科學(xué)家發(fā)掘出1億年前長有6英寸喙的翼龍化石

科學(xué)家發(fā)掘出1億年前長有6英寸喙的翼龍化石

A new species of pterosaur — a flying reptile that lived 100 million years ago — has been discovered by scientists in Africa.

非洲科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種新的翼龍——一種生活在1億年前的會飛的爬行動物。

Known as Afrotapejara zouhrii, it is the first of its kind found in Africa. Others have been seen in Europe, as well as Brazil and China.

它被稱為Afrotapejara zouhrii，是在非洲發(fā)現(xiàn)的首例此類動物。歐洲、巴西和中國也出現(xiàn)了類似的情況。

Living during the Cretaceous period, these reptiles had wingspans perhaps as wide as 12 feet, with large, broad crests sweeping up from the front of the skull, researchers reported.

研究人員報告說，這些生活在白堊紀(jì)時期的爬行動物的翼展可能寬達(dá)12英尺，大而寬的羽冠從頭骨的前部向上掠起。

“The study of Moroccan material shows that we are still far from having found all the paleontological treasures of North Africa. Even fragmentary fossils, like the jaw piece of the new pterosaur, can give us important information about the biodiversity of the past,” David Martill, from the University of Portsmouth’s School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences — which led the study, said in a statement.

“對摩洛哥材料的研究表明，我們還遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)北非所有的古生物寶藏。即使是零碎的化石，比如新發(fā)現(xiàn)的翼龍的顎骨，也能給我們提供關(guān)于過去生物多樣性的重要信息。”

The new pterosaur has been named Afrotapejara zouhrii to honour the Moroccan palaeontologist Professor Samir Zouhri, according to researchers. Originally a mammal specialist, Zouhri contributed to several discoveries of prehistoric reptiles in Morocco, including dinosaurs and pterosaurs.

據(jù)研究人員介紹，這只新翼龍被命名為AfrotapejaraZouhrii，以紀(jì)念摩洛哥古生物學(xué)家SamirZouhri教授。SamirZouhri教授最初是一名哺乳動物專家，他為摩洛哥史前爬行動物的一些發(fā)現(xiàn)做出了貢獻(xiàn)，包括恐龍和翼龍。

“The opportunity to illuminate the diversity of pterosaurs in Africa while honouring a colleague does not happen every day,” Martill added.

馬蒂爾補(bǔ)充說：“在向同事致敬的同時，照亮非洲翼龍多樣性的機(jī)會并非每天都有。”。

“I feel very privileged to be part of such an exciting discovery. Working in the Sahara was a life-changing experience, and discovering a new species of pterosaur is the icing on the cake,” PhD student Roy Smith, one of the co-authors, explained.

“我感到很榮幸能參與到這樣一個令人興奮的發(fā)現(xiàn)中來。在撒哈拉沙漠工作是一次改變?nèi)松慕?jīng)歷，而發(fā)現(xiàn)一種新的翼龍是錦上添花。”

The scientists’ work is set to publish in the journal Cretaceous Research.

科學(xué)家們的研究成果將發(fā)表在《白堊紀(jì)研究》雜志上。