A New Specie of Pterosaur Discovered by a Nine Year Old

You never expect to find an unidentified prehistoric animal when you are casually strolling down the beach. However, this happened to 5 year old Daisy Morris in 2008, who was touring the Isle of Wight, when she saw a fossil poking out of the sand. The unidentified animal was named Vectidraco daisymorrisae after Daisy and is a type of pterosaur, a winged reptile. The dinosaur comes from the Cretaceous time period and lived in forests and tropical rainforests. The Vectidraco daisymorrisae was rather small and was approximately the size of a crow and had a wingspan of 2.5 feet. It had a crest on its head, was a good runner on land, and could steer through the crowded forests. Lastly, there was even a book written after Daisy Morris and the dinosaur to inspire young people to make discoveries and enter the field of science at a young age. 

NOS Themes
-Science is based on evidence. The fossil served as evidence that the Vectidraco daismorrisae existed and was examined by a team of paleontologists. 
-There is a role of motivation and curiosity. Daisy Morris was curious about the fossil she found and showed it to her family. Her family gave the fossil to a paleontologist at the University of Southampton, so that it could be identified and examined further.
-Science is collaborative. Even though Martin Simpson and his team led the examination of the fossil, many paleontologists shared their knowledge of dinosaurs and how this dinosaur could be a pterosaur. 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130321-vectidraco-daisymorrisae-pterosaurs-dinosaurs-science-animals/



-Abby Rechkin Hr. 1