Researchers were able to date the fossil of the flying reptile, a close cousin of dinosaurs, back to more than 209 million years ago.

The 209-million-year-old fossil offers clues to the evolution of the reptiles, which have more than 150 named species including the well-known pterodactyl.

A cache of Triassic fossils in Arizona has revealed Eotephradactylus mcintireae, or "ash-winged dawn goddess," the oldest pterosaur ever discovered in North America.