A groundbreaking discovery by a team of paleontologists has unearthed the fossil of a colossal flying reptile from the Jurassic period, boasting an impressive wingspan exceeding three meters. This extraordinary find, unearthed in a gravel pit near Abingdon-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, ranks among the largest pterosaurs from that era ever discovered.
The fossil, which comprises part of the pterosaur's wing bone, was found in three pieces but remains remarkably well-preserved. Researchers from the universities of Portsmouth and Leicester detailed their findings in a paper published in the Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. The specimen underwent topographic scanning and was identified as belonging to an adult ctenochasmatoid, a group of pterosaurs characterized by their elongated wings, extended jaws, and fine, bristle-like teeth. This notable specimen is now housed in the Etches Collection in Kimmeridge, Dorset.
Professor David Martill of the University of Portsmouth highlighted the significance of the find, stating, “When the bone was discovered, it was certainly notable for its size. We carried out a numerical analysis and came up with a maximum wingspan of 3.75 meters. Although this would be small for a Cretaceous pterosaur, it's absolutely huge for a Jurassic one!”
Martill emphasized that this fossil is particularly remarkable as it represents one of the earliest records of this type of pterosaur from the Jurassic period in the United Kingdom. Typically, pterosaurs from the Triassic and Jurassic periods had wingspans ranging from one and a half to two meters, making them considerably smaller than their Cretaceous counterparts, which could achieve wingspans of up to 10 meters. This new discovery, however, suggests that some Jurassic pterosaurs were capable of growing much larger than previously thought.
Martill added, “This specimen is now one of the largest known pterosaurs from the Jurassic period worldwide, surpassed only by a specimen in Switzerland with an estimated wingspan of up to five meters.”
The specimen was discovered by geologist Dr. James Etienne in June 2022 while searching for fossil marine reptiles during a temporary exposure of the Late Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation in a quarry floor. This formation also revealed a variety of other specimens, including bones from ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, along with other ancient sea creatures like ammonites, bivalves, marine crocodiles, and sharks.
Dr. Dave Unwin from the University of Leicester remarked, “Abfab, our nickname for the Abingdon pterosaur, shows that pterodactyloids, advanced pterosaurs that completely dominated the Cretaceous, achieved spectacularly large sizes almost immediately after they first appeared in the Middle Jurassic right about the time the dinosaurian ancestors of birds were taking to the air.”
Source: University of Portsmouth