Aphanosauria archosaurs (apart from specialized forms like pterosaurs or theropod dinosaurs). The pelvis (hip) of aphanosaurs shares many similarities with those of early dinosaurs and silesaurids as well as the unrelated poposauroids. Most of these traits can be found in the ischium, a plank-shaped bone which makes up the lower rear branch of the hip. For example, each ischium (on either side of the hip) contacts each other at the hip's midline. This contact is very extensive, although they are not completely fused due to the contact not extending to the upper edge of each bone. In contrast, pterosaurs, lagerpetids, and
Articular bone Articular bone The articular bone is part of the lower jaw of most vertebrates, including most jawed fish, amphibians, birds and various kinds of reptiles, as well as Stem-mammal. In these animals it is connected to two other lower jaw bones, the suprangular and the angular. It forms the jaw joint by articulating with the quadrate bone of the skull. In mammals, the articular bone has migrated to the middle ear to become the malleus, while the quadrate bone becomes the incus. Paleontologists regard this as a defining characteristic of mammalian fossils. It is analogous to, but not homologous to