The fossil of a previously undiscovered pterosaur, known as a “flying lizard,” has been named Lenton’s iron dragon — but you can call him Butch.
The 96-million-year-old pterosaur lived among dinosaurs and was found by a sheep grazier named Bob Elliott in Australia near Winton, Queensland. A new study detailing the fossil published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports.
The researchers who studied the new species named it Ferrodraco lentoni, or Lenton’s iron dragon, in honor of Graham “Butch” Lenton, Winton’s mayor who died several months after the fossil was found in early 2017. Lenton supported regional communities in western Queensland.
Pterosaur fossils are rare in Australia, making this only the third species to be named. The other two also were recovered in western Queensland.