In Depth Tethydraco is a genus of pteranodontid pterosaur known to have lived in North Africa during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs from North Africa and mass extinction of Pterosauria at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. - PLoS Biology 16(3):e2001663:1-38. - N. R. Longrich, D. M. Martill & B. Andres - 2018.
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 Simurghia is a genus of pterosaur that lived in Africa during the late Cretaceous. The holotype fossils of Simurghia were found in what was a marine environment, strongly showing that Simurghia lived in coastal ecosystems. Further Reading - Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs from North Africa and mass extinction of Pterosauria at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. … Read more
In Depth Rhamphorhynchus is one of the classic pterosaurs that have been known to science since the early days of palaeontology. It had what appears to have been a sizeable distribution and aside from the above locations, Rhamphorhynchus specimens have also been attributed to other European countries like the United Kingdom. Unfortunately however, these specimens … Read more
In Depth Forfexopterus is a genus of pterosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading - A new archaeopterodactyloid pterosaur from the Jiufotang Formation of western Liaoning, China, with a comparison of sterna in Pterodactylomorpha. - Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology. - S. Jiang, X. Cheng, Y. Ma & X. Wang - 2016.
In Depth Ningchengopterus was a very special find as it appears to be a very young juvenile specimen. The structure of the wings suggest that Ningchengopterus was flight capable even at this young age, which in turn helps to reinforce the theory that pterosaurs could fly not long after hatching, and were possibly independent from … Read more
In Depth The partially preserved skull of Cuspicephalus was first recovered in 2009 by Steve Etches, and is preserved on a slab of stone. Although incomplete the feature that stands out most at first glance is the enlarged nasoantorbital fenestra (the opening that would be in front of the eye socket) that is greater than … Read more
In Depth If the name Targaryendraco sounds like something out of the television series Game of Thrones (or the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series), then you are actually right. The name of this pterosaur actually means ‘Targaryen dragon’, a reference to the house of Targaryen from A Song of Ice and Fire/Game … Read more
In Depth Keresdrakon is a genus of pterosaur that lived in Brazil during the Cretaceous. The holotype individual of Keresdrakon was discovered in a bone bed with other pterosaur remains. These remains include the genus Caiuajara, proving that these two pterosaurs were active within the same ecosystem at the same time. Further Reading - A … 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