In our 169th episode, we got to chat with Shaun Keenan, a concept artist in the video game and animation industries, and the creator of the upcoming book, Dinosaurs of the Wild West. You can find out more about his work on Instagram, @shaunmichaelkeenan, and pre-order his book at dinosaurs-of-the-wild-west.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders.

Episode 169 is also about Epidexipteryx, a paravian dinosaur that had tail feather’s similar to a peacock’s.

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In this episode, we discuss:

News:

The dinosaur of the day: Epidexipteryx

Paravian dinosaur that lived in the Jurassic in what is now China Full name is Epidexipteryx hui Name means “Hu’s display feather” and the Chinese name, Hushi Yaolong, means “Hu Yaoming’s dragon” Name is in honor of Hu Yaoming, a paleomammologist (studies prehistoric mammals) Found in the Daohugou Beds in China Described in 2008 by Zhang Fucheng and others Found one specimen, which had four long feathers on the tail Specimen is now in the collection of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, China About 10 in (25 cm) long and weighed 164 grams (5.8 ounces) Holotype is probably of a subadult, so may have gotten bigger Had teeth in the front of its jaws, with long front teeth that angled forward May have lived in trees and hunted insects Earliest known example of ornamental feathers (tail feathers) Tail feathers may have been similar to a peacock’s, used for display and attracting mates Tail could have helped it balance on branches Tail feathers are long, filamentous-like structures, and lack a central shaft that runs through the middle of the feather and has veins on either side, which is interesting because more primitive animals than Epidexipteryx have fully formed feathers Had simple body feathers, which were unique because they had a “membranous structure” at the base of the feather, which may show a stage of feather evolution (similar to modern birds with a pygostyle, which supports the feathers) Shorter feathers covering its body could have helped with insulation Did not have wing feathers, but based on Yi, a relative, it may have had a membrane wing for gliding (though not clear if it did) Has similarities to oviraptorosaurus and therizinosauroids Not a direct ancestor to modern birds, but has a close phylogenetic relationship, which means it helps show the transition from non-avian dinosaurs to birds Lived around lots of lakes and trees. Other animals included insects, salamanders, lizards, pterosaurus, and primitive mammals



Fun Fact:

Despite what Jurassic Park says, T. rex could have seen you even if you weren’t moving. (Although some modern reptiles can’t really see you even if you’re moving.)

This episode was brought to you by:

TRX Dinosaurs, which makes beautiful and realistic dinosaur sculptures, puppets, and exhibits. You can see some amazing examples and works in progress on Instagram @trxdinosaurs.

And by the Royal Tyrrell Museum, which is located in southern Alberta, Canada. Right now they are exhibiting their free-to-attend Winter speaker series (also on YouTube). More information can be found at tyrrellmuseum.com.