MSGID: 1:317/3 64b220ff   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    New fossil flying reptile 'Elvis' takes flight    
    The 2-meter wingspan animal had a huge bony crest on its head    
      
     Date:   
         July 14, 2023   
     Source:   
         Queen Mary University of London   
     Summary:   
         In an exciting scientific development, an international   
         team of researchers have officially named a newly discovered   
         145-million-year-old pterosaur. The animal had enormous 2-meter   
         wingspan and was nicknamed 'Elvis' when the fossil was first   
         unearthed in Bavaria, Germany because of the giant pompadour-like   
         bony crest on its skull. Now the animal has been given a formal   
         scientific name of Petrodactyle wellnhoferi. The name translates   
         as 'Wellnhofer's stone-finger' honouring legendary German   
         palaeontologist Peter Wellnhofer who spent his career working on   
         German pterosaurs. Petrodactyle is a very complete skeleton with   
         nearly every bone preserved and in remarkable detail.   
      
      
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   A new 145-million-year-old pterosaur (extinct flying reptiles that   
   lived alongside the dinosaurs) was named today by a team of British,   
   American and German researchers. The animal was nicknamed 'Elvis' when   
   the fossil was first unearthed in Bavaria, Germany because of the giant   
   pompadour-like bony crest on its skull.   
      
   Now the animal has been given a formal scientific name of Petrodactyle   
   wellnhoferi. The name translates as 'Wellnhofer's stone-finger' honouring   
   legendary German palaeontologist Peter Wellnhofer who spent his career   
   working on German pterosaurs. Petrodactyle is a member of a group of   
   pterosaurs called the ctenochasmatids that were mostly small filter   
   feeders. Petrodactyle is a very complete skeleton with nearly every bone   
   preserved and in remarkable detail.   
      
   Many pterosaurs are known with bony crests which they used primarily as   
   sexual signals to other members of the species, but Pterodactyle has by   
   far the largest crest even seen in a ctenochasmatid. Dr David Hone of   
   Queen Mary University of London was the lead author on the study said,   
   "Big though this crest is, we know that these pterosaurs had skin-like   
   extensions attached to it, so in life Petrodactyle would have had an even   
   larger crest."  The details of the specimen are especially clear under   
   UV light which helps show the difference between the bones and the rock   
   in which they are embedded, which under natural light are a very similar   
   colour. Rene' Lauer of the Lauer Foundation, an author on the study said,   
   "The use of UV Induced Fluorescence digital photography provided the   
   ability to discern fine structures small bones and provided additional   
   information regarding the structures of the bony crest which aided in the   
   interpretations and conclusions of this unique new species."  Petrodactyle   
   was unusually large too. It has a wingspan of around 2 meters, but it   
   was still an older 'teenager' by pterosaur standards and would have been   
   even larger as a fully mature animal. Even so, it is one of the largest   
   pterosaurs known from the Late Jurassic period. Bruce Lauer of the Lauer   
   Foundation, an author on the study said "The specimen was located in a   
   quarry which is producing scientifically important fossils that provide   
   additional insights into Late Jurassic Pterosaurs. This research is a   
   great example of the benefits of cooperation between amateur collectors,   
   commercial fossil dealers, our Foundation and research scientists to   
   advance science."  Like other ctenochasmatids, Petrodactyle was at home   
   on the shore of shallow seas but might have ventured into estuaries or   
   to lakes. It's long jaw with many small teeth would have been good for   
   grabbing at small fish, shrimp and other aquatic prey. However, unlike   
   most other ctenochasmatids, it had an expansion at the back of the skull   
   to attach large jaw muscles and give it a stronger bite than many of its   
   contemporaries. Frederik Spindler of the Dinosaurier Museum in Germany,   
   an author on the study said, "It is amazing to document an increasingly   
   wide range of adaptations. Pterosaurs were a fundamental part of the   
   Jurassic ecology."  Dr Hone concluded "Peter Wellnhofer is long overdue   
   having a species of German pterosaur named after him to honour his   
   lifelong contribution to the study of these amazing animals."  The Lauer   
   Foundation acquires, curates, and provides access to a collection of   
   scientifically important Palaeontological specimens. The collection   
   is available to the scientific community for research, publication,   
   exhibition and educational outreach.   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by Queen_Mary_University_of_London. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. David W.E. Hone, Rene' Lauer, Bruce Lauer, Frederik Spindler.   
      
         Petrodactyle wellnhoferi gen. et sp. nov.: A new and   
         large ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Late Jurassic of   
         Germany. Palaeontologia Electronica, 2023; DOI: 10.26879/1251   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230714114734.htm   
      
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