科学家发掘出1亿年前长有6英寸喙的翼龙化石

科学家发掘出1亿年前长有6英寸喙的翼龙化石

A new species of pterosaur — a flying reptile that lived 100 million years ago — has been discovered by scientists in Africa.

非洲科学家发现了一种新的翼龙——一种生活在1亿年前的会飞的爬行动物。

Known as Afrotapejara zouhrii, it is the first of its kind found in Africa. Others have been seen in Europe, as well as Brazil and China.

它被称为Afrotapejara zouhrii，是在非洲发现的首例此类动物。欧洲、巴西和中国也出现了类似的情况。

Living during the Cretaceous period, these reptiles had wingspans perhaps as wide as 12 feet, with large, broad crests sweeping up from the front of the skull, researchers reported.

研究人员报告说，这些生活在白垩纪时期的爬行动物的翼展可能宽达12英尺，大而宽的羽冠从头骨的前部向上掠起。

“The study of Moroccan material shows that we are still far from having found all the paleontological treasures of North Africa. Even fragmentary fossils, like the jaw piece of the new pterosaur, can give us important information about the biodiversity of the past,” David Martill, from the University of Portsmouth’s School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences — which led the study, said in a statement.

“对摩洛哥材料的研究表明，我们还远远没有发现北非所有的古生物宝藏。即使是零碎的化石，比如新发现的翼龙的颚骨，也能给我们提供关于过去生物多样性的重要信息。”

The new pterosaur has been named Afrotapejara zouhrii to honour the Moroccan palaeontologist Professor Samir Zouhri, according to researchers. Originally a mammal specialist, Zouhri contributed to several discoveries of prehistoric reptiles in Morocco, including dinosaurs and pterosaurs.

据研究人员介绍，这只新翼龙被命名为AfrotapejaraZouhrii，以纪念摩洛哥古生物学家SamirZouhri教授。SamirZouhri教授最初是一名哺乳动物专家，他为摩洛哥史前爬行动物的一些发现做出了贡献，包括恐龙和翼龙。

“The opportunity to illuminate the diversity of pterosaurs in Africa while honouring a colleague does not happen every day,” Martill added.

马蒂尔补充说：“在向同事致敬的同时，照亮非洲翼龙多样性的机会并非每天都有。”。

“I feel very privileged to be part of such an exciting discovery. Working in the Sahara was a life-changing experience, and discovering a new species of pterosaur is the icing on the cake,” PhD student Roy Smith, one of the co-authors, explained.

“我感到很荣幸能参与到这样一个令人兴奋的发现中来。在撒哈拉沙漠工作是一次改变人生的经历，而发现一种新的翼龙是锦上添花。”

The scientists’ work is set to publish in the journal Cretaceous Research.

科学家们的研究成果将发表在《白垩纪研究》杂志上。