Pterosaur, a huge flying reptile in ancient times, what's its name? Also known as the dragon? What dinosaurs did pterosaurs feed on? About hundreds of millions of years ago?

It originated in the late Triassic about 2.65438+0.5 million years ago, and it was a close relative of dinosaurs, which appeared and became extinct at the same time. It can soar in the air as soon as it appears, flying into the blue sky about 70 million years earlier than birds. It is the first flying reptile. It is as big as an airplane and as small as a sparrow. When dinosaurs became the dominant land, pterosaurs always occupied the sky. Pterosaurs sometimes perched on cliffs to close their eyes, and sometimes quickly swept across the lake to prey on fish and shrimp. They are flying in the air, chasing and playing, looking down at all living things on the earth.

Through the study of a large number of fossils, we made such a discovery today. In fact, what kind of animal pterosaur was, this question has puzzled scientists for many years. When Coligny, an Italian paleontologist, discovered the first pterosaur fossil in Germany in 1784, he was not even sure what kind of animal it belonged to. At that time, people also had various speculations about the appearance of pterosaurs, and the pictures of pterosaurs' recovery were also strange. Some people think it lives in the ocean, while others think it is a transitional type between birds and bats. Some people even think that pterosaurs are like the legendary phoenix in China. It was not until 180 1 that Ye Wei, a famous French comparative anatomist, recognized it as a pterodactyl and a reptile. Since the pterosaur was identified, people have been full of curiosity about this strange animal that flew into the sky for the first time and have been exploring the hidden secrets.

Classification of pterosaurs

Up to now, more than 120 species of pterosaur fossils have been found and named in the world. 12 pterodactyl fossils have also been found in China. After years of research, scientists have come to the conclusion that pterosaurs are neither members of the dinosaur family nor ancestors of birds, and have nothing to do with bats. So far, it can't find its place in the chain of biological evolution, nor does it belong to any link. It is an independent branch evolved from reptiles. A unique pterosaur family has been formed. Judging from the fossils found, the members of pterosaur family are also diverse. Scientists divide them into two categories. This is the original beak-billed dragon. Its main feature is that its mouth is full of long and sharp teeth, its tail is very long, and it feeds on fishing. This frog-billed dragon is a special kind of beak-billed dragon. It has a short tail, a short and wide head, a frog-like mouth and mainly eats insects. Another advanced pterosaur is called pterosaur. China pterodactyl, which was discovered in western Liaoning, is the representative of pterodactyl. Its neck and metacarpal bones are very long and its tail has degenerated. Scientists infer that this pterosaur may be a flight expert.

pterosaur

Pterosaur, which appeared on the earth in Mesozoic Triassic, was the first flying vertebrate, but some people suspected that it was just an empty name and could only glide in the sky at best. However, the latest research shows that pterodactyl can not only fly like a bird, but also be a flight expert because the developed nerve tissue in the brain processes balance information.

The world's first pterodactyl embryo fossil was recently discovered by paleontologists Dr. Wang Xiaolin and Dr. Zhou Zhonghe in the Jehol biota in western Liaoning, China. In June this year 10, related research papers were published in the most famous academic journal in the world-Nature. Because of this great discovery, Nature also distributed relevant news reports and pictures in the "Today's News" column on the homepage of its website. This importance was also reported in the American magazine Science published on June 1 1.

The largest pterodactyl is pterodactyl. The spread wings are12m long.

The individual size and shape of pterodactyl vary greatly, such as the pterodactyl fossils found in Texas in the 1970s. Its wings spread about 12 meters, the width is equivalent to an F- 16 fighter, and the rest are shaped like sparrows. There are two kinds of pterosaurs. Early beaked dinosaurs were primitive, mainly living in Jurassic, with long tails. Late pterosaurs mainly lived in Cretaceous, and their tails were very short or even disappeared.

Pterosaurs are reptiles, but they are probably warm-blooded animals. In the 20th century, in addition to British paleontology, pterosaurs had the ability to move quickly, like bats, with hair on their bodies and living habits similar to birds. So pterosaurs should be warm-blooded animals with constant temperature. Later, the mark of "Mao" was found on the fossil of beak-billed dragon found in Germany. 1970 A relatively complete pterodactyl fossil was found in Kazakhstan. British paleontologists believe that this specimen is undoubtedly a warm-blooded animal by studying its hair and pterygoid membrane structure. These "hairs" on pterosaurs keep warm, prevent heat loss in the body, and have the function of regulating body temperature, which can directly prove that pterosaurs are warm-blooded animals.