rX7-hU0J4Jiphgvvxp5cq0TH6LuLHOI8rS6q/s200/1-Gefyrostegus-anthractosauria+land.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gephyrostegus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">What the family </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gephyrostegidae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> offers us is not a vast amount of species, as there
were only two genera, but the first real proof of amniote eggs going back to
347 mya in Visean strata of the Middle Mississippian. In a 310 million year old
fossil find in the German, Westphalian formation was the well preserved remains
of </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gephyrostegus watsoni</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. The
Westphalian layers are a regional part of the middle Pennsylvanian
stratigraphy.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5F07eN8kjDrNPk-gtYxJSeN2UAhia_S20e0WoR4Yjx7rLAt_Tr8i4n8XkTnKuCQDS5UlS7Kh-IbYuXfk1H9ing8ORu0t9K_td5k1jaywJb8QXeFHb-hyaGjMHk5dC1TwCAekXPK3iOfB/s1600/1-G+bohemian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5F07eN8kjDrNPk-gtYxJSeN2UAhia_S20e0WoR4Yjx7rLAt_Tr8i4n8XkTnKuCQDS5UlS7Kh-IbYuXfk1H9ing8ORu0t9K_td5k1jaywJb8QXeFHb-hyaGjMHk5dC1TwCAekXPK3iOfB/s200/1-G+bohemian.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gephyrostegus skull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The fossil remains of <i>G. watsoni</i> was a female, in which due to
the small size was first considered to be a juvenile of the latter species <i>Gephyrostegus bohemicus</i>. The fossil
shows she had a deep pelvis capable enough to carry and lay amniotic eggs.
Also, in the lack of posterior dorsal ribs, a gravid female could carry a large
cache of eggs. The clincher here that <i>G.
watsoni</i> was an amniote is that in the fossil remains there were found seven
distinct crushed spherical shapes just above the hips. Although there is no
evidence of a harder outer shell, there is a distinct amnion membrane
enveloping the spheres. These are the first known remains of a tetrapodal
amniote egg.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tetrapod amniotes had securely made
their presence and no longer limited to water bodies for fetal development, could
spread throughout the lands where later isolated from geological events, would
evolve into more species in evolutionary responses to ambient ecologies. Thus,
the amniote accelerated their speciation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The amniote class, <i>Reptilia</i> (phonetics: Rep-till-ee-ah) has been divided into four
main subclasses based on the number of temporal fenestrae/openings positioned
posteriorly behind the eye and below or above the postorbitals as laterally on
each side of the skull. These holes served as jaw muscle attachments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">1. <i>Anapsida</i> ~ no openings present;
‘proto-reptiles’, turtles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2. <i>Diapsida</i> ~ 2 skull openings below
postorbital on each side; ‘majority of reptiles’, bird progenitors<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">3. <i>Synapsida</i> ~ 1 skull opening below
postorbital on each side; ‘mammal-like reptiles’ mammal progenitors, in which
mammals retained synapsid skulls <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">4. <i>Euryapsida</i> ~ 1 skull opening above postorbital
on each side; ‘extinct marine reptiles’ derived from diapsids losing one lower
temporal fenestra<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnGM5xHEVKI-zMREOki4Q1tv8qT1_BBgw3TZtL9aikpeiTrUpSrpIEPiv2jrUpNOeS7jivnvjZ2jqklSmR7VGcwc74G8SGtf3BLUQSWd39z2RwhBvO_dkNfsNTGiZN1MBJNbZOTsyDq4q/s1600/1-+clade+anapsid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnGM5xHEVKI-zMREOki4Q1tv8qT1_BBgw3TZtL9aikpeiTrUpSrpIEPiv2jrUpNOeS7jivnvjZ2jqklSmR7VGcwc74G8SGtf3BLUQSWd39z2RwhBvO_dkNfsNTGiZN1MBJNbZOTsyDq4q/s200/1-+clade+anapsid.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is a simplified view, but is an
orderly scheme. No less, due to phylogeny in monophyletic and paraphyletic
realms, there are much more complicated cladistics one can view and study.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anapsids include the earliest forms of
reptiles along with all turtles. Early anapsid reptiles are sometimes referred
to as ‘parareptiles’; the term means “at the side of reptiles.” Just as
diapsids, synapsids came from the amniote line but were the first to arrive in
diverging before the diapsids’ arrival as witnessed in the cladogram below.
Synapsids include the extinct pelycosaurs and mammal-like reptiles (therapsids)
in which mammals evolved from. Mammals are the only extant synapsid group.
Diapsids include dinosaurs, crocodilians, tuataras, snakes, lizards and birds.
Even though birds no longer have any temporal fenestra, they derived from the
group phylogenetically. Euryapsids are extinct marine reptiles such as
ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and the lesser known nothosaurs.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nK2UDEvd0ePy644hh_pDGC-yk3prFpzB5JR4jdO3HrlbToK7Jptt3lXZPgApKbhRCSquJcyPoTp1YENCeqPBXXsLqWOXdvuBGZYycziGSOvGKaW2O1UOfm0R00ngzquK6ad86PP9ZsD2/s1600/1-Synapsid+Clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nK2UDEvd0ePy644hh_pDGC-yk3prFpzB5JR4jdO3HrlbToK7Jptt3lXZPgApKbhRCSquJcyPoTp1YENCeqPBXXsLqWOXdvuBGZYycziGSOvGKaW2O1UOfm0R00ngzquK6ad86PP9ZsD2/s320/1-Synapsid+Clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Before we continue here, I’d like to
relate a side note on a parareptile. The superorder <i>Sauropterygia</i> (lizard flippers) includes all reptiles evolving from
land reptiles only to take to the seas as euryapsids. These creatures show up
in the middle of the Triassic to become all extinct by the end of the
Cretaceous.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP95RWF7hh68iSApLhfsicAE38HceZjvN5dMQmD6QD50_PtXPsdQqK0qEiHvX_JwVVphonVrt4Xv3DuC2Uohb9B2A8UwXm-hpI944HkcJmKciG_b_0RSsh4DRxiGAhI9WcqhcAy_ReryB/s1600/1-Mesosaurus_BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP95RWF7hh68iSApLhfsicAE38HceZjvN5dMQmD6QD50_PtXPsdQqK0qEiHvX_JwVVphonVrt4Xv3DuC2Uohb9B2A8UwXm-hpI944HkcJmKciG_b_0RSsh4DRxiGAhI9WcqhcAy_ReryB/s200/1-Mesosaurus_BW.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mesosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The interesting oddball we’re to
discourse a bit on here is the mesosaur, who by all intents and purposes is a
reptile but are now grouped as ‘parareptiles’. They first appear in the fossil
record 299 mya which was 57 million years before the first sauropterygian. Mesosaurs
(not to be confused with mosasaurs) were amniotes, but instead of being
anapsid, or even a diapsid derived as a euryapsid, they had a synapsid skull.
Mesosaurs had already left land to swim in the salty sea shallows or the inland
hypersaline watery environment in what is now the Mangrullo formation of
Uruguay while amphibians still ruled the land. Mesosaurs are one of the first
or very first tetrapod to return back to the seas. All other synapsids would
remain terrestrial and with a few, eventually leading to mammals.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtkE-o2L5_fjxMm1aDADNWEOvhge_BFxY6eIJWOHszgHKHnJEHWSrk5hly-nLRSPCJ1GbvOY60FLpVfWz69k58I7jydz3Th0yh-nN7PxfljUB8vKBtsr7ReSfNoFcQ2qhmrN5xSUQVzfE/s1600/1-Mesosaurus-embryo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtkE-o2L5_fjxMm1aDADNWEOvhge_BFxY6eIJWOHszgHKHnJEHWSrk5hly-nLRSPCJ1GbvOY60FLpVfWz69k58I7jydz3Th0yh-nN7PxfljUB8vKBtsr7ReSfNoFcQ2qhmrN5xSUQVzfE/s200/1-Mesosaurus-embryo.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawing of Mesosaurus fossil embryo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fossilized mesosaur embryos exhibit
pachyostosis in having thicker ribs than land tetrapodal embryos. This suggests
embryos in utero were ovoviviparous being born live in the water as numerous
sea snakes currently do. Mesosaurs may turn out to be the most basal marine
reptile, or a stem ancestor to true reptilians, or a basal and stem to both
groups of parareptiles and synapsids. Or, it may simply continue to be an
oddball synapsid that diverted away from all other land synapsids before
mammals to live a life in the seas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">During the early stages of the Permian,
marine life took a big hit with it being rare to find any marine fossils.
Calcareous algae and calcareous sponges became the primary shallow water reef
builders. Trilobites were declining and had gone extinct by the end of the
Permian, while lobe-finned fish that had given rise to tetrapods and spiny
fishes were giving way to bony fish. Sharks maintained a stable population. On
land, fungi had finally figured out a way to consume bark 60 million years
after trees had evolved it during the Carboniferous. That is why the
Carboniferous sediment has so much coal deposits, as the tree, bark and all
were covered over. Glossopteris (an extinct order of seed ferns) came into
existence along with clubmosses, horsetails and various ferns still making
their presence as holdovers from the Carboniferous. Swamp forests began giving
way to conifer forests such as the short palm cycads and the gingko of
today.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Reptile:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Early Triassic Period started off
hot with vast interior deserts and warm Polar Regions supporting lush forests
and warm shallow seas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Thus far, we have reptiliomorphs that
had evolved from the labyrinthodont temnospondyls. This led to the
reptiliomorph sister clade, the amniote that had the ability to lay viable eggs
on land. From amniotes, the stem reptiliomorph genera <i>Casineria</i> and <i>Westlothiana</i>
as explained above, had emerged creeping ever closer to a true reptile.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Casineria</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">, was one of the
first to have toughened feet for land equipped with claws for grasping. It was
also one of the first to develop sex as we know of it. For eggs to be protected
on land the shell formed, but sperm cannot penetrate the shell to fertilize the
egg, so internal fertilization first arose with <i>Casineria</i> to intercourse fertilization before the shell formed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVrSlQd1ATttmbDBMl_lPPqs1eFptY36Qf0kiMlDaCCKATG5eveTekhEd-2XbsDsoJvqo-LlFx1Ba1L4KEzhvlbG8Gvqsy7hmc4fUpyOTzjUwOPneksPn0S9_Us6pmM0qpRJXsMCgfCoa/s1600/1-paleothyris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVrSlQd1ATttmbDBMl_lPPqs1eFptY36Qf0kiMlDaCCKATG5eveTekhEd-2XbsDsoJvqo-LlFx1Ba1L4KEzhvlbG8Gvqsy7hmc4fUpyOTzjUwOPneksPn0S9_Us6pmM0qpRJXsMCgfCoa/s200/1-paleothyris.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paleothyris</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Paleothyris</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (phonetics: Pay-lee-o-thy-ris)
occurred in the mid-late Pennsylvanian of the Carboniferous from 310 to 302
mya. It most definitely was a reptile, but a very primitive one with an
anatomic reptilian body, but also supported a temnospondyli-like, though
advanced skull. It was large eyed with sharp teeth most likely hunting insects
nocturnally. As in all former labyrinthodonts it was an anapsid with no
fenestrae. The evolutionary key to this creature is that it derived from an
amniotic lineage inching ever closer to a fully reptilian trait. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkoYXCEFOwQpPLM98AXizKOolayxw8V5BFp6w9TXy1Y3bsDAYjInm7otzlrRBAQY04Az8jv2BRImkLxqA_puEBYNGtUQmtsllwhWmZLxlZXjk5rirkH91MGjznYA-lTqDL7bkE3AgCxo0/s1600/1-Hylonomus+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkoYXCEFOwQpPLM98AXizKOolayxw8V5BFp6w9TXy1Y3bsDAYjInm7otzlrRBAQY04Az8jv2BRImkLxqA_puEBYNGtUQmtsllwhWmZLxlZXjk5rirkH91MGjznYA-lTqDL7bkE3AgCxo0/s200/1-Hylonomus+1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hylonomus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From here the first true reptile evolved
in the form of the genus, <i>Hylonomus</i>
(phonetics: Hy-lon-o-mus). It had the typical anapsid boxed head with skull
openings only for nostrils and eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anapsida:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SlDmb71LvSfB5-qP8lVLMhAq3Obd7YdhjzI3Gx72qpSHsO8N9jDr6ux0BaeC6QPVWqHZvsNsTlIVuC8k7dXm7LpfN_E4Lt4R3XfxZ1xfARrq4jeqLbTfm_rUxQ6l8WEexrou9a01nG4t/s1600/1-anapsida+clad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SlDmb71LvSfB5-qP8lVLMhAq3Obd7YdhjzI3Gx72qpSHsO8N9jDr6ux0BaeC6QPVWqHZvsNsTlIVuC8k7dXm7LpfN_E4Lt4R3XfxZ1xfARrq4jeqLbTfm_rUxQ6l8WEexrou9a01nG4t/s200/1-anapsida+clad.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anapsida Cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><i>Hylonomus</i>, a romeriid anapsid</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> lived during
the Carboniferous in the mid Pennsylvanian 312 mya. It may even be older at 315
mya as fossilized footprint impressions have been attributed to this animal
after careful study of its fossilized foot bones. At 20cm/8in, it appeared as a
small lizard living and hiding in tree stumps as most fossils have been located
in fossilized club moss stumps. <i>Hylonomus</i>
most likely ate small invertebrates with its small sharp teeth supported by its
anapsid skull.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Surely a more ancient reptile fossil
will be found, but for as it stands, <i>Hylonomus</i>
is the basal ancestor to all reptiles including dinosaurs, extant crocodiles
and all mammals and birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWZmeUHMrvvynEKFlWfzovE-I9f6dwqXoisTPNo_x3AFoc0Lrrp70ZU0k57QHkwOvJZBbGEUsuje3kbdddSsYxLxXxcus95qO8Z9dHlpMEDhI9Un5BtSNH83n07v-sg9v3Va4RDFk7rFy/s1600/1-Captorhinus_aguti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWZmeUHMrvvynEKFlWfzovE-I9f6dwqXoisTPNo_x3AFoc0Lrrp70ZU0k57QHkwOvJZBbGEUsuje3kbdddSsYxLxXxcus95qO8Z9dHlpMEDhI9Un5BtSNH83n07v-sg9v3Va4RDFk7rFy/s200/1-Captorhinus_aguti.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captorhinis agouti</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a close predecessor to <i>Hylonomus</i>, the first reptile herbivores
in the family, <i>Captorhinidae</i> (phonetics:
Cap-toe-rye-nee-dae) appears in the fossil record at the Carboniferous/Permian
timeline 302-285 mya. An anapsid, the captorhinids ate vegetation. One of the
largest captorhinids was no more than 17.8cm/7in. The earliest and basal most
captorhinid was <i>Thuringothyris</i> (phonetics:
Thu-rin-go-thy-ris), whom possessed single rows of teeth. The preceding and
most evolved, <i>Captorhinus</i> (phonetics:
Cap-toe-rye-nus) had double rows of teeth. All species had teeth adapted to
masticating and meshing tough plants. Along with this, their skull was robust
and had thickened vertebrae.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquEIwrrk2eKVOqiNqNEjRu1PKJFz6N_uFBNjHcF-T7MGyB-FqktC72fXWj2GGyYXrLCVNKPLuMnnSs5wzQFByDrXSykW_ADdRxo9xdM_jKanQLRuNTLTsEGxHMqHgOSBHjYUZyM9yYQA8/s1600/1-Captorhinidae+by+karkemish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquEIwrrk2eKVOqiNqNEjRu1PKJFz6N_uFBNjHcF-T7MGyB-FqktC72fXWj2GGyYXrLCVNKPLuMnnSs5wzQFByDrXSykW_ADdRxo9xdM_jKanQLRuNTLTsEGxHMqHgOSBHjYUZyM9yYQA8/s200/1-Captorhinidae+by+karkemish.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captorhinids</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">An anapsid pareiasaurid holdout that
made it towards the Permian/Triassic timeline 252 mya is the herbivore genus, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bunostegos</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
Boo-no-stay-ghos). </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bunostegos</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> genera
had knobby skulls with an armored back. The most attributable trait of this
early reptilian was its upright gait in being one of the first animals to use
limb joints for better mass maintenance and running endurance. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBk067oNPpSCHf7LZ8xJ6RcxCL2JODSV-6Bxh8WVey8b3WkGf8z4OtscaRVsWgVD0Ui5-vOf-xilVNTvTPedF4REycmAySueueRxQhyphenhyphendvOt2r3gHtCwsqMNdMNKmKIY2qIEgolUCH3EJf3/s1600/1-bunostegos-pareiasaurs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBk067oNPpSCHf7LZ8xJ6RcxCL2JODSV-6Bxh8WVey8b3WkGf8z4OtscaRVsWgVD0Ui5-vOf-xilVNTvTPedF4REycmAySueueRxQhyphenhyphendvOt2r3gHtCwsqMNdMNKmKIY2qIEgolUCH3EJf3/s200/1-bunostegos-pareiasaurs.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late Permian bunostegos species</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Aside from still lingering argument that
turtles came directly from anapsids, there are no extant anapsids. Modern day
turtles do possess an anapsid skull, but it now appears they originally came
from a diapsid ancestral lineage. As a collage of earliest primitive reptiles,
anapsids are not a monophyletic group, but rather simply a collection of the
earliest reptiles that were distantly related. Currently, all genetic molecular
studies pinpoint turtles well within the early diapsid clade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After reanalysis, <i>Testudines</i> (turtles, terrapins and tortoises) have been assigned to
the lepidosauromorph diapsid group that contains the lepidosaurs (snakes,
lizards and tuataras). Turtles diverged away from lepidosaurs somewhere between
200-275 mya. The turtle’s skull began reverting back from a diapsid to an anapsid
skull as the lineage began losing teeth replacing the dental ware with a
chitinous beak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Synapsida:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83kcBZc9CwxopfnvvEHKd9rDxShGH6TqpmwygU_3ClEDVuiodQtB56wzkdEW2pvOQ7SVENnOGJzaE72jYCUbbrdxcigMgc69NWA8qj9yw5-MumD4uhyEiQc8vXaxSfCoBlFVbg8p6-a0y/s1600/1-Synapsids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83kcBZc9CwxopfnvvEHKd9rDxShGH6TqpmwygU_3ClEDVuiodQtB56wzkdEW2pvOQ7SVENnOGJzaE72jYCUbbrdxcigMgc69NWA8qj9yw5-MumD4uhyEiQc8vXaxSfCoBlFVbg8p6-a0y/s320/1-Synapsids.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Synapsids had already diverged from the
amniote tree during the Late Pennsylvanian 308 mya devolving away from true
reptile morphology. The divergence formed the <i>Synapsida</i> line that eventually led to mammals. The <i>Sauropsida</i> line would eventually lead to
diapsids which includes crocodiles, pterosaurs, marine reptiles, turtles,
lizards/snakes and dinosaurs/birds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The undisputed oldest synapsid fossils
are <i>Echinerpeton intermedium</i> (phonetics:
Eh-she-nair-pah-tawn inter-med-e-um) and <i>Archaeothyris</i>
(phonetics: Are-kay-o-thy-ris) from 308-306 mya respectively. <i>Echinerpeton</i>, though only the size of a
small lizard, just might be the base ancestor to the later much larger synapsid
sail-backed dimetrodons that reached up to 4.6 m/15ft. <i>Echinerpeton</i> had articulated vertebrae with high neural spines
supporting a dorsal webbed sail.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMlaaixokFuJnLz-S7R8ZxKlPkC047MIRQgy3QFuyfOf09bLn0KR5h9UA2aXTqrJrUo409nC0fz-KPe9I2TPqO9D5hLCtCDjYTLk4hlSHMHfCk9ao8g6cCcfzEaNuylpxXn_34K5RSXbC/s1600/1-Echinerpeton_intermedium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMlaaixokFuJnLz-S7R8ZxKlPkC047MIRQgy3QFuyfOf09bLn0KR5h9UA2aXTqrJrUo409nC0fz-KPe9I2TPqO9D5hLCtCDjYTLk4hlSHMHfCk9ao8g6cCcfzEaNuylpxXn_34K5RSXbC/s200/1-Echinerpeton_intermedium.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Echinerpeton intermedium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Synapsids may even have an earlier
origin in the ~314 mya fossil remains of <i>Protoclepcydrops</i>
(phonetics: Proto-klep-sigh-drops). Unfortunately the single skeletal remains
are fragmentary, but the disarticulated remains do allude to a synapsid skull
type. Early synapsids begin digressing away from eventual true reptile
evolution leading eventually to mammals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The synapsid line led to pelycosaurs
including the dimetrodons that formed the basal ancestry to therapsids
(mammal-like reptiles) that eventually gave rise to mammals. For this treatise,
we’re only going to mention a few facts about pelycosaurs where more in depth
discussion will be given in a future ‘Et Tunc’ series concerning synapsids to the
rise of mammals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pelycosaurs are one of the earliest most
primitive of synapsids. First appearing in the Upper Pennsylvanian ending,
pelycosaurs became extinct by the end of the Permian. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGSBs1GabkYd-7Tim1sSC4pCDKaOFn9ZTUiu5FqmdkyT1kdtw3wUtYf7Cr6_gy130W58FD1jgOobXI2VGvZWFXm5gh4o8XkllNvrs-zuVQhRlELI757-NF7lgvJGW_ccXBzYqo0MKdcbu/s1600/1-bone+growth+types.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGSBs1GabkYd-7Tim1sSC4pCDKaOFn9ZTUiu5FqmdkyT1kdtw3wUtYf7Cr6_gy130W58FD1jgOobXI2VGvZWFXm5gh4o8XkllNvrs-zuVQhRlELI757-NF7lgvJGW_ccXBzYqo0MKdcbu/s200/1-bone+growth+types.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bone growth types: A.low vascular B. highly vascular C. fibrolamellar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Warm blooded animals (endothermic/homoeothermic)
like birds and human grow at a faster rate than cold blooded (ectothermic)
animals do. With this fast growth rate process found only in homoeothermic
animals is a bone growth pattern termed fibrolamellar bone (FLB). The early pelycosaur,
<i>Ophiacodon</i> (phonetics:
O-fee-ah-co-don) also included FLB in its physiology. One of the greatest
opportunities in evolutionary devices is the regulation of internal warm
bloodedness. Although <i>Ophiacodon</i> was
not directly related to mammals and even more remotely related to birds, it had
accomplished at least some form of thermoregulation nearly 300 mya. Living
296.4-279.5 mya, it also had the largest skull of any contemporary animal of
its day reaching lengths of 50cm/20in.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQw6Bc-fAxt35Mbe3fAyrX-UfH6KxnjwGx_qKoHIWRYik49CnWv2QwqZ9MfpLWe3BSbtlP1k2lS-JWDZesxv186VsuMR3F35NYhxR3hZrmWkRSjFy2k4ZERn8IhXF6p_GHM3UYyBLs81b/s1600/1-Pelycosaur-Ophiacomorphs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQw6Bc-fAxt35Mbe3fAyrX-UfH6KxnjwGx_qKoHIWRYik49CnWv2QwqZ9MfpLWe3BSbtlP1k2lS-JWDZesxv186VsuMR3F35NYhxR3hZrmWkRSjFy2k4ZERn8IhXF6p_GHM3UYyBLs81b/s320/1-Pelycosaur-Ophiacomorphs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Compare head sizes Ophiacodon in middle; Cotylorhynchus in back</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In direct contrast to <i>Ophiacodon</i>’s large skull was the
pelycosaur caseid, <i>Cotylorhynchus</i>’s
(phonetics: Co-tee-lor-reen-cuss) minute skull. With a barrel shaped and
heavily set body at 6m/19.7ft in length while weighing in at ~1 ton, the head
was only around 87.5cm/34.5in. The nasal openings and cavities were also large
for the skull, perhaps to take in more oxygen or functioned as a higher surface
area to moisture. Nonetheless, its girth allowed for larger organs in more
functional digestion of plant material. Being the largest herbivore during the
Permian, with the massive body used as a weight force, the front legs were used
for digging up roots. Regardless of the animal’s small head, its total size
also acted as a predator deterrent as from 279.5-272 mya it was quite common in
many Permian environments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A miniature <i>Cotylorhynchus</i> was <i>Casea</i>
(phonetics: Cah-say-ah) at 1.2m/4ft. Its ribcage was highly expanded to make
way for a large gut to properly digest plants like horsetails and ferns. It
also was successful with fossils being found from Texas to France. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Q8tlZoJIkjmbwL9uY6Z4C2zT6H442J9TtbBRXRFpsxBAwZ_UzBK7WKGXSP2EdJV3GkDTdBane3j-i4Rev9O-y3OVWAK9Elv2mojycaSpJYW6AER70u972qb4sfbMjgecxUPj4hcNJzKS/s1600/1-syn+Varanops_brevirostris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Q8tlZoJIkjmbwL9uY6Z4C2zT6H442J9TtbBRXRFpsxBAwZ_UzBK7WKGXSP2EdJV3GkDTdBane3j-i4Rev9O-y3OVWAK9Elv2mojycaSpJYW6AER70u972qb4sfbMjgecxUPj4hcNJzKS/s320/1-syn+Varanops_brevirostris.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Varanops</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Varanops</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (phonetics:
Va-ran-ops) has the distinction to being one of the very last pelycosaurs to
die off becoming extinct at the end of the Permian. Perhaps this was due at
least in part to competition against an established rising number of therapsids
during that time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYnhAvr61vgrRx_1ysw9VbX0VQuGsW9kQMgnc2bcGlu3sK8UFoktRRMyZz1PYPkML4MDBE4leDVGjl97mK07IO5MuP1Pd5OkjvFjvgxiXVHBr1leaFUsOlSSVQsK-6IFNYh6rI903xTDl/s1600/1-Dimetrodon-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYnhAvr61vgrRx_1ysw9VbX0VQuGsW9kQMgnc2bcGlu3sK8UFoktRRMyZz1PYPkML4MDBE4leDVGjl97mK07IO5MuP1Pd5OkjvFjvgxiXVHBr1leaFUsOlSSVQsK-6IFNYh6rI903xTDl/s200/1-Dimetrodon-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dimetrodon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Conceivably the most famous of the
pelycosaurs are the dimetrodon and edaphosaur, the sailbacks of the Permian
most often times mistaken for dinosaurs. But no, man shares more genetic
material with the dimetrodon than the dimetrodon does with dinosaurs.
Dimetrodon and edaphosaur were sphenacodonts, the fossil family showing a
direct lineage to mammals.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OW6hjtMzH1pYoMGs0KpFb5-td0IHfXyxWvQ3DkeOymXyh5Udgx48J06Fp8SZ2sIF-0rFa3GKiHrN41k1jfX-vaOQlIWR9uaYHiZoEQ6fE57zto5seum9VdKWbVYiJodZT8i9mAeyly1A/s1600/1-Edaphosaurus-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OW6hjtMzH1pYoMGs0KpFb5-td0IHfXyxWvQ3DkeOymXyh5Udgx48J06Fp8SZ2sIF-0rFa3GKiHrN41k1jfX-vaOQlIWR9uaYHiZoEQ6fE57zto5seum9VdKWbVYiJodZT8i9mAeyly1A/s200/1-Edaphosaurus-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edaphosaur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As the prime carnivore, dimetrodons were
the top predator during the Permian, while edaphosaurs were mild herbivores.
Although Pangaea exposed more continental dry land than that of oceanic area at
any time during Earth’s history, these two pelycosaurs preferred roaming near
swamplands or near bodies of waters as opposed to the more inland arid lands.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Diapsida:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Through <i>Sauropsida</i> (phonetics: Saur-op-see-da) lineage, two major
stem-based clades diverged forming the <i>Eureptilia</i>
(phonetices: U-rep-til-e-ah) and the <i>Anapsida</i>/‘<i>Parareptilia</i>’. Out of <i>Eureptila</i>, the <i>Diapsida</i> clade evolved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BAGEfqBHNmSCo9k_3et12_yK8F7zq3uJiOzr3Mv_IxC3fJEeHclA-rX2wDz1NxibtkhuBdgFmQU6QSM2FoeXTpnhxYDDnRs9umsT7aC43jvEhIhztdXyhq1HVfDy2zHl8YNp-PBH3iw-/s1600/1-eureptilia+clad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BAGEfqBHNmSCo9k_3et12_yK8F7zq3uJiOzr3Mv_IxC3fJEeHclA-rX2wDz1NxibtkhuBdgFmQU6QSM2FoeXTpnhxYDDnRs9umsT7aC43jvEhIhztdXyhq1HVfDy2zHl8YNp-PBH3iw-/s320/1-eureptilia+clad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eureptilia Clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Around the Carboniferous/Permian
boundary, two diapsid groups diverged known as the <i>Neodiapsida</i> (phonetics: Nee-o-die-app-sah-duh) and <i>Araeoscelilidia</i> (phonetics:
Ah-ray-oss-kell-ah-lee-dee-ah). One early diapsid araeoscelilid was <i>Petrolacaosaurus</i> (phonetics:
Pet-row-lak-oh-sor-us).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHz1CbO_5rLzZzBLySdxR_t0btICTuZG6fXWtmFgQoNM6X-tT-6np5PxfWPGHv5QUbFblboy153vhRT_fQQ7q9AOnF9D30bAp9dqToXXmNxR9TSQOffEDiTC2MOm5zGiCOlek3bBlS_Yv/s1600/1-Petrolacosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHz1CbO_5rLzZzBLySdxR_t0btICTuZG6fXWtmFgQoNM6X-tT-6np5PxfWPGHv5QUbFblboy153vhRT_fQQ7q9AOnF9D30bAp9dqToXXmNxR9TSQOffEDiTC2MOm5zGiCOlek3bBlS_Yv/s200/1-Petrolacosaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petrolacosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Petrolacosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> appears in the
Late Carboniferous 302 mya and as a direct line had died out by 275 mya.
Superficially similar to modern day lizards, this rather small extinct reptile
at 40cm/16in is the first known amniote diapsid and possessed canine-like
secondary teeth as latter forms of therapsids and mammals will. It even
possessed a heart template as all modern mammals do, including humankind. Even
though definitive evidence is not in yet, petrolacosaurids just might be a common
ancestor to both diapsids and synapsids as a basal diapsid amniote. The
well-formed two temporal fenestrae in its phylogeny might have had one deleted
as the turtle line had deleted both. In evaluating its teeth, most likely <i>Petrolacosaurus</i> was an insectivore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIM79ZUZhGEMZr8OL6ruCo1-oB9hKDsLXV5DfGnioRSJ6N7q6gXmnzG-RZqsxdrA1j-HYC3FALUeD0yhLS05EdDKoJAmWOAqLTvXWCEI8URHuDqKXT3TNJDBqHf9-yTLez2uR6Hv3em0ev/s1600/1-Neodiapsida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIM79ZUZhGEMZr8OL6ruCo1-oB9hKDsLXV5DfGnioRSJ6N7q6gXmnzG-RZqsxdrA1j-HYC3FALUeD0yhLS05EdDKoJAmWOAqLTvXWCEI8URHuDqKXT3TNJDBqHf9-yTLez2uR6Hv3em0ev/s320/1-Neodiapsida.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neodiapsid Clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another araeoscelilid was <i>Spinoaequalis</i> (phonetics: Spy-no-aye-kwal-iss).
Occurring 300 mya it had longer and stronger hind limbs. Its symmetrical spine
supported a laterally flattened tail used for propulsion in water. <i>Spinoaequalis</i> was at home on land as
well as water using its tail for propulsion. This reptile was semi aquatic and
may have not only frequented freshwater, but transitioned to marine as well for
some of its fossil finds are in the same sediment as some well-preserved fish
fossils. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeDBQBoMNriXa5PGiQW0BlZb_vr8fpWqlDg1vabNwRtn5CKHS0rPNOtr1v-bun84w_W8PxklS3eSVtKDy5llW_2Hd9DoCvPReoP1Lan_ZKT9Iq5jV38oqoJSk_-s2hqV50xKkYXbmSl3D/s1600/1-Spinoaequalis1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeDBQBoMNriXa5PGiQW0BlZb_vr8fpWqlDg1vabNwRtn5CKHS0rPNOtr1v-bun84w_W8PxklS3eSVtKDy5llW_2Hd9DoCvPReoP1Lan_ZKT9Iq5jV38oqoJSk_-s2hqV50xKkYXbmSl3D/s200/1-Spinoaequalis1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spinoaequalis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Around 260 mya, <i>Neodiapsida</i> further diverged into the 60cm/2ft <i>Claudiosaurus</i> (phonetics: Claw-dee-o-saur-us) and Sauria (phonetics:
Sawr-ee-ah). One of the earliest neodiapsids forming the basal diapsid group,
claudiosaurids had a poorly developed sternum, more cartilage than bone, a
relative long body/neck and swam marine shorelines frequenting rocks above the
surface to sunbathe living much like marine iguanas today in sunbathing on land
and swimming in sinusoidal undulating fashion with legs tucked to the sides.
Although it had developed limbs, but with webbing, due to the amount of
cartilage in its osteology and poorly developed sternum, it most likely rarely
frequented land.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha66UFDuoSACrJ3JZitrjf3YHdoinl8_cNNFVsoLrTgx_zZ89obVDstnWDxuESi_FTZRzNhcQw7wqwOMmz7i1Tpz7xwyB4CLN-ElG3d-uP5q8JbwiZdmeBL_bOclyvhfcq1EP7lARjtF6U/s1600/1-claudiosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="63" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha66UFDuoSACrJ3JZitrjf3YHdoinl8_cNNFVsoLrTgx_zZ89obVDstnWDxuESi_FTZRzNhcQw7wqwOMmz7i1Tpz7xwyB4CLN-ElG3d-uP5q8JbwiZdmeBL_bOclyvhfcq1EP7lARjtF6U/s320/1-claudiosaurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With the elongate body/neck, same
paddle-shaped distal limbs, lack of a lower skull temporal bar and transvers
flange of the pterygoid, a closed condition of the palate and reduced
suborbital fenestrae, claudiosaurs are seriously considered as a basal ancestor
to nothosaurids and plesiosaurids. Other than that the claudiosaurid line
became extinct towards the end of the Permian 253 mya.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFa9iRXoaOp6ZFns-cPI63Pq1gzqJuOkEaXdhGPT3EhpV_G6rWjLQlWGxzxCGQ0fF6xDMrfECOC1-bbV7Oq5kTNqvq7fB0hT3_uV8Z4uI8hWQ89ENUjAdcSShSKGvIrNE0Qtdurfgij7JG/s1600/1-Sauria-archelosauria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFa9iRXoaOp6ZFns-cPI63Pq1gzqJuOkEaXdhGPT3EhpV_G6rWjLQlWGxzxCGQ0fF6xDMrfECOC1-bbV7Oq5kTNqvq7fB0hT3_uV8Z4uI8hWQ89ENUjAdcSShSKGvIrNE0Qtdurfgij7JG/s320/1-Sauria-archelosauria.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauria (Archelosauria branch) cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The other neodiapsid divergence, the <i>Sauria</i> clade was once relegated only to
the lizard line, but since the introduction of molecular genetics, it has been
broadened to include the most recent common ancestors to lepidosaurs and
archosaurs. So, all lizards, snakes, crocodilians, birds, tuataras and numerous
extinct animals such as pterosaurs, marine reptiles and dinosaurs are saurians.
This new rearrangement has aided in distinguishing stem saurians such as in the
synapomorphy characters of cephalad (pertaining to anterior or posterior ends)
regions, the trunk, pectoral, pelvic and limb sectors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglL9BKFXWifbUM1Zve1fq9NtUpP_zNIGat18unPaPheQPBBNgvaKn30ow4W6Ys85RtS-K8s2enKMFdOTULaxBofo86s6oL_pBrJACEtIwsovuIMH2QrcaC0USoFBTioYbtttWkCxqztdfc/s1600/1-Sauria-ankylopoda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglL9BKFXWifbUM1Zve1fq9NtUpP_zNIGat18unPaPheQPBBNgvaKn30ow4W6Ys85RtS-K8s2enKMFdOTULaxBofo86s6oL_pBrJACEtIwsovuIMH2QrcaC0USoFBTioYbtttWkCxqztdfc/s320/1-Sauria-ankylopoda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauria (Ankylopoda branch) cladogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWNGL6gFdNmaQ6HTBQnjnvzjDuEH1O__1C2yiWH2S9dcMfSTQMpk2KWxMovVNSrMOSoAw2Dp-LqvY6JirQDbTdzwAr62f5lXao4xZX8HuUYaIVyNSPb7jEcd7-jAaa6rClYvqzRkLHX1W/s1600/1-coelurosauravus-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWNGL6gFdNmaQ6HTBQnjnvzjDuEH1O__1C2yiWH2S9dcMfSTQMpk2KWxMovVNSrMOSoAw2Dp-LqvY6JirQDbTdzwAr62f5lXao4xZX8HuUYaIVyNSPb7jEcd7-jAaa6rClYvqzRkLHX1W/s200/1-coelurosauravus-2.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The saurian clade represents the
divergence between lizards and crocodiles while the clade itself is subdivided
further into </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lepidosauromorpha</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
La-peed-o-sor-o-mor-pha) meaning “closer to snakes than birds” and </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Archosauromorpha</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Ar-ko-sor-o-mor-pha)
meaning “closer to birds than snakes.” An early period saurian group was in the
genus, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Coelurosauravus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
See-lore-oh-sor-ay-vuss). This genus was one of the first lizard groups to take
to the air ~260.5 mya. </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Coelurosaurvus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
will be discussed later under lizard evolution.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIy-ecGFOYFqyUzwQlTuxYqXYmzax5kbvOWdT8o9I5zZMFnYuPDoDmnpkPsjiI4gNwJCq9mwTuxZo_aRgV8pc2vyxDP4F-qw85YvZbfn4kxc-hVO-capHgYQbBwYMUXhHuHFUFFKA8YHW/s1600/1-coelurosauravus-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIy-ecGFOYFqyUzwQlTuxYqXYmzax5kbvOWdT8o9I5zZMFnYuPDoDmnpkPsjiI4gNwJCq9mwTuxZo_aRgV8pc2vyxDP4F-qw85YvZbfn4kxc-hVO-capHgYQbBwYMUXhHuHFUFFKA8YHW/s200/1-coelurosauravus-1.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coelurosaurus skeletal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lepidosauromorphs lead to the </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lepidosauriformes </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">(phonetics:
La-peed-o-sor-e-forms) representing
lizard traits such as a sprawling gait more in tune to sinusoidal trunk and
tail movement, longer mobility strides due to a sliding joint between the
coracoid and sternum and primarily possess pleurodont teeth as opposed to
thecodont teeth witnessed in the crocodilian archosauromorphs. In addition to
thecodont teeth, archosauromorphs in fossils and current species possess a
parasagittal gait (legs positioned entirely more under the body while parallel
to vertebral column during mobility) and a reduction or total loss of the
sternum.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Teeth type plays important roles in
evolutionary niches. Thecodontia teeth once even played a role in taxonomic
grouping, although it now is obsolete. Thecodont means ‘socket tooth’ and
represents animals with teeth socketed through the gums into the jawbone. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7o8c_MCJwqDl8yqiY_ya9f0B7-9y2_Cab0GFl91vc7lYdSgXIcqKTUJQwkIoYv4d0ZwTbGrF1EpbuylgRxqBCQzm5lYNS1FEpBi3_ghEIj2WrmzRzSMK-x15HeViIeZ7K4f-ytilQe1QN/s1600/1-tooth-implantations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7o8c_MCJwqDl8yqiY_ya9f0B7-9y2_Cab0GFl91vc7lYdSgXIcqKTUJQwkIoYv4d0ZwTbGrF1EpbuylgRxqBCQzm5lYNS1FEpBi3_ghEIj2WrmzRzSMK-x15HeViIeZ7K4f-ytilQe1QN/s320/1-tooth-implantations.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tooth Implantaions: A. acrodont B. pleurodont C. subthecodont D. thecodont </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pleurodonty (pleurodont ~ side tooth)
exhibits teeth ankylosed (fused) by their sides to the jaws inner surface.
Acrodonty (acrodont ~ summit tooth) exhibits teeth mounted in a slight
depression atop the gums and are not socketed with roots. Sphenodonts,
pleurosaurs and certain extant lizards will utilize this teeth arrangement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCy1IqIqJCehp0hOf5Sxwd0R5du14w23-NNLVdnGdtU_49enEMhnTvkPTcFrIPPn4o1z5MDJgLrjctitEiGsnTJ50wcmpvdtX1IQRBqcRc4oRZ0tzCsc8_sJGNj66eMmcx2FtTU8-f7xk/s1600/1-youngina-red+possible+nascent+antorbital+fenestra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCy1IqIqJCehp0hOf5Sxwd0R5du14w23-NNLVdnGdtU_49enEMhnTvkPTcFrIPPn4o1z5MDJgLrjctitEiGsnTJ50wcmpvdtX1IQRBqcRc4oRZ0tzCsc8_sJGNj66eMmcx2FtTU8-f7xk/s200/1-youngina-red+possible+nascent+antorbital+fenestra.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Youngina red possible nascent antorbital fenestra</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Youngina</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (phonetics:
Yun-gin-ah) is a basal lepidosauromorph that occurred during the Late Permian.
This lizard-like reptile was 1.47m/4.82ft long and with its conical teeth, was
most likely an insectivore, but also carnivorous to small vertebrates. The
photo below is a <i>Youngina </i>skull. The
red highlights a possible nascent antorbital fenestra.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From here, the diapsid clade <i>Archosauromorpha</i> came about 275mya. The skull opening between the nostrils and
eye sockets is known as the antorbital fenestra. In the archosauromorph family,
<i>Protorothyrididae</i> (phonetics:
Pro-tor-o-thy-rid-a-day), the genus <i>Protorosaurus</i>
(phonetics: Pro-tor-o-sor-us), which means ‘first lizard’ is the earliest known
archosauromorph thus far. Archosauromorphs would lead to <i>Archosauriformes</i> (Phonetics: Ar-ko-sor-e-forms) that eventually led
to true archosaurs that would further lead to the only extant archosaur lines,
which is of course the crocodilian and avian groups.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Most of these transformations from <i>Archosauromorpha</i> to <i>Archosauriformes</i> and <i>Lepidosauromorpha</i>
to <i>Lepidosauriformes</i> occurred right
before or just after the Permian/Triassic extinction. The <i>Archosauriformes</i> and <i>Lepidosauriformes</i>
survived, the archosauromorphs and lepidosauromorphs didn’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Path to Turtles:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Turtles were one of the first diapsid
archosauromorphs to branch off the archosaur line through the <i>Pantestudines</i> (phonetics: Pan-tess-tu-dee-nees)
group, via the lepidosauromorph infraclass. While in the process, turtles
reverted back to an anapsid skull; so in the proceeding course, they did not
evolve directly from the early reptilian anapsids.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4jEKhJwIZ9kuW6RPKujdRPNROztL0lf2q4rCmlhY7gtxTz-Rd962n6bFN0c4UMXLbUPE5x53aBKq6eMtDz2XouaCg-1zxeMtvWoWN-ndbYpJEL8WRtL6DaGlFi57fj1F-bZtCOHzB_G2/s1600/1-turtle+pantestudines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4jEKhJwIZ9kuW6RPKujdRPNROztL0lf2q4rCmlhY7gtxTz-Rd962n6bFN0c4UMXLbUPE5x53aBKq6eMtDz2XouaCg-1zxeMtvWoWN-ndbYpJEL8WRtL6DaGlFi57fj1F-bZtCOHzB_G2/s200/1-turtle+pantestudines.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pantestudines Clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In turtle genomics there are diverse
chromosome numbers and chromosomal rearrangements. Before developing a shell
that is fused to the ribs, turtles first had to have broadened ribs; this is
evident in the Pantestudines clade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8HLOAcEW2Tw7HmhNJ1Qh8oQNGoDZMU-pVKsfPUOPSXUiUo_1ovSC-sASM5IKI7xLQ-vj98O6befwXmnbqr_XxZrLVqUYW_A_hCFkvseW7zeBRfbWBmKbsFF11L2HIlMgn63cd0Q-R_eU/s1600/1-eury+placodus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8HLOAcEW2Tw7HmhNJ1Qh8oQNGoDZMU-pVKsfPUOPSXUiUo_1ovSC-sASM5IKI7xLQ-vj98O6befwXmnbqr_XxZrLVqUYW_A_hCFkvseW7zeBRfbWBmKbsFF11L2HIlMgn63cd0Q-R_eU/s200/1-eury+placodus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Placodus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The order <i>Placodontia</i> (phonetics: Plaque-o-don-chee-ah) occurring during the
Triassic 245-200 mya, were in the <i>Pantestudines</i>
clade and due to convergent evolution, later forms appeared much like turtles
but were only related as cousins and not basal or in a direct line to turtles. Placodonts
were euryapsids. Besides the synapsid mesosaurs, these were some of the first
reptiles to enter the seas filling a predator void that had been wiped out
during the Permian/Triassic extinction where only sharks had successfully
endured. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The earliest placodonts looked much like
a modern day iguana, only much larger. <i>Placodus</i>
(Phonetics: Plaque-o-dus) at 1-2m/3.3-6.6ft consisted chiefly upon a durophagus
diet such as shellfish and animals with hard exoskeletons like crabs. <i>Placodus</i> possessed chisel-like front
teeth and broad flattened back teeth for crushing prey. It must have been a
shore animal frequenting shallow waters to obtain its shell-fished prey.
Although the short limbs ended in claws, in between the digits webbing was
present and with a flattened tail, these features aided in propelling the
animal in water.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VI3U8Mrl4B_1GuS8g0DErZYDjwiwZkenPqNhTVp4iA1J4xwMRnkehqOQrFMR9Bz4rw0f0lQV3fxmSzeyZ7eWi-1MHjJXg5OL8CUce70jWiA9SugRB0KsiiOdKQNmLzob8LUhCjf9J0Ao/s1600/1-placodont-henodus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VI3U8Mrl4B_1GuS8g0DErZYDjwiwZkenPqNhTVp4iA1J4xwMRnkehqOQrFMR9Bz4rw0f0lQV3fxmSzeyZ7eWi-1MHjJXg5OL8CUce70jWiA9SugRB0KsiiOdKQNmLzob8LUhCjf9J0Ao/s200/1-placodont-henodus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Placodont Henodus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Latter placodonts such as </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cyamodus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Sigh-am-o-dus) and </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Henodus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Hen-o-dus), due to
convergent evolution looked superficially like a turtle with a carapace and
plastron. Most likely this armory was developed as protection due to an
increase in larger marine reptile predators entering placodont shallow coastal
water environments. </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cyamodus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> even
possessed a second shell protecting the rear pelvis area. A second advantage to
the shells was their increased weight that was just below the level of neutral
buoyancy allowing the animal to paddle in reaching the shallow bottoms where
the shelled bivalves were. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqg5tMnbwG2BH4L_T8QlXbEzHrLd97FTiOjYodARat81K_yGzU9hmqsbm3KBHYl53w4XFbNJv2Vbw9qLCHjH3rkDnRFQs6b1UUx6u1aDmxaHmmdBUOcjxgejRAe5qMZEFn1v_qer1JecY/s1600/1-turtle-eunotosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqg5tMnbwG2BH4L_T8QlXbEzHrLd97FTiOjYodARat81K_yGzU9hmqsbm3KBHYl53w4XFbNJv2Vbw9qLCHjH3rkDnRFQs6b1UUx6u1aDmxaHmmdBUOcjxgejRAe5qMZEFn1v_qer1JecY/s200/1-turtle-eunotosaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eunotosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Occurring 265.8-251 mya, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eunotosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
Eu-no-toe-sore-us) was an early </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pantestudines</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
still retaining the diapsid skull. This reptile had a broad body formed by nine
pairs of broadened ribs. The upper surface of the ribs was concave giving the
body a rounded broad shape. Most of the ribs were fused to the vertebrae.
Sharpey’s fibers aid in anchoring muscle to bone in most animals. On the ribs’
anterior sides, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eunotosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> lacked
Sharpey’s fibers suggesting the animal lacked intercostal muscles. Turtles also
lack intercostal muscles.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_td-bY7nwBW6bFaLUHTh416dneVhowc_sRmfFBXdAa4gwaGeBGLkWWzYVv7t3bi5LLyUcMECNWwVUKtt3cLtrnvJdXAW7iY4PES8JSPDWwBdhLYukreohKpSx4q3tV6xv1eVLaJTxJKA/s1600/1-turtle+torso+muscle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_td-bY7nwBW6bFaLUHTh416dneVhowc_sRmfFBXdAa4gwaGeBGLkWWzYVv7t3bi5LLyUcMECNWwVUKtt3cLtrnvJdXAW7iY4PES8JSPDWwBdhLYukreohKpSx4q3tV6xv1eVLaJTxJKA/s200/1-turtle+torso+muscle.jpg" width="176" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Another </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pantestudines</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> arising 240 mya during the Middle Triassic, was </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pappochelys</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Pa-po-sha-lis).
This animal had exhibited pachyostosis (expanded broad ribs/vertebrae) and had
gastralia, which are dermal bones found in the ventral body walls. The
gastralium appears to be a precursor to a shell. It was still a diapsid in
possessing two temporal fenestrae skull holes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUvpYVOeCoBclWGwnjmlzSAsSPm9I7p5UR_D1LBrubQAnvug2NQpn7a2BLYLv9yrZmnLgP__3QDE5v1tCcp41WSm2palXyy4_1542z1GyInMTApslh63zWo3EaYLxbfs2MIdUMGrnx6Vy/s1600/1-turtle+pappochelys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUvpYVOeCoBclWGwnjmlzSAsSPm9I7p5UR_D1LBrubQAnvug2NQpn7a2BLYLv9yrZmnLgP__3QDE5v1tCcp41WSm2palXyy4_1542z1GyInMTApslh63zWo3EaYLxbfs2MIdUMGrnx6Vy/s200/1-turtle+pappochelys.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pappochelys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Occurring 220 mya, the oldest known
anapsid true turtle with a shell, although partial with shortened ribs was </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Odontochelys</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
O-don-toe-kell-ees). The plastron (ventral shell) was complete, while the
carapace (anterior shell) was incomplete covered by skin as in the modern
softshell. This turtle also possessed teeth in both the upper and lower jaws.
