Even the fearsome dragons of Kalisi in ‘Game of Thrones’ they would probably be startled at the sight of a stranger to this day species of pterosaur. More specifically, a new species of pterosaur was discovered on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.

The winged reptile, named “Ceoptera evansae”lived 168 to 166 million years ago during the Middle Jurassic period, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to fly. Their wings consisted of a membrane of skin, muscle and other tissues that extended from the body to the end of the fourth toe, which was particularly elongated. Early species had large jaws with sharp teeth and long tails, while some later species had very short tails and no teeth. Some were covered by some fibers that looked like fur.

Professor Paul Barrett, researcher at the Natural History Museum, he said the discovery came as a surprise, as most of his “close” relatives are from China.

Paleontologists found the fossilized bones in 2006 during an excursion to Elgol, on the southwest coast of the island. Although the skeleton is incomplete – with only parts of the shoulders, wings, legs and spine remaining – the researchers said it provides important information about the evolutionary history and diversity of pterosaurs.

Pterosaurs are sometimes referred to as pterodactyls, however pterodactyl is actually the name for only one specific family of pterosaurs. The researchers said the new pterosaur species belongs to a group known as “Darwinoptera”with many fossils also found in China.

The findings, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontologysuggest that the Darwinoptera may have been significantly more diverse than previously thought, having survived for more than 25 million years.

Professor Barrett said: “Its appearance in the Middle Jurassic (consisting of the middle period of the Mesozoic century, also known as the ‘Age of Reptiles’ and divided into three sub-periods: the Lower-Early, Middle-Middle and Upper-Late) of the United Kingdom Vassiliou was a complete surprise, as most of his “close” relatives come from China. It shows that the advanced group of flying reptiles to which it belongs appeared earlier than we thought and quickly gained an almost global distribution.”

Ceoptera evansae takes the first part of his name from word ‘cheo’, meaning mistand the Latin word “ptera”meaning feather.

The researchers stated thatpterosaur fossils from the Middle Jurassic period are rare and mostly incomplete, hindering efforts to understand more about how these creatures evolved.