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Newly found dinosaur had wingspan the size of a car

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Published Date: 04 December 2008
A NEW species of pterosaur which had a wingspan the size of a family car has been uncovered by scientists.
A researcher at the University of Portsmouth has identified the new species, the largest of its kind, which would have flown in the skies above Brazil 115 million years ago.

Mark Witton was able to estimate from a partial skull fossil that the pterosaur would have had a wingspan of five metres (16.4ft) and would have been more than one metre (39 inches) tall at the shoulder.

The fossil is the first example of a chaoyangopteridae, a group of toothless pterosaurs, to be found outside China and is the largest one yet discovered.

Mr Witton said: "Some of the previous examples we have from this family in China are just 60cm (2ft) long – as big as the skull of the new species.

"Put simply, it dwarfs any chaoyangopterid we've seen before by miles."

Mr Witton has christened the species Lacusovagus, meaning lake wanderer, after the large body of water in which the remains were buried.





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1

POSTMARK,-55,

China, 04/12/2008 00:08:14
If it was flying over the skies of Brazil 115 million years ago why is it that they call it a 'new' species? And why at 16'4" does it dwarf anything else by 'miles'?
2

Guga II,

Rockall 04/12/2008 00:37:42
If they only found a partial skull fossil, how do they know it was really a bird, or that it wasn't a flightless bird with stumpy wings. Or it may have had a small head with wings twice the size they say, or a big head and smaller wings.

There is far too much of this junk science nowadays, that makes spectacular and misleading claims based on assumptions, guesswork and dodgy computer models.

3

Unimpressed one,

04/12/2008 08:05:13
There were much larger true birds:

www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=3425
4

Alternative (High-Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 04/12/2008 10:09:46
"...the pterosaur would have had a wingspan of five metres (16.4ft) and would have been more than one metre (39 inches) tall at the shoulder."

See... They can use proper units of measurement. Why doesn't the headline read "Newly found dinosaur had wingspan of 5 metres"?

Saying something is "the size of a car" is completely meaningless.
5

Bele's bane,

Scotland 04/12/2008 16:35:55
Post#2 Guga

It is done using comparative anatomy and scale measure!

If they find your ulna, by using a scale worked out on the average length of that bone in relation to hight of the owner a ver close figure can be arrived at giving a pretty accurate idea of how tall you are!

That is really an over simplification but it gives you some idea!
6

Guga II,

Rockall 04/12/2008 18:39:32
#5 Bele's bane.

Comparative anatomy and scale measure is fine when dealing with modern humans, but in this case they are dealing with a partial, crushed skull, embedded in car filler which they couldn't remove, and which is 115 million years old.

What they have come out with is pure speculation.
7

Bele's bane,

Scotland 05/12/2008 14:32:14
Post #6 Guga ll, Rockall

There have been a fair number of various types of pterosaur type fossils recovered over the last two centuries and an informed extrapolation can thus be made by employing the basic principals of comparative anatomy.

Remember there is wild, uninformed speculation and informed speculation that may not be initially 100% correct but that comes later with more discoveries.

Initially fossils were not recognised for what they were but as the "data bank referrence" expanded so did the skill and ability to make informed speculation about their likely appearance increase.

 

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