Along with these primitive features, in </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Odontochelys</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’
tail, the transverse process was not fused as in modern turtles and the
scapulae lacked acromion processes (bony projections extending from scapula on
shoulder blade) as evident in modern turtles. Nonetheless, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Odontochelys</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is a transitional turtle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nLwVuzOkZd1iBgV-p7HpObUM2e3gb2FgbxbiWD_V0SdaC3Qu01pCT-BshNRLajrCabpS8XI0iG_Hd4vIrQk-iSK8awnkqLTbj4DvnUAFzX5dy3BgE6tYi6wauUxo9HPd4nj7urk9jxu7/s1600/1-turtle+Odontochelys2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nLwVuzOkZd1iBgV-p7HpObUM2e3gb2FgbxbiWD_V0SdaC3Qu01pCT-BshNRLajrCabpS8XI0iG_Hd4vIrQk-iSK8awnkqLTbj4DvnUAFzX5dy3BgE6tYi6wauUxo9HPd4nj7urk9jxu7/s200/1-turtle+Odontochelys2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odontochelys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With the acromion advent, turtles moved
their shoulder blades and pelvis (hips) underneath their ribs. The monophyletic
sister clade to </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Odontochelys</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Testudinata</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
Tess-tu-dee-nah-ta) forming the two modern turtle groups in the genus, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Proganochelys</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics: Pro-gan-oh-kell-ees)
and the order of extant turtles, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Testudines</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Tess-tu-dee-nees).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqY2djnWbphT_PsFvtWKzq_4vt0k5LSwZQNPosXjAdCIxxly9iqKxvbkB1lE2AZOk5RORqk4_n9_PKqTzQyL4tx_SRNfXFoY4ySlGUANi1s6DM4ZHhAnbPwZvf2iBulYOR-YtJdTlaQ3i/s1600/1-turtle+Proganochelys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqY2djnWbphT_PsFvtWKzq_4vt0k5LSwZQNPosXjAdCIxxly9iqKxvbkB1lE2AZOk5RORqk4_n9_PKqTzQyL4tx_SRNfXFoY4ySlGUANi1s6DM4ZHhAnbPwZvf2iBulYOR-YtJdTlaQ3i/s200/1-turtle+Proganochelys.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Proganochelys</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, dating to the
Late Triassic 210 mya are extinct. <i>Proganochelys</i>
is the oldest stem turtle species thus far found to have a complete shell. It
was around 1m/3.3ft long and heavily armored with bony shell plates and a tail
with spikes terminating in a club. Its head could not be retracted into the
shell and although it had no teeth, denticles existed on the palate. As in all
extant turtles its scapulae (shoulder blades) sat underneath the rib cage
instead of outside as in all other vertebrate animals. This also makes for a
contorted arrangement of torso muscles.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfGr0k5ARxRywOwknqn8O3RYjp8UI3BKZrvdHmMYKku9IRGfeD1px1nEwI9Wct71ZBddDbhgjSOkZFJV3F-9hRW4cB-ZEfqIlQxktNGSyLc1RJORCUhhSjvmCnqeVMPlE9wGGTn7tf1dq/s1600/1-Turtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfGr0k5ARxRywOwknqn8O3RYjp8UI3BKZrvdHmMYKku9IRGfeD1px1nEwI9Wct71ZBddDbhgjSOkZFJV3F-9hRW4cB-ZEfqIlQxktNGSyLc1RJORCUhhSjvmCnqeVMPlE9wGGTn7tf1dq/s200/1-Turtle.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the embryonic stage, the chicken,
mouse and turtle are all similar resulting from a common ancestor. But, as the
embryo develops with the ribs extending down the embryo’s flanks surrounded by
the myotome (muscle plate), where the chicken and mouse’s ribs, scalpulae
muscle plate stay in place as the embryo matures, hatches and grows into an
adult, the turtle embryo folds the myotome forward while the ribs, as shorter,
never reach down into the flanks. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfue1ElRRqH02UpqPOEfSTP9SWm3AL8sGPVZ4M7wKkTFVA1n4zbvaELNDBdyX19Nrch_c90pwekPa8m_HQEV3NKcDZPXTjI2SWzifGT0L-KQx5o4k-HOQGElGsgxdFL0iiPkwnYtLX6pNf/s1600/1-turtle+desmatochelys+jorge+blanco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfue1ElRRqH02UpqPOEfSTP9SWm3AL8sGPVZ4M7wKkTFVA1n4zbvaELNDBdyX19Nrch_c90pwekPa8m_HQEV3NKcDZPXTjI2SWzifGT0L-KQx5o4k-HOQGElGsgxdFL0iiPkwnYtLX6pNf/s200/1-turtle+desmatochelys+jorge+blanco.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desmayochelys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The oldest known turtle to show the
modern features of extant turtles was in the sea turtle <i>Desmayochelys</i> (Phonetics: Des-may-o-kell-ees) occurring 120 mya in
the Mid-Cretaceous. However, this ancient turtle evolved independently from
modern sea turtle lineage. This suggests that there were multiple instances of
land dwelling turtles evolving into sea turtles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Testudines</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> is further
divided into two suborders, <i>Cryptodira</i>
phonetics: Crypt-o-deer-ah) and <i>Pleurodira</i>
(phonetics: Pleur-o-deer-ah). All extant turtles have eight neck vertebrae, but
in <i>Pleurodira</i> the cervical vertebrae
are spool-shaped in cross-section with biconvex centra on one or more of the
cervicals. Pleurodires include the side neck turtles that withdraw the head
into the shell by bending the neck into a horizontal plane. Cryptodires include
all other turtles, terrapins and tortoises that pull their heads straight back
into the shell.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintfAXTcktNbcKv1PgzS4Faq-MhALfS1tTmMjFyrjO_3Jxuw8tnH39xgf13mZpZDXm-TnIMZCIDfqKUuUsjJO4Dl_zLNtNmBgrdr5NuopQYUS60Khdc4WpcS4MYtQSlD0xu1GL0wnH8ANp/s1600/1-turtle+Carbonemys_Cofrinii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintfAXTcktNbcKv1PgzS4Faq-MhALfS1tTmMjFyrjO_3Jxuw8tnH39xgf13mZpZDXm-TnIMZCIDfqKUuUsjJO4Dl_zLNtNmBgrdr5NuopQYUS60Khdc4WpcS4MYtQSlD0xu1GL0wnH8ANp/s200/1-turtle+Carbonemys_Cofrinii.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carbonemys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Two really large extinct turtles were
the pleurodires, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carbonemys</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(Phonetics: Car-bon-em-iss) and </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Protostega</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(phonetics: Pro-toe-stay-gah). </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carbonemys</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
existed 60 mya in what is now Columbia. This terrestrial freshwater turtle’s
shell reached a length of 1.72m/5ft 8in. Though not definitive, it was a
carnivore and could easily consume a small crocodile with super strong jaws.</span></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsu7k7D63ksj2DQwIkOHEipojqg2OuzVRgWU7WrbjkppbbFWVRwAg4jhZwOxsFQrKXwSSG75PMvTwMgcWP7MQHBW2dXnnzFFqPTZo5Wskmk6UsmoAVhFuXbcQkkcBj5EpzAI-bCgRiWYS-/s1600/1-turtle-archelon-protostega.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsu7k7D63ksj2DQwIkOHEipojqg2OuzVRgWU7WrbjkppbbFWVRwAg4jhZwOxsFQrKXwSSG75PMvTwMgcWP7MQHBW2dXnnzFFqPTZo5Wskmk6UsmoAVhFuXbcQkkcBj5EpzAI-bCgRiWYS-/s320/1-turtle-archelon-protostega.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Protostega</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> occurred 83.5
mya with its fossil remains being found in the Smoky Hill Chalk formations of
western Kansas. With a soft shell for light weightiness and flippers for limbs,
this turtle was a tireless swimmer during its search for an omnivorous meal.
This marine turtle reached lengths of more than 3.1m/10ft, but it was not the
largest turtle ever. That title belongs to the sea turtle, <i>Archelon</i> (phonetics: R-kell-on) that grew to lengths of 4m/13ft.</span></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhHEQGGxZUxhpxpvzUmKqvvHLXm0HQZbDIN2ldRHRXGXSNYNO-McfulmmjWg7tWveLSubrd47uEZykvdIgqc5dMLfCO4RMdua713uxQHsxhOzzMYiiBWwOchu53fCNLESqaTgIKXZLlC2/s1600/1-turtle+pig-nose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhHEQGGxZUxhpxpvzUmKqvvHLXm0HQZbDIN2ldRHRXGXSNYNO-McfulmmjWg7tWveLSubrd47uEZykvdIgqc5dMLfCO4RMdua713uxQHsxhOzzMYiiBWwOchu53fCNLESqaTgIKXZLlC2/s200/1-turtle+pig-nose.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pig-nosed Arvinachelys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just named <i>Arvinachelys </i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">(phonetics: R-vin-ack-ell-iss)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, a recent 2015 fossil
find is a .61m /2ft long turtle that once roamed the bayous and lazy rivers of
present day Utah ~76 mya in the Late Cretaceous. It’s pig-like nostril snout
makes it a very peculiar turtle indeed baffling scientists on what exactly was
its function. </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAynBzZ0uvkJHRZFrfFKJt2No-qOngYmgMB5YbkOsQ5hVJOZmHjKecwvWpVZN04PuYiMJeRFDHR6Hq1bRwK-lq_kdbE6SM-eRR1Vimng5M2Q3NH2JPRbmJjx_ZNXOmGIKM2MqBhrDK-F9o/s1600/1-turtle+puentemys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAynBzZ0uvkJHRZFrfFKJt2No-qOngYmgMB5YbkOsQ5hVJOZmHjKecwvWpVZN04PuYiMJeRFDHR6Hq1bRwK-lq_kdbE6SM-eRR1Vimng5M2Q3NH2JPRbmJjx_ZNXOmGIKM2MqBhrDK-F9o/s200/1-turtle+puentemys.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puentemys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In 2012, the fossil remains in what is
now Columbia, <i>Puentemys</i> (phonetics:
Pwen-twem-iss) was a turtle with a carapace that extended 1.5m/5ft in diameter.
In addition, the shell was almost a perfect circle. <i>Puentemys</i> lived 60 mya along with enormous snakes and crocodilians.
The carapace size would have made the turtle much less susceptible to being on
the larger reptiles’ menu.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipW4cKnoeqNgEGn41EAXTWDKNDIAUSFt58AZ3duBGtP6u3gXYoDIxNuvQO1nq4FEWjs70i4H7dLtYJCbRGX3ITuNvoFS6mNPO8sjlkgI_u2RnZlbNnb7be7w1f4rBFv24QNkozafaTtdFe/s1600/1-turtle-allaeochelys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipW4cKnoeqNgEGn41EAXTWDKNDIAUSFt58AZ3duBGtP6u3gXYoDIxNuvQO1nq4FEWjs70i4H7dLtYJCbRGX3ITuNvoFS6mNPO8sjlkgI_u2RnZlbNnb7be7w1f4rBFv24QNkozafaTtdFe/s320/1-turtle-allaeochelys.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last embrace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Please note the above photo. One turtle
fossil that is more important than the turtle itself is of <i>Allaeochelys</i> (phonetics: Al-ah-ee-ock-ell-iss). The male, smaller
than the female were both caught in a loving embrace that’s forever preserved
in fossilization. The pair died mating, with scientists surmising that the
couple started the reproductive ritual near the surface of a lake and once
embraced sunk to the bottom where a layer of poisonous gases existed perishing
the couple. In the German Messel Pit, not only one fossil has been found of
this turtle mating, but no less than nine have been found, although in varying
time zones during the Eocene 57-36 mya. Perhaps as suggested, a more befitting
name would be ‘<i>Coitus interruptus</i>’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Path to Sphenodonts/Lizards/Snakes/Amphisbaenians:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As mentioned above, during diapsid
appearances, the mainline was the <i>Archosauromorpha</i>
infraclass which first appeared ~255 mya. A few million years later diverging
away from archosauromorphs ~ 247.5 mya was lepidosauromorphs, in which
comprised all diapsids closer to lizards than to archosaurs. <i>Lepidosauriformes</i>, as predecessors to
the lepidosaur extant squamate line of lizards, snakes, amphisbaenians and the
sphenodont tuataras were already lizard-like in physical appearance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Taking up where we left off in
discussing lepidosauromorphs under ‘Diapsids’, lepidosauromorphs had produced
the <i>Lepidosauriformes</i> clade. This
group is almost there as a lizard. The supratemporal of the skull is reduced
while migrating backwards replaced in its original position by the squamosal
that rims the upper temporal fenestra as witnessed in true lizards.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlZ6TFPGBm5DBpDVO5fz750opbW9WsEJAJtV2VecYtgMv8KWoF1OZjpFROeZ1VTKitLh1p1Pu7QwcIYq3_D1E75CqjuS5CP83KBkwUHMiTSUtL-30W98cEFy41ytBhPcmQAO0s6FO_x4c/s1600/1-coelurosauravus58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlZ6TFPGBm5DBpDVO5fz750opbW9WsEJAJtV2VecYtgMv8KWoF1OZjpFROeZ1VTKitLh1p1Pu7QwcIYq3_D1E75CqjuS5CP83KBkwUHMiTSUtL-30W98cEFy41ytBhPcmQAO0s6FO_x4c/s200/1-coelurosauravus58.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coelurosauravus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the Late Permian ~ 260.5-251mya and
in the Late Triassic ~210 mya, two lepidosauriforms emerged in the
aforementioned <i>Coelurosauravus</i> (phonetics:
See-lor-o-sor-ay-vuss) and the <i>Kuehneosaurus</i>
(phonetics: Keen-e-o-sor-us) genera respectively. Both possessed longer tails
as opposed to their predecessors and had a streamlined rigid body. They also
had longer claws for grasping onto the barks of trees in an arboreal lifestyle.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The more ancient <i>Coelurosauravus</i> (40cm/16in) had a skull crest where Kuehneosaurus
(72cm/2.3ft) didn’t, but both had thin hollow skeletal structures for
aerodynamic flight. The winged assembly of <i>Coelurosauravus</i>
was held by newly evolved dermal bone extensions ending in posterior
pseudo-ribs supporting a skinned membranous web known as a patagium. In the
case of <i>Kuehneosaurus</i>, the ribs had
been thinned and extended. These were one of the first vertebrates to take to
the air. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Coelurosauravus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was a true
glider lofting from branch to branch or from tree to tree much like a flying
squirrel today does, where <i>Kuehneosaurus</i>
most likely parachuted instead of gliding to get from higher limb to lower limb
or from tree to ground. This wasn’t a slow parachute descent. According to 2008
aerodynamic studies by K. Stein, descending at a 45° angle, speeds could’ve
easily been reached up to 10-12 m/33-39.6ft per second.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Derived as a niece so to speak from a
sister group of <i>Coelurosauravus</i>, but
from a sister of <i>Kuehneosaurus </i>was
the genus, <i>Icarosaurus</i> (phonetics:
Ick-ah-ro-sor-us). This little gliding reptile, no more than 10cm/4in long, in
addition to membranous skin webbing down the sides of its body, also possessed
smaller webs along the backside of the hind legs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Icarosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> first appeared
228 mya. Rather than developing its long rib wings in the embryonic egg, it
most likely developed them after it hatched and matured. Its pedal proportions
of the feet were similar to <i>Coelurosauravus</i>,
but more in line of terrestrial lizards in every other aspect.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-KobnEM8GdaKrG08h5TsNFEHRLX_RQyI2Ja6ETA_V4xB_BJ20-ebZMq7lZFYrETrnEyIMt73GJuOOMYqoF-6MQmAejNb9yVmmgcq2AL-37E1LzwcCoSvnf7pwX4JWqocKtAY58Eq9SFA/s1600/1-icarosaurus588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-KobnEM8GdaKrG08h5TsNFEHRLX_RQyI2Ja6ETA_V4xB_BJ20-ebZMq7lZFYrETrnEyIMt73GJuOOMYqoF-6MQmAejNb9yVmmgcq2AL-37E1LzwcCoSvnf7pwX4JWqocKtAY58Eq9SFA/s200/1-icarosaurus588.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Icarosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sharovipteryx</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Shar-ov-ip-ter-ix)
occurring 225 mya had increased the <i>Icarosaurus</i>’
hind patagium to foot and leg wings, however there were no front limbed patagia
(plural for patagium) freeing the forelegs. With large hind limbs making the
much smaller forelimbs appear diminutive in comparison, <i>Sharovipteryx</i> most likely was not a quadruped, but hopped around on
its hind limbs when not gliding during mobility. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCweRlHqkziNt3FzhpsTcANtbtd3IGQsu9CJMpMyWoYQEpGUZ8vl-foOhKp-b_wIw5IZQljTbH9Z74m_kZDWX5mozDOBaGwiWf3VWh9qnPPJUZo68M-g0jxUqFT1YsYsnoyiKk4zb-c-2/s1600/1-sharovipteryx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCweRlHqkziNt3FzhpsTcANtbtd3IGQsu9CJMpMyWoYQEpGUZ8vl-foOhKp-b_wIw5IZQljTbH9Z74m_kZDWX5mozDOBaGwiWf3VWh9qnPPJUZo68M-g0jxUqFT1YsYsnoyiKk4zb-c-2/s200/1-sharovipteryx.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharovipteryx</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Xianglong</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Zang-long)
is, in the fossil record, the last of these gliding reptiles occurring in the
Early Cretaceous. Besides the torso extended membranes, it also had two small
neck membranes used as rudders.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjy6Qh5zjW-ibWXf5dw3UCKJqi_biGbfsMXfA4G9odgRho9JzyBzn8OAOdUSSoKPxZ7dga4LKpW0frpV-mExf9AuDYqK5QUQVvXI4IjfW9zjq9kQEiQgICpzQwn45E-8IwQ9w3QsktUE9_/s1600/1-Xianglong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjy6Qh5zjW-ibWXf5dw3UCKJqi_biGbfsMXfA4G9odgRho9JzyBzn8OAOdUSSoKPxZ7dga4LKpW0frpV-mExf9AuDYqK5QUQVvXI4IjfW9zjq9kQEiQgICpzQwn45E-8IwQ9w3QsktUE9_/s200/1-Xianglong.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xianglong</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">These flying reptiles are mentioned
because they ushered in the beginnings of what I like to call, the proto-lizard
although technically, they’re proto-squamates, but nonetheless, both terms
express lizard-likeness in physiology and morphology.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the Late Permian 255 mya one of the
first proto-squamate appears in <i>Lacertulus</i>
(phonetics: Lah-sur-tull-us). It had a wider premaxilla, vomers and palatines
than lepidosaurs preceding it and has been described as a facultative bipedal
animal with longer hind limbs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another basal lepidosauriform was <i>Santaisaurus</i> (phonetics:
San-tah-ee-sor-us). Occurring during the Early Triassic, it differed in having
small sub pleurodont teeth; an augury to fully developed sphenodont teeth.
Thus, begins the <i>Sphenodontia</i> (honetics:
Sfen-o-don-chee-ah) order as an offshoot away from the evolutionary line of
their sister group, the squamates (lizards). The only remaining extant
sphenodont is the tuatara of New Zealand with two species. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpLNA6xR1GK-vBqUZz2yxMbNTkPN6h77T7ixdIiu4unS_b7ItPkh-Lx4IJqdEjdlafU9GobEEZekvCr5TA0LQ8cyhonAhPbj5ecX27Lmm5KkZl5ADHpm-qdFwkxWsUoPiRyUNNvVuYZ8w/s1600/1-marmoretta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpLNA6xR1GK-vBqUZz2yxMbNTkPN6h77T7ixdIiu4unS_b7ItPkh-Lx4IJqdEjdlafU9GobEEZekvCr5TA0LQ8cyhonAhPbj5ecX27Lmm5KkZl5ADHpm-qdFwkxWsUoPiRyUNNvVuYZ8w/s320/1-marmoretta.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basal proto-sphenodont</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Splitting 220 mya in the Triassic,
proto-sphenodonts as the likes of <i>Marmoretta</i>
(Phonetics: Mar-mo-ret-tah) began diverging from lepidosaurs in anatomically
having distinct characteristics while superficially resembling lizards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One of the earliest sphenodonts was in
the basal genus, <i>Gephyrosaurus</i> (phonetics:
Jeff-er-o-sor-us) appearing in the Early Jurassic then becoming extinct.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Synapomorphies (unique shared
characteristics) among sphenodonts are located in the mouth such as an enlarged
palatine tooth row with acrodont dentition and a posterior extension of the
dentary. Sphenodonts for the most part also displayed some form of propalinal
(forward and backward mastification) jaw action.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The five taxa that sphenodonts are
divided in are the aquatic pleurosaurs and sapheosaurs, the specialized
scissor-like teeth carnivorous clevosaurs, the Mid-Late Cretaceous highly
specialized eilenodontines and the sphenodontines which are solely represented
by the two existing tuatara species. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8vMOt1UR1hyIYwn4qzbA1_bLKNslEHwtVpdk11JJ3UhY60kc5W8wgKAj6Ph7T7NUZISViqynkONCp33zFediLj3qjKl8rpRzJ7xu97xQpNmKOFEBxx50rA4WTWdcug0Niaa7f-qWDs5B/s1600/1-eury+Pleurosaurus_goldfussi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8vMOt1UR1hyIYwn4qzbA1_bLKNslEHwtVpdk11JJ3UhY60kc5W8wgKAj6Ph7T7NUZISViqynkONCp33zFediLj3qjKl8rpRzJ7xu97xQpNmKOFEBxx50rA4WTWdcug0Niaa7f-qWDs5B/s200/1-eury+Pleurosaurus_goldfussi.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pleurosaurus goldfussi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Down through the Triassic and into the
Jurassic, there were various proto-squamates leading ever closer to true
lizards until the Early Cretaceous when one of the last proto-squamates in the
genus, <i>Meyasaurus</i> (phonetics:
May-ah-sor-us) morphologically appeared more lizard than not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2UiR1Du-s26_tzDgz5LIdML6-aEFfMaL9J6CVFaWWan0byq1AEm_qhAuf_Jq_ltK-Q_OxXvd6L0Zz6WKK9EcRYccTL4u6w7-69oeuP9KLNmtAfSAgLxCGlDpp63xkg0gYHFtgiswuPcXG/s1600/1-astragalo-calcaneo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2UiR1Du-s26_tzDgz5LIdML6-aEFfMaL9J6CVFaWWan0byq1AEm_qhAuf_Jq_ltK-Q_OxXvd6L0Zz6WKK9EcRYccTL4u6w7-69oeuP9KLNmtAfSAgLxCGlDpp63xkg0gYHFtgiswuPcXG/s200/1-astragalo-calcaneo.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Astralago-calcaneum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Meyasaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> had typical
lizard traits such as the scapulocoracoid pectoral girdle arrangement and a
pelvis opening called the thyroid fenestra. It also had tail vertebrae as
shallow keels representing possible caudal autonomy, foot bone metacarpals and
phalanges capped by cartilage, heavy ossification of limb bones and the specialized
lizard foot and ankle structure of the fused astralago-calcaneun. The primary
difference is that the teeth of <i>Meyasaurus</i>
were not homodont, but were heterodont in possessing anterior small pegs with
posterior bicuspids.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmRpG-mGZBA2n6rACS86A1BZYeh2qCaFhwnMH5-gSDlM6-t6Wdn_ntlKLrN9w9sH2T4VeJ-wmiL41e2-Pv5HRzUTekRfPU9o5bm6iu85LBfm4tRow9UFSjtrOX1PeA9U8IGyN3HMsoNRR/s1600/1-spenodont+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmRpG-mGZBA2n6rACS86A1BZYeh2qCaFhwnMH5-gSDlM6-t6Wdn_ntlKLrN9w9sH2T4VeJ-wmiL41e2-Pv5HRzUTekRfPU9o5bm6iu85LBfm4tRow9UFSjtrOX1PeA9U8IGyN3HMsoNRR/s320/1-spenodont+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sphenodont clad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lacertilia:</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Most extant lizard
groupings had their beginnings in the Cretaceous. Today’s lizards are arranged
into five infraorders; they are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">1. <i>Iguania</i> (among others iguanas,
crotaphytids, agamids, chameleons)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2. <i>Gekkota</i> (including geckos, legless
lizards, blind lizards)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">3.
<i>Scincomorpha</i> (including among others skinks, whiptails, cordylids)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">4.
<i>Diploglossa</i> (anguids,
anniellids, xenosaurids)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">5.
<i>Platynota</i> (monitors,
helodermatids, mosasaurs ~ extinct)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Proto-lizards with essential lizard
characteristics branched out in forming the various lizard groups. From the
late Jurassic ~155 mya, <i>Euposaurus</i> (phonetics:
U-poe-sor-us) with shared sister taxa traits of skull features appears to be
the basal most to <i>Iguania</i>, <i>Gekkota</i>, <i>Scincomorpha</i> and <i>Diploglossa</i>.
On the basis of frontal morphology and limb proportions, <i>Euposaurus</i> nested as ancestral to <i>Scandensia</i> (Phonetics: Scan-den-see-ah) and <i>Liushusaurus</i> (Phonetics: Lee-oo-shu-sor-us). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Found in Early Cretaceous rock layers
from ~130 mya, <i>Scandensia</i> possessed
trenchant claws in leading an arboreal life. But this squamate came down from
the trees giving rise to the basal line of <i>Liushusaurus</i>
that is basal to the suborder, <i>Scleroglossa</i>
(Scl-ro-gloss-ah) which includes iguanas, geckos, skinks and varanoids. It also
includes the new clade, <i>Bifurcata</i>
(Phonetics: By-fur-caw-tah) which proposes <i>Iguania</i>
as a sister taxon to anguimorphs. Due to the latest phylogenetic analysis on
molecular data concerning extant squamates, <i>Bifurcata</i>
was instituted to make <i>Scleroglossa</i>
valid in distinguishing the bifurcated tongued lizards from the iguanian
muscular full tongue used for lingual capturing of food. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvUOyJ0RFApYYa0fpTjZAeMZdcV8tsccLMxc5Y7buN7gO8jG_s7qeKjhQsIm3Ih9OI3pawYUx2MHvfaPkE04Ha5j_Xkk8IjouwPTKkqYfzxFyaX9VzgOche6-ENvLrB8oxQbjrpMSnI2C/s1600/1-yabeinosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvUOyJ0RFApYYa0fpTjZAeMZdcV8tsccLMxc5Y7buN7gO8jG_s7qeKjhQsIm3Ih9OI3pawYUx2MHvfaPkE04Ha5j_Xkk8IjouwPTKkqYfzxFyaX9VzgOche6-ENvLrB8oxQbjrpMSnI2C/s200/1-yabeinosaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yabeinosaurus fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The split between <i>Iguania</i> and lizards contained in <i>Scleroglossa</i> is represented in <i>Yabeinosaurus</i>
(phonetics: Yah-be-in-o-sor-us) as one of the earliest splits within lizard
evolution. A <i>Yabeinosaurus</i> fossil
found in 2011 with fifteen developed embryos is the oldest fossil of a
live-bearing lizard. In addition, physiologically, <i>Yabeinosaurus</i> was trending towards a varanid body shape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Je0OeH0w3Gd_mD9-BFCcW1q3zznZV34_qvsMGXmSMMQqBYk21bQKp4xZbh1ApvipBVS3N32b1NjwQkWepG1UZA-AHpw7ALvkhFZhr4979sBJB84eGnReiL_shUb83Ep1E19eRsnXf-W9/s1600/1-Estesia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Je0OeH0w3Gd_mD9-BFCcW1q3zznZV34_qvsMGXmSMMQqBYk21bQKp4xZbh1ApvipBVS3N32b1NjwQkWepG1UZA-AHpw7ALvkhFZhr4979sBJB84eGnReiL_shUb83Ep1E19eRsnXf-W9/s200/1-Estesia.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Estesia skull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Estesia</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> (Phonetics:
A-tees-e-ah) showing up in the Late Cretaceous is basal to varanus and
ancestral to <i>Heloderma</i>, the Gila
monster genus. <i>Estesia</i>’s dentition
alludes to the fact that it was venomous. The teeth were all sharp and recurved
as in current varanoids.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9AOpnMv9ogN-we92AfyBmFpAGB1NFLjGJuw98JNw06MqNqSpSu98wKWKVbAYZjTtrz6bA4wgL4Oib9-dJIkS_jUNbZ7qFEogmZtd_67s2xyL7XilKFDBCQuTvE6P7I82ytK2qEJn7awB/s1600/1-estesia1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9AOpnMv9ogN-we92AfyBmFpAGB1NFLjGJuw98JNw06MqNqSpSu98wKWKVbAYZjTtrz6bA4wgL4Oib9-dJIkS_jUNbZ7qFEogmZtd_67s2xyL7XilKFDBCQuTvE6P7I82ytK2qEJn7awB/s200/1-estesia1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Estesia drawings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There is one varanid lizard from the
Pleistocene that went extinct just 50,000 years ago; it was </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Megalania</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
Meg-ah-lane-ee-ah). From what is now Australia, this is the largest lizard
known reaching a body length of 5.5m/18ft and weighing 575kg/1,268lbs. With the
tail it could’ve reached a length of 7m/23ft. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ur2P_eRmTHIvdp2_ex1EkryAQhVrTkMs0yo3k6VPjOHfP_tEtb55hpNZvKqeVSd1moW5kCW8L4Wc-8Pj7Ma2LAYPxbG0b7WIA31beT5s28vJfQsl5M_z9WR_VP-2yBfhdm5FLYzWcQVv/s1600/1-Megalania.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ur2P_eRmTHIvdp2_ex1EkryAQhVrTkMs0yo3k6VPjOHfP_tEtb55hpNZvKqeVSd1moW5kCW8L4Wc-8Pj7Ma2LAYPxbG0b7WIA31beT5s28vJfQsl5M_z9WR_VP-2yBfhdm5FLYzWcQVv/s200/1-Megalania.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megalania</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-6wSnfVzmazvoFMRh1sZjm5iXW7pkOrl1e7T0IQ6A5bCbl9lUGjoAfX0cpW7zWbLd_OrSFqWayB5Re9wptYSJoz18e1KdimSepG_mIjh1l70L3dM1nSAjagUouyvfl7Zj66DpfaQYCm2/s1600/1-Megalania+prisea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-6wSnfVzmazvoFMRh1sZjm5iXW7pkOrl1e7T0IQ6A5bCbl9lUGjoAfX0cpW7zWbLd_OrSFqWayB5Re9wptYSJoz18e1KdimSepG_mIjh1l70L3dM1nSAjagUouyvfl7Zj66DpfaQYCm2/s200/1-Megalania+prisea.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megalania</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is monophyletic evidence that
platynoans (genera: <i>Varanus</i> lizards, <i>Heloderma</i> lizards and mosasaurids) are
related to snakes. The extinct marine mosasaur lizard, in reference to their
terrestrial lizard origins, is actually more related to snakes than snakes are
to extant varanoid monitor lizards. Both mosasaurs and snakes have reduced,
vestigial or absent limbs, four or fewer premaxillary teeth, free mandibular
tips, a vertically straight splenio-angular joint, the double hinged jaw’s
ability to unhinge in creating a wide mouth opening and the absence of epiphyses on the axial
skeleton of the skull. All in all, there are forty morphology characteristics
prompting scientists in introducing a new mosasaur/snake clade called <i>Pythonomorpha</i> (phonetics:
Pi-thon-o-mor-pha).</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdYvhyy_StsTLM_JEvSvRhZl6k_THBCL4ljCZNdXmYH3jFcOaYdNhDbw5rZ5T0tp3do_yia4tDOSpPKJ1j5tOhU2mQvrxwdygWsHw_5oJjnvpmwGpTPLMwnW8c0hWPP1ZLualVdRzQ476/s1600/1-mosasauroidea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdYvhyy_StsTLM_JEvSvRhZl6k_THBCL4ljCZNdXmYH3jFcOaYdNhDbw5rZ5T0tp3do_yia4tDOSpPKJ1j5tOhU2mQvrxwdygWsHw_5oJjnvpmwGpTPLMwnW8c0hWPP1ZLualVdRzQ476/s200/1-mosasauroidea.jpg" width="189" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosasauroidea clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mosasaurs are a suborder of lizard going
back to the seas while becoming an apex predator in being as dominant in the
waters as Tyrannosaurus was on land (Sea rex vs. T rex). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Roaming the shallows and ocean depths
for any sized meal, mosasaur species traveled the world’s open oceans and
inland seas. Nonetheless, mosasaurs did evolve from terrestrial origins
replacing feet and toes with flippers.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqGZfqNDo13eJdCHXPJE8oI2NupbbfAwxrQchG-kvCh6p_4stqbJYle5DE4_OCtEm-rJsiXeWPsRUVMorfe3yK5lMRT5ZinzyWpY_g4sIuMPVxbjS3INjsCUODu5SFoPWvxC_dx5PqdXI/s1600/1-mosasaur+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqGZfqNDo13eJdCHXPJE8oI2NupbbfAwxrQchG-kvCh6p_4stqbJYle5DE4_OCtEm-rJsiXeWPsRUVMorfe3yK5lMRT5ZinzyWpY_g4sIuMPVxbjS3INjsCUODu5SFoPWvxC_dx5PqdXI/s200/1-mosasaur+1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosasaur after a shark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mosasaurs breathed air so had to surface
to breathe periodically and were efficient rapid swimmers possessing a strong
rudder designed broad tail for propulsion with limbs as flippers to steer and
cut through water. Mosasaur limbed flippers have the same skeletal structure as
their terrestrial lizard ancestry, but instead of feet and toes, membranous
webbing overtook the whole foot as mosasaurs evolved encasing the foot skeletal
elements. These hydropedal limbs evolved at least twice independently in
mosasaur species.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7Tu1Z90YQpbeghT2BacOJXL_rAv520BNBrOky3OdKuNs21K6r_5z9EOjhBssYouuXF1BfoPDaqm1oBQqdd2YyGZSVm616HXf7ugAIpCHKAK249-LUuXY57iKGUA3xU3TJXidbpjq2B5v/s1600/1-mosasaur+dallasaurus+skeleton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="55" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7Tu1Z90YQpbeghT2BacOJXL_rAv520BNBrOky3OdKuNs21K6r_5z9EOjhBssYouuXF1BfoPDaqm1oBQqdd2YyGZSVm616HXf7ugAIpCHKAK249-LUuXY57iKGUA3xU3TJXidbpjq2B5v/s200/1-mosasaur+dallasaurus+skeleton.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Semi-aqautic Dallasaurus skeleton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The more primitive and smaller mosasaurs
could still walk on land with their limbed flippers known as plesiopedal, but
as later hydropedal species grew larger, they also grew heavier and would not
have been able to traverse land due to weight. Being relegated to only an ocean
existence, mosasaurs gave live birth with one fossil showing four fetuses in
what once was her womb region. Neonate mosasaurs were one to two meters long at
birth with the mother giving birth anywhere she was when the birthing began to
commence. There were no shallow nurseries where soon-to-be moms collected. A
few newborn fossils were 483km/300mi from the nearest shores at the time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6qUqxCZHiOXeus1XHe0fDkSNxCbRzcxFWb5qb0l_TMuqjeN0VuEilRiJL6VUb9yb0obFZz17ic6dCXRenqvxKEGbIujovYrWZOrpfFk515tpZN16AcUTYN1GsUb-Sin5DjhHj0YLLPSL/s1600/1-mosasaur+skeletons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6qUqxCZHiOXeus1XHe0fDkSNxCbRzcxFWb5qb0l_TMuqjeN0VuEilRiJL6VUb9yb0obFZz17ic6dCXRenqvxKEGbIujovYrWZOrpfFk515tpZN16AcUTYN1GsUb-Sin5DjhHj0YLLPSL/s200/1-mosasaur+skeletons.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosasaur skeletons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Distinct from the four other synapsid
mesosaur and the three euryapsid pliosaur, plesiosaur and ichthyosaur marine
reptile subgroups, mosasaurs evolved from lizard anatomies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Occurring in the Middle Creataceous,
100-95 mya, <i>Aigialosaurus</i> (Phonetics:
Eye-gee-ah-lo-sor-us) lived along the Cretaceous river/lake shores, river
deltas and coast lines. It most likely ate aquatic animals living along shores.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscC5JcBW_zfJRwfdhfCkr5lj_-ONIx_f_qSAeZ_XFR5dYt4nNavZhstjpvi1Oj7Cj6aJQagu4ZQ0j4TFEVeCVD0T63rbOHRkJBd6J1bdQ_g86jaMiN3mfZRlc_fsOSJzLizO-I09soZ_E/s1600/1-mosasaur+Aigialosaurus_bucchichi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscC5JcBW_zfJRwfdhfCkr5lj_-ONIx_f_qSAeZ_XFR5dYt4nNavZhstjpvi1Oj7Cj6aJQagu4ZQ0j4TFEVeCVD0T63rbOHRkJBd6J1bdQ_g86jaMiN3mfZRlc_fsOSJzLizO-I09soZ_E/s200/1-mosasaur+Aigialosaurus_bucchichi.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aigialosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Aigialosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> was 1.4m/4.5ft
long and was a slender animal. It is intermediate to varanoids in having
varanoid terrestrial limbs. Thus far, being the basal most representative of
the <i>Mosaurinae</i> subgroup, it did have
toes with claws, but also as representative to mosasaurs, possessed mosasaurid
characteristics of fused frontal bones, a developed hinge joint between the angular
and splenial bones, a circular configuration of the quadrate bone and a
reduction of the transverse processes and zygapophyses which are one of the two
paired processes of a vertebra that interlock it with the adjacent vertebrae. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Appearing a few million years later in
the fossil record was<i> Dallasaurus</i>
(Phonetics: Dal-lah-sor-us) occurring 92 mya in the Middle Cretaceous. It is
the intermediate between <i>Aigialosaurus</i>
and mosasaurs in the <i>Mosaurinae</i>
subgroup. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FAkJ5JOraY0S7SyTgXIHk2rzZT2999Gp68pp7WR4dqAkQ8dWsyB3PByAUdSA6nB0h0HO_WoKSy5n8Oh8lNJGvSL23Sh7hmwdGUobt2u5uXKr_ReZMxXR91Lce2IaY5tYpGmCm5ILyzZf/s1600/1-mosasaur-Dallasaurus1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FAkJ5JOraY0S7SyTgXIHk2rzZT2999Gp68pp7WR4dqAkQ8dWsyB3PByAUdSA6nB0h0HO_WoKSy5n8Oh8lNJGvSL23Sh7hmwdGUobt2u5uXKr_ReZMxXR91Lce2IaY5tYpGmCm5ILyzZf/s200/1-mosasaur-Dallasaurus1.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dallasaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At .91m/3ft long it did have an
indistinguishable innateness of <i>Aigialosaurus</i>
and varanoids’ trunk and tail vertebrae, while still carrying the mosasaur bone
specifics described in the afore mentioned <i>Aigialosaurus</i>
description. It is the basal stem for the
primitive mosasaurs and the intermediate progenitor to mosasaurs like <i>Tylosaurus</i> (Phonetics: Ty-lo-sor-us) and
<i>Mosasaurus</i> (phonetics: Mo-za-sor-us) with
both reaching lengths in excess of 15m/49.2ft.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dallasaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">’ posterior
maxillary teeth were varanoid in being strongly recurved. Along with moderately
webbed feet, this lizard was semiaquatic frequenting the waters along
shorelines to appease its piscivorous diet. <i>Dallasaurus</i>
also had the distinctive mosasaur fused haemal arches, a humeral postglenoid
process and an elongate atlas synopophysis to name a few.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m attempting to be just wise enough in
mentioning here, <i>Coniasaurus</i>
(Phonetics: Ko-nee-ah-sor-us) that appeared in the fossil record 97-84 mya.
Although there is still debate due to the incomplete fossil finds of two
species, phylogeny analysis and cladistics suggest that <i>Coniasaurus</i> is a sister group to an <i>Aigialosaurus</i> and mosasaur clad.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsMWP87_e6Qq9cSwahHHM1UXvVMBE4baSzqm9lRXznPFiLchK9X7S-ufvqlhC6PfcF2Jlu2Z_WJr7PQRTyI__4gEwhQmZjHKEGyRVBBNZCI4itR5wkJgm1zBpk51QaQeB9iSf22Ml5z_M/s1600/1-mosasaurus3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsMWP87_e6Qq9cSwahHHM1UXvVMBE4baSzqm9lRXznPFiLchK9X7S-ufvqlhC6PfcF2Jlu2Z_WJr7PQRTyI__4gEwhQmZjHKEGyRVBBNZCI4itR5wkJgm1zBpk51QaQeB9iSf22Ml5z_M/s200/1-mosasaurus3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosasaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mosasaur evolution experienced a rapid
diversification and global distribution during the Late Cretaceous. To break it
down in a generalized form: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">100-94 mya ~ Mosasauroidea; <i>Aigialosaurus</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">92-90 mya ~ Mosasaurinae; <i>Dallasaurus</i> and other mosasaur
precursors<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">89-85.8 mya ~ first wave of primitive
but true Mosasaurs; <i>Clidastes,
Platecarpus </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">85.8- 83.5 mya ~ much larger/distributed
worldwide Mosasaurs; <i>Tylosaurus</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">83.5-71.3 mya ~ second wave of
Mosasaurs; <i>Mosasaurus, Globidens,
Halisaurus</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">71.3-65.4 mya ~ greatest diversity even
invading freshwater; <i>Pannoniasaurus</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">65.4 mya ~ all mosasaurs become extinct<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mosasaurs were the first vertebrate
animal group to populate the entire world. The map below, adapted from
paleontologist S. Suzuki’s original work (1985) shows the Late Cretaceous
distribution of mosasaurs 84-66 mya. The dashed lines represent the extent of
epicontinental shallow sea encroachment during the time period.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWe8Y8ET16gmHwSUVkWefOAss3GHygmfyy4m7Eg71NuOJnwcVVR9oM9-q9qcS0A3MEMcx6hM58NnsKsK7iRr_cPKt3r1QeLk_5YKHHKT_HBTaMUs0kUF10LMg5AcbGHMw1-SASp_XhZh9M/s1600/1-mosasaur+distribution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWe8Y8ET16gmHwSUVkWefOAss3GHygmfyy4m7Eg71NuOJnwcVVR9oM9-q9qcS0A3MEMcx6hM58NnsKsK7iRr_cPKt3r1QeLk_5YKHHKT_HBTaMUs0kUF10LMg5AcbGHMw1-SASp_XhZh9M/s200/1-mosasaur+distribution.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosasaur global fossil sites</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The reason for mosasaur extensive
migrations is most likely due to food competition and in seeking new niches.
During this period sharks were becoming abundant [such as <i>Cretoxyrhina</i> (Phonetics: Kreh-tox-see-rye-nah), a 7.6m/25ft long
prehistoric shark] and would eventually rule the seas after the K-T extinction.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">With a flexible skull and a head contributing to
anywhere from 10%-14% of total body length, from molluscs, fish to large euryapsids
and sharks, mosasaurs ate anything they chanced upon.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcE_vOb-63nDUCeKE28YggRxy5SgtYzW713nG80SYyrSHI7L7i0Gddor5c8W50S3UrIJ9houB9_xx8fle2Q1iVikOMcuJpUkiMThbACmyBqELuDoUuA5O-uL5MMMtJIqVuUAOlb-8MK70/s1600/1-tylosaurus+scaled_skin_of_mosasaurs-nat+sz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcE_vOb-63nDUCeKE28YggRxy5SgtYzW713nG80SYyrSHI7L7i0Gddor5c8W50S3UrIJ9houB9_xx8fle2Q1iVikOMcuJpUkiMThbACmyBqELuDoUuA5O-uL5MMMtJIqVuUAOlb-8MK70/s200/1-tylosaurus+scaled_skin_of_mosasaurs-nat+sz.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tylosaurus keel scaled skin fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTT3WnI_pwyZ3q6ICxciDs5trHq4SkFiyPRsyNxlm002kYtJJOBvnCfugx0T9-5JWJN9pmYS5HwNx6CsCCCm4Mk4D33A5h8bVs6fGdwKQV86fn6ybUv-Y5cxfr5WRcOHLb-jONvlEuPrMS/s1600/1-Tylosaurus-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTT3WnI_pwyZ3q6ICxciDs5trHq4SkFiyPRsyNxlm002kYtJJOBvnCfugx0T9-5JWJN9pmYS5HwNx6CsCCCm4Mk4D33A5h8bVs6fGdwKQV86fn6ybUv-Y5cxfr5WRcOHLb-jONvlEuPrMS/s200/1-Tylosaurus-.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tylosaurus mosausaur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">There were also freshwater mosasaurs
towards the end of the Cretaceous and just like in the mass ocean migrations,
most likely it was due to predator competition and pressures from lack of prey
that induced certain mosasaurs to move upstream from river deltas further
inland.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A <i>Plioplatecarpus</i>
(Phonetics: Ply-o-plat-ee-car-pus) unnamed species was found in Alberta and
Saskatchewan, Canada in 85-3-83.5 mya overbank deltaic deposits with no
evidence of opened marine environments letting out into the ocean. This
evidence confers that<i> Plioplatecarpus</i>
had indeed invaded estuarine and river environments. The older genus, <i>Platecarpus</i> (Phonetics: Plat-ee-car-pus)
had evolved into the genus, <i>Plioplatecarpus</i>.
