FOSSILS
A festive flying reptile family reunion 150 million years in the making
University of Leicester study finds nearly 50 hidden relatives of Pterodactylus, the first pterosaur
University of Leicester
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Growth stages of Pterodactylus. From tiny ‘flaplings’ no larger than a sparrow, most known specimens represent ‘teenagers’ comparable in size to a pigeon. Fully grown individuals boasted impressive wingspans exceeding 1 metre. Unlike birds, which must grow before achieving flight, even the smallest Pterodactylus were capable of flight from an early age.
view moreCredit: University of Leicester
Christmas is the time for families to come together, and in the midst of the festive season University of Leicester paleontologists have announced that they have reunited a family that have been separated for 150 million years.
A new study published this week has found nearly 50 ‘hidden’ relatives of Pterodactylus, the first pterosaur, that will allow scientists to reconstruct this flying reptile’s life history from hatchling to adulthood.
Nearly 250 years ago, the very first pterosaur fossil was found in a quarry in northern Bavaria. Dubbed Pterodactylus, this 150-million-year-old fossil provided the first evidence for an extraordinary group of flying reptiles that filled the skies of the Mesozoic, soaring over the heads of dinosaurs on wings that could span up to 10 metres or more. While this first pterosaur was only the size of a turtle dove, it completely reshaped our understanding of prehistoric life.
Despite being the original ‘pterodactyl’, Pterodactylus was soon quite literally overshadowed in the public consciousness by more dramatic, giant pterosaurs like Pteranodon and Quetzalcoatlus, which stole the spotlight. But Pterodactylus remained a favourite among pterosaur scientists.
Over the centuries, Pterodactylus and other similar pterosaurs from Bavaria have been central to ongoing scientific study, helping shape much of what we know about pterosaurs, from the shape of their wings and how they flew, to their diet and how they grew. But one question has always lingered: which of these many pterosaurs are truly Pterodactylus and which belong to completely different species? This confusion has persisted for centuries... until now. Thanks to a new study that analysed dozens of specimens of Pterodactylus in museums around the world, the mystery has been solved, and the true identity of these fossils has finally been uncovered.
Shining powerful UV torches on fossil bones to make them fluoresce, University of Leicester paleontologists Robert Smyth and Dr Dave Unwin were able to bring to light tiny near-invisible bony details that distinguish one kind of pterosaur from another. Using Pterodactylus’ unique features, found in the head, hips, hands and feet, Smyth and Unwin systematically checked other fossils from the same deposits and to their surprise discovered many other examples of Pterodactylus ‘hiding’ in among what were thought to be other species of pterosaur.
Lead author Robert Smyth, a doctoral researcher in the in the Centre for Palaeobiology and Biosphere Evolution (School of Geography, Geology and the Environment at the University of Leicester), explained: "By examining lots of fossils in collections across Europe we were able to reidentify more than forty specimens as Pterodactylus. UV stimulated fluorescence is astonishing in the amount of detail it can reveal. Features that were once hidden were glowing in plain sight.”
In an eyeblink the entire concept of Pterodactylus changed dramatically. With nearly 50 examples recognised so far, our knowledge of this most important of pterosaur has exploded. As co-author Dr David Unwin from the University of Leicester explained: “We can now construct a complete and highly detailed skeletal anatomy for this key pterosaur. Soft tissues are fossilised in more than twenty examples so we can also reconstruct head crests, body shape, foot webs and even the wings.”
The result? A sprawling family portrait of Pterodactylus, providing a unique opportunity to reconstruct its full life history. This spans from robin-sized hatchlings (affectionately dubbed ’flaplings’) to ’teenage’ Pterodactylus, all the way to raven-sized adults with wingspans nearly ten times larger.
Dr Unwin added: “UV stimulated fluorescence is a well-known technique, but the difference in this case is that we have been able to combine new high quality light sources with a systematic ‘catch-all’ approach, and it's going to have a revolutionary impact on our understanding of pterosaurs.”
