Skull of Flying Reptile Is Found in Brazil
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WASHINGTON, D.C.
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The fossilized skull of a flying reptile from the time of the dinosaurs shows it sported an impressive bony crest and may have lived on fish captured while skimming the surface of a steamy Southern Hemisphere lagoon.
In a study appearing today in the journal Science, researchers say the fossil, found in northern Brazil, is from a previously unknown kind of pterosaur, a reptile that flew on furry wings, dipping and diving as it caught fish.
Scientists said the animal, which they named Thalassodromeus sethi, lived about 110 million years ago. Its 4-foot-long skull was topped with a 31-inch bony crest that may have acted as a rudder.
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