From shallow coastal seas, <i>Plioplatecarpus</i>
moved inland into rivers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Several mosasaur species of juveniles
and adults were found far from the seas in inland rivers deposits. The
Hungarian finds show the animal had webbed limbs with terrestrial lizard-like
feet, so apparently was in a state of evolutionary reversion back to claw-toed
limbs. This mosasaur species was named, <i>Pannoniasaurus
inexpectatus</i> (Phonetics: Pan-nown-nee-ah-sor-us N-ex-pec-tah-tus). <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZ9UjTfaJrbJflOIZCxAyEIpawNi_vJZhlnuOf3L2Bqy-CSCpanPCfU6IkHHY3KdonhWfYmNTlqc7-eiIDOEnW3fVJyKU-Kaho94DkClFhy9nPccg9ZOdZBuV7VKjXjTTF3eLJu2nnrvO/s1600/1-mosasaur+pannoniosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZ9UjTfaJrbJflOIZCxAyEIpawNi_vJZhlnuOf3L2Bqy-CSCpanPCfU6IkHHY3KdonhWfYmNTlqc7-eiIDOEnW3fVJyKU-Kaho94DkClFhy9nPccg9ZOdZBuV7VKjXjTTF3eLJu2nnrvO/s200/1-mosasaur+pannoniosaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pannoniasaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pannoniasaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> lived between
85-3-83.5 mya surviving in a freshwater river system composed of an island
chain that sat between the African and Eurasian landmasses in what was once the
Tethys Ocean. With a size of 6m/19.7ft and a mouth set full of sharp teeth, it was
the rivers’ apex predator even though prehistoric alligators shared the rivers
it inhabited. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Still maintaining mosasaurid skull
characteristics, <i>Pannoniasaurus</i>
further had flattened the skull much like a crocodile’s which aided in ambush
strategies on aquatic and bank frequenting animals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HvqT0xiMNwYxJ3f_Kpte2iTElwlUWe_43CeEyPTGxpRB9U3_olGdKLNDEDQEmiCNP8398te3kA1sXjttWmRrpXJzQsp2mEUTsABjs6BjN3vKxF3qhjyFlJumIR0DLGMYhoKC8VUCwr0p/s1600/1-mosasaur+tylosauaurus1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HvqT0xiMNwYxJ3f_Kpte2iTElwlUWe_43CeEyPTGxpRB9U3_olGdKLNDEDQEmiCNP8398te3kA1sXjttWmRrpXJzQsp2mEUTsABjs6BjN3vKxF3qhjyFlJumIR0DLGMYhoKC8VUCwr0p/s200/1-mosasaur+tylosauaurus1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mosasaurid Tylosauarus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lizards, as the case with mosasaurs were
and are one of the most successful groups radiating outwards into differing
species with today exhibiting over 3,000 species. One of the main components
that added to this success was cranial kinesis allowing for skull element
flexibility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7t0otvF6UZQT5ZqqCcuWWyrRduUbvjFFm7CjHHkTWj4ITgkcvA6SVRtkjqKvGNsDRysYC4Z5ytl9AW34C6YhVqmmYiDHwhAenG2r11VrAQ0yoTjTQ6POcnlGSAvoNU9DILDjXFzBQXQF/s1600/1-lizard+skulls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7t0otvF6UZQT5ZqqCcuWWyrRduUbvjFFm7CjHHkTWj4ITgkcvA6SVRtkjqKvGNsDRysYC4Z5ytl9AW34C6YhVqmmYiDHwhAenG2r11VrAQ0yoTjTQ6POcnlGSAvoNU9DILDjXFzBQXQF/s200/1-lizard+skulls.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lizard cranial kinesis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cranial kinesis deals with skull
motility and is the presence of moveable joints within the cranium. All
vertebrates have some form of movable skull parts whether it’s simply the lower
jaw joint only or the flexible unhinging of skull elements. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mesokinesis, involving the frontal and
parietal bones, experiences more jointing in the rostral region of the cranium,
while metakinesis is experienced jointing between the dermatocranium and
occipital segment. Hypokinesis is a decreased contraction within cranium parts
where jointed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Streptostyly is defined as a rotation of
the quadrate at its dorsal articulation against the squamosal and/or
supratemporal bones. The axis of rotation is transversely oriented, so that the
quadrate swings through an anteroposterior arc. Like other forms of cranial
kinesis, streptostyly involves quantifiable movement of cranial elements applying
some kind of force against each other, whether it be tension, compression or
friction. Streptostyly is the fore-aft movement of the quadrate about the otic
joint (quadratosquamosal joint), although transverse movements may also be
possible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Amphikinesis is the occurrence of
mesokinesis and metakinesis in a coupled and coordinated manner. For any type
of kinesis to occur there must be neurokinesis addressing movement between the
braincase and palate at the basipterygopterygoid joint in the vicinity of the
sphenoid bone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cranial kinesis characterizes distinctive
skull movement features. Kinesis features were slowly adapted improving the
modes of capturing and holding prey prior to swallowing. By the time snakes
evolved, cranial kinesis, along with neurokinesis were already well evolved and
genetically inherited.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgJY0vbubuNP5b3IPPedeal-zY4c7gUrUEYuXUJguHA3kmy262Ctp_S5zkrsh-d_F39whLwgGYXDTSgYzybL79vyN08woJ8JhXmRkKtgRVFdvPMRZiyTZr4Zi7f3PK9ma1UTykV1fs_ha/s1600/1-snake+coniophis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgJY0vbubuNP5b3IPPedeal-zY4c7gUrUEYuXUJguHA3kmy262Ctp_S5zkrsh-d_F39whLwgGYXDTSgYzybL79vyN08woJ8JhXmRkKtgRVFdvPMRZiyTZr4Zi7f3PK9ma1UTykV1fs_ha/s200/1-snake+coniophis.jpg" width="115" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Serpentine:</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> The big battle
over snake evolution on whether it evolved from a fossorial (burrowing) lizard,
or an aquatic lizard is finally solved. Snake osteology is very fragile and is
not a good candidate for fossilizing. But with new fossil finds and DNA
sequencing, the riddle has been solved and I am glad to say it was the route I
always wagered on and that is...snakes evolved from burrowing proto-lizard
varanoids, not just once but multiple times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizzYP3ZVc2hOj0i_4C4CqY1KX39EJJFvZEJKk8u-_VQjBtRsBtHLrr6xc6SRAotodruyiwK2ItqLvb-Pe5zfzwR_UJB8saLtjWO0dCiTaimFwwxyqg_rLc7bftaGDhui2wyPF3FuGWm0b_/s1600/1-snake+evolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizzYP3ZVc2hOj0i_4C4CqY1KX39EJJFvZEJKk8u-_VQjBtRsBtHLrr6xc6SRAotodruyiwK2ItqLvb-Pe5zfzwR_UJB8saLtjWO0dCiTaimFwwxyqg_rLc7bftaGDhui2wyPF3FuGWm0b_/s200/1-snake+evolution.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snake evolution</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Snakes inherited the ability to produce
venom as most extant platynoans do in various volumes. Venom is primarily derived
proteins whereas snake venom evolved a single time from its lizard lineage
before divergence in speciation. The derived venomous protein further evolved
in snakes through gene encoding of a normal protein from regions of other
regulatory bioactivity processes. For example one pancreatic protein would be
recruited into a venomous proteome (a genome expressed entire set of proteins)
while protein from another body area is inducted also into the venom gland. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehqZw_nk0LJsJWwsoBezNVffAE9Ap_OUQEpfztZGnt_zavt8POfJFglJYGadP_fRJeh7J7lQSjIZIhQsXE1KAY1RyhfcrtZihUFryc2zOA1YRMnGmsR1sEjRxdZSOCUSdLA8P2Tz-_HPQ/s1600/1-snkae+Venom+clad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehqZw_nk0LJsJWwsoBezNVffAE9Ap_OUQEpfztZGnt_zavt8POfJFglJYGadP_fRJeh7J7lQSjIZIhQsXE1KAY1RyhfcrtZihUFryc2zOA1YRMnGmsR1sEjRxdZSOCUSdLA8P2Tz-_HPQ/s200/1-snkae+Venom+clad.jpg" width="158" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Venom clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This protein mixture eventually resulted
in a species unique venomous cocktail specific for affecting and subduing a
particular prey. Venom was developed for apprehending prey. Its secondary
advantage is in defense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There may be no real way to know if
mosasaurs had the ability to inject venom. Although they came from a
terrestrial ancestor with venom injecting capabilities, the type mode of
injection is not from a hollow fang, as is the case for most recent evolved venomous
snakes, but from grooved fangs that require chewing to stimulate venom to flow
down the grooves and into the wound. In an aquatic environment mosasaur venom
would simply have washed away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So perhaps, mosasaurs lost venom
injection capabilities, but it was no real loss as their jaws and size would
eventually allow them to rule the seas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The most primitive extant basal snake
group is scolecophidians (blind snakes). One of the largest genetic reptile
dataset assemblages carried out by Associate Professor, John J. Wiens in the
Department of Ecology/Evolution at ‘Stony Brook University’ verifies almost all
extant snake groups arose from this primitive burrowing blind snake group. This
is highly suggestive in alluding to the fact that snakes had fossorial origins and
from this evolvement, all extant snakes still carry (no matter if they are
terrestrial, arboreal or aquatic) a retained small tail. Small tails are
evident in all burrowing fossorial vertebrate animals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hox genes govern the boundaries of the
neck, trunk, lumbar, sacral and tail regions of vertebrates. Hox genes play the
role of a switch-box controlling the modules of genes at specific regions along
the axis of the body. Hox genes encode a class of transcription factors and are
pivotal in specifying regional identity in body plans. Differences in their
expression explain the evolution of animal phyla. For vertebrates, Hox genes
function to regulate the regionalization of the axial skeletal structure. In
snakes, Hox genes have not turned off but have slowed the development of limb
structure, while greatly slowing it down in the forelimbs from the scapula (shoulder)
down to the phalanges. The slowing process has continually occurred until in
modern snakes, there is no evidence left of the forelimbs and only vestigial
remnants of the hind pelvic girdle in the more primitive snakes such as the
blind snakes and boas. This is totally the opposite effect in mammalian Hox
gene expression where the trending has been accelerated in limb lengths.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rFlUQr_Ogjor_BnuBf4i4roZcQLcm64U1MPN_RhhlV0KDBlollID7AQh0R0e7UAHezvxrl0e7uZDvfeOlwbXR_9afqOhQmG40Nbw16l2xYPFw1ISRPhJLgur-P-VUJQRgfV8B0M_MkdR/s1600/1-snake+hox+genes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rFlUQr_Ogjor_BnuBf4i4roZcQLcm64U1MPN_RhhlV0KDBlollID7AQh0R0e7UAHezvxrl0e7uZDvfeOlwbXR_9afqOhQmG40Nbw16l2xYPFw1ISRPhJLgur-P-VUJQRgfV8B0M_MkdR/s200/1-snake+hox+genes.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With recent fossil finds, the Hox gene
limb development slowdown has been nicely presented while pushing snake
evolution back another 70 million years from some 97 mya to 167 mya. Between
167-100 million years, snakes began radiating and evolving under their
increasing elongate and loss of limb body plans. In leaving a fossorial lifestyle and going back
to the surface, loss of limbs was an advantage for snakes in rocky/bushy
terrain, climbing and in swimming. Also
expressed in snake evolution is a reversion back to sight; although it isn’t
the most dependent sense snakes rely on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Evolution of the elongated cylindrical
snake body reveals homoplasy in amniote Hox gene function. What this means is
that the snake body form is convergent being a shared characteristic between
differing species and not acquired from a common ancestor. Regionalized
expressions of the Hox gene code in the fossil record supports a subtle
morphological gradient along the anterior to posterior primaxial (along or
closer to) axis in stem member species of extant lizards and snakes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, even though the lack of Hox gene
expression in creating smaller and smaller limbs is apparent, the osteological
origin of the whole snake form is due more from the decoupling of primaxial and
abaxial (situated away from axis) domains in conjunction with increased somite
numbers. Therefore, primaxial Hox gene function does not play a part in the
overall snake skeletal structure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Paleontologists now realize that the snake
overall body form was not due simply to the lowering of Hox gene expression,
for if that was so, then there would be fewer regional differences in the
shapes of vertebra down the vertebrae column. As it turns out, snakes have the
exact same number of differing vertebrae regions as lizards possess.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDZ3zGhR37ozJPBRICLqPox1C65aQrMhKa9GJZ1Pe_c2kjJ7SmtCyFmhgLH6Eaq8-Lm-WX1l4IzeAGv5KNm8aGp-bQi0of8Xjufgj7iJnqE6vtyANJCvhGmCoJbGWzLNHESOL9WX6jly3/s1600/1-snake+eophis+underwoodi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDZ3zGhR37ozJPBRICLqPox1C65aQrMhKa9GJZ1Pe_c2kjJ7SmtCyFmhgLH6Eaq8-Lm-WX1l4IzeAGv5KNm8aGp-bQi0of8Xjufgj7iJnqE6vtyANJCvhGmCoJbGWzLNHESOL9WX6jly3/s200/1-snake+eophis+underwoodi.jpg" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eophis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The oldest known snake fossil thus far is
the four-limbed, <i>Eophis underwoodi</i> (phonetics:
E-oh-fize Un-der-wuh-dye) occurring 167 mya. Only 25.4cm/10in long, they’re not
sure if it was a juvenile or adult. With hind legs and no fossilized evidence
of forelimbs, it most likely possessed them in smaller vestigial form than the
hind legs; they just did not preserve. This proto-snake had a head more like
extant snakes than lizards, subdental lamina, no fangs, a far shorter body than
extant snakes, but the neck was already elongated. <i>Eophis</i> was found in England strata that was once a swamp. Being
semi aquatic it most likely ate minnows, small crustaceans, tadpoles and
insects.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdAB-wVr9306IZACOmFUFGBrsODBh78lqFqMq5f6rwWb2sS2gnKZs4-7KqtII3Hc2bn-8BzARfQmD1IFbr0xpNA1owSmXNIQoD_-h6P93JlWItPUX2FHAOpTYWEQ9Hxtzos-4uQXpM2gL/s1600/1-snake+Portugalophis+lignites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdAB-wVr9306IZACOmFUFGBrsODBh78lqFqMq5f6rwWb2sS2gnKZs4-7KqtII3Hc2bn-8BzARfQmD1IFbr0xpNA1owSmXNIQoD_-h6P93JlWItPUX2FHAOpTYWEQ9Hxtzos-4uQXpM2gL/s200/1-snake+Portugalophis+lignites.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Living between 157-152 mya at the end of
the Jurassic, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Portugalophis lignites</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(phonetics: Por-tu-gal-o-fize Lig-nye-tay) fossils were found in Portugal coal
deposits. Its mouth was loaded with sharp, fully recurved conical teeth. This
four legged proto-snake was 1.2m/4ft long and most likely ate smaller
vertebrates like frogs, lizards and perhaps even a small or juvenile dinosaur.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNHSlLORaQrdXjBdwJgLxxe6q2vXRipPr2i9KcVJ5Dax7_VqSx0D-IKwD6pLPNz7tVtwBogNaXdoEvdNsp9ACEe0OmIMyWuADSniBTP8-2Ug_dOTRT8ahZ2PCw_gZIbY9gRwR7uNEtmSH/s1600/1-snake+tetrapodophis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNHSlLORaQrdXjBdwJgLxxe6q2vXRipPr2i9KcVJ5Dax7_VqSx0D-IKwD6pLPNz7tVtwBogNaXdoEvdNsp9ACEe0OmIMyWuADSniBTP8-2Ug_dOTRT8ahZ2PCw_gZIbY9gRwR7uNEtmSH/s200/1-snake+tetrapodophis.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diablophis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">155 mya fossil remains of <i>Diablophis gilmorei</i> (phonetics:
Dee-ab-lo-fize Gil-mor-eye) were found in Colorado riverbed deposits far inland
from any Jurassic seas. It had well developed subdental lamina in which formed
a medial border of the subdental gutter and had a neural spine tail. <i>Diablophis</i> possessed ‘trefoil’ organized
neural canals that are typical of modern snakes. This four legged snake’s limbs
were still functional, but the forelimbs were degrading towards vestigial and
due to size were becoming a hindrance and obsolete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPnjEaNYTqmilqXupAyMhkJdJsn-TCcMP_wDWShiHRG1LUTV4rzKkstyotHgpE1Hj2Et2By1gNZn0LCq6crw6Qcval0XDqNU9k4OV_4S9R6uqnrLICmg9AYxAD08bMgZe5AqLoqAbjdjA/s1600/1-snake+parviraptor+estesi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPnjEaNYTqmilqXupAyMhkJdJsn-TCcMP_wDWShiHRG1LUTV4rzKkstyotHgpE1Hj2Et2By1gNZn0LCq6crw6Qcval0XDqNU9k4OV_4S9R6uqnrLICmg9AYxAD08bMgZe5AqLoqAbjdjA/s200/1-snake+parviraptor+estesi.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The stem-snake genus, <i>Parviraptor</i> (phonectics: Par-vi-rap-tor) now includes just one fossil
species in <i>P. estesi</i> found in the very
late Jurassic to very Early Cretaceous 147-143mya England limestone bedrock. <i>P. gilmorei</i>, was initially designated in
the genus <i>Parviraptor</i>, but under more
phylogenetic scrutiny has been placed into the new genus <i>Diablophis</i> as explained above. <i>Parviraptor</i>
appears to have been restricted to lagoonal shallow subtidal swampy marine
environments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These four snake finds fills a
morphological, phylogenetic and ecological data gap that was predicted by
molecular phylogenetics. It occurred during the final Pangaea breakup into Laurasia
and Gondwana co-occurring with early anguimorph lizards. The finds also bear
out that the evolution of characteristic snake skull elements appeared long
before the loss of limbs.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbouBDi0r0YBKY_0H4-tJOGHxs_bxTx-oNCGfpwX4j1PsuKHH2UWrJ2qFcJPOGORqyn-v0yWmIRnxKSSOQXkBINVtFGpaEQUFZ3XhmMnsK-OWgyyDU1yNxueRIVVIFzwvB2aZshAm_ivMh/s200/1-snake+clade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ophidia clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ophidia</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (phonetics:
O-fid-ee-ah) is a suborder for all extinct and extant snakes. The cladogram
below gives perspective in relationships to the ancient stem snakes or
proto-snakes to extant species.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6xXYdTMDZbhPZ9iugSy51L8sxC2HGHDxoCGa8DvcnozfubUjMvEg2ZdF7utr08EryVZ-KMHPdG70OYlld-t5JWVrHAFMKMpz-p9RC2chfq5DWm1KOoSMpEUxo-va9pBvQTAxMraVdeDr/s1600/1-snake+Tetrapodophis+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6xXYdTMDZbhPZ9iugSy51L8sxC2HGHDxoCGa8DvcnozfubUjMvEg2ZdF7utr08EryVZ-KMHPdG70OYlld-t5JWVrHAFMKMpz-p9RC2chfq5DWm1KOoSMpEUxo-va9pBvQTAxMraVdeDr/s200/1-snake+Tetrapodophis+fossil.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tetrapodophis fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Appearing 120 mya, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tetrapodophis amplectus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Tet-rah-pod-o-fize am-plek-tus)
was still sporting four limbs but still utilizing the serpentine locomotion
belly crawl as all previous four legged snakes had done. To aid in crawling, it
had the typical broad oblong ventral scales, along with other extant snake
features such as a short snout but long braincase, curved jaws and sharp
recurved teeth. Having small neural spines suggest a fossorial burrowing
lifestyle. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q102xgJHCNDwddx-rHBpj8shFhxSO1P1FFaiRfr4vbJ5ZgU74TspvRng9vkPHBXJ377d8W_HyPiqRjYKu_jwij9hr_-9zgK7Iyqp5HrWqKcok3vg43KbfX75yU-mf1UV5jJukPy46big/s1600/1-snake+Tetrapodophis-amplectus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q102xgJHCNDwddx-rHBpj8shFhxSO1P1FFaiRfr4vbJ5ZgU74TspvRng9vkPHBXJ377d8W_HyPiqRjYKu_jwij9hr_-9zgK7Iyqp5HrWqKcok3vg43KbfX75yU-mf1UV5jJukPy46big/s200/1-snake+Tetrapodophis-amplectus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tetrapodophis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Found in northeastern Brazil’s
Cretaceous fossil rich limestone Crato Formation, <i>Najash rionegrina</i> (phonetics: Nah-jas Rye-un-eg-ree-nah)
proto-snake had lost its forelimbs, but had functional forelimbs outside the
ribcage including a well-defined sacrum supporting a pelvis. It was found in 90
million year old terrestrial deposits in Patagonia Argentina. Measuring up to 1.52m/5ft,
it was a burrowing snake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhWj8aC4-gJAd9MGSRYMU8UNW5itfg_pgRBG6MRUysB06Xlyu6HLohB_2-U8qzIo0wFV2cfSwd8QcWV4ipv-FMv9PDYPM-RYOz8FyllvtKUtyUmAvYyad7Xvm1pH0lupqtq_wDoYRvIBE/s1600/1-snake+najash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhWj8aC4-gJAd9MGSRYMU8UNW5itfg_pgRBG6MRUysB06Xlyu6HLohB_2-U8qzIo0wFV2cfSwd8QcWV4ipv-FMv9PDYPM-RYOz8FyllvtKUtyUmAvYyad7Xvm1pH0lupqtq_wDoYRvIBE/s200/1-snake+najash.jpg" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Najash</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Also during </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Najash</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">’s time period 90 mya, snakes entering the shallow seas had
only hind limbs but were becoming vestigial as tiny legs. In the three genera, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Eupodophis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: U-pod-o-fize), </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pachyrhachis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Pac-e-rake-iss)
and </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Haasiophis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
Ha-see-o-fize) found in the Middle East’s West Bank Cretaceous sediment, had an
aquatic lifestyle capturing mostly aquatic prey.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">All three of these snakes’ have left fossilized
paddle-like tail fin impressions much like modern seas snakes. In addition, the
1m/3.3ft long </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pachyrhachis</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> had very
thick and dense ribs and vertebrae aiding it in diving.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSs-yg19txmEWMOEstBMK5cnu8lN6FazipSaNzCF1bJStuFmJWIFvExyI0RqVvhz4SrRdCjg1HBM7gdaLKwNXeCWpvjQ6_OEgPRBfdNkAOBkcHHp9IXgB63XByz-QWZv2XTCPFZoterYS4/s1600/descouensi+pachyrhachis+haasiophis+2+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="52" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSs-yg19txmEWMOEstBMK5cnu8lN6FazipSaNzCF1bJStuFmJWIFvExyI0RqVvhz4SrRdCjg1HBM7gdaLKwNXeCWpvjQ6_OEgPRBfdNkAOBkcHHp9IXgB63XByz-QWZv2XTCPFZoterYS4/s320/descouensi+pachyrhachis+haasiophis+2+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lft: Eupodophis Middle: Pachyrhachis Rt: Haasiophis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRop8HOZi7AaUfUrcGUml8ulKWwb9jvFpMx8YkZ4fYa9w6t8J5yDgYevJGbKQM5XYsrT-wg_-wx3GqaURWjfv93FZ79vVmKNbsq2WCnR5S56HGSSZb0-L5jZ-pOvycYM3MpNxwfNCVqnU7/s1600/1-coniophis1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="46" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRop8HOZi7AaUfUrcGUml8ulKWwb9jvFpMx8YkZ4fYa9w6t8J5yDgYevJGbKQM5XYsrT-wg_-wx3GqaURWjfv93FZ79vVmKNbsq2WCnR5S56HGSSZb0-L5jZ-pOvycYM3MpNxwfNCVqnU7/s200/1-coniophis1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lft: coniophis Rt: extant snake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Having no evidence of cranial kinesis, <i>Coniophis precedens</i> (phonetics:
Con-e-o-fize Prek-e-dens) appears to be in a sister group to all extant snakes.
Showing up around 70 mya in the Late Cretaceous and measuring 70cm/27.6in, it
had elongate jaws, but they were fixed unlike extant snake jaws that unhinge.
Although it couldn’t capture larger prey, it appears, due to the teeth type, <i>Coniophis</i> was suited more to seizing and
holding onto small soft vertebrate prey instead of insects or worms. The
vertebrae and shape of the jaw suggests <i>Coniophis</i>
was a burrower.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NW1RSLE0k6OhwKR_r0TekpQ_FhRk8J8P3kdOFkbYK7H5pZbvfH6ZHe-8Qxuse1ZVij8pAiEeR0pC4_T4E_Ts1WS9aXbJWW0dqpLES6n22nhVltU0RkaCMecg6l4fNmwxa4zgIBpb60kH/s1600/1-coniophis+skull+evolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NW1RSLE0k6OhwKR_r0TekpQ_FhRk8J8P3kdOFkbYK7H5pZbvfH6ZHe-8Qxuse1ZVij8pAiEeR0pC4_T4E_Ts1WS9aXbJWW0dqpLES6n22nhVltU0RkaCMecg6l4fNmwxa4zgIBpb60kH/s320/1-coniophis+skull+evolution.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snake cranial kinesis evolution</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Coniophis</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> was a transitional
snake in showing the evolution of snake cranial kinesis. In considering snake
skulls, it represents the most primitive snake line, but is not the oldest
snake. In the clade above, each circled number indicates cranial kinesis
evolution with 1 representing the most primitive ascending to 10 as the most
advanced form.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9S716NUUaKSoxv8Z79qhr8rgEHW2sf9UQiAum-Lp7INTBhBfIRdJmddEu_jhsUN3ouD6e416_yZqfKwZftGU5jWFGxWtfeuEXFzZtLyjrqmNnRMvBFNldwM5331QN5Aa9PlKQ1k3glIM7/s1600/1-snake+titanoboa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9S716NUUaKSoxv8Z79qhr8rgEHW2sf9UQiAum-Lp7INTBhBfIRdJmddEu_jhsUN3ouD6e416_yZqfKwZftGU5jWFGxWtfeuEXFzZtLyjrqmNnRMvBFNldwM5331QN5Aa9PlKQ1k3glIM7/s200/1-snake+titanoboa.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Titanoboa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTku3Xjlev0W0Jew7aalVmHOA9PxLHkgT8nO3svvReuP5NnSFIHHr0315CZrrmLD5tUsrZIREQlp5Hc9z58BvMhJrE4i27AYCeQTG1lCaUsPqYW_igGSKDRC9clNVoALkQ3A-9LVsL1-IA/s1600/1-snake+titanoboa+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTku3Xjlev0W0Jew7aalVmHOA9PxLHkgT8nO3svvReuP5NnSFIHHr0315CZrrmLD5tUsrZIREQlp5Hc9z58BvMhJrE4i27AYCeQTG1lCaUsPqYW_igGSKDRC9clNVoALkQ3A-9LVsL1-IA/s320/1-snake+titanoboa+fossil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Superimposed Titanoboa skeleton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Titanoboa</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Phonetics:
Ty-tan-o-bo-ah) was a monster among predators reaching a length of 14.6m/48ft
and weighing in at 1,134kg/2,500lb. This boid occurred 60-58 mya in the
Paleocene just after the extinction of dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous.
With multiple remains found (28 individuals) at the Cerrejon coal mines of
Columbia, this snake lived in a warm tropical wet environment. although due to
the size of <i>Titanoboa</i>, the
environment could not have been too warm, for the giant snake’s metabolism
generated a lot of heat. Too hot a climate, the snake would’ve overheated and
perished. however, the warm temperatures did allow for the larger size as it
does today. Large boids (boas and pythons) today live in the tropics where the
smaller snakes inhabit more temperate climes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although <i>Titanoboa</i> could easily consume the largest crocodilians present at
the time, evidence alludes to the fact that the snake was piscivorous in
primarily preying on fish. This snake
was much thicker in its midsection than in the more tapered anterior and
posterior ends and most likely was a drab color for better camouflage as it was
an ambush predator. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc46-KqIHHWX1SxAXNLOOf2SZGcz5KFObm6F3AXWxPPfkGUOXRY0tI-xBMjwaNkcA4k_XJIKKp7QJYjwCRBUYE_ppiNKKkkZ7n04zJUsGtY667ssnZG18agGzUOvfJ-K49-OLNS59wcmBe/s1600/1-L+carlae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc46-KqIHHWX1SxAXNLOOf2SZGcz5KFObm6F3AXWxPPfkGUOXRY0tI-xBMjwaNkcA4k_XJIKKp7QJYjwCRBUYE_ppiNKKkkZ7n04zJUsGtY667ssnZG18agGzUOvfJ-K49-OLNS59wcmBe/s200/1-L+carlae.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An adult L. carlae</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now compare the 14.6m/48ft <i>Titanoboa</i> to the extant snake,<i> Leptotyphlops carlae</i> (Phonetics:
Lep-toe-ty-flops Car-lay) which could comfortably curl up on a U.S. quarter at
10cm/3.9in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Amphisbaenians:</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Snakes and amphisbaenians evolved from
burrowing lizards. Both had fossorial origins, but where snakes went back to
the surface away from the tunneling and burrowing underground lifestyle,
amphisbaenians continued to exist in a fossorial environment. Instead of
primarily invertebrate prey found in tunneling, snakes found larger prey on
land, so the skull elements became more flexible and unhinged, where
amphisbaenians remaining underground retained more fused skull features to aid
in tunneling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Fz_eIKCGORinvOT3ue6GLKyTAcqGlPByniQbdTfkOiL4SkoxKiLPYL6rYJJgEpun7r7Hbyv0mEF7XzzEjdGXr42SU_Axd71FdzMgTs_6dsHi89SSLZ3Iqs7bXNOGU6Ppdmo66XUN6Z4g/s1600/1-amphis+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Fz_eIKCGORinvOT3ue6GLKyTAcqGlPByniQbdTfkOiL4SkoxKiLPYL6rYJJgEpun7r7Hbyv0mEF7XzzEjdGXr42SU_Axd71FdzMgTs_6dsHi89SSLZ3Iqs7bXNOGU6Ppdmo66XUN6Z4g/s200/1-amphis+clade.jpg" width="113" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amphisbaenian clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Amphisbaenians have been very difficult
to quantify, for although they indeed came from a lacertid lizard ancestry,
there too occurred much parallelism and convergent evolution between the two
groups having nothing to do with genetic sharing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">While amphisbaenians are mostly
limbless, three extant <i>Bipes</i>
(Phonetices: By-pees or Bi-pez) species have reduced forms of front limbs and
rudimentary internal hind limbs. Morphological data shows that species with
front limbs form a sister group to those that are limbless. This means that the
amphisbaenian loss of limbs occurred only once.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tamaulipasaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (phonetics: Tah-moe-lee-pa-sor-us)
was indeed a burrowing lepidosaur diapsid and also has numerous sister taxa.
Occurring in the Early Jurassic 189.6-183 mya and Middle Jurassic 165mya, two
fossils have been found in Mexico’s La Boca formation material. Extant
amphisbaenians and ambamids are closely related. One of <i>Tamaulipasaurus</i>’ sister groups gave rise to amphisbaenians while
another to dibamids. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMP3LpuW7XeOr0j0SB6tx3LVChajHMXzEpYjSjsMPvn0yoP4c3zAmfp2y_KR2eh5F1MROZ5GtYh63-y2tP1RLdbrY5RABuUPud_B3QoeNh_ti0xOwiCAqJjMdgcEHnCbTVVdO5qTCyftqQ/s1600/1-amphi+Tamaulipasaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMP3LpuW7XeOr0j0SB6tx3LVChajHMXzEpYjSjsMPvn0yoP4c3zAmfp2y_KR2eh5F1MROZ5GtYh63-y2tP1RLdbrY5RABuUPud_B3QoeNh_ti0xOwiCAqJjMdgcEHnCbTVVdO5qTCyftqQ/s200/1-amphi+Tamaulipasaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamaulipasaurus fossilized skull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One feature </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tamaulipasaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> possessed that is absent in all other squamates is
that it had an autapomorphic (possessing a distinctly anatomical derived trait
unique only to one taxa) quadratojugal. Besides this novel bone, it appears its
orbits confluence with the temporal fenestrae. This is a feature also found in
the extant two-legged amphisbaena genus, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bipes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.
It also shared with amphisbaenian lineage an emarginated quadrate with a
tympanic recess and a lower temporal bar. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Named </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crythiosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Crith-ee-o-sore-us) this ~90 million year
old lizard may well be a basal predecessor to amphisbaenians. Only the skull
has been found and is longer and narrower with a larger occipital as is the
case in lacertid lizards. However, extensive cranial fusion of skull elements
are evident with the temporal reduced to just a piece of bone. Even though the
skull was more elongate and narrower like lizards, the fusing of the skull
elements suggest a fossorial lifestyle and it most likely had reduced limbs and
an elongated body for burrowing. The teeth indicate an insectivorous diet. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Chalcides</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Phonetics:
Chale-side) is an ancient and extant three-toed skink genus where embryological
evidence points to the lessening size and number of digits are due to Hox gene
d11 expressing digits 1, 2 and 3 as digits 2, 3 and 4. This suggests that digit
reduction, as in amphisbaenians, is a more frequent consequence in convergent
evolution such as in snake, dibamid lizards and avian evolution.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoZ7wk_0GJkLuhyphenhyphenFAE13nUdYKHqSPzEz3mRjRk2KNGBYUBOL6pb_r6PsM1XFc5UHB7d51bxCEVGGmKdUuwz1NFKi_f2h0w1bMhKPvek2WsYZGNZDN_X05XQz768Uv0M6PCKsnHLh0KICP/s1600/1-amphis+chalcides%252Bcrythiosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoZ7wk_0GJkLuhyphenhyphenFAE13nUdYKHqSPzEz3mRjRk2KNGBYUBOL6pb_r6PsM1XFc5UHB7d51bxCEVGGmKdUuwz1NFKi_f2h0w1bMhKPvek2WsYZGNZDN_X05XQz768Uv0M6PCKsnHLh0KICP/s200/1-amphis+chalcides%252Bcrythiosaurus.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skull comparison</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">From an ancient sister group to </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Chalcides</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> derived the genus, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sineoamphisbaena</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, which, although there
is strong debate, is one of the first stem amphisbaenians. This animal’s skull reveals
a mosaic of lizard and amphisbaenian like characters. A main feature is cranial
consolidation adapted for a fossorial lifestyle. However, the fossils show
skink-like modifications of the palate and temporal regions of the skull. The
relative primitive morphology of </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sineoamphisbaena</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
is an indication that it did not devote its whole life to being fossorial and
most likely frequented the surface far more often than extant amphisbaenians
do. This most likely is due to the fact that during the animal’s time in the Late
Cretaceous, there was a transition from a perennial lacustrine environment to a
semiarid aeolian environment 75-71 mya in what is now present day Mongolia.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOU9R7FfTWbPrMl2a9lm9riert63yaxfvNInI9awCI6TwwlTzNrGRnxSX4FvATwjCAdM4H5bDnrKMWdmVfqSwxyRRZW28RYj6A5eXG5dTQw5XQSG5JgJqliHFAgxGm5KBBa8_BBjj5entt/s1600/1-amphi-sineoamphisbaena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOU9R7FfTWbPrMl2a9lm9riert63yaxfvNInI9awCI6TwwlTzNrGRnxSX4FvATwjCAdM4H5bDnrKMWdmVfqSwxyRRZW28RYj6A5eXG5dTQw5XQSG5JgJqliHFAgxGm5KBBa8_BBjj5entt/s320/1-amphi-sineoamphisbaena.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sineoamphisbaena</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sineoamphisbaena</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> caused a
quandary for paleontologists, for the assumed basal and dispersion of
amphisbaenians was rooted in North America from 22 assigned <i>Rhineura</i> (Phonetics: Ree-noor-ah) species
and not from Inner Mongolia. From the 22 species, they were whittled down to 9
extinct and the only extant N. American in the species <i>R. floridana</i>. The debate still lingers, but <i>Rhineura</i> stills holds onto ground when considering extant
amphisbaenians. We’ll touch on that in a bit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cryptolacerta</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (phonetics:
Crip-toe-lah-sir-tah) appearing 47 mya is considered a lacertibaean as it had
an amphisbaenian fused head but, though much smaller, lacertid-like limbs. This
fossil, as a holotype supports molecular genetic studies that amphisbaenians
and lacertids are related. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5sd0ZhNFAh7-8CfKRCEKHg10iMlKvOUqAwhEeFlRcCMpI7D5NdT3W9JFWPJSip7Imehd-STK16pmpux8EQ63HJKCqC8L_A9p0w8WCrynGsurwrTNuBMNfGawgx6p71ZVLp5wJwfUy8NW/s1600/1-amphis+cryptolacerta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5sd0ZhNFAh7-8CfKRCEKHg10iMlKvOUqAwhEeFlRcCMpI7D5NdT3W9JFWPJSip7Imehd-STK16pmpux8EQ63HJKCqC8L_A9p0w8WCrynGsurwrTNuBMNfGawgx6p71ZVLp5wJwfUy8NW/s200/1-amphis+cryptolacerta.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cryptolacerta fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">After X-ray computed tomography analysis
on the </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cryptolacerta</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> well preserved
almost complete fossil with only the tip of the tail missing, results bear out
that the reinforced thickened skull is in a relationship with amphisbaenians
and that both are related to lacertids. This prognosis reveals the fact that
amphisbaenians’ cranial akinesis (skull element fusion) came first before the
snake-like body and loss of limbs during their evolvement. This also reveals
why amphisbaenians adapted to tunneling with the head.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cryptolacerta</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">, through
studies with extant lizards present the lizard as an animal that primarily
spent its time with its body held low to the ground (squat bodied) while
leafing through forest floor litter, but was also an opportunistic burrower.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRT1A7x9JU7pZnVsVS9pHkppi8jEX_FuwNYOeT6qK3dTNliiZMa-ONFeCA5tYzFBMmkqXAXWFh7v6F_pE5eKjS-ZTKIRHNk6iC1_mXyBWbNPJH1JhFV5vq2POc6UsoYu52XLEzQEw6LFP/s1600/1-amphis+Cryptolacerta_NT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRT1A7x9JU7pZnVsVS9pHkppi8jEX_FuwNYOeT6qK3dTNliiZMa-ONFeCA5tYzFBMmkqXAXWFh7v6F_pE5eKjS-ZTKIRHNk6iC1_mXyBWbNPJH1JhFV5vq2POc6UsoYu52XLEzQEw6LFP/s200/1-amphis+Cryptolacerta_NT.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cryptolacerta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cryptolacerta</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> sits at the
base of amphisbaenian branch with amphisbaenians and lacertids branching out
from that base on differing, but adjacent lines.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In representing the family, <i>Blanidae</i> (phonetics: Blan-ah-day) is the
Miocene Epoch 11.6 mya fossil, <i>Blanus</i>
<i>mendezi</i> (phonetics: Blan-us
Men-de-zee) excavated in Valles-Penedes Basin in Spain’s Catalonia region.
Extant blanids are only represented in Europe, but further subdivided as western
and eastern, while as a whole, is one of the three groups representative of the
Mediterranean amphisbaenian groups.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKRIi31_sbtkYzm0HlaBl_OlfW4bem8XD_EAFovXjIMLIJHwxwAa4g6YARDWp9hrxxZRWHKg-IlWSZC1cLk15y_uVI7xXdjetylXfAKLZngB48Do7rAgGr79E94xhefQwQcoGXZNA-tOC/s1600/1-amphi+blanus+mendezi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKRIi31_sbtkYzm0HlaBl_OlfW4bem8XD_EAFovXjIMLIJHwxwAa4g6YARDWp9hrxxZRWHKg-IlWSZC1cLk15y_uVI7xXdjetylXfAKLZngB48Do7rAgGr79E94xhefQwQcoGXZNA-tOC/s200/1-amphi+blanus+mendezi.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">B. mendezi skull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The fossil is of a complete 5.8mm/0.23in
tiny skull encased in carbonate. Using computed tomography (CT), the scientists
developed a 3-D image showing it had 20 teeth and the skull was similar to
modern day blanids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of the three Mediterranean groups, one is
Iberian (western), another is Eastern Europe and the last is Northwest Africa.
This fossil represents the western group and alludes to detail that the Iberian
and Northwest African groups arose from one western Mediterranean group that
only later subdivided.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Currently, there are six families of
amphisbaenians and they are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">1)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Amphisbaenidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> -
Amphisbaenids; tropical worm lizards of South America, some Caribbean islands,
and Sub-Saharan Africa (17 genera)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bipedidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> - Only in
Mexico; commonly called ajolotes (1 genus)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">3)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Blanidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> - Anatolian,
Iberian, and Moroccan worm lizards (1 genus)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">4)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cadeidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> - Cuban keel-headed
worm lizards; traditionally amphisbaenids, but shown by DNA to be closest to
Blanidae (1 genus)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">5)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trogonophidae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> - Palearctic
worm lizards (4 genera)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">6)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rhineuridae</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> - North
American worm lizards (1 genus) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are four distinct cranial
assemblages and all are highly specialized for a style of utilizing the head as
a tool for tunneling. These four modes of tunneling are associated with an
inter species stereotyped burrowing behavior. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3Rk5xiG5cCBO6g4VGQhq0YAMYx9ZoJF-nXU8FNo7kG_B-qSJogWIUTUgtuLzlaA-Fgksd9pI4_fJMeYFZ9bLygz9UksZ5QzMto7U38Gf9HerPYSE1ERyztSft8bbKkiV0EworiVwho6-/s1600/1-amphi+basal+slavoia-insitu.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3Rk5xiG5cCBO6g4VGQhq0YAMYx9ZoJF-nXU8FNo7kG_B-qSJogWIUTUgtuLzlaA-Fgksd9pI4_fJMeYFZ9bLygz9UksZ5QzMto7U38Gf9HerPYSE1ERyztSft8bbKkiV0EworiVwho6-/s320/1-amphi+basal+slavoia-insitu.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A basal burrowing amphisbaenian fossil </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bipedids and blanids use their blunt
‘round-headed’ form for tunneling by ramming the head into the soil and
widening the tunnel by uplifting the head and compacting the dug soil to the
tunnel ceiling. Bipedids also use their forelimbs to propel forward. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rhineurids use a depressed ‘shovel-headed’
form by using the dorsoventrally flattened snout and with a strong craniofacial
angle, push the loose dirt to the sides where it is then compacted to the walls
of the tunnel as the body goes through. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trogonophids use a ‘spade-headed’ form
by also using a dorsoventrally flattened snout, but with a strong craniofacial
angle and further use their lateralcanthi (sharp edging on sides of head) to
shave off soil from the front of the tunnel in an oscillatory fashion then pack
it to the tunnel sides with sides of the head and body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Most amphisbaenids (8 genera) and the
cadeid utilize a compressed ‘keeled-headed’ form and dig with a laterally
compressed head by ramming the head forwards then push and pack the loosened
soil rearwards in pushing the head in opposite directions to pack the soil to
the floor and ceiling of the tunnel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Due to the numerous convergent
evolutions within the amphisbaenian group, limited outgroup morphologies and
the lack of findings of the tiny and frail subterranean fossils, amphisbaenian
evolution has been a booger-bear to track and sort out for scientists.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7ffnv-uNkxkg3071rmxPhbqdipD7JZXNgQFYbv9-4xTsWxpj5dvxYrIzpubqt5BpI1ANn2qRHbamcvkNL1ejQbPW1AojZDAC_EOT7bZXe3MNjKGw4_lTBIzT1OWky8EV7tl0mwWfOL_t/s1600/1-amphis+hi-er+lvl+phylogeny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7ffnv-uNkxkg3071rmxPhbqdipD7JZXNgQFYbv9-4xTsWxpj5dvxYrIzpubqt5BpI1ANn2qRHbamcvkNL1ejQbPW1AojZDAC_EOT7bZXe3MNjKGw4_lTBIzT1OWky8EV7tl0mwWfOL_t/s320/1-amphis+hi-er+lvl+phylogeny.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extant Amphisbaenian cladeogram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another quandary concerning amphisbaenians
is biogeography in how they became so widespread in living such a fossorial
lifestyle, for they certainly didn’t tunnel across the oceans. Amphisbaenians’
global dispersal began around 65 mya. They may have traveled on the third and
final breakup of Pangaea and Laurasia ending 60-55 mya, but that breakup began
a good 95 mya. What scientists feel is that they ocean rafted amongst soils
held together by roots. This also explains why other fossorial species are so
widespread.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anyway, some primitive amphisbaenians
did make it to North America and diversified coming up with nine species of
rhineurids 60 mya. Eight species went extinct. The extant <i>R. floridana</i> is the only survivor because it was the first to
diverge and migrate where milder North American temperatures prevailed. The
extinct species’ fossils are found in the northern portion of N. America in
strata laid out during the Cenozoic’s Paleocene and Eocene Epochs 66-33.9 mya.
The climate was very mild then; there were even crocodiles swimming off the
coast of Greenland. By the beginning of the Oligocene 33.8 mya, cooler
temperate climates began to prevail while the Antarctic got its first ice cap.
The cold was too much for the eight warmer weather loving rhineurids. Not
enough cold reached into <i>R. floridana</i>’s
more southern range.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmn7ry1H2hHJ60wNe04rRNRdqMV6N-_CsOEeBC6RpEtNtzrbMjCkS83ChdpfmbhNyt7B438MnnkLVKGKIkawAG3ieoHC-ImTe_5-fw1HpjUONpNe8umdbH_XqIH0de0juGp133ZQ-vcEnS/s1600/1-amphis+clades.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmn7ry1H2hHJ60wNe04rRNRdqMV6N-_CsOEeBC6RpEtNtzrbMjCkS83ChdpfmbhNyt7B438MnnkLVKGKIkawAG3ieoHC-ImTe_5-fw1HpjUONpNe8umdbH_XqIH0de0juGp133ZQ-vcEnS/s320/1-amphis+clades.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In my opinion molecular takes precedence over morphology</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For living amphisbaenians, as bipedids
are a sister taxon to the trogonophid-amphisbaenid clade, <i>R. floridana</i> as a <i>Rhinenuridae</i>
family member<i> </i>is the most basal morphological
species among other amphisbaenian families, but is a young genus first arriving
in the Pleistocene. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Euryapsida:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The first diapsid to experiment with
euryapsid skull fenestra was <i>Araeoscelis</i>
(phonetics: Ah-ray-oss-kell-iss) living 284.4-275.6 mya. This 60cm/2ft long reptile,
most likely gave up on its lower fenestrae to create a stronger bite, but it
had no direct basal relations to the marine euryapsids. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTgKRTSHCRx1YW_-nYDxOuqL2u6UPcs8u1LX9biJmDPk-k15SClki6Yey4OOYF8NcAA1Pnb_EdxbDwwDW4ms7LxtTmkn4fni5F7GZYi09rru9UW7WBfuE5SIMCmWO3xf26-dsgM0khuDUE/s1600/1-eury-Araeoscelis+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTgKRTSHCRx1YW_-nYDxOuqL2u6UPcs8u1LX9biJmDPk-k15SClki6Yey4OOYF8NcAA1Pnb_EdxbDwwDW4ms7LxtTmkn4fni5F7GZYi09rru9UW7WBfuE5SIMCmWO3xf26-dsgM0khuDUE/s200/1-eury-Araeoscelis+%25282%2529.jpg" width="164" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Araeoscelis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Euryapsids are lepidosaur reptiles
derived from diapsids in migrating the two single openings on each side into
the upper temporal as an opening behind each eye on top of the head. Euryapsids
had the diapsid lower temporal fenestrae fused over. Ichthyosaurs furthered the
euryapsid arrangement with a special set of introduced bones along the margins
of the fenestra (opening).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuWDb9cCSm-AykibYnu4Iyop3FvdIGGcRYqFIcjuPPrMox4z3tkNaBNinG1fNOfbTb0fTEV9Y5C15Qsaowr17NDgxKsR2QPa0TwaBvkRRNnzpDhrXsW4k4dEQSzccq1dMubFIPCPImJUY/s1600/1-eury-araeoscelida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuWDb9cCSm-AykibYnu4Iyop3FvdIGGcRYqFIcjuPPrMox4z3tkNaBNinG1fNOfbTb0fTEV9Y5C15Qsaowr17NDgxKsR2QPa0TwaBvkRRNnzpDhrXsW4k4dEQSzccq1dMubFIPCPImJUY/s200/1-eury-araeoscelida.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Araeoscelis basal clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The euryapsid group is considered
polyphyletic in that most of their shared characteristics are considered
convergent evolution rather than related through ancestral genetics. They first
appeared in the early Triassic 245 mya and became extinct at the end of the
Cretaceous 65 mya.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are some that still contend
euryapsids were archosaurs instead of lepidosaurs, but from the shoulder
girdles to the phalanges, sauropterygian limb anatomies and the lateral
undulation of the vertebral column, euryapsids were of lepidosaur origin. The
major euryapsid groups are divided into two major taxon superorders; they are:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qvPi-rF5qfxLiuTzP3kMwUKPskih8XbgWQRUwVA07F1pLyKA6F1Xm8iSg8JkSTlLpsD6LC6GZTM8OsM6hqtD0QVxmjeGCXnNjjbSkGtRust6nC_KQ2Wnl88RN7reimNQtAnO2BfWWDNk/s1600/1-eury+clade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qvPi-rF5qfxLiuTzP3kMwUKPskih8XbgWQRUwVA07F1pLyKA6F1Xm8iSg8JkSTlLpsD6LC6GZTM8OsM6hqtD0QVxmjeGCXnNjjbSkGtRust6nC_KQ2Wnl88RN7reimNQtAnO2BfWWDNk/s320/1-eury+clade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauropterygian clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sauropterygia</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (phonetics:
Sawr-op-ter-ridge-ee-ah): meaning ‘lizard flippers’ including the four orders, 1.
<i>Placodontia</i> (placodonts) 2. <i>Pachypleurosauria</i> (pachypleurosaurs)
3. <i>Nothosauroidea</i>
(nothosaurs) 4. <i>Pleisosauria</i> (the suborder:
plesiosaurs and suborder: pliosaurs).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-ddXh54vrSfqS5e25dXHOUPA6CzpNnGts2N8NN8cLWFB9fPEQKUm1b6-Ydzn81J59pYxwu2slqcXdzTSbhWP6owN1c66E7TJjhVawXLvDY0G7KEh2gZlNzNyHz3f3tF_JnRTlSPpzIDU/s1600/1-Icthyopterygia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-ddXh54vrSfqS5e25dXHOUPA6CzpNnGts2N8NN8cLWFB9fPEQKUm1b6-Ydzn81J59pYxwu2slqcXdzTSbhWP6owN1c66E7TJjhVawXLvDY0G7KEh2gZlNzNyHz3f3tF_JnRTlSPpzIDU/s320/1-Icthyopterygia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ichthyosauria clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ichthyopterygia</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (phonetics:
Ick-the-op-ter-ig-ee-ah): meaning ‘fish flippers’ includes the two orders, 1. <i>Grippidea</i> (grippiosaur, gulosaur and
chaohusaur) 2. <i>Ichthyosauria</i>
(ichthyosaurs).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDyhRltc2rARFdEIM8YNvcLK0Tgm37h5S0m9gpzTTND82JYZwkdMbRL3JPP2NaStp7hMVv-5-kPtsP86Oo6y6djKLLJp5GU_NnNbGmePgAzFI9QX7KofIa8OZcccFI9LwLo5tM-sW_Y2d/s1600/1-eury-tanga-hovasaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDyhRltc2rARFdEIM8YNvcLK0Tgm37h5S0m9gpzTTND82JYZwkdMbRL3JPP2NaStp7hMVv-5-kPtsP86Oo6y6djKLLJp5GU_NnNbGmePgAzFI9QX7KofIa8OZcccFI9LwLo5tM-sW_Y2d/s200/1-eury-tanga-hovasaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tangasaurid Hovasaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In sauropterygian evolvement, the major
ancestral suspect is the Late Permian neodiapsid belonging to the superfamily, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Younginiformes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
Yun-gin-nee-forms) that also survived into the Early Triassic. It is from the
tangasaurid family and further divided into the subfamily, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tangasaurinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Tain-gah-sor-ee-nay). While the other
tangasaurid subfamily, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Kenyasaurinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(phonetics: Ken-ya-sor-ee-nay) was terrestrial, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tangasaurinae</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> species had become aquatic in a lacustrine
(freshwater or salty lake) environment. Adapted to an aquatic life with highly
derived amphibious characteristics, they had webbed feet and laterally
compressed tails for sinusoidal propulsion through water.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhxTO3kqyMjJ37X59zEv3ftWxndzbQia9EpmlzMCqjnvRugBezqf-N2tlDrVeeYD6iMiOjKojdGA88j6V89yJKTZeVqgTyh8lfqjChNaP_AgMDpKuPnOXJFfVXC4pNKi77D9P36DzdaUd/s1600/1-claudiosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhxTO3kqyMjJ37X59zEv3ftWxndzbQia9EpmlzMCqjnvRugBezqf-N2tlDrVeeYD6iMiOjKojdGA88j6V89yJKTZeVqgTyh8lfqjChNaP_AgMDpKuPnOXJFfVXC4pNKi77D9P36DzdaUd/s200/1-claudiosaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claudiosaur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As mentioned earlier under diapsids, the
neodiapsid claudiosaurs are perhaps basal to nothosaurs, plesiosaurs and
pliosaurs. Considered an extension of the condition seen in claudiosaurs, pachypleurosaurs
and nothosaur palates are posterior and medial extensions of the pterygoids,
with the interpterygoid vacuities completely closed while ventrally, the base
of the braincase is covered.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWW4l41juop-16V71hRgRr8czd8r1PiempTnggxGeVoLqqXEGvmaBjek2geS13XjhpAG7C5DFZ3EfjhqKqVNIhij9Lqu7aYgdTFbadF3h2T3bxk1AqXMs_SEU7-FvauCb6AjMqaw3QGtx/s1600/1-eury+claudisaurs-nothosaurs-plesiosaurs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWW4l41juop-16V71hRgRr8czd8r1PiempTnggxGeVoLqqXEGvmaBjek2geS13XjhpAG7C5DFZ3EfjhqKqVNIhij9Lqu7aYgdTFbadF3h2T3bxk1AqXMs_SEU7-FvauCb6AjMqaw3QGtx/s320/1-eury+claudisaurs-nothosaurs-plesiosaurs.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Primitive sauropterygians like the
placodonts first appear in the Middle Triassic 245 mya and begin radiating quickly
just 5 million years after the great Permian/Triassic mass extinction (PTME).
Normally the bodies were squat and bulky with short legs and fed along shallow
coastal sea beds. By the Late Triassic 210 mya, placodonts had become extinct.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I9r46nDTJwi-llM9jV3z5QBL3yjirHTTR5pvwko3e7VpEFstXiGmUboMCJZeY_h2bLgc-AJVbcjDDNmVABHmo4vLMHPp4CvxpmZaodw4X-_EFVBG2fXrLFyVO37AFWLMoGgJDQ0dmxp4/s1600/1-eury+Placodonts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I9r46nDTJwi-llM9jV3z5QBL3yjirHTTR5pvwko3e7VpEFstXiGmUboMCJZeY_h2bLgc-AJVbcjDDNmVABHmo4vLMHPp4CvxpmZaodw4X-_EFVBG2fXrLFyVO37AFWLMoGgJDQ0dmxp4/s200/1-eury+Placodonts.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Placodonts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Placodonts experienced pachyostosis
giving heavier and denser bones for negative buoyancy to aid in being anchored
while feeding on shallow coastal sea beds. This still tied placodonts to land to
rest after both long periods of holding the breath in feeding and extraneous
swimming. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1KnWJC-7VGps0nY9oVJemuE1kGgVr5G14UDAV2EDMThgzgpTYG_pnC1SytJc7RVnm_yt4spAB38Fc1GhLn4LBHjpmCSLz18vJks3Us_3U3yQqBQYMQvHrVJ4WPKTYX7Xrzyy4h0MuAr5/s1600/1-eury+pachypleurosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1KnWJC-7VGps0nY9oVJemuE1kGgVr5G14UDAV2EDMThgzgpTYG_pnC1SytJc7RVnm_yt4spAB38Fc1GhLn4LBHjpmCSLz18vJks3Us_3U3yQqBQYMQvHrVJ4WPKTYX7Xrzyy4h0MuAr5/s200/1-eury+pachypleurosaur.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pachypleurosaur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By 242 mya, pachypleurosaurs made their
appearance. These primitive sauropterygians, although small ranging in size
from 20cm/8in to 1m/3.3ft appear to be ancestral to plesiosaurs with small
heads, long necks and paddle-like limbs. Without doubt though, pachypleurosaurs
are a sister taxon to the eusauropterygian clade that both nothosaurs and
plesiosaurs belong in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2ChnAY0S_pZgAcWfwMwGvCz_yEU4gHc94tV_jRWXa2sYNTIThXLRAjaqtuq0XBtIUc6bcdhbb8i6HyLDX3N7CmZkVj7_DJGqto2fMBnsAiva74etdsKm0qKvDKvmDRoLJeQieFVSDIfe/s1600/1-eury+Nothosaur-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2ChnAY0S_pZgAcWfwMwGvCz_yEU4gHc94tV_jRWXa2sYNTIThXLRAjaqtuq0XBtIUc6bcdhbb8i6HyLDX3N7CmZkVj7_DJGqto2fMBnsAiva74etdsKm0qKvDKvmDRoLJeQieFVSDIfe/s200/1-eury+Nothosaur-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothosaur clade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Soon after the appearance of
pachypleurosaurs, eusauropterygian nothosaurs appeared showing a rapid euryapsid
radiation and diversification in shallow Triassic epicontinental seas and near-shore
basins of the Tethyan seashore fringes. Once flooding from sea transgressions
in what is now the continent of Europe, eusauropterygians successfully followed
behind the sea inundation filling in the ecological niches as apex predators
from what is now Spain to China.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8s3Wn-J6m-3RceNuW98gfcUk7_T85hvRm8g17eW_vtuwlZBx3f_Smzd5b6QVPxeHq1VyAG2TW3EKIf4LhEsb4BcKBDgjSA9KfkJ7hLQkFzGrFGwi80ExDhFoa1WQCo-tv7vKTLKJhyphenhyphenTc/s1600/1-eury+nothosaurus_giganteus_elperdido.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8s3Wn-J6m-3RceNuW98gfcUk7_T85hvRm8g17eW_vtuwlZBx3f_Smzd5b6QVPxeHq1VyAG2TW3EKIf4LhEsb4BcKBDgjSA9KfkJ7hLQkFzGrFGwi80ExDhFoa1WQCo-tv7vKTLKJhyphenhyphenTc/s200/1-eury+nothosaurus_giganteus_elperdido.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothosaur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nothosaurs began to really appear 240
mya, but by the Late Triassic 210 mya, most nothosaurs had died out. This range
is with the exception of <i>Nothosaurus
zhangi</i> (phonetics: Noth-o-saw-rus Jawn-gee). This 6.7m/22ft nothosaur was
found embedded in 247 million year old carbonate sediment in present day SW
China. <i>N. zhangi</i> had the largest
known jaw among all Triassic sauropterygians. What this precludes is that
sauropterygians had Permian ancestral beginnings and as survivors of the
extinction, gave rise to apex predators in a fairly quick recovery of shallow
marine ecosystems.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nothosaurs were much like the present
day pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, walruses). Dependent upon the sea for much of
their food, but would clamor to the seashore for rest and sunbathing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwB3lFQt25oxz2f4xARXtRbklxBWi4OcGejtp_hyphenhyphenhQuiYclG-sjrdWju4tteyouWmRHEhhKd4V6cdcIvDu9dT6USzFu7q0hyphenhyphenb5mbLg-meUbIIuLX-dlI2xi2hhgb6TWwHT8uMB5TbquaI9/s1600/1-eury+pistosauroid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwB3lFQt25oxz2f4xARXtRbklxBWi4OcGejtp_hyphenhyphenhQuiYclG-sjrdWju4tteyouWmRHEhhKd4V6cdcIvDu9dT6USzFu7q0hyphenhyphenb5mbLg-meUbIIuLX-dlI2xi2hhgb6TWwHT8uMB5TbquaI9/s200/1-eury+pistosauroid.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pistosaur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">By the time nothosaurs died out,
plesiosaurs began to appear 203.6 mya in the Late Triassic. There is good
argument that nothosaurs evolved into plesiosaurs. The intermediate between
this nothosaur/plesiosaur transition was quite possibly the related pistosaurids.
