Recently, scientists have discovered a well-preserved fossil of a recently identified species of pterosaur in Bavaria, Germany. The species, known as Skiphosoura bavarica, is, according to Reuters and paleontologist David Hone, important to scientists because it can provide insight into how pterosaurs evolved over time.

Skiphosoura was alive towards the end of the Jurassic Period. It was a transitional species between the long-tailed, smaller pterosaurs that originated during the Triassic and the short-tailed giant pterosaurs of the Cretaceous. They had wing spans of 7 feet, skulls that were 10 inches long, and long, sharp teeth, hinting that its diet likely consisted of various smaller prey.

According to DW, David Hone noted that the fossil was much larger than the other pterosaur fossils that have been previously discovered. The traits it had were a “mosaic” of sorts between those of earlier, non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs and the later, pterodactyloid pterosaurs. Many features of the Skiphosoura fossil, most notably its increased stride, confirm suspicions that pterodactyloids, compared to earlier pterosaurs, were more terrestrially acquainted.