Fossilized remains of cat-sized flying reptile found in British Columbia By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.06.16 Word Count 768 An artist's impression of the small-bodied, Late Cretaceous azhdarchoid pterosaur from British Columbia. These flying reptiles are shown here surrounded not by other pterosaurs but by birds. Photo: Mark Witton Scientists have found the fossil of a remarkably small pterosaur. The prehistoric creature was no bigger than a modern-day house cat. Pterosaurs are often confused with dinosaurs, but, in fact, they are not even closely related. As Brian Switek once wrote, "A pterosaur is no more a dinosaur than a goldfish is a shark." Instead, these creatures were the world's last flying reptilian giants. They soared above their distantly related dinosaur cousins for more than 100 million years until both went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period 66 million years ago. The largest of their kind could grow to be as big as giraffes, with wingspans like small planes. The newly discovered pterosaur lived just 77 million years ago, long after the time during which small pterosaurs were thought to have died out. Until now, scientists believed small winged reptiles were edged out of the evolutionary game by rapidly adapting birds.
Same Size As A Domestic Cat The new fossil shows a pterosaur with a wingspan of less than five feet across. With its wings folded up against its tiny body, the creature would have been no larger than a modern domestic cat, standing just a foot tall though its beak would have kept it from being very snuggly. Based on a study of the bones, the researchers feel confident that their specimen was an adult, not the baby of some heftier flier. "This new pterosaur is exciting," said lead study author Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone. "It suggests that small pterosaurs were present all the way until the end of the Cretaceous, and weren't outcompeted by birds." Researchers have long noted that juvenile versions of the big pterosaurs of the Late Cretaceous are few and far between in the fossil record. Since these giant reptiles must have been babies once, the lack of fossil evidence suggests that smaller fossil specimens might not have held up as well over millions of years. Perhaps that could explain why species like the one Martin-Silverstone identified have proved elusive. "The hollow bones of pterosaurs are notoriously poorly preserved, and larger animals seem to be preferentially preserved," Martin-Silverstone said. "This suggests that a small pterosaur would very rarely be preserved, but not necessarily that they didn't exist." Fossil Is Incomplete If scientists can find more of these small specimens, a recently developed theory of pterosaur evolution may be disproved. Scientists knew that small pterosaurs gave way to giants during the same period in which avian dinosaurs shrank down into birds as we know them. Therefore it seemed reasonable to assume that small birds edged pterosaurs out of their small-flying-thing niche, forcing them to get bigger or go extinct. The new fossil find suggests that assumption may be wrong. However, not everyone will accept the validity of the new find, because the tiny fossil is incomplete. Discovered in what is now British Columbia, it is just a forelimb, a few vertebrae and various tiny fragments of bone. The pieces are so sparse that the researchers declined to try to name the animal as a new species, because it would be difficult to prove just what other creatures it was most closely related to. "The authors have done a good job given the limited data," scientist Richard Butler said. However, Butler was not convinced that the bones did not come from a juvenile pterosaur or perhaps even from another kind of animal entirely. "A pterosaur identity is probable... but they cannot be completely certain that it is not a bird," he said.
Answer Resides In The Vertebrae The main argument for the creature not being some kind of bird rests in its vertebrae: The researchers believe they see something called a notarium, a section of fused vertebrae that helped pterosaurs support powerful, muscled wings. Birds, which were developing flight but came from a completely separate evolutionary line, did not have this structure. This nameless little pterosaur has probably told scientists all it can from its scant, broken bones. However, other specimens could help fill in the gaps of the story. "What we have now it's not enough to understand this weird phenomenon at the end of the Cretaceous, where there aren't any small pterosaurs," study co-author Mark Witton said. Hopefully, more fossil evidence can be found in the field, or perhaps even in museum storage, hidden away and misidentified. "There are so many things in museums that people aren't looking out for," Witton said. "What we want to do is put these things on the radar of researchers and curators, so we can start to build up a good-quality data set of these small specimens."