Resembling nothosaurs, but more derived for a permanent aquatic life with
webbed feet replaced by flippers, they also had other plesiosaur features. Like
a nothosaur, pistosaurids had the same body form and the same primitive palate
with a mouth possessing the same type numerous sharp teeth. Like the
plesiosaur, it had flippers for maneuvering through water, a stiff vertebral
column and a similar skull structure and head.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLXx0efKUTodjdSRKxwM-eevURKx17DqDam52gPeJ_wZqLJep42LDQGU_WBZQyjMS4x-avvUcTlwthMKRLSjUI8wRbqVIBePcmW633YI1tGP1gf9dstp4uxn8y9Xv_ZG9DoWFcV3aakrw/s1600/1-eury+plesio-plio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLXx0efKUTodjdSRKxwM-eevURKx17DqDam52gPeJ_wZqLJep42LDQGU_WBZQyjMS4x-avvUcTlwthMKRLSjUI8wRbqVIBePcmW633YI1tGP1gf9dstp4uxn8y9Xv_ZG9DoWFcV3aakrw/s200/1-eury+plesio-plio.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plesiosuar/Pliosaur clades</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Plesiosaurs started off with short necks
in the earlier species much like nothosaurs. During the earliest part of the
Jurassic, a plesiosaur family subgroup, <i>Rhomaleosauridae</i>
(phonetics: Row-may-lay-oh-sor-ah-day) had developed into numerous species and
proves to be a basal split-off of short necked plesiosaurs. From these
subgroups towards the end of the Early Jurassic 180 mya, the long necked
plesiosaurs begin to appear.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2azmwWsxQPGJUvGGVzx9h0LCzip7OlH-xqqncEUZr84mdUwjuOQ26u93QQJmyEQPjtHJIgd4ejcPvN6oksBqDhkGN_Q6I4SgpB46H4TgPyaGZ9bxuReer6IqOZ034ZVVfneoOkWZg4f0k/s1600/1-eury+Rhomaleosaurus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2azmwWsxQPGJUvGGVzx9h0LCzip7OlH-xqqncEUZr84mdUwjuOQ26u93QQJmyEQPjtHJIgd4ejcPvN6oksBqDhkGN_Q6I4SgpB46H4TgPyaGZ9bxuReer6IqOZ034ZVVfneoOkWZg4f0k/s200/1-eury+Rhomaleosaurus.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhomaleosaurid</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITDXtXTKjDHheAeZupX9koHUXDHXsBArc0LrLxPyKu7kCzSTe_J_l8QC177WlbeRb2AclvCK_dQSS6tBQqoX-8NvUVYJWTqz32OrbD1d44E2E0YwjAEwW69EZh8WNXWS4od8ItP_Qd-Ig/s1600/1-eury+pleisosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITDXtXTKjDHheAeZupX9koHUXDHXsBArc0LrLxPyKu7kCzSTe_J_l8QC177WlbeRb2AclvCK_dQSS6tBQqoX-8NvUVYJWTqz32OrbD1d44E2E0YwjAEwW69EZh8WNXWS4od8ItP_Qd-Ig/s200/1-eury+pleisosaur.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early plesiosaur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Neck lengths continued growing until apexing
with </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Elasmosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
E-las-mo-saw-rus). Evolving and living in the Late Cretaceous 83.6-80.5 mya its
neck at, 7.6m/25ft was at least half its 15.2m/50ft total length. Longer necks allowed
for prey ambush strategies separating its visually bulky body from its mouth
and supported a head with excellent eye vision in water, but watery
environments totally supported the neck as it would not have been able to hold
it above water.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoVs9ItcAw3J-HHBNGzcPCikjhf0EUTr_kjRH5fCCQZxdD5nOC5npzW_rKUaOU-X3W5ylDLdJkBqiPAMBQAKsfSYxaV8X0t_V36SzHyXV2RBxXR2thzjFuKF2h71R181EgY89a3fDXY_m/s1600/1-eury+Plesiosaur+elasmosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoVs9ItcAw3J-HHBNGzcPCikjhf0EUTr_kjRH5fCCQZxdD5nOC5npzW_rKUaOU-X3W5ylDLdJkBqiPAMBQAKsfSYxaV8X0t_V36SzHyXV2RBxXR2thzjFuKF2h71R181EgY89a3fDXY_m/s200/1-eury+Plesiosaur+elasmosaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elasmosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">However the elasmosaurid, </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Albertonectes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Al-bear-toe-neck-tees)
reached the largest length in neck and body among all plesiosaurs. At
11.2m/36.75ft with a neck supported by 76 vertebrae, the neck alone was
7m/23ft. Finding the Alberta, Canada fossil with the neck vertebrae detached
and how each neck vertebrae were assembled with rigidity, shows the assemblage
would not allow neck movement due to the lack of flexible interlockings. </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Albertonectes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> simply could not turn its
head.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6ikHcO4r6DhyPTMydIxV0tCuB3zn0Mr0SdO1NDYjRqY_bBCAVjVYGdhrxE8b9gaxeOTL14dqJSm-nlKenwLpDe8yoQZH2pxf-_Qw61Ac-murtEhf8Rgrlm8OtwVbDPFEwP8KfDudGhrK/s1600/1-eury+plesiosaur-albertonectes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6ikHcO4r6DhyPTMydIxV0tCuB3zn0Mr0SdO1NDYjRqY_bBCAVjVYGdhrxE8b9gaxeOTL14dqJSm-nlKenwLpDe8yoQZH2pxf-_Qw61Ac-murtEhf8Rgrlm8OtwVbDPFEwP8KfDudGhrK/s200/1-eury+plesiosaur-albertonectes.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Albertonectes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Certain plesiosaur groups gave rise to
pliosaurs which first appeared in the beginnings of the Jurassic 199.6
mya. In reverting back to shorter but
stronger necks to support a massive head with strong jaws, pliosaur species
became very dominant in the Jurassic and Cretaceous seas radiating out globally
and diversifying into numerous species until dying off in the Late Cretaceous
89.3 mya. One of the chief cranial differences between plesiosaurs and
pliosaurs is that plesiosaurs tend to have upward facing eyes while pliosaurs
are laterally placed. Pliosaurs and mosasaurs superficially resembled each
other physically.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_dljDEOSm2B1qdKkyygKYFSW399pBlCluW6NTDvCQh2O2wtYe0vNByphBpjEGOBnXE4mFwZddCGVrToyENNV9aQUTvao341nlLJeT6qSAnq1_qDE1Gmd9hotnoEv84xDhu-MwoSNNGAG/s1600/1-eury+plesiosaur-pliosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_dljDEOSm2B1qdKkyygKYFSW399pBlCluW6NTDvCQh2O2wtYe0vNByphBpjEGOBnXE4mFwZddCGVrToyENNV9aQUTvao341nlLJeT6qSAnq1_qDE1Gmd9hotnoEv84xDhu-MwoSNNGAG/s200/1-eury+plesiosaur-pliosaur.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plesiosaur-Pliosaur neck comparison</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYppAcHQ9SJstqLIzhewXiKmdDB-uPo9auSjtliXFG2XkPIhUHOeGH29SP2KEC6E_0norK9LCGgygnshEwzP7JIzNlnkLkjtzAj2AX-_zarkdBHzXqBJSeOHcBvsLqDfibbL_ruuoOP1r/s1600/1-eury+liopleurodonAndrey+Atuchin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYppAcHQ9SJstqLIzhewXiKmdDB-uPo9auSjtliXFG2XkPIhUHOeGH29SP2KEC6E_0norK9LCGgygnshEwzP7JIzNlnkLkjtzAj2AX-_zarkdBHzXqBJSeOHcBvsLqDfibbL_ruuoOP1r/s200/1-eury+liopleurodonAndrey+Atuchin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liopleurodon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">One of the largest pliosaurs living from
125-99 mya in the Middle-Late Cretaceous was </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Kronosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Crow-no-sor-us) reaching lengths of
10.1m/33ft. A close relative species of </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Kronosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
that lived earlier in the Late Jurassic 162-150 mya was </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Liopleurodon</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics: Lee-o-plur-o-don). It was a more modest
length of 6.4m/21ft. But a recent pliosaur fossil find (2006-2007) unearthed on
the Arctic Norwegian island of Spitspergen was huge. The Late Jurassic pliosaur
from 150 mya dubbed, ‘Predator-X’ is bearing out to be 15m/50ft long with the
forelimb paddle in itself reaching 3.3m/10ft long. Just recently it’s been
named as </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Pliosaurus funkei</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(phonetics: Ply-o-sor-us Funk-eye). It’s massive head and jaws had a bite four
times stronger than </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tyrannosaurus rex</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fBTKFZCOmNRJWSYKIP3X9lW5BozTeo1TMYOBgTvJ7Kmx46o9gnXf5EvC96sOWEUKpK9pVCVNo58FH4sY5jKb-egsOqHsUq2Uhux3BnAUqNC7L3ZSm9DF_vgUNAOwcZM5xp-g6yrj0qkm/s1600/1-eury+pliosaurus-funkei+4xbite+trex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fBTKFZCOmNRJWSYKIP3X9lW5BozTeo1TMYOBgTvJ7Kmx46o9gnXf5EvC96sOWEUKpK9pVCVNo58FH4sY5jKb-egsOqHsUq2Uhux3BnAUqNC7L3ZSm9DF_vgUNAOwcZM5xp-g6yrj0qkm/s200/1-eury+pliosaurus-funkei+4xbite+trex.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">P. funkei biting force 4x T. rex</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnrQ8YeOGIkEFne-SDoUBnEgnMDShmqAlfwGPpUiTqDUpItFJTnz7GXZ9yqCwft9jB1_38no84dsWES62qSdEasJlsRMvhpt5tLWNNfCeJPcgmE46DdV-Zvo1Ec4hVbI4TOHh2cphTr-D/s1600/1-eury+pliosaurus+funkei.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnrQ8YeOGIkEFne-SDoUBnEgnMDShmqAlfwGPpUiTqDUpItFJTnz7GXZ9yqCwft9jB1_38no84dsWES62qSdEasJlsRMvhpt5tLWNNfCeJPcgmE46DdV-Zvo1Ec4hVbI4TOHh2cphTr-D/s200/1-eury+pliosaurus+funkei.jpg" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pliosaurus funkei</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The first ichthyosaurs looked more like
tuna while the latter species appeared more dolphin-like. In either form, all
ichthyosaurs were streamlined for swiftness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MHRFX0D0dho6Rh2tvoBaQF82FfEDjPMIQrNivk2UeBs8AcZ_iGP5-0mtGZvwWkGYGwjZ8Rtgd-g6FtzI5wUUsX9P3rb5sPnu0ItyZkwXxfEeYM806nC-eVPnNzs6Q64OvDUaED4TrlRV/s1600/1-eury+thaisaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MHRFX0D0dho6Rh2tvoBaQF82FfEDjPMIQrNivk2UeBs8AcZ_iGP5-0mtGZvwWkGYGwjZ8Rtgd-g6FtzI5wUUsX9P3rb5sPnu0ItyZkwXxfEeYM806nC-eVPnNzs6Q64OvDUaED4TrlRV/s200/1-eury+thaisaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thaisaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Occurring in the Early Triassic so far, <i>Thaisaurus</i> (phonetics: Tie-saw-rus) is
the most basal ichthyosaur. Although the forelimbs had become flippers, the
hind limbs had not still exposing the feet phalanges and claws. Two other, but
more evolved ichthyosaurs showing up a bit later in the Early Triassic were <i>Grippia</i> (phonetics: Grip-pee-ah) and<i> Utatsusaurus</i> (phonetics: U-taht-sue-saw-rus).
These two had all four limbs entombed as flippers but did not yet support a
dorsal fin as later species would.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqidT2IJA0q6Rp-rvO_l8ssmvLMJz5iM0cvEwa2ERdawFmgsT31AE_XbtiTa8FOTVRLwTaZq0bl9_0LiwxKqLPX8m2SVTV0WehdzIaXGntk945DqxqszVYAiWjwthDCT5-erRoss1VykJ/s1600/1-eury+Shastasaurus_by_sameerprehistorica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqidT2IJA0q6Rp-rvO_l8ssmvLMJz5iM0cvEwa2ERdawFmgsT31AE_XbtiTa8FOTVRLwTaZq0bl9_0LiwxKqLPX8m2SVTV0WehdzIaXGntk945DqxqszVYAiWjwthDCT5-erRoss1VykJ/s320/1-eury+Shastasaurus_by_sameerprehistorica.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S. sikanniensis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Still without a dorsal fin, appearing in
the Late Triassic 215-210 mya, <i>Shastasaurus</i>
<i>sikanniensis</i> (phonetics: Shas-tah-saw-rus
See-kan-nee-n-sis) is the largest marine reptile known growing to lengths of
21m/69ft. How it got that large is still a mystery, for all the species in the
genus <i>Shasatsaurus</i> possessed no teeth
and it is not known on what it ate or how it captured and ate its meals. Decent
speculation is that it grabbed and ate soft bodied cephalopods, but if you
truly come up with the answer you will be called a very clever person by many a
paleontologist.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR039pI3vX0j5QSBHQdZb3aMSE2ofZCPX6moEL3LUeIldh32FeNi4tNApvXfQuLvnZR5lFWEtoEa7yXrXAwxnsCAi2LxFeT0lnVVtazJeMP8TJtuD8OrZRHpZCivv5weMqCRRyowaKhsT-/s1600/1-eury+Shastasaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR039pI3vX0j5QSBHQdZb3aMSE2ofZCPX6moEL3LUeIldh32FeNi4tNApvXfQuLvnZR5lFWEtoEa7yXrXAwxnsCAi2LxFeT0lnVVtazJeMP8TJtuD8OrZRHpZCivv5weMqCRRyowaKhsT-/s200/1-eury+Shastasaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shastasaurus species</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mixosaurus</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (phonetics:
Mis-o-saw-rus) of the Middle Triassic 230 mya has had its fossils found all
over the world. As the name implies it was a transitional ichthyosaur from the
early smaller and ungainly ones to the later more streamlined. Mixosaurs were
also one of the first ichthyosaurs to have a dorsal fin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEi2gng6CA22neNYUtQhZpNQNKaaJGUJqYouDnoRYQfYwAnjj1BSIihIuclK_TixwWNNt2FKljSVXVzerptGDFTXVwsudvwsWSwXCKdaY3kVmaG4msws8sHLhl5GkzTQ2SM4TymZmLxNIa/s1600/1-ichthy-mixosaurus_by_elperdido.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEi2gng6CA22neNYUtQhZpNQNKaaJGUJqYouDnoRYQfYwAnjj1BSIihIuclK_TixwWNNt2FKljSVXVzerptGDFTXVwsudvwsWSwXCKdaY3kVmaG4msws8sHLhl5GkzTQ2SM4TymZmLxNIa/s200/1-ichthy-mixosaurus_by_elperdido.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">By the Middle Jurassic, modern forms had
evolved with super streamlined bodies for distance swimming, leaving shorelines
for open waters. Ichthyosaur eye development became an asset for vision diving
in depths. </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Temnodontosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
(phonetics: Tim-no-dawn-toe-saw-rus) at 12m/40ft is the third largest ichthyosaur while having
the largest known eyes of any and all animal groups. Eye diameter measured
20cm/8in. </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Opthalmosaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> (phonetics:
Off-thal-mow-saw-rus) eyes were a bit smaller, but at 6m/19.7ft it was half the
size of </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Temnodontonsaurus</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, so had the
largest ocular diameter compared to body length of any animal ever known.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCFDHYq4xFikBwmOlCokXF4C7Hv3AaUG0eeozav0VYqqDdUzJW0jS0uVXktJBWcIZc1JkbiftOaSOEOLdgeBJtp2MLOuDNUix_LS4p0bQYW6btGpkwSgVaMgU7ASoEfyaFMsN82sqPhbB/s1600/1-eury+ichthyosaur+scelrotic+ring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCFDHYq4xFikBwmOlCokXF4C7Hv3AaUG0eeozav0VYqqDdUzJW0jS0uVXktJBWcIZc1JkbiftOaSOEOLdgeBJtp2MLOuDNUix_LS4p0bQYW6btGpkwSgVaMgU7ASoEfyaFMsN82sqPhbB/s200/1-eury+ichthyosaur+scelrotic+ring.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Largest eye</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the Jurassic, ichthyosaurs reached
their apex in speciation diversity then began to decline until becoming extinct
around 94 mya before the main Cretaceous asteroid extinction 65 mya. In fact all
marine euryapsids became extinct a few million years before the
Cretaceous/Paleocene asteroid extinction. It’s not fully understood, but most
likely pressures from the more advanced shark rise and mosasaur appearances
played a hand in the extreme apex predator competition.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNEjvcdDSwaTBKjl-Zy8QeR0O8sH4aXaYOQ4-bfe4413TXUE107lwzZgA3mu4bcVIZjUlZk_zrHqAYqHBGJlHLrpG98TvbG9LFFY4FBueJW9r42uBUnCP2jIy4PNMEzRcm0tI2a1HinI9/s1600/1-ichthyosaur-fossils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNEjvcdDSwaTBKjl-Zy8QeR0O8sH4aXaYOQ4-bfe4413TXUE107lwzZgA3mu4bcVIZjUlZk_zrHqAYqHBGJlHLrpG98TvbG9LFFY4FBueJW9r42uBUnCP2jIy4PNMEzRcm0tI2a1HinI9/s200/1-ichthyosaur-fossils.jpg" width="169" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although fossil eggs or fetuses of
placodonts have not been found yet, the evidence from all other euryapsid
fossil finds of embryos, fetuses, births and neonates prove most euryapsids gave
live births.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A recent ichthyosaur fossil find of a <i>Chaohusaurus</i> (phonetics: Kay-uh-hu-saw-rus)
mother dying while giving birth shows the infant ichthyosaur exiting head
first. There were three more fetuses also lined up head first to exit. The
reason for the death of the mother and her newborns was due to labor
complications. The main significance of this fossil find is that the birth was
head first.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gcIqeFsHzxC0oBd5hBykQuBIiFx8Rk1oBvy-dvzIt-bMCwWKLnxLdX4IbztoH-0m29-mcnaOmeRG3AA9k6Ff2JAhgRF2Ssb4gM_rj0M9i9paH1joDAVmhSQbUH4GDdNFgXMolJNBh1Au/s1600/1-ichthy+Chaohusaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gcIqeFsHzxC0oBd5hBykQuBIiFx8Rk1oBvy-dvzIt-bMCwWKLnxLdX4IbztoH-0m29-mcnaOmeRG3AA9k6Ff2JAhgRF2Ssb4gM_rj0M9i9paH1joDAVmhSQbUH4GDdNFgXMolJNBh1Au/s200/1-ichthy+Chaohusaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chaohusaurus birth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvl0ShJXjZ-uY4dP8fT1FkpQBhXy57get1uE7KUVSRxx4_k5BtknxneieyqOVMAOt6tB0pl7V7nMFDrZJJpFmqglvLkOWT139kEdVBvnw-eLGG9u4LPHlrNSBe3PL9G7yDTGOY5fLWszd/s1600/1-Ichthy_birth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvl0ShJXjZ-uY4dP8fT1FkpQBhXy57get1uE7KUVSRxx4_k5BtknxneieyqOVMAOt6tB0pl7V7nMFDrZJJpFmqglvLkOWT139kEdVBvnw-eLGG9u4LPHlrNSBe3PL9G7yDTGOY5fLWszd/s200/1-Ichthy_birth.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Later evolved tail first births</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">All tetrapodal marine life (whether
extinct or extant) that first derived from a land air breathing lineage then
had a latter ancestry of going back to the seas gives live birth in water as
tail first to avoid drowning of the newborn. There are innumerable fossil finds
of tail first euryapsid births. All extinct marine tetrapods (mosasaurs,
plesiosaurs, nothosaurs, etc.) and all extant marine tetrapods (whales,
dolphins, porpoises, etc.) give tail first births. This is to allow the maximum
time in being able to reach the surface for that first breath of air. When the
watery environment hits the head, breathing must occur. That’s why tail first is
an advantage by allowing the head to be the last sequence of the birth, giving
more time to reach that required first surface breath.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All land animals give birth head first
for the same reason, but as an opposite effect. Once the marine newborn is out
it must reach the surface quickly, so tail first is an advantage. But in land
animal births that breathe air, it is not. The infant needs instant access to air while
being born to keep it from suffocating while still in the birth canal during
delivery.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Both strategies have the same effect, to
reach air, but with opposite timing; maximum time for a tail first water birth
and minimum time for a head first atmospheric birth. What the more primitive
Early Triassic <i>Chaohusaurus</i>
implication states is that live birth for euryapsids first arose on land then
was adapted to watery environs evolving from head first to tail first over a certain
period of time.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02P87IrgdNsyaOIl81998PLvsVgYgpoXzzg8mLcVIFGZElorc83VzCSW2-I6ILjFGgkP201XP3T3RwPtlVErl9o4on_6HaWC7-kJCe0Q901n1N5dZR7Cc4Wrz0HUHBI8rKUWc06oJtdxe/s1600/1-ichthyosaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02P87IrgdNsyaOIl81998PLvsVgYgpoXzzg8mLcVIFGZElorc83VzCSW2-I6ILjFGgkP201XP3T3RwPtlVErl9o4on_6HaWC7-kJCe0Q901n1N5dZR7Cc4Wrz0HUHBI8rKUWc06oJtdxe/s200/1-ichthyosaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ichthyosaurus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The video below is an example of how
most likely an ichthyosaur birth occurred.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rezCswEi6cA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rezCswEi6cA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Before we depart, let’s check out a
marine euryapsid living dilemma they had to overcome before being as successful
as they were.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fish have no problem maintaining a high
level of metabolic energy consumption during locomotory paced activity, for external
gills give all the respiratory oxygen exchange needed without being hindered by
the fish’s flexing side-to-side movement during mobility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The first tetrapods to walk on land
inherited that flexible side-to-side body motion to travel, but now, in converting
air bladders into internal lung respirators replacing gills, an interrupted
breathing dilemma arose. This inherited side-flex fish trait equated into a
sprawling gait and with the side-to-side body motion in locomotion caused a
problem for internal lung function. The first poor tetrapods walked two paces
then had to stop just to gasp for air in replenishing its oxygen supply.
Running was out of the question for early terrestrial travels. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Respiration and locomotion use the same
set of muscles as derived from fish ancestry. The trunk is flexed to the right
and left as land animals walk and run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although it may breathe when walking, it
cannot breathe when running. This is why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a tetrapod land animal steps forward
with left foot first, the right side of the thorax including the right lung is
compressed while simultaneously the left side of the thorax and left lung are
expanded. Of course the cycle reverses when the right foot moves forward. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So this is a big problem, for land
animals breathe in air to fill both lungs simultaneously, then exhale to
deflate the lungs for another breath of fresh air. But breathing normally
cannot commence when one lung is compressed. This distortion interferes with
normal thoracic breathing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When walking slowly, the tetrapod may be
able to breathe between steps because the thorax has time to recover from the
distortion. But if the animal speeds up, the animal cannot breathe when
running. That is why tetrapods must stop in short periods to simply breathe
properly. This is called ‘Carriers Constraint’.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbSBMR-Us00W8yb2itHMv-wjH8WUU7I2EoiZlQcQzwzk9ftqCgiOcl78Tm0B_U2i_UMt8oZM7JXTyKDEpKMlaAbJ6nZdUz5KCN6RoqKNYchVRm6iTYYMt8ARThH5blP0IVyljyJzqiopF/s1600/Frequency+expansion+compression.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbSBMR-Us00W8yb2itHMv-wjH8WUU7I2EoiZlQcQzwzk9ftqCgiOcl78Tm0B_U2i_UMt8oZM7JXTyKDEpKMlaAbJ6nZdUz5KCN6RoqKNYchVRm6iTYYMt8ARThH5blP0IVyljyJzqiopF/s200/Frequency+expansion+compression.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Carriers Constraint lung compression</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Land vertebrates have solved Carriers
Constraint, especially mammals, by evolving a more erect stance with all four
limbs vertically supporting the body. This aided moving in a vertical plane
when running resulting in less twisting of the thorax, so sparse breathing
could be possible during rapid locomotion. With bipedal motion as in humans and
kangaroos, the thorax is lifted perpendicular to the ground allowing the
ribcage to not flex during rapid locomotion. Still though, a breath can only be
taken every other stride or hop.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However a bipedal posture is
intrinsically unstable for it requires long periods of high level energy and
its consumption, so a high metabolic rate must be maintained at all times, even
during rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Both quadruped and biped land animals
can run for a while without breathing in switching to anaerobic glycolysis. A
sprinter can run a 100 meter dash without breathing by switching to anaerobic
glycolysis, but this can only be maintained for a few seconds before further
circumventing oxygen debt and introducing dangerous levels of lactic acid in
the blood in burning lactose instead of oxygen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, with marine reptiles equipped with
land heredities like lungs and limbs for mobility, how did they resolve
Carriers Constraint in going back to aquatic environs? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These lung possessing marine reptiles
competed quite well with gill possessing fish through various choices in
swimming styles that did not hinder normal functions of the thorax and lungs
within it. Marine reptiles must utilize one breath when diving or subsurface
swimming. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although still dependent on frequenting
land, placodonts overcame the constraint in having a leisurely lifestyle going
after molluscs and crustaceans on the sea beds of shallow coastal waters.
Placodonts also were building epidermal armor that would have made the body
more rigid and stiffened the thorax enough to negate twisting from mobile
movement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pachypleurosaurs and basal pistosaurs
were swimming in undulatory anguilliform eel-like fashion without any
strengthening or hardening of the thorax. In this transitional mode, pachypleurosaurs
had not yet approached a Carriers Constraint solution, so were forced to remain
near shorelines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Nothosaurs, through a series of
species from earliest to most recent, developed larger forelimbs for paraxial locomotion
while stiffening the thorax and spine. This nixed undulatory propulsion in the
most advanced species utilizing the limbs and not the body for locomotion. The
modified limbs anchored to a strengthened ball-and-socket glenoid joint were
like hydrofoils negating the body as a necessary element for locomotion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Plesiosaurs and pliosaurs used paraxial
locomotion in which synchronized breathing with surface propulsion. With
well-developed massive pelvic and pectoral girdles, all the propulsive force
was applied with the limbs directed away from the axis of motion which was of
course the body. Plesiosaurians were one of the first to fly through waters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ichthyosaurs have not yet fully revealed
their key to the unlocking of Carriers Constraint. At a glance in being
dolphin-like in appearance, one might think that ichthyosaurs were accomplished
long distance and rapid swimmers. Appearances can be deceiving. The torso was
not all that rigid and rib cages of ichthyosaurs were lightly built. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Major ichthyosaur propulsion came from
the tail that was anatomically decoupled from the body by a caudal peduncle.
They swam in an up and down undulating motion of the tail with a body that
doesn’t appear too rigid. With this ammunition, it appears like the ichthyosaur
was not prepared to do battle with the constraint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ichthyosaur body adaptations with an
undulating tail were geared for rapid acceleration and short bursts of rapid
speed, but no anatomy shows that it was geared for long distance swimming.
Unless, it leaped as dolphins and penguins currently do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With ichthyosaur tail undulations for
rapid acceleration and a pectoral fin for upward force in propulsion, this
reptile may have leaped to gain an upper hand over Carriers Constraint.
Subsurface cruising expends energy due to waves just below the surface creating
a zone of drag. If ichthyosaurs leaped, it would’ve required much less
breathing and while in the air giving plenty of time to take one deep breath or
two short ones. The subsurface high drag zone could’ve been neutralized by
swimming through it at a high angle of 30 degrees or more which would be
conserving energy more so than simply maintaining swimming within the drag zone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
Continuum:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Indeed this was a long article, but it
could have been five times longer and still not cover all the bases. Hopefully
though there is enough information to remain fluid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All of the fore, above and future ‘Et
Tunc’ series are not concrete fact, but are solidly based on fact. Information
derived has most other’s first hand researched input with some sprinkling and
dashes of my own stringing together output.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For the next ‘Et Tunc’ series we’ll be
discussing the archosaurs that led to crocodilians, pterosaurs, dinosaurs and
ultimately birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">See ya then... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Times Elapsed</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">02/27/2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-84228096619066126072016-01-31T01:28:00.001-05:002016-02-02T11:45:53.841-05:00Visceral Understanding<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Visceral Understanding</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Brigand:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here we go again, another Bundy takeover
of public deeded lands. The Bundy clan decided that dad, Cliven Bundy’s armed
militia 2014 takeover of federal lands in Nevada wasn’t quite enough, so the
sons, Ammon and Ryan decided to act on their militia penchant and start-up
another showdown with law enforcement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To recall, Cliven refused to pay over $1
million dollars in years of back pay he still owes the federal government for
grazing his cattle on public lands. The fees go all the way back to 1993. These
fee rates were introduced and enforced by order from the right-wing’s
semi-deity Ronald Reagan’s 1986 Executive Order 12548.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When Bundy’s steadfast refusal to ever
pay the grazing rights fees over the past 21 years was obviously apparent, the
‘Bureau of Land Management’ was tasked to collect his cattle off the public
lands in 2014. That’s when the Bundy’s appealed to militia groups to come to
their aid resulting in the armed standoff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht73H-upjozBpP2DBr_7OmGUb6dDXIXShBSJbQ0nsGSodSURo_tYb3h-PRukQYm4WhlnIaoix7w31KV_egh6XtrUvxLXa7wb-3zLl1NUG1_F54GXFeNTQIiQp_aWMw2wp8ptanUpn2w0mj/s1600/budy+cliven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht73H-upjozBpP2DBr_7OmGUb6dDXIXShBSJbQ0nsGSodSURo_tYb3h-PRukQYm4WhlnIaoix7w31KV_egh6XtrUvxLXa7wb-3zLl1NUG1_F54GXFeNTQIiQp_aWMw2wp8ptanUpn2w0mj/s320/budy+cliven.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cliven Bundy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cliven was even expanding his livestock
grazing into other federally-owned territories. With numerous court judgments
against him, the federal government was finally sending agents in to collect
the trespassing cows. Bundy, who was
given fair warning of the future seizure, issues implied threats and
implications of “another Waco.” There were complaints that the federal cow
collectors were armed, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that federal
agents were armed in the Bundy case since in fact his threats were real. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, as of late the two Bundy brothers
caught wind of the father/son Hammond ordeal going on in the S.E. corner of
Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon. President Ulysses
S. Grant first established this land as the ‘Malheur Indian Reservation’ for
the Northern Paiute in 1872. It was taken away from them and the Bannock tribe
in the 1878 Bannock War removing the Native American tribes to Washington State
where the U.S. government then converted the Indian’s reservation to federal
land. Further, in 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt designated its present name
as the ‘Malheur National Wildlife Refuge’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dwight Hammond and his 46-yr-old son,
Steven were found guilty of arson in setting fires on the public lands in 2001
and 2006. The Hammonds claim they set the fires to control invasive plant species,
when in all actuality it was to clear land so that their livestock could graze
on it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jNtp7qkPmGDQzYztrZpxN5DVJpUqfOdvUWHkB70LfKqmpSLzLgs9flp9qRzK4ZQmtGWy8GhvvHoApBHUAX7gtVzWY3w5ltYkWj__Qx7oTtTl1Sf8GNhgcHcZq3np6L7uj23qVp5cbg8x/s1600/hammonds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jNtp7qkPmGDQzYztrZpxN5DVJpUqfOdvUWHkB70LfKqmpSLzLgs9flp9qRzK4ZQmtGWy8GhvvHoApBHUAX7gtVzWY3w5ltYkWj__Qx7oTtTl1Sf8GNhgcHcZq3np6L7uj23qVp5cbg8x/s320/hammonds.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hammonds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Their actual conviction occurred in 2013
and both were sent to prison with Dwight serving three months and Steven one
year of a mandatory minimum five year sentence. For after all, the U.S.’s West
is fraught with wildfires, much less with intentionally set fires, so federal
prosecutors appealed the Hammonds release demanding the minimum five years be
served. A federal court agreed and the Supreme Court turned down a legal
request to hear their case. Minus time already served, the Hammonds reported to
prison voluntarily and are now serving out their term.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Bundy boys without the aid of their
dad decided to take it upon themselves, gather up a collection of “patriot” minded
militia vigilantes and tread on U.S. sovereign public land. Now one might
wonder why they would want to do this again, but why not? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The first armed confrontation in Nevada
where they had guns loaded, cocked and aimed at local, county, state and
federal law officials…nothing happened. It’s been over a year and a half and
not one single militia Rambo has been arrested. In fact, the militia horde held
an anniversary celebration of the event. The Bundys organized a get together and
party serving up Bundy cattle steaks that once roamed and grazed on federal
lands illegally. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Robert Crooks, founder of the ‘Mountain
Minutemen’ in claiming victory gave a little pep talk at the reunion of sorts
stating, “<i>We’re gonna stand our ground.
BLM no longer exists in this section of Nevada</i>.” The rogue crowd proudly
displayed their weaponry, got drunk, shot off their guns and went off-roading
on fragile environmental public lands. Sorry to say, but Crooks right; the BLM,
due to safety concerns pretty much no longer patrols the southeastern corner of
Nevada where the stand-off occurred.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As previously stated, the Bundy boys
gathered up as many militia wannabes as they could and headed on up to Oregon
and while heavily armed, on January 02 took over the ‘Malheur Wildlife Refuge’
facilities with a claimed 150 militia cohorts. Ammon Bundy quickly released a
video declaring, “<i>We’re going to be
staying for several years</i>,” in his request for more gun enthusiasts/government
conspiracists to join him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once settled in, Ammon announced what it
was all about and demanded that the Hammonds’ be allowed to go on about their
business. Well that rallying cry didn’t work out too well, for the Hammonds
wanted nothing to do with it.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Hammonds realize their guilt and are
only interested in serving out their time and they most certainly do not want
any part in aiming guns at law officers. In fact they outright reject the
anti-government militia’s takeover.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Hammond family lawyer sent a letter
to Harney County (the Oregon county the refuge lies in) Sheriff David Ward. The
letter emphatically expressed, “<i>Neither
Ammon Bundy nor anyone within his group/organization speak for the Hammond
family</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dwight himself told an AP reporter that
he and his father will abide by the court ruling and voluntarily return to jail
in saying, “<i>We gave our word that’s what
we would do, and we intend to act on it</i>.” Sure enough, the Hammond’s turned
themselves in on January, 04 to complete their sentencing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwW3L6hv_vL-ensvMLYKg9REwBEcoLcsPNhtPVZVtwsDctIM8ZVCP25FdKq2RsWHkDXGCtzW65W-CtNv1g2ZTvD_9GaiMagZhVbFyQ6hsXUfRLQb3QTqQIQXSdjShXfnAcu5RuZyIuptw/s1600/Malheur-National-Wildlife-Refuge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwW3L6hv_vL-ensvMLYKg9REwBEcoLcsPNhtPVZVtwsDctIM8ZVCP25FdKq2RsWHkDXGCtzW65W-CtNv1g2ZTvD_9GaiMagZhVbFyQ6hsXUfRLQb3QTqQIQXSdjShXfnAcu5RuZyIuptw/s320/Malheur-National-Wildlife-Refuge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Without a rallying point to justify
their takeover of the refuge, Ammon then turned to the idea that federal land
should be in the hands of private citizens for ranching, mining and logging.
Well, the Paiute have a different take on that message…if the land should be
given back to the rightful owners, then without doubt, it should be the Paiute,
for 10,000 years it was their sacred land.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Meanwhile, at a Burns, Oregon township
meeting, Paiute tribal chairperson,
Charlotte Rodrique in expressing that the true rightful owners of the
land are Paiute, she jokingly quips, “I’m sitting here trying to write an
acceptance letter when they return the land to us.” She further adds, “We know
they didn't mean us, they meant themselves. We as a tribe feel that this is our
land no matter who’s living on it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cw7E9GIgFGg" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In seeing the irony of his stance, Ryan
Bundy simply digresses in oxymoron expression by stating, “<i>We also recognize that the Native Americans had the claim to the land,
but they lost that claim. There are things to learn from cultures of the past,
but the current culture is the most important</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Let’s see now if we got this right. The
Native American no longer can own the land because it was forcibly taken away
from them by the federal government, so “<i>they
lost that claim to the U.S. government</i>” but…it’s quite OK for the Bundy
militia et al to land grab the territory from the public to privatize it when
they’ve never held any kind of claim to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ya see, it’s kind of like this. The
Bundys are gold diggers when it comes to relations with the government while at
the same time despising the government. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pops Bundy feels he should be able to
graze his livestock for free as they raze protected lands that are of
environmental or of cultural significance. Ammon himself has a Phoenix based business
called ‘Valet Fleet Services LLC’. Guess what, while condemning the government
for protecting public lands and not giving any land grabbing handouts to greedy
individuals to do with as they please and profit from it, instead of going to a
bank, he cozied up to the government and received a $530,000 loan through the
‘Small Business Administration’s low interest guarantee program. The government
won’t say whether he has or hasn’t and of course neither will Ammon if he’s
been paying it back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s a subsidy, so his small business is
entitled to it, but he is not entitled to takeover lands that are protected by
each and every working American’s tax dollar. Ammon’s a snarky shark swimming
in a vast sea of desert sand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It wasn’t enough to just seize the land,
the militia group has rifled through federal files stored there, opened up
computer transactions and have used federal equipment to make a road. Why they
even illegally tore down and opened up an eighty foot fence section of the
fence line that separates public property from private property that was intended
to keep private livestock from straying into the federally protected public refuge.
So not only are they illegally trespassing, the Bundy boys are destroying
public property….my property…your property…every American taxpayer’s property.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Bundys say they’re doing it for the
ranchers, the miners and loggers, but their main emphasis is that it’s their
God given right to do so. A Republican ploy to always justify their evil deeds
is to say God commanded them to do so. Just like W. Bush swore God told him to
go into Iraq and just like God insisted Governor Scott Walker run for the
presidency even though after Rick Perry, Walker was the second Republican to
drop out of the race. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just like the Mormon God ordered Cliven
Bundy to commit seditious acts when Cliven said in 2014, “<i>The Lord told me if the local sheriff doesn’t take away the arms from
federal agents, we the people will have to face these arms in a civil war. This
is your chance to straighten this thing up</i>,” so too, Ammon now claims in
reference to the Nevada standoff with his current militia escapade. He states,
“<i>If the standoff with the Bundys was wrong,
would the Lord have been with us? Could those people that stood with me without
fear and went through that spiritual experience have done that without the Lord
being there? No, they couldn’t</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a twenty minute video Ammon
religiously further elaborates, “<i>I got on
my knees and asked the Lord, I said, Lord, if you want me to write something,
please help me clear my mind, and show me what I should write. I began to
understand what the Lord felt about Harney County, and about the country. I
clearly understood that the Lord was not pleased about what was happening.</i> <i>I did exactly what the Lord asked me to do.
I did it the way he asked me, the best I could…come to Harney County Oregon and
participate in this wonderful thing that the Lord is about to accomplish.</i>” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is delusional propaganda in seeking
sympathizers that are naïve enough to believe it simply due to blind faith. It
is not the Mormon God or any god that prevented bloodshed; no it’s hesitancy of
government officials in not confronting the seditious acts head-on and this
fact strikes me as a bit strange.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is a concluded specific that one
unequivocally knows if this were to be black unarmed demonstrators instead of a
heavily armed white militia seizing public property, the American Blacks would
be put down in a hurry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">During the Ferguson demonstrations, not
only were there fully armed local and state officers with fully automatic
assault rifles, tanks were even assigned to duty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the unarmed ‘Black Lives Matter’
protests, cops lined the streets fully geared and itching for one protester to
get out of line and pay the price. Demonstrators that blocked businesses were
arrested. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Baltimore, Maryland protesters
wanting justice for Freddie Gray’s death while in police custody were met with
tear gas and rubber bullets. Most of the protesters were peaceable high school
students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now just imagine, as the Bundy militias
in both the Nevada and Oregon cases had guns aimed right at officials, if these
black protesters had done the same, why they’d have been blasted to Kingdom
Come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What’s sad is American blacks have every
constitutional right to protest and demonstrate as most peaceably are, but
still at best are arrested or worse…harmed. On the other hand with the militia
groups who have illegally seized and taken over and abused public property, the
most law enforcement officials have conducted is simply to plead in begging fashion
to please leave. They’re not even telling them to disband, just leave the
public land premises and all will be peachy. Instead of leaving, the militia
groups only reinforce to remain and make their locally unwelcome presence felt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEW7NIgu2wKG-5ONtOvpFeCujcRKXdBNDZ7f0urb5rvzkH1yDTgPBS_CaJAY6YTRq-xF6pxLBDjU5ycXTYvVJotU7y10Ms-W2pGuVqctxgg89Rc-FdiDkhkBtJPW82N5GsCZESPwEhcAqz/s1600/malheur+takeover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEW7NIgu2wKG-5ONtOvpFeCujcRKXdBNDZ7f0urb5rvzkH1yDTgPBS_CaJAY6YTRq-xF6pxLBDjU5ycXTYvVJotU7y10Ms-W2pGuVqctxgg89Rc-FdiDkhkBtJPW82N5GsCZESPwEhcAqz/s320/malheur+takeover.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Malheur Militia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All the while, the Bundy boys are free
to roam in and out of the refuge as they please reaching out their tough boy
images by bullying towns folk and issuing death threats to the local town
leaders leaving the town officials no choice but to send their families
elsewhere for safe keeping. Schools have been closed for weeks for safety
precautions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One militant, Ryan Payne is convinced
that the U.S. government uses regulations to deliberately undermine the average
American. Along with some outrageous conspiracy theories he also believes that
he has the legal authority to kill police officers if he feels they are
unjustifiably arresting him. He also claims that slavery never existed in the
U.S. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Harney County Judge, Steve Grasty has
cancelled a community meeting at a senior center. The reason he moved the
meeting away from the normal place at the high school was that militants were
entering armed which violated the standing order of no weapons. The reason he
cancelled the senior meeting was that militants were blocking access to the
center in protest for moving the meeting where the elderly reside. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This ‘hands-off approach’ government officials
are conducting with these white militia terrorist acts needs to stop. It is
only encouraging this type of behavior. In its annual U.S. internal terrorist
groups, the ‘Southern Poverty Law Center’ (SPLC) has identified a 37% increase
just from 2014. In 2014, there were 202 terrorist militia groups, by the end of
2015 they reported 276. Once Obama had been elected president, militia groups
exploded from just 42 in 2008 to 334 in 2011 before declining then rising back
up again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpsRsJ_-PGL_W2ov7Oi4TntLB7lBRXNh8P0hIvlLuxdM7f_SFiPxb_x_mH76hpYXYFrv9s0C2HIqlUnXAY0-znh9PbLZ0ewFubH0Z6e2m7OmLtOmimhDcLDW1fgbz34yoMznKcltlPp0M/s1600/Militia+Groups.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpsRsJ_-PGL_W2ov7Oi4TntLB7lBRXNh8P0hIvlLuxdM7f_SFiPxb_x_mH76hpYXYFrv9s0C2HIqlUnXAY0-znh9PbLZ0ewFubH0Z6e2m7OmLtOmimhDcLDW1fgbz34yoMznKcltlPp0M/s320/Militia+Groups.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">SPLCs director of ‘Intelligence Project’
Heidi Beirich adds to their statistics by stating, “<i>We believe these armed extremists have been emboldened by what they saw
as a clear victory at the Cliven Bundy ranch and the fact that no one was held
accountable for taking up arms against agents of the federal government</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This ‘Bundy Effect’ in illegal seizure
of public property, terrorizing a community, threatening law officers,
destroying fragile ecosystems, shuttering government services, bullying locals
and provoking altercations needs to be put to bed. ‘Y’all Qaeda’ needs to quit
behaving like the big boy with the little britches. They aren’t rescuing anyone
from governmental abuse…they are the abuse. Seized land never belongs to the
insurgents no matter how much they claim their ‘patriot’ hypocrisy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Locals are frustrated, some even
infuriated. Claiming tyranny against the U.S. government when actually being
the one promoting tyranny against the locals is finally making some residents fed
up. After failing to convince the militia he’d safely escort them out to leave
these parts, Harney County Sheriff, David Ward was cheered when at a local town
meeting where he stated to some of the militia members in attendance, “<i>You don't get to come here from elsewhere
and tell us how we're going to live our lives</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tim Puckett, the rancher who owns the
private land abutted up to the refuge where the Bundy’s cut down the fence was
incensed. He told reporters after he learned of the incident that he not only
didn’t want or ask Bundy to tear down the fence (in which Bundy falsely claimed
he did), he’s “<i>very upset</i>” because
of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJXO2kOUOItQkTnEB0khSzOEGusbT9OBE8SykSerkpeUKRSRlxTh_FIigt35qWjc80ZwJjVSTBpbGOtC1rJAwKejTV01pfweoggCzgkkPAvcXPuEX1X2pZn9Nw8nROjELZxhUjAIrcwe6/s1600/bundy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJXO2kOUOItQkTnEB0khSzOEGusbT9OBE8SykSerkpeUKRSRlxTh_FIigt35qWjc80ZwJjVSTBpbGOtC1rJAwKejTV01pfweoggCzgkkPAvcXPuEX1X2pZn9Nw8nROjELZxhUjAIrcwe6/s320/bundy2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ammon taking down the fence</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Puckett continued, “<i>They’re not coming onto my place no more. If they do, I’m gonna have to
do something about it. I don’t want them going across my ground. I work with
the BLM. I have no problem with them. The fence has not nor will ever affect my
cattle operation. I am a good steward of the land. In no way do I feel that I
am entitled to the refuge for grazing</i>. <i>Keeping
cattle from walking over burial sites is immensely important</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s unfortunate but other sheriffs
aren’t as so inclined as Ward in hanging out the ‘go home sign’ and are
actually cheering the militants on. Nearby Grant County Oregon Sheriff, Glenn
Palmer favors the right-wing extremists and has had several rally meetings with
them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXK8QIt3IXHqinqPAwDpHkVQ4rs2qU6ANVSPQpdeOLR-WXf-TA7_LOIDAyfFy0niUj51x6AT4DGMRK6EK6EmGaHWTQ5EMw4uYymlSLa-SRRMOBDTB9BK9cg0uUTNY4mb8Z7HUaCdkh6Dc/s1600/bundys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXK8QIt3IXHqinqPAwDpHkVQ4rs2qU6ANVSPQpdeOLR-WXf-TA7_LOIDAyfFy0niUj51x6AT4DGMRK6EK6EmGaHWTQ5EMw4uYymlSLa-SRRMOBDTB9BK9cg0uUTNY4mb8Z7HUaCdkh6Dc/s320/bundys.jpg" width="320" /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"> </span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oregon State Representative Republican
Dallas Heard, along with other Oregon Republican representatives met with that
most world infamous Nevada State Representative, Republican Michele Fiore whom
I spoke of in my last article, ‘<b>Hallowed
be Thy Shame</b>’. Fiore is very open in supporting the militias and has
proudly announced, “<i>Everyone knows I’m a
supporter of the Bundy family, our relationship is pretty well documented</i>.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One would think that any American going
against our U.S. government and calling for war against the U.S. military would
most certainly be an enemy of not only to the nation but to our liberties as
well in imposing their warped conspiracy policies upon the rest of us. But not
these Republicans, they feel the militia men/women are upstanding patriots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This Republican group, although told not
to by county law enforcement, a local judge and the FBI met anyway with the
Bundy boys and as Fiore exhilarates, it is to “<i>demonstrate that Republicans lean heavily on the side of American
citizens against our federal government</i>.” The very government that allows
them to behave in this totally absurd way they however are against. This
appears to me anyway to be a tad traitorous to the stars and stripes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All this militant sedition of the ‘Malheur
Wildlife Refuge’ has a cost attached to it and it may end more than just in
monetary terms, but in life loss. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Judge Grasty says the refuge takeover is
costing the county around $70,000.00/day. Visitors no longer are going to the
wildlife facilities that bring in daily, community outside income. The judge
realistically doesn’t seem too optimistic in recouping the lost income but has
sent the Bundy boys a bill anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just recreational tourism catering to
hunters, fishermen, birders and outdoorsmen was averaging $40,000.00/day to the
county and its small businesses creating hundreds of jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The American taxpayer is on the hook for
$23,400.00/day. Along with the wildlife refuge, Harney County’s ‘Bureau of Land
Management Office’ and forestry service can no longer operate so workers are on
leave with pay stipends; the bulk of them are locals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Overall with security costs and school
closings adding an additional $70,000.00/day, the small Harney County communities
have to absorb the costing of $133,400/day in lost revenue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>Breaking</b>: As I’ve been writing this
article, initial news is out that officials have finally responded in
apprehending Bundy militia members. Thus far the way the news is developing, militant
members yesterday evening (01/26/16) were on their way to a community meeting
when on the street they were stopped by the FBI and Oregon state police. Ammon
and Ryan Bundy were among the group. Shots were fired resulting in one
militant, Robert ‘LaVoy’ Finicum being killed and another seriously wounded.
The rest were arrested, including the Bundy brothers and charged with a federal
felony in impeding, through force, U.S. officers to carry out their official
duties. Impeding U.S. officers from discharging their official duties through
the use of force, intimidation, or threats, in violation of Title 18, United
States Code, Section 372 has been going on at the ‘Malheur Wildlife Refuge’
almost for the full month of January and according to the Bundys was to
continue on for years without end. Well it’s just now ending. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Militants still loitering at the refuge
were told they could leave peacefully without fear of arrest, but if they
decide to remain they will be arrested. As of yet there is no word on the
remaining militants’ decision as to orderly file out and leave or to stay and
fight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ryan Parker was indeed one of those
arrested. He’s known for his aggression and could’ve quite possibly started the
firing of weapons, but in the end he did not get to shoot and kill his arresting
officer. John Ritzheimer, who was also among those arrested, but in Arizona as
he was visiting his home, is also a semi-famous Islamophobic organizer among
right-wing extremists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is a video I just got showing a
few of the militants freaking out while remaining on public property grounds
and apparently digging in for their war bath. There will be a load of
right-wing armed nationalist conspiracies coming out of this and Finicum’s
death, but they had their chance and it was way past overdue. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="358" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uz7lO5dpUjs" width="647"></iframe>
<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Flint’s
no Hint:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Flint, Michigan residents knew something
was wrong with their water due to discoloration, foul smell, bad taste and
developing skin rashes from bathing in it. Governor Rick Snyder (R-MI) knew
also that something was wrong with Flint water for he was privy to reports and
test analysis but gave no hints to the community of final results or impending major problems to
health. Governor Snyder knew that Flint residents had been poisoned by lead
contaminated water, but chose to keep mum until months later after news leaked
out into the media.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldMXPODD9k-CL4d-EpvWyG_4cxfPgReAf1jCSedEisrI1xzWylBvV2oKM3NKTZifYdM38m91wNXeiEuPRVIsWk7sBDx5AdK_6DdPNe7hc3LTNeYTjqpDLLRL5GRHSaYEi7ojzNkVBycgu/s1600/Snyder-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldMXPODD9k-CL4d-EpvWyG_4cxfPgReAf1jCSedEisrI1xzWylBvV2oKM3NKTZifYdM38m91wNXeiEuPRVIsWk7sBDx5AdK_6DdPNe7hc3LTNeYTjqpDLLRL5GRHSaYEi7ojzNkVBycgu/s320/Snyder-2.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Snyder should be charged and convicted
with dire dereliction of duty in promoting the safety of his constituents. In
fact, Snyder should’ve been charged a long time ago in implementing his
unelected, but personally appointed ‘Emergency Financial Manager’ (EFM). As
appropriated through Republican majority state legislation in 2010, Snyder’s
emergency managers began moving into designated cities as unelected appointees
to directly report to Snyder while firing all the duly elected city officials
and school board members. The original intention given was to save money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In my 2011 ‘<b>Leaning Up Against the Cracker Barrel</b>’ article under the last
segment titled ‘<b>Out Voting Voters</b>’,
I introduced Mr. Snyder and his EFM referring to the whole aspect as essentially
imposed martial law, for that is exactly what it is minus the military quotient.
Martial law by definition is the exercise of government and control by military
authorities over the civilian population of a designated territory, whereby a
head of state (in this case, not the military but Snyder) removes all power
from the previous local, executive, legislative, and judicial branches of
government. This is precisely what Snyder invoked in his EPM program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the EPMs debut, Snyder sent his
emergency manager, Joseph Harris to Benton Harbor, a Michigan town off the
shore of Lake Michigan where immediately Harris fired all the locally elected
officials and reported to no one in the town, but directly to Snyder. The main
emphasis was to seize town land and sell it to a real estate developer to build
a golf resort, in which Harris succeeded in doing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I shall repeat what I said in the
previous article for it still holds…this isn’t democracy; it is dictatorial by
design in eliminating the democratic function of checks and balance. What
Snyder and his emergency manager agree on goes with no input or impetus from
local authorities or citizens. This is exactly the route taken at Flint,
Michigan. The only difference…instead of one, there was a rotation of emergency
managers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There’s a tail of a tale to tell here,
so let’s see if we can string it together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After Snyder’s first emergency manager,
Michael Brown (12/2011-08/2012) fires several city hall employees and cuts out
pay for others, he leaves in 2012. To save $5 million during the financial
management term, the second emergency manager, Ed Kurtz (08/2012-7/2013) reviews
the motive in preparation to begin taking influent water from Flint River, but
after discussions with Michigan’s EPA, advises against switching from Detroit’s
Lake Huron water to pipe into the Flint River. The Flint is a river that is so
polluted, primarily from GM using it as a sludge and waste dump since the early
1900s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is some consternation here as far
as Kurtz’ decision goes. Kurtz’ handpicked Flint chief financial officer, Jerry
Ambrose. Ambrose in a 2014 civil deposition over severe employee income cuts testified
under oath that Kurtz indeed did reject consideration in using Flint River
water after discussions with the EPA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ambrose continued his statement in
saying, “<i>There was brief evaluation of
whether the city would be better off to simply use the Flint River as its
primary source of water over the long term. That was determined not to be
feasible</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The lawyer, Alec Gibbs who was
questioning Ambrose further asked, “<i>Who
determined it wasn’t feasible</i>?” Where Ambrose replied, “<i>It was a collective decision of the
emergency management team based on conversations with the MDEQ </i>(Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality) <i>that
indicated they would not be supportive of the use of the Flint River on a
long-term basis as a primary source of water</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gibbs finally asks, “<i>What was the reason they gave</i>?”
Appearing to not know, Ambrose responded, “<i>You’ll
have to ask them</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now remember, the Ambrose/Gibbs court
discussion occurred in 2014, a year before it was revealed Flint folks were
being poisoned by lead. Also, the discussion concerned a decision made way back
in 2012 by emergency manager Kurtz, who after being informed by an
environmental entity the MDEQ, an entity having nothing to add to “<i>feasibility</i>” on an economic aspect, only
environmental.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If Ambrose is really telling the truth
and Kurtz indeed turned down the Flint River proposal, then who reinstituted
it? How did the river water become the bathing, cooking and drinking water for
Flint a mere sixteen months after Kurtz’ rejection?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Resigning in November 2015, former
director of Flint public works, Howard Croft asserts that to go forth in using
the polluted and corrosive river water ultimately came from the Snyder administration.
