Glaurung (reptile)
Glaurung is an extinct genus of weigeltisaurid reptile from the Upper Permian of Germany. The only known species is Glaurung schneideri. Originally considered a specimen of Coelurosauravus, a later study named it as a new genus after noting that it had several unique characteristics relative to other weigeltisaurids. These characteristics included a low skull, small eyes, smooth parietal and squamosal bones, and spiny jugal bones.
Discovery
Glaurung schneideri is known from a slab and counterslab discovered in 2002 by fossil collector Thomas Schneider. It was found in Late Permian Kupferschiefer sediments near Mansfeld, Germany. Although the original specimen remains in Schneider's private collection, there are several casts in European museums, such as MBR 3610 and PIN 5392/1. The specimen consists of a flattened skull as well as material from the pectoral girdle, forelimbs, vertebrae, and gliding structures. Although it was originally referred to Coelurosauravus by Schaumberg, Unwin, & Brandt, it was later given its own genus and species by Bulanov & Sennikov. The genus is named after Glaurung, the fictional ancestor of all dragons in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth legendarium. The specific name honors Thomas Schneider.Description
Like other weigeltisaurids, Glaurung possessed bony extensions on the side of the body which probably supported a patagial membrane, allowing it to glide. In addition, bones at the rear of the skull formed a distinctive crest similar to that of other members of the family. Most of its distinguishing qualities relate to the structure of this crest.The crest manifested as two large, rectangular horns which projected straight back. These horns were extensions of the parietal bones, known as caudal processes. The parietal bones also formed the part of the skull between the base of the horns and above the braincase. The caudal processes were long and quite wide, with each horn almost as wide as the distance between them. Apart from small ridges and bumps along their anterolateral edge, the horns were rather unornamented, without the large spines present on the parietals of other weigeltisaurids. The caudal process of each parietal defined the upper edge of a large hole in the skull known as the temporal fenestra, while the rear edge of this hole was formed by the squamosal bone. Like the parietals' caudal processes, the squamosals were similarly widened and relatively unornamented. On the other hand, the jugal had large, conical spines with rounded tips. Although a lack of spines on the parietals and squamosals may indicate that the Glaurung specimens were juveniles, the well-developed jugal spines indicates that a more likely explanation is that they were legitimate distinguishing features of adult members of the genus.
The orbits, and the wideness of the squamosals, it is likely that Glaurung had a lower, broader skull than other known weigeltisaurids. Bulanov & Sennikov considered Glaurung to be so distinctive that they placed it in its own subfamily, Glaurunginae.