A new species of pterosaur has been discovered from remains found on the Isle of Skye, off the northwest coast of Scotland. The finding shows that the Darwinoptera clade, of which the animal is a part, is more diverse than scientists previously thought. A clade represents a group of animals that originated from a single common ancestor.
With the new information, researchers estimate that pterosaurs would have existed for a time span that lasted more than 25 million years within the Jurassic period.
The discovery was made by scientists from the Natural History Museum in London, the University of Bristol, the University of Leicester and the University of Liverpool. Details are described in an article published in scientific journal Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
The researchers arrived at the discovery with studies carried out on the skeletal remains of a single animal, containing parts of the shoulders, wings, legs and backbone. The analyzes were carried out using computed tomography.
The new species was named Ceoptera evansaewhich mixes expressions in Gaelic and Latin.
“Ceoptera helps narrow the timeframe of several important events in the evolution of flying reptiles. Its appearance in the Middle Jurassic of the United Kingdom was a complete surprise, as most of its close relatives are from China. This shows that the advanced group of flying reptiles to which it belongs appeared earlier than we thought and quickly gained an almost worldwide distribution,” said Paul Barret, one of the paper’s authors and a researcher at the Natural History Museum, in a statement.
Paleobiologist Liz Martin-Silverstone, from the University of Bristol, stated that the period to which Ceoptera belongs is one of the most important in the evolution of pterosaurs. “Discovering that there were more bones embedded in the rock, some of which were essential in identifying what type of pterosaur Ceoptera is, made this discovery even better than we initially thought. This brings us one step closer to understanding where and when the most advanced pterosaurs evolved,” she concluded.
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
