New flying dinosaur discovered on Scottish island and it changes everything

6 Feb 2024

Daily Star

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New flying dinosaur discovered on Scottish island and it changes everything

Scientists reckon the fossil of a new flying dinosaur species discovered on a remote Scottish island could be up to 160 million years old and might be able to give us a fresh insight into how flying pterosaurs evolved

A new type of flying dinosaur has been found on a Scottish island. Scientists reckon the rare fossils, which are up to 160 million years old, could give us fresh clues about how flying pterosaurs evolved.

The research also reveals that pterosaurs lived into the latest Jurassic Period alongside avialans – the dinosaurs that eventually turned into birds we see today.

It's been tricky to understand the evolution of early pterosaurs because Middle Jurassic pterosaur fossils are rare and often incomplete. But this new find on the Isle of Skye shows that all main Jurassic pterosaur groups evolved much earlier than we thought – before the end of the Early Jurassic period.

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The fossil could reveal more about the dinosaurs that once roamed the Earth (Image: Natural History Museum / SWNS)

The discovery was made by a team from the Natural History Museum and the universities of Bristol, Leicester and Liverpool. They also found out that pterosaurs lived into the latest Jurassic, alongside avialans, the dinosaurs that eventually turned into modern birds.

The newly discovered remains are part of a single dinosaur skeleton that includes parts of the shoulders, wings, legs and backbone. Many of the bones are still completely stuck in rock and could only be studied using CT scans.

Professor Paul Barrett, of the Natural History Museum, expressed surprise at finding the dinosaur in the Middle Jurassic period between 174.1 and 163.5 million years ago. He said: "Ceoptera helps to narrow down the timing of several major events in the evolution of flying reptiles."

The discovery 'helps to narrow down the timing of several major events in the evolution of flying reptiles' (Image: Natural History Museum / SWNS)

He added that its appearance in the UK during the Middle Jurassic was unexpected as most of its close relatives are from China. He explained: "It shows that the advanced group of flying reptiles to which it belongs appeared earlier than we thought and quickly gained an almost worldwide distribution."

The research team named the new species Ceoptera evansae, with the name inspired by the Scottish Gaelic word Cheo, meaning mist, and the Latin -ptera, meaning wing. The name Evansae honours Professor Susan Evans for her extensive anatomical and palaeontological research on the Isle of Skye.

The findings were published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Lead author Dr Liz Martin-Silverstone believes that the fossilised bones could soon provide clues to understanding the evolution of pterosaurs. She stated: "The time period that Ceoptera is from is one of the most important periods of pterosaur evolution. It is also one in which we have some of the fewest specimens, indicating its significance.

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"To find that there were more bones embedded within the rock, some of which were integral in identifying what kind of pterosaur Ceoptera is, made this an even better find than initially thought.

"It brings us one step closer to understanding where and when the more advanced pterosaurs evolved."

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