Fossil discovery of a pterosaur, Cryodrakon boreas, flying over North America 75 million years ago



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Bone game! Scientists name a new pterodactyl species "The Frozen Dragon of the North" in the television series after the discovery of a 75 million-year-old fossil in Canada

  • Researchers who discovered a partial skeleton in Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada understood that it was unique
  • Scientists have called the dragon was named Crydrakon boreas, or Northern Dragon Frozen
  • The muscular form meant that he was a ground hunter who used the flight to escape danger or to seize his prey
  • Vertebras, cervical bones, leg bones and neck bones have been found

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A new pterodactyl species the size of a small plane has been discovered in Canada.

And scientists called it Cryodrakon boreas, or frozen North Dragon.

Researchers who uncovered the partial Game of Thrones-like skeleton in Dinosaur Provincial Park in southern Alberta realized that it was unlike any other.

A new pterodactyl species the size of a small plane has been discovered in Canada. And scientists called it Cryodrakon boreas, or frozen North Dragon. Above: what could the creature look like

A new pterodactyl species the size of a small plane has been discovered in Canada. And scientists called it Cryodrakon boreas, or frozen North Dragon. Above: what could the creature look like

Researchers who uncovered the partial skeleton in Dinosaur Provincial Park in southern Alberta, realized that it was unlike any other. Above: a fully developed Cryodrakon boreas neck bone

Researchers who uncovered the partial skeleton in Dinosaur Provincial Park in southern Alberta, realized that it was unlike any other. Above: a fully developed Cryodrakon boreas neck bone

They believe that because of its muscular form, it was a hunter who used the leak to escape danger or to seize his prey.

It is rare to find so many bones of a single bird and vertebrae, bones of the cervix and legs have been studied in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Michael Habib, Adjunct Professor of Integrative Anatomical Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and Associate Researcher at the Institute of Dinosaurs of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, stated that this specimen had been well preserved.

Scientists think that, because of its muscular form, it was a ground hunter who used the flight to free himself from danger or to seize his prey. Above: a fossilized leg bone of Cryodrakon boreas

Scientists think that, because of its muscular form, it was a ground hunter who used the flight to free himself from danger or to seize his prey. Above: a fossilized leg bone of Cryodrakon boreas

He added, "This type of pterosaur, an azhdarchid, is quite rare and most specimens are just one bone.

"These are some of the most popular and charismatic animals.

"Our new species is represented by a partial skeleton. This tells us a lot about the anatomy of these great leaflets, their flight and their way of life.

& # 39; The creature is similar to the larger known pterosaurs, but key features drawn from the bone cache show that it is actually part of a new genre and one of a kind. new species.

"This particular group of pterosaurs includes the largest flying animals of all time. Their anatomy contains important clues about the limits of animal flight and may be important in the future for biologically inspired mechanical design of flight. & # 39;

From these results, the scientists conclude that Cryodrakon was about the same size and resembled the largest known pterosaur, Quetzalcoatlus, but was probably heavier and more robust.

They say it's an important discovery because it challenges classic reconstructions of these animals as ultra-light specialists.

Even the smallest species of pterosaurs are larger than any bird living today. The smaller ones were larger than one albatross and the larger ones had a wingspan of 10 meters – the size of a small plane.

Scientists have noted major differences in the shape of the vertebrae, cervical bones and leg bones that would have affected the spine, leg shape and creature size.

It is hoped that the discovery of this new species will give rise to a new understanding of dinosaurs.

Prof Habib added, "They have been a source of inspiration for countless movie monsters. They have been essential components of worldwide ecosystems worldwide during the dinosaur era. They are therefore essential to understand the ecology and extinctions of this era.

"Just like flying animals today, they could bring important clues to how animals at the time responded to major climate change."

The results were reported today in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

It is rare to find so many bones of a single bird and vertebrae, bones of the cervix and legs have been studied in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Above: what did the dragon look like

It is rare to find so many bones of a single bird and vertebrae, bones of the cervix and legs have been studied in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Above: what did the dragon look like

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