Enlarge image
Ilustration: This is what Ceoptera evansae might have looked like
Photo: NHM & Witton
A well-preserved fossil has turned out to be a valuable find: In Scotland, researchers have discovered a new species of pterosaur, which is now called “Ceoptera evansae”. They published the results in the journal “Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology”.
A team from the Natural History Museum in London found the fossil on the southwest coast of the Isle of Skye in 2006. During an excursion, the researchers crawled over rocks to look for fossils - and then discovered a place where bones were sticking out, according to a statement from the museum.
Enlarge image
3D model of the partial skeleton
Photo: Natural History Museum London
The team took the remains and examined them in the laboratory. The skeleton is said to consist of parts of the shoulder, wings, legs and spine. Many of the bones are so firmly fused to the rock that they could only be examined with CT scans. The scientists were able to identify features that distinguished the specimen from other pterosaurs.
According to the researchers, the pterosaur lived over 165 million years ago. "This new species is the first of its kind to be found in Scotland and only the second flying reptile identified from this country," lead author Paul Barrett said in a statement. “It shows that these animals were much more widespread than one would otherwise assume based on the incomplete fossil finds.”
So far, the evolution of early pterosaurs from the Middle Jurassic period has been difficult to understand because only a few fossils from this period have been found. "Pterosaur fossils are generally very poorly preserved because their bones are very brittle," Barrett said. He also points out a very practical reason why there are fewer fossils of pterosaurs: As flying animals, they wouldn't spend as much time on the ground near the rivers and lakes where fossils usually form.
ani