In the videotaped interview conducted by the ACLU, Croft alleges the decision went
all the way up the state ranks to Snyder’s office and was based on financial
reasoning in saving money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To verify, Croft is quizzed, “<i>All the way up to the governor’s office</i>,”
where Croft confirms in repeating, “<i>All
the way up to the governor’s office</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once the Snyder administration was
apprised of Croft’s confession, Sara Wurfel, Snyder’s spokeswoman had some
serious damage control in covering for the governor. She falsely claimed that
Snyder could not have made the decision to switch to the river water for the
city of Flint had already been kicked off Detroit’s water lines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This past October 2015, when confronted
with Croft’s statement, Wurfel publicly and brazenly said, “<i>The Detroit Water and Sewer Department at
the time, back last spring, said, ‘Hey, we’re gonna cut you off</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well that is simply downright lying on
her part. After Michael Brown came back to replace Kurtz as Flint emergency
manager for a few months stint between July-October 2013, Darnell Earley then
replaced him. Earley was Snyder’s handpicked emergency manager for Flint from
October 2013-January 2015. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here’s where the tale turns its pointed
finger right at Governor Snyder and his emergency boys. In a March 2014 letter
written to the ‘Detroit Water & Sewerage Department’ Earley writes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Thank
you for the correspondence [...] which provides Flint with the option of
continuing to purchase water from DWSD… The City of Flint has actively pursued
using the Flint River as a temporary water source… There will be no need for
Flint to continue purchasing water to serve its residents and businesses after
April 17, 2014</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This Earley letter confirms DWSD did not
decide to discontinue service, but actually had offered to continue serving
Flint with water from Lake Huron whereupon Earley states thanks but no
thanks…there is no need for the decision from his end had already decided to
begin pulling water from the river in April.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qEWBGE31qCY" width="640"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sure enough, in April of 2014, under
unelected Earley management, Flint residents began receiving hazardous exposure
from Flint River’s heavily polluted and corrosive waters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s a good thing that the DWSD keeps
letters, for the Snyder administration conveniently has misplaced its copy and
when Snyder recently gave his ‘State to the State Speech’, he mentioned nothing
about Earley’s letter to the DWSD.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is a twist in this tale’s tail as
well. As in all things Republican, when they have their way and disastrous
results are the outcome, they always lay blame on anyone else but where it
should be…themselves. The greatest recession ever unfolded due to Republican
deregulation financial policies, they blame Democrats. The government shutdown,
they blame Democrats and just like that Republicans are blaming Democrats for
the Flint poisonings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Except for Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, GOP
presidential candidates are keeping a sealed tight lip, but all Jeb offered up
was that Rick Snyder is a good friend and is doing everything he can to correct
the problem. As for Rubio when questioned about the stark lead poisoning
tragedy, he said no comment, because he’s not updated on the topic enough to
speak about it. Hmm, a presidential contender seeking the throne of the White
House and he hasn’t kept abreast of what’s happening to his would be
constituents. Kind of odd don’t ya think?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anyway, no matter Snyder’s Truman copied
comment that “<i>The buck stops here</i>,”
the Snyder administration is attempting to lay all blame elsewhere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Originally, emergency management
proposed to Democrat city officials that they were to receive DWSD water until
a two year Karegondi Water Authority (KWA) pipeline project could be completed.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Kurtz’ March 29, 2013 signed order it
said so in stating that the city of Flint would eventually purchase water from
KWA, but said nothing about using Flint River water in the interim. So city
officials assumed water would still be temporarily supplied by DWSD until KWAs
pipeline was completed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But in a letter dated June 2013 to the
professional engineering services, ‘Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam (no it’s not
Newman, the m and n are indeed reversed) Inc. as private contractors, Kurtz did
mention using Flint River water. That letter states, “<i>Using the Flint River as a primary drinking water source for
approximately two years and then converting to KWA delivered lake water when
available</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">During his short term, Michael Brown in September
2013 as well ordered a contract among Flint and Genesee County with the KWA
without stating water that was to be temporarily pulled from the Flint River as
addressed to city officials.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Former Flint Mayor Dan Walling has said,
“<i>No resolution brought before myself or
the City Council by any emergency manager (made) the Flint River the temporary
source</i>.” Besides, there is no record of the council choosing to use Flint
River as a water source. That decision fell directly to Earley while blessed by
Snyder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Earley is now attempting to lay blame
squarely on Flint’s city council stating it is they who voted 7-1 to stop using
the DWSD. Now, remember they voted on a resolution to switch from DWSD water
sources to KWA and knew nothing of Flint River usage decisions. Besides, local
officials had no final say in any final decision making; that was all up to
Snyder’s emergency managers and himself.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The emergency manager who replaced
Earley was Jerry Ambrose. On January 29, 2015 when concerns about the poor
quality of Flint River water was being exposed and complained about, Ambrose
stated that there are two big reasons why he would not revert back to DWSD
water supplies and away from Flint River water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ambrose emphatically said at the January
meeting that, “<i>Detroit is not in our
plans at this time</i>.” The reason he said this is number one…cost and
secondly he said there no longer is a connection to the city and Detroit’s
pipeline. This though is halfway false as much as it is true, for physically
there is a full connection, but because Earley earlier had sold a nine mile
section to the county for $3.9 million, it no longer was fully under control by
the city. Of course Ambrose could have bought it back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With Ambrose’s power of unchecked authority,
he could have simply overridden any protests from the county in resale back to
the city. He did not entertain that lifesaving idea because the whole decision
was based on an austerity financial measure in scrimping money and not over
health issues. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, when did the Snyder administration
become aware of the incredible health problems cast upon a city’s residents in being
exposed to lead laden poisonous water?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGosALkn133qgXzD4s7p0qhc5MqxRk0Ay60ZbSCKgcSv1hCaM2Gt7UvyMfVnFfuKZ_ciagI-qrrsMpRoKdh3RgSvZ_t9LOwXph6ftNuD_OE1cc0JKtkl9l_qYdcWu0YAx9GMX6dgM1nS0/s1600/flint-water-crisis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGosALkn133qgXzD4s7p0qhc5MqxRk0Ay60ZbSCKgcSv1hCaM2Gt7UvyMfVnFfuKZ_ciagI-qrrsMpRoKdh3RgSvZ_t9LOwXph6ftNuD_OE1cc0JKtkl9l_qYdcWu0YAx9GMX6dgM1nS0/s320/flint-water-crisis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flint tap water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Actually from the beginning by the
hordes of citizen complaints in that the water smelled, was discolored like
diarrhea, tainted food, children were becoming sick, was causing skin rashes
and eye irritations. The Snyder administration remained mum and did nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">GM immediately noted that the Flint
River city water was corroding their engines so did what Michigan’s governance
should have done and switched water sources in the earlier half of 2014 for
their own water system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Due to inaction from the state
government, Marc Edwards, an environmental engineering professor from Virginia
Tech took it upon himself to test the water and found it was almost 600 times
over the limit. Out of 252 homes he tested, Edwards found 90% of them had lead
levels above the EPAs allowable level of 15 ppb (parts per billion). One
sampling, even after 45 seconds of flushing, exceeded 1000 ppb. This was
brought to the attention of the Snyder administration, but they still remained
mute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Even after official high level lead test results
had been verified in February 2015, Snyder’s government officials were telling
residents that publicly there was no threat. Well, all except for one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Edwards, through a ‘Michigan Freedom of
Information’ request obtained a Muchmore internal e-mail correspondence to a
health department head. Six months ago before Snyder finally acted in October
2015, then Chief of Staff to Governor Snyder, Dennis Muchmore e-mailed, “<i>I'm frustrated by the water issue in Flint.
I really don't think people are getting the benefit of the doubt. Now they are
concerned and rightfully so about the lead level studies they are receiving. These
folks are scared and worried about the health impacts and they are basically
getting blown off by us (as a state we're just not sympathizing with their
plight)</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">So, without any doubts the Snyder administration
knew of the lead perils since February 2015, but did nothing. As early as May
of 2014, as </span></span><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/dont-drink-the-water/399803/"><span style="background: white; color: #458cd5; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">noted in a deeply reported feature</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> by the esteemed
‘Atlantic’ reporter Alana Samuels in a July 2015 published documented report of
hers that officials were aware of the toxic effects. <span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Because Governor Snyder was acting as a
third world country dictator, in 2014 a UN Special Rapporteur gave a scathing
account of cutting off water from Detroit citizens who couldn’t afford the high
water bills. Yes Detroit was cash strapped due largely in part to Snyder’s
corporate tax credits not coming in as revenue, but so too were the
citizens…they too weren’t paying their bills because just like the city, they
were also cash strapped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The report stated, “<i>Without water, people cannot live a life with dignity. Denial of access
to sufficient quantity of water threatens the rights to adequate housing, life,
health, adequate food, integrity of the family. It exacerbates inequalities,
stigmatizes people and renders the most vulnerable even more helpless</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We now know the results of this
disastrous and criminal decision. From infant’s and children’s skin rashes
being bathed in it to children having lead levels in their blood as high as
33mg/dL. 5 micrograms per deciliter is the upper threshold limit to safe lead
blood levels. There are now 200 Flint children above that threshold.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Elevated lead blood levels in Flint
children came only after the Flint River switch as according to Michigan State’s
own data collecting concluded in June 2015. It doubled. Still, Snyder’s
Michigan EPA state agency spokesman, Brad Wurfel proclaimed on ‘Michigan Radio’
in July 2015, “</span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Let me start here – anyone
who is concerned about lead in the drinking water in Flint can relax. It does
not look like there is any broad problem with the water supply freeing up lead
as it goes to homes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Let me assure ya…there is no pill to
take for lead poisoning; it is permanent and irreversible in its host of
developmental and behavioral problems. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All this would not have happened if
Snyder’s governance was not so liberal to wealthy tax cuts and so cinchy in
trying to save a few million dollars off the backs of poorer citizens. Now, the
total cost is going to be around a staggering $1.5 billion to truly approach
and fix the Flint problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobtG6TC9r_GecAiWypr_UwKB14VFcZTR8bonXzGHzLzD2sh8-my8-0IwblzhBUMSSsm70gryNrqBzpygHFXYynsJeLg02x6Msv4xi4TlUsQmFqLRUG7_eamtfduz7sU5Yq7s6KfpKxPAK/s1600/snyder+e-mail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobtG6TC9r_GecAiWypr_UwKB14VFcZTR8bonXzGHzLzD2sh8-my8-0IwblzhBUMSSsm70gryNrqBzpygHFXYynsJeLg02x6Msv4xi4TlUsQmFqLRUG7_eamtfduz7sU5Yq7s6KfpKxPAK/s320/snyder+e-mail.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redacted Snyder e-mails</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRQbkup11kGq3ml099TRRVOPToQjDeaC65lMOUTEsVRCqoAWaqyV3EOZI82nlH06nyg5kP_53PJVYDnGS4FRqZfn1kTaI6iGs8N-cZDGn_1aLpbx4Uyhh451HuSN-CKQICF3zEz5k5yJ-/s1600/snyder+email+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRQbkup11kGq3ml099TRRVOPToQjDeaC65lMOUTEsVRCqoAWaqyV3EOZI82nlH06nyg5kP_53PJVYDnGS4FRqZfn1kTaI6iGs8N-cZDGn_1aLpbx4Uyhh451HuSN-CKQICF3zEz5k5yJ-/s320/snyder+email+%25281%2529.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Under intense public pressure and under
the advice of his crisis management officials, this January Snyder made an
attempt to come clean and appear transparent in announcing he would release all
his internal e-mails. He released only a few and none of his officials’
internal memos concerning the Flint crisis. The e-mails he did release were
highly redacted and amounted to nothing in who is responsible. The three pages
above show how redacted they are with one page totally redacted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Michigan’s economy is growing, but
shortsighted tax cut policy decisions by state Republican lawmakers created
budget shortfalls in excess of $300 million this year and $500 million in the
upcoming fiscal year. This shortfall is the direct result of deep cuts in
business taxes that were approved by the Republican majority Legislature back
in 2011. These corporate tax breaks from outstanding business tax credits are
expected to be a drain on the budget for many years to come.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPg8m-_y7h09Jh4QDwl-P1vBovFSeki3kbbxo1jS4fZqj8UXclZ3xe3U4803jpPdGPvDChBUdcz7FtqH1b9skiS_STZawjBxoJX1iV2Uco99B3Jx-bSJ-auZj56FdyF1v9fdnAcXzjFuGq/s1600/Snyder+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPg8m-_y7h09Jh4QDwl-P1vBovFSeki3kbbxo1jS4fZqj8UXclZ3xe3U4803jpPdGPvDChBUdcz7FtqH1b9skiS_STZawjBxoJX1iV2Uco99B3Jx-bSJ-auZj56FdyF1v9fdnAcXzjFuGq/s320/Snyder+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, Snyder wants to add another $95
million to the state’s rainy day fund bringing the balance to nearly $616
million by the end of the 2016 fiscal year. But, he says there is no money to
replace the damaged and corroded lead pipes poisoning Flint residents. It will
cost an estimated $625 million. Now ain’t that something? Snyder insists on
maintaining the slush pile for a rainy day emergency. If permanent neural and
brain damage to a generation of children isn’t an immediate and long term
emergency…what is?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On replacing the lead pipes that are
permanently damaged from the Flint River’s exposure, Snyder insists he cannot
allow anyone to draw from the slush fund for long term priorities as he feels
the pipes are short term. He uses short term all the time as if it is some kind
of political sound byte, but it just doesn’t make any sense much less common. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">No matter if the pipes are flushed or phosphate
coated they are beyond repair and will continue to leach out lead from the contaminated
corrosive exposure effects. Not only that, the piping’s iron portions are
leaching out as well binding with the disinfectant free chlorine allowing germ
causing diseases to survive. In addition, bacteria feed on the free iron and as
free access to an iron nutrient, bacteria will proliferate. The piping has to
be replaced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At a recent speech delivered to
Detroit’s ‘UAW-GM Center for Human Resources’, Obama had this to say in
relating to Flint, “<i>I know that if I was
a parent up there, I would be beside myself that my kids’ health could be at
risk. It is a reminder of why you can’t shortchange basic services that we
provide to our people and that we, together, provide as a government to make
sure that the public health and safety is preserved</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since the federal government is setting
up an exploratory investigation into the Flint fiasco, Michigan Republican
attorney general, Bill Schuette has appointed Todd Flood as special counsel to
investigate any wrong doings. Never mind that Flood has donated $10,200.00 to
Schuette’s election campaigns and $3,000.00 to Snyder’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Schuette boasted in the introduction to
Flood as chief investigator that “<i>let the
chips fall where they may</i>.” Flood claims, although he won’t mention any
names that he has donated to Democrats too. But that’s not the point; are any
of these Democrats under investigation like Snyder? He says he’s impartial, but
is he? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This may appear that the Snyder
administration is attempting to get to the bottom of things, but is it all a
smoke and cover front? Stay tuned for Mr. Flood’s conclusion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I cannot understand the creeping
slowness in the response much less the focus in this visceral tragedy occurring
on a world power nation’s shores. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1hKw0XsB1p-Q2Ge3HaR6dGuARIzwGcA1JAgH33ZBpfsuui-mq7h1C1ALCXpj_dU6rz_D2anGfcIHBfG-s4HlYjr8sSyXtMI2GAa3SFv6Y2erCNZ9j4y0VFemA7moPRhMWgr5kuNnk47S/s1600/snyder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1hKw0XsB1p-Q2Ge3HaR6dGuARIzwGcA1JAgH33ZBpfsuui-mq7h1C1ALCXpj_dU6rz_D2anGfcIHBfG-s4HlYjr8sSyXtMI2GAa3SFv6Y2erCNZ9j4y0VFemA7moPRhMWgr5kuNnk47S/s320/snyder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My take on all this criminality…if a
small café owner had unknowingly, much less knowingly poisoned just a few of
his/her patrons with tainted water, he would be shuttered down, arrested,
charged and indicted in a heartbeat for not providing safe drinking water to
the public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This doesn’t even include making a
mockery of U.S. democracy by putting citizens in harm’s way through
unilaterally demolishing democratic self-destiny freedoms by firing all the
local and elected officials.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lunatic
Red:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is how it kind of is. Ya see, Cruz
is a bit perturbed on account of his thinking that Obama is honing in on his
turf. This past January 25, 2015, Cruz went over to the ‘Christian Broadcasting
Network’ to speak to Christian journalist David Brody. Cruz lodged his Obama
complaint that “<i>for seven years, we’ve
had a president in the White House who has had a messiah complex</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHpgjzHBDgP1-k-4VtZnCdgVIzRy11UxleWlLxidJWgSex6Xq4VdM7a70vNyntStOsQVDWhFlCKg_oUYTZ3jYz4BFTHsvOPcsezQHcW9OMi-vug-8Huat_MRgOCJg-W4UQgTr-KVxowuT/s1600/ted+cruz+holier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHpgjzHBDgP1-k-4VtZnCdgVIzRy11UxleWlLxidJWgSex6Xq4VdM7a70vNyntStOsQVDWhFlCKg_oUYTZ3jYz4BFTHsvOPcsezQHcW9OMi-vug-8Huat_MRgOCJg-W4UQgTr-KVxowuT/s320/ted+cruz+holier.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The holier than thou anointed one </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My, my…this most atrocious accusation
coming from one who feels he is the reincarnate of John the Baptist come back
as the anointed Messiah. How dare Obama hone in on his turf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How he comes to this suspicion though,
who knows, for Obama has been very private with his religious practices; right
where they should be. As far as religious freedoms goes, Obama has ensured that
all religions are not attacked, but protected from other religions just as the
founding fathers writing the constitution proposed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course Cruz holds the Messiah title,
for even his daddy says so and who else to know better concerning a son than
his daddy. On August 26, 2012 at the megachurch, ‘New Beginnings’ in Irving, Texas,
Dad Cruz delivered the goods in proclaiming his son as the ‘Dominionist Messiah’.
His son is the anointed “<i>King</i>” that
will “<i>bring the spoils of war to priests</i>”
in “<i>the greatest transfer of wealth</i>.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kNa5w9js48s" width="485"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Subsequently, Teddy has been anointed as
the King by several pastors convening at a 07/19-20/2013 special blessing
ceremony in a Des Moines, Iowa Marriot hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz’ actions also prove how Messiahcal
(my word) he really is. He’s rallied all the moral majority pastors and leaders
to demand their congregants caucus for him in preparation for the End Times. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz has ensured us that his messianic
prophecies are in good order by reining in fanatics as false Christians unto
his fold. The endorsements to name a few are …Preacher Mike Bickle who claims “<i>Adolf Hitler was doing God’s work</i>” and “<i>Oprah Winfrey is a forerunner of the
Anti-Christ</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why, along with Mike Huckabee and Bobby
Jindal, Cruz even attended Pastor Kevin Swanson’s ‘Kill the Gays’ rally.
Swanson preaches that all gays should be executed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pastor Kevin Swanson also expressed his
delight in Dr. George Tiller’s (who performed abortions) murder, “<i>I believe, I am convicted of the fact that
there is a God in the heavens and He is sovereign over everything that happens,
including the fact that George Tiller the Killer is dead</i>.” He was also
quite delighted that some Tiller family members, including children died in a
plane crash over Montana in expressing, “<i>By
the way, a couple of months ago out in Montana there was a plane crash out
there where 14 family members of the owner of one of the largest abortion
clinic franchises in the country died in that particular plane crash. Now,
George Tiller the Killer is dead too. Is there a God in the heavens? Is He
involved in the affairs of men? That’s what the word of God says. So God’s
providence is all over all of these things, we have to believe that God is in
the heavens and He rules</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then there is the Pilgrim’s Pride
poultry giant, Lindy M. ‘Buddy’ Pilgrim who, besides owning a chicken
slaughterhouse is also an ordained minister. In Buddy’s endorsement, while
complaining about lack of “religious freedoms” from Obama’s administration, he
divinely foretells, “<i>Now, more than ever,
we must pick the one person who will most unwaveringly and fearlessly take a
stand to protect our Judeo-Christian conservative values. That one person is
Ted Cruz</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All in all there are over 200
fundamentalist preachers rigged for Cruz. These are the very ones who interpret
so called “religious freedoms” or “Judeo-Christian” as expressions of their brand
of religion only to force it upon all else against the will of all else. As far
as the term ‘Judeo-Christian’ goes, not a one of them knows quite exactly what
that means.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now any common sense good ol’ Christian
soul would think that their anointed one wouldn’t lie to them while leading ‘em
down the righteous path. Surely they would pick one that is pure of mouth in
the words spewed, or have they overlooked that? They might want to take a
closer look in thinking again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz quite often states he literally
hates the lies that come out of the White House and Washington D.C., but he is usually
stating that with a lie, because he is the biggest main course dish in being
the serving plate of outright lies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">His most recent lie was leveled at the
last GOP presidential candidacy debate. It is so tiring and boring that most
Republicans are currently laying off in attacking Obamacare, excepting Cruz.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UjaWwA5ZOHkLerJ7H9SsgTMkQ_UdYZVmcHcrkX719G0N8OJANGc4nUr9Wu6bgdXMWoahPnwZ2dO1M6KCgOz24mi252B6-STaUpoIget4zrqxc2FJyiLKH8OswyhiWJ76UlTk75tdd0Vo/s1600/Cruz+MAD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UjaWwA5ZOHkLerJ7H9SsgTMkQ_UdYZVmcHcrkX719G0N8OJANGc4nUr9Wu6bgdXMWoahPnwZ2dO1M6KCgOz24mi252B6-STaUpoIget4zrqxc2FJyiLKH8OswyhiWJ76UlTk75tdd0Vo/s320/Cruz+MAD.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At the debate where Cruz so proudly
stood at the main podium in Trump’s absence, with planted smirk speaks in
heavenly tones that, “<i>We have seen now in
six years of Obamacare that it has been a disaster. It is the biggest
job-killer in this country. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, have
been forced into part-time work, have lost their health insurance, have lost
their doctors, have seen their premiums skyrocket</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lost jobs huh, now let’s be factual.
Since the ACA was signed into law in 2010, U.S. unemployment rates have dropped
from 9.9% to 5%. No matter on the heels of the biggest financial recession, the
nation has added more than ten million private sector jobs with December 2015
as the 69<sup>th</sup> consecutive month of job growth. Now compare that to W.
Bush’s ‘trickledown effect’ years of 2007, 2008 and 2009 where throughout the
W. two terms, job creation was a dismal 0.24%.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the uninsured, it is at an all-time
historic low of just 9% compared to 16.3% before Obama’s inauguration. More
than 18 million folks are now insured thanks to Obamacare. Those who lost
healthcare insurance chose to, for there were alternatives to be had if they
wanted that were of more quality in premiums and service than their former
plans.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNkIin66vr0zDojHDOGjn548T1EfMkBd895an35G7V-ObWw30iHQFqj8q5MDTY1Cn2WWYh8_rceAlO11MB5s7KFJ4A12DZ5kWee61_CtABaHTrKPl8aIk-oWJdfBvpJbRnF9FADm77p8W/s1600/Cruz+ACA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNkIin66vr0zDojHDOGjn548T1EfMkBd895an35G7V-ObWw30iHQFqj8q5MDTY1Cn2WWYh8_rceAlO11MB5s7KFJ4A12DZ5kWee61_CtABaHTrKPl8aIk-oWJdfBvpJbRnF9FADm77p8W/s320/Cruz+ACA.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oh and by the way, the numerous times
Cruz falsely proclaimed he lost his health insurance to Obamacare, he was
lying. His campaign even inadvertently said so, since insurers, like Charles
Gaba at Healthinsurance.org have stated insurers cannot just drop someone due
to the new ACA laws. To mislead and continue fear mongering voters is bald face
deceit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz and his healthcare actually makes a
certifiable good case for the ACA. He wasn’t deleted from coverage as would’ve
happened to millions of average Americans in the former healthcare system, no,
just like everyone else now he cannot be dropped without insurers offering him
an alternative and most likely cheaper and better plan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz claims Obama’s not arming the Kurds
to fight ISIL. You know what, oh yes he is. Since the Iraqi government is the
proper and recognized authority of Iraq, munitions are sent directly to the
government and from there indirectly to the Kurds. Just this past October 2015,
the U.S. directly dropped via aircraft, fifty tons of ammunition to the Kurds
in Syria.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In defending his stance to defend his
carpet bombing ISIS and everyone else into a glowing oblivion he falsely
stated, “<i>It's what we did in the first
Persian Gulf War</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Iraqi Gulf War of 1991 was a good
chance to test out the military’s precision bombing. Which as successful with
the new the F117 stealth fighter, precision bombing was intensified while
indiscriminate carpet bombing was substantially taken off military strategies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course for a right-wing Republican,
lie or no lie…it’s all good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz has been campaigning that he would
immediately downsize the government by getting rid of five governmental
departments, which are the ‘Department of Energy’, the ‘Internal Revenue
Service’ (IRS), ‘Housing and Urban Development’, the ‘Department of Commerce’
and ‘Department of Education’ while creating scores of jobs at the same time on
day one. He figures he’d save $500 billion, but even if he did, federal debt
would still increase. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Let’s just take a look at a couple of
the departments that will be axed by the Cruz hatchet. He claims he could save
$55 billion by deleting the ‘Department of Commerce’. Really, the department’s total
budget for 2014 was $27,940,428 billion. That’s nowhere close to $55 billion
and as far as the 13,341 federal employees that would be laid off, where would
the waiting jobs come from?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As far as the IRS, great no more tax
collectors, but who would be there to verify tax returns as legitimate? Tax
evasion would become rampant, so where would governmental income sources come
from, certainly not from the Kochs and the likes he cozies up to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz who condemns America’s public
education goes totally against what the founding fathers felt; they
wholeheartedly believed in it. The early fathers shunned becoming like England where
rich aristocrats opposed educating the masses in not wanting enlightened
employees and critical thinking by the common man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the House floor in 1792, James
Madison said, “<i>The education of children,
establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union [are] provisions for
the general welfare</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">John Adams in 1776 once wrote in his ‘Thoughts
on Government’, “<i>Laws for the liberal
education of youth, especially of the lower class of people, are so extremely
wise and useful, that, to a humane and generous mind, no expense for this
purpose would be thought extravagant</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Later in 1786 in defense of the
constitution for education Adams wrote, “<i>The
whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and be
willing to bear the expenses of it. There should not be a district of one mile
square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but
maintained at the public expense of the people themselves.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, is Cruz for our founding fathers and
the constitution or against? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz as of late has been burned and he
hasn’t as of yet gone toe-to-toe with the ‘Berne’ yet. He did however, in
attempts to look bad-ass to his gullible right-wing potential voters, issue a
challenge to Obama.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When Obama was in Turkey getting
informed on Syrian issues, he announced that it was “<i>shameful</i>” of those trying to bar Syrian refugees from entering the
states. Obama did scold and finished with a Republican note in saying, “<i>At first they were too scared of the press
being too tough on them in the debates. Now they are scared of three-year old
orphans</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tough boy Cruz didn’t take kindly to
that. No he did not. So Cruz replies on TV, “<i>If you want to insult me, you can do it overseas, you can do it in
Turkey. Come back and insult me to my face</i>.” Obama totally ignored the
daring jest, but I do wander just how far Cruz would run if Obama had taken him
up on it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In getting back to Cruz getting burned,
his staunch anti-immigration stance has backfired right back on him,
compliments of Trump erupting the birther situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Aside from the right-wing birthers’
hypocrisy in condemning Obama of being foreign born, but race to line up and
vote for Cruz, all the while still falsely proclaiming Obama’s presidency as
invalid due to right-wig fantasy Barack foreign birthplaces, Cruz’ real status
is what writers of the U.S. Constitution were concerned about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The founding fathers inserted ‘natural
born citizen’ because they did not want the British Empire having the ability to
send hordes of Canadians south of the U.S./Canadian border to infiltrate and
corrupt the structure of American governance. Guess who was born a Canadian
spending his first eight years as a Canadian?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz is indeed the exact epitome of what
the founding fathers feared most. Cruz’ constant condemnation of American
establishment, shutting down the government (something terrorists can only
dream of), along with his attempting to turn the nation into a fundamentalist
theocracy absolving separation of religion from state is exactly why the
fathers included that ‘natural born citizen’ clause.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz maintains that marriage equality is
a direct assault on religious freedoms and has urged states to go against the
Supreme Court’s same sex marriage ruling, calling it “<i>fundamentally illegitimate, lawless and unconstitutional</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Actually he is the one acting
unconstitutional by placing religious beliefs over the constitution and
constitutionally protected individual freedoms. He said this to look tough, for
he should know that the U.S. Constitution forbids states from acting on their
own in overriding a Supreme Court decision; only congress can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz failed to disclose a six figure
loan he took out with his wife’s then employer, ‘Goldman Sachs’ for his U.S.
senate campaign. He also failed to report a ‘Citi Bank’ loan. Cruz received
$1.2 million form G.S. and another $500,000.00 from ‘Citi Bank’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He did this in order to be deceptive.
Loading the money into unspecified personal funds while claiming he and his
wife had “<i>liquidated our entire net worth</i>”
in support of his running for the U.S. senate. This would aid him in his
constant railing against Wall Street, but conceal the fact from his voters he
was doing business with the boys on that street. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What he did, Former FEC lawyer, Kenneth
Gross affirms was serious by explaining, “<i>They’re
two different reporting regimes. The law says if you get a loan for the purpose
of funding a campaign, you have to show the original source of the loan, the
terms of the loan, and you even have to provide a copy of the loan document to
the Federal Election Commission</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In one of the wealthy donors meetings,
Cruz was revealed as one slick D.C. politician. A leaked audio of the encounter
had Cruz squirming like a worm on a fish hook. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">During the Q & A portion, a donor
stated gay marriage was a main topic he and Cruz differed on. He further
questioned Cruz, “<i>So would you say it’s
like a top-three priority for you — fighting gay marriage</i>?” Cruz replies, “<i>No, I would say defending the Constitution
is a top priority. And that cuts across the whole spectrum — whether it’s
defending [the] First Amendment, defending religious liberty</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz even takes the liberty in further
soothing the donor by adding. “<i>People of
New York may well resolve the marriage question differently than the people of
Florida or Texas or Ohio. That’s why we have 50 states — to allow a diversity
of views. And so that is a core commitment</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Holy mackerel there…that means a total
contradiction on his LGBT, Common Core and abortion outward stances to the
public. He should’ve had heck to pay with the right-wing religious. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another one who truly feels she was
divinely ordained is Sarah Palin, as insinuated in her Jesus mountain prayer
retreats. But Poor Palin, for her divine debut has passed, as she has been cast
aside by the extremely right religious. These fundamentalists, who formerly
anointed her as Esther, the greatest woman held in the Torah and Old Testament
have cast Palin aside. Apparently her ‘Huge’ (huge as in Trump terms) loss to
Obama in battling for the redeeming souls of America cost her the ranking rights
in brownie points, ‘so sad’ (so sad…a proper Trump Twitter ending). Of course
all of this religical (another one of my words) mojo mumbo jumbo nonsense is
utter fallacy, utter fantasy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vZ37A97JId01s3Rsiu6LcThak28QLbIVUbwX4RA_ZjL5Yiw2yVdWo5eEM5SSmXSmHGoXHMnevN8noGDI0fPqQsBwbi9PRLnJC62hxlJD6YirSqWTnifKelXqMd7jXvZ41P1IauiK1kqM/s1600/cruz-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vZ37A97JId01s3Rsiu6LcThak28QLbIVUbwX4RA_ZjL5Yiw2yVdWo5eEM5SSmXSmHGoXHMnevN8noGDI0fPqQsBwbi9PRLnJC62hxlJD6YirSqWTnifKelXqMd7jXvZ41P1IauiK1kqM/s320/cruz-cartoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here in the states, right-wing
fundamentalists call a false prophet the Anointed One. Over in the Middle East
they call the false prophet the ISIL Caliphate, but both are the same. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well, as the naivety of the blind right-wing
Christian souls allows themselves to fast and pray for their newly anointed Dominionist
Messiah, here’s hoping that the sights on their trip to Hades are eventful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My advice to the right-wing religious…if
ya want to avoid yourself some Hades, back away trembling from your false
prophet and be scared, be very fearful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Predilection
Prediction:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A prediction is nothing else, but that…a
prediction. But, if there is a base to it, it does warrant merit for
evaluation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For my prediction, Bernie Sanders will
win the 2016 presidential election. This may be an early call, but Eric Zuesse,
an investigative historian predicted a Bernie win way back in June 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bernie is the purest politician this
nation has had in a long while and while being involved in politics since 1972
there is very little that can be pulled up as negative on him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where Obama cut short hope on his
campaign shout, Bernie reenergizes it and makes one feel a true change in
politics with Bernie. Sanders is non-corruptible and is sincere in what he
says. He truly is for the average American in so many ways that he is captivating
audiences. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tied to no Super PAC, or corporate dark
money, or wealthy donor his campaign has been funded almost totally by $3.00
individual donations. He answers to no one but the American people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For sure if elected his progressive
policies would hit a brick wall with a Republican congress, perhaps even with a
few Democrats, so I see the valid ‘point’ made that, although his ideas are noble,
he could never push any of his legislation through congress. So why vote for
him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But the word ‘point’ has multiple definitions
and in using a second one from the first just said, the distinguishing vote of
a voter is the voter’s strongest ‘point’. If one truly feels the Berne, vote
your conscious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We’ve had ‘mad as hell’ electoral
campaigns for years now and it is getting monotonous in its appeal to make political
adults set the example on how to scorn, fear monger, mislead and deceive just
to win. Is Bernie angry? Yes he is, but his energy is to transform in
inspirational ways, not to condemn but to reveal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just as his political ad below, Bernie
is inspirational. Not one attack portion in the ad, just encouragement and
motivation in what real Americana is in its diversity and natural beauty of land
and people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LIZW5trdE5o" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bernie has done something no other
politician would ever dream of…running on a socialist platform. If anyone can
deliver this to an American audience as appealing, it is only Bernie. He has
galvanized the energy from the left to the center and is pushing the spectrum even
closer to the centrist right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sanders has been a surging force where
most, myself included, felt he had little chance in the beginning. Poll after
poll now shows Bernie would beat any Republican candidate hats off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bernie is the symbolism of progressisvism
and if elected will be the first ideological president since FDR. If he’s not
elected then he will have planted Hillary Clinton more to a nested progressive
position. Either way, he will draw all colors of Democrats and Independents to
the polls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As all the GOP candidates are edging
their party closer to extinction, all the Trumps and Cruz’ will fade away,
while Bernie ushers in a new era for the American with a fundamental shift back
to the common man’s priorities where the founding fathers intended it to be and
stay. Feel the Berne…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Writing,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">01/30/2015 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-23102026522631708352015-12-10T15:05:00.000-05:002015-12-14T08:38:09.312-05:00Hallowed be Thy Shame...Amen<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Hallowed be Thy Shame…Amen</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Benevolence:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And Jesus Christ the Savior proclaimed:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then Jesus will say to those on the
left, “<i>Enter, you who are blessed by God.
Receive what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the
world’s foundation.” </i>And here’s why<i>—<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
was hungry and you fed me,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
was thirsty and you gave me a drink,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
was homeless and you gave me a room,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
was shivering and you gave me clothes,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
was hungry, thirsty, home-less and shivering because I was a refugee and you
welcomed me</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then those seeking to follow are going
to say, “<i>Master, what are you talking
about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a
drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you</i>?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then Jesus will say, “<i>I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you
did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did
it to me</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then he will turn to the ones on the
right, and say, “<i>Get out, self-centered
souls! You’re good for nothing but making God’s creation a living Hell</i>…and
why? Because—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
was hungry and you didn’t fed me,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
was homeless and you wouldn’t give me a room,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
was shivering and you gave me no clothes,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
was hungry, thirsty, homeless and shivering because I was a refugee and you
would not welcome me</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then those on the right are going to
say, “<i>Master, what are you talking about?
When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick and
didn’t help</i>?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He will answer them, “<i>I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you
failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or
ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">These scriptures were taken from Matthew
25: 34-45. The name Christ derives from the Greek Gnostic’s word, Christos.
Gnosticism pertains to knowledge and as I always state and will repeat but once
again here, to be Christian literally means to be a follower of Christ and his
teachings. Also, I have however adapted the scriptures reversing the usual
Christian role of the left as evil and the right as righteous, for the two
roles are clearly reversed when considering current American politics and the refugees.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xV0e43ifd3LSVONI-1_os3rey6G87ohJXmp2RsKLK7FwIdeVdL5_ODpco5U67ubHSXEfDnoHBrwEzXrY8KbwuI1E6NjjTxE_9-70ZCqPgoP2XxgAtQMUusz17FRbESvt12FeszrNxKxf/s1600/1-Christian+Jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xV0e43ifd3LSVONI-1_os3rey6G87ohJXmp2RsKLK7FwIdeVdL5_ODpco5U67ubHSXEfDnoHBrwEzXrY8KbwuI1E6NjjTxE_9-70ZCqPgoP2XxgAtQMUusz17FRbESvt12FeszrNxKxf/s320/1-Christian+Jesus.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Behavioral demeanor versus shallow word…In
no way considering current right-wing Christians are they listening to Jesus’ assurance
when it comes to His ethical standards and moral fiber. American
fundamentalists are behaving far more nationalistic for self-interest than in
benevolent Savior fellowship. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Mind
you…this is Jesus conveying the topic on how Christians should treat Syrian
refugees. Jesus literally has placed it as a heaven or hell matter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Governor Gregg Abbott of Texas has not
only stated he won’t allow Syrian refugees to be placed in Texas, he’s also
strong-armed true Christians to cease and desist their charitable work in
aiding these the refugees. So what kind of Christian are you…in name only…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">ISIL or Deashe are not Muslims, they
were only born in a Muslim environment, but true followers of the religion have
to step up to help the rest of the world distinguish them as the vast majority
that uplifts humanity in the religion’s teachings as opposed to destroying nurturing
and impartial societal principles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just the same though, it is the duty as
upright Christians to denounce the current rhetoric that attempts to separate
and castigate Muslims out of their societies.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Worst
Impulses:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A true Christian knows better. Rather
than be influenced by political rhetoric in blatant deceit baiting and fear
mongering, there are a myriad of Christian organizations attending to the aid
of the downfallen refugee. They’re assisting in the flow of refugees into other
countries; they’re tending to the needs in refugee camps and are actually
risking their lives in providing food and medical assistance within the borders
of war-torn Syria. These multitudes of Christians are answering to Jesus’
wishes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The devout Christian maintains the story
that Jesus came into this world as brown skinned born in occupied territory as
a refugee issuing forth the grand tidings of “<i>peace on Earth, good will to ‘all’ people</i>.” They realize, just as
the refugee parents of Jesus fled hostilities that current Syrian refugees are
risking it all too out of an act of love to move their child to a more
hospitable environment. They realize the violence has made the refugee
desperate in attempting to save their child.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unfortunately here in America, the
fundamentalist Christian and right-wing Republican have created a confluence
merging politics and religion to deliver a flavor of unsavory bitterness. This
unbalanced plateau of the extremist Christian and political right has taken the
refugee baby Jesus out of the equation and are not looking at the refugee
crisis as <i>desperate</i>, but <i>disparate</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is a trend in this
Christian/Republican front of a self-identity concept where a pluralistic
society cannot be tolerated anymore, no matter if this nation is nothing but a
melting pot of immigrants. It is without doubt for them, if one is not of a
certain religion (even a certain denomination within one religion), skin tone,
or higher social standing, or differs in like-mindedness, then that one surely
is not religiously American. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On these Judeo-Christian right-wing blog
sites I visit from time to time are loaded with hate and total disdain of
anyone they deem unfit to wear their personality profile. Many use a ‘patriot’
logo in identifying themselves, such as ‘American Patriot’, ‘Houston Patriot’,
‘Justice Patriot’, ‘Christian Patriot’, Military Patriot’ or simply ‘Patriot’
as if they are the only true patriot of this country while bashing their
president and all those of differing ethic and religious backgrounds. That is
not patriotism; they’re only identifying their bigotry to a false sense of
patriotism. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Let’s put it politely, no American is
native to this country…we’re all of immigrant descent from some other country.
The only true American native is the Native American. They were the first to
come here as migrants, not immigrants over 10,000 years ago, the rest of
Americans are immigrants. So, in this hodge-podge mix of mutts, no one can falsely
claim sole purity in patriotic dominance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This curious emergence of the Christian
right has a blended overtone that feeds off of ignorance diffusing into all
social topics with no less the same rhetoric connotation each and every time all
of which is based on fear and unfounded misinformation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Take for instance:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Fox News’ host, Steve Doocy asked the
director of the CDC live on air why anyone should trust his advice when he is
part of Obama’s administration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Obama is posing “<i>an immediate danger to American families</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Obama
is inviting in the barbarians at the gate</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Everything
that the president is doing seems to benefit what ISIS is doing</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>American
immigration should allow no one to enter this country holding a passport from
any West African [or Middle East] nation</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These Christian/Republican remarks
aren’t in response to the current Syrian refugee crisis, but were stated during
the Ebola scare. The tactics of Republican fear mongering are so oft and often
repeated that the same message is appearing to the vulnerable misinformed as true.
To prey on fear, just as Republican politicians did in combining Latino
immigration to the Ebola outbreak and ISIL, so too are they with the Syrian
refugees and ISIL. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course their mantra is to blame
everything on Obama, further dividing the nation instead of bringing it
together to fight any crisis that pops up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There never was an Ebola epidemic manifesting
in the U.S. So, did any of these alleged Christian Republican politicians,
fundamentalist preachers or ‘Fox News’ pundits ever apologize to Obama in
blatantly accusing him of intentionally infecting U.S. shores? I don’t think
so, for I’ve never heard yet or am aware that not even one has done so; they
just switched subject matters to blame him once again on some other false tragedy
he’s inflicting onto the U.S. as they have currently done on the displacement
of Syrian refugees. This same scenario will occur but once again later on when
the Syrian refugee crisis abates spreading fear into another near future arena.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Meanwhile as western European nations
and the U.S. bemoan the fact in accepting refugees, the true bulk of refugees
according to the ‘United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) 2013
findings, report that 86% of the world’s refugees are hosted by developing
nations with Ethiopia ranking as number one. Fact is, the international asylum
system is structured for short-term conflicts, but unfortunately the nature of
today’s internal nation warfare is long-term. Ethiopia, a nation that has had
its share of displacing refugees, has to bear most of the globe’s suffering
refugees with bare minimum resources to do so. The rest of the world’s richer
nations need to step up, not back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At thirty-one, over half of U.S. state governors
are show boating in how concerned they are protecting their citizenry. By showing
a false partisan air in refusing Syrian refugees, they’re suggesting that the
vetting process is too lax. It took Kerry a few minutes explaining to this
stupidity that the current vetting process to allow refugee entry into the U.S.
takes a minimum of 18 months and upwards to 24 months. He had to explain even before
a Syrian child enters, that child is vetted by numerous agencies from the FBI
and Border Patrol to Homeland Security.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck1usy73RoplLHiWYIk2m4tuXloPaPG0Kp_NahSnVwwEMePW6nmIdMQivAlx7SADYxyzDuXJcB_sbexz4HwT2U5eXwZZ4qQKRS1BUUKvT-I-o0EhJ13SMb-Ma7x2yNeymbplD-Kb4CYJN/s1600/1-gov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck1usy73RoplLHiWYIk2m4tuXloPaPG0Kp_NahSnVwwEMePW6nmIdMQivAlx7SADYxyzDuXJcB_sbexz4HwT2U5eXwZZ4qQKRS1BUUKvT-I-o0EhJ13SMb-Ma7x2yNeymbplD-Kb4CYJN/s320/1-gov.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">Also, concerning that Syrian passport that
was found near the body of one of the Paris terrorist…it has been proven to be
a fake. Most governors were using this passport as a ruse to bolster their
claims of potential terrorism.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course all these governors just so
happen to be from religious right-wing red states except for one which is,
Governor Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire. Unfortunately for these governors, they’re
only tooting their horns, for as we all know, they also know that their actions
would be illegal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Perhaps they really are clueless, but
nevertheless, these governors can come out in opposition to their hearts’
content, but as much as they whine it is not legally binding and will be going
against the U.S. Constitution if they attempted to fight President Obama’s
resettlement program of 10,000 Syrian refugees for 2016. The supremacy of the
national government in the general field of foreign affairs, including power
over immigration, naturalization and deportation, is made clear by the
Constitution...states cannot overrule the federal government on matters such as
this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The real reason in the actions of these
governors really is partisan politics to show the right-wing moral Christian
they are revolting against Obama’s administration. It is a partisan statement
under the guise of security risks and not an ethical one in their refusal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Benign
Denial:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s nice to think and pray, but just
thinking and praying will do absolutely squat in solving America’s gun
violence. God doesn’t stop bullets. No, the gods are leaving that up to our own
discretion and actions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But that was the only response presented
to the Colorado Springs ‘Planned Parenthood’ shootings by Christian political
leaders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At first, there was absolute silence
from the GOP candidates then one by one they began offering up prayers through
tweets./<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">After posting his prayer tweet, Cruz
immediately begins to lay blame on Democrats and liberals for the act.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jeb Bush, first cheerfully tweeting
about college football and pointing out items to buy at his campaign store
website, makes an announcement that, “</span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">There
is no acceptable explanation for this violence, and I will continue to pray for
those who have been impacted</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mike Huckabee, as a pastor tweets no
condolences, but rather calls on Paul Ryan (R-WI) to deny Syrian refugees
entry, in which Ryan and the Republican congress do. However earlier in
September Huckabee does tweet this: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN15bGAU8sDOP0RQGxVrT3Ic3MjRwmfhyphenhyphenxa5Ob4EmZu3e1X9LvD-g9CyqMnRIluzn0fcUEg0A3PtNMlKWTFTxQlNfN-3q2na5PHIo5xNViTT9qV-JkYIIIGB8kKzTLayjRR1UWzv3cbFzR/s1600/1-mh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN15bGAU8sDOP0RQGxVrT3Ic3MjRwmfhyphenhyphenxa5Ob4EmZu3e1X9LvD-g9CyqMnRIluzn0fcUEg0A3PtNMlKWTFTxQlNfN-3q2na5PHIo5xNViTT9qV-JkYIIIGB8kKzTLayjRR1UWzv3cbFzR/s320/1-mh.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rand Paul and Marco Rubio only hock
things to sell on their campaign websites while Donald Trump, Chris Christi,
Ben Carson, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham and if George Pataki and Jim Gilmore
still count said nothing.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Regardless of what has happened, such as
the first GOP Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) ran committee finding nothing wrong in
‘Planned Parenthood’ practices along with the attack in Colorado, Republicans
are still going full tilt in carrying out more ‘Planned Parenthood’ hearings.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once as an encore, when it came time for
America to experience another mass shooting, prayers were only offered up for
the victims of the San Bernardino killings. Again they were silent due to not
knowing who might have committed the act, as attacking a mentally disabled
facility seemed a remote target for any gun violent group. Senator Chris Murphy
(D-CT) calls them out in his own tweet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hbH79bQYOnPvX_KWSobR9QtZ49cbIlULg-i3QwAyJ00sxTxLtWcvaW4HiDC9HPZ-oFrgJyuDcyNoDx459mNW9xHrKHprfmcLWt5HTFkFyak9qsvqUCCv6RJ1H2iOhesrihbqqT7_LLuh/s1600/1-chris+murphy+ct.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hbH79bQYOnPvX_KWSobR9QtZ49cbIlULg-i3QwAyJ00sxTxLtWcvaW4HiDC9HPZ-oFrgJyuDcyNoDx459mNW9xHrKHprfmcLWt5HTFkFyak9qsvqUCCv6RJ1H2iOhesrihbqqT7_LLuh/s320/1-chris+murphy+ct.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">But once it was proven to be, no matter
if he was American born, Syed Farook and his wife with Muslim sounding names,
off with the gloves they came and immediately started condemning Obama as weak
on terrorism and upped their game on fear mongering when it comes to terrorist
acts by blaming and perceiving the title as relegated solely to Muslims.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As mentioned just above, after posting
his ‘Planned Parenthood’ prayer tweet, Cruz immediately begins to lay blame on
Democrats and liberals for the act. But the gunman perpetrator, Robert Lewis
Dear is a conservative Christian. The first thing he said to the police once in
custody was, “No more baby parts,” a right-wing political slogan arising from
the false ‘Planned Parenthood’ videos put out by the neo-conservative ‘Center
for Medical Progress’ and promoted by conservative politicians and pundits. This
group, although touts a ‘medical’ insignia, knows nothing medically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes, both the Planned Parenthood and San
Bernardino killings are both acts of terrorism, so if the religious right still
prefers to call terrorist acts by radical Muslims as “<i>Islamic terror</i>ism,” then they’re going to have to face the fact
that there is also “<i>Christian terrorism</i>”
carried out by radical Christians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5T747v4aq0IbOCosbzVLa6wO3u9_LwgxNV4cE2fQEhPrrZuyqfM0uFLq0GowkARTAm5e1FmPKDjebkg47W7mzQ3Hut_EPDpuS173ejC2wACjJ0ZZiBThm7fnR39NG-_ksTkY8wMaF8PT5/s1600/5-dangerous+refugee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5T747v4aq0IbOCosbzVLa6wO3u9_LwgxNV4cE2fQEhPrrZuyqfM0uFLq0GowkARTAm5e1FmPKDjebkg47W7mzQ3Hut_EPDpuS173ejC2wACjJ0ZZiBThm7fnR39NG-_ksTkY8wMaF8PT5/s320/5-dangerous+refugee.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Don’t we all see how wrong that is…to
condemn a religion as a whole due to the acts of a few radicals within its
ranks going completely against the teachings of that religion?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For all the fear and aggression growing
in religious Republican circles, peace is evolving to be an abomination. Not
only for the lack of empathy for Latino immigrants and Middle East refugees,
but as stationed solidly within America where they have spent an inordinate
amount of time inciting hostility toward American citizens based on their political
views, religion or color simply because others are not conceptualized to be
part of their exclusive brand of Americanized neo-conservative Christianity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRH_mpgNWAGom1SR56HWddZp0BvgMIa7UZxQ0BwUI9aURTAfJA4K6e9-CsaN-7KxNcuwa6hPM2Jumsx-IecJc708wWg1TV8L3d0XeGfZ2ss-Xip6-sSas2LGXDbzyHi6dN0hVxYN8eJZu/s1600/1-Syrian+refugees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRH_mpgNWAGom1SR56HWddZp0BvgMIa7UZxQ0BwUI9aURTAfJA4K6e9-CsaN-7KxNcuwa6hPM2Jumsx-IecJc708wWg1TV8L3d0XeGfZ2ss-Xip6-sSas2LGXDbzyHi6dN0hVxYN8eJZu/s320/1-Syrian+refugees.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The only outbreak of concern in truly
harming America is not an influx of immigrants, refugees or Ebola…no it is the
outbreak of neo-conservative Christian Republican brain drain in splintering
this nation apart at the seams…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This plays right into the hands of ISIL
or Daesh. ISIL knows the route of first divide then conquer. ISIL also knows
that the more Muslims are displaced and castigated in western societies, the
better Daesh’s recruitment percentages.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Benjamin Franklin once penned the
phrase, “Those who would give up essential <i>liberty</i>
to purchase a little temporary <i>safety</i>,
deserve neither <i>liberty</i> nor <i>safety</i>.<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">No Franklin wasn’t talking about the oft
misinterpretation of his phrase concerning government versus the individual; he
was rather speaking of government bodies in the service of security as aligned
with liberty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This constant barrage of xenophobic and
prejudiced bedwetting has got to end. The Syrian refugee is a convenient
distant enemy GOP politicians circle around the covered wagon en masse using it
as a wedge of separation to wield public fear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For what kind of security do we as a
nation have in place if it is guided by fear and hatred in our decision making?
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Christians, just wake up and stop
it…stop the dehumanization…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fanning
the Flames:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is a script about ‘Fox News’
in-house psychiatrist, Dr. Keith Ablow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dear Fox News psychiatrist Dr. Keith: I
need immediate help. I have a friend who appears to have become very sick in
the head. He’s continually getting paranoid as he last said,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>I
believe that the Obama administration is conducting psychological warfare on
conservative Americans. Not only that but he is also waging this war on all
Americans who previously viewed themselves, their country, their Constitution
and their overwhelming belief in God as a force for good in the world</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He also hallucinates violently on events
that never happened when declaring,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>The
psychological warfare began with an apology tour in which President Obama
publicly “confessed,” presuming to speak for all of us, for the shortcomings of
America and our supposed contributions to tyranny and all manner of evils
around the world</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He kind of lies an awful lot too and
spreads them in stressing,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>It
was reinforced by the first lady stating during the 2008 presidential campaign
that she had never felt pride in our country</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He’s come to refer to his own political opinions
in conspiratorial divine terms,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Attacking
gun rights, I believe, is an element of the psychological warfare on the
American belief that force is justifiable when confronting evil. And everything
that happens in the world is considered proof of the larger plot against him.
