160 million year old fossils in China reveal a previously unknown species of ancient pterosaur.
As described in PeerJ magazine, the new pterosaur species – named Sinomacrops bondei – has a chubby face with big eyes and a short chin, looking like the adorable Porgs in the sci-fi movie. Disney’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi .
Simulation of Sinomacrops bondei (left) compared to Porgs in the movie Star Wars. (Photo: Zhao Chuang).
The 160-million-year-old fossil of the creature was found in the Tiaojishan Formation in Hebei Province, northeastern China. This is the first Anurognathid specimen to still preserve an intact skull, allowing scientists to better understand the evolution and phylogeny of this ancient group of pterosaurs.
Anurognathids were distributed in Asia and Europe from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous, about 164 – 122 million years ago.
They are much smaller in size than most of their contemporaries. All known Anurognathid species have a wingspan that does not exceed 90cm.
Sinomacrops bondei fossil with almost intact skull. (Photo: Zhao Chuang).
Sinomacrops bondei is believed to have used its wings to hover over virgin forests and hunt small insects from the air.
To date, only three Anurognathid species have been described in China. The new discovery therefore has very important significance. The only fossil specimen of Sinomacrops bondei is currently kept at the Jinzhou Museum of Paleontology in central China.
