12 thoughts on “Friday mystery object #345

  1. No idea about species and it is so blanched by preservative that it might be difficult. But I suspect a southeast Asian with a distinctive call (whence the name), and a far more accomplished wall crawler than Spiderman.

    I have one of these (like this) who frequently visits the space outside my living room window. Green. And shy.

    Also iirc, this lot is now seen as one of the earliest offshoots of the clade, with even the serpents being far more centrally located in the squamates.

    About 30cm long?

  2. I’m struggling with a cryptic clue but it does seem to have a few things folded up and would no doubt zoon about the forest with those nice tail flanges giving it some lift… I wonder if you missed out the end of the tail in the photo because that would have been a giveaway? I’m not sure of the species because it is so faded but I’d go for the smooth over the others. Must fly.

  3. Hmm… I’ll go with what the others say. (Thanks Jennifermacaire for the link to the paper!)
    In the photo, there seems to be some sort of sheet or blanket or quilt attached to the side of the body, between the fore and hind legs. I take it this is the patagium? The “flying” lizard even non-herp students like me know about, Draco volans, is not closely related to this critter! So gliding with a patagium along the side of the body (not supported by the arms and legs as it is in typical mammalian gliders) has evolved at least FOUR times in reptiles (reptilia sensu very lato): these guys, Draco, Kueneosaurus, and another fossil form I can’t remember the name of.
    Contrast at least half a dozen independent origins of limb-supported patagia in mammals (mammalia sensu moderately lato: Volaticotherium may not be in the crown group). There seems to be something about the way reptiles and mammals are built that “directs” them down different paths when they evolve patagia!

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