Three species of pterosaurs with large teeth were discovered

100 million-year-old fossils found in Africa reveal three species of giant fly pterosaurs, with wingspan of up to 4 meters.

The findings, published in Cretaceous Research, are helping to explore the lesser-known evolutionary history in Africa during the dinosaur era. Toothed pterosaurs were once part of the ancient river ecosystem of the black continent, home to many predatory species such as crocodiles and predatory dinosaurs.

Graphic that simulates a toothed pterosaur. (Photo: Baylor University).

"The pterosaur pterosaur is mostly known in Europe, South America and Asia. The new discovery is so interesting. It opens a door into the world of pterosaurs in Africa during the Cretaceous. ", lead researcher Megan L. Jacobs, a geoscientist at Baylor University, USA.

The specimens were excavated in a small village called Beggaa, right near the Erfoud oasis in the Sahara desert, southeastern Morocco. Fossil analysis shows that they belong to three completely new species of toothed pterosaurs, including one of the genera Anhanguera previously known only in Brazil and another from the genus Ornithocheirus found only in Britain and Central Asia.

Fossils are found in southeastern Monaco. (Photo: Daily Mail).

"They have a large wingspan, about 3 to 4 meters long, but the bones are very thin and contain a lot of air inside like birds," Jacobs described. "This allows them to take off and fly into the sky despite their incredible size."

The pterosaurs look for prey from above and the rafters catch them with sharp, spiky teeth. Their hunting range can stretch for hundreds of miles, as evidenced by fossil discoveries in both Africa and South America, similar to today's large predatory birds such as vultures and albatrosses, the team said. help said.