Fossil scan reveals flying reptile's vast wingspan

Pterosaurs flew 170 million years ago

Scientists studying a fossil of a flying reptile that excavated from a gravel pit have found it had a vast wingspan of 3.75m (12ft).

The pterosaur was dug out from the floor of a quarry near Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, in June 2022.

Scans of its wing bones by Portsmouth and Leicester universities have revealed its wings were "absolutely huge" for a Jurassic pterosaur.

Pterosaurs from the period typically had wingspans of 1.5m to 2m (5ft to 6.5ft).

A topographic scan of the wing bones that were found broken into three pieces but still well-preserved

Prof David Martill, from the University of Portsmouth, said: "Although this [wingspan] would be small for a Cretaceous pterosaur, it's absolutely huge for a Jurassic one.

"This fossil is particularly special because it is one of the first records of this type of pterosaur from the Jurassic period in the United Kingdom.

"This specimen is now one of the largest known pterosaurs from the Jurassic period, worldwide."

Prof Martill added it was surpassed only by a specimen in Switzerland with an estimated wingspan of up to 5m (16ft).

Prof David Martill said the new discovery suggested Jurassic pterosaurs could grow larger than previously thought

The fossil is an adult ctenochasmatoid - a group of pterosaurs known for their long, slender wings, long jaws and fine bristle-like teeth.

A paper describing the details has been published in the in the Proceedings of the Geologists' Association - an international geoscience journal.

The fossil is housed in the Etches Collection in Kimmeridge, Dorset.