Smithsonian Team Finds Oldest North American Pterosaur

A Smithsonian-led team has discovered North America's oldest known pterosaur, Eotephradactylus mcintireae, in Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park. The fossil, unearthed by museum volunteer Suzanne McIntire, features a well-preserved jawbone with teeth, facilitating identification and insights into the animal's likely fish-based diet. Dating back 209 million years to the late Triassic, the fossil was found in a remote bonebed with over 1,200 other specimens, including ancient turtles, giant amphibians, armored crocodile relatives, fish, and frogs. The site, PFV 393, captures a pivotal period when older Triassic species coexisted with evolutionary newcomers, just before the end-Triassic extinction. This discovery fills a major gap in the fossil record and provides crucial insights into vertebrate evolution and ecological shifts during a time of global upheaval. Researchers highlight the importance of such sites for understanding evolutionary transitions and mass extinction events.