News Paleontology

A mysteriously large pterosaur finally has an identity

A strange Rhamphorhynchus fossil is actually a supersized adult of a known species

drawing of pterosaur species

As Rhamphorhynchus muensteri (shown in the reconstruction) got older and larger, its needle-like teeth became broader and more bladelike, potentially hinting at a differing diet late in the pterosaur’s life.

Mark Turner/Alamy

By Jake Buehler

One pterosaur species gave itself quite the makeover as it grew older and larger.

Scientists have spent more than a century wondering if a large and anatomically quirky flying reptile fossil represented a distinct species from its much smaller peers.