A remarkable find on the Isle of Skye has unveiled a distinctive species of flying reptile, or pterosaur, that roamed the skies 168-166 million years ago. The fossilized wings, shoulders, legs, and backbone were unearthed on a beach, offering a rare glimpse into the Middle Jurassic period.
Named Ceoptera, the creature’s name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word cheò, meaning mist, in reference to the Isle of Skye’s Gaelic name, Eilean a’ Cheò or Isle of Mist. Although the pterosaur’s skull was missing, the discovery is groundbreaking as fossils from this era are exceptionally scarce.
Dr. Liz Martin-Silverstone at the University of Bristol used a CT scanner to create a 3D digital model of the fossil, emphasizing the rarity of finding substantial remains from the Middle Jurassic period.
The Ceoptera likely boasted a wingspan of 1 to 1.5 meters, representing a unique species in Scotland. Prof Steve Brusatte, not involved in the research, notes that the findings suggest the existence of a pterosaur type between primitive and advanced evolutionary stages.
During the Middle Jurassic period, Scotland was part of an island in the Atlantic Ocean, featuring a sub-tropical climate with beaches and lagoons where pterosaurs thrived. This discovery emphasizes that pterosaurs dominated the skies in the absence of birds during this era.
The fossil, initially discovered in 2006 by scientists from the Natural History Museum during a dig, required extensive effort to extract and study. The fragile fossil was carefully transported in backpacks to London, where researchers spent thousands of hours removing the surrounding limestone rock.
The team utilized acid to dissolve the rock and employed scanning techniques to publish their classification of the fossil. Dr. Paul Barrett, part of the expedition, reminisces about the challenges faced during the discovery, crawling on hands and knees to spot small bone smears on the dark rock surface.
The Ceoptera belongs to the Darwinoptera branch of pterosaurs, indicating that this advanced group flourished for over 25 million years, spanning the late Early Jurassic to the latest Jurassic. The findings, shedding light on the extended existence of this pterosaur group, are documented in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
