The ecological reconstruction of Ikrandraco avatar. (Credit: Chuang Zhao)
Researchers have found deposits of a new species of pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived about 120 million years ago. This new species was named Ikrandraco avatar for it’s similarities to the ‘ikran’ flying creatures in the 2009 Avatar movie and to a dragon (draco). The fossils were found in Northeastern China.
Original research paper published in Scientific Reports on September 11, 2014.
Names and affiliations of selected authors
Xiaolin Wang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Alexander Kellner, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
