In Depth The creation of the Tupandactylus pterosaur genus was born out of the reclassification of the Tapejara species, Tapejara imperator. This was done on the basis that Tapejara imperator displayed several notable differences to the Tapejara type species Tapejara wellnhoferi. A re-assignment for Tapejara navigans was also attempted for the new genus of … Read more
In Depth The only known example of the pterosaur Feilongus is incomplete and has been damaged in the fossilisation process. Only the skull, mandible and parts of the braincase are preserved. What can be gleamed from the fossil is that Feilongus had a large overbite with the upper jaw extended up to 2.7 centimetres beyond … Read more
In Depth Wightia is a genus of tapejarid pterosaur that lived in Europe during the early Cretaceous. Wightia is named after the Isle of Wight which is situated on the southern coast of England. Further Reading - First tapejarid pterosaur from the Wessex Formation (Wealden Group: Lower Cretaceous, Barremian) of the United Kingdom. - Cretaceous … Read more
In Depth The remains for Bennettazhia were actually described back in 1928 by Charles W. Gilmore, although he actually assigned the fossils to Pteranodon under the new species name P. oregonensis. It was not until 1989 when S. Christopher Bennet found that the remains were not those of a Pteranodon but of an unknown azhdarchid … Read more
In Depth At the time of its naming Pangupterus is known only from a single jaw bone. This jaw reveals that this pterosaur had small conical teeth jutting out to the sides at an angle. This in turn suggests that Pangupterus was a hunter of fish. Further Reading - A New Pterodactyloid Pterosaur from the … Read more
In Depth Tupuxuara was a diurnal pterosaur that lived close to the sea, and is thought to have hunted for fish. The elaborate crest shows evidence of an extensive network of blood vessels. Although possibly for thermoregulation, a more likely scenario is that Tupuxuara flushed blood into its crest to produce a striking and vivid … Read more
In Depth Mimodactylus is a genus of pterosaur that lived in North Africa during the earlier stages of the Late Cretaceous. Mimodactylus is described from the almost complete fossil remains of a juvenile. Mimodactylus has teeth that are fairly short, conical and unserrated. These teeth would have been most suited to cracking opened the hard … Read more
In Depth Xericeps is a genus of pterosaur that lived in Africa during the Cretaceous. Further Reading - A new edentulous pterosaur from the Cretaceous Kem Kem beds of south eastern Morocco. Cretaceous Research 84:1-12. - D. M. Martill, D. M. Unwin, N. Ibrahim & N. Longrich - 2018.
In Depth Noted for its similarity to the genus Tapejara, Caiuajara is a tapejarid pterosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous. Tapejarid pterosaurs are noted for their large head crests, and Caiuajara is no exception. The crest of Caiuajara has been reconstructed to have formed a crest shaped much like a shark … Read more
In Depth Ctenochasmatid pterosaurs are usually confirmed by their special dentition which allows them to filter sediment and water as they hunt for invertebrates. However this was not possible for Beipiaopterus because the skull was unknown. Instead the remainder of the body had to be examined for identifying features and the conclusion to this was … Read more