Paleontologists have discovered the fossil remains of a flying reptile that lived on Earth 86 million years ago. They testify that in those distant times, “flying dragons” coexisted with dinosaurs on our planet, reports USA today..

The reptile, the length of which can be compared to a school bus, was called the " The official name of the pterosaur is Thanatosdrakon amaru, which is a combination of the Greek word "

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“Thanatosdrakon remains have various features that allow us to distinguish them from other known pterosaurs.. These characteristics are mainly found in the vertebrae and limbs.. This allowed us to identify a new species of pterosaurs,” said project leader Leonardo Ortiz..

The team discovered the remains of an ancient lizard in the Andes, in the western province of Mendoza. According to scientists, the age of the remains is 86 million years. A pterosaur lived on Earth 20 million years before the asteroid hit that killed the dinosaurs.

According to scientists, the discovered remains are the largest fossils discovered in South America and one of the largest in the world..

Even though scientists place pterosaurs in the same category as birds, they are harder to classify because they were cold-blooded.. It is believed that these ancient lizards had no direct competitors in the sky, so they dominated all continents and were presented in different shapes and sizes..

Previously, scientists found that pterosaurs were capable of flight from birth.. Little Pterosaur Didn't Need Training Before First Flight.