Important Natural History Auction 2017-07-30
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/29/2017
FLYING LIZARD WING
Pteranodon longiceps
Lower Cretacous
Kansas
Pterosaurs ("winged lizard") or pterodactyls ("winged finger") as they are often known, flourished during the Upper Jurassic period and represent the first vertebrates to make the transformation to flight, although from tracks found in the fossil record it is also apparent that they could walk on all fours when necessary. Strictly speaking, being airborne, they were not dinosaurs, but two further elements make the distinction plain: they had warm blood and although evidence of feathers has not been found, many were covered in a coat of hair. This superb plaque displays a wonderfully preserved wing with three-fingered hand and claws, in warm dark brown on a pale limestone matrix backed with ebonized wood and hanging loops, 68 inches long (ulna and metacarpals cast).
$6,000 - 8,000\n