Pterosaurs

Scientists clarify origins of pterosaurs, the dinosaur era's flying reptiles.

Context

Scientists clarify origins of pterosaurs, the dinosaur era's flying reptiles.

What is Pterosaur?

• Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the extinct clade or order Pterosauria.
• They existed during the Mesozoic era.
• Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight.
• Their wings were formed by a membrane of skin, muscle, and other tissues stretching from the ankles to a dramatically lengthened fourth finger.
• It is a connecting link between the reptiles and the birds and hence suggests that the birds have evolved from the reptiles.
  

What is about the new discovery?

• The oldest-known pterosaurs appear in the fossil record about 220 million years ago.
• The scanning technology and three-dimensional modeling was used to study it.
• The researchers identified at least 33 skeletal traits suggesting an evolutionary link between lagerpetids and pterosaurs.
• Lagerpetids are the closest-known relatives to pterosaurs and bridge the anatomical gap between pterosaurs and other reptiles.