Albadraco

Al-bah-dray-ko.
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Claire Morris

Marine Paleontologist

Claire Morris has dedicated her career to exploring the depths of prehistoric oceans. Her fascination with ancient marine life has led her to discover significant fossils that illuminate the evolution of early sea creatures.

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Name

Albadraco ‭(‬Alba dragon‭)‬.

Phonetic

Al-bah-dray-ko.

Named By

A.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Solomon,‭ ‬V.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Codrea,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Vencel‭ & ‬G.‭ ‬Grellet-Tinner‭ ‬-‭ ‬2019.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Pterosauria,‭ ‬Pterodactyloidea,‭ ‬Azhdarchidae.

Diet

Uncertain.

Species

A.‭ ‬tharmisensis‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of remains,‭ ‬but describers estimate a wingspan of‭ ‬5‭ ‬to six meters for the holotype.

Known locations

Romania‭ ‬-‭ ‬Șard Formation.

Time Period

Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Tips of upper and lower jaws,‭ ‬one cervical‭ (‬neck‭) ‬vertebra,‭ ‬possibly belonging to a subadult.

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,‭ ‬and also from a subadult has been referred to Albadraco.‭ ‬With such a severe lack of fossils at the time of description it is hard to be certain about details about this pterosaur.‭ ‬The describers however did compare the known fossil elements of Albadraco with more complete azdarchids,‭ ‬and came to a conclusion of a‭ ‬five to‭ ‬six‭ ‬meter long wingspan for the subadult holotype individual.‭ ‬Fully grown adults were expected to attain wingspans approaching‭ ‬six meters.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new species of large-sized pterosaur from the Maastrichtian of Transylvania‭ (‬Romania‭)‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Cretaceous Research.‭ ‬-‭ ‬A.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Solomon,‭ ‬V.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Codrea,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Vencel‭ & ‬G.‭ ‬Grellet-Tinner‭ ‬-‭ ‬2019.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT