Maaradactylus

Maah-rah-dak-te-lus.
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Cassidy Wood

Paleoentomologist

Cassidy Wood uncovers the tiny yet significant world of prehistoric insects. Her research on amber-preserved specimens has revealed intricate details about ancient ecosystems.

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Name

Maaradactylus ‭(‬Maara finger‭)‬.

Phonetic

Maah-rah-dak-te-lus.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Pterosauria,‭ ‬Pterodactyloidea,‭ ‬Ornithocheirae,‭ ‬Anhangueridae.

Diet

Piscivore.

Species

M.‭ ‬kellneri‭

Size

Wingspan estimated to be about‭ ‬6‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Brazil.

Time Period

Aptian/Albian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Skull and partial post cranial skeletal remains.

In Depth

       Maaradactylus is a genus of anhangeurid pterosaur that lived in Brazil during the early Cretaceous.‭ ‬Maaradactylus is known to have had thirty-five pairs of teeth in the upper jaw as well as a crest rising up from‭ ‬the front of the upper jaw.‭ ‬Being a member of the Anhangueridae,‭ ‬Maaradactylus would have been related to genera such as Anhanguera and Liaoningopterus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new toothed pterosaur‭ (‬Pterodactyloidea:‭ ‬Anhangueridae‭) ‬from the Early Cretaceous Romualdo Formation,‭ ‬NE Brazil.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Zootaxa‭ ‬3869‭ (‬3‭)‬:‭ ‬201‭–‬223.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Renan A.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Bantim,‭ ‬Ant�nio A.‭ ‬F.‭ ‬Saraiva,‭ ‬Gustavo R.‭ ‬Oliveira‭ & ‬Juliana M.‭ ‬Say�o‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014. – Description of Coloborhynchus spielbergi sp. nov. (Pterodactyloidea) from the Albian (Lower Cretaceous) of Brazil. – Scripta Geologica. 125: 35–139. – A. J. Veldmeijer – 2003. – A new species of Coloborhynchus (Pterosauria, Ornithocheiridae) from the mid-Cretaceous of North Africa. – Cretaceous Research. 95: 77–88. – Megan L. Jacobs, David M. Martill, Nizar Ibrahim & Nick Longrich – 2018/2019.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT