Mini-Pterodactyl Found in China

Mini-Pterodactyl Found in China
Mini-Pterodactyl Found in China
Mini-Pterodactyl Found in China
Mini-Pterodactyl Found in China
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Mini-Pterodactyl Found in China
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A fossil of a new type of small flying reptile was recently found preserved in the fine siltstone of an ancient waterway in northeastern China.

Nemicolopterus crypticus, a small, toothless reptile with wings of skin, likely darted across early Cretaceous-era forests and lakes while feasting on insects, a new study says.

The study authors suggest that powered flight might have started with the tree-hopping tendencies of N. crypticus.

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—Image courtesy of PNAS/National Academy of Sciences
 

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