A new ceratosaur and Lake Shalbatana

[greygirlbeast]

So, I'm still processing the news of the discovery of hard evidence of an enormous lake that existed in the Martian Shalbatana Vallis region some 3.4 billion years ago, when I get word of an exciting new herbivorous Chinese ceratosaur, Limusaurus inextricabilis. So, it's been of of those "will wonders never cease" sort of days.




Artist's life restoration of Limusaurus inextricabilis.



Photograph and line drawing of holotype specimen of Limusaurus inextricabilis (scale bar = 5 cm). This specimen is believed to be a juvenile, about five years old.



For lots more, visit one of my favorite science blogs, Pharyngula.

Wow...I know, not as exciting as my endless complaints about the term "Mary Sue," but...wow.

Comments

[sovay]

Even more intriguingly, it dried up around 3.4 billion years ago -- 300 million years after the Red Planet's "warm and wet" phase is thought to have ended. And its deltas appear rich in fine-grained sediments, a sign that they've been relatively untouched by erosion.

That is cool.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

That is cool.

One word: fossils.

[sovay]

One word: fossils.

Get some paleontologists to Mars!

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Get some paleontologists to Mars!

Prexactly!

[niamh-sage.livejournal.com]

I think in that context, that might be the most exciting word ever. :D

Am pleased to find there is a pharyngula feed.

[b4-sunshine.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing! Lakes on Mars and new dinosaurs make for a wonder-filled day.

[chn-breathmint.livejournal.com]

What always fascinates me about the depiction of dinosaurs is how the artists bring them back to life from fossil finds.

As someone who draws a lot, I appreciate the attention to detail and anatomy as well as the latitude for imagination and whimsy with regards to say, coloration and other details the stone may not preserve.

- Mel

[niamh-sage.livejournal.com]

the latitude for imagination and whimsy with regards to say, coloration and other details the stone may not preserve.

That's just what I was enjoying about the drawing above, too. (Although with those 'stockings', I was waiting for them to break into a performance of the can-can. :P )

[k-t-r.livejournal.com]

Oh wow! This sort of thing always makes me smile.

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Not ~that~ would be an expedition searching for fossils on Mars! Where can we nominate you for the job? :)

The Chinese Ceratosaur looks charming ~ like a cross between a peacock and an ostrich! Of course I love that it was a vegetarian too...

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Ooo. Dinosaurs and lakes on Mars.

oooo!