In Depth The toothless beak of Shenzhoupterus is quite characteristic of the azdarchid line of pterosaurs and indicates a potentially carnivorous diet not restricted to fish. The skull of Shenzhoupterus is proportionately deep and the antorbital fenestra is especially large to accomodate this morphology. A convex shaped crest also rose up from the top of … Read more
In Depth As the name suggests, Archaeoistiodactylus is the oldest known istiodactylid pterosaur. Further Reading – A new pterosaur (Pterosauria) from Middle Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation of western Liaoning, China. – Global Geology 13:113-118. – J. L� & X. Fucha – 2018.
In Depth Austriadactylus was at the larger end of the scale for Triassic pterosaurs, although it was still tiny if you compare it to the much later giants like Quetzalcoatlus that lived towards the end of the Cretaceous. Quite a unique feature for Austriadactylus however is its head crest which rose up two centimetres from … Read more
In Depth Although somewhat lacking in fossil material, Harpactognathus has still been found to have a crest that runs down the entire skull, all the way to the tip of the jaws. Further Reading – A new scaphognathine pterosaur from the Upper Jurassic Formation of Wyoming, USA. In: Buffetaut, E., and Mazin, J.- M. (eds.). … 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
In Depth In 2005 a fragment of pterosaur jaw bone was acquired by Andr� Jacques Veldmeijer, and then later described as a species of Thalassodromeus, T. oberlii in Veldmeijers’ 2006 dissertation. However, the species was never actually official. Then in 2014 the fragment was described by Headden and Campos not as a species of Thalassodromeus, … Read more
In Depth Albadraco is a genus of azdarchid pterosaur that lived in Europe during the late Cretaceous. At the time of the description, Albadraco is mainly described from the tips of the jaws which seem to have been from a subadult. Additionally, a cervical vertebra found nearby the jaws tips, also from an azdarchid pterosaur, … Read more
In Depth Mistralazhdarcho is a genus of azdarchid pterosaur that lived in Western Europe during the late Cretaceous. Because the remains of the holotype individual are both incomplete and of an immature individual, the full size of Mistralazhdarcho is unknown at the time of writing. Comparison to the remains of other azdarchid pterosaur genera however … Read more
In Depth Unfortunately because a portion of the neck vertebra is the only known fossil of Aralazhdarcho, not a lot can be said about the living creature. As you may have figured out for yourselves the name Aralazhdarcho is in reference to the Aral Sea, combined with the genus Azhdarcho, the genus that led to … Read more
In Depth Campylognathoides was much like the other basal pterosaurs that flew in the skies of Jurassic Europe. It is also probably that Campylognathoides shared the skies with the well-known pterosaur Dorygnathus as evidenced by the presence of both pterosaurs in the same fossil beds. However, although usually depicted as a fish hunting piscivore, Campylognathoides … Read more