Skybalonyx

Name: Skybalonyx ‭(‬dung claw‭).
Phonetic: Sky-bah-lon-iks.
Named By: X.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Jenkins,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Pritchard,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Marsh,‭ ‬B.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Kligman,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Sidor‭ & ‬K.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Reed‭ ‬-‭ ‬2020.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Drepanosauromorpha,‭ ‬Elyurosauria,‭ ‬Drepanosauridae.
Species: S.‭ ‬skapter‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Insectivore‭?
Size: Unavailable.
Known locations: USA,‭ ‬Arizona‭ ‬-‭ ‬Chinle Formation.
Time period: Late Triassic.
Fossil representation: Partial remains.

       Skybalonyx is a genus of drepanosaur that lived in North America during the late Triassic.‭ ‬Drepanosaurs are sometimes referred to as‭ ‘‬monkey lizards‭’ ‬for their commonly perceived lifestyle of climbing amongst trees with their enlarged ungual claws gripping branches.‭ ‬However the describers of Skybalonyx have a different interpretation for‭ ‬this genus,‭ ‬instead suggesting that the ungual claw of Skybalonyx is actually more suited for digging.

Further reading
-‭ ‬Using manual ungual morphology to predict substrate use in the Drepanosauromorpha and the description of a new species.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.‭ ‬Online edition.‭ ‬-‭ ‬X.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Jenkins,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Pritchard,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Marsh,‭ ‬B.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Kligman,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Sidor‭ & ‬K.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Reed‭ ‬-‭ ‬2020.

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