[Dragaera] Paleontologists discover proto-jheregs, large and small

[Mark Mandel]

(crossposted from my LiveJournal blog<http://thnidu.livejournal.com/392070.html>
)

*Ancient Reptile Glided on
Air*<http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/06/13/longneckreptile_din.html>

*June 13, 2007* — Late Triassic dinosaurs might have looked up to see a
tiny, long-necked reptile gliding by, according to a research team that has
identified such a creature.

The 220 million-year-old glider, *Mecistrotrachelos apeoros*, was probably a
protorosaur, a group of ancient, long-necked reptiles that predated and
later co-existed with dinosaurs. One member of this group, *Tanystropheus*,
grew to 12 feet long, and half of that was neck.

Its newly discovered relative, which measured just 10 inches long, once
soared over what is now the Virginia-North Carolina border. Scientists found
two specimens embedded in separate blocks of hard slate and shale-like stone
at a site there called the Solite*** Quarry.

*[click headline for story] *
**sure that shouldn't be Silite?*

-- 
Mark A. Mandel, proprietor, Cracks and Shards
http://www.cracksandshards.com
a Steven Brust fan website