Biggest Jurassic Pterosaur Fossil Ever Found in Scotland

 According to a Smithsonian Magazine article by Corryn Wetzel, a fossil-hunting expedition in Scotland discovered the jawbone of the most massive Jurassic-era pterosaur ever, "protruding from the limestone."[1] 

For those who don't know, "Pterosaurs,  from Greek pteron and sauros, meaning "wing lizard" were flying reptiles of the extinct clade or order Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 to 66 million years ago). Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight. Their wings were formed by a membrane of skin, muscle, and other tissues stretching from the ankles to a dramatically lengthened fourth finger."[2]

Scientists associated with the discovery say it is not only the biggest skeleton of a pterosaur, but the most well-preserved ever found in Scotland. The new species had a wingspan that measured over eight feet.

 However, it still isn't the largest pterosaur ever. During the Cretaceous Period, the species known as Quetzalcoatlus, named after the Aztec God Quetzalcoatl[3], reached a size of over fifty-two feet![4] 

Sources:

1.) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/largest-jurassic-pterosaur-on-record-unearthed-in-scotland-180979631/

2.) https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app20090145.html

3.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatl

4.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatlus#Size

Image Sources:

1.) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OrnitocheiridsDB.jpg

Attribution: Creator:Dmitry Bogdanov, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

2.) Quetzalcoatlus

Attribtution: Fossiladder13, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.