Kathmandu: Scientists have identified a new species of pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived over 200 million years ago, based on a fossilized jawbone discovered in Arizona in 2011. Using modern scanning technology, researchers confirmed the fossil belongs to a previously unknown species, now named Eotephradactylus mcintireae, meaning “ash-winged dawn goddess.”
Led by scientists from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, the discovery — published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — makes this the oldest known pterosaur found in North America, dating back 209 million years to the Triassic period.
The fossil was preserved in volcanic ash in what was once a riverbed in the Petrified Forest National Park. The site, part of the ancient supercontinent Pangaea, has yielded a wide array of fossils, including fish scales, teeth, bones, and even fossilized feces.
Dr. Ben Kligman, a researcher on the team, told the BBC that the pterosaur’s teeth showed heavy wear, indicating it likely fed on primitive, armored fish. The fragile nature of pterosaur bones makes such finds exceptionally rare, especially from the Triassic era.
Scientists say the site offers a rare glimpse into a transitional ecosystem, where now-extinct species like ancient amphibians and crocodile-like reptiles lived alongside ancestors of modern animals such as frogs and turtles. The find could open the door to more discoveries of early pterosaurs in similar rock formations worldwide.