These relatives of Pterodactylus will allow paleontologists to reconstruct this flying reptile’s life history from hatchling to adulthood.
Holotype specimen of Pterodactylus antiquus. Image credit: Robert S.H. Smyth & David M. Unwin, doi: 10.1080/14772019.2024.2421845.
Nearly 250 years ago, the very first pterosaur fossil was found in a quarry in northern Bavaria, Germany.
Dubbed Pterodactylus, this 150-million-year-old fossil provided the first evidence for an extraordinary group of flying reptiles that filled the skies of the Mesozoic, soaring over the heads of dinosaurs on wings that could span up to 10 m or more.
While this first pterosaur was only the size of a turtle dove, it completely reshaped our understanding of prehistoric life.
Despite being the original ‘pterodactyl,’ Pterodactylus was soon quite literally overshadowed in the public consciousness by more dramatic, giant pterosaurs like Pteranodon and Quetzalcoatlus, which stole the spotlight. But Pterodactylus remained a favorite among pterosaur scientists.
Over the centuries, Pterodactylus and other similar pterosaurs from Bavaria have been central to ongoing scientific study, helping shape much of what we know about pterosaurs, from the shape of their wings and how they flew, to their diet and how they grew.
But one question has always lingered: which of these many pterosaurs are truly Pterodactylus and which belong to completely different species?
This confusion has persisted for centuries — until now.
Thanks to a new study that analyzed dozens of Pterodactylus specimens in museums around the world, the mystery has been solved, and the true identity of these fossils has finally been uncovered.
Shining powerful UV torches on fossil bones to make them fluoresce, University of Leicester paleontologists Robert Smyth and Dave Unwin were able to bring to light tiny near-invisible bony details that distinguish one kind of pterosaur from another.
Using Pterodactylus’ unique features, found in the head, hips, hands and feet, they systematically checked other fossils from the same deposits and to their surprise discovered many other examples of Pterodactylus ‘hiding’ in among what were thought to be other species of pterosaur.
“By examining lots of fossils in collections across Europe we were able to reidentify more than forty specimens as Pterodactylus,” Smyth said.
“UV stimulated fluorescence is astonishing in the amount of detail it can reveal. Features that were once hidden were glowing in plain sight.”
In an eyeblink the entire concept of Pterodactylus changed dramatically.
With nearly 50 examples recognized so far, our knowledge of this most important of pterosaur has exploded.
“We can now construct a complete and highly detailed skeletal anatomy for this key pterosaur,” Dr. Unwin said.
“Soft tissues are fossilized in more than twenty examples so we can also reconstruct head crests, body shape, foot webs and even the wings.”
“UV stimulated fluorescence is a well-known technique, but the difference in this case is that we have been able to combine new high quality light sources with a systematic ‘catch-all’ approach, and it’s going to have a revolutionary impact on our understanding of pterosaurs.”
The results were published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.
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Robert S.H. Smyth & David M. Unwin. 2024. Re-evaluation of Pterodactylus antiquus and Diopecephalus kochi: two troublesome taxonomic concepts. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 22 (1): 2421845; doi: 10.1080/14772019.2024.2421845
