In Depth Bogolubovia did not come into existence until seventy-five years after the holotype was discovered in 1914 by Nikolai Nikolaevich Bogolubov. Initially the remains were attributed to Ornithostoma as O. orientalis, and later reclassified as a species of Pteranodon. Now the original description can be compared with greater understanding of pterosaurs in general, Bogolubovia … Read more
In Depth Unfortunately very little fossil material for this pterosaur exists, but the post cranial remains of Hatzegopteryx do bare striking similarities to Quetzalcoatlus, even to point that some consider Hatzegopteryx to be a possible synonym of Quetzalcoatlus. There still is one subtle area of known difference, and this is the way that the jaws … Read more
In Depth To date not much can be revealed about Bakonydraco other than it was almost certainly an azdarchid pterosaur. Bakonydraco did still differ from many other azdarchids however by having what appears to have been a tall, deep beak. This has implied a possibly piscivorous specialisation as opposed to a more general carnivore. It … Read more
In Depth Five neck vertebrae may not be much to go on when describing a pterosaur, but the elongated vertebra of Phosphatodraco are a signature feature of the azdarchid group of pterosaurs. The vertebra of Phosphatodraco are also quite unique in themselves by being elongated at the base as well as higher up and also … Read more
In Depth Eurazhdarcho was named because of its location and its close relationship to the type genus of the azhdarchidae, Azdarcho. Unfortunately not much of Eurazhdarcho is known, and what has been preserved is in a very poor state of preservation. We don’t know yet exactly how big Eurazhdarcho was because there simply isn’t enough … Read more
In Depth The western word for naming a genus dragon is ‘draco’, in China its ‘long’, but Azhdarcho is the Uzbek word for such a mythical beast. Azhdarcho is also the centre for the azdarchid line of pterosaurs. The azhdarchids are known for having long necks, the result of neck vertebrae that are longer in … Read more
In Depth Although named from very little fossil remains, Aerotitan is thought to be one of the azdarchid pterosaurs, and if correct, this would make Aerotitan the first known confirmed azdarchid pterosaur from South America. The azdarchid pterosaurs are a special group noted for having proportionately long necks supported by lengthened cervical (neck) vertebrae. Some … Read more
In Depth Navajodactylus was named in honour of the Navajo Nation with the genus name also incorporating the Greek ‘dactylus’ for ‘finger’, like in many other pterosaurs. The species name honours Arjan C. Boer� who discovered the holotype specimen in the Kirtland Formation back in 2002. Navajodactylus has been placed within the azhdarchidae pterosaurs, although … Read more
In Depth For much of the early part of its scientific life the pterosaur Arambourgiania was known as Titanopteryx, however in 1987 Lev Nesov was made aware that the genus name was already being used by a fly. Under ICZN rules, no two animals may share the same genus name. Nesov renamed the specimen Arambourgiania … Read more
In Depth Alanqa was a significant find as pterosaurs are not especially well known from Africa. This is not to say that Africa did not have many pterosaurs living there, just that the conditions were not conducive for mass preservation given the fragile nature of pterosaur bones (even when well preserved they often get crushed … Read more