Name: Coelurosauravus
(Flying hollow lizard).
Phonetic: See-lor-oh-sore-ay-vuss.
Named By: Jean Piveteau - 1926.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Sauropsida,
Diapsida, Avicephala, Coelurosauravidae.
Species: C.
elivensis (type), C. jaekeli.
Type: Insectivore.
Size: 40 centimetres long.
Known locations: Europe, Germany. Madagascar.
Time period: Permian.
Fossil representation: Fossils for two species known.
The
most
noteworthy feature of Coelurosauravus are the
dermal ossicles, creating
thin strands of bone that extended from the flanks and supported a
gliding wing. This may have provided a limited flight capability over
short distances by jumping from a high point and steering itself by
twisting towards a lower spot as it fell down.
In
Coelurosauravus the back
of the skull also features a frill similar to the kind seen in later
ceratopsian dinosaurs. This is likely to have been a display feature as
opposed to an aerodynamic one.
It
is thought that
Coelurosauravus would have lived within the tree
canopy, gliding from
branch to branch in a similar manner as a flying squirrel. This way it
could quickly cover a number of trees in a shorter space of time than
that required to climb down and up each individual tree.
These
gliding membranes may
also have been a display structure for attracting mates and/or
dominance displays with rivals. They may have also formed a threat
display by being quickly opened to startle predators when they got too
close, allowing Coelurosauravus a chance to escape.
Further reading
- A review of the Upper Permian genera Coelurosauravus,
Weigeltisaurus
and Gracilisaurus (Reptilia: Diapsida). - Zoological Journal of the
Linnean Society. 90 (3): 275–303. - Susan E. Evans, Hartmut Haubold -
1987.
- Gliding Mechanism in the Late Permian Reptile Coelurosauravus.
-
Science. 275 (5305): 1450–1452. - Eberhard Frey, Hans-Dieter Sues
& Wolfgang Munk - 1997.
- New information on the anatomy of the Late Permian gliding reptile
Coelurosauravus. - Pal�ontologische Zeitschrift. 81
(2): 160–173. -
G�nther Schaumberg, David M. Unwin & Silvio Brandt - 2007.
- New data on the morphology of the Late Permian gliding reptile
Coelurosauravus elivensis Piveteau. -
Paleontological Journal. 49 (4):
413–423. - V. V. Bulanov, A. G. Sennikov - 2015.