Notes

Most people perceive dinosaurs as being massive monstrous creatures, but the Kongonaphon Kely, a palm-sized reptile, revealed that this creature was a close relative to dinosaurs and pterosaurs
Early ornithodirans, the last common ancestor of dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and all its descendants, are not known too well because there are hardly any specimens that date to the start of the lineage (Flynn, 2020). However, fossils of the Kongonaphon Kely (k. kely), is only about ten centimeters tall. The fossils were discovered by researchers in 1998 in the Morondava basin of Southwest Madagascar, and scientists were shocked by how similar the divergence of the new reptile and dinosaurs were, which propelled them to do a thorough analysis of its anatomy (Kammerer, 2020). Because the species lived 237 million years ago (mya), archival study and dissection were the only methods of research used.

After an anatomical analysis of the k. kely’s fossils , the relic manifested that this pipsqueak was part of the biological clade called Ornithodira (Geggel, 2020). The scientific breakthrough led taxonomists to categorize these creatures under one of the smallest non-avian ornithodirans. Because the pipsqueak stands only ten centimeters tall and likely had a diet of hard-shelled insects, it is known as ‘the tiny bug slayer.’





The creature revealed that both pterosaurs and dinosaurs, as big as school buses, originated from tiny beasts. Despite its surprisingly small size, the new animal is very similar to the branching of dinosaurs (Kammerer, 2020). The body structure of the k. kely helped explain the soft-fuzz layer on the skin of dinosaurs and how pterosaurs could fly. Although this reptile’s fossilized bones didn’t have any evidence of fuzz, other Ornithodira fossils have preserved fossilized feathers. Scientists believe that the Ornithodira developed fuzzies that were between simple filaments and feathers to keep themselves warm. Having fuzzies is highly likely for K. kely because heat retention is difficult for small bodies, especially during the late Triassic period when there were rapid changes in temperatures. Researchers suggested that the tiny dinosaur would have needed all thermoregulation abilities the fuzz coverings supplied. Other new research proved that the fuzzies evolved the same way fur did, meaning it acted as an insulator. Findings have also led to more knowledge of the early evolution of ornithodirans. The body sizes have decreased precipitously early in the history of dinosaur-pterosaur lineage as dinosaurs began evolving into birds. Pterosaurs had an average wingspan of 20 feet long, but after a few generations, the average decreased by 2 feet (Pickrell, 2017). The miniaturization was a crucial antecedent for the development of flight for vertebrates. By observing the reptile’s relic, scientists were able to propose that the origin of pterosaurs, the first vertebrate that was able to fly, is related to their ancestry among small-bodied early ornithodirans. From the evidence gathered, researchers were able to conclude that dinosaurs and pterosaurs were common ancestors of the k. kely.