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Paleontologists have unearthed fossilized remains of a nonpterosaur pterosaur in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The newly discovered pterodactyl lived in the ancient supercontinent Gondwana about 160 million years ago, during the late Oxford period of the Jurassic period.
Revealed Pterosaur
This large flying reptile had an elongated tail, pointed forward teeth and a long snout. The creature belongs to the Rhamforhynchinae pterosaur group, which also includes Jurassic pterosaurs from Europe, Asia, and North America.
Size and Importance
“The wing tip-to-tip lengths of these pterosaurs ranged up to 1.8 to 2 m (5.9 to 6.6 ft),” says first author Dr. Jonathan Alarcon Muñoz of the University of Chile and his colleagues.
The specimen was found in the fossil-rich Cerro Campamento Formation near the town of Cerritos Bayos in northern Chile. was discovered in 2009 from “This specimen is the earliest evidence of a pterosaur found in Chile and the first that can be safely traced to the Rhamphorinchidae group of Gondwana,” the researchers concluded. – pterosaurs of the known era in this supercontinent. However, the lack of more complete diagnostic material precludes a general and specific referral at this time.
This discovery adds a valuable piece to the evolutionary puzzle of prehistoric organisms in the Gondwana supercontinent and advances our understanding of late Jurassic pterosaur biodiversity and geographic distribution. More revealing discoveries are expected as paleontologists continue to explore the fossil-rich regions of northern Chile.
