Muzquizopteryx

Muzquizopteryx is the oldest known nyctosaurid pterosaur and the smallest adult Late Cretaceous pterosaur discovered until 2006.1

Its arms were very strong, with a large hatchet-shaped crest on the upper arm bone for powerful wing muscles.1

The first fossil was found by a quarry worker in the 1990s and was bricked into an office wall as decoration before scientists recognized its value in 2002.1

The holotype skeleton is nearly complete and includes soft tissue remains, such as long fossilized tendons along both lower arms.1

A second specimen, a partial wing from a subadult, was found in slightly older rocks from the late Turonian and is about 81% the size of the first specimen.1

Muzquizopteryx had a long pteroid bone pointing toward its neck, which helped support a flight membrane.1