Oldest Pterodactyl Fossil Uncovered In Utah Desert

A newly discovered fossil is reordering what scientists know about dinosaurs.  A recently released study details the discovery of a pterodactyl fossil in northeast Utah.  The find suggests the flying vertebrate lived more than 200,000,000 years ago, during the Triassic Period.  That's 65,000,000 years earlier than the creatures were thought to be on Earth.  The fossil is one of the oldest of its kind.  The fact it was uncovered in the Utah desert indicates pterodactyls lived in varied environments.  Most others were found in the Alps.

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