Scientists in Argentina have discovered a new species of flying reptile called the “Dragon of Death”, which is as tall as a school bus. Details of the discovery were detailed in Cretaceous Research in April.
The discovery of new fossils shows that 86 million years ago, giant dragons flew around the Earth with the dinosaurs.
These dragons, known as Thanatosdrakon, are believed to have preceded birds as the first winged creatures. The name “Dragon of Death” represents the combination of the Greek words death (Thanatos) and dragon (drakon).
Project leader Leonardo Ortiz said, “The remains of Thanatosdrakon present different features that allow us to distinguish them from other known pterosaurs. Basically, these features are found in the vertebrae and limbs. This allows us to create a new species of pterosaur. ” said.
A team of paleontologists found the fossils in the Andes mountains of the western Argentinean province of Mendoza, noting that the rocks preserved reptilian remains as far back as the Cretaceous period, 86 million years ago, according to the study. That was 20 million years before an asteroid impact wiped out three-quarters of life on Earth.
The team also classified the fossil as the largest discovered in South America and one of the largest in the world.
Although scientists have put pterosaurs in the same category as birds for their ability to fly, they are hard to classify as cold-blooded hunters. They had no rivals in the sky, so it is believed that pterosaurs dominated entire continents and evolved in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Thanatosdrakon’s wingspan is 9 meters, while the neck of this species is similar to that of a giraffe. Visual studies modeled on the fossil specimens found also show that Thanatosdrakon was an exceedingly fearsome predator.
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