Ends
UV photography of Pterodactylus. Ultraviolet light reveals remarkable details of the fossil invisible under normal lighting. This famous specimen showcases preserved soft tissues, including the delicate wing membranes, which fluoresce vividly under UV illumination.UV photography of Pterodactylus. Ultraviolet light reveals remarkable details of the fossil invisible under normal lighting. This famous specimen showcases preserved soft tissues, including the delicate wing membranes, which fluoresce vividly under UV illumination.
Family resemblance. This larger specimen is slightly jumbled, but it still reveals many important details, including the anatomy of the hands and feet, which have been found to be highly diagnostic features. This allows us to distinguish Pterodactylus from other closely related pterosaurs.
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University of Leicester
About the University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is the Daily Mail University of the Year 2025 and shortlisted for University of the Year for both the Times Higher Education Awards 2024 and the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.
The University is led by discovery and innovation – an international centre for excellence renowned for research, teaching and broadening access to higher education. It is among the Top 30 universities in the Times Higher Education (THE)’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 rankings with 89% of research assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent, with wide-ranging impacts on society, health, culture, and the environment. In 2023, the University received an overall Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023, making it one of a small number of institutions nationally to achieve TEF Gold alongside a top 30 REF performance. The University is home to more than 20,000 students and approximately 4,000 staff.
Journal
Journal of Systematic Palaeontology
Article Title
Re-evaluation of Pterodactylus antiquus and Diopecephalus kochi: two troublesome taxonomic concepts
Article Publication Date
17-Dec-2024
La Brea Tar Pits Researchers identify a mysterious fossil seed to reveal new chapters in LA’s climate history
La Brea Tar Pits scientists successfully identify a previously unknown species to Southern California from fossilized seeds, revealing a drought-fueled dance between two species of juniper with lessons for the region’s climate future
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
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Fluorescent and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of fossil and modern juniper leaves. (a, b) Fluorescent microscope imagery of fossil juniper branchlet (LACMHC 1469B). (b) Close-up of leaf scale with smooth leaf margins and acute-slightly obtuse apical shape. (c) SEM image of entire fossil leaf scale from adaxial (dorsal) perspective. (d–g) Close-up imagery of abaxial (ventral) side of modern (d) J. blancoi, (e) J. scopulorum, (f) J. virginiana, and (g) fossil juniper leaf (P23-47594).
view moreCredit: J. George et al. SEM Imagery by Giar-Ann Kung
Los Angeles (December 19, 2024)—La Brea Tar Pits scientists have identified a previously unknown juniper species to the La Brea Tar Pits as Juniperus scopulorum, commonly known as the Rocky Mountain juniper. The successful identification, along with the first-ever radiocarbon dating of these fossil plants in Southern California, expands our ability to track past environmental changes and highlights the vulnerability of junipers and the environments they shape in the face of modern climate change. Published in the journal New Phytologist, the study unlocks a key finding to understanding the megafaunal extinction at the Tar Pits and better understanding our own climate future.
The mammoths and saber-toothed cats that shape our imagination of Ice Age Los Angeles browsed, grazed, and hunted in juniper woodlands. More than just a source of food for giant herbivores, junipers were keystone trees and shrubs in the region, in turn shaping the landscape for at least 47,000 years before completely vanishing from the region in the same extinction event that erased most of the megafauna.
Researchers have long known that there are two different species of juniper found at the Tar Pits—the large-seeded J. californica (California juniper), and the small-seeded, mystery juniper. With distinct tolerances for temperature and drought, fossil junipers play a crucial role in understanding the changing climate of the last Ice Age, and how junipers can survive our climate future, but the identity of the mystery seed remained uncertain—until now.
“We set out to identify this mystery juniper, and in the process, we found a number of exciting things,” says Dr. Jessie George, postdoctoral researcher at La Brea Tar Pits, and lead author on the study. “Number one, we identified this juniper as Rocky Mountain juniper, and it is one of the most extreme examples of a plant going extinct locally. It’s not present anywhere in California today.”
