'Flying Dragon' dinosaur roamed the southern skies too, scientists say
September 10, 2021
1:34 PM CDT
Last Updated 8 hours ago
Science
Reuters
2 minute read
SANTIAGO, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Scientists in Chile's Atacama Desert have unearthed the fossil remains of a so-called "flying dragon," a Jurassic-era dinosaur previously known only to the northern hemisphere.
The flying reptile belonged to a group of early pterosaurs that roamed the earth 160 million years ago. It had a long pointed tail, wings and sharp, outward pointing teeth.
The beast's fossil remains were discovered by Osvaldo Rojas, director of the Atacama Desert Museum of Natural History and Culture, and then further investigated by scientists at the University of Chile.
Details of the discovery, the first linking such creatures to the Southern Hemisphere, were published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.
More:
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/flying-dragon-dinosaur-roamed-southern-skies-too-scientists-say-2021-09-10/?rpc=401&
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Fossils confirmed to be of a rhamphorhynchine pterosaur --
the first such creature to be found in Gondwana, the
prehistoric supercontinent that later formed the southern
hemisphere landmasses - Universidad de Chile/AFP
Santiago (AFP)
Chilean scientists have announced the discovery of the first-ever southern hemisphere remains of a type of Jurassic-era "winged lizard" known as a pterosaur.
Fossils of the dinosaur which lived some 160 million years ago in what is today the Atacama desert, were unearthed in 2009.
They have now been confirmed to be of a rhamphorhynchine pterosaur -- the first such creature to be found in Gondwana, the prehistoric supercontinent that later formed the southern hemisphere landmasses.
Researcher Jhonatan Alarcon of the University of Chile said the creatures had a wingspan of up to two meters, a long tail, and pointed snout.
More:
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210910-prehistoric-winged-lizard-unearthed-in-chile