In Depth The problem with Lonchodectes is that the genus continues to be treated somewhat like a wastebasket with the most fragmentary remains being attributed to it, which explains the broad temporal range of Lonchodectes in the fossil record. The reason for this is mostly down to is taxonomic history with the first sets of … Read more
In Depth Brasileodactylus may have had a crest on the back of its head, and this is why Ludodactylus has been suggested as a synonym of Brasileodactylus. Both pterosaurs have very similar skulls, but Ludodactylus has a crest similar in appearance to that of Pteranodon. If Brasileodactylus is proven to have a crest like Ludodactylus … Read more
In Depth Ferrodraco is a genus of pterosaur known to have lived in Australia during the late Cretaceous. Ferrodraco is an ornithocheird pterosaur, a type often associated with the sea, snatching fish from the water. Like many of its relatives, Ferrodraco had a crest rising up on the end of the snout, which in Ferrodraco … Read more
In Depth Arthurdactylus conandoylei was named after the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and while he is most famous for writing the Sherlock Holmes stories, he also wrote The Lost World. For those not familiar with the story it is about a group of explorers who discover a plateau in South America where dinosaurs and … Read more
In Depth Istiodactylus had actually been known to science since 1913 except it was known as Ornithodesmus until it was realised that some of the remains associated to it belonged to a theropod dinosaur. With this realisation the known pterosaur remains were renamed Istiodactylus. Istiodactylus had quite a unique beak that was rounded at the … Read more
In Depth Like Ornithocheirus, Anhanguera had rounded crests on both the tip of its snout and lower jaw. Also the jaws broadened towards the tip with the sharp thin teeth pointing outwards in what is often referred to as a rosette. This arrangement greatly increased the ‘catch area’ for Anhanguera as it flew over the … Read more
In Depth Aside from being the first tapejarid pterosaur discovered outside of Brazil, Sinopterus also represents one of the earliest and most complete. Sinopterus had a toothless bony beak and bony crest that runs from the premaxilla to the middle of the skull. The crest is then thought to extend upwards. Sinopterus is thought to … 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 Unfortunately not only are pterosaur fossils rare in Australia they are usually very fragmentary; such is the case for Aussiedraco. The type specimen had been known for over thirty years before it was granted the name Aussiedraco and represents the front piece of the lower jaw. The jaw itself was thin like you … Read more
In Depth Like in other ornithocherid pterosaurs the sharp teeth of Boreopterus project out to the sides with the largest near the tip of the snout, most notably the third and fourth pairs from the tip of the snout. When the teeth near the tips of the jaws meshed together they made for an effective … Read more