As part of the study, George and the other Tar Pits researchers radiocarbon dated the two species of juniper, which led to the second exciting finding: “In the process of radiocarbon dating these juniper species, we found this really interesting pattern of reciprocal presence—either California juniper only or Rocky Mountain juniper only.”
Because each plant survives in specific conditions, its presence acts as a proxy for climate. George and her colleagues found that this dance between the two junipers coincided with long periods of drought and warm, dry weather that would otherwise be hidden in the fossil record. “California juniper is a much more drought tolerant species. It withstands moisture deficit way better than Rocky Mountain juniper,” says George. “Through these back-and-forth occurrences of the two species from the Tar Pits, we have this really fascinating record of aridity and drought that was previously undetected.”
The small size of the unknown juniper seed—about as big as Lincoln’s forehead on a penny—made it a difficult subject, especially since DNA has yet to be extracted from Tar Pits fossils. Instead, George compared the structure of seeds and branchlets to other juniper species—the only way to uncover its identity. It required careful comparison using advanced microscopy, image analysis, and species distribution modeling (SDM) until the team reached a definitive answer.
While climate definitely played an important role in their local extinction, the team thinks that the abrupt disappearance of Ice Age megafauna and fires started by humans may have also contributed, much like in the case of those iconic giant mammals. In a hotter, drier climate, even plants well-adapted to drought couldn’t survive the extra stress of human fires. This is especially true for plants that are not adapted to wildfire–unlike many other conifer species, juniper has little tolerance for surviving or re-growing following fires. The finding highlights the threat junipers continue to face from human-caused climate change and could inform conservation efforts going forward.
“We're seeing events of really dramatic decline of these trees in the southwest today because of warming temperatures and increased wildfire caused by modern climate change. So a direct record of how this might have occurred in the past, what factors were at play, and where those boundaries occurred is incredibly important,” says George. “It gives us a better framework to understand a baseline of climate and environment to contextualize changes in other plant life and the fauna that we see during these periods of significant change in the past. As our ability to precisely date fossils improves, better and more detailed information is revealed from ancient life at La Brea.”
Identification of fossil juniper seeds from Rancho La Brea (California, USA): drought and extirpation in the Late Pleistocene was authored by Jessie George, Monica Dimson, Regan E. Dunn, Emily L. Lindsey, Aisling B. Farrell, Brenda Paola Aguilar, Glen M. MacDonald and was published in New Phytologist on December 10, 2024
About La Brea Tar Pits
The asphalt seeps at La Brea Tar Pits are the only consistently active and urban Ice Age excavation site in the world. This makes the site a unique window into active science—where fossils are discovered, prepared, researched, and displayed in one place. Outside, visitors can watch excavators unearth fossils of Ice Age plants and animals that were trapped and preserved in the seeps. Inside the museum, scientists and volunteers clean, repair, and identify those fossils. The best specimens are displayed and available for research: from extraordinary saber-toothed cats, giant sloths, dire wolves, mammoths, and mastodons—to microfossils of small animals and plants. These collections constitute an unparalleled resource for understanding environmental change in Los Angeles, and the planet, during the last 50,000 years of Earth’s history.
About the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County
The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) include the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park, La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park, and the William S. Hart Museum in Newhall. They operate under the collective vision to inspire wonder, discovery, and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds. The museums hold one of the world’s most extensive and valuable collections of natural and cultural history—more than 35 million objects. Using these collections for groundbreaking scientific and historical research, the museums also incorporate them into on- and offsite nature and culture exploration in L.A. neighborhoods, and a slate of community science programs—creating indoor-outdoor visitor experiences that explore the past, present, and future. Visit NHMLAC.ORG for adventure, education, and entertainment opportunities.
Journal
New Phytologist
Method of Research
Observational study
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Identification of fossil juniper seeds from Rancho La Brea (California, USA): drought and extirpation in the Late Pleistocene
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