The oldest known pterodactyl has been unearthed in China, pushing back the evolution of the ancient flying reptiles by five million years, a new study says.

Dubbed Kryptodrakon progenitor, the beast had a wingspan of 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) as it flew the Jurassic skies about 163 million years ago. The new species gets its first name from the Latin krypto (hidden) and drakon (serpent), a nod to the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which was filmed in the desert where the species was discovered. Progenitor refers to its status as the oldest known pterodactyl. (See "New Golden Age for Pterosaurs, Flying Reptiles of the Dinosaur Era.")

Scientists first discovered fragments of Kryptodrakon's delicate fossils in 2001