Quiz 1 Read the paragraph from the section "Same Size As A Domestic Cat." The new fossil shows a pterosaur with a wingspan of less than five feet across. With its wings folded up against its tiny body, the creature would have been no larger than a modern domestic cat, standing just a foot tall though its beak would have kept it from being very snuggly. Based on a study of the bones, the researchers feel confident that their specimen was an adult, not the baby of some heftier flier. Which idea is BEST supported by the paragraph? Previously identified fossils of large pterosaurs contributed to the identification of the newly found fossil. The newly found fossil is a perfect match with the fossils of small pterosaurs that have been found previously. Researchers identified the newly found fossil as a small pterosaur that was about the size of an infant large pterosaur. The newly found fossil clearly depicted the bones of a small pterosaur folded against its tiny body. 2 Read the sentence below. The new fossil found in British Columbia may or may not be that of a small pterosaur. Which sentence from the article BEST supports the idea expressed above? Pterosaurs are often confused with dinosaurs, but, in fact, they are not even closely related. The newly discovered pterosaur lived just 77 million years ago, long after the time during which small pterosaurs were thought to have died out. Since these giant reptiles must have been babies once, the lack of fossil evidence suggests that smaller fossil specimens might not have held up as well over millions of years. The pieces are so sparse that the researchers declined to try to name the animal as a new species, because it would be difficult to prove just what other creatures it was most closely related to.
3 In the article, how does the information about birds help develop the central idea of the article? by establishing the geological period when the small pterosaurs lived by highlighting what type of food birds and small pterosaurs ate by suggesting that birds have a physical characteristic that small pterosaurs lacked by offering an explanation of why small pterosaurs became extinct 4 Which statement is best to include in an objective summary of the article? The researchers who have studied a newly found small pterosaur fossil have done a good job in their analysis of the fossil. The lead author of the study of a small pterosaur fossil thinks the small pterosaur is an exciting discovery. The relationship of a small pterosaur to a dinosaur is very different from the relationship of a goldfish to a shark. Scientists agree that the rarity of small pterosaur fossils indicates that many such fossils are likely hidden away in museums.
Answer Key 1 Read the paragraph from the section "Same Size As A Domestic Cat." The new fossil shows a pterosaur with a wingspan of less than five feet across. With its wings folded up against its tiny body, the creature would have been no larger than a modern domestic cat, standing just a foot tall though its beak would have kept it from being very snuggly. Based on a study of the bones, the researchers feel confident that their specimen was an adult, not the baby of some heftier flier. Which idea is BEST supported by the paragraph? Previously identified fossils of large pterosaurs contributed to the identification of the newly found fossil. The newly found fossil is a perfect match with the fossils of small pterosaurs that have been found previously. Researchers identified the newly found fossil as a small pterosaur that was about the size of an infant large pterosaur. The newly found fossil clearly depicted the bones of a small pterosaur folded against its tiny body. 2 Read the sentence below. The new fossil found in British Columbia may or may not be that of a small pterosaur. Which sentence from the article BEST supports the idea expressed above? Pterosaurs are often confused with dinosaurs, but, in fact, they are not even closely related. The newly discovered pterosaur lived just 77 million years ago, long after the time during which small pterosaurs were thought to have died out. Since these giant reptiles must have been babies once, the lack of fossil evidence suggests that smaller fossil specimens might not have held up as well over millions of years. The pieces are so sparse that the researchers declined to try to name the animal as a new species, because it would be difficult to prove just what other creatures it was most closely related to.
3 In the article, how does the information about birds help develop the central idea of the article? by establishing the geological period when the small pterosaurs lived by highlighting what type of food birds and small pterosaurs ate by suggesting that birds have a physical characteristic that small pterosaurs lacked by offering an explanation of why small pterosaurs became extinct 4 Which statement is best to include in an objective summary of the article? The researchers who have studied a newly found small pterosaur fossil have done a good job in their analysis of the fossil. The lead author of the study of a small pterosaur fossil thinks the small pterosaur is an exciting discovery. The relationship of a small pterosaur to a dinosaur is very different from the relationship of a goldfish to a shark. Scientists agree that the rarity of small pterosaur fossils indicates that many such fossils are likely hidden away in museums.