A new species of pterosaur from specimens found on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, has been announced by scientists from the Natural History Museum, University of Bristol, University of Leicester, and University of Liverpool. The new pterosaur is part of the Darwinoptera clade of pterosaurs. Its discovery shows that the clade was considerably more diverse than previously thought, and persisted for more than 25 million years, from the late Early Jurassic to the latest Jurassic. During this period species within the clade spread worldwide. Reconstruction of Ceoptera evansae. Credit: © NHM & Witton 2021 The discovery underpins a new and more complex model for the early evolution of pterosaurs. The rarity of Middle Jurassic pterosaur fossils and their incompleteness has previously...
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Aerodynamic analysis causes a rethink of the biggest pterosaur One of the most exciting moments of the new Jurassic Park sequel, Jurassic World Dominion, is when the Quetzalcoatlus swoops down from the sky and attacks the heroes’ aircraft. With its gigantic wings that reach 10 meters in length when spread end to end, the Quetzalcoatlus was the largest pterosaur that ever existed. However, an aerodynamic analysis led by researchers from Nagoya University suggests that Jurassic World Dominion gets it wrong. In fact, these giant creatures would have been unable to fly for anything more than a short distance. A still from the trailer of Jurassic World Dominion. To make this surprising discovery, the group consisting of Yusuke Goto and Ken Yoda of the Graduate School of Environmental ...
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