Ozimek volans

Ozimek
Temporal range: Carnian, 230 Ma
Skeletal diagram
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Family: Sharovipterygidae
Genus: Ozimek
Dzik & Sulej, 2016
Species:
O. volans
Binomial name
Ozimek volans
Dzik & Sulej, 2016

Ozimek (named after the town of the same name) is a genus of sharovipterygid archosauromorph reptile, known from Late Triassic deposits in Poland and closely related to the Kyrgyzstani Sharovipteryx. It contains one species, O. volans, named in 2016 by Jerzy Dzik and Tomasz Sulej. Like Sharovipteryx, Ozimek had long, slender limbs with the hindlimbs longer than the forelimbs; the hindlimbs likely supported gliding membranes as fossilized in Sharovipteryx. Another unusual characteristic was the shoulder girdle, where the massive coracoids formed a shield-like structure covering the bottom of the shoulder region that would have limited mobility. In other respects, such as its long neck, it was a typical member of the non-natural grouping Protorosauria. Phylogenetic analysis has indicated that it, possibly along with Sharovipteryx, may have been an unusual member of the protorosaur group Tanystropheidae, although further study of its anatomy is needed to resolve its precise relationships.

Five articulated skeletons and 30 fragmentary specimens constitute the known fossil material of Ozimek, which comes from the Krasiejów clay pit near Opole. Its remains were found uniformly distributed within a rock layer containing fossils of terrestrial animals. During the Late Triassic, the Krasiejów region would have been a lake surrounded by coniferous forests, where Ozimek would have glided between trees feeding on insects such as cupedid beetles. A delta wing hindlimb membrane configuration and possible forelimb membranes like those inferred for Sharovipteryx, along with hollow bones, would have allowed Ozimek to glide in a controlled fashion. However, individuals of Ozimek still fell into the lake on occasion, where they were possibly subjected to scavenging by amphibians such as Cyclotosaurus and reptiles such as Parasuchus before burial.