Nearly 50 hidden pterodactyl specimens discovered through UV-stimulated fluorescence

These relatives are Pterodactylus. This will allow paleontologists to reconstruct the flying reptile’s life history from hatching to adulthood.

Almost 250 years ago, the first pterosaur fossil was discovered in a quarry in northern Bavaria, Germany.

Dubbing Pterodactylus, this 150-million-year-old fossil provides the first evidence of a group of extraordinary flying reptiles that filled the skies of the Mesozoic Era, soaring above dinosaurs on wings spanning up to 10 meters or more.

This first pterosaur was only about the size of a turtledove, but it completely reshaped our understanding of prehistoric life.

Despite being the original “pterodactyl”, Pterodactylus was soon overshadowed, quite literally, in people’s consciousness by the more dramatic appearance of giant pterosaurs. Pteranodon and Quetzalcoatlus attracted attention. but Pterodactylus remained popular among pterosaur scientists.

For centuries, Pterodactylus and other similar pterosaurs in Bavaria are the focus of ongoing scientific research, and much of what we know about pterosaurs, from the shape of their wings and the way they fly to the way they eat and grow. It helps shape the.

But one question always remains. Among these many pterosaurs, which one is the true pterosaur? Pterodactylus And which belong to completely different species?

This confusion has continued for centuries and continues to this day.

Thanks to a new study that analyzed data from dozens of Pterodactylus The mysteries of specimens displayed in museums around the world have been solved, and the true nature of these fossils has finally been revealed.

Paleontologists Robert Smith and Dave Unwin from the University of Leicester shine an intense UV torch on fossil bones to make them fluoresce, allowing them to distinguish one type of pterosaur from another, almost visually. The researchers succeeded in revealing the details of tiny bones that cannot be seen.

Use Pterodactylus Unique features found in the head, hips, hands, and feet led them to systematically examine other fossils from the same deposits, and to their surprise, they discovered many other fossil examples. Pterodactylus It was “hidden” among what is believed to be another species of pterosaur.

“By examining many fossils in collections across Europe, we were able to re-identify more than 40 specimens. Pterodactylus” said Smith.

“UV-excited fluorescence is amazing in the amount of detail it can reveal. Features that were once hidden are now clearly visible.”

Complete your entire concept in the blink of an eye Pterodactylus It has changed dramatically.

With nearly 50 examples confirmed to date, knowledge about this most important pterosaur is exploding.

“We are now able to construct a complete and detailed skeletal anatomy of this important pterosaur,” Dr. Unwin said.

“The soft tissues of more than 20 specimens have been fossilized, allowing us to reconstruct the top of the head, the shape of the body, the webs of the feet, and even the wings.”

“UV-excited fluorescence is a well-known technique, but the difference in this case is that we were able to combine a new, high-quality light source with a systematic ‘catch-all’ approach, which revolutionized our research and will have a significant impact. Understanding pterosaurs.”

of result Published in Journal of Systematic Paleontology.

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Robert S. H. Smith & David M. Unwin. 2024. Re-evaluation of Pterodactylus antiquus and Diopecephalus flathead: Two troublesome classification concepts. Journal of Systematic Paleontology 22 (1): 2421845;doi: 10.1080/14772019.2024.2421845