Teruel. The El Pozo site, located in the municipality of El Castellar (Teruel, Spain), continues to offer results of great scientific relevance. The team from the Teruel-Dinopolis Paleontological Complex Foundation now adds new findings of flying reptile fossils that raise the number to more than a hundred, making this enclave one of the most notable records of pterosaurs in the Iberian Peninsula.
This site is traditionally known for the presence of footprints made by various types of dinosaurs; Currently there are around a thousand ichnites of sauropods, ornithopods and theropods, mainly. However, it now presents another focus of interest after the discovery of bones of pterosaurs – popularly known as flying reptiles.
Pterosaurs are a group of animals that inhabited our planet during much of the Mesozoic era and that developed active flight before birds and bats. During the last few months, the foundation team has been carrying out intense work that combines paleontological excavation with preparation and consolidation work in the laboratory of these pterosaur fossils.
These tasks have led to the discovery of new bones, raising the number to more than a hundred cranial and postcranial skeletal elements. Specifically, at the moment, fragments of the jaw, different vertebrae, humerus, and wing phalanges, as well as a scapula-coracoid, among others, have been identified.
The exceptional nature of the find lies in the combination of several factors: the notable concentration of fossils in a small area, the extreme fragility of the bones and the geological context. The laboratory work is requiring an especially delicate process due to this fragility, since the bones of pterosaurs are “hollow” and light, which made it easier for them to fly. In addition, several casts of the fossils have been made on site. The record of pterosaur bones from the Upper Jurassic in the Iberian Peninsula is extremely scarce. In this context, those from El Pozo represent the first solid evidence of Jurassic pterosaurs in the central-eastern peninsula.
The study will increase information on the coastal ecosystems of eastern Iberia from approximately 145-150 million years ago, as well as on the evolution and distribution of pterosaurs in the then European archipelago.