New Toothy Texas Pterosaur, with An English Cousin (VIDEO)

Southern Methodist University

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A new species of toothy pterosaur is a native of Texas, but is strikingly similar to an English species.

Named Cimoliopterus dunni, the new pterosaur's closest cousin is England's Cimoliopterus cuvieri.

Identification of the 94-million-year-old flying marine reptile links prehistoric Texas to England, says paleontologist Timothy Myers, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, and suggests gene flow between the two populations was possible shortly before that date, despite progressive widening of the North Atlantic Ocean. Embed available on Youtube at http://bit.ly/1XX4nqL.

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