Buenos Aires-Sana
Argentine scientists have discovered a new species of huge flying reptile called Thanatos Dragon, or the dragon of death, dating back about 86 million years, in the Andes Mountains region of western Argentina.
Sky News quoted the team of scientists as saying: This ancient pterosaur or pterosaur was about nine meters long and preceded the flying birds of its time, as it was among the first creatures on Earth to use wings to fly and hunt their prey from the sky in the prehistoric period.
The team discovered the Thanatos Dragon fossil in the Andes Mountains in the province of Mendoza in western Argentina, where the rocks that preserved the remains of this reptile date back 86 million years during the Cretaceous period.
Project leader Leonardo Ortiz said that the fossil's unprecedented characteristics required a new name, "a combination of the two ancient Greek words death thannatos and the dragon dragon, indicating that the name dragon of death is very appropriate."
The massive fossil bones show the new species as the largest of the ancient pterosaurs so far discovered in South America and one of the largest pterosaurs found elsewhere.
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