He flew through the air, had opposable thumbs and lived in China during the Jurassic era: Meet the “Monkeydactyl” – a newly discovered ancient dinosaur.
The bizarre Kunpengopterus antipollicatus, aptly nicknamed Monkeydactylus, lived in a forest ecosystem 160 million years ago, an international team of researchers said in a report published Monday in the journal Current Biology. Antipollicatus means “opposite thumbed” in Ancient Greek.
Pterosaurs were the first known vertebrates to fly, researchers said. The tree pterosaurs marks the oldest of its kind with true opposable thumbs, a phenomenon never seen in the species before.
The discovery also marks the earliest known record of a true opponent of the thumb in Earth’s history.
Scientists found the Monkeydactyl fossil in the Tiaojishan Formation of Liaoning, China in September 2019. Using micro-CT scans to enlarge the anatomical features, they found the small fossil that preserved both hands, with an opposite pollex or inches on each.
Chuang Zhao
“The fingers of ‘Monkeydactyl’ are small and partially embedded in the plate. Micro CT scanning allowed us to see through the rocks, create digital models and tell how the opposite thumb articulates with the other finger bones,” co-author Fion Waisum Ma said in a statement. “This is an interesting discovery. It provides the earliest evidence of a true opponent thumb, and it is from a pterosaur – which was not known to have an opponent thumb.”
An opposite thumb is extremely rare in reptiles – they are commonly found in humans and other mammals.
Researchers say the Monkeydactly, a type of Darwinopteran named after Charles Darwin, used the thumb for climbing and grabbing, an adaptation for living in trees. In addition to the thumbs, researchers determined the animal was very small, with a wingspan of about 33 inches.
It managed to avoid most of the competition in its complex forest habitat, with closely related species adapting to different niches.
“Darwinopterans are a group of pterosaurs from the Jurassic of China and Europe, named after Darwin because of their unique transitional anatomy that has revealed how evolution has influenced the anatomy of pterosaurs over time,” said study co-author Rodrigo V. Pêgas. “In addition, a particular Darwinoptera fossil has been preserved with two accompanying eggs, which reveal clues to the reproduction of pterosaurs. They have always been considered precious fossils for these reasons and it is impressive that new Darwinoptera species continue to surprise us!”