'The Dragon of Death': Scientists Uncover New Dinosaur in Argentine Andes Mountains

The ancient pterosaur—a flying reptile—existed 86 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period, an era which is often referred to as the last segment of the “Age of Dinosaurs.” The giant predator, which was about as large as a school bus, lived in what is now known as the Andes mountains in Argentina’s western Mendoza province.

Scientists in Argentina have discovered fossils belonging to an unknown dinosaur in the Andes mountains, at which point the supercontinent Pangea had already begun to split apart into the continents we recognize today.

The rocks containing the ancient creature's bones date back to the Cretaceous period. The Thanatosdrakon amaru, dubbed “the Dragon of Death,” was a pterosaur about 30 feet long (a Pterodactyl is 6 feet long), with a wingspan of 23 feet. Thanatosdrakon amaru predated birds as one of the first predators to hunt from the sky.

The "Dragon of Death" is the largest pterosaur that has ever been discovered in South America.

“We do not currently have data on any close relatives who would even have a body modification similar to these animals,” said Leonardo Ortiz, who is the leader of the project.

The giant flying reptile existed at least 20 million years before an asteroid struck Earth, emitting a major blast wave and heat wave and blocking out most of the sun’s light, stunting the growth of vegetation across the planet. The asteroid’s impact effectively killed about 75% of all the dinosaurs.

Ortiz says that the creature’s discovery required a new genus and species name after scientists were baffled by its unusual characteristics. The name “Thanatosdrakon” is a combination of the Greek words “death” and “dragon.”

"It seemed appropriate to name it that way," Ortiz told Reuters in a weekend interview. "It's the dragon of death."

The study was published in the journal Cretaceous Research.