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Lot Essay
Pterodactyls date to the Late Jurassic, around 150 million years ago, when reptiles ruled the skies and dinosaurs dominated the land. The order to which they belong, the Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to achieve powered flight, predating birds by tens of millions of years. Their success marked a turning point in evolution, introducing aerial predators into ecosystems for the first time.
The significance of Pterodactylus extends beyond its age. The type specimen of Pterodactylus was the first pterosaur fossil ever identified, described in 1784 by Cosimo Alessandro Collini from a skeleton unearthed in the Solnhofen limestone of Bavaria. Collini, then curator of the Naturalienkabinett in Mannheim, could not imagine the creature as a flyer; rather he speculated it was aquatic. This misconception persisted for decades, with early restorations depicting Pterodactylus as a sea creature using its wings as flippers. It was not until 1800 that Johann Hermann proposed the long fourth finger supported a wing membrane, an idea championed by Georges Cuvier, who correctly classified the animal as a reptile. These debates marked the dawn of vertebrate palaeontology and shaped early scientific understanding of extinct life.
In 1871, British palaeontologist Harry Govier Seeley introduced the name Diopecephalus in a footnote to a supplement of his work Ornithosauria he proposed the name Diopecephalus, ('two hole head') for the Kochi species.
This specimen represents a fascinating data point in the study of vertebrate evolution, providing direct evidence for the anatomical adaptations that enabled powered flight in Pterosaurs. As one of the earliest recognized flying reptiles, it continues to inform research on morphology, biomechanics, and the ecological roles of Pterosaurs within the Jurassic ecosystem.
The significance of Pterodactylus extends beyond its age. The type specimen of Pterodactylus was the first pterosaur fossil ever identified, described in 1784 by Cosimo Alessandro Collini from a skeleton unearthed in the Solnhofen limestone of Bavaria. Collini, then curator of the Naturalienkabinett in Mannheim, could not imagine the creature as a flyer; rather he speculated it was aquatic. This misconception persisted for decades, with early restorations depicting Pterodactylus as a sea creature using its wings as flippers. It was not until 1800 that Johann Hermann proposed the long fourth finger supported a wing membrane, an idea championed by Georges Cuvier, who correctly classified the animal as a reptile. These debates marked the dawn of vertebrate palaeontology and shaped early scientific understanding of extinct life.
In 1871, British palaeontologist Harry Govier Seeley introduced the name Diopecephalus in a footnote to a supplement of his work Ornithosauria he proposed the name Diopecephalus, ('two hole head') for the Kochi species.
This specimen represents a fascinating data point in the study of vertebrate evolution, providing direct evidence for the anatomical adaptations that enabled powered flight in Pterosaurs. As one of the earliest recognized flying reptiles, it continues to inform research on morphology, biomechanics, and the ecological roles of Pterosaurs within the Jurassic ecosystem.