New species of Jurassic pterosaur discovered in Patagonia

Pterosaurs first appeared in the Late Triassic and went on to achieve high levels of morphologic and taxonomic diversity during the Mesozoic, with more than 150 species recognized so far. A new species “Allkauren koi” was discovered in Patagonia, and this pterosaur belongs to the Jurassic era.

The pre-historic reptiles lived everywhere on the Earth during the Mesozoic Era, and modern scientists can easy call it the age of reptiles. But pterosaur is an extinct group of flying reptiles, and scientists had very limited information about this animal, until now. In Patagonia, paleontologists discovered new species of pterosaurs.

A new study in the journal PeerJ on Tuesday tells about the origin, tempo and mode of evolution of flying reptiles — pterosaurs. New data on these flying reptiles is expected to help scientists better understand the Jurassic era reptile world. The new species of Jurassic pterosaur found in Patagonia got name “Allkauren koi,” its fossil included a superbly preserved and uncrushed braincase.

Such a wonderful findings may shed light on the origins of the neuroanatomy of these flying reptiles and their closest relatives.