AN EXTREMELY RARE FLYING PTEROSAUR

AN EXTREMELY RARE FLYING PTEROSAUR

Pterodactylus kochi

Jurassic

Solnhofen, Bavaria, Germany

Overall Measurements: 17 x 13 ½ x ¾ inches (43.20 x 34.30 x 2.20 cm).

Pterosaurs ("winged lizard") or pterodactyls ("winged finger") as they are often known, flourished during the Upper Jurassic period and represent the first vertebrates to make the transformation to flight; their hollow bones and light-weight bodies made them well adapted to life in the air, although from tracks found in the fossil record it is also apparent that they could walk on all fours when necessary. Strictly speaking, being airborne, they were not dinosaurs, but two further elements make the distinction plain: they had warm blood and although evidence of feathers has not been found, many were covered in a thick coat of hair.

Fossils from the Solnhofen area are among the most beautiful and sought-after in the world, but of all the variety of prehistoric life to be found preserved here, by far the most popular, and most rare, are the remains of the flying pterosaur. Due to the delicate lightweight construction of their hollow-boned skeletons, a characteristic essential to their flying abilities, they are rarely preserved in the fossil record. This spectacular specimen represents one of the few finds of a well-articulated Pterodactylus. It features an excellent skull, with a virtually complete skeleton lacking only a few bones in the left wing and tail. It also boasts more than a dozen sharp and pointed teeth running the length of the jaw.

PROVENANCE

Phillips, New York, June 8, 1996 (lot 473)

Private New York collection from 1996 till the present