A what?
A pterosaur … tare-o-sar (tare as in hektare … sar as in sardine). It’s a reptile … but not just any reptile … it’s a flying reptile and a really OLD one, millions of years old.
There haven’t been any of them alive on this planet for a very long time. So it was a thrill for the people who recently found the remains (the fossil) of this particular pterosaur, and for the people who are studying it and learning from it.
In the video below, Professor Steve Brusatte and the lead author of this video, Natalia Jagielska, are obviously excited. Me too. This is really cool!
The remains of this old “bird” … this flying reptile or flying vertebrate … the remains were found in Scotland on the Isle of Skye in 2017. At that time, in 2017, it was the oldest and largest flying vertebrate ever found … ever! Anywhere on our planet. The wingspan of the pterosaur they found is estimated to be eight feet, the body about six feet long (not counting the goofy tail), and the jaws and teeth about 1.5 feet long … and this was a young one, still growing. They estimate the wingspan of a full-grown one to be around 12 feet.
This is the first time this species of pterosaur has been found anywhere on earth. Other species have been found, but not this one.
The fossil they found is the only one of its kind ever found. And it is 170 MILLION years old. How amazing.
The people in the video speak fairly rapidly. Stop and re-wind often if you wish.
What else is out there, on land and in the air and in the water, that we know nothing about? Some oceanographers report that we have researched only 5% of the oceans on our planet. What an amazing journey to learn about our planet, the life that came before us, and the life that is still here with us that, as yet, we know nothing about.
It was in the news here when they found this. I had meant to travel to see the location. Now I will. This is quite fascinating.
Wish I could go with you to see the location, Henry. I hope you go. Maybe you’ll find yet another fossil!
So interesting. And to think time goes back that far…it’s more than I can comprehend.
I know! I sometimes can’t even figure out what happened a week ago. 170 MILLION years, my gosh. I don’t know anything about how carbon-dating works, guess I better research that. 🙂 Unless you do first.
Amazing! I’ve been to a good number of old geologic sites in the USA, millions of years old, but I don’t remember any animal fossils in the USA more than several thousand years old.
My Canadian friend, Mark, has taught me just a tiny bit about geology and a few very old rock formations. Old rocks and dirt and strata and such are amazing, but a fossil of an animal is something else, at least in my mind. Mark might have a different opinion. 🙂 Thanks Joe.
I have as well, Joe. I’ve been back country hiking and camping all my life. I’ve been to every national and state park in western USA, many times, and every other geologic and historic site. I’ve seen “tracks” or “impressions” of foot prints that they believe are millions of years old, but I’ve never seen a fossil here in the USA that’s more than 200,000 years old. Carbon-dating is a super tool, but you have to have a fossil to do that. In this case, they did. Amazing indeed. 170 million years ago, that very pterosaur, the physical remains of that animal they found, lived on this planet. Might buy a plane ticket to Scotland and hitch a ride with Henry to go see the location where they found it.
Steve, you need to teach us about carbon-dating. I sure agree with you and Joe that footprints are impressive, but not nearly as impressive as an actual fossil. If you’re going to Scotland to go see that site with Henry, I’m going too! 🙂
Fascinating. It’s a wonder where we all come from, where humans came from. I doubt we’ll ever know. To find a fossil, the physical remains of an animal that we know is that old. Absolutely amazing. Seems appropriate that this oldest of all flying animals was found on the Isle of “Skye”.
Oh, gosh, M&M, what a great thought. The Isle of “Skye” is where this fossil was, this only known fossil of this variety of flying reptile. That’s really cool. 🙂 Thank you.
Can’t imagine finding something like that!!! Amazing!
Me either, Fran. Next time I’m on a beach, I’ll be looking at the rocks I’m walking on! and the cliff faces.
We could learn a lot from a Pterosaur. I wish this one could talk. What a super find! Love this blog, Ann, thank you.
Wouldn’t that be spectacular if she could talk with us? I wonder what she would say.
My husband loves old “stuff” like this (sorry, can’t say the word he says here). He too would love to see a real fossil, not just a footprint, that is millions of years old. How spectacular.
LOL, oh yes Marge, I bet I know the word he used. 🙂 It’s a good word for “stuff” like this. Guess we all better buy plane tickets for Scotland, eh?
If I hadn’t pursued working in the computer world, I probably would have gone into paleontology. Probably made more money working with computers. But finding fossils and studying them would have been simply super. Finding this fossil is truly amazing, after 170 million years!
Lori, a few other women readers here are or have worked in the computer world. I bet none of us got rich from it, although I loved the work I did and I hope you did too. But yes, to be a Paleontologist and be part of the discovery of a fossil like this one … oh gosh, that would be thrilling. I suspect it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those folks. I think all of us should be on the next plane to Scotland and the Isle of Skye.
A flying reptile, which means, I guess, that it doesn’t have feathers. There’s no reason wings won’t work the same with skin and no feathers, yes? But I never thought of that before. Thanks for always helping with pronunciation. This was great.
Oh, yes, yet another great thought, Greg. I didn’t think about this flying animal not having feathers, but the images show that it doesn’t, and the people in the video don’t talk about feathers, and the animal is/was a reptile so I suppose it did not have feathers. Not all animals in the ocean have fish scales, and yet they swim or propel themselves just fine.
Partly I help with pronunciation since I need that help it as well. And you’re very welcome. 🙂