Fossil Female Pterosaur Found With Preserved Egg!

My friends of ATS,

Most facinating indeed,

For fossil hunters, it represents one of those breakthrough moments.

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It was the males which carried a crest, the latest research published in Science magazine suggests.

David Unwin, a palaeobiologist in the Department of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester, was part of the research team.

He told the BBC the discovery was astonishing: "If somebody had said to me a few years back that we would find this kind of association, I would just have laughed and said, 'yeah, maybe in a million years', because these sorts of things are incredibly rare."

Pterosaurs, also sometimes referred to as pterodactyls, dominated the skies in the Mesozoic Era, 220-65 million years ago. Although reptiles like the dinosaurs were plodding on the ground below them, they were not actually dinosaurs themselves - a common misconception. This particular specimen has been dated to about 160 million years ago.

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The female fossil partially prepared (A). After being fully prepared (B), the egg is clear to see (red circle)

"We're very confident now that we're dealing with two genders here - males with big crests and small hips, and females with no crest on the skull and large hips."

BBC

Our wonderful and beautyful planet reveals yet more superb wonders.

Sometimes I wish I was alive back then to experience these wonderful creatures

Be safe be well

Spiro

See guys. Real stuff like this is cool! What was the baby pterodactyl's name on Land Before Time? Was it Peatree? It's killing me I can't remember...

My friend,

Originally posted by daleomaleo
See guys. Real stuff like this is cool! What was the baby pterodactyl's name on Land Before Time? Was it Peatree? It's killing me I can't remember...

Absolutely

I believe your right with the name, though perhaps spelled Petrie

Be safe be well

Spiro