My belief that psychological warfare is being deployed on Americans by this
American president and his administration has been solidified as news has come
out of the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Believing only in conspiracy with
Obama’s administration, he thinks the government has been outright killing
people in an attempt to intimidate him,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Seen
through the lens of psychological warfare, the failure to defend our embassy in
Benghazi need not be understood simply as a screw-up. It could reflect an
actual strategy on the part of the administration to reinforce the notion that
homicidal violence born of hatred toward America is understandable—even
condonable—because we have generated it ourselves and are reaping the harvest
of ill will we have sown. In other
words, we should take our punishment</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes, Dr. Keith, I am your best pal and
the friend I’m referring to here is…you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although I made up the actual
occurrence, the quotes are actually Ablow’s from his various ‘Fox News’
segments. How could a true doctor of psychology vent in this way knowing he’s
influencing listeners that can easily be enticed and cajoled in directing
comments to stoke their fears, ignorance and bigotry? Even though Keith may
need some psychological evaluation of his own with his psychopathy as parodied
in this calligraphy, but Christians, as you journey forth through the
valleys of the shadows of death…you fear
all that is unreal in devoutly listening to and believing in him as falsely
prophesizing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although the above Ablow televised words
were actually spoken by him, so too are other unfounded claims of Ablow and
right-wing company in choosing to fan the flames of hatred and disdain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A typical Republican politician only has
to utilize the bible as a podium prop to claim he’s Christian then issue forth the
rhetoric of fear and deceit. Should a reverent follower of Jesus truly listen
to them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Without mentioning any name, I’ll stress
this. All dictators learned a long time ago that insensitive hatred and
distinctive militarism directed at a select group is a source to instill fear
mongering. Dictators realize that by turning people against each other is an
easy path to rule. At the convenience of a scapegoat, is the procedural conduct
that all bad leaders adhere to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you’re still pondering who just might
that be in sporting dictatorial tendencies, as a hint let’s just say
corporations and their CEOs are ran as authoritarian and almost two-thirds of
registered Republican primary voters favor his plan to ban all Muslims from
entering the U.S.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHe26f1f4XKOpVrxEO5fHEd3aDAFtmSiHCXlp1oRe7DPJ9JCweQShyphenhyphenYjSTVCmVk4NVgdlDqgDetp4aMmxLX4aJgeuzRY50ct_-ySG3g3OD1apZX1bDZvBMoiPPN0DuQMa72-K6DKLMzvt/s1600/4-trump+rump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHe26f1f4XKOpVrxEO5fHEd3aDAFtmSiHCXlp1oRe7DPJ9JCweQShyphenhyphenYjSTVCmVk4NVgdlDqgDetp4aMmxLX4aJgeuzRY50ct_-ySG3g3OD1apZX1bDZvBMoiPPN0DuQMa72-K6DKLMzvt/s320/4-trump+rump.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mike Huckabee with his sarcastic racist
rant combined the University of Missouri’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement with
Syrian refugees by insisting on John Gibson’s conservative radio show that, “<i>Heck, we may take them to the University of
Missouri. A lot of the students are so stressed out from feeling unsafe because
somebody said a word they didn’t like that they are not using their dorm rooms
anymore. Maybe we can put them there</i>.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To disdain or fear minorities, the poor,
Muslims, the displaced homeless, women’s rights, Latino immigrants, Syrian
refugees and liberals (or “<i>libturds</i>”
as my right-wing friends call liberals) appears to be the single most ideology
of Republican strategy in winning over conservative Christian votes and minds. Confounding
this is that those Christians bite into it right along with the KKK and the
NRA. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Those protesting the Chicago police killing
apparently weren’t simply voicing their concerns for justice, so please forgive
them, for it appears they were a slight annoyance as well to Christian ‘Black
Friday’ holiday shoppers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Chicago cop, white Jason Van Dyke shot
black Laquan McDonald in a Chicago street as McDonald was walking away from the
police. Once McDonald fell on the asphalt, Van Dyke pumped fifteen more bullets
into the lifeless body. Initial police reports stated otherwise in falsely
claiming McDonald was charging Van Dyke with a knife, with the officer referring
to the convenient term “<i>fearing for his
life</i>,” thus shot McDonald.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It took over 400 days to charge Van Dyke
and yes protesters had every right to protest peaceably, but to annoy shoppers,
oh my gosh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As reported by the ‘Chicago Tribune’:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>I’m
an American</i>,” hollered a white woman in a red raincoat as she forced her
way through the scrum of protesters, “<i>I
just want to get in the store...I just want to shop</i>!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A man identifying himself as Jay,
irately spewed forth, “<i>The whole South
Side is on fire. Why don't they tackle the violence in their own communities?
Mistakes do happen</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another well-dressed man who identified
himself as Scott proclaimed, “<i>Compared to
what's happening in Syria, what's happening here is nothing much. The only
thing new is that there's a video of this shooting. It's been going on forever.
None of these people could even tell you why they're protesting</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Shopper Angelica Delgado though pretty
much sums it up as she called ‘Black Lives Matter’ as “<i>ignorant.</i>” She further insisted that, “<i>Other people shouldn’t have to pay for what happened to him. I feel
sorry for him and what they did is wrong, but don’t take away other people’s
freedom</i>?”<i> </i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Inconvenienced, annoyed are far more
important attributes for sure it seems than the protesting of a human life
taken. After all, “<i>mistakes do happen</i>.”
But do you see how segregated we’ve actually become. It’s “<i>those people</i>” as if we’re not one nation as all American. Sorry,
did she say “<i>other people’s freedom</i>?”
Really…what more freedom could be taken away from you than your life? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This as a society is more than
insensitivity…this is mitigated callous apathy. It is ludicrous comparing then
complaining about a shopping inconvenience versus a lost life. Maybe there
should be a lot more inconveniencing to wake up the true Jesus in you. To
impart bigotry is destabilizing to unity as a nation and not only disseminates
disrespectability, it injects a lacking of respect for yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To condescendingly trash the logo,
‘Black Lives Matter’ by insisting “<i>white
lives matter</i>” or “<i>all lives matter</i>”
is strutting bigotry period. Of course all lives matter, but one only has to
turn a page in an American history book to understand fully what is behind the
‘Black Lives Matter’ theme. It is an anthem to all the atrocities conducted
towards American blacks from slavery, to making it illegal in hiring blacks
with a living wage in the early 20<sup>th</sup> Century where employers today
still overtly get around from hiring blacks to an inordinate amount of unarmed
blacks being slaughtered by a force that is supposed to represent and protect
from such insidious deeds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Obama is without doubt the most
threatened president throughout the annals of the U.S. presidency. Since
President Obama has been in office, threats to his life have increased 400% for
a president. This information coming from the ‘Secret Service</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, also reports
that there are on average over 30 threats a day on the president’s life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a Christian, how does that make you
feel? Is this due to him being half black? Is it due to all the political hate
rhetoric like calling the president a liar as Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) did
at a ‘State of the Union’ speech? Or is it a combination of both that creates
this disdain? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘Planned Parenthood’ terrorist
attack even had good Christian folks rooting for Robert Lewis while saying some
nasty things about the folks who work there. Pick any right-wing Christian or
political site for yourself to reap their vile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here’s a sampling from the ‘Fox News’
blog site:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixT6_Ed2uJX1uOJCALxC81HAbOaE84uvBnHkykIlbgErzVpiTDkm8kw8lPeApKJBVe8FMsqzGmjbqWo9IHPmCFnmKaGBIMXIvmE5QBlsRH8C1QPwZSmagkd6gFiNwRShuvUkgrhW08gcif/s1600/1-sickos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixT6_Ed2uJX1uOJCALxC81HAbOaE84uvBnHkykIlbgErzVpiTDkm8kw8lPeApKJBVe8FMsqzGmjbqWo9IHPmCFnmKaGBIMXIvmE5QBlsRH8C1QPwZSmagkd6gFiNwRShuvUkgrhW08gcif/s400/1-sickos.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Now is that what you truly believe in how
American Christians should behave or is it more assuredly more in tune to the
one lone Christian who placed a bouquet of flowers with an attached note.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjas0nQpGaWN9mCeJTU8Rx70ZoKlT5yvwfJVGsBZsXI5zDDuJY8G3ULR7Y7fTfu2PDP7vct8m0g6vktpTdE-_8RFppBU2Qg4m0s5HjAlLa33EAVGzi3AcSXuODw2csjL8L_eHUdu1yEQk-T/s1600/1-sarah+parker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjas0nQpGaWN9mCeJTU8Rx70ZoKlT5yvwfJVGsBZsXI5zDDuJY8G3ULR7Y7fTfu2PDP7vct8m0g6vktpTdE-_8RFppBU2Qg4m0s5HjAlLa33EAVGzi3AcSXuODw2csjL8L_eHUdu1yEQk-T/s320/1-sarah+parker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The letter and flowers were presented by
pro-lifer, Sarah Parker. She did it because she felt compelled and drove 1,300
miles to place the flowers and hand written letter, then left without any
fanfare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you can’t read the letter in the photo,
it says:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Planned
Parenthood Staff…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These
flowers are for you, as well as the employees of PP nationwide. I’m a
Christian, a pro-life one, but that isn’t my focus today.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With
these flowers as a symbol of grace, friendship and unconditional love and a
repentant heart; I want to apologize on behalf of those who have mistreated you
in the name of religion. That was never done with a heart of love, and I’m
sorry.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
also want to express my gratitude for how willingly and with tenacity (you)
served the women of Redding, and sought to bring empowerment and hope. At the end of the day, we carry the same
goal.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With
Beauty and Light, Sarah Parker</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is what Jesus taught…unconditional
love. But on the other side of the fence…</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This ‘God ‘n’ Guns’ thing the Christian
gun advocate promotes, I just don’t get. Well, maybe so, for the God of the Old
Testament, although he advised doing it with fire, stone, spear and sword
instead of guns, had commanded directly or indirectly his chosen people to
slaughter 2,821,364 folks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you think that holding the cross of
Jesus in one hand while holding an AR-15 assault rifle in the other is
Christianly think again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That may be God’s commandments, but if
you truly are a Christian follower of the ‘Prince of Peace’, Jesus would not
allow that slogan of ‘God ‘n’ Guns’ to manifest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course there are those Christians
that equate or even profess that Islam is a religion of violence. It’s true
that under the same God as the Jews and Christians, Muhammad led a brigade of
Muslim soldiers that killed just over a 1,000 folks total from both sides, but
that is nothing compared to the millions as stated above executed in the Torah
and Bible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The only main instance to war in the Qu’ran
(Koran) is stated in verse 22: 39-40 where it expresses, “<i>Permission to fight is given to those who are fought against because
they have been wronged - truly Allah has the power to come to their support -
those who were expelled from their homes without any right, merely for saying,
'Our Lord is Allah'</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Recently, some German documentarians
sleeved the Bible to make it appear like it was the Qu’ran and then began
quoting scriptures from it to street passersbys. Ya know, like in Deuteronomy 13:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">6
If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or
your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other
gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, 7 gods of the
peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the
other), 8 do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not
spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to death. Your hand
must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the
people. 10 Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the
Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 11
Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an
evil thing again</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below is the video they recorded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zEnWw_lH4tQ" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">N.R.A.
(Not Realistically Appropriate):</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgLh77N0kCR91cEaeM2jtz4_TXg2-3KjX4wKzpEyGwZ5_B4jgecwowLS1lLXOmSf9xzsEqSuFxk6bniZ-v3K6WJXcKdnpJ3VT_otub887jHCxoMMoUwxuDVWTjP1QVc1AsSUyG-JLtkPk/s1600/1-nasty+dick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgLh77N0kCR91cEaeM2jtz4_TXg2-3KjX4wKzpEyGwZ5_B4jgecwowLS1lLXOmSf9xzsEqSuFxk6bniZ-v3K6WJXcKdnpJ3VT_otub887jHCxoMMoUwxuDVWTjP1QVc1AsSUyG-JLtkPk/s320/1-nasty+dick.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In a response to the San Bernardino
shootings, Obama stressed one of the main reasons why there are more of these
incidents in the US is that there are more deadly military grade weapons
available to almost anyone who wants them. He’s scoping out the larger picture.
With the states doing the primary regulation of guns, gun laws are very weak
and it shows.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is simply too easy an access to
guns with an enormous volume of gun sales both licit and illicit. The military
weapons used by the San Bernardino terrorists were purchased legally; even the
ammunition that could pierce bullet-proof policemen vests. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43HPxYLeSzcDmucbSonDmw9pL5yVz4eUT39P1ED4Phlralz32YNWr5XpDrZMqG4uMtU5QLLXT60dcSbZ1zIbOcyv7sXoYtLb4abBt79_GLiYiRH7Jv_yKsccb8MIYH7J3WVpypS5H3TRD/s1600/2-NRA+stats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43HPxYLeSzcDmucbSonDmw9pL5yVz4eUT39P1ED4Phlralz32YNWr5XpDrZMqG4uMtU5QLLXT60dcSbZ1zIbOcyv7sXoYtLb4abBt79_GLiYiRH7Jv_yKsccb8MIYH7J3WVpypS5H3TRD/s320/2-NRA+stats.jpg" width="169" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Below, both of these statistics have
been extensively conducted and contended by the ‘U.S. Congressional Research
Service’ and verified by ‘Politifact’:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Combining all the wars and skirmishes
America has been involved in, since 1968 more folks have died from gunshot as
American citizens in their homes and U.S. streets than American military personnel
in all the U.S. participated wars combined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Total military deaths in war: </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">1,396,733</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">, while in citizen firearm death causalities since 1968 to
date: </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">1,516,863</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now to be fair, these are not only
homicides in citizenry casualties as suicides are included, but then again,
disease and starvation are also included in military causalities in which
presented the majority of deaths in the Civil War where both sides were
American.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With the current easy access to guns, the
current estimated rate of gun ownership is 101.5 firearms per 100 U.S. citizens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7P14bWkLceMHxPt2dPduhsqHVBP-xWyuVN4lSt5Z9k2FpGAVagu6oIGU8lavmTDmCagC-ZBOap27fKt6wgG_56cSymLFwvpgkrmTW3S2M6LgkfjpQD7dODqf7cxcjQ_WQT6xeLY7FFe1a/s1600/1-nra-gun+stats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7P14bWkLceMHxPt2dPduhsqHVBP-xWyuVN4lSt5Z9k2FpGAVagu6oIGU8lavmTDmCagC-ZBOap27fKt6wgG_56cSymLFwvpgkrmTW3S2M6LgkfjpQD7dODqf7cxcjQ_WQT6xeLY7FFe1a/s320/1-nra-gun+stats.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">That shows that there are more guns in
U.S. streets and neighborhoods than there are people, but yet the GOP, the
party that claims sole rights to Christianity states that we need even more
guns for law abiding citizens to protect themselves from the bad guys whoever
that may be or perceived.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The increase in guns per population has
been exponentially increasing every year. Anytime there is a mass shooting
there is a huge run on gun sales. So, one might ask, since we’ve been pouring
more guns into our communities, why has it not bore any fruit in curbing gun
violence that has actually been increasing as well right along with the
increase in guns?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gun violence is costing the nation $229
billion per year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In 2013, there were 33, 636 Americans
who lost their lives due to guns.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It’s kind of humorous when ya think
about it. All these Republican right-wing Christians, politician and commoner
alike, contend that gun free zones are of no use, but yet has anyone taken note
that all the Republican debates, events and conventions are gun free zones?
Just a pondering thought here that’s all.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Muslim communities are primarily the
only group that is demonized and attacked over terrorist acts. To revert back
to that fact, how quickly Republican candidates and Christians ignored the
‘Planned Parenthood’ Colorado Springs mass shootings once the San Bernardino
shootings occurred to intensify their logic that terrorism only applies to
Muslims.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Four white racists attacked and shot
five ‘Black Lives Matters’ participants peacefully protesting over the
Minnesota police killing of unarmed Jamar Clark. Not a peep has been ushered by
the right wing so-called Christian politician in condemning this act much less
even recognizing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This train of conservative thought is so
out there as being exposed by NRA backed Texas State Rep. Tony Dale’s (R-Cedar
Park) letter to governor Abbott. In it, Dale states we cannot allow Syrian
immigrants into Texas, so we must refuse them because it’s too easy to get a
gun here. What...is it OK for a certain Christian racist to easily acquire
guns, but certainly not for a Syrian refugee?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Under Texas law, owning guns is so lax
that there is no waiting period, no registration and no permit required to own
any kind of gun. To open carry, one only has to show his concealed weapon
‘shall issue’ license.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The NRA had just padded Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell’s pockets last year by dumping $922,000.00 into his
campaign till. So when concerning the gun violence in San Bernardino, he offers
up this tweet:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvf_XgTWb3uG-ZeD7E36_PmjgrXpkZRKoHQIw7u_jiL46S8tUWJ0PaV4PpixrK6_p48GK-dVqR8_KYzl4JmjsCaQAsW8cI2VWdyLel0yr7yBWoEYB0ksy0WVDKO6gGLhKv9GRFmiHnwUR7/s1600/1-Mcconnell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvf_XgTWb3uG-ZeD7E36_PmjgrXpkZRKoHQIw7u_jiL46S8tUWJ0PaV4PpixrK6_p48GK-dVqR8_KYzl4JmjsCaQAsW8cI2VWdyLel0yr7yBWoEYB0ksy0WVDKO6gGLhKv9GRFmiHnwUR7/s320/1-Mcconnell.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">That is why he had the senate reject a
bill that would make it illegal to allow the 2000 on the federal government’s
no-fly watch list to purchase guns. As they say, if they can’t board a plane
for their suspicious actions, then forever why should they be able to legally
acquire firearms? Because the NRA acting as gun lobbyists, their special
interests only lie in gun sales no matter who buys them, not body counts.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Is McConnell more fearful of the wrath
of the NRA than he is of terrorists?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzABOq3z2DFgSMxK_8aWluAuTK_u-J1KbGlRexjfAibhQTfml-QpzZIQDjHzBj_Ex0-Vdn3HZPDgprCzfsxYrrbsFVqcxVBMqEGvzAOFW3u-wfcI5GirAnNCUaXvXB4VsJ5okN6Ro_eenB/s1600/1-nra-lobby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzABOq3z2DFgSMxK_8aWluAuTK_u-J1KbGlRexjfAibhQTfml-QpzZIQDjHzBj_Ex0-Vdn3HZPDgprCzfsxYrrbsFVqcxVBMqEGvzAOFW3u-wfcI5GirAnNCUaXvXB4VsJ5okN6Ro_eenB/s320/1-nra-lobby.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ya know if right-wing Christians truly
are pro-life, then might we suggest making gun ownership be conditioned just
like abortion approval in what a woman has to endure in red states…for
instance:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">1) Meet with a licensed physician to
discuss the risks of gun ownership at least 72 hours before attempting to buy a
gun and obtain a written notice approval.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2) Buy the gun from a licensed gun
dealer located at least 120 miles from the purchaser’s legal residence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">3) Review the medical risks associated
with firearms, including photographs of fatal firearm injuries, and the
alternatives to purchasing a firearm, including “materials about peaceful and
nonviolent conflict resolution,” with the gun dealer orally and in writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">4) Watch a 30-minute video about fatal
firearm injuries. (This requirement mirrors House Bill 124 from last year,
which would have required women to watch a video with information about
abortion they’re already required to receive from doctors orally and in
writing.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">5) Tour an emergency trauma center at
the nearest qualified urban hospital on a weekend between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.,
when gun violence victims are present, and get written verification from a
doctor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">6) Meet with at least two families who
have been victims of gun violence and two local faith leaders who have
officiated, within the last year, a funeral for a victim of gun violence who
was under the age of 18.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In all actuality, State Rep. Stacey
Newman (D-St. Louis) has already introduced a bill to do exactly all the above.
But just to add, a cavity probe like they do to women in Virginia opting for a
legal abortion might be in order as well just to limit any gays that might want
to own a gun. For after all, an upstanding moral Christian wouldn’t want that
now would they?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Malevolent Eyes</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘Statue of Liberty’ is losing its
symbolism so much so that all Americans should be shamed into rearranging their
thoughts. Engraved on a bronze plaque inside the lower lever of the ‘Statue of
Liberty’ is inscribed, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Give
me your tired, your poor,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Your
huddled masses yearning to breathe free,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
wretched refuse of your teeming shore.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Send
these, the homeless, tempest-post to me,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
lift my lamp beside the golden door</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Today one can easily conclude that this
poem no longer has meaning in what America is. The ‘Statue of Liberty’ itself
was modeled after an Egyptian Muslim female peasant by the French sculptor,
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. He first envisioned his statue to be the face of a
peasant woman and transform that into a symbol of freedom no matter her
travails endured. So, every time you gaze upon the ‘Statue of Liberty’, you can
now be reminded for all times sake that liberty face of merit is the face of a
Muslim woman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">News that surely would not be viewed on
right-wing Christian outlets would be the actions of Ronald Reagan’s concerning
gun laws.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YKiHLN3_f4f7hp6Lz09EhL361hGgoe7h8FlukMV0YM-H6-OYN-lGl7cguUzcPacnU7wxgwzEM-s5TqTbTBCTk5-SbcvjyNCAdsf73XoMkEGOq6VvHNSgGGiEtMubfgsygkWb31BSOhl6/s1600/1-reagan+guns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YKiHLN3_f4f7hp6Lz09EhL361hGgoe7h8FlukMV0YM-H6-OYN-lGl7cguUzcPacnU7wxgwzEM-s5TqTbTBCTk5-SbcvjyNCAdsf73XoMkEGOq6VvHNSgGGiEtMubfgsygkWb31BSOhl6/s320/1-reagan+guns.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Or how about Syrian refugee, Alex Assali
in Germany helping the homeless, who says he feels compelled with whatever
means he has to help the nation who has helped him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LrSBziCnNxLcxO0cuIwmXdkktFIXJNna20Ymn1Bmv-MS2N3v01M0Y3pHRgPaLJnUs6PMBzjvDn5_lkRQx9p9bNG1eeQQplYzaLyJ5ddogY4Ar_kj99qJubNtuU-08TgqT_9ce_OZgsxK/s1600/1-alex+refugee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LrSBziCnNxLcxO0cuIwmXdkktFIXJNna20Ymn1Bmv-MS2N3v01M0Y3pHRgPaLJnUs6PMBzjvDn5_lkRQx9p9bNG1eeQQplYzaLyJ5ddogY4Ar_kj99qJubNtuU-08TgqT_9ce_OZgsxK/s320/1-alex+refugee.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Or the Latino immigrant, Max Zahir who found success in this country
in opening a chain of restaurants, but who also found a homeless veteran he
tended to in more ways than one instead of just handing out a few coins of
pocket change. After feeding him a meal, he made sure later that he would
continue to be fed and sheltered by giving him a job and apartment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="420" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-JuNKQyy4jY" width="700"></iframe><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the other end Ruhi Rahman is so
grateful for some Christians coming to her and her sister’s aid when they were
accosted in a train for being Muslim that she posted it. These Christians saw
no wrong in the sisters being Muslims, but indeed saw the wrong in their being
harassed for happening to be Muslim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8t5uWeGnzPraaI1rFo9hoxbxMop4wti1xWRc99bMDsnrwMCopL5Hd_9IPYNwqy3VZQNJtlKwvPZFPcvj8YCDXpkcgNanw7feEYzO6izq5h9wP-4vQlMJNZk1s0fXmNucWGLtUTiKutCUt/s1600/1-rr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8t5uWeGnzPraaI1rFo9hoxbxMop4wti1xWRc99bMDsnrwMCopL5Hd_9IPYNwqy3VZQNJtlKwvPZFPcvj8YCDXpkcgNanw7feEYzO6izq5h9wP-4vQlMJNZk1s0fXmNucWGLtUTiKutCUt/s320/1-rr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But no wonder there is an element of
hating Christians for they are constantly lambasted by their political and
spiritual leaders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Indiana’s Governor Mike Pence was one of
the first governors to reject Syrian refugee’s entry into his state. When that
caved due to being unconstitutional and illegal, he’s attempted to suppress the
Christian charities aiding resettlement by trying to stiff-arm the Indianapolis
Archbishop into canceling the Church’s sponsorship of the one Syrian family
that is expected to arrive in Indiana. So much for Christian values on family
matters by this self-professed governor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hughes Springs, Texas Police Chief Randy
Kennedy, who feels so disgusted by Obama in being reasonable enough to not put
our U.S. soldiers in harm’s way again in the Middle East that he felt compelled
to publish a selfie video. In it he states directly to Obama,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>I
watched President Obama tonight and heard what he had to say about confronting
terrorism, and I didn’t find his words encouraging at all. You are not our
potentate, sir,” the police chief told Obama. “You are our servant. And you
were elected to serve and protect us first. And I suggest, sir, since you are a
constitutional expert that you better review your history on the Constitution
and understand we are a free people and are subject to no one other than the
almighty God and Jesus Christ, the King. What I’m asking all of my citizens to
do, all my law-abiding citizens, I am asking you to help me and our fellow law
enforcement officers by arming yourselves and I don’t want you running out of
bullets and I don’t want you running out of guns before you’re able to pull our
bacon out of the fire</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Or how about that good ol’ Harris
County, Georgia Sheriff Mike Jolley’s eyeroll sign expressing to all that
doesn’t agree with his perception of exclusive patriotism to just get out of
his county. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_edAswiUNvxW0mALfLNKJ1grOPRvrjvnYZvWMLWfWzOXxg7iKff7SX9vG2zjW3Yukt3boP4AU0PQC3VhXjt7EItsBEd1IrCOSkFZS449N8Go3jnBJy5bLAeOOcbA4I5I8YH3jvgg6dW9O/s1600/3-Ga+county+sheriff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_edAswiUNvxW0mALfLNKJ1grOPRvrjvnYZvWMLWfWzOXxg7iKff7SX9vG2zjW3Yukt3boP4AU0PQC3VhXjt7EItsBEd1IrCOSkFZS449N8Go3jnBJy5bLAeOOcbA4I5I8YH3jvgg6dW9O/s320/3-Ga+county+sheriff.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the political front, you have the
leading GOP candidate in Donald Trump insisting all Muslims should be banned
from entering the U.S. while taking away their passports. This even includes
American family members that are overseas and could not return to join their
family back home. Kind of reminiscent of what Hitler did to the Jews.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here is the supposed godless Democrat
leaders’ response to refugees:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said, “<i>In the wake of the murders in Paris and
Beirut last week, people in America, in Europe, and throughout the world, are
fearful. Millions of Syrians are fearful as well—terrified by the reality of
their daily lives, terrified that their last avenue of escape from the horrors
of ISIS will be closed, terrified that the world will turn its back on them and
on their children.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It
is easy to proclaim that we are tough and brave and good-hearted when threats
feel far away. But when those threats loom large and close by, our actions will
strip away our tough talk and reveal who we really are. We face a choice, a
choice either to lead the world by example, or to turn our backs to the threats
and suffering around us</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some
politicians have already moved in that direction, proposing to close our
country to people fleeing the massacre in Syria. That is not who we are. We are
a country of immigrants and refugees, a country made strong by our diversity, a
country founded by those crossing the sea fleeing religious persecution and
seeking religious freedom.</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
are not a nation that delivers children back into the hands of ISIS murderers
because some politician dislikes their religion. And we are not a nation that
backs down out of fear</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jdNLpLv-Dzg" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here is the supposed Republican Christian
leaders’ clamored response:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Donald Trump: “<i>Syrian refugees could be the greatest Trojan horse of all time</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jeb Bush: “<i>At a minimum we ought to be bringing in people that have orphans or
people that clearly aren’t going to be terrorists, or Christians</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ted Cruz: “<i>What Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are proposing is that we bring to
this country tens of thousands of Syrian Muslim refugees. I have to say
particularly in light of what happened in Paris, that's nothing short of lunacy</i>.”
Cruz has also offered a bill in the senate to ban all Syrian refugees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Chris Christie: “<i>I do not trust this administration to effectively vet the people who
are supposed to be coming in in order to protect the safety and security of the
American people, so I would not permit them in — not even orphans under age 5</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cdpsMJWwlU29I9GeSRmsm5mM9TJAJFtt_eLdB8SXNnDtMWpUf2ChbxOK1p5vgDA8Xpf5nK4MEuwhnFC2sHVhFxlRsp0xBMqvDITeqvwGU9ttkyxQ5iB617jZsEK6yIKLffDQIczFgXgq/s1600/1-terrorist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cdpsMJWwlU29I9GeSRmsm5mM9TJAJFtt_eLdB8SXNnDtMWpUf2ChbxOK1p5vgDA8Xpf5nK4MEuwhnFC2sHVhFxlRsp0xBMqvDITeqvwGU9ttkyxQ5iB617jZsEK6yIKLffDQIczFgXgq/s320/1-terrorist.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Marco Rubio: “</span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">It’s not that we don’t want to, it’s that we can’t.</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">John Kasich: “<i>I don't think at this point that we should have any more come in</i>,”
then as the current governor of Ohio, Kasich, who always sermons his speeches
promptly joins the rest of the red state governors by refusing any Syrian
refugees being resettled into the Buckeye State.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNYyv2px06rkELR1pVgQLD0mEhNKEmjFVP8NTy20uX2RlxH45VeGD-DcboqmnAArdyxjYUGIWqU1kU2GzT93VUpL5i39CvuVD9yo_41iA6NVvq9x7ZW7FflX0Fvr_7FEvjtQlFyR3uxOb/s1600/3-Cowards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNYyv2px06rkELR1pVgQLD0mEhNKEmjFVP8NTy20uX2RlxH45VeGD-DcboqmnAArdyxjYUGIWqU1kU2GzT93VUpL5i39CvuVD9yo_41iA6NVvq9x7ZW7FflX0Fvr_7FEvjtQlFyR3uxOb/s320/3-Cowards.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOS06NbS-k-fvT2E8jcfUcuwlKglT4vOCHOaq4ND2bgZYiSxUJTbM2fbdcEez_pLbzK9f85B2XYkblmjEGFi45flin4cTatHfHfIL2sMLDjhLr9cCs21ctRUVhm5VSBKTjA7IWwulHQgr/s1600/1-terrorist+or+frightened+children.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOS06NbS-k-fvT2E8jcfUcuwlKglT4vOCHOaq4ND2bgZYiSxUJTbM2fbdcEez_pLbzK9f85B2XYkblmjEGFi45flin4cTatHfHfIL2sMLDjhLr9cCs21ctRUVhm5VSBKTjA7IWwulHQgr/s320/1-terrorist+or+frightened+children.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With this constant barrage of
exclusivity by the religious right’s political leaders, media pundits and religious
orator sages, one can see why Christians who don’t read or view the teachings
of Jesus might become perplexed. Some even act out in bigotry or uncaring tones
themselves; even in committing terrorist attacks of their own ilk like Dylan
Roof and Robert Dear.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There has been an uptick in multiple Black
church burnings due to arson. Just after the Emanuel Methodist Church shootings
in Charleston, five churches were burned within one week this past June.
Another rash of six Black Churches were torched within ten days this past
October.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mosques are being attacked nationwide.
In the suburbs of Austin, Texas the ‘Islamic Center of Pflugerville’ was
vandalized and defiled with torn pages from the Qu’ran littered everywhere and
human feces smeared on the walls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Perhaps grown-ups paid no attention to
the incident or even cared, perhaps rooted for the vandals as the good
Christians they supposedly are, so it took a seven-year-old child to care
enough in bringing some </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">positivity</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> by an act of caring gestures.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBgIG5ntPB7c-9CHZm1sp_Rkyw36-9bDNCyOQNUjL1sAyJ8AqevCLwmlITOj3GmGw0_Uj51f0C_LXw6KdInMIoGac3tlqhNulQVuS99oRHDRtPXNjzLW140Gw5GSQ1eMBI7Gfj0hJarTQ/s1600/1-js.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBgIG5ntPB7c-9CHZm1sp_Rkyw36-9bDNCyOQNUjL1sAyJ8AqevCLwmlITOj3GmGw0_Uj51f0C_LXw6KdInMIoGac3tlqhNulQVuS99oRHDRtPXNjzLW140Gw5GSQ1eMBI7Gfj0hJarTQ/s320/1-js.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Hero Jack Swanson<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Little fella, Jack Swanson heard about
the defiling and promptly went to his piggy bank, emptied it and through the
acceptance of his parents, donated all his money that he was saving up to buy
an i-pad with to the mosque. The Muslim parish was so touched that they bought
him his wished for i-pad. Little Jack stepped up, where are all the adults? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Honestly, I’m speaking eye-to-eye,
mind-to-mind and most certainly heart-to-heart with each and every Christian.
Wouldn’t you feel much closer to Jesus if you followed in what the Christians
of a Mentor, Ohio church did for a struggling pizza delivery man than being
predisposed in denying entire families, even orphaned 5-year-olds safe refuge?
For Jesus there would be no choice. Watch the below video, contemplate and then
reflect what values you truly hold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="420" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T4S2EyB9iTA" width="700"></iframe>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
Ending</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jesus is not the son of greed nor does
he represent self-centrism of ‘me’, ‘myself’ and ‘I’; Jesus was not even close
to a limited edition of ‘ours’ or ‘us’
while leaving the rest isolated and in particular when in dire need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This selective posturing by the
political right has got to be exposed for what it is…plain ol’ bigotry. It is
so apparent that it is more bigoted based than any founded fear of a cultural
or religious front.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now it is natural I just s’pose to be
attracted to likeness. That’s probably why the Paris terrorist attacks took
precedent over the Beirut attack with hardly an afterthought taken over the Istanbul
attack. Both were virtually ignored by the West even though the duo incidents
were briefly reported. Most likely one could even argue and convey this as the
reason why the up righteous Christian even wants to bar the door from refugee
families and infants. But these are human traits and surely not Christ-like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then again, before we split into
anything else such as nationality, religion, or culture…we are born with the
commonality of being human first and foremost. That is why the humanness in us
all should trump all else in our endeavors to be humane in deleting all the
sadness that exist through errant actions on our part. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Every faithful religious follower of the
Jewish god (Judaism/Christianity/Islam) should know they are all immigrants for
they are beholden only in citizenship to the kingdom of their god. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Beginning with Abraham, God’s Kingdom is
referenced in Jewish Torah scripture. For Christians, Jesus stated the Kingdom
of God is “<i>not of this world</i>” and
Muhammad prophesized that Jesus would bring the Kingdom back with him. This is
the true citizenship of these three religions…and that is God’s Kindom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So I ask each and every American
Christian…are you going to take your nationalistic materialism with you into
the afterlife when you know that the Kingdom will have all stripes of humans
standing side-by-side… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There is a vast tranquil/virulent sea of
contrast in how Democrats/liberals and Republicans/conservatives have responded
to this xenophobic bigotry. One is more out of mindful reason and compassion,
the other is one more out of a gut kick fear and segregation response. Which
side do you think the American Christian mostly favored?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For that matter, do American
fundamentalist Christians even side with the inclusive Pope, or are they
forever endeared to American exclusive fundamentalism?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Son of the late Pastor Jerry Falwell who
founded the Christian college, ‘Liberty University’, Jerry Falwell Jr as the minister,
president and CEO of ‘Liberty University’, in gutless wonderment lectures to
his students saying, “<i>I always thought
that if more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those
Muslims before they walk in and kill</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watch the video below for this portion
of Pastor Falwell Jr’s lecture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zHmwD2VElyE" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now compare Jr’s actions and pious
lecture with the humbleness of the Pope’s actions and reverent sermon:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj325Se5uh8308nEPDTIwnDMKzn3fEaZBTRhNWmtHlYUNtzugIUisVSaLCudqiUF43KFWcJmQDUVAHVV8o7vrE3WWA5DU-Ol9JgGOw5nol30uN5jCP7YH5sTsdH6bfcgeUTHX_cMmB9clkI/s1600/1-Pope+CAR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj325Se5uh8308nEPDTIwnDMKzn3fEaZBTRhNWmtHlYUNtzugIUisVSaLCudqiUF43KFWcJmQDUVAHVV8o7vrE3WWA5DU-Ol9JgGOw5nol30uN5jCP7YH5sTsdH6bfcgeUTHX_cMmB9clkI/s320/1-Pope+CAR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the Sunday of Nov. 29, 2015, the
first day of Advent, Pope Francis visited the African country of the Central
African Republic (CAR) at a time of extreme hostilities. He ventured into PK5,
a refugee camp within the streets of Bangui harboring minority Muslim citizens.
Safeguarded by a handful of UN soldiers, the encampment is surrounded by
hostile majority Christian militias waiting impatiently to starve the Mulsims
through an ongoing siege of attrition or to murder them outright with their
weaponry. Either way, this is genocide. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How many of our so-called religious
political leaders would venture forth in harm’s way in such a way as this Pope?
The reasonable would concur, most likely none. Leaders were once called leaders
because that is exactly what they did; going to and stationing themselves in the
front line as lead. The Pope has brought back this form of true leadership and
is worthwhile in following and adhering to his words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Among the throngs and multitudes of a
sea of people, without any security clearances, Muslims and Christians
collected en masse to witness the Pope. While there he sermonized on the
teachings of Christ to ‘arm one’s self with justice, love, mercy and authentic
peace’ and to choose Jesus’ ‘path of resistance to war, hate and division’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pope Francis said, “<i>Mercy will always be greater than any sin, and no one can place limits
on the love of (the Son of God) who is ever ready to forgive</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>This
is the opportune moment to change our lives! This is the time to allow our
hearts to be touched! When faced with evil deeds, even in the face of serious
crimes, it is the time to listen to the cry of innocent people who are deprived
of their property, their dignity, their feelings, and even their very lives. To
stick to the way of evil will only leave one deluded and sad. True life is
something entirely different. God never tires of reaching out to us. He is
always ready to listen, as I am too, along with my brother bishops and priests.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This most reverenced Pope finishes with,
“<i>Even when the powers of Hell are
unleashed, Christians must rise to the summons, their heads held high, and be
ready to brave blows in this battle over which God will have the last
word. And that word will be one of love
and peace</i>.”<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>To
all those who make unjust use of the weapons of this world, I make this appeal:
lay down these instruments of death! Arm
yourselves instead with righteousness, with love and mercy, the authentic
guarantors of peace. As followers of Christ, dear priests, religious and lay
pastoral workers, here in this country, with its suggestive name, situated in
the heart of Africa and called to discover the Lord as the true center of all
that is good, your vocation is to incarnate the very heart of God in the midst
of your fellow citizens. May the Lord
deign to “strengthen your hearts in holiness, that you may be blameless before
our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints” (1 Th
3:13). Reconciliation, forgiveness, love
and peace! Amen</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The true Christian believes in Christ
Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of common
law, because “<i>by works of the law shall
no one be justified</i>,” (Gal 2:16). Penned by Saint Paul to the Galatians, Paul
now places faith first, not justice. Salvation comes not through the observance
of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ who, in his death and
resurrection, brings salvation together with a mercy that justifies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What is being said here in Paul’s New
Testament words isn’t mercy opposing justice, but rather expresses Jesus’ way
of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself,
convert, and truly follow in his footsteps of peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As Pope Francis said in his sermon’s
appeal, “<i>To flee from challenges (of
peace) is never a solution. Resistance is needed to have the courage of
resistance and of fighting for good. One who escapes doesn’t have the courage
to give life. Peace is not a document that is signed and then put up some
place. Peace is made each day. Peace is a craft, a handiwork</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’ll leave you with a Christmas card of
the Christian Michele Fiore family. As the Republican state assemblywoman of
Nevada, Michele Fiore holds dear to the claim of ‘God ‘n’ Guns. She has
aspirations of running for higher GOP offices and by the looks of her
card…she’s well on her way in the Republican fold. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Although, I don’t think that the image
of Baby Jesus </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">wouldn</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">t</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> fit anywhere </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">symbolically </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">in her Christ’s birthday card metaphorically or literally…</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelrbBBa3n1ogj4Q7bVTRP_R9_9Kf4m03uS0oJRgkeWxYPHP-OWCY8ITrwCqALvdbh2W4zDJLCS5FdF0brA0YMe2Txl0PwJ4b3agLlweZDyFPy-L9swaoz9OhNIweH0g2bUsa9JZ1lsHBS/s1600/1-xmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelrbBBa3n1ogj4Q7bVTRP_R9_9Kf4m03uS0oJRgkeWxYPHP-OWCY8ITrwCqALvdbh2W4zDJLCS5FdF0brA0YMe2Txl0PwJ4b3agLlweZDyFPy-L9swaoz9OhNIweH0g2bUsa9JZ1lsHBS/s320/1-xmas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Nah, I can’t do that to ya, I’ve got to leave ya with something that’s a little bit more in the yuletide cheer category, for after all, tis the season…</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Xmas video: Nothing is as important as
family togetherness during holidays…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="420" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V6-0kYhqoRo" width="700"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A lesson learned…don’t judge goodness by
perception or the color of its hoodie:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhzrbiQRAEtlnsGpHC9V7vOfAS-9bWKBu-78xmrAfnZjPmT0KoZ5PYv4bCPy0T4nneQ8wyjhTLVFLWLSpowtcLeSQPgQg8heFFWQEIgZzuylgcsa5i-CUHErOsKYFpiZjhEMpq6hyphenhyphenG3Yb/s1600/1-xmas+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhzrbiQRAEtlnsGpHC9V7vOfAS-9bWKBu-78xmrAfnZjPmT0KoZ5PYv4bCPy0T4nneQ8wyjhTLVFLWLSpowtcLeSQPgQg8heFFWQEIgZzuylgcsa5i-CUHErOsKYFpiZjhEMpq6hyphenhyphenG3Yb/s320/1-xmas+tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Peace and Joy to
the World,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">12/10/2015<o:p></o:p></span></div>
B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524523133456216392.post-24939909005140698182015-11-09T17:54:00.000-05:002015-11-29T10:51:00.492-05:00Kibitzer<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">KIBITZER</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Train
Wreck of Thought:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Right off the bat apologies are in order,
for this article is quite lengthy. With so much going on, I felt the need to
touch on multiple topics. Just read a segment or two at a time, take a break
and come back later to read a couple more. Hopefully when or if ya finish,
you’ll feel it was worth it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdaYbKwfXg6A6zSLQpsS_QCOnmmCC5QbNDd6IjvKLOJlcE1iFIno_7-kPk0DhjUBTw3Do5ycshhsu2CvzPmThAbjpxHHzcvFDV481GM3KwJwTMAyhSMTLhdKhPYxJ5duwoiFCoiny8JQv/s1600/1-Repub+no-nothing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdaYbKwfXg6A6zSLQpsS_QCOnmmCC5QbNDd6IjvKLOJlcE1iFIno_7-kPk0DhjUBTw3Do5ycshhsu2CvzPmThAbjpxHHzcvFDV481GM3KwJwTMAyhSMTLhdKhPYxJ5duwoiFCoiny8JQv/s320/1-Repub+no-nothing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ya know, the true Republican agenda with
all its policies and GOP candidates really don’t have anything to offer up for
the average American. Republican legislation is always geared for the rich and
corporate while all their tactics are in the use of fear and deceit to unnerve
the street right-winger in order to obtain and retain uninformed votes. Never
of substance, but rather in ideological rhetoric is the GOP politicians’ modus
operandi. Anything Obama stands for they are against, no matter if it would be
beneficial to the country as a whole, such as the ‘Affordable Care Act’ (ACA).
Which by the way is saving the nation’s economy by eliminating $137 billion
from the federal deficit up until 2025; not to mention it has saved thousands
of American lives since its inception. The nonpartisan ‘Congressional Budget
Office’ (CBO) tells us so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Currently, the international ‘Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action’ (JPOA) deal that will take the nuclear threat
away from the hands of Iran, not one Republican has hailed its magnitude in
achieving a nuclear free Middle East zone. Of course in literally declaring a
nuclear free Middle East we all know isn’t totally the case, for no one yelps
and hollers about Israel’s basement full of nuclear arsenal weaponry obtained
and realized from stolen U.S. technology. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One of the GOPs worst fussing though was
in its total obstruction to the ‘American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009’
(ARRA). This stimulus act was in response to the horrific ‘Great Recession’. Its
resultant carnage by the way was brought about by Republican financial
deregulation policies that virtually annihilated America’s middleclass while sending
the working poor further behind the eight-ball. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDLHJCMiIBS9IOMlMk7oCEu4nZqI25G06hyphenhyphenbocAl4C0pIoufzhXp7NB3_awrWzCmGeOHb6HPNQepEQ5pTaDL_qSq8NEpH02yIZZY8XHAwZNZlNdKFQfhj6BIX1Ksf1Abl9p61O1Ae-as4/s1600/1-arra+win.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDLHJCMiIBS9IOMlMk7oCEu4nZqI25G06hyphenhyphenbocAl4C0pIoufzhXp7NB3_awrWzCmGeOHb6HPNQepEQ5pTaDL_qSq8NEpH02yIZZY8XHAwZNZlNdKFQfhj6BIX1Ksf1Abl9p61O1Ae-as4/s320/1-arra+win.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">So, Republicans caused the recession’s
eruption and stranglehold on American and global economies, but then had the
audacity to actually shirk responsibility for it by blaming Democrats and Obama.
On the premise of Obama being elected president, Republicans actually claim that
is what caused the financial whirlwind of a financial maelstrom. Further, at a
time of financial collapse, they then had the audacity to attempt blocking any
governmental attempts to ease the woes average Americans were experiencing due
to the recession’s long reaching tentacles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">America was hemorrhaging jobs at
800,000/month with more of the middleclass dropping below the poverty line than
at any time in American middleclass history. Entire savings, pensions and mortgages
were wiped out in one day utterly destroying local communities’ and
individuals’ investments. The ARRA countered in offering relief.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Less we need reminding, it was then Vice
President Dickie Cheney who proclaimed, “<i>Deficits
don’t matter</i>,” to then Secretary Treasurer Paul O’Neill. Even so, on
Obama’s watch, Republicans decided to do an about face on their spending,
borrowing and financial fiascos by placing emphasis on the national debt and
deficit. Even though it was their GOP governance that raised the national debt
and deficit skywards as history foretells, ever since Republican president,
Herbert Hoover, Republicans are the party to raise these two entities with
their pet projects only to bicker about the ensuing rise when a Democrat president
takes office. The GOP did the same immediately with President Obama; even
before the ink was dry in confirming his win.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Under newly elected President Obama,
they bellyached back then that now was not the time for the government to be
spending. But in fact, with no private sector investment in sight at the time,
the only entity that should’ve spent was the government. Nonetheless,
Republicans moaned the stimulus package would only increase the national debt
and not create jobs, but further hinder job creation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and now
presidential candidate still claims so as exampled in his February 2014 video
where he stated, “<i>If you recall five
years ago, the notion was that if the government spent all this money — that,
by the way, was borrowed— that somehow the economy would begin to grow and
create jobs. Well, of course, it clearly failed. Five years later,
underemployment is still too high, the number of people that have dropped out
of the workforce is astounding, unemployment remains stubbornly high and our
economy isn’t growing fast enough — proof that massive government spending
particularly debt spending, is not the solution to our economic growth problems</i>.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also in February of 2014 Senator
Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) made some deceitful remarks of his own.
Calling the ARRA “<i>shovel ready</i>” in
his statement, Cornyn had this to say, “<i>Five
years later, our economy is still sluggish, Americans are dropping out of the
workforce by the thousands, and the President’s latest big government
experiment, Obamacare, is now on track to slash 2 million more jobs from the
workforce</i>.” He summed it all up with this, “<i>The stimulus’ legacy has been one of more debt, fewer jobs, and less
opportunity for growth</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-weqPLsE2lTB3GuyUKZHe6EpNLalNvbgDFoz7uW5kZhay6kqT9UZYImjNLGrhWlgc_vNvfsD8tRxPF6ZOroiqtkW7hxZngYaMVbIMrG2prKtMkEm1xTE0tZEmfkzks0KeZuBDOP-wUMA/s1600/1-arra+tax+rich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-weqPLsE2lTB3GuyUKZHe6EpNLalNvbgDFoz7uW5kZhay6kqT9UZYImjNLGrhWlgc_vNvfsD8tRxPF6ZOroiqtkW7hxZngYaMVbIMrG2prKtMkEm1xTE0tZEmfkzks0KeZuBDOP-wUMA/s320/1-arra+tax+rich.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Of course Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) also
slurred some spittle that February 2014 in tweeting, “</span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Well, five years in, it looks like President Obama’s stimulus did
actually create jobs. Unfortunately, they’re all at the IRS and NSA</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One year after the stimulus act’s
inauguration, ‘Moody’s Investor Service’ 2009 report presented to the ‘Joint
Economic Committee’ stated that the ‘Great Recession’ was the “<i>longest, broadest and most severe since the
Great Depression</i>.” The report went on to say, “<i>The recession was twice the length of the average economic contraction,
and it dragged down nearly every industry and region in the country. Its final
toll in terms of increased unemployment and falling real GDP will be greater
than that seen during any other recession on record</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although the recovery will be sluggish
from the heavily dazed and cloudy economic impact, Moody’s report said that the
recovery was due to the ARRA’s implementation of federal regulation and the
actions of the FDIC’s guarantees on bank debt, the opening of emergency credit
facilities, aggressive federal Reserve action, increases in deposit insurance
limits, addressing the housing market and imposing stress tests on the nation’s
largest nineteen bank holding companies. All this was through ARRA initiatives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The stock market, as measured by the Dow
Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) showed the Dow’s all-time closing high occurred
during Obama’s second term at 18,312.39 set on May 19, 2015. Since Obama’s
inauguration, ‘Standard & Poor’s (S&I) stock index is up 160 percentage
points from March 2009 to current.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As the graph below shows, the stimulus
did affect government spending by increasing it. But viewed overall from a GDP
perspective, total government spending was steady at about 33 percent GDP in
the mid-2000s and then jumped, during the Great Recession to 41 percent GDP.
But in the subsequent economic recovery total government spending has steadily
declined as a percent of GDP down to about 34 percent GDP in 2015, which is back
to Reagan year outlays. That is an amazing feat for the Obama administration by virtue that the stimulus, as opposed to Republican austerity measures, in the long haul worked diligently.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It’s apparent that these three senators
along with their fellow Republicans don’t read or care for statistics much. At
the time of their animus deliverance, unemployment had dropped from 10.0% in
2008 down to 6.1% in February of 2014. Today, private sector jobs have
increased more than ever before and the nation has experienced an unprecedented
job growth of 68 months in a row. From August of this year to February, the
consecutive growth rate was greater than 200,000 for each month. For
Republicans, President Reagan is considered the economic guru when it comes to
modern presidents creating jobs, but will they switch that title to Obama since
he has outperformed Reagan…nah…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Besides his rant on how the “<i>economy is still sluggish</i>” but doesn’t
specify what Republicans would have done because they had no plan except to
obstruct anything Obama offered, Senator Jon Cornyn (R-TX) is quite
disrespectful in falsely claiming that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) stated
Obamacare will cause a loss of two million jobs, for he knows what the CBO was
really stating; he just preferred to twist the department’s report into
partisan politics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What Cornyn contorted, as explained by
the CBO director, Douglass Elmendorf (who himself is a Republican) is that
Obamacare wouldn’t cut employment, but it has the potential of having two
million part time Americans working only for healthcare benefits to leave the
workforce, in which only opens up employment opportunities for those actively
seeking jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As far as Cruz’ twit (I mean tweet) goes,
it is totally bogus. Cruz also has said this year that, “<i>There are 110,000 agents at the IRS</i>,” when he was lumping the IRS in
with immigration, two favorite topics his right-wing audiences like to dislike.
His ruse though is not based on fact, for there haven’t been 110,000 employees in
total working for the IRS since the mid ‘90s much less 110,000 agents. Currently
at 82,000 total employees, under Obama IRS employment has been dropping rather
than increasing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Look, stimulus money was spent on
worthwhile issues. To name a few, it covered food costs for families who had
lost their incomes through the ‘Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’ (SNAP).
With the ARRA’s additional $40 billion added to SNAP, giving disadvantaged
American families nutritional sustenance not only reduced hardship, it provided
an economic stimulus spark. SNAP benefits are added quickly to the economy in
buying food. Every SNAP dollar generated added a $1.70 to the economy. This
economic activity is recorded by the ‘Center on Budget and Public Policy’s
(CBPP) revised August 02, 2013 report. CBPP also states that after the
Republican ARRA sunset clause that took effect in October 31, 2013, not only
created household hardships including 22 million children by cutting monthly
food security 20%, it also will cost the food industry $6 billion across 2015
to 2016. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In February 2014, the ‘Congressional
Budget Office’ reported that the ARRA added 5.2 percentage points to the
national GDP stabilizing its growth. That may sound minor, but considering the
gross domestic product had dropped 6.3% in 2008 (the biggest drop in GDP
percentage points in 26 years) due to the recession hemorrhaging the nation’s
economy...that was not bad in nearly recovering all that was dropped in 2008.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In virtually every economic aspect the
ARRA pulled America out of the recessionary throes. It created or saved 7
million jobs between the years 2009-2012. It gave credits up to $8,000.00 to
struggling homebuyers, provided funding to local and state governments,
expanded unemployment benefits, provided $55 billion in education allowing each
governor to disperse the funds as they saw fit and a total of $68.4 billion
went towards energy efficiency and renewable energies which by the way
Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) utilized for his state even though he condemned
the act.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It also gave tax incentives and credits
to American companies, added $105.3 billion to badly needed infrastructure and
gave $1.42 billion towards funding the ‘Department of Veterans Affairs’ to
improve medical facilities and veteran cemeteries and provided state grants for
the care of veterans in employment, health and retirement.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Really, to flip the coin, what did the
GOP push to aid the hurting average American during the recession’s stressful
times? Besides politically obsessing in obstructing anything Obama, can ya name
one bill or piece of legislation pushed by Republicans to aid the nation?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Besides every congressional Republican
voting against the stimulus package, holding the debt ceiling hostage bringing
the country to the brink of default in 2011 downgrading the U.S.’s first ever
debt rating, voting against extending unemployment benefits and lower class tax
cuts, driving the nation towards a fiscal cliff, pushing for sequestration
while clinging onto it once in place and actually shutting down government for
sixteen days…what have they done for the common American voter…absolutely
nothing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As they sat back watching a large
portion of Americana wilt away while whittling the middleclass down in half,
they then decided to blame it all on Obama since it occurred on his watch.
