Protecting endangered animals is important, especially when the animal is in danger because of humans. The reality is, however, that most animals that ever existed have already gone extinct, many of them long before humans could have any impact on them.
Nature and evolution are brutal and require animals to constantly adapt and evolve in order to survive. The more we know about the animals of the past, the more we can learn about those living today and even what the future may hold.
One particularly interesting species of animal that lived during the Jurassic period about 150 million years ago is the pterosaur. These are believed to be the first animals with backbones that achieved powered flight. So far, there are six species within this family, one of which is the Anurognathidae.
The Anurognathidae is a small animal, only about 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) long, though it had a wingspan of around 35 centimeters (14 inches). Thanks to some great fossils of this flying reptile, we know that it had batlike wings, a short tail, a short skull, and very large eyes. These were likely helpful for hunting the prehistoric insects that almost certainly made up its diet.
A fossil of this animal was found in 2009 with intact wing membranes that helped to provide a lot of information about them. The wing was covered in furry hairs that are called pycnofibres. Experts believe that these hairs helped to allow the animal to fly more quietly, which made it better at hunting.
These pycnofibres may have evolved into feathers.
So far, there have only been 12 fossils from this species found, so a lot more can be learned about this ancient flying creature. It is amazing to think that they were around so long ago, living on the same Earth we see today, though it looked much different.
These tiny flying reptiles sound almost cute.
If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about why we should be worried about the leak in the bottom of the ocean.