Scientists Discover New Species of Pterosaur in Japan

Nipponopterus mifunensis, a newly identified pterosaur known from a single neck vertebra, once soared through the ancient skies of what is now Japan. Credit: Zhao Chuang

Newly identified Nipponopterus mifunensis reflects global collaboration and showcases Japan’s rich prehistoric heritage.

A team of researchers from Japan, China, and Brazil has discovered a new species of pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous period in Japan. This marks the first time a pterosaur has been named using body fossils found in the country.

The species, Nipponopterus mifunensis, was identified from a partial neck vertebra first discovered in the 1990s in the Mifune Group geological formation in Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu.

After a detailed reassessment using advanced CT scanning at Kumamoto University and a follow-up phylogenetic analysis, the research team determined that the specimen belongs to a new genus and species within the Azhdarchidae family, which includes some of the largest flying animals in history. The fossil is now on public display at the Mifune Dinosaur Museum in Kumamoto Prefecture, giving visitors a rare look at Japan’s ancient prehistoric life.

Importance for Japanese paleontology

“This is a major step forward for Japanese paleontology,” said Dr. Naoki Ikegami from the Mifune Dinosaur Museum, “Until now, no pterosaur had been formally named from skeletal remains found in Japan. This discovery provides crucial new insight into the diversity and evolution of pterosaurs in East Asia.”

Interestingly, Nipponopterus may have had a wingspan of about 3 to 3.5 meters and lived during the Turonian to Coniacian stages of the Late Cretaceous. This makes it one of the earliest known members of its evolutionary lineage.

Unique anatomical features

The newly identified sixth cervical vertebra (neck bone) of Nipponopterus mifunensis reveals a set of striking features not seen in any previously known species. Most notably, it has a prominent, elevated dorsal keel that runs along the back of the bone—extending not just over the epipophysis but across the entire postexapophyseal peduncle. Additional distinctive traits include a long groove running along the underside (ventral sulcus), a subtriangular-shaped condyle, and unusually positioned postexapophyses that project outward to the sides.

These characteristics set Nipponopterus mifunensis apart from all other known azhdarchid pterosaurs. Phylogenetic analysis places it within the Quetzalcoatlinae subfamily, identifying it as a close relative of both the mysterious “Burkhant azhdarchid” from Mongolia and the giant Quetzalcoatlus of North America.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Cretaceous Research, the study was the result of an international collaboration involving researchers from Shihezi University in China, the Zoology Museum at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, and a team in Japan from the Mifune Dinosaur Museum, Kumamoto University, and Hokkaido University. Researchers worked closely together, combining expertise in fossil analysis, imaging technology, analytical modeling, and evolutionary studies.

“It’s a beautiful example of how science transcends borders,” noted Professor Toshifumi Mukunoki from the Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University.

Reference: “Reassessment of an azhdarchid pterosaur specimen from the Mifune Group, Upper Cretaceous of Japan” by Xuanyu Zhou, Naoki Ikegami, Rodrigo V. Pêgas, Toru Yoshinaga, Takahiro Sato, Toshifumi Mukunoki, Jun Otani and Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, 16 November 2024, Cretaceous Research.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106046

Funding: FAPESP, Willi Hennig Society

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