Paleontologists from the University of Portsmouth have found the fossilized remains of a new species of ancient flying reptile.
Scientists announced their find in an article published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polnica. The new species, named Klobiodon rochei, belongs to an ancient order of flying creatures known as pterosaurs.
The winged reptile lived approximately 167 million years ago (Middle Jurassic). Its wingspan reached two meters. The fossilized remains of the creature were found in Oxfordshire, England.
"Only the lower jaw of Klobiodon rochei is known, but its tooth structure is unique, which makes it different from other pterosaurs," say paleontologists Michael O'Sullivan and David Martill of the University of Portsmouth.
Klobiodon rochei had huge canine teeth - up to 2.6 centimeters in length, while most pterosaurs did not have them at all.
“Most likely, this creature looked like a gull or tern - a coastal flying predator that caught fish and squid with its huge teeth, and then completely swallowed them,” the researchers say. "Its large fangs joined together to form a toothed cage from which few prey could escape, and then Klobiodon rochei caught it."
Klobiodon rochei and other Stonesfield pterosaurs lived alongside one of the most famous and significant dinosaurs in the world - the predator Megalosaurus, the first scientifically described dinosaur.
Vladimir Guillen
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