{"id":19038,"date":"2022-11-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/?post_type=purple_issue&#038;p=19038"},"modified":"2022-11-09T11:13:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T10:13:37","slug":"ancient-cat-sized-reptile-rebuilt-in-exquisite-detail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/2022\/11\/08\/ancient-cat-sized-reptile-rebuilt-in-exquisite-detail\/","title":{"rendered":"Ancient cat-sized reptile rebuilt in exquisite detail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center sans-serif article-full-subhead\">ANCIENT CAT-SIZED REPTILE REBUILT IN EXQUISITE DETAIL<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center sans-serif intro\">Fossils unearthed in Scotland more than 100 years ago have finally been identified as belonging to relatives of the flying reptiles that ruled the skies in the age of the dinosaurs <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1465\" height=\"1139\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-19035\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309.jpg 1465w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309-300x233.jpg 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309-1024x796.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309-768x597.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1465px) 100vw, 1465px\" \/><figcaption>One of the sandstone samples used in the study, with the imprint of <em>Scleromochlus<\/em> visible in the centre of the stone <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap article-full-body sans-serif dropcap\">Researchers based at National Museums Scotland have identified the early pterosaur ancestor <em>Scleromochlus taylori <\/em>by making casts of impressions left in sandstone by several specimens of the reptile found in northeast Scotland. They then CT scanned these impressions and recreated the skeletons of the animals using 3D-modelling software. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">This enabled them to piece together the fine details of their anatomy and placed them in the family tree of lagerpetids, the closest relatives to pterosaurs. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><em>Scleromochlus <\/em>was a small, cat-sized animal that lived in what is now Elgin in northeast Scotland, around 235 million years ago. <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/1d045c62-8f3e-4ee1-bc10-a95e9a9f22fc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1471\" height=\"1080\"\/><figcaption><em>Scleromochlus<\/em> was around 20cm from nose to tail, with long, graceful limbs <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Although the fossils were first found in the early 20th Century, classifying <em>Scleromochlus <\/em>proved problematic due to the difficulty in correctly identifying the fine detail in its anatomy. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to be able to resolve a debate that\u2019s been going on for over a century,\u201d said lead researcher Dr Davide Foffa, a former research associate at National Museums Scotland. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cBut it is far more amazing to be able to see and understand an animal which lived 230 million years ago, and its relationship with the first animals ever to have flown.\u201d <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1888\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/fd9f1ec3-98db-47a8-afb8-3626b21fb6d9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-19037\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/fd9f1ec3-98db-47a8-afb8-3626b21fb6d9.jpg 1888w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/fd9f1ec3-98db-47a8-afb8-3626b21fb6d9-277x300.jpg 277w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/fd9f1ec3-98db-47a8-afb8-3626b21fb6d9-944x1024.jpg 944w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/fd9f1ec3-98db-47a8-afb8-3626b21fb6d9-768x833.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/fd9f1ec3-98db-47a8-afb8-3626b21fb6d9-1416x1536.jpg 1416w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1888px) 100vw, 1888px\" \/><figcaption>CT scan data of the fossils was used by Matt Humpage of Northern Rogue Studios to create finely detailed 3D models of <em>Scleromochlus<\/em>\u2019s skeleton  <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"footer\">IMAGES: PAUL BARRETT, GABRIEL UGUETO, NORTHERN ROGUE STUDIOS X2<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fossils unearthed in Scotland more than 100 years ago have finally been identified as belonging to relatives of the flying reptiles that ruled the skies in the age of the dinosaurs <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":19035,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"22","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"22","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_22-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_22-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"November-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"November-2022","purple_external_id":"November-2022-22-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"November-2022-22-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000089660||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000089660||","purple_android_product":"com.focus.magazine.issue384","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.focus.magazine.issue384","purple_ios_product":"com.focus.magazine.issue384","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.focus.magazine.issue384","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"0f422ad1-c939-476d-9f82-a410052ad4c3","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-11-08T11:38:54Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"f434ff0d-1189-4934-b50e-cf43fe0447ee","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-11-09T10:13:43Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A9DT_DRGJSTS1Ds9D_gRH7g","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[25],"tags":[15],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309.jpg",1465,1139,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309-300x233.jpg",300,233,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309-768x597.jpg",768,597,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309-1024x796.jpg",800,622,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309.jpg",1465,1139,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/10\/6ad9d629-f1fb-40ab-8e15-7d2c42d29309.jpg",1465,1139,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Fossils unearthed in Scotland more than 100 years ago have finally been identified as belonging to relatives of the flying reptiles that ruled the skies in the age of the 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