Uncannily, the oh-so misinformed base took the bait, for whatever their Obama biased
beliefs rested on; assuredly GOP rhetorical politics tickled their
fanny-perpendiculars proper. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But with Republican coercion in doing
too little is exactly what the government did, said the 2008 Nobel Memorial
Prize winner in economic sciences, Paul Krugman. As an economist writing for
the ‘New York Times’, Krugman argued in 2009 that the stimulus wasn’t nearly
large enough and was too cautious, and that would limit its effectiveness. He
reiterated that point later on after the stimulus package was deleted when he
stated:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Next
time someone goes on about how we had this ‘“huge stimulus that failed,”’ you
can tell him that the ‘“huge stimulus”’ in response to the worst financial
crisis in three generations…peaked at a whopping 1.6 percent of GDP, and was
effectively gone in a bit over two years</i>.”<i> </i>The demise of the stimulus act was strictly due to GOP resistance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Buy American! This is indeed an implied
GOP mantra aimed at voters, but it is completely hollow echoing in Republican’s
actions against it. For ya see, the ARRA had a buy American provision that
Republican congressmen squashed when they whittled down the Stimulus Act.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the ARRA, there was a general
requirement imposed that any public building or public works project funded by
the new stimulus package must use only iron, steel and other manufactured goods
produced in the United States. Republicans all voted against it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Regardless of Republican hindrance in
fighting for partisan ideology over constructive legislation, where has the
Obama administration led the nation since the president gained office during
those dark recessionary days?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Considering employment, Obama currently
has unemployment down to 5.0% where W. Bush left office with it at 10%. In an
October statement, John Fuhrman as chairman of the ‘Council of Economic
Advisors’ said, “<i>Our businesses have added 13.2 million jobs over 67 months of
growth—extending the longest streak on record. The economy added 142,000 jobs
in September, extending the longest streak of private-sector job growth on
record</i>.”</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">According to a federal ‘Treasury
Department’ report, back in fiscal year (FY) 2013, the national deficit fell
faster than in any year since WWII, declining from 2012</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">s $1.1 trillion to $680
billion in FY 2013. That was just the start, for since then the deficit has
been dropping incrementally since the W. Bush years.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For FY 2015, with the deficit dropping
in consecutive yearly quarters, the deficit is now at $435 billion down $48
billion from 2014</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">s $483 billion. Now compare those stats to FY 2009 in which
the federal deficit was at a staggering $1.2 trillion the very day Obama was
sworn into office.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Obama has cut the deficit below the
fifty year average. According to the non-partisan ‘Congressional Budget Office’
(CBO), “</span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">the Federal Deficit is now lower
than the average going back to 1965</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” Now that’s fiscal responsibility.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In fact, regardless of how the GOP tries
to portend that Republicans are the best answer to addressing the deficit, while
the U.S. budget deficit grew under Reagan, H.W. Bush and W. Bush, it was
lowered under Presidents Clinton and Obama by Clinton eliminating it with over
a quarter trillion surplus and Obama sharply reducing it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, can anyone in earnest honesty
describe at least one GOP policy, or perhaps a legislative bill, or even an
action that helped get America out of the throes of the recession…anything? No,
I reckon that there’s just not much good advice coming at all out of the Republican’s
echoing chambered words. No ma’am, not much at all… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rally
Whines:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Two GOP candidates down and fifteen more
to go...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When the Pope came to set foot on
American shores he immediately went to work in producing two miracles…Perry and
Walker waving bye-bye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With Rick Perry’s ongoing court
indictment woes, possible prison time along with virtually no campaign
financing flowing in, he didn’t even have a chance starting out the gate. Scott
Walker showed the rest of the nation how really dull he was and his ‘divide and
conquer’ strategy was not to be accepted by the rest of Americans outside his
state of Wisconsin. With that revelation in clear view, the Koch Brothers
abandoned his ship. With campaign revenue dried up, Walker bailed tucking his
tail in between his legs back to Wisconsin.</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">But did the two point out these factors
in their reasons for dropping out? No, Perry blames his felony abuse of power
squarely on Democrats, even though the lead prosecutor is a Republican and the
acting judge a conservative one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On Fox News’ ‘Hannity Show’ September
14, 2015, Perry had this to say concerning his indictment, “<i>The political opponents, they did their
damage. They let that be a real corrosive effect on the process</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Walker took the religious route in his
excuse prophesizing, “<i>While I was sitting
in church yesterday, the pastor's words reminded me that the Bible is full of
stories about people who were called to be leaders in unusual ways. Today, I
believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the race so that a
positive conservative message can rise to the top of the field</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course prior in announcing his
entrance into the presidential race he proclaimed, “<i>I needed to be certain that running was God’s calling -- not just man’s
calling. I am certain: This is God’s plan for me and I am humbled to be a
candidate for President of the United States</i>.” Kind of like wearing the
religious cloak instead of truly believing in it, huh…I mean it appears that
with Walker, God is all confused. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I truly wonder just what Walker says
God’s plan is for him if a Democrat wins the presidential nomination. So much
for leading in clearance humble pie; Walker never leads, he’s led. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Have ya noticed how eerily creepy the
GOP 2016 primary presidential election is in paralleling the tracing of the GOP
2012 primary presidential election? First ya had an outsider (Rick Santorum/Donald
Trump) appearing in the beginning way behind frontrunners, but suddenly rise to
lead in the polls. Then the GOP black and gender tokens shoot up (Herman Cain/Ben
Carson & Michelle Bachmann/Carly Fiorina) in favorability. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As in 2012, the 2016 GOP candidates are
copying their predecessors by sticking strictly to ideological rhetoric as
opposed to substantive policy issues. Of course in the 2012 scenario, Santorum,
Cain and Bachmann faded away once getting deeper into the elections. I indeed
do suppose the 2016 election will follow suite as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is a bit eldritch on the similarities
though. Carson has even stopped campaigning for book signings just like Cain
did. I just s’pose ya got to get the money while the gettin’ is good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Republican candidates must first appeal
to the anger and spite pent up in their uninformed base’s core, but this
seemingly necessary primary step leads to nowhere further down the path.
Trump’s mouth smashing powder-puff football is ideal for gathering initial
support with the Republican ranks, but it hasn’t any staying power with the
remaining moderate and establishment Republicans much less in the national
general election.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yet most of the other GOP candidates are
taking up the Trump cue and dishing out their own brand of trash talk. In the
second Republican debate, Fiorina wore her contempt face well plowing into
Trump with vindictiveness while falsely deliberating lies on ‘Planned
Parenthood’ with a false video as her only charge. Just like Bachmann staying
glued to the falsities of her baseless papillomavirus vaccine accusations,
Fiorina prefers to stand behind her bogus abortion claims. Note that both false
claims center on female healthcare.</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Carson in his low brow delivery,
instead of showing his intelligence, prefers otherwise to proclaim off the cuff
memes to attract media attention and right-wing exposure. As he claims he once
did, imagine telling a gunman in a “</span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Popeyes
Chicken organization</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” (his phrase; not mine) to point his gun away from you
and direct it towards the man behind the counter then go sit down and calmly
eat your food order as the gunman begins firing away all the while not being bothered
with it for fear that your chicken wings might get cold. It gains attraction
from Carson’s Tea Party base, but makes him look foolish in front of the
general American public. No </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Popeyes</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, police or media record can be dug up that
corroborates his outlandish story and he gives no specifics on what happened
next or afterwards.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Carson’s story is nice and cushy for
although it can’t be proven, it can’t be disproven either simply because there
are no records that prove either way. So, if ya don’t want to follow the
outlandish jest of it all, I’d suggest not believing it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Carson’s tongue wagging in claiming if Jews
were armed with handguns perhaps Hitler would never have made his mark
resonates well with NRA fanatics who are incased in a government tyranny
conspiracy, but it doesn’t do much in the eyes of the U.S. Jewish populace and
Americans at large that are fed up with the ease of gun homicides in America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">First off, the Nazis had to eradicate
nations’ governments the Jews were in before the Jewish roundup could be made
possible. These nations like France and Poland were heavily armed and more so
than just with a pistol in hand; they had military artillery such as aircraft,
cannons and tanks. That didn’t stop the holocaust and neither did the underground
Jewish organization that indeed did have pistols and rifles. They were a
hindrance but more like a flea making the Nazi scratch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Secondly, just like an armed student
said at the Oregon shootings that he wouldn’t take out his gun to shoot the
mass shooter for fear the incoming security forces would mistake him for the
killer.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaY-UrnY50Wu5DJUuxppYoZFDbUwxsN3eVO6EfNB3VIIpkMzYejbwq14rMpix05NPHXL7kQpaipejiqNYga3-xSAzHsAfDL9uKz9_X_ew-qnI5H0n7Pgv2jv-6NeB0ZnIBuvb1nhMLIVYX/s1600/2Ben_Carson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaY-UrnY50Wu5DJUuxppYoZFDbUwxsN3eVO6EfNB3VIIpkMzYejbwq14rMpix05NPHXL7kQpaipejiqNYga3-xSAzHsAfDL9uKz9_X_ew-qnI5H0n7Pgv2jv-6NeB0ZnIBuvb1nhMLIVYX/s320/2Ben_Carson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On Carson’s oft repeated condemnations
of Islam’s Sharia laws because it attacks women’s rights, attacks LGBTs and
usurps others’ religious freedoms, sounds a lot like he could be speaking of
evangelical moral conservative Christians along with their GOP mouthpiece just
as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He’s not against Sharia law per say, for
there is a mounting sense of Christianity Sharia appearing in the U.S. No, he’s
only against Islamic Sharia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Carson is a devout Christian
fundamentalist and that about says it all in obliterating the First Amendment
to the Constitution. Of course he blatantly says that he feels being
‘politically correct’ is nonsense, as all Republican candidates are atoning to.
However, he then about face infers that any liberal college that should dare
speak out against conservative moral majority biased incorrectness they would
be punished if he were president.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Recently last month while being
interviewed on Dana Loesch’s conservative radio show, in response to Loesch’s
question of what Carson would do to liberal colleges espousing on conservative
Christianity he replied, “<i>What I would do
is I would solicit examples of extreme bias and I would use those as the basis
for helping to determine which places need to have their federal funding cut</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Loesch then followed that, “<i>There are some who would say that it’s kind
of like monitoring political speech. Do you agree with their assessment of that</i>?”
Carson calmly rebuttals, “<i>No, I don’t, I
think it’s a very big difference</i>. <i>But,
of course, that would be the first thing that the left would claim because they
want to be able to continue to do this. And it’s not appropriate for public
funding to be used to indoctrinate students in one direction</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now one would think he would be hitting
up the moral majority Christian colleges who won’t even allow a liberally
minded student to enroll. Or one would think where conservative pastors are
actually persuading their parishioners to vote Republican, or where actual
Republican politicians are literally holding seminars to teach preachers how to
introduce and present rightwing ideology into their sermons that Carson would
be hitting them up in his so-called “<i>extreme
bias</i>” vendetta. But no, he’s butchering the First Amendment of free speech
and freedom of religion as targeted for liberal colleges only. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like Santorum, Trump is hanging on
longer than most of the supposedly expert political pundits said they would,
but once the exposure thrill is gone and the polls are showing he’s definitely
spiraling downwards, Trump will bow out while still insisting he could have won
if he’d stayed in. He knows when to leave on a high note once the writing on
the wall dictates so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump gave hints to this effect during
the first full week in October, perhaps in response to his lowering numbers in
the polls. With similar statements on ABC and CBS, Trump said to Chuck Todd on NBCs
‘Meet the Press’ this past October fourth that, “<i>If I were doing poorly, if I saw myself going down, if you would stop
calling me because you no longer have any interest in Trump because ‘he has no
chance,’ I’d go back to my business</i>.” Due to Trump’s previous exiting in
presidential elections, rumors naturally started flying that he was cushioning
for an exit this time around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This nonsense that core Republicans want
an outsider is prating in its total folly, for all GOP candidates are playing
their ‘trump’ card so to speak in attempts to appeal to the extreme right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Senator’ Ted Cruz wears the insider
title of Washington senator, but claims to be an outsider to Washington only as
a ruse to attract Trump supporters once the corporate mogul bows out.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9FPIWP1WPyqPPXUcOVqYIlfLCsnkgv5xiMIZONtSJNue_Y2KYAjC-c8JxBiT8Kgn5EYiS0Fw2o1ek30pttbV4UfejCC0Ue3UZpXMMCfWREIGGc0h84bLKoJiFZqs1zs0ZyrbLwIwL2hD/s1600/1-ted-cruz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9FPIWP1WPyqPPXUcOVqYIlfLCsnkgv5xiMIZONtSJNue_Y2KYAjC-c8JxBiT8Kgn5EYiS0Fw2o1ek30pttbV4UfejCC0Ue3UZpXMMCfWREIGGc0h84bLKoJiFZqs1zs0ZyrbLwIwL2hD/s320/1-ted-cruz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cruz, along with Mike Huckabee, Rick
Santorum, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina and Jeb Bush under the guise of going to
worship their Lord, went to the Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.
Instead of worshiping, they quickly went to politically whipping up the 7,000
congregants in attendance. Sounds like a lot but the megachurch has a 40,000 standing
membership.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz had to inform the congregation that
faith in America “<i>was under assault</i>”
strictly due to the LGBT community now able to legally marry. Now I indeed do
inquire, how does that infringe upon these so benevolent Christian devotees to
Jesus’ religious rights?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After the preacher was asked if he
thought his church’s non-profit status was at stake here after violating it
with this political charade, multimillionaire Pastor Jack Graham, who gets rich
off of Jesus Christ his supposed Lord replied, “<i>Democratic presidential hopefuls were also invited — but didn't appear</i>.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But the pastor’s true colors surfaced
when he further added, “<i>Everyone was
invited to come but we believe the right people are in the room today</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He proclaimed this even after Bush’s
remarks of, “<i>I’m trying to separate
church and politics, but Hillary Clinton said people of faith, ‘Just have to
get over it.’ That’s just wrong</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Jy6y_6cbY-VVRNQOnF8W5wwYQWe1-7mulhxCv9dsWvL6-FbBzubwIMX56WqPXi0ZxkbtSA9BsijuElL2S1L6EEuhq-IjxxYFTxy7NrXkzXZy-207ZJEX56cM8aOyS2WsNL4FTQw6VU1b/s1600/1-refib+religion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Jy6y_6cbY-VVRNQOnF8W5wwYQWe1-7mulhxCv9dsWvL6-FbBzubwIMX56WqPXi0ZxkbtSA9BsijuElL2S1L6EEuhq-IjxxYFTxy7NrXkzXZy-207ZJEX56cM8aOyS2WsNL4FTQw6VU1b/s320/1-refib+religion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Whether it was due to enduring the four
hour long self-aggrandizing political sermons the GOP candidates were
delivering or merely Bush as the very last one to sermonize, parishioners began
streaming from the aisles exiting the doors while he spoke.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7i2OuNrrezcRMpn04IsRcuzoehyphenhyphen0l1pVSc6Xu334wHcrchv1ePUhI2yf4Z1ursYzYi352zCtsaUmvF4BcmFsXkVZH5sUl8tsbACr7QTlwlMbQXcLi-5605maohm0TDlN4_PY2FHQ4sJW/s1600/2-Jeb+down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7i2OuNrrezcRMpn04IsRcuzoehyphenhyphen0l1pVSc6Xu334wHcrchv1ePUhI2yf4Z1ursYzYi352zCtsaUmvF4BcmFsXkVZH5sUl8tsbACr7QTlwlMbQXcLi-5605maohm0TDlN4_PY2FHQ4sJW/s320/2-Jeb+down.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With Jeb’s ongoing GOP family feud with
Trump who’s been coercing Jeb to defend his brother W. from Trump onslaughts of
regularly blaming W. for 9/11, ol’ Jeb himself doesn’t have much problem in
baselessly blaming Obama directly for Benghazi. Jeb has even called Trump “</span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">pathetic</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">” for accusing his brother of
9/11 irresponsibility. Some might wonder if he feels that he himself must be ‘pathetic’
as well in his false accusations of Obama over Benghazi. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jeb has insistently been accusing Obama
with the Libyan raid on the Bengahzi consulate compound. Perhaps that’s so as
part of a strategy, for he has the thought that he can overlook the primaries
when he thinks he’ll be at a vantage point of throwing Benghazi at Clinton in
the general election. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well that is until he was caught flat
footed making him appear flat faced when confronted with the charge by CNNs
Jake Tapper. The saga unfolds in the video below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zi0TULJM2dM" width="485"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jeb can’t continue on aimlessly blaming
the Obama administration for Benghazi due to lack of security and terrorist
actions when aimlessly defending his brother over 9/11 under the same scenario.
One of the two has got to go. Besides, where he claims Benghazi was the Libyan
embassy, it wasn’t. The U.S. embassy is in Tripoli. Benghazi was a consulate as
considered an outpost from the embassy. He also ignores the fact that thirteen
U.S. embassy attacks occurred by terrorists under the W. administration killing
fifty-four folks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After Oregon’s Umpqua Community College
massacre, President Obama gave a compassionate and in depth speech espousing on
how we continually repeat these deadly incidents over and over in America.
Visibly shaken, Obama questioned America as to why we do not attempt to put a
halt in the slaughter of the innocent. You can watch a segment of his speech on
the video below. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QovJ_x9i5X8" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In stark contrast, Jeb Bush’s response
to the sad affair was simply, “<i>Stuff
happens</i>!” Stuff happens huh? I’d appreciate much if he would have the
tenacity to say that face to face with the grieving parents, but he wouldn’t
dare. No, he said it only for the ears of his gun nut base to hear; to heck for
the others who overheard. Ya see, it gives him that big man with the little
britches tough boy image.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jeb might want to quit dishing out
advice as well, for it appears that most of the Republican voters are heeding
his words of </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">go vote for someone else.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">”</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;"> With dwindling donations and his sinking
in the polls in the low single digits currently at 4% nationally, voters are
taking him for his word. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now ol’ Jeb has come up with a new
slogan, “<i>Jeb can fix it</i>,” but as
folks are expressing, the “<i>it</i>”
doesn’t refer to fixing the nation’s pressing issues, “<i>it</i>” refers more to fixing his campaign.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJPBBx3HtjgDJfMqLsrGI4uiQFD-Ut4e3ybE1Y4v5MZ-WhrV_ZxJzj1mzevnEQ-eUMWQyyj0AUwSeDW1pLutoUlHk8b5iK0w4YxXqnPfq7PPQ0qy3X44DgJ0rnl_cg0CnnKqLNT-4GYuq/s1600/2-Jeb+can+fix+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJPBBx3HtjgDJfMqLsrGI4uiQFD-Ut4e3ybE1Y4v5MZ-WhrV_ZxJzj1mzevnEQ-eUMWQyyj0AUwSeDW1pLutoUlHk8b5iK0w4YxXqnPfq7PPQ0qy3X44DgJ0rnl_cg0CnnKqLNT-4GYuq/s320/2-Jeb+can+fix+it.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In vain attempts to prop up his sinking
campaign, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">on a South Carolina radio show this past October 16 </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rand Paul is proclaiming that Bernie Sanders’ governmental style of
socialism is the same thing as Soviet communism.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So confused, Paul compares socialism to
Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot’s communism. Name one successful democratic nation that
doesn’t use some form of socialism to benefit its public. Of course he forgets
the vast majority of Americans adore American social programs, like Social
Security, Medicare, veteran benefits and yes now even the ACA. But ol’ Rand
he’s fearful, even terrified of this so-called evil socialism having crept into
our government which will exterminate our extreme capitalism. Go ahead, it’s
only a little over a minute, listen to him in the below SOUNDCLOUD audio. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/228682639&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mike Huckabee is scooting real close to
the edge of no return, if not already in freefall. This man of the cloth is
promoting a policy to sell poor people as slaves. In an October 15 Iowa Jan
Mikelson radio show, Huckabee in order to fix our judicial system, wants to go
back to primitive Old Testament times and enslave the poor or criminal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Huckabee is not implying, he is outright
insisting that if someone steals something, is caught and can’t pay back four
fold, then as in the Bible’s Exodus, he should be sold into slavery. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now I’m going to be as mild as possible
here as I will give him the benefit of the doubt in his senseless quest to
appease the right-wing base, but if he really thinks this way…he’s freaking
insane. That is as polite as I go and surely ya might sense what I would like
to print of him. Listen to him below if you’d like on this SOUNDCLOUD
audio. </span><br />
<br /></div>
<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/228524256&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Do American Christians really appeal to
this sort of inhumanity? If so, count me out and into anything that might be
considered moral Christian under false eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump said of the first Democrat debate
a day before its occurrence that people would tune in for 10-15 minutes then
tune out in changing channels because it would be too boring. I did indeed
concur with him because it wasn’t going to be the Roman arena spectator sport
that Republican debates have turned out to be. No, I was sure the Democrat
candidates would be a bit too boring speaking substance and policy standing
instead of lashing out at each other and see who could out tongue lash the
other. Ya know, like Trump and Jeb Bush going at each other’s throats like two
schoolyard bullies from adjacent schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The debate proved both me and Mr. Trump
as wrong, for it had the highest Democrat debate TV audience ever. Perhaps
voters are finally taking note becoming a little more serious in wanting to
hear policy. I suppose I insulted the American voter and for that I do
apologize…wonder if Trump will… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNac4_6OMLrmSrsS10_9t0iAzWH9VlPGCvJ_C_axKOUT-BZtEF77FoRZG_isre4FWJ1YfLYkQ6fhnQE4dtxLcgm26F4Z70q4c7R0KyFxqwc3goL8lKkXfetyedAy1H6nyCrB1tZ4v9TmuX/s1600/11-unemployment-r-vs-o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNac4_6OMLrmSrsS10_9t0iAzWH9VlPGCvJ_C_axKOUT-BZtEF77FoRZG_isre4FWJ1YfLYkQ6fhnQE4dtxLcgm26F4Z70q4c7R0KyFxqwc3goL8lKkXfetyedAy1H6nyCrB1tZ4v9TmuX/s320/11-unemployment-r-vs-o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Obama has brought the deficit down from
9.8% of GDP in 2009 after just receiving the presidential reins from W. Bush to
3.24% of GDP for 2015 as reported by ‘usgovernmentdebt.us. That just happens to
be a side-by-side comparison of the national deficit between a Republican
president and a Democrat president. Let’s just look at the red states versus
the blue states, where they currently stand.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaz-T9Z7yycdgxtLJ3ZKr6rlW525NVoWbx48TTAvLA1AWNBZKBGOsOXAY4xG317WODrW9tfNOmiwageFZaZLJ3h_jDYVsAnKPYhRj80ZNclfRQQXRE6tsZ054QvCMoZDKwhNs5C8NtK9fY/s1600/4-deficit-debt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaz-T9Z7yycdgxtLJ3ZKr6rlW525NVoWbx48TTAvLA1AWNBZKBGOsOXAY4xG317WODrW9tfNOmiwageFZaZLJ3h_jDYVsAnKPYhRj80ZNclfRQQXRE6tsZ054QvCMoZDKwhNs5C8NtK9fY/s320/4-deficit-debt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In Minnesota, Democrat governor, Mark
Dayton inherited a $6.2 billion state deficit from his Republican predecessor,
Tim Pawlenty. Dayton promptly vetoed Pawlenty’s ‘Tea Party’ budget deals that
included no highway funds or fishing licenses in a state known as the land of 10,000
lakes and then promptly raised taxes on the rich. The net result…currently the
state is enjoying improved highways, a more structured educational system and a
budget surplus of $1.23 billion. Fishermen are back to fishing too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In contrast, Governor Scott Walker next
door to Minnesota has made a mess out of Wisconsin. In the state, the budget is
the one bill that must be signed into law making it prohibitive for budget
deficit shortfalls. Wisconsin once had one of the most robust open records laws
in the nation to uphold state governmental transparency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Walker quickly gutted the law where he
could hide what he has defunded or cut to pass a balanced budget bill. When
found out, Walker had this to say, “<i>After
substantive discussion over the last day, we have agreed that the provisions
relating to any changes in the state’s open records law will be removed from
the budget in its entirety. We are steadfastly committed to open and
accountable government</i>.” Just goes to show any good crook knows how to
cover his tracks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This time around for FY2015, in addition
to defunding many public programs, he cut $250 million from the ‘University of
Wisconsin’s system to etch out a measly budget surplus of $254,000. His
additional property and income tax cuts for the rich had put the state budget
in a $1 billion shortfall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In California Democrat governor, Jerry
Brown beat out an ALEC-Koch propped Republican in Meg Whitman, but he was faced
with a budget deficit left by Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger that
was projected to balloon to an astronomical $40 billion shortfall. Due to
California being known as a liberal state, it became the but-end joke for
Republicans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In remembering simple arithmetic from
his grade school years, Brown went straight to work by increasing taxes on the
rich and corporate and cutting fat programs. Net result, California is back to
functioning as the fifth largest world’s economy with a $4.4 billion budget
surplus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also, while the Koch’s and Koch
Republicans are spending tens-of-millions to kill clean air standards, in
inking international agreements to reduce greenhouse gases Brown is attracting
environmentally friendly businesses from all over the globe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now compare front man Brown to Brownback.
Two term Kansan Governor Sam Brownback’s trickle down Republican philosophy
with cutting taxation for the rich and corporate while cutting virtually every
public program Kansas had to offer has an $840 million budget deficit that
Brownback has had to issue a certificate of indebtedness. This is normally a
form issued by a public entity or private corporation that is likened to an
unsecured bond. Essentially it is an IOU. In the real world Republicans would
never allow any Kansan family to utilize this issuance in a grocery store,
buying gasoline or to pay their utility bills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The above is just a sampling of what
Republican governors and state legislators are doing to their respective
states. Look at the red states of Mississippi’s, Alabama’s Maine’s or Florida’s
budgets. Even Texas, a state that has been under Republican control for over
two decades is hurting regardless of the false premise that the Lonestar state
is in great shape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Texas Republicans have not only been
lying to us about fiscal health, they’ve been lying to themselves. After giving
away $19 billion to corporate tax breaks and subsidies, the state has found
itself even deeper in the hole. Currently Texas, in never accounting for $244.1
billion in pension debt and $41.3 billion in bonds, has an ungodly whopping
$341 billion debt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These red state governors instituting
wealthy and corporate tax cuts while defunding public and education programs
are wrecking their perspective states. The current field of GOP candidates wants
to instill the same policies as the governors of these red states. Is that
really a good idea?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Study the graph below from the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, then decide for yourself which party creates growth
in the private employment and economic sectors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEV4YnWlyFRHFExPZXUMYjm5awFlu9HbTbmxbIePkLkwG2pB4DJbs6LZSoNJGWSaHoF3JvO8PrLGMi_aOv2JNzJWOV9nMgEjjhEyhWLyAXuaCGSaGg3vIWBNoWIZwbiAXA_2n1Rh3jSMCv/s1600/3-job+creation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEV4YnWlyFRHFExPZXUMYjm5awFlu9HbTbmxbIePkLkwG2pB4DJbs6LZSoNJGWSaHoF3JvO8PrLGMi_aOv2JNzJWOV9nMgEjjhEyhWLyAXuaCGSaGg3vIWBNoWIZwbiAXA_2n1Rh3jSMCv/s320/3-job+creation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fall
of the House of Cards:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So Speaker of the House John Boehner’s
packing his hankies. On a November 21, 2014 Friday press meeting, after coming
off a right-wing postelection victory, Boehner vowed to get rid of Obama.
During the press conference he proclaimed, “<i>We
will not stand idle as the president undermines the rule of law in our country
and places lives at risk...we’ll work to protect the Constitution of the United
States</i>.” Then with the constitution and all those lives at risk, he
promptly dismisses congress as he departs for vacation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As it turns out though, it’s not Obama exiting;
it is Boehner who is leaving due to his party’s extreme right handed side.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippbnIp34n_iJ218q-fS4Aeqm6HxnjqqCpEjSU6xCAcc_Wr2dzZzlL8078xs9MeI0P3fMliY6dl5mnJu7jix7cs5thskEHsJjPOtM8LPsjhLocpwJt2EqomhtJxQHlWx5lsypJunUPK07j/s1600/3-Boehner-crying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippbnIp34n_iJ218q-fS4Aeqm6HxnjqqCpEjSU6xCAcc_Wr2dzZzlL8078xs9MeI0P3fMliY6dl5mnJu7jix7cs5thskEHsJjPOtM8LPsjhLocpwJt2EqomhtJxQHlWx5lsypJunUPK07j/s1600/3-Boehner-crying.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Everyone acting as totally surprised or
caught off-guard due to his announcement in resigning, I just flat out don’t
see it as such. Actually, I thought that it would have even been way sooner, for
ever since the GOP 2011 debt ceiling hostage taking, the new brand of extreme Republicanism
had warned Boehner way back then if he pursued the deal that he and Obama had
hammered out he was finished.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since 2011, whenever it was time for the
House majority to vote in their leader, Boehner has been contested. This time
around, he was going to be heavily contested, although most pundits said that
he would likely squeak through.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">About the only ones that were caught
off-guard and should be the ones really surprised with Boehner’s departure is
the actual forty member House </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Freedom Caucus</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">. They were depending on using
Boehner as a baited hostage; he took that option right out from underneath
their feet by screwing them in taking a hike. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What made House Majority Leader Kevin
McCarthy back down in taking the speakership was also the demise in Boehner’s
logic to bow out and that is primarily due to the Tea Party’s House ‘Freedom
Caucus’. The raucous this has caused within Republican Party ranks is primarily
due to the group’s angst in not being fully represented. They feel diplomacy is a
very nasty word and no matter the small size of their membership, they demand
total representation of their demands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With Cruz’ constant goading in
interfering with House legislation by defying Boehner and coaxing mainly these
forty extreme right Republican congressmen to defy the House Speaker, Boehner
in parting had a little bit of a say in what to label Cruz with. That logo is another
name for donkey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On CBS’ September 27 ‘Face the Nation’
interview, when asked by host, John Dickerson, “<i>Is Ted Cruz a false prophet</i>,” Boehner replied, “<i>Listen, you can pick a lot of names out.
I’ll let you choose them. I’ll refer you to my remark at a fundraiser I made in
August in Steamboat Springs, Colorado</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At that Colorado Republican gathering
Boehner called Cruz a “<i>jackass</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Along with the likes of Cruz, an
uncontrollable Tea Party sector and the bad mouthing coming from the conservative
‘Heritage Foundation’, Boehner decided it was time to depart. The next in line
for the majority speakership was current Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA),
but he didn’t want his political career tarnished any more than it already has
been, so exited the back door before throwing his name tag in the ring for
consideration of the House’s highest ranking post. By protocol, McCarthy should
have inherited the speaker’s seat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">McCarthy also had the likes of Rep.
Darrel Issa (R-CA), Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Tea Party Rep. Daniel
Webster (R-FL) lining up to run against him.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">McCarthy is downright fearful of his extreme
right caucus. He’s scared stiff. Also, he’s only gotten two bills passed to his
name. His legislation has been negligible as those two bills of his were merely
to name structures in his home district. He’s been pushed through the ranks
through tactical expediency instead of competence. As well, listen to some of
his speeches; they’re a bit incoherent at times and although similar I can say
for sure they’re not quite as bad as Sarah Palin’s wah-wah-wahs, but are in the
same ballpark. The Speaker of the House should be a concise and precise orator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So in the mass chaos, what do
Republicans do to stem the disrespect of the fallen House Speaker’s throne?
They beg Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), but he initially absolutely refuses
for he knows it could be a nasty decision. They then look outwards throwing out
the names of former fallen Republican congressmen like Eric Cantor and Newt
Gingrich. Warmonger Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) of ilk Iranian letter writing
penmanship infamy puts Dick Cheney’s name into the pile. He backs his pick in
explaining, “<i>It’s important to have a
steady hand on the helm during times like this</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>Steady
hand</i>?” Cheney not only has no problem using torture, he has no problem
using it on folks found innocent. When
interviewed by Chuck Todd on ‘Meet the Press’ 12/14/25 show this is what
transpired…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">CHUCK TODD: Let me go to Gul Rahman. He
was chained to the wall of his cell, doused with water, froze to death in
C.I.A. custody. And it turned out it was a case of mistaken identity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">DICK CHENEY: Right. But the problem I
had is with the folks that we did release that end up back on the battlefield. I’m
more concerned with bad guys who got out and released than I am with a few
that, in fact, were innocent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">CHUCK TODD: 25% of the detainees though,
25% turned out to be innocent. They were released.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">DICK CHENEY: Where are you going to draw
the line, Chuck? How are...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">CHUCK TODD: Is that too high? You’re
okay with that margin for error?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">DICK CHENEY: I have no problem as long
as we achieve our objective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cheney has an aberrant psychological
disorder. Those that harbor this type of personality we are trying to get guns
out of their hands, we certainly don’t need these deviant types leading
governmental departments. But this is how chaotic and in disarray Republican
leadership has become.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With continual begging by his hapless
party feeding his frenzied ego, Ryan finally relents but only under his
stipulated demands will he take the helm as speaker. He used his own demands
while complaining about the extreme rights’ sector in using demands. One of his
requirements is that he must have three days off each week to go home, for he
has children that have entered their formative years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I s’pose that’s nice and all and that
folks will say his stance is admirable, but wouldn’t it be nice if we all could
do the same. Most of us never will, for what Ryan demands from his job for himself,
he has continually voted against family leave for the rest of us whether it be
for childcare, maternity or sick leave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yepper, Ryan says, “<i>I cannot and I will not give up my family time</i>.” But yet, he feels
it quite unnecessary to guarantee all American workers have the luxury to
balance work time to family time. His record is flawless in voting against
every bill designed to aid the American worker in family leave, much less as
paid leave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On NBCs 11/01/2015 ‘Meet the Press,
Chuck Todd pops Ryan on his hypocrisy stance where Ryan defends it by saying, “<i>Because I love my children and I want to be
home on Sundays and Saturdays like most people doesn't mean I am for taking
money from hard-working taxpayers to create a brand new entitlement program. I
think people in America would like to see their members of Congress be like
them. Live among them. Live in their hometowns. Raise their families. Be with
their kids. Go to volleyball and basketball, cub scouts and church</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The dorkhead; with that said, Ryan is
oblivious to his statement’s insincerity and mockery. It’s as if it is not OK
to vote on bills to allow the rest of American families to have time off
together, but with Ryan, as among his perceived will of privilege, it’s quite
OK for taxpayers to pay for his time off.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If the ‘Freedom Caucus’ had all voted
against Ryan, he would not receive the speakership. As it turns out, only a
quarter of the caucus voted against him. Ryan will now be the new speaker as
soon as Boehner exits. So, all American taxpayers will be paying for Ryan’s
family time, the very one who denies the taxpayer of their own family time.
Kind of sad isn’t it…</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7w7b98DayQ1gVSHgFcddGBQeRMeAaXNfAsgQwkwk8WeqWeBp3h7cPo2uOwYpscZQHtqV8C6IH2jDoq9rrcFSsAyp1cfY3AT_oJolw6fxpY7PcRPO6oCxHcw16QyUiL6qYOfubzThdTNtq/s1600/4-Paul+ryan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7w7b98DayQ1gVSHgFcddGBQeRMeAaXNfAsgQwkwk8WeqWeBp3h7cPo2uOwYpscZQHtqV8C6IH2jDoq9rrcFSsAyp1cfY3AT_oJolw6fxpY7PcRPO6oCxHcw16QyUiL6qYOfubzThdTNtq/s320/4-Paul+ryan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ryan though is going to have a hard go
of it. If he or the rest of the moderate Republicans think that he will control
his right-wing sector, they got another thought coming. Already the temporary
peace is crumbling. Rep. Paul Labrador (R-UT) said that Ryan’s demand to keep
the motion to vacate isn’t going to happen. Getting rid of the “</span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">motion to vacate is a non-starter</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,” so
says Labrador. The ‘Freedom Caucus’ as outlined by one anonymous member feels
that Ryan was setting up the group to be blamed if he hadn’t run and are angst
by that inference.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Over at the conservative ‘Drudge Report’
they had this to say about Ryan,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">KING PAUL: PLEDGE YOUR ALLEGIANCE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">DEM FAVORITE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">OBAMA’S NEW PARTNER<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Meanwhile, while Obama is currently
enjoying a 51% approval rating, the Republican congress is falling apart with a
paltry 12% in favorability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Obama and Boehner’s budget deal was
passed. The right-wing did not like it. It keeps Republicans from holding the
federal government hostage in renewing new budgets until 2017 and it defeated
their bid to defund ‘Planned Parenthood’, even though Republicans promised
their base that organization would be deleted from government funding by this
past September. But not only was the budget bill passed, it was passed clean
with no stop-gap amendments attached.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Boehner pushed
forward with the intent on getting a debt ceiling and budget deal he has hashed
out with Obama to a vote in both Houses of congress. Of course, Republicans are
furious and are expressing their disdain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After the
announcement of the deal, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) was literally
exasperated in a 10/26/2015 ‘Politico’ interview when he stated, “<i>My knees quiver at the sound. I’m worried
about how fast it’s moving. I see no reason for that. Based on what I know now,
it appears the president got whatever he wanted</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well I can
plainly see how that would make his knees quiver, for what the president wants
is what the majority of Americans want and that is a functional government body
with a two year budget to work with and no worry about American governance
defaulting on its bills in being paid. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rep. Thomas
Massey (R-KY) had this to say in referring to Boehner, “<i>We can't stop it. He’s in league with the Democrats</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Senator Jon
Cornyn (R-TX) quirked, “<i>I don’t think
you’ll hear anybody popping any champagne corks</i>.” No, ya won’t most likely
be hearing Republicans popping champagne bottle corks, because it took away
their hostage taking with the debt ceiling for the next two years, thus
neutering their constant threats of shutting down the government as they’ve
been doing so throughout Obama’s presidency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Boehner is
actually saving Ryan’s neck once he becomes speaker, for if a budget war would
cause the government to be shut down, Ryan as the new leader of the GOP would
be solely held responsible for the government’s inefficiency. Nonetheless, he
doesn’t express gratitude but instead, utters contempt for Boehner’s actions in
hurling to reporters, “<i>I think this
process stinks. This is not the way to do the people’s business. Under new
management, we're not going to do the people's business this way</i>.” Then he
goes quietly to cast his yea vote for the budget bill anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ryan’s simply
crowing to his right-wing caucus. Boehner has done him a big favor in giving
some breathing room in extending to Ryan a two-year budget to work with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Democrats love
the deal for the sequester cuts will be removed, it neutralizes Republican
threats to increase Medicare premiums, stops the Republican push to privatize
Social Security benefits and deletes the GOP threats in cutting 20% of funding
to the ‘Social Security Disability Insurance’ program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In speaking of
Social Security (SS), the one item line that moderators should ask all
presidential candidates is, “What is your stance on Social Security?” Forget
the six degrees of separation that most Republicans harp about when it comes to
SS, there is virtually not even one degree of Americans that aren’t affected by
SS in some way. If an American is not a recipient to SS, he assuredly most
likely has an immediate family member that is. Candidates need to be pressed
and hard on this issue.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">If Republicans
weren’t always wearing blinders they too would realize the deal is to their
benefit. In it contains a small repeal of the ACA law where employers no longer
have to automatically enroll employees into their health plans and it will
boost defense spending by $80 billion over the next two years that is already
around 58% of the national budget. More importantly though, since it cut the
GOPs ability to shut down the government the new budget will actually aid them
in the upcoming 2016 elections as it will make them appear more trustworthy in
voters’ eyes. The last induced GOP sixteen day government shutdown cost the
nation $24 billion.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ryan’s first
agenda as Speaker of the House was to hit the highways, air ways and radio
waves to discredit Obama over Ryan’s excuse in not bringing the immigration
reform bill out of its musty cellar and back up to the House floor for debate
and votes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The weekend of
Oct. 31-Nov. 01, Ryan ran the gambit of political talk shows spewing out the
same verbiage of we need “<i>to wipe the
slate clean</i>” or, “<i>We need to do the
people’s business</i>.” His main echo though was how we can’t trust the
president and that is why he will not bring up the immigration bill to the
floor when he repetitiously stated, “<i>Yeah,
I think he’s proven untrustworthy on this issue. He tried to go around Congress
with an Executive Order to rewrite laws unilaterally. Presidents don’t write
laws. Congress writes laws. So yes, I do not believe we should and we won’t
bring immigration legislation with a president we cannot trust on this issue</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just to remind
Ryan, President Obama remained silent when the passed senate reform bill was
sent to the House, but the Republican House cached it allowing the bill to gain
cobwebs. Then and only then did Obama issue his immigration reform executive order.
As Obama has stated on numerous occasions, his executive order goes away as
soon as he signs an immigration reform bill. It is apparent Ryan is lying to
the American public or he’s simply dumb in being oblivious to the facts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ryan is
attacking Obama’s character because one, it rings well to his right-wing House
members and constituents. Two, because he has already made a deal with the
‘Freedom Caucus’ that he would not bring up immigration until after Obama
leaves office.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In not reviving
the bill, Ryan is not doing the American folk’s business as he attests to when
a ‘YouGovPoll’ November 4<sup>th</sup> finding shows that 81% of Americans want
the immigration bill to be passed. Heck, for that matter, Ryan himself once
claimed to support the immigration overhaul senate bill. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On a side note,
wouldn’t it be nice though if we all understood what the ultra-conservative
‘Breitbart News’ projected in their Nov. 01 headlines, “<i>Wouldn't It Be Great If There Was A Way To Wipe Ryan's Slate Clean</i>?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A Marred Mirror</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Donald Trump
says refugees could launch a military coup and his base, along with other
politicians soak up Trump’s chatter on the crisis. It’s dehumanizing in a tepid
nuance of nationalism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Below are some
refugee stories that don’t make the headlines, but as the little drowned Syrian
boy in the sands of a Turkish beach is symbolic of the plight so too, are these
stories in humanizing the crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.upworthy.com/humans-of-new-york-went-to-europe-to-see-the-refugee-crisis-firsthand-the-photos-are-striking"><span style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">http://www.upworthy.com/humans-of-new-york-went-to-europe-to-see-the-refugee-crisis-firsthand-the-photos-are-striking</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now I don’t
expect any of these stories to tug at the hollow hearts of the Republican
hardcore in seeing the inhumanity that exists herein, but I do fully expect it
to at least open their eyes a little wider.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Showing
hospitality and quick integration into a culture, if one individual or a whole
nation is truly religious, this inclusiveness is by far the best means in
dissolving terrorism within a country’s borders. The quicker folks are
incorporated into a system they will feel a part of, the least likely they will
attack it, as anxieties will vanish and a new belonging will forge. Do not
isolate refugees, migrants, immigrants, or whatever you may call them, they
will then assimilate becoming an asset rather than a hindrance. Everyone wants
to belong and feel a part of.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
/</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DCi8LI4VGdqug1oXqnIxoFv3bJslyF6HGQ12bv1631VLVyxwi37nMLJptEZADWID2guGPK3eCoPp3n0XdoUNV43oiQcYV8lv0VZx0-Etsui319xH0HLTJ0jljUAZVhjx8SDDTrLYoA20/s1600/4-bigotry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DCi8LI4VGdqug1oXqnIxoFv3bJslyF6HGQ12bv1631VLVyxwi37nMLJptEZADWID2guGPK3eCoPp3n0XdoUNV43oiQcYV8lv0VZx0-Etsui319xH0HLTJ0jljUAZVhjx8SDDTrLYoA20/s320/4-bigotry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Republicanism today is idealism ‘trumping’ what’s in the best interest for
national policy. This idealism has as its driving engine wedges. These wedges
negate subtle and diplomatic discussions across the aisle and in the current
GOP transient, even among themselves. This is the prevailing state of disarray
going on within the party and the chaos it invokes, the ability is absent to even
conduct a simple procedure in picking a new leader within its own ranks. It is
now all about self-interest and to Hades for all the rest.
Exclusion…exclusion…exclusion is the new Republican charge through biased
exploitation.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Within their own
ranks, they fully absolved Boehner as excluded fodder, cowered McCarthy and
presently have their eyes set on getting Reince Piebus kicked out of his
position as chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Squawk boy
Reince Priebus over at the RNC, most likely is trembling with his knees
a-knockin’ these days, for he might just be giving Boehner some company.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Apparently
there’s just too many dirty Republican diapers for Priebus to be wiping clean,
for still fuming over the third GOP debate fiasco in blaming “<i>liberal media</i>,” right-wing radio talk
show host Mark Levin is screaming ‘off with your head’ to Priebus in stating, “<i>The head of the RNC needs to go! I say
Reince Priebus should be fired over there at the Republican National Committee.
That guy is an incompetent. He’s a boob! He’s another one whose tongue is tied
all the time. And when he does talk, he talks in superficial gibberish. RNC
Chairman Reince Priebus has allowed the media to distort and undermine the
entire debate process so far</i>.”<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eric Cantor,
Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan were once considered the ‘Young Guns’ of the
Republican Party as the vision of the GOPs future course. Cantor is no longer
in office since voted out in the last election’s primaries. McCarthy has been
silenced as the voice of the Party. Ryan lost a vice-presidential bid badly
after staging theatrics like feeding the homeless only for photo opts and
saying he was totally against the stimulus bill, when it was revealed he
actually used it for his district. Also his love affair to Ayn Rand ideology
suddenly went under the radar after it was exposed that she was an atheist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once again I’ll state a showdown between
Ryan in his new leadership role as Speaker of the House is surely to erupt
somewhere on down the road stuck between far right and corporate comrade
Republicans. Instead of fighting, he’ll impishly throw a tantrum then quit the
speakership.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican disarray with no leadership
are blaming their quandary all on the media or as they say, the “<i>liberal media</i>.” Now they are entrenched
in running with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jeb, Carson,
Trump, Fiorina and all the GOP candidates repeatedly say, don’t listen to the
leftist media; go to my website where you can see me talk alone yo en mi (me on
me) and also while you’re there, click the donate button.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SyJo9vJWjM8" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the third debate, as viewed from the
above video, Cruz refused to answer the question, preferring instead to slam
the moderators. The same as already mentioned Rubio refused to answer Jeb
Bush’s comment about his voting record preferring instead to blame “<i>liberal media</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even ‘Fox News’ has been demonized in
GOP media complaints as in Trump calling out Megyn Kelly and the station could now
be literally listed under the “<i>liberal
media</i>” by Republican rampage.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, Republicans are insisting that all
questions coming from moderators be slow-pitched softballs lobbed by Republican
pundits only. Cruz has even suggested the moderators be Rush Limbaugh, Sean
Hannity and Mark Levin, three of the most misinforming talk show hosts
conservatives have to offer. It just goes to show that logical deduction is not
built on physical derision.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">President Obama even had a little bit of fun poking at the GOP media hissy fits.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dh38ARb97r8" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I hope that they do go to that softball
game format, for Americans would never hear the truth in being informed enough to
vote for one of them simply because they lie in knowing their base living in
‘mythomania’ land doesn’t care for factual content; they only want what rubs
their biased beliefs. With those lies not being rebutted by the conservative
moderator, but actually promoted, they will appear as pathological liars to the
rest of the nation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Case in point, Ben Carson’s continual
lying about his background. In deceiving then disseminating his alleged thuggish
background –slash– finding Jesus while sitting on the bathroom pot drivel. His
bogus West Point scholarship admission acceptance, ‘Popeyes’ chicken escapade
and his alleged meeting with General Westmoreland when the general’s itinerary
shows him completely out of Michigan at the time, much less in Detroit and
etcetera is a reflection of the Republican Party in general.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans are perjurers, for lying
about lying is a pathological liar. It doesn’t matter though, for since the
Carson lying revelations, the right-wing base has stepped up donating $3.5
million to his campaign in just one week. Carson’s lies stroked and stoked them
just fine.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphxbHp7PWC8JnnZV_v_R2ww0RGE0Zx2PgbN8XH3iFWQJmR-jmbGTJX2eEqeKA3PmwGDkqzT3Zt6KY31u3nvJg3-Yc5ftzqLy-WduyTULmbTrm5RiD_Rp9iGJ3r23p_oYf6P2VMKExNAFN/s1600/4-Debate+whiners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphxbHp7PWC8JnnZV_v_R2ww0RGE0Zx2PgbN8XH3iFWQJmR-jmbGTJX2eEqeKA3PmwGDkqzT3Zt6KY31u3nvJg3-Yc5ftzqLy-WduyTULmbTrm5RiD_Rp9iGJ3r23p_oYf6P2VMKExNAFN/s320/4-Debate+whiners.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The GOPs systematic problem with
spreading false rhetoric, dealing only in ideology rather than policy substance
along with systemic vetting, instead of looking inwards for solutions, they inevitably
cast blame elsewhere…it’s all the so-called liberal media’s fault.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If Republicans only realized that with
their stance of entertainment over sound policy issue discussions, the “<i>liberal media’s</i>” attention covering the
GOP has given them tremendous exposure. Maybe they need to look a little more
inwards at what is making them appear silly outwards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes, the standard practice when
Republicans are under fire for their actions is simply to blame the press. This
doesn’t conceal their infighting and it isn’t isolated in the clown ring of Republican
politicians, it also pores over into the Republican pundit ring as well as witnessed
in the video below. Please note the authenticity in the paper shaking in
O’Reilly’s hands around 4:02 minutes.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L46aQzJCj64" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Over a Reagan book authored by Bill O’
Reilly, Billy and George Will, two ‘Fox News’ employees, went after the other’s
egotistical tongues. Accusing each other as incompetent in slinging back and
forth the words hack and liar, O’Reilly and Will typify the rift in Republican
politics.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A “<i>hack</i>”
and a “<i>liar</i>!” Now that is really nice
to see two seasoned Republican cognoscenti intellectuals battling it out in
right-wing living rooms all across the nation while watching newsworhtiness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ben
the Gauze Zit:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yepper sport fans, Republicans are
irately frustrated, for they’ve been preparing and conniving for years to
politically bring down Mrs. Clinton. Right before their eyes though, they’re
currently witnessing the partisan wall they built come crumbling down into
dust. The Benghazi investigations were their bold attempt to thwart Mrs.
Clinton’s ascension to the presidency. But in a democracy under primary rules
that is solely the job of Bernie Sanders, not the acting Republican congress.
Their first and foremost job in spending American tax dollars is to legislate
for the public’s better good that by the way the GOP has totally ignored.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaRkK-dubYrU0_MNJynYbOPhOgsf5xmyeEIHP1R2FqbNRTRr_g-6lwCGylyO3fpRULXNmMhx6CcAHCaPtZFcQM45J5E0mNqNcOqL691Q2odiNnWjC-Qj0vm-waGJeYyNeq3-66s9F4kSk/s1600/1-benghazi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaRkK-dubYrU0_MNJynYbOPhOgsf5xmyeEIHP1R2FqbNRTRr_g-6lwCGylyO3fpRULXNmMhx6CcAHCaPtZFcQM45J5E0mNqNcOqL691Q2odiNnWjC-Qj0vm-waGJeYyNeq3-66s9F4kSk/s320/1-benghazi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Benghazi hearing this past October
22</span><sup style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> opened up with its chairman, Trey Gowdy attempting to convince
everyone this is not about Hilary Clinton, but about four dead Americans. But
mind you, as soon as his deliverance was over Republicans jumped onto the
Clinton bashing bandwagon. Unfortunately for the angry white boys, Clinton
remained rock solid in her replies to the accusations that only angered them
more.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The hearing from the outset immediately
turned into the Hilary Clinton Show with her factual answers and direct candor.
This confounded the ol’ Republican boys. They resorted to old disproven
accusations from the previous hearings furthering their goals of vainly
attempting to nail Mrs. Clinton. They
wanted to paint a picture of Clinton as the one solely responsible in those
four American deaths due to her dereliction of duty. Problem is, instead of
oil, they used water colors and it rained down hard on the canvas totally
smearing their portrait of her and it back fired. When will Republicans
learn…when you attempt to attack facts with false accusations…you will lose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans at best were banking on what
Clinton’s campaign press secretary, Brian Fallon revealed when he said to NPR’s
Tamara Keith, “<i>She </i>[Clinton]<i> was at worst a passive recipient of
unwitting information that subsequently became deemed as classified</i>.” <b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For ya see, when it comes to classified
information under the new law, standards are not all black and white. In the
absence of markings that officially designate information as classified, common
sense can nonetheless cause disagreement on the character of the information
folks are dealing with and both parties could be completely justified in that
perspective. Besides the addendum making it illegal to use private servers was
only added to the ‘Federal Records Act’ in 2014, well after Mrs. Clinton had
left office.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Conjointly the ‘Federal Records Act’, in
all the other laws such as the ‘Freedom of Information Act’ (FOIA), the NARA
regulations or Section 1924 of 18, it has been proven or shown she did not
break the laws. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This private e-mail usage all started
when a Romanian hacker, Marcel Lazăr Lehel was thwarted breaking into Clinton’s
email account by her computer security, but his attempt exposed the fact that
she had a personal e-mail. However, Lehel’s failed attempt disclosed former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private e-mail account. Lehel was the
so-called smoking gun Republicans used to promote their attack on Clinton
giving the hacker the code name, ‘Gawker’ to keep the source in a secretive
cloud. From that the GOP attempted to tie in Clinton to receiving information on
her private e-mail from Sidney Blumenthal, the same email that supposedly she
had retained classified information on. Republicans came up with a scheme based
on no evidence that Clinton was relaying sensitive information with Blumenthal in
arranging an info swap that if Blumenthal exposed a confidential CIA source, he
in turn could pursue business opportunities in Libya due to Clinton’s
influence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This worked well at first, for there has
been a long seeded mistrust of Hillary by political and street Republicans.
