Huge Pterosaur Fossil Uncovered in Oxfordshire!
In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, paleontologists announced the discovery in Oxfordshire of a massive Jurassic Pterosaur with an estimated wingspan of over three meters, one of the largest of its kind from that period.[1]
The fossil found in the gravel pit was identified as an adult ctenochasmatoid, known for its elongated features with a well-preserved wing bone. This finding suggests that some Jurassic Pterosaur were significantly larger than previously thought, challenging current understandings of their size evolution.
A team of paleontoogists has discovered the fossil of a gigantic flying reptile. With an estimated wingspan of more than three meters, it is one of the largest Jurassic Pterosaur ever found.
The fossil, excavated from a gravel quarry near Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, contained part of the Pterosaur's wing bone, which appears to be still well preserved despite being broken into three pieces. Professor David Martill from the University of Portsmouth said:
When the bone was discovered, its size was absolutely remarkable. We carried out a numerical analysis and found its maximum wingspan to be 3.75 meters, which is small for a Cretaceous Pterosaur, but absolutely huge for a Jurassic Pterosaur! This fossil is special because it is one of the first records of a Jurassic Pterosaur of this type in the UK.
Pterosaur from the Triassic and Jurassic periods usually have wingspans of one and a half to two meters, so they are usually smaller than their Cretaceous relatives, which can have wingspans of up to 10 meters. But this new discovery shows that some Jurassic Pterosaur were able to grow much larger.
Geologist Dr. James Etienne discovered this specimen in June 2022 when the Late Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation was temporarily exposed on the floor of a quarry while searching for fossil marine reptiles. This revealed a number of specimens, including bones of ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, as well as ammonites and other ancient marine creatures such as bivalves, sea crocodiles and sharks. Finally, Dr. Dave Unwin from the University of Leicester concludes:
Abfab, our name for the Abingdon Pterosaur, indicates that pterodactyloids, advanced Pterosaur that fully dominated the Cretaceous, reached enormous sizes soon after their appearance in the middle Jurassic.
Source:
J. L. Etienne, et al. (2024). A ‘Giant’ Pterodactyloid Pterosaur From The British Jurassic. ( https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016787824000191?via%3Dihub )
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