Fossil of largest pterosaur found in UK

A fossil found by a student in Scotland, is the the largest Jurassic pterosaur found in the UK, scientists say.

The Jurassic winged reptile, which lived 170 million years ago, was discovered on the Isle of Skye in 2017.

The remarkable condition of the fossil has revealed some amazing details about the flying lizard.

Researchers say the wingspan of the pterosaur is about 2.5 metres, much larger than they previously thought existed in that period.

Student Amelia Penny first spotted the sharp-toothed jaw in a layer of limestone in 2017.

The slab containing the fossil then had to be carefully cut out of the rock with diamond-tipped saws, while also avoiding the incoming tides.

The species has been given the Gaelic name Dearc sgiathanach (pronounced jark ski-an-ach), which translates as 'winged reptile' and also references the Isle of Skye, whose Gaelic name means 'the winged isle.'

An artist's impression of Dearc

Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to fly, some 50 million years before birds. They lived throughout the Mesozoic era - the so-called age of reptiles - as far back as the Triassic Period, about 230 million years ago.

The largest pterosaurs, such as the Quetzalcoatlus which had a wingspan of around 12 metres, were though to live in the very late Jurassic or the Cretaceous period.

Prof Steve Brusatte, of the University of Edinburgh, who led the original field trip and co-wrote the report says:

"Dearc is the biggest pterosaur we know from the Jurassic period and that tells us that pterosaurs got larger much earlier than we thought, long before the Cretaceous period when they were competing with birds, and that's hugely significant."

The unique specimen will now be added to National Museums Scotland's collection and studied further.