They’ve come up throughout the years with many discredited conspiracies
concerning her and her husband, President Bill Clinton and this Benghazi line
would fit perfectly into the skepticism held by Republicans for Clinton. But
alas, as all the former baseless accusations, this one bore no fruit either
except to add more fuel to the raging fire of hatred Republicans hold for the
Clintons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4Zl4Ey2Zph27xb0i2T5nQdC1FqwUy_bhyWm43SEfpa9BBG9AwwwE6U88wLTEnPgaDdwO9Dkjw3K6P8Gbk6WpeShqDZXMl30C9CDCDMHYJQvax9clX_ggQWLx-2kElMbmUIRDVvi2MAXB/s1600/1-Benghazi+CH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4Zl4Ey2Zph27xb0i2T5nQdC1FqwUy_bhyWm43SEfpa9BBG9AwwwE6U88wLTEnPgaDdwO9Dkjw3K6P8Gbk6WpeShqDZXMl30C9CDCDMHYJQvax9clX_ggQWLx-2kElMbmUIRDVvi2MAXB/s320/1-Benghazi+CH.jpg" width="147" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At first the GOP claimed “<i>top secret</i>” documents were conducted on
Hillary’s private e-mails demanding probes with ‘Fox News’ Bret Baier spreading
the ruse to the public on his august 11<sup>th</sup> ‘Special Report’ edition
when he stated along with Mike Emanuel:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">EMANUEL: The breaking news of the hour
is that the intelligence inspector general has told top lawmakers on Capitol
Hill that two of those four classified emails from Hillary Clinton’s personal
server were top secret in nature. And they’re still studying the other two to
figure out what the relevant classification should be. Bret?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BRET BAIER: ‘Top secret’ marked on the
e-mails. FBI inquiry obviously already ongoing to classified information
improperly stored, they said, on her private server. And also, Mike, a thumb
drive held by her attorney?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">EMANUEL: Well that’s absolutely correct.
All of her e-mails have been stored by her personal attorney. And a lot of folks
on Capitol Hill have been asking, why is that still out there? Why is that not
controlled by the intelligence community or by the State Department, this
existing in the possession of a personal attorney? And so lots more questions
on Capitol Hill and throughout the intelligence community this evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unfortunately for the Republican cause
those accusatory statements were adamantly false, for back in the previous
month of July the Justice Department said that the e-mails supplied to them by
the Republican witch hunt, once reviewed, the federal officials acknowledged
there was no information contained that was marked as not only <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">“</span><i>top secret</i>,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> but none were even marked
as ‘classified’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The inspector general, I. Charles
McCullough III, said in a separate statement that he had found information that
should have been designated as classified in four e-mails out of a “<i>limited
sample</i>” of 40 that his agency reviewed. As a result, he said, he made the “<i>security referral</i>,” acting under a
federal law that requires alerting the FBI to any potential compromises of
national security information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Currently as required, the FBI is
conducting an ongoing investigation on state department equipment seized by
them.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BiDi5kYmQWcqOxxW8S0d3KBsPRkW4GpD0MaF70CGjTk4spbAQxd3DIVCs1d4yZLvfJ_ktLCkHqUYqEL5fXNoE7rMkk_iCgw-_F2F_a5FC_cmZ6nAl6LfjwqxQP45i0SFp7oVbUl49wJT/s1600/1-Benghazi+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BiDi5kYmQWcqOxxW8S0d3KBsPRkW4GpD0MaF70CGjTk4spbAQxd3DIVCs1d4yZLvfJ_ktLCkHqUYqEL5fXNoE7rMkk_iCgw-_F2F_a5FC_cmZ6nAl6LfjwqxQP45i0SFp7oVbUl49wJT/s320/1-Benghazi+11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gowdy insists that the hearings were not
at all about Clinton, or Blumenthal and her e-mails; it was strictly to find
out what happened in Benghazi to give grieving family members some form of
closure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dang it all, how considerate in nature
is he, but only if it were true, for he used that line for cover in what these
wasted taxpayer dollar investigations are…to politically weaken Mrs. Clinton.
He was condescending to family members using the hearings just as all the other
right-wing politicians were using it for…and that was for campaign donations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Besides, it was revealed by Chuck Todd
on ‘Meet the Press’ October 25<sup>th</sup> airing that Gowdy had himself in
the last hearing mentioned ‘Benghazi’ only 17 times while mentioning ‘Blumenthal’
35 times and ‘e-mails’ 76 times. In conclusion, so much for getting at the
truth and wiping the sad tears away from the Benghazi victims’ survivors’
sorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If <b><i>one</i></b> still insists the excruciating
hearings were for getting at the truth and not a political vendetta, even after
ranking Republicans, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) both
confess the hearings were designed to go after Clinton politically. Even if
that <b><i>one</i></b>
won’t listen to former Benghazi investigator Major Bradley Podiska, who himself
is a conservative Republican to the core, when he states the investigative GOP
ran committee had trained their sights on Clinton after her tenure of Secretary
of State e-mails were revealed last March.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TkHpcWugCsU" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Podiska further adds, (mind you he is a
conservative hired by Gowdy) that any thorough and objective fact finding was
below the radar while political motivation was flying high in the
proceedings…if that </span><b style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;"><i>one</i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> still can’t comprehend the truth; maybe that </span><b style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;"><i>one</i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">
only accepts factored fiction that cushions his biased beliefs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If that <b><i>one</i></b> further won’t accept
a CNN/ORC October 22<sup>nd</sup> poll result that 72% of Americans believe the
House Select Committee on Benghazi is being used for Republican political gain,
then that <b><i>one</i></b> is deaf, dumb and blind to any truths. For once the viewed
revelation on how badly Republicans were looking in the investigations and the
final hearings, impeachment proceedings were being moved up in the House of
Congress by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) to impeach Clinton on day one of her
presidency merely to attack her with more irreverent futility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mo reckons, “<i>In my judgment, with respect to Hillary Clinton, she will be a unique
president if she is elected by the public next November, because the day she's
sworn in is the day that she's subject to impeachment because she has committed
high crimes and misdemeanors</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He bases this all on her usage of her
personal e-mail server, ya know, the very same e-mails that eight $4.8 million
worth of GOP hearings have worthlessly been spent on in finding no wrong doing.
So Mo feels more taxpayer dollars need to be wasted </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">along with the peoples’ vote not counting on who
they want for president</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Actually, if you want to blame anyone
over Benghazi, one could make a good case against the whole bunch of
Republicans. In 2009, led by Ryan and Rep. Darrel Issa, Republicans voted to
amend embassy funding by cutting out $1.2 billion from State Department funding
which included funds for 300 diplomatic security positions. One just might also
recall, this time led singly by Ryan, Republicans in 2011 cut embassy security
funding by $128 million with another cut roll out in 2012 of an additional $331
million. This was after Hilary had said the GOP proposed cuts would be “<i>detrimental to America’s national security</i>,”
in which Republicans pompously rejected her claim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even after Benghazi, for fiscal year 2013
Republicans cut $216 million out of the Obama administration’s ‘Worldwide
Security’ program, while another 20% more in slashing the State Department’s
budget including $400 million in defunding embassy security under Ryan’s 2014
budget. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans saw how bad they were losing
in the hearing discussions that ‘Fox News’ cut its programming hearings short
where ‘CNN’ and ‘CNBC’ continued and finished it. Even after proclaiming itself
as the “<i>Official Benghazi Network</i>,”
‘Fox News’ ditched their coverage because Republicans were losing so badly. The
entertainment network simply did not want to expose its ignorant viewers to live-on-the-spot
unraveling of all the GOP Benghazi conspiracies it had been pushing endlessly
on the air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YoR7RfTsy4KhbZY4nJ24ISLT0Pj9ROdxzdlc_-SrJkHaTAZ87rNNDd38HCAxNKvC6oxFjn_MKKqIOPhxtNeh8GBU3HqTyGh9IuWdRdRx0nLqIrmiGjIesr00qsH4tB1br2S3GkODVS0w/s1600/1-Ben+the+gauze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YoR7RfTsy4KhbZY4nJ24ISLT0Pj9ROdxzdlc_-SrJkHaTAZ87rNNDd38HCAxNKvC6oxFjn_MKKqIOPhxtNeh8GBU3HqTyGh9IuWdRdRx0nLqIrmiGjIesr00qsH4tB1br2S3GkODVS0w/s320/1-Ben+the+gauze.jpg" width="264" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The point blank core crux of it all is
the Benghazi hearings, purported to get at the truth, have little to do with
the Benghazi incident at all. In the current e-mail topic over Clinton’s usage
of her personal server, only a small portion entails Libya and none of that
deals with Benghazi. The emails are strictly an unrelated extension in the
Benghazi investigation by the GOP to hinder and brandish Clinton’s aspirations
in getting to sit in the White House’s oval office.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The bottom line …Clinton (w)on(e)…Trey
and GOP troop zero. The hearings were a complete reversal in what the GOP
objective was, for it made Mrs. Clinton appear presidential and Republicans as
whining dimwits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">More
Nonsensical Nonsense:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Drowning in a cesspool by diving deeper into
the muck instead of swimming to the surface for a breath of fresh air,
Republicans can do nothing except for what they do and that is not constructive
legislation, but unending investigations and bogus impeachment proceedings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans decided another
investigation was in order, so had Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) to
spearhead a hearing on ‘Planned Parenthood’ (PP) and its CEO executive, Cecile
Richards. Once you watch the video below you’ll realize another GOP
investigation backfired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z6MHjz9nIns" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The chart used in the video by Chaffetz
is displayed below and as anyone but Chaffetz can see is clearly marked by the
anti-abortion group in the bottom right hand corner.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVp__HXr4Zh6C-Eb5Zz-SdLnW1NuZ1Hua-rPU-peC-UNKNqKwQHDRvl_74MuIEltsrw2ORnvNEG9XAZGIzMnvxHMXeSBmzyFIO7cjapQGu92di2Ov8hz130ZRbzvkVexmP-9emaHI8UpAl/s1600/1-pp+chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVp__HXr4Zh6C-Eb5Zz-SdLnW1NuZ1Hua-rPU-peC-UNKNqKwQHDRvl_74MuIEltsrw2ORnvNEG9XAZGIzMnvxHMXeSBmzyFIO7cjapQGu92di2Ov8hz130ZRbzvkVexmP-9emaHI8UpAl/s320/1-pp+chart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Chaffetz thinking he had Richards in a
‘gotcha’ moment insisting that his poster card graph came directly from her corporate
reports finds out that it was originally sourced from ‘Americans United for
Life’, an anti-abortion group. Its data was also false, so in eating crow and finding
no grounds to further pursue Planned Parenthood, Chaffetz closes the
investigation by stating he could find no wrongdoing with his final statement,
“</span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Did we find any wrongdoing? The answer
was no</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That’s not enough though. It’s as if
Republicans love mud in their face for they as yet are going to have not just
another, but a “<i>special</i>”
investigation on ‘Planned Parenthood’ and it surely is doomed to fail as well. Representative
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), just as Gowdy did in the Benghazi hearings, claims, “<i>This will be a broad-based, information
gathering, fact finding mission to answer questions about how we treat and
protect life in this country</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Blackburn will lead the investigation
and is already preparing to hold the hearing this November. It has nothing to
do with fact finding, but is a ruse to discredit ‘Planned Parenthood’ in
attempting to portray the women’s health organization as a practitioner of gruesome
conduct. Blackburn has a sordid history in not presenting the facts and in
shying away from factual information her little inquest is going to get
embarrassed. She will be pushing her form of evangelical religious doctrine to
denounce ‘Planned Parenthood’ as solely a slayer of fetuses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Blackburn is trudging forth to convince
America ‘Planned Parenthood’ needs defunding for atrocious acts and a
miscarriage in justice even though Chaffetz’ initial interrogation, a FBI and
Department of Justice investigation have already cleared the organization of
any wrongdoing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Still this doesn’t matter to Republicans
as witnessed below to read for yourself:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Jindal cuts off
state Medicaid funds for Planned Parenthood’ –The Hill, 08/3/15<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/250129-jindal-cuts-off-state-medicaid-funds-for-planned-parenthood"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/250129-jindal-cuts-off-state-medicaid-funds-for-planned-parenthood</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Texas cuts off
Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood’ – CBS News, 10/19/15 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-cuts-off-medicaid-funding-to-planned-parenthood/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-cuts-off-medicaid-funding-to-planned-parenthood/</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In addition
Arizona’s Republican governor, Doug Ducey has cut off government employee
donations to the women’s health group through the ‘State Employee Charitable
Campaign’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If that isn’t
enough, Republican Missouri state lawmaker Rep. Rick Brattin has said that he
is going to write a bill demanding that PP build a memorial wall just like the ‘Vietnam
Wall’ to honor aborted fetuses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yet, there is another investigation
brewing as Chaffetz and Republican Inc. are preparing to launch yet another
dead-end before it begins impeachment proceedings on IRS Commissioner John
Koskinen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If one might recall, in 2010 Republicans
became hysterical in insisting the IRS was targeting right-wing charity status
and they demanded justice. They tried to nail the IRS official Lois Lerner as
the epicenter in rushed up hearings, but failed to find anything incriminating,
so they demanded the ‘Department of Justice’ conduct a thorough investigation
and the DOJ did. Unfortunately for Republicans, nothing unusual except at times
some poor spotty management ever came to light. So, as of this year, after a
two year lengthy investigation, the DOJ concluded and cleared the IRS of any
wrong doing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the clearing of the IRS, Assistant
Attorney General Peter Kadzik stated in a letter, “<i>We found no evidence that any IRS official acted based on political,
discriminatory, corrupt, or other inappropriate motives that would support a
criminal prosecution," Kadzik said. </i>“<i>We also found no evidence that any official involved in the handling of
tax-exempt applications or IRS leadership attempted to obstruct justice. Based
on the evidence developed in this investigation and the recommendation of
experienced career prosecutors and supervising attorneys at the department, we
are closing our investigation and will not seek any criminal charges</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But never mind the DOJ investigative
conclusion that the IRS never targeted Republican groups or that Kosiken didn’t
become commissioner of the IRS until 2013, three years after the Republican IRS
whining started, the GOP is going to carry on with the impeachment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans have relentlessly, but
highly unsuccessfully been vainly attempting to impeach Obama. <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">For the GOP, not in any way was</span> the
president</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> duly and rightfully elected by the American populace. Republicans
have </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 21.4667px;">infuriatedly </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">been trying to undo his presidency with no legal process. From distorting
his birthplace, ‘Fast and Furious’, the IRS shenanigans, his executive orders
and of course Obamacare, the right-wing has been trying to make something stick
to impeach Obama. Well now, they think they got just the cudgel to make an
impeachment stick. Now I’m not making this up folks, but that ‘sound reasoning’
for impeachment is that Republicans contend Obama wants to be impeached.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It all started, when former Rep. Steve
Stockman (R-TX) picked up on a cue of Obama befittingly mocking Republicans to
sue him as shown in the video below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QTyEGhLr4Ic" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the Texas 2014 summer sun, on the
ultra-right-wing ‘WorldNetDaily’ Stockman proclaimed, “<i>President Obama is begging to be impeached. He wants us to impeach him
now, before the midterm election because his senior advisers believe that is
the only chance the Democratic Party has to avoid a major electoral defeat.
Evidently Obama believes impeachment could motivate the Democratic Party base
to come out and vote</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This Stockman proclamation caught on as
Rush Limbaugh a bit later told his dittoheads, <i>“[Obama] is really trying to goad the House Republicans into impeaching
him. Really trying, I mean, very hard. It’s become obvious. It’s so obvious,
he’s not fooling anybody</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Glenn Beck spreads the flames by
insisting, “<i>The president is going to
change the subject and he’s going to make it about impeachment…so who wants it?
The president does, because then he’ll be able to say ‘I demand justice</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Over at ‘Fox News’ Megyn Kelly chimes in
that there is “<i>a drumbeat of impeachment
talk from the Democrats</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The new GOP whip, Rep. Steve Scalise
(R-LA) declares this “<i>might be the first
White House in history trying to start the narrative of impeaching their own
president</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Scalise is attempting to blame all the
baseless GOP impeachment proceedings onto Obama, although at the same time
refuses to take it off the House table. That’s like blaming a fireman fighting the
flames for the house fire, while hiding behind the bushes with a Bic lighter
and kerosene. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Due to Koch money influence, Republicans
have been inspired to pursue two other dead-end hearings. One is harassing
climatologists while the other is getting rid of the IM-Ex Bank. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Through the backing of the Koch
Brothers, Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) as ridiculously head of the ‘House
Science Committee’ is attacking the ‘National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’ (NOAA) and its scientists for an unfounded claim of “<i>suspicious subpoena power</i>,” as
insinuated by Smith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lamar has subpoenaed seven years of NOAA
work from e-mails to research papers where on the taxpayer’s dime he’ll have
his paid non-scientist assistants pore over them for any i not dotted or t
crossed. The shameful aspect of it all is that it is a total waste of time and
money. For ya see, every last piece of the subpoenaed data is already
accessible and can be viewed by the public. Smith however has got to show he’s
doing at least something while not attending to the people’s business. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since its founding by the FDR
administration, the Import-Export Bank has been authorized sixteen times by Democrat
and Republican presidents/congress alike due to its facilitation of American
global business. It has been a lifeline in aiding American companies to compete
globally by issuing low interest loans. In promoting certainty and protection
in new markets, in the last two decades it has generated nearly $7 billion more
than the cost of its operations and lowered U.S. trade deficits. But the
Republican congress this past summer denied the bank charter’s reauthorization.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Let’s make this perfectly clear, although
the bank is backed by taxpayer guaranteed loans, the IM-EX Bank does not
operate on taxpayer revenue. It gets its operational revenue from the loans it
issues. The CBO states the bank doesn’t add to the deficit, no quite the opposite,
as it has contributed $14 billion over the last decade in revenue. It also
doesn’t compete with private sector banking as it only fills financial gaps
with its loans when other lenders are unable or unwilling to do so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since Obama’s inauguration the IM-EX has
supported 1.3 million private sector American jobs. Halting the bank’s loans
will jeopardize thousands of jobs and cut into American corporations to compete
abroad. Nonetheless, the Koch Brothers for some reason detest the bank and are
pouring their money into both congressional houses to rid it. Republicans have
picked up and sniffed out the Koch money trail in changing their minds on
backing the bank as traditionally Republicans always have favored it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Veronique de Rugy, a senior research
fellow of the ‘Mercatus Center’ at ‘George Mason University’ is an expert on
the IM-EX Bank. She contends that without the involvement of the Koch network
of conservative groups they fund influencing congress, “<i>we wouldn't be where we are</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republican candidates in currying Koch
money favoritism, all of a sudden have come out against EX-IM. Scott Walker
campaigned against it while Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush are currently
bashing it on the campaign trail. But they really offer no sensible reason as
to why. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Funny that, while ‘Jebya’ is saying it
needs to be shutdown, his brother ‘Dubya’ praised the bank when reauthorizing it
in saying, “<i>I have today signed into law
S. 1372, the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2002. This legislation
will ensure the continued effective operation of the Export-Import Bank, which
helps advance U.S. trade policy, facilitate the sale of U.S. goods and services
abroad, and create jobs here at home</i>.”</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRFkD4LZFvx2PYXIsuQUXc0B9aAE2W6UKn-RBI7FL3XUM8aT52kr6SGKJlBwEPVste6Bfu9O2KaPbYWGnmWBPYafAhufUV4ce0DkFMeV2ncT2hW_AyKQt-HM0VCeqWA7S8VY_d_U2Aavy/s1600/2-IMEX+Bank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRFkD4LZFvx2PYXIsuQUXc0B9aAE2W6UKn-RBI7FL3XUM8aT52kr6SGKJlBwEPVste6Bfu9O2KaPbYWGnmWBPYafAhufUV4ce0DkFMeV2ncT2hW_AyKQt-HM0VCeqWA7S8VY_d_U2Aavy/s320/2-IMEX+Bank.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IMEX percentile services<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Finally though, the House got enough
Republicans rounded up and reauthorized the bank just this past November 04.
The Kochs must be reeling and it also shows how sad the GOP presidential
candidates are in rooting for the wrong side just to powder their noses with
Koch money.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As senate minority leader, Harry Reid
said recently on the senate floor about the GOP candidate contenders, so it
goes, “<i>You can’t make this stuff up. It
would be tragic if the Export-Import Bank wasn’t reauthorized because some
Republicans with White House ambitions are more interested in auditioning for
the Koch brothers.</i>” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In their IM-EX vendetta, I can really
find no pertinent reason why the Koch Brothers would want to assail the bank.
My brother, David and I have brainstormed pumping out reasons why they might,
but to no real avail. It’s not because it is ‘government’, for Koch Industries
under the brothers’ dad got its start with the help of the IM-EX Bank in
opening up business with Joseph Stalin in the USSR. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It isn’t due to their current excuse
that the bank peddles “<i>corporate welfare</i>”
or “<i>crony capitalism</i>.” Many of the
Koch subsidiaries currently have made use of IM-EX loans, like ‘Georgia
Pacific’ and ‘Koch Heat Transfer’ borrowing over $16 million from the bank.
IM-EX doesn’t even fit under the corporate welfare definition the Koch funded
‘Cato Institute’ interprets the phrase as. If they want to attack crony
capitalism they need to look no further than the mirror.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The bank is beginning to divest more
into renewable energies and I think that is a big part of the Koch mentality in
attacking the bank. The Kochs’ believe government is ‘collectivism’ that
interferes with business. They do not believe a government should do anything
at all, other than provide a military and protect not all but their own private
property. And with this assailment on the IM-EX, they don’t even consider our
own government should help our own country’s companies. No, the Koch’s regard
is that there is no ‘national’ interest, but only their ultra-billionaire
interests. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So
the Blind Can See and Pack Too: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here are the statistics…</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisB2Jy_1PLC9hSgQxhk7BseXHj9avSwKZnUla_pmbtlAmxqVoPCmTNCUr_1II1FJvidRong_w3qRGYunbEcuOwe-C9li-7igZh8D5ElcK7O10SJ4HWmtRS-l9ORsMrMhfl5PGNdbdSaw6I/s1600/3-NRA+mass+shootings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisB2Jy_1PLC9hSgQxhk7BseXHj9avSwKZnUla_pmbtlAmxqVoPCmTNCUr_1II1FJvidRong_w3qRGYunbEcuOwe-C9li-7igZh8D5ElcK7O10SJ4HWmtRS-l9ORsMrMhfl5PGNdbdSaw6I/s320/3-NRA+mass+shootings.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Year 2015 shootings up to Oct. 01</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">States with the five highest gun deaths
of household gun ownership to gun deaths per 100,000 year 2014 as compiled by
‘The Violence Policy Center’:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Louisiana
45.6% / 18.91<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mississippi
54.3% / 17.80<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Alaska
60.6% / 17.41<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wyoming
62.8% / 16.92<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Montana
61.4% / 16.74<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">States with the five lowest gun deaths
of household gun ownership to gun deaths per 100,000 year 2014:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rhode
Island 13.3% / 3.14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hawaii
9.7% / 3.56<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Massachusetts
12.8% / 3.84<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">New
York 18.1% / 5.11<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">New
Jersey 11.3% / 5.46 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Please note that the above stats show
all red states with the highest level of gun violence while blue states have
the least.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although the FBI won’t consider a mass
shooter’s carnage unless three or more people die, with the deaths of nine at
the Oregon community college, one death at ‘Northern Arizona University’ where
four were wounded and at ‘Texas Southern University’ where one was wounded and
one killed, there have been 300 mass shootings just this year. What makes these
last three so unusual is that all three occurred within a week’s time.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhanaLb9kaXVjIXgXxPfR612sm30T7AWev_HnI5CSXx1SIOkdtcTENpU2laskLD-32-3x1gxdPmLbwglMC3NFnDYVGzCiZdSwjDW-tgCyFp05hioLzA1x0NZ3jfNQ3IMWGS__vMScnhev8f/s1600/3-NRA-toddler+shootings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhanaLb9kaXVjIXgXxPfR612sm30T7AWev_HnI5CSXx1SIOkdtcTENpU2laskLD-32-3x1gxdPmLbwglMC3NFnDYVGzCiZdSwjDW-tgCyFp05hioLzA1x0NZ3jfNQ3IMWGS__vMScnhev8f/s320/3-NRA-toddler+shootings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the above chart, a total of 43
shootings have been the result of toddlers acquiring firearms and as the chart
shows, it is not just the toddler shooting him or herself, they have also
pulled the trigger on others wounding or killing them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In August of this year, a 22-month-old in
the St. Louis area found a loaded gun laying around in the house loaded and
shot himself in the torso. He later died at the hospital. A three-year-old in
Ohio found an unattended loaded gun and accidentally shot his younger
one-year-old brother in the head killing him instantly. Do we really need to
continue ignoring these statistics? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Speaking of statistics in buying guns
steamrolled by paranoia, the ‘National Rifle Association’ (NRA) couldn’t love
enough an old fashioned American mass killing as their way in producing money.
Whenever there is a mass shooting, gun sales rocket through the skies, for gun
aficionados are so fearful the government will use that as an excuse to ban all
gun sales.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The NRA after each and every mass
shooting has a standard but primitive mode of shaking up its membership in
stating Obama is coming after your guns. The organization goes out on the
airways, highways, www ways and radio waves by attacking anyone for just
suggesting some common sense gun legislation. Below is just a sampling of the
NRAs crude responses to mass shootings in their rebuttal to the Oregon
killings.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiZxGDL0Yz6mTK1GdorAb0ccWPy00a2aiJWATUyL_YRKIH3_05n0QDoLyka0lK-ySSHwIJQIhuQRBB_2KEZzJW5C1qwRH_pTV7A8QZTxCcLK7hCojISOrY1BECrPZ4nByvkx6znLk_JJF/s1600/33-NRA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiZxGDL0Yz6mTK1GdorAb0ccWPy00a2aiJWATUyL_YRKIH3_05n0QDoLyka0lK-ySSHwIJQIhuQRBB_2KEZzJW5C1qwRH_pTV7A8QZTxCcLK7hCojISOrY1BECrPZ4nByvkx6znLk_JJF/s320/33-NRA.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Although Republicans push back hard
against any legislation dictating ‘gun free zones’ do ya think that they will
allow guns at their events and debates? Nah, anyone who enters any Republican
affair will be searched first, entering weaponless no matter how many right to
bear weapon laws, openly or concealed the local Republican legislatures have
passed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Weaponry nuts have the same primeval
mentality as the 50,000-yr-old cave man; the only difference is that today’s
primal man has guns instead of sticks and stones. As long as weapons intended
for the battlefields exist in our neighborhoods where children are at play,
mass killings will continue as unabated. How the outright numbness of it all in
the killings that has filtered through into American society almost makes us
look like a nation that accepts it as a part of life.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXMoewV8U8mbIjgMZVpvWpjQH8_UoJ7q3uGBwdAveMfPor5SNxVGBO7MHlEGTjrsZHaHydd_AkMPhKegrVdkCp1FvovjtagrnUT0-3fqfXE68gMeMK8JwXrbGTydE6eGEVU8EAmV2u9HT/s1600/3-NRA+Way.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXMoewV8U8mbIjgMZVpvWpjQH8_UoJ7q3uGBwdAveMfPor5SNxVGBO7MHlEGTjrsZHaHydd_AkMPhKegrVdkCp1FvovjtagrnUT0-3fqfXE68gMeMK8JwXrbGTydE6eGEVU8EAmV2u9HT/s320/3-NRA+Way.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Indeed, the rest of the world looks down
on the United States of America’s lack of resilience in approaching this
dilemma; even when it strikes down our children. Take for instance the normally
conservative country of Australia. In 1966 a mad gunman killed 35 people in
Tasmania with a semi-automatic.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Led by the country’s very conservative Prime
Minister John Howard, instead of insisting of piling more guns, guns and guns
into the public as is America’s direct path after any mass shooting, they took
all semis and fully automatics out of the public’s reach. The net result where
America keeps mourning the deaths of gun victims, in Australia’s approach, not
one mass shooting has occurred since. Australia’s common sense approach
highlights the civility of the nation where the issue is not a partisan one,
but a united one. Australia also inaugurated a buy-back program that has gotten
even more unwanted weaponry out of the public domain that could’ve been used by
the murderous minded.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Currently, what do Australians think of
the U.S.? They’re disgusted. After the recent Oregon shootings and Obama’s
speech concerning its aftermath, the highly popular Australian journalist,
Michael Pascoe ripped into America’s violent society concerning its insatiable
lust of guns. In the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ he wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>In
his very fine speech this morning, full of sorrow and frustration, President
Obama made a mistake: Australia is not like the United States. We decided not
to be. We decided to grow up instead and become a more reasonable, rational
society that explicitly values human life and prefers to think the best of
people, rather than the worst. The US is too immature a society to be allowed
to play with guns. It has never shed its Wild West mythology. It’s a country
that values property more than life</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pascoe’s comment was heralded in
Australia. Imagine if a journalist wrote in the same vein here in the U.S.;
he’d be crucified before finishing up with the last sentence’s period.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDavSRQo0tLBJUnTh4UsUZSCfDziqhA1QqLZGmUJzRmJQqHJafXbhztG9FyxP003M0vJACDq-Orn-30G9TavDLT0QS8_A_JrZqKOrxCSw3jsowpkCzVpDhvqYFzVogCvsRK1VedzU6g4y/s1600/5-gun-deaths-chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDavSRQo0tLBJUnTh4UsUZSCfDziqhA1QqLZGmUJzRmJQqHJafXbhztG9FyxP003M0vJACDq-Orn-30G9TavDLT0QS8_A_JrZqKOrxCSw3jsowpkCzVpDhvqYFzVogCvsRK1VedzU6g4y/s320/5-gun-deaths-chart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">We’ve become a nation so senseless to
common reason where even a blind man is allowed to pack and carry a concealed
weapon. Not to belittle the blind’s rights, but could you envision a blind man
emptying his rounds at a perceived threat in a crowded setting or how easy it
could be taken from and used on him once revealed in an isolated setting?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I have nothing against the truly blind,
but I cannot comprehend where these red states like Iowa make it legal for the
blind to pack and carry concealed weapons. There are just some thing’s a
handicap limits us in performing. What’s next…allowing the blind to drive?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ya know, Republicans always like to
bring up the fact of black on black shootings and yes in any poor community
neighborhood that is a problem, it needs to be addressed. But I find it a bit
strange when they never bring up the fact of these white boys going into our
schools committing mass murders with assault weapons killing anyone in their
sites whether it be white, black, red or yellow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’ll simply leave you in this segment
with a quote by John Oliver from his 10/18/2015 ‘Last Week Tonight’ episode:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>One
failed attempt at a shoe bomb and we all have to take our shoes off at the
airport. Thirty-one school shootings since Columbine and no change in the regulation
of guns</i>.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEify3ppjURk3zVc0Mhs202Ujr4xHAJQoskjV1aj4Lh6I5j3mEKDaFqcl8FvGCP48Ttcx7HWw3rgGJMGDOuvl15w82VZyR0DpWWZy07tkadWoi6P0K1t_jTZy0kjeUXPLt4MkL9885RfqTxX/s1600/3-Nut+case+couldusemoreguns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEify3ppjURk3zVc0Mhs202Ujr4xHAJQoskjV1aj4Lh6I5j3mEKDaFqcl8FvGCP48Ttcx7HWw3rgGJMGDOuvl15w82VZyR0DpWWZy07tkadWoi6P0K1t_jTZy0kjeUXPLt4MkL9885RfqTxX/s200/3-Nut+case+couldusemoreguns.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cop-out:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Thus far for year 2015, there have been
32 policemen killed by intentional gunfire, but a total of 107 have died in the
line of duty of various causes. Below you can click on and read the ‘Officer
Down Memorial Page’ stats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://www.odmp.org/search/year?year=2015"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">https://www.odmp.org/search/year?year=2015</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In contrast, 981 folks so far have lost
their lives at the hands of cops. The vast majority was due to police gun shot.
‘The Guardian’ is keeping its own database of police shootings. Clicking on the
link below will give a short description of each killing and various statistics
from state to national.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/jun/01/the-counted-police-killings-us-database"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/jun/01/the-counted-police-killings-us-database#</span></a><span style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Actually, being a policeman is
statistically one of the safer jobs in America, for believe it or not, a
fisherman is ten times more likely to lose his life than a policeman would,
while a garbage man is three times more and that’s according to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics’ reports.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According to FBI statistics, by far the
amount of cops killed while on duty at any given precinct is due to auto
accidents and policemen are more liable to commit suicide than be killed by a
criminal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Recently, there is a push to expose
policemen deaths to the media. It is disheartening to see the list, for that
matter it’s disheartening to see any death list. Unfortunately though, there
has never been any official list for victims killed by police in particularly
killed unjustifiably.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To correct this, Democrat senators,
Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) are introducing legislation known
as the ‘Death in Custody Reporting Act’ would require federal, states and local
police forces to register and record all lethal and non-lethal shootings by
their police departments. They insist this is necessary as there are no
official or reliable statistics to track these tragic incidents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This does make sense to responsibly have
data and is a good first step in the right direction to contend with the
problem. As Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) states, “<i>You can't begin to improve the situation unless you know what the
situation is</i>.” But as it stands, Republican politicians don’t want it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEv2xWW486wKAiDrDGrrGH03u5QtidRVfVl41Z-qm6Vyk2VDVNKM7eOwcfv9NOPsdbD7o88sZVm_YOp9kDu__dEK9JCdSNl1gc9NutVwSVBAYh8NvYJTmE4XiMfEWIxzCI05fR5XWCl362/s1600/1-david-sweat-cops+posing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEv2xWW486wKAiDrDGrrGH03u5QtidRVfVl41Z-qm6Vyk2VDVNKM7eOwcfv9NOPsdbD7o88sZVm_YOp9kDu__dEK9JCdSNl1gc9NutVwSVBAYh8NvYJTmE4XiMfEWIxzCI05fR5XWCl362/s320/1-david-sweat-cops+posing.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cops posing with, not apprehending escaped convict David Sweat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Republicans have always had a torrid
love affair with law enforcement even be it so that most police precincts are
unionized. Scott Walker in Wisconsin attempted and accomplished in weakening
unions to a mere 10% of their former bargaining powers, but he left the police
union alone. Republicans and corporate alike like to view the police forces as
their militaristic token to fight against civil unrest when GOP policies cause
upheavals, just like in the Ferguson affair and the protesting at the Wisconsin
state capitol. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am not going to detail the recent
killings of unarmed blacks by cops. They are too numerous and lengthy, but
still seemingly continue as unabated. I will however briefly state a few
incidents and deliver a bit more information on three. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now mind ya, not all these are black
incidents but white as well, so be careful on what side ya blindly root for. Except
for the videos, I did not introduce color of skin for each incident because I
would like you the reader to do a little of your own research if one story
compels you to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After pursuing
an unarmed man for an expired inspection sticker, in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania
Officer Lisa Mearkle shot David Kassick twice in the back lying on the snow covered
ground after she had tased him. In her trial she was found not guilty of all
charges. Two disturbing videos (one a newscast) are below. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qa_oXfd8gDY" width="640"></iframe>
<script height="433px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=Jla3RueDodWao6GX5G9zE_iGpfDmvxeg&pbid=b4e1f6aa8f3147189a3fe75aa0a86854" width="770px"></script>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At the end of October, an off-duty
police officer arriving in an unmarked car shot and killed Corey Jones on the
side of a West Palm Beach, Florida highway. The reason…Jones had a gun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now let’s put all this in perspective
for all you gun nuts’ reasoning capabilities. Jones indeed did have a legally
registered pistol found in the front seat of his car. He possessed this gun legally
in a state that has ‘Stand your Ground’ laws and rights to conceal and carry
regulations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jones’ car had broken down on the side
of the highway. He does everything else sensible in calling for a tow and his
friend to come pick him up. As he’s waiting, a stranger arrives with no
identification that might suggest that he is a policeman. Jones made sure his
gun was handy in the seat for protection against this would-be intruder. The
interloper who just so happens to be an off-duty plain clothed cop, fires and
kills Corey simply because he ‘feared for his life’ in Jones having a perfectly
legal gun in his possession. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dana Reiner was
in hard late labor when James Reiner, her husband got her in the car and began
their trip to the hospital. James was pulled over by two police officers. He
got out of the car and began explaining why he was six miles over the speed
limit. The officers forced him to the ground at gunpoint, handcuffed him face
down and stalled for nearly ten minutes before they finally called for an
ambulance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ambulance
arrived and just got her to the hospital in time in Crown Point, Indiana to
emergency deliver an infant girl. It was a difficult delivery as the umbilical
cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck and the doctor professes that if the
infant was born on the side of the road it would have been still born. The
father was not able to be there during his daughter’s birth because he was arrested
and in jail for probable cause felony in resisting arrest in just trying to
explain his urgency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This past
September, Houston, Texas police shot a double amputee in the head killing him
at a mentally ill group home. They claim that the handicapped Brian Claunch was
trying to stab them with a writing pen and ‘feared for their lives.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also in Texas,
Alan Pean who is a registered mental illness patient had a psychotic episode at
Houston’s St. Joseph Hospital. Pean was combative so one of the two police
officers that arrived at the scene tased him. But once they subdued him enough,
the cop decides to shoot him instead of putting him under control with
handcuffs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On this past
July 26<sup>th</sup> in Seneca, South Carolina, the 19-yr-old unarmed teen,
Zachary Hammond was busted in a ‘Hardees’ parking lot for the possession of marijuana…all
ten grams of it which was actually in the possession of his passenger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hammond was shot
twice and killed by Officer Lt. Mark Tiller. At first, police resisted giving
out Tiller’s name and an official report stating only that Hammond was shot due
to “<i>attempted murder</i>.” Once lawyers
became involved, a report did come out stressing that Hammond was trying to run
Tiller over with his car when he fired the fatal shots. Autopsy reports verify
that Hammond was shot with the two bullets entering his backside and not the
front as would’ve been the case if indeed Hammond was accelerating the car
towards Tiller.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This last one
really hurts me from deep within the recesses of my mind, body, soul, guts and
sometimes belly button too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Wilmington,
Delaware distraught Jeremy McDole, who was wheelchair constrained was shot
multiple times by police killing him at the street scene. The reason…they
claimed he had a gun and ‘feared for their life’. We do know he did originally
have a gun according to reports as he was threatening suicide. But nowhere does
a video show he was holding a gun as the cops kept screaming out to drop his
weapon. In my research conducted I cannot come up with any evidence that McDole
had a weapon on his person, much less wielding one in his hand as cops stress
at the scene and in their initial reports. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The video of the
incident is below. Let me warn you it is graphic in witnessing a young handicapped
man dying as he’s shot repeatedly bound in his wheelchair. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r1SqjwaFL70" width="480"></iframe>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For some odd
reason, Republicans as a whole have rallied for cops who have murdered and as
such act as the sounding board for the justification in the unarmed killings;
but, so too the so-called ‘liberal media’ portray this slant. The media for the
most part will attack groups like ‘Black Lives Matter’ by bringing in guests
that say the group is for killing policemen while totally ignoring the fact of
what they are representing which is that this nation has a solid and sordid
history of vice against black lives. In this country’s past, we made it very
difficult, even illegal at times for blacks to receive a living wage job. Then
we corralled them into poor neighborhoods and what naturally occurs in poor
depressing communities, crime and drugs rise. This is no matter if the
neighborhood is filled with blacks, Italians or the Irish. It just happens to
be primarily blacks or Native Americans on reservations at the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The video below
by ‘Act.tv’ expresses the point:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m-MwIVjCOcY" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Police are sworn
in to protect the public, but a fair majority makes it seem they’re only
deputized to save their own skin in their constant excuse of, “<i>I feared for my life</i>.” Of course, most
of these cop killings were unarmed victims. Perhaps we need to redefine the
definition of “<i>I feared for my life</i>.”
If a cop truly fears for his/her life that much to justify all the unarmed
victims being shot and killed by cops, then surely it is time they find another
job.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsifWsWamWmXhL4IFMU4ZlV9xmMLIBE8Z2DOIEbd3IsClk622oYHMAUBs4qw7DS5Zi49HNL_k72kQek_CTMZSbJQrhQh2Z6DosVVHF8pAYVcqdQFhEMk9d1YuT7xH_b4ruw0BeRpq6vXIo/s1600/4-Tamir+Rice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsifWsWamWmXhL4IFMU4ZlV9xmMLIBE8Z2DOIEbd3IsClk622oYHMAUBs4qw7DS5Zi49HNL_k72kQek_CTMZSbJQrhQh2Z6DosVVHF8pAYVcqdQFhEMk9d1YuT7xH_b4ruw0BeRpq6vXIo/s320/4-Tamir+Rice.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In regards to 12-yr-old Tamir Rice </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Violence is
instilled in American society. We like our contact sports and war games. Police
brutality follows suit, for it is not an anomaly in it being so widespread.
There is history in this nation against minorities of forced injustice from
U.S. policing in slave patrols to today’s shooting of unarmed young folk.
Brutality is built into our nation’s law of enforcement. Why we even have tanks
patrolling the streets now.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">No U.S.
government entity whether it be federal, state or local is gladly willing to
display data of police killing its citizenry because the government is the one
giving license to enforcement agencies to freely use deadly force to kill.
The government implicitly does not want its citizens to know how much citizens
they indeed kill. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But apparently
eyes are finally opening up. At least there appears to be an acknowledgement
that America has a race problem borne and nurtured by the country’s own doing.
A poll conducted in the first days of May by the ‘New York Times’ and ‘CBS’
showed that 61% of the respondents expressed that race relations are bad in
America and need improvement. That’s up almost 20% taken from a poll in
December 2014. In a ‘Yougov/Huffington Post’ at the end of last April, the
majority of white respondents agreed that cops treat black confrontations much
more harshly. Recognition is the first requirement in solving dilemmas;
hopefully this poll is a forecast.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But of course,
there are still those, whether they’re right-wing active or couch bigots that
say Obama’s ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ initiative is racist. Go figure… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ending It:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To end with this
“<i>liberal media</i>” thing, the Republican
field is portraying how tiring it is when contemptuously insisting this
so-called “<i>liberal media</i>” keeps pressing
on “<i>gotcha</i>” questions. In fact
reporters and moderators usually are stating the very Republican’s quote.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I at regular
intervals through voice or script am told that not all Republicans aren’t this
lunatic fringed in their exclusive march to the local looney bin. OK, I’ll let
them have that much but I’ll tell ya what…there’s certainly hordes more of ‘em
today than there was yesterday in joining in on that suicidal march.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just as
hypocritical as the right-wing street base is in their false patriotism, so too
are the right-wing politicians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Marco Rubio has
missed more votes in the senate than any other senator; a total thus far of 59.
When pressed by Jamie Gangel in a CNN ‘State of the Union’ interview he
displayed his lack of competence in holding office. As pointed by Gangel that
other presidential candidates who are senators like Paul and Sanders have only
missed fewer than 10 senate votes each during Rubio’s senatorial term, why does
he not hold voting as important. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rubio excitedly answers,
“<i>Well, I can tell you that in the history
of presidential politics when they’ve been running for politics in the Senate,
they’ve missed votes. A lot of these votes don’t mean anything. They’re not
going to pass, and even if they did, the President would veto them</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As Rubio is
scrambling to justify his non-voting record and not doing his job, Gangel hits
him with his previous statements in that federal workers who don’t do their
jobs should be fired, so why should he not be by implying, “<i>Someone might say you’re not showing up.
You’re not doing your job by voting</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like deer eyes
caught in the headlights Rubio wiggles with the excuse, “<i>Not true, because voting is not the most important part of the job. The
most important thing that a senator does is constituent services</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gangel counter
slams him but once again, “<i>Wait a minute.
Votes aren’t important. Intelligence Committee hearings aren’t important</i>? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Digging deeper
in slanting his laziness Rubio proclaims, “<i>We
do all the intelligence briefings. I was just there this Tuesday. I got fully
briefed and caught up on everything that’s happening in the world. I’m fully
aware. We have a staffer that’s assigned to intelligence who gets constant
briefings. I think votes,of course, are important, but unfortunately, too many
of them today are not meaningful</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So what Rubio additionally
confesses is that he not only doesn’t appear at the senate floor to vote, it
is Obama’s fault and he doesn’t attend intelligence briefings either preferring
instead to get it second hand from a staffer. This is a presidential candidate
Republicans will vote for? One who wants to fire federal employees whom he
feels do not do their work, but yet slack on his own job as a senator of the
USA? Mind boggling the mind… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ol Jeb even
brought up Rubio’s voting record in the third GOP debate. Instead of answering
Jeb, Rubio deflects in stating, “<i>I don’t
ever remember you complaining about John McCain’s vote record</i>.” Then he
defers away further from the central point of the question by saying he is
running against Hillary Clinton.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In refusing to
answer the question, Rubio’s campaign management had set him up on how to reply
by not answering. Jeb fell into that trap. With that, Republicans claim Rubio
won the round. I guess the real issue of a senator not doing his job in missing
votes and key intelligence meetings isn’t a problem for GOP voters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Aside from
admonishing his senatorial duties, Rubio’s credit card scandal is about to
erupt in gaining wider media coverage. Even though he won’t release his own
personal records, he’s maintaining that it is only an attempt by Democrats to
smear him or that it was his travel agents fault. Rubio had a bill of $10,000.00
for a family reunion of his charged on his American Express credit card. That
card was issued to him when he was Speaker of the Florida House by the Florida
Republican Party for official business only. Claiming it was the fault of his
unnamed travel agent in charging $10, 000 to the American Express credit card
instead of one of Rubio’s own personal credit cards, he still has yet to repay
it back to the Florida government and hence the Florida taxpayer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Funny though how
it is that he never noticed the charge showing up in his own monthly personal
credit card statements among others in a four year period. Unfortunately there
is more to Rubio’s dubious finances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This all started
when the disgraced former Republican Speaker of the Florida House, Ray Sansom
was convicted of official misconduct. During his trial it was revealed Sansom
had misused his issued state card. Investigators delved farther in finding
Rubio’s mismanagement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rubio also
charged the American Express card for $1,000.00 to repair his minivan and
thousands more to rent a vehicle while the van was being repaired. Also in
2007, for eight personal flights he charged the card $3,000.00. For this, he
again claims it was his staff who used the wrong card even though he signed off
on each of the eight flight charge vouchers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another charge
was for $10,000.00 for twenty rooms at a Georgia resort where his family
members stayed in celebrating his senate swear-in. He even charged the card
$10.50 to watch a movie. He personally paid for flooring with the card, but
claiming he accidentally pulled the wrong card from his wallet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As in other
avenues, Rubio avoids answering the pertinent questions and accusations
preferring instead to blame others. His campaign management has come out
blaming Charlie Crist’s office for leaking information. But Crist fires back, “<i>If he wants to find out who to blame for
this, he should look in the mirror</i>. <i>He
is the one who made these charges, not me, not any of my friends</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although he
adamantly will not show his personal records, Rubio claims he has paid back the
state for all his personal charges on the issued card. But that is not what leaked
official records obtained by the ‘Tampa Bay Times’ reveal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A Republican
consultant, Chris Ingram has stated, “<i>Certainly
this has eroded some of the support Rubio had</i>. <i>When you project yourself as something of a Boy Scout and people start
seeing you're not much different than a lot of these other guys that can be
damaging</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An ethics
complaint was filed against him in 2010 and although he was cleared by a state
ethics commission in 2012 due to innocent carelessness, one member of the
commission board said Rubio’s “<i>negligence
was disturbing</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A little
humor…at a New Hampshire campaign event Rubio was asked at a Q&A forum
which non-political public person he would like to have a beer with. His answer
was Malala. Funny he would say her, for she’s not only Muslim, she’s under aged
to boot. Let his conservative supporters stew over that flub. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump, the
Republican Party’s current top presidential candidate, is showing no patience
when he in Miami this past October 23<sup>rd</sup> stated to some peaceful protesters
in his crowd of supporters, “<i>See the
first group, I was nice. Oh, take your time. The second group, I was pretty
nice. The third group, I'll be a little more violent. And the fourth group,
I'll say get the hell out of here</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This mindset
mirrors his right-wing followers as they reflect his attitude and words. That
is why in kind, a protester was dragged and kicked by a Trump supporter as
caught on the video just above. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a recent
Virginia Trump event, one protester was spat upon by his abetting supporters.
Two die-hard Trump supporters in Boston beat a Hispanic man with a metal pipe
then urinated on him while he lay bleeding on the sidewalk. Apprehended they
glorified Trump in stating he was right in going after immigrants. Trump</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">s
comment after the incident…he said their actions were wrong, but then finished
with, “</span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">I admire their passion</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.” </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Some might
logically call all this spreading of venomous fear and hate barbaric and it surely
is a tad perplexing to argue against that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’ve tired of hearing Refibs stating it
is in God’s authority that they inflict their will onto the rest of America.
‘Fox News’ wholly realizes their viewership’s mentality and plays on it well, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">but in the ‘Fox News’ broadcast below, they’re
actually coherent in reason concerning Kim Davis’ case</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans claim sole rights to
Christianity and quite often I might say remind me constantly that their party represents
“<i>Christian values</i>.” But while
professing this they’ll hypocritically condemn the poor in considering them a
non-entity having no rights in being fed in complete contrast as Jesus their
savior dictated to do so.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYyzEY4tEAFzSKxUEfsa2QtTQv7EboJtzfbPepP2GX4qkPsWbAEK2tYk1-FRW8EgxolhzljRGhDHZ9ChE9p3HCBFEQCdUfVIQDqgAkKMxVYD0Eqn_AkVlW1sNBgHjJDsSNCgxtDvEL9g5/s1600/4-jesus+food+stamps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYyzEY4tEAFzSKxUEfsa2QtTQv7EboJtzfbPepP2GX4qkPsWbAEK2tYk1-FRW8EgxolhzljRGhDHZ9ChE9p3HCBFEQCdUfVIQDqgAkKMxVYD0Eqn_AkVlW1sNBgHjJDsSNCgxtDvEL9g5/s320/4-jesus+food+stamps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">They cheered when their politicians cut
$39 billion from SNAP that feeds the needy. Those same Republican politicians
that cut food program funding gnashed their teeth when a series of states
blocked the GOP nutrition cuts. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Republicans rush to idiosyncratic heroes
to paste and advertise their false “<i>patriot</i>”
monikers as an emblem of emblazonment that only those who think like they do
can only be patriotic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Immediately they raised the likes of Joe
the Plumber, Josh Duggar and Kim Davis to the status of idolized heroes.
They’ve been quickly abandoned by the right, so where are they now?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Instant Republican Hero #1: Joe the
Plumber, AKA Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who wasn’t even a licensed plumber, in
Ohio attempted to run for congress, won the Republican primary but lost badly
to incumbent Marcy Kaptur (D-OH). He railed against unions, as on any
Republican must do list, but took a union job anyway at a Chrysler plant. He
currently runs a racist blog where white supremacists, white priders and the
just plain ol’ imbecilic can vent. Joey himself declares that we need a white
Republican president again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Instant Republican Hero #2: Josh Duggar
who was on his family’s reality show was an instant star amongst Republicans with his
myriad right-wing religious rhetoric. Even after it was revealed that ol’ Joshy
had molested 19 kids, Republicans defended him with a vengeance. But when it
was revealed that he had used the ‘Ashley Madison’ adultery site, the right
left him in droves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Instant Republican Hero #3: Kim Davis,
the Republican darling who defied issuing out Kentucky marriage licenses to gay
couples even had GOP presidential candidates coming over to defend her
decision. Now any respectable Republican would denounce any liberal refusing to
do their job and would expect them to be immediately fired, but not Davis, uh-uhh.
It’s perfectly alright for her to not do her job but continue on in receiving
her income through taxpayer dollars. Also they can overlook her numerous four marriages
and having a set of twins out of wedlock.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So far, two circuit courts have denied
her of her denying gay couples being issued marriage licenses. Should she go
for a trifecta and appeal again? Stay tuned… </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All I can say
about all this is to paraphrase an old phrase…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Wrong is wrong
even if everyone is doing it.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Right is right
even if no one is doing it.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cruz, Huckabee
and Jindal, three Republican GOP presidential candidates attended the ‘National
Religious Liberties Conference’ held at the ‘Iowa Events Center’. The forum was
diligently organized and held by Pastor Kevin Swanson. Ya know, the preacher
that insists all homosexuals should be...not just persecuted but executed. The
idiot, doesn’t he know that once he begins killing off gays, God will simply
pop out more.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">But seriously
this is downright shameful. For three US presidential hopefuls while praying
hand-in-hand with Swastika Swanson in hopes of gathering a few old testimonial
votes is insane. Someone should tell them the U.S. presidency is representative
to all Americans. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ills of a
party to gravitate into incompetency, ignorance, falsehoods and mean-spiritedness
as an embracement of virtue and use that in defining what the ‘real American’
or the ‘true patriot’ is…well, that’s the true sign of a party dumbing down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There’s an old
Texas adage I’ll twist a bit to paraphrase here: If ya don’t stand for
something ethical, you’ll fall for anything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The GOP primary
is a great spectator sport, but nothing there you’d want to vote for in running
this country. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Happy entertainment on
viewing the fourth GOP debate…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Unraveling
Perplexing Politics,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BJA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">11/09/2015<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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B.J. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137540326984581238noreply@blogger.com0