Argentine researchers have discovered a new species of flying reptile, dubbed "The Death Dragon," that lived 86 million years ago alongside dinosaurs, bringing to the forefront the giant predator that was as long as a large bus.
The new species of prehistoric flying reptile or pterosaur was about 9 metres long and researchers discovered its fossils in the Andes mountains in the Mendoza province of western Argentina. The rocks hiding the fossils date back to 86 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period.
This calculation means that the fearsome flying reptiles lived at least 20 million years before the asteroid impact on what is now the Yucatan Peninsula, which wiped out about three-quarters of life on our planet.
The head of the expedition, Leonardo Ortiz, said in an interview that the unprecedented characteristics of the fossil made it necessary to give this particular species of pterosaur (ThanatosDrakon) a new name by combining the Greek words "Dragon" and "Thanatos."
"It seemed appropriate to name it that way," Ortiz said. "It's the Dragon of Death."
The serpent would likely be a frightening sight in the ethers. The researchers, who published their study last April in the journal Cretaceous Research, say the huge bones rank the new species as the largest pterosaur discovered in South America and one of the largest in the world.
"We have no record of any close relative, even with a slightly modified body structure to this beast," Ortith said."
Source: Cyprus Times
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