Paleontologists Declare 100-Year-Old Fossil of Triassic Reptile as Ancestor of Winged Pterosaurs

The 100-year-old fossil of a Triassic reptile is supposed to be the progenitor of winged pterosaurs, some of the most amazing animals in the age of dinosaurs. It took a long time in obscurity before it was seen as the ascendant of the pterosaur, the only flying reptile.

Scientists Rediscover Only Flying Reptile

The study, posted on October 5, 2022, in the journal Nature, has been carried out by a group of scientists headed by Dr. Davide Foffa, a Research Fellow at National Museums Scotland and currently a Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, reported SciTech Daily.

Collaborating with peers at Virginia Tech, the group used Computed Tomography (CT) to create the first correct entire skeleton restoration of Scleromochlus taylori, noted Sci News.

The observations uncover different anatomical features which conclusively distinguish it as a close family member of a pterosaur.

It originally belonged to the Pterosauromorpha order, which includes lagerpetids, an extinct collective of reptiles, and winged-Pterosaurs.

Lagerpetids were a group of small (cat or small dog-sized) energetic reptiles that lived approximately 240-210 million years ago. Schleromochlus is smaller, far below 8 inches (20 centimeters) in length.

These same research results back up the theory that the initial flying reptiles evolved from small, most plausible upright walking ancestors, citing Earth.

Conclusions After the 100-year-old Discovery

This finding resolves a century of debate over a 100-year-old fossil. Until recently, researchers were split on whether the reptile Scleromochlus was still a stage in the evolution of pterosaurs, dinosaurs, or another reptilian outgrowth from a Triassic reptile.

Bones of Scleromochlus are inadequately kept inside a block of sandstone, which has made it challenging to investigate in full precision to identify individual physical traits.

The remnants are part of a group known as the Elgin Reptiles, consisting of Triassic and Permian samples discovered in the sedimentary rock of the Morayshire region of northeast Scotland, all around the town of Elgin.

This same Natural History Museum, Elgin Museum, and National Museums Scotland are where a majority of the samples are preserved. The Scleromochlus is seen at Lossiemouth, where it has been unearthed.

Dr. Foffa stated that it is exciting to be able to help solve a discourse that has been going on for well over 100 years, but it is far more astounding to be able to see and comprehend a living creature that lived 230 million years ago and also its connection with the first living creatures ever to have flown.

Significance of the Discovery

The Elgin reptiles aren't as well-preserved as the perfect, comprehensive skeletons, which are frequently seen in exhibition showcases, as said by Professor Paul Barrett at the Natural History Museum.

They are distinguished primarily by natural bone mounds in sedimentary rock. Until recently, the only way to study them was to use wax or latex to fill these castings and create mounds of the bone fragments that once occupied them.

Even so, the application of CT scanning has changed the study of these difficult specimens and permitted us to develop much more precise, sound, and comprehensive reconstructions of such ancient animal life.

A 100-year-old fossil of a Triassic reptile is now rediscovered as the ancestor of the winged Pterosaurs is resolved, they say.