Wikipedia:2008 main page redesign proposal/Nat/Gamma/Content

 Today's featured article

Skeletal diagram of Mimodactylus
Skeletal diagram of Mimodactylus

Mimodactylus is a genus of istiodactyliform pterosaur that lived in what is now Lebanon during the Late Cretaceous, 95 million years ago. The only known specimen was discovered in a limestone quarry near the town of Hjoula. The owner of the quarry allowed the specimen to be prepared by researchers, and it was donated to the MIM Museum in Beirut. In 2019, the researchers named the new genus and species Mimodactylus libanensis; referring to the MIM Museum, with the Greek word daktylos for 'digit', and the specific name refers to Lebanon. The well-preserved holotype specimen is the first complete pterosaur from the Afro-Arabian continent (which consisted of the then joined Arabian Peninsula and Africa), and the third pterosaur fossil known from Lebanon. The marine deposits of Hjoula are late Cenomanian in age and are well-known for fish fossils. The holotype specimen is comparatively small, with a wingspan of 1.32 metres (4.3 ft), and was probably young. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

 In the news

Protesters following the declaration of martial law
Protesters in South Korea

 Did you know...

Jack Russell Terrier
Jack Russell Terrier
  • ... that dogs (example pictured) have much more sensitive noses and ears than humans, but have trouble distinguishing red from green?
  • ... that in 1809, two ministers leading the British war effort against Napoleon fought a duel against each other?
  • ... that in his first year in the NFL, Lou Rash was told he was released and began flying back home, but was told upon landing that the release was a mistake and he was to return?
  • ... that muthkwey was not harvested or walked over, because oral tradition held that it had grown from the droppings of a two-headed serpent?
  • ... that the Mongol princess Al-Altan was rumoured to have poisoned her brother Ögedei Khan?
  • ... that the Saybrook Colony was sold to Connecticut for an annual payment of 180 pounds of equal quantities of wheat, peas, and either rye or barley?
  • ... that future Olympic weightlifter Chiu Yuh-chuan received a job offer in marketing after media coverage about his difficulty securing employment?
  • ... that out of 148 candidates in the 1957 Manipur Territorial Council election there was only one woman?
  • ... that basketball coach Trisha Stafford-Odom left the Eagles to join the Eagles?

 On this day...

December 5: Krampusnacht in parts of Central Europe

Henry Knox's noble train of artillery
Henry Knox's noble train of artillery
More anniversaries:
LAPD helicopter
LAPD helicopter
A Bell 206 Jetranger helicopter of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) showing clearly the searchlight, loudspeakers, antennas and other law enforcement modifications.

Photo credit: Matthew Field