Revealed 2 flying monsters with wingspans up to 5-10 m

(NLDO) - "Sealed" in stone in 3D shape as when alive, 2 flying monsters in Jordan revealed many surprising things.

According to Sci-News, scientists have unearthed extremely valuable 3D fossils of two ancient flying monsters in rocks of the Late Cretaceous period (about 100-65 million years ago) of the Cretaceous period in Jordan.

One of the two individuals belonged to a previously unknown species of pterosaur (flying lizard) with a wingspan of up to 5 m and has just been named Inabtanin alarabia.

The remaining one belongs to the known species Arambourgiania philadelphiae, with a wingspan of up to 10 m.

Giant flying monster Arambourgiania philadelphiae - Photo illustration: Mark Witton

"Our team was extremely surprised to find 3D preserved pterosaur bones, which is a very rare phenomenon," said paleontologist Kierstin Rosenbach from the University of Michigan (USA), lead author of the study on the two specimens.

3D fossils are extremely rare, especially for pterosaurs, which had rather fragile skeletons that were not suited to flight.

This fossil not only preserves the structure of the animal when it was alive, but can also reveal how its body worked.

In this case, the two individuals, seemingly "sealed" in rock, have helped scientists learn that the largest members of the pterosaur family may have flown in very different ways.

Researchers used high-resolution computed tomography (CT) to analyze the internal structure of the wing bone.

The Arambourgiania philadelphiae specimen possesses a hollow wing bone, containing a series of spiraling ridges up and down, like a vulture's wing bone.

It is thought that the spiral grooves were able to resist the twisting forces involved in flight, so the monster must have flown like a condor, vulture, or seagull in life.

In contrast, the wing bones of Inabtanin alarabia show details similar to the wings of modern birds that fly by continuously flapping their wings.

Imagine a hummingbird magnified thousands of times, with the "face" of a dinosaur added to it.

The flight patterns of two giant pterosaurs in Jordan were very different - Graphic image: Terryl Whitlatch.

Thus, the two flying monsters in Jordan once again demonstrate the diversity of dinosaurs as well as their surprising similarity to modern birds. Today, birds are often considered the last descendants of dinosaurs.

The study was recently published in the scientific journal Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/jordan-lo-dien-2-quai-vat-bay-sai-canh-len-den-5-10-m-196240911112646894.htm