Alanqa

A-lon-kah.
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Liam Carter

Paleoanthropologist

Liam Carter explores the roots of humanity by studying early human fossils and artifacts. His ground-breaking work has provided a deeper understanding of our ancestors' lifestyles and social structures.

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Name

Alanqa ‭(‬Arabic for Phoenix‭)‬.

Phonetic

A-lon-kah.

Named By

Ibrahim et al‭ ‬-‭ ‬2010.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Pterosauria,‭ ‬Pterodactyloidea,‭ ‬Azhdarchidae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬saharica‭

Size

Unknown for certain,‭ ‬but comparison with similar pterosaur species has given estimates of a‭ ‬4‭ ‬meter wingspan to one individual,‭ ‬and a‭ ‬6‭ ‬meter wingspan attributed to a larger individual.

Known locations

Africa,‭ ‬Morocco‭ ‬-‭ ‬Kem Kem Beds.‭

Time Period

Berriasian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Jaw fragments and possible neck vertebra.

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 during the fossilisation process‭)‬.‭ ‬Although initially thought to be pteranodontid,‭ ‬most people consider Alanqa to actually represent an early azdarchid pterosaur,‭ ‬similar to others of the group like Zheijiangopterus.‭ ‬As such Alanqa is thought to have hunted like a stork,‭ ‬as has been suggested for the azdarchid pterosaurs as a group.

Further Reading

– A New Pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Morocco. – PLoS ONE. 5 (5). – Nizar Ibrahim, David M. Unwin, David M. Martill, Lahssen Baidder & Samir Zouhri – 2010. – An unusual modification of the jaws in cf. Alanqa, a mid-Cretaceous azhdarchid pterosaur from the Kem Kem beds of Morocco. – Cretaceous Research. 53: 59. – David M. Martill & Nizar Ibrahim – 2015.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT