170-million-year-old fossilized remains discovered in Patagonia, Argentina, have been identified as a new genus and species of pterosaur.
An artist’s representation of the Jurassic pterosaur Allkauren koi. Image credit: Gabriel Lío.
Pterosaurs were highly successful flying reptiles that lived between 210 million and 65 million years ago.
These creatures were Earth’s first winged vertebrates, with birds and bats making their appearances much later.
They first appeared in the Late Triassic and went on to achieve high levels of morphologic and taxonomic diversity during the Mesozoic era, with more than 150 species recognized so far.
