anastomosing (branching) along canals in the mid-cortex. The branching canals appear to radiate towards the outer cortex, a trait also observed in the bones of Dromomeron romeri. Bone fibers are oriented parallel to the circumference of the bone in the outer cortex, indicating slower growth. Further into the cortex they are more disorganized, indicating fast early growth. Two lines of arrested growth, typically indicators of annual scarcity, are developed in the inner cortex. Osteocyte lacunae are oval-shaped and randomly distributed. Despite its tiny size, histology supports the idea that the Kongonaphon individual was not a hatchling or young juvenile. Parallel-fibered bone, lines of arrested growth, and flattened osteocyte lacunae are all correlated with the animal having been alive for quite some time prior to dying and becoming fossilized. The first characteristic in particular suggests that its growth was slower than early pterosaurs or dinosaurs. Other skeletal features also suggest that the individual was an adult. These including fused neurocentral sutures on the vertebra and smoothly textured limb bones. Additionally, several characteristics of Kongonaphon's femur are absent in young individuals of certain other lagerpetid species. Nevertheless, a lack of remodeling and widely distributed vascular canals indicate that the animal was still growing. This means that other individuals perhaps may have been able to grow slightly larger. References External links American Museum of Natural History press release Phys.org press release Twitter thread on Kongonaphon by primary author Christian Kammerer Prehistoric avemetatarsalians Triassic archosaurs Middle Triassic reptiles of Africa Late Triassic reptiles of Africa Triassic Madagascar Fossils of Madagascar Fossil taxa described in 2020 Lagerpetidae