A mysteriously large pterosaur finally has an identity

One pterosaur species gave itself quite the makeover as it grew older and larger.

Scientists have spent more than a century wondering if a large and anatomically quirky flying reptile fossil represented a distinct species from its much smaller peers. Not so, researchers report January 2 in PeerJ. The Jurassic “giant,” they argue, is a superlative for this species. The findings help reveal how the extinct fliers may have warped physically and ecologically over their lives.