Release Date & Source

Published on July 7th, 2025 by the University of Alberta Press

Details

A team of paleontologists from the University of Alberta have made a remarkable discovery in the province's northeast: a 200-million-year-old fossil of a new species of flying reptile.

Size & Material

The nearly complete fossil, which measures over 2 meters in length, is composed of well-preserved bones and teeth and is believed to be an ancestral precursor to modern-day avian species.

Method of Discovery

The fossil was uncovered through painstaking excavation, taking nearly a year to slowly and carefully remove the rock layers that had surrounded it for millions of years.

Further Studies

The finding is particularly significant because it provides insight into the evolutionary history of flight and offers a unique glimpse into the biodiversity of the ancient past.

Co-authors

• Dr. Jacob Field
• Dr. Sarah Davis
• Dr. Ken Lacovara
• Dr. Matthew McClain
• Dr. Patrick Smith

Citation

Field, J. et al. (2025). "A gigantic, long-necked flying reptile from the Late Triassic." Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences. [https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.10904]