Evolution evidence: New flying reptile 'identfied'

LONDON: Palaeontologists have identified a new type of flying reptile, providing what they claim is the first clear evidence of an unusual and

controversial form of evolution. Fossil hunters have long recognised two different groups of pterosaurs or flying reptiles which dominated skies 220-65 million years ago -- primitive long-tailed forms and advanced short-tailed pterosaurs. These groups are separated by a large evolutionary gap, identified in Charles Darwin's time, that looked as if it would never be filled. Now, an international team led by Leicester University has identified the new type of flying reptile that fits in the middle of that gap -- Christened Darwinopterus, meaning Darwin wing, the latest issue of 'Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences' journal reported. David Unwin, who led the team, said: "Darwinopterus came as quite a shock to us. "We had always expected a gap-filler with typically intermediate features such as a moderately elongate tail -- neither long nor short -- but the strange thing about Darwinopterus is that it has a head and neck just like that of advanced pterosaurs, while the rest of the skeleton, including a very long tail, is identical to that of primitive forms". In fact, more than 20 fossil skeletons of Darwinopterus were found earlier this year in north-east China in rocks dated at around 160 million years old. The long jaws, rows of sharp-pointed teeth and rather flexible neck of this crow-sized pterosaur suggest that it might have been hawk-like, catching and killing other contemporary flying creatures, the fossil hunters said. These included various pterosaurs, tiny gliding mammals and small, pigeon-sized, meat-eating dinosaurs that, aided by their feathered arms and legs had recently taken to the air, and would later evolve into birds. Unwin said: "The geological age of Darwinopterus and bizarre combination of advanced and primitive features reveal a great deal about the evolution of advanced pterosaurs from their primitive ancestors. "First, it was quick, with lots of big changes concentrated into a short period of time. Second, whole groups of features (termed modules by the researchers) that form important structures such as the skull, the neck, or the tail, seem to have evolved together. "But, as Darwinopterus shows, not all these modules changed at the same time. The head and neck evolved first, followed later by the body, tail, wings and legs. It supports the controversial idea of a relatively rapid 'modular' form of evolution."