• 9964432222
  • Mail Us
  • Appointment
  • Locate Us
  • Chat Now
  • Courses
  • Login
  • Register
Manifest IAS
JournalsOfIndia
Manifest Learning Academy
  • Home
  • SNIPPETSfor Prelims
  • ARTICLESfor Mains
  • BROWSEBY SOURCE
  • DOWNLOADS
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • SNIPPETSfor Prelims
  • ARTICLESfor Mains
  • BROWSEBY SOURCE
  • DOWNLOADS
No Result
View All Result
JournalsOfIndia
No Result
View All Result
Home History

Kongonaphon Kely Fossil

July 28, 2020
in History
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Kongonaphon Kely Fossil
178
VIEWS
Share on WhatsAppShare on TelegramShare on Facebook
image_pdfMake PDF

A newly described species from Madagascar suggests that dinosaurs and pterosaurs (extinct flying reptiles) had extremely small ancestors — just 10 centimetres tall. It was named Kongonaphon kely which roughly translates from the Malagasy language as ‘tiny bug slayer’ — a reference to its insect diet.

Kongonaphon Kely

The fossils were discovered in 1998 as part of an expedition by an American–Malagasy crew. The site that produced Kongonaphon had already yielded a number of other fossils, so the expedition crew was exploring it carefully, and in doing so were able to find even very small bones. It may seem like a long time between discovery and publication (22 years), but it is fairly typical for paleontology. 

In the case of this animal, detailed comparisons had to be made with all of its relatives, so that it would be certain that it is a new species and not just another specimen of a previously-known type. During the time Kongonaphon was alive (around 237 million years ago), Madagascar was directly attached to India as part of the supercontinent Gondwana. Triassic vertebrate fossils of similar age have been found in a band of rocks extending across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, but thus far nothing like Kongonaphon has been found there yet. 

Standing about 4 inches tall, Kongonaphon kely could be one of the last common ancestors of all dinosaurs and pterosaurs, an extinct flying reptile, and explain some of their physical characteristics and traits. There’s a general perception of dinosaurs as being giants. But this new animal is very close to the divergence of dinosaurs and pterosaurs, and it’s shockingly small.

Such a tiny ancestral body size may help explain the origins of flight in pterosaurs. All flying animals seem to have evolved from very small ancestors. A smaller, lighter body is more conducive to aerial locomotion such as gliding, which seems to be an important intermediary step in the origin of flight. Extensive studies on the origins of birds have shown there was also a miniaturisation event there, with the gigantic theropod dinosaurs becoming progressively smaller in size and the first birds (such as Archaeopteryx) being only around the size of a pigeon or a myna.

Analysis of body size throughout the history of dinosaurs and relatives shows that ancestrally medium-sized animals evolved into very small animals, such as Kongonaphon, which would have been around 10 cm tall and about 30 cm long. This then evolved into dinosaurs and pterosaurs which could reach enormous sizes. The scientists also discovered characteristics about the Kongonaphon kely, including wear on the teeth that suggests it ate insects and fuzzy skin that retained heat. Both adaptations may have helped the tiny animal fill a unique niche.

image_pdfMake PDF
Source: The Hindu
Tags: Prelims

Related Posts

Centenary of Vaikom Satyagraha

Centenary of Vaikom Satyagraha

March 22, 2023
Matua Maha Mela

Matua Maha Mela

March 21, 2023
Bumchu festival of Sikkim

Bumchu festival of Sikkim

March 17, 2023
Bobbili Veena

Bobbili Veena

March 16, 2023
Indian, International laws on Antiquities

Indian, International laws on Antiquities

March 14, 2023
Attukal Pongala

Attukal Pongala

March 9, 2023
A hidden corridor discovered near 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza

A hidden corridor discovered near 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza

March 4, 2023
Sisupalgarh- a fortified historic city is in danger

Sisupalgarh- a fortified historic city is in danger

March 4, 2023
13th century temple built by Kayasthas unearthed

13th century temple built by Kayasthas unearthed

March 3, 2023
1,300-yr-old Buddhist Stupa discovered in Odisha

1,300-yr-old Buddhist Stupa discovered in Odisha

March 3, 2023
Please login to join discussion
JournalsOfIndia

Our vision is to orient the readers to grasp the facts objectively and analyse critically. In the rush of reaching first to the readers, the websites miss the balanced opinion, which is the need of the hour. We aim to reach the readers with more crispness, preciseness and relevance. We bring the articles in UPSC way for the civil services aspirants and the Wisest Way for general readers.

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Disaster Management
  • Economy
  • Environment
  • Ethics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Geography
  • Governance
  • History
  • Law & Policy
  • Opinion
  • People in News
  • Places in News
  • Science & Tech
  • Security
  • Society
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized

Browse by Tag

AIR All India Radio BBC Business Line Business Standard dow Down to Earth DownToEarth DTE Economic Times ET FAO Financial Express GS-1 GS-2 GS-3 GS-4 Hindustan Times IE India & the world Indian express Indiatoday India today Kurukshetra Livelihoods portal LiveMint Mains News Newspaper News Paper PIB Prelims PRS India RSTV Science Reporter Survey The Hindu The India Express The Indian Express The Print the wire Times of India TOI TOPPERS Yojana

Newsletter

The most important UPSC news and events of the day.

Get Journals daily newsletter on your inbox.

© 2020 JournalsOfIndia - A free initiative by Manifest Team.

  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Home
  • SNIPPETS
  • ARTICLES
  • BROWSE
  • DOWNLOADS
No Result
View All Result

© 2020 JournalsOfIndia - A free initiative by Manifest Team.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In