New discoveries continue to be made every day on our planet, which has been home to life for hundreds of millions of years. With the new research they recently published, scientists managed to add one of the largest flying reptiles discovered to date to the literature.
Two fossils, whose remains were first discovered in the Andes Mountains of Argentina in 2012, have joined the living world as a new species as a result of long research. Scientists described the new creature they discovered as ‘Thanatosdrakon amaru (Dragon of Death),’ meaning death and dragon in ancient Greek.
lived 86 million years ago:
Two fossils discovered in a new species, the last member of the ‘Pyramid’ animal group, are 86 million years ago according to studies was alive. This estimated date marks 20 million years before the asteroid impact, which took place on the border of present-day Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. It is estimated that three-quarters of life on our planet was wiped out by this asteroid impact.
- Real-life reenactment of the fossil
Studies after the fossils were removed revealed that both fossils showed that it had a wingspan of 7 and 9 meters, respectively. The reptile in question is believed to be the first predator to use its wings to hunt and fly in prehistoric times, before the evolution of birds. The discovery of fossils as a pair is interpreted as evidence that this species lived in groups.
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