The large* anuroganthid Jeholopterus has of course featured heavily on here before as the subject of the pycnofibers paper though the photo in that post (and in the paper in general) was of the counterplate specimen which does contain most of the wing membranes, wing finger bones and various other bits. Here is the main slab with most of the goodies. While close examination shows huge levels of detail and surface texture, at a distance (like this) it looks like a bit of a mess to be honest, and the surface is very highly reflective meaning that on this photo at least there is a rather nasty tendency for bits to shine. In short, this is much nice than it looks, but it’s still worth showing here.
*Sort of. I’m very much of the opinion that this is the only known adult specimen of any anuroganthid, so whether or not this is genuinely large remains to be seen.
Really enjoying this series! And if this specimen is “much nicer than it looks” in the photo, it must be spectacular to see in person.
Well it really is. Once you get in close and can angle your head such that the light doesn’t reflect horribly all manner of details become visible. That said, you then also see just how mushed the skull is and that numerous bones have plintered and are generally a bit of a miss. Taphonomy giveth and taphonomy taketh away….