Paleontologists Announce Discovery of New Species of Pterosaur
The jawbone of an ancient reptile was found in the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, US in 2011.
Modern scanning technology revealed it was actually a part of a new type of species.
About 209 million years ago, Petrified Forest National Park was located above the equator and had a semi-arid environment with seasonal floods. According to CBS News, the site of this discovery was a bonebed in a desert landscape of ancient rock. This area used to be a riverbed and showed signs of life from layers of sediment and preserved bones and scales. The river ran through the central region of the supercontinent of Pangaea. This location is also especially known for preserving a diverse range of ancient fossils, including early species of turtles.
Paleontologist Ben Kligman and other researchers had questions about this peculiar fossil. The site was so rich in small fossils that the team enclosed large pieces of sediment in plaster and brought them back to the lab. Rock was then diligently separated from bones by a team of volunteers. Suzanne McIntire physically discovered the fossil using the plaster-encased blocks.
McIntire also said after her discovery, “What was exciting about uncovering this specimen was that the teeth were still in the bone, so I knew the animal would be much easier to identify.”
By considering unique features of pterosaurs, Kligman was able to conclude that this belonged to a pterosaur, but a new species. The team named the pterosaur Eotephradactylus mcintireae. The “eo” is Greek for “dawn” (showing the species’s early role in pterosaur evolution), the “tephra” is Greek for “volcanic ash” (ash layers where the fossil was found), and the “dactylus” is Greek for “finger” (the long wing-forming fourth finger in pterosaurs). Mcintireae honors McIntire, and “-ae” is a Latin grammatical form used when naming a species after a woman.
In addition to the new species, the paleontologists uncovered more than 1,200 individual fossils. They claimed, “This assemblage contains 16 different groups of vertebrate animals that once inhabited a diverse ecosystem. The region’s braided rivers were filled with fish.”
“Researchers were able to date the fossil back to 209.2 million years ago — an unusually precise date,” Kligman added about the species, “because of the level of volcanic ash where the fossil was found.”
This recent discovery marks a significant change in paleontology as it represents the oldest known pterosaur in North America and provides more knowledge about early pterosaur diets and evolution.
Sources:
https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/smithsonian-led-team-discovers-north-americas-oldest-known-pterosaur
https://www.livescience.com/animals/dinosaurs/ash-winged-dawn-goddess-is-oldest-pterosaur-ever-discovered-in-north-america-and-it-was-small-enough-to-sit-on-your-shoulder?
https://www.cbsnewsC.com/colorado/news/north-america-oldest-pterosaur-smithsonian-arizona/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h
https://scitechdaily.com/buried-for-209-million-years-this-tiny-winged-reptile-just-changed-history/#:~:text=River%20Floods%20and%20Fossil%20Beds,from%20bones%20under%20the%20microscope