The First Pterosaur From Kimmeridgian Jurassic Scotland

A Scottish pterosaur in London: the first record of Pterosauria from the Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) of Eathie (Ross and Cromarty), Scotland

Authors:

Steel et al

Abstract:

A pterosaur wing phalange from the Kimmeridgian of Eathie (Ross and Cromarty) is identified as the first pterosaur to have been collected in Scotland. The specimen was acquired by the British Museum (Natural History) in 1888, but an old collector's label gives the date of collection as 1850. The handwriting matches that of Charles W. Peach (1800–1886), who later became better known for his fossil fish and plant collections, which still exist in the Natural History Museum, London, and other museums. Peach collected this pterosaur specimen during his first year of working in Scotland, and it was probably one of his earliest finds of north of the border. Pterosaur remains are exceptionally rare in Scotland and otherwise unknown from this particular site, so this newly recognised specimen is a significant addition to the Scottish fossil record. It is also among the earliest UK pterosaur finds, post-dating Mary Anning's discovery of Dimorphodon by just over two decades.