A very significant pterosaur discovery in China, which included both a new species and intact 3D eggs, has opened new avenues of discovery for scientists.


A very significant pterosaur discovery in China, which included both a new species and intact 3D eggs, has opened further avenues of research for scientists.

The find included 5 well-preserved eggs and possibly hundreds of fossils belonging to a previously unknown branch of the pterosaur’s family tree.

Due to the large numbers of them in such a relatively small space, it’s believed that they had established the area as a nesting site.

Scientists also surmise that as a group, the flying reptiles had developed what they termed as a ‘gregarious’ relationship with one another.

As finding their fossils has been a rare occurrence, very little is known about them.

It is believed that they were the first vertebrates to have gained the ability to fly.

They came in a wide variety of species, ranging in size from a small bird to a creature with a wingspan of over 30 feet.

As birds began to develop in their own right, they likely out-competed many of the smaller pterosaurs and contributed to their eventual demise.

In the case of the group recently discovered, a large storm is considered to be the reason behind their death.
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