Fossilised cat-sized reptile related to largest flying animals ever, say scientists

A fossilised reptile found in Scotland that lived during the age of dinosaurs was closely related to the largest flying animals ever, new research suggests.

The small cat-sized creature, named Scleromochlus taylori, is thought to have roamed the planet between 240 and 210 million years ago.

Palaeontologists say their findings could help shed light on the origins of a prehistoric group of flying reptiles known as pterosaurs.

These winged reptiles, which preceded birds, were the first vertebrates - animals with backbones - to evolve the ability to fly on their own, and they soared around the planet during the time of the dinosaurs to which they were related.

The fossilised remains of the Scleromochlus reptile were first discovered more than 100 years ago in the Morayshire region of northeast Scotland around the town of Elgin.

The area’s sandstone was considered a rich source of building materials, which yielded various significant fossils during quarrying work.

But the fossil had been poorly preserved, so scientists were unable to study its anatomical features in detail.

This led to debates among experts as to whether Scleromochlus was closer to pterosaurs or whether it had more in common with dinosaurs in the evolutionary tree.

Pterosaurs were close cousins of dinosaurs that evolved on a separate branch of the reptile family tree.

Some species were as large as fighter jets, while others were as small as paper planes.

Scleromochlus, which was up to 20cm long, had a large head, a long tail, a short neck and a slender body.

It’s believed the reptile probably leaped around on its long, spindly, hind legs. Some scientists say it hopped rather than ran.

The researchers used a CT scan – an imaging technique usually used by medical professionals to obtain internal images of the body – to reconstruct the skeleton of Scleromochlus.

The findings, published in the journal Nature, suggest the reptile may have belonged to Pterosauromorpha – a group of organisms that includes pterosaurs and a group of small reptiles called lagerpetids.

The experts believe their work supports the hypothesis that pterosaurs evolved from small, probably two-legged ancestors.

Sterling Nesbitt, an associate professor at Virgina Tech in the US and one of the authors of the study, said: “Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight and for nearly two centuries, we did not know their closest relatives.

“Now we can start filling in their evolutionary history with the discovery of tiny close relatives that enhance our knowledge about how they lived and where they came from.”

First author Dr Davide Foffa, research associate at National Museums Scotland and now a research fellow at the University of Birmingham, said: “It’s exciting to be able to resolve a debate that’s been going on for over a century, but it is far more amazing to be able to see and understand an animal which lived 230 million years ago and its relationship with the first animals ever to have flown.

“This is another discovery which highlights Scotland’s important place in the global fossil record, and also the importance of museum collections that preserve such specimens, allowing us to use new techniques and technologies to continue to learn from them long after their discovery.”