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Chilean scientists have discovered a fossil of a so-called “flying dragon” dinosaur, the first of its kind to be found in the southern hemisphere.
Paleontologists have found the Jurassic creature, one of the first dinosaurs, in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
The “dragon”, which roamed the Earth 160 million years ago, has a long, pointed tail, sharp, pointed wings and teeth.
The remains, previously found only in North America, were discovered by Osvaldo Rojas, director of the Atacama Desert Museum of Natural History and Culture.
The discovery indicates a migration of species between North America and South America that is believed to be linked to a supercontinent called Gondwana.
“This shows that the distribution of animals in this group was wider than what is known so far,” said Jonatan Alarcón, a scientist from the University of Chile who led the research. According to Russia Today.
Alarcón added: “There are also pterosaurs from this group in Cuba, which appear to have been coastal animals, so they probably migrated between north and south or maybe they came once and are remained, we do not know. “
Scientists said the find represents “the oldest known pterosaur found in Chile.”
And the Atacama Desert has become a hotspot for fossil finds. The arid landscapes of prehistoric times were inundated with sea water.
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