By Laura
Geggel, Senior Writer | August 29, 2017 12:47pm ET
CALGARY,
Alberta — The fossilized remains of two pterosaurs — winged reptiles that
flew sky high during the dinosaur age — suggest that the soaring truck- and
plane-size beasts were closely related to the gigantic Quetzalcoatlus
northropi, the largest pterosaur on record, new research finds.
Both
pterosaurs date back to the Maastrichtian, a period that occurred between 72
million and 66 million years ago. It ended when a 6-mile-wide (10 kilometers)
asteroid slammed into Earth, ending the reign of the nonavian dinosaurs and
countless reptiles, including the pterosaurs.
The
newly unearthed pterosaurs were found in Jordan in 2005 and 2008, and both
belong to a family of pterosaurs called Azhdarchids, which includes the
famous Q. northropi — a pterosaur the size of an airplane, with an
almost-40-foot (12 meters) wingspan. [Photos of Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age
of Dinosaurs]
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