New fossil flying reptile 'Elvis' takes flight
The 2-meter wingspan animal had a huge bony crest on its head

Date:
July 14, 2023
Source:
Queen Mary University of London
Summary:
In an exciting scientific development, an international
team of researchers have officially named a newly discovered
145-million-year-old pterosaur. The animal had enormous 2-meter
wingspan and was nicknamed 'Elvis' when the fossil was first
unearthed in Bavaria, Germany because of the giant pompadour-like
bony crest on its skull. Now the animal has been given a formal
scientific name of Petrodactyle wellnhoferi. The name translates
as 'Wellnhofer's stone-finger' honouring legendary German
palaeontologist Peter Wellnhofer who spent his career working on
German pterosaurs. Petrodactyle is a very complete skeleton with
nearly every bone preserved and in remarkable detail.


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FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new 145-million-year-old pterosaur (extinct flying reptiles that
lived alongside the dinosaurs) was named today by a team of British,
American and German researchers. The animal was nicknamed 'Elvis' when
the fossil was first unearthed in Bavaria, Germany because of the giant pompadour-like bony crest on its skull.

Now the animal has been given a formal scientific name of Petrodactyle wellnhoferi. The name translates as 'Wellnhofer's stone-finger' honouring legendary German palaeontologist Peter Wellnhofer who spent his career
working on German pterosaurs. Petrodactyle is a member of a group of
pterosaurs called the ctenochasmatids that were mostly small filter
feeders. Petrodactyle is a very complete skeleton with nearly every bone preserved and in remarkable detail.

Many pterosaurs are known with bony crests which they used primarily as
sexual signals to other members of the species, but Pterodactyle has by
far the largest crest even seen in a ctenochasmatid. Dr David Hone of
Queen Mary University of London was the lead author on the study said,
"Big though this crest is, we know that these pterosaurs had skin-like extensions attached to it, so in life Petrodactyle would have had an even larger crest." The details of the specimen are especially clear under
UV light which helps show the difference between the bones and the rock
in which they are embedded, which under natural light are a very similar colour. Rene' Lauer of the Lauer Foundation, an author on the study said,
"The use of UV Induced Fluorescence digital photography provided the
ability to discern fine structures small bones and provided additional information regarding the structures of the bony crest which aided in the interpretations and conclusions of this unique new species." Petrodactyle
was unusually large too. It has a wingspan of around 2 meters, but it
was still an older 'teenager' by pterosaur standards and would have been
even larger as a fully mature animal. Even so, it is one of the largest pterosaurs known from the Late Jurassic period. Bruce Lauer of the Lauer Foundation, an author on the study said "The specimen was located in a
quarry which is producing scientifically important fossils that provide additional insights into Late Jurassic Pterosaurs. This research is a
great example of the benefits of cooperation between amateur collectors, commercial fossil dealers, our Foundation and research scientists to
advance science." Like other ctenochasmatids, Petrodactyle was at home
on the shore of shallow seas but might have ventured into estuaries or
to lakes. It's long jaw with many small teeth would have been good for
grabbing at small fish, shrimp and other aquatic prey. However, unlike
most other ctenochasmatids, it had an expansion at the back of the skull
to attach large jaw muscles and give it a stronger bite than many of its contemporaries. Frederik Spindler of the Dinosaurier Museum in Germany,
an author on the study said, "It is amazing to document an increasingly
wide range of adaptations. Pterosaurs were a fundamental part of the
Jurassic ecology." Dr Hone concluded "Peter Wellnhofer is long overdue
having a species of German pterosaur named after him to honour his
lifelong contribution to the study of these amazing animals." The Lauer Foundation acquires, curates, and provides access to a collection of scientifically important Palaeontological specimens. The collection
is available to the scientific community for research, publication,
exhibition and educational outreach.

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Story Source: Materials provided by Queen_Mary_University_of_London. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. David W.E. Hone, Rene' Lauer, Bruce Lauer, Frederik Spindler.

Petrodactyle wellnhoferi gen. et sp. nov.: A new and
large ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Late Jurassic of
Germany. Palaeontologia Electronica, 2023; DOI: 10.26879/1251 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230714114734.htm

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