(ORDO NEWS) — The new specimen of the ancient flying reptile, or pterosaur, was about 9 meters long.
Argentine scientists have discovered a new species of huge flying reptile dubbed the “Dragon of Death” that lived 86 million years ago. The predator had a body the size of a bus.
A new example of an ancient flying reptile, or pterosaur, reached 9 meters in length. Researchers say it predates birds as one of the first creatures on Earth to use its wings to hunt its prey by attacking from above.
A team of paleontologists discovered the fossils recently in the Andes mountains in the western province of Mendoza in Argentina. They found that the rocks preserving the remains of the reptile date back 86 million years to the Cretaceous period.
This means that these fearsome flying reptiles lived 20 million years before an asteroid wiped out about three-quarters of life on the planet about 66 million years ago.
The “Dragon of Death” was a frightening sight
Project leader Leonardo Ortiz said in an interview that the previously unseen characteristics of the fossil require a new genus and species name, with the latter combining the ancient Greek words for death (thanatos) and dragon (dragon).
“It seemed appropriate to call it that,” Ortiz said. “This is the dragon of death.”
The reptile was probably a frightening sight. The researchers, who published their study in April 2021 in the scientific journal Cretaceous Research, said the huge bones of the fossil classify the new species as the largest pterosaur discovered in South America and one of the largest found anywhere.
“We currently have no record of any close relative that even had a body modification similar to these predators,” Ortiz said.
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