Scientists discover fossilized remains of superpterosaur dating back 125 million years

With a wingspan of 20 feet and weighing a colossal weight of 650 lbs, the giant pterosaur has launched an imposing silhouette diving into the skies of the Jurassic.

And 125 million years later, the massive size of the beast continues to fascinate scientists who have discovered the remains of one of the beasts stuck at the bottom of the cliffs of the Isle of Wight.

The Hatzegopteryx fossil has shed new light on this magnificent species that some consider to be the greatest flying creature of this period.

These winged monsters are thought to dominate the skies for about 150 million years, during which time they have grown from a rodent-sized to a silhouette similar to that of a modern fighter jet.

Featuring a long jaw, the giant pterosaur – which hunted the dinosaurs – was going to get caught and kill its prey

With a wingspan of 20 feet and weighing 300 kg, the giant pterosaur has launched an imposing silhouette diving into the skies of the Jurassic

The discovery was made by British Fossil Chief Robert Coram, who said: "It could have been the biggest flying creature ever to have lived up to that time," according to the Sunday Times.

The Isle of Wight is rich in fossils and attracts dinosaur enthusiasts who explore the southern slope in search of remains.

Coram added, "We think this is one of the first superpterosaurs, and the Isle of Wight is extremely popular with people almost every day. little things that they can not.

Featuring an elongated jaw, the giant pterosaur – which hunted the dinosaurs – was going to catch itself and kill its prey.

In an article co-authored with Professor David Martill of the University of Portsmouth, he wrote: "A morphometric analysis suggests an original scale of about 5.6 m.

The Hatzegopteryx fossil found on the southwest coast of the Isle of Wight (photo) shed new light on this magnificent species that, according to some, was the largest flying creature of this period.

These flying monsters are thought to have ruled the skies for about 150 million years, during which time they went from the size of a rodent to a figure similar to that of a plane. modern hunting.

"With an early Barremian age, this pterosaur would have been a giant for his time.

Pterosaurs – sometimes called pterodactyls – coexisted at the same time as dinosaurs, but were not classified.

Because of their mammoth size, paleobiologists have long wondered how the creatures managed to take off, their mass suggesting that it would be impossible to generate enough momentum.

But 3D modeling has now revealed that inflated leg muscles and a flexible wing structure allow the giant pterosaur to project into the air.

Michael Habib, from the University of Southern California, wrote: "Unlike birds, who fly and jump in the air using only their hind limbs, pterosaurs walked on all fours.

"Mathematical modeling indicates that throwing from a quadruped position – pushing first with the hind limbs, then with the forelegs – would have provided the giant pterosaurs of jumping power needed for take-off."

WHAT ARE THE PTEROSAURS?

Neither birds nor bats, pterosaurs were reptiles that ruled the skies during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

Scientists have long debated the place of pterosaurs in the evolutionary tree.

According to current theory, pterosaurs, dinosaurs and crocodiles are closely related and belong to a group called archosaurs, but this has not yet been confirmed.

Neither birds nor bats, pterosaurs were reptiles that ruled the skies during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (artist impression on the photo)

Pterosaurs have evolved to become dozens of species. Some were as big as an F-16 fighter plane and others, as small as a sparrow.

They were the first animals after insects to evolve into powered flight – not just by jumping or gliding, but flapping their wings to generate lift and move in the air.

Pterosaurs had hollow bones, large brains with well-developed optic lobes, and several ridges on which the muscles of flight were attached.