A giantpterosaurhas been discovered in the Nemegt Formation in the Gobi desert . The heavy , dragon - like puppet would have lived and die 70 million years ago , and in all probability had a wingspan of 10 to 12 meter ( 32 to 39 animal foot ) , say researchers compose in theJournal of Vertebrate Paleontology . To put it into perspective , that ’s a wingspread greater than the pinnacle of a three - report construction .
The creature comes from the Azhdarchidae kinsfolk , a group of flying reptile that existed in the late Cretaceous geological period . Pterosaurs ( such as the pterodactyl ) are often mistakenly thought of as dinosaurs . Unlike birds , whicharea type of dinosaur , pterosaurs are actually flying reptilian .
This particular specimen would have been found in the desiccate inland home ground of what is now Mongolia . Although it had wing , it could take the air on all fours and likely stalk its prey ( which were likely babe dinosaurs ) on the flat coat .
Palaeontologists hear five fragment of the animal ’s neck bones in 2006 in a area called Gurilin Tsav in the westerly Gobi . The area is well - have it off for being a fossil gem treasure trove but these pterosaur dodo are a rare find . Bones from gigantic specie of pterosaur have previously been find in Europe and North America . These remains demonstrate that they also lived in Asia .
The research worker think that the newfangled find is also one of the largest pterosaurs known to have be , rivaling its first cousin theQuetzalcoatlus(found in Texas ) andHatzegopteryx(found in Romania)in terms of size . These creature also had an estimated wingspan of 10 to 12 meters . elevation - heady they are cogitate to have been as tall as giraffes ( rough 5.5 meters or 18 feet ) .
The military issue is palaeontologists only have fond remains , which ca-ca it tough to accurately calculate the size and shape of the animate being . It could be that the neck opening bones are disproportionately bulky equate to the eternal rest of the consistence and researchers have overvalue its sizing . It may also be that this particular specimen is pocket-sized or large than its metal money average .
Frustratingly , pterosaur dodo are often poorly preserved and incomplete because their off-white were n’t as sturdy as dinosaurs ' .
The researchers have not yet name the new species or even decided if it is , in fact , a new species because the remains are so incomplete . The find does , however , show for the very first fourth dimension that there were mammoth pterosaurs stray the Asiatic skies .
