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So yesterday I saw an article on Facebook posted by Scott Hartman about this weird critter, I had no idea this amazing thing existed --> markwitton-com.blogspot.co.uk/…

This thing is the little Archosaur Scleromochlus taylori from the Upper Triassic, his remains were found about 100 years ago in Scotland which was back in that day a desert.
This small reptile is special because it is considered to be a close relative of Pterosaurs (and dinosaurs), his descendants probably evolved in the flying reptiles (and the dinosaurs) we all know off. Of course it's all theoretical, we don't have many fossils of Pterosaur evolution.

Now, about Scleromochlus: this little animal was approximately 20 cm long so the drawing on your screen will be about life size I think. His head is very lizard like, just like the short neck, but then there are some remarkable features: short front limbs and very long hind limbs. Yeah, reminds you a bit of a kangaroo and indeed: Scleromochlus high likely moved like a kangaroo, using his long hind legs to hop around. Also it had big eye sockets, thus big eyes and that reminds us of a nocturnal life style just like other small desert creatures like a Kangaroo mouse.

However, deserts get cold at night and for a small reptile that's quite a problem. The article talks because of this about the possible presence of protofeathers to deal with the temperature (and because Pterosaurs had these too). We know from the fossils that Scleromochlus had banded scales along its back so he wouldn't be completely covered in fuzz, I also give him a naked sound chamber on its throat so he doesn't only have a naked back. For the rest I kind of followed the design of the depiction in the article.
I think I can add a new creature to my list of favorite prehistoric animals

Refs used are the skeletal and drawing in the article.

Description
So yesterday I saw an article on Facebook posted by Scott Hartman about this weird critter, I had no idea this amazing thing existed --> markwitton-com.blogspot.co.uk/…

This thing is the little Archosaur Scleromochlus taylori from the Upper Triassic, his remains were found about 100 years ago in Scotland which was back in that day a desert.
This small reptile is special because it is considered to be a close relative of Pterosaurs (and dinosaurs), his descendants probably evolved in the flying reptiles (and the dinosaurs) we all know off. Of course it's all theoretical, we don't have many fossils of Pterosaur evolution.

Now, about Scleromochlus: this little animal was approximately 20 cm long so the drawing on your screen will be about life size I think. His head is very lizard like, just like the short neck, but then there are some remarkable features: short front limbs and very long hind limbs. Yeah, reminds you a bit of a kangaroo and indeed: Scleromochlus high likely moved like a kangaroo, using his long hind legs to hop around. Also it had big eye sockets, thus big eyes and that reminds us of a nocturnal life style just like other small desert creatures like a Kangaroo mouse.

However, deserts get cold at night and for a small reptile that's quite a problem. The article talks because of this about the possible presence of protofeathers to deal with the temperature (and because Pterosaurs had these too). We know from the fossils that Scleromochlus had banded scales along its back so he wouldn't be completely covered in fuzz, I also give him a naked sound chamber on its throat so he doesn't only have a naked back. For the rest I kind of followed the design of the depiction in the article.
I think I can add a new creature to my list of favorite prehistoric animals

Refs used are the skeletal and drawing in the article.