The photo above shows the partially excavated fossil skeleton of a newly discovered species of diplodocoid dinosaur in the Lingwu region of China. Dubbed Lingwulong shenqi (the Lingwu amazing dragon), the fossils are around 174 million years old.

The finds provide evidence that diplodocoid dinosaurs were distributed across the supercontinent Pangaea, according to a paper published in Nature Communications.

Sauropods were long-necked, herbivorous dinosaurs and among the longest and largest land animals to have lived. It has been thought that advanced sauropods, the neosauropods, diversified during the breakup of Pangaea and had not reached East Asia before it became isolated.

Evolutionary and biogeographic analyses including the new species now suggest that neosauropods were already diverse and widespread in the Middle Jurassic (about 174 to 163 million years ago), rather than rapidly becoming dominant at the transition to the Late Jurassic (163 to 145 million years ago) as previously thought. Furthermore, major sauropod groups may have originated in the Early Jurassic. </s> Scientists have discovered a new species of 200-million-year-old pterosaur from the Patagonia region of South America.

Remarkably, the brain case of the flying reptile was well preserved, offering scientists a new look at the pterosaur's brain anatomy.

The researchers have named this new species 'Allkauren koi' from the native Tehuelche word 'all' for 'brain', and 'karuen' for 'ancient'.

Pterosaurs are an extinct group of flying reptiles that lived during most of the Mesozoic Era.

This group had an extraordinary adaptation to flight, including pneumatic bones to lighten its weight, and an elongated digit supporting the wings.

But the pterosaur skull is known from only a few three dimensionally preserved remains and, until now, there was no information on the intermediate forms.

This study provides new information on the origin and type of evolution in this particular group of flying reptiles.

The braincase found in this study was only a few dozen millimeters long, suggesting that it was from a small pterosaur species, the researchers said.

The fossil of Allkaruen koi was found in northern central Chubut Province, Patagonia Argentina.

In order to study the skull anatomy, researchers used computed tomography to observe, in three dimensions, the cranial endocast and the inner ear.

'Allkaruen, from the middle lower Jurassic limit, shows an intermediate state in the brain evolution of pterosaurs and their adaptations to the aerial environment', said Dr Diego Pol, who is part of the research team.

'As a result, this research makes an important contribution to the understanding of the evolution of all of pterosaurs.' </s> Image copyright Yuan Zhang/Nature Ecology & Evolution Image caption What pterosaurs might have looked like

Two exceptionally well preserved fossils give a new picture of the pterosaurs, the flying reptiles that lived at the time of the dinosaurs.

Scientists believe the creatures may have had feathers, and looked something like brown bats with fuzzy wings.

The surprise discovery suggests feathers evolved not in birds, nor dinosaurs, but in more distant times.

Pterosaurs were the closest relatives of dinosaurs, sharing a common ancestor about 250 million years ago.

"We would suggest - tentatively - that it would be worth considering that feathers originated much earlier than we thought," Prof Mike Benton, from the University of Bristol, told BBC News.

Hailing from China, the 160-million-year-old fossils are of two different pterosaurs, one of which is newly discovered.

Strange feathery creatures

In depth analysis shows that as well as fur - which has been suggested before - the flying reptiles had feathers like some dinosaurs, including the theropods.

"If I just saw these fluffy bits on their own, I would swear they were from a theropod dinosaur," said Dr Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh, who was not part of the study.

"This means feathers were not a bird innovation, not even a dinosaur innovation, but evolved first in a much more distant ancestor.

"The age of dinosaurs was full of all sorts of strange feathery creatures!"

Image copyright Baoyu Jiang, Michael Benton et al./Nature Ecology Image caption Are these feathers?

The researchers found that the pterosaurs had four different kinds of covering, including fuzzy, fur over most of their body; and, on parts of the head and wings, three types of fibres similar to modern feathers.

The fluff and feathers are likely to have been important in heat regulation and aerodynamics.

"These structures on the pterosaur make it look a bit like a fruit bat, or something like that, a fuzzy hairy creature," said Prof Benton, who worked on the discovery with colleagues in China.

"They fly with great out-stretched bony wings that carry a substantial membrane, a bit like a bat."

Flight in the Jurassic skies

Questions still remain over whether these are true feathers. If they are, it would suggest that feathers appeared millions of years earlier than previously thought.

Alternatively, feathers could have evolved twice during the course of evolution.

Insects were the first group to achieve the ability to fly: they developed wings at least 320 million years ago.

Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates - animals with a backbone - to evolve powered flight, about 230 million years ago.

The research is published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

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160 million-year-old fossil anurognathid pterosaurs are discovered that show feathery coverings, suggesting either deep common ancestry with theropod dinosaurs or independent coevolution.