UK Discovers Its First Pterosaur Fossil

May 29, 2020 04:17 AM By Jan Cortes

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For the first time ever, researchers from the U.K. discovered the fossil of a pterosaur species in their continent, previously only found in China and Brazil.

Researchers Discover Pterosaur Fossil in The U.K. For The First Time

According to a new update from a university, researchers have managed to unearth the fossil of a pterosaur species in the U.K. for the first time ever. Previously, fossil samples of the prehistoric reptile species were only found in both China and Brazil, marking a first for U.K.

Identified as a tapejarid, which is a flying pterosaur from the Cretaceous Period, researchers from the University of Portsmouth said that the fossil discovery demonstrated a wide global distribution of the species.

Per the research team, the sample (which is a pterodactyl jaw) came from a fossil hunter who recently discovered it while out with his dog in Sandown Bay on the Isle of Wight. He then passed it to University of Portsmouth Paleontology student Megan Jacobs, who identified it’s a pterodactyl jaw bone. However, it wasn’t just any ordinary pterodactyl because it came from a pterosaur group called tapejarids, which are better known in China and Brazil.

A first in the U.K., the specimen has since been named Wightia declivirostris.

More:
https://www.medicaldaily.com/uk-discovers-first-pterosaur-fossil-pterosaur-fossil-first-pterosaur-fossil-uk-453413