#pterosaur

#pterosaur

Dearc sgiathanach the Jurassic Pterosaur: World's Largest Pterodactyl Fossil Found in ScotlandWhat began as an ordinary excavation trip for Amelia Penny, ended up becoming a historic Jurassic Park moment. The University of Edinburgh’s PhD student unearthed a pterosaur fossil during a trip to the Isle of Skye, Scotland. The discovery is said to be the best-preserved skeleton of a pterosaur found in Scotland, experts say.The gigantic flying predator lived around 170 million years ago. Popularly known as a pterodactyl, the species had an estimated wingspan of over 2.5 metres. The species has been given the Gaelic name Dearc sgiathanach (pronounced jark ski-an-ach), which translates as ‘winged reptile’ and also references the Isle of Skye, whose Gaelic name means ‘the winged isle.’The pterodactyl will now be part of National Museum Scotland’s collection for further study.Image: Stewart Attwood/The University of Edinburgh#fossil #dinosaur #pterosaur #pterodactyl #Scotland #IsleofSkye

How the World’s Largest Pterosaur Took Off to FlyThe pterosaur named Quetzalcoatlus northropi is the largest animal to ever fly. The “Texas Pterosaur” had a wingspan of nearly 40 feet, which is larger than some airplanes. In the 50 years since Q. northropi fossils were first discovered, two smaller species of Quetzalcoatlus have been found, with more complete skeletons. Scientists have long been sure this terrifying pterosaur could fly, but it still took a long time to figure out how such a large creature managed to get itself airborne. Did it jump off high cliffs or hills? Did it get a running start? The question itself is intriguing, as it brings up questions of how prehistoric animals ever learned to fly in the first place. A biomechanics study has determined that Quetzalcoatlus took a leap up to around eight feet above ground, which gave it room enough to spread those huge wings and propel itself higher. A new study from the University of Texas at Austin combines several Quetzalcoatlus studies and was published by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. UT Austin is the home of Quetzalcoatlus, as the genus was first discovered by one of its graduate students in 1971. Read about the research into this huge pterosaur at UT. -via Damn Interesting#Quetzalcoatlus #pterosaur #flyingreptile

Discovered Fossil was 'Closest Thing We Have to a Real Life Dragon'Australia is known for the scariest animals on earth, and apparently that was true in prehistoric times as well. A newly-discovered fossil in western Queensland comes from a pterosaur with a wingspan that could have been as wide as seven meters (23 feet) and a snout full of terrifying teeth. Scientists have dubbed the species Thapunngaka shawi. [Tim] Richard led the research team analysing a fossil of the creature's jaw which was discovered in western Queensland, the northeastern Australian state, and published the research in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.He said: "It's the closest thing we have to a real life dragon. It was essentially just a skull with a long neck, bolted on a pair of long wings. This thing would have been quite savage.Advertisement"It would have cast a great shadow over some quivering little dinosaur that wouldn't have heard it until it was too late," he added.Read more about the discovery at Sky News or see the original research paper. (Image credit: Tim Richard)#fossil #pterosaur #dragon #paleontology #Australia