Remains of one of the oldest pterosaurs have been found in North America.

A team of researchers led by the Smithsonian Institution has discovered the jawbone of one of the oldest pterosaurs in the Petrified Forest National Park in North America. This was announced on July 7 by the press service of the Smithsonian Institution.

According to a study by paleontologist Ben Kligman and postdoctoral researcher Peter Buck, the pterosaur was supposedly the size of a seagull.

It is noted that the fossils found belong to the late Triassic period, which took place about 209 million years ago. This find allows us to learn more about the inhabitants of that period.

"The site captures the transition to more modern terrestrial vertebrate communities, where we begin to see groups that flourish later in the Mesozoic, living alongside these older animals that do not extend beyond the Triassic. Such fossil beds allow us to establish that all these animals actually lived together," Kligman explained.

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Earlier, on June 11, scientists discovered a new species of Tyrannosaurus "prince dragon" in Mongolia, which lived 86 million years ago. It may be the forerunner of giant tyrannosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex.