Kunpengopterus

Kun-peng-op-teh-rus.
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Nisha Yadav

Physicist

Nisha Yadav is a dedicated physicist whose work bridges the gap between physics and paleontology. With a deep interest in the processes that preserve ancient life, she explores how physical principles govern fossilization and the preservation of extinct species.

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Name

Kunpengopterus (Kun Peng wing).

Phonetic

Kun-peng-op-teh-rus.

Named By

Wang Xiaolin, Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner, Jiang Shunxing, Cheng Xin, Meng Xi & Taissa Rodrigues - 2010.

Classification

Chordata, Reptilia, Pterosauria, Wukongopteridae.

Diet

Piscivore.

Species

K. sinensis

Size

Wingspan uncertain, skull 10.69 centimetres long.

Known locations

China, Liaoning Province - Tiaojishan Formation.

Time Period

Tithonian of the Jurassic to Berriasian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Almost complete but disarticulated specimen, some soft tissue impressions.

In Depth

       Kunpengopterus is thought to have been very similar to Darwinopterus although it does not appear to have had the same expansive head crest. However Kunpengopterus does appear to have had a smaller head crest as evidenced by a small bony projection on top of the skull, above the eyes.

Further Reading

– New long-tailed pterosaurs (Wukongopteridae) from western Liaoning, China. – Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ci�ncias 82(4):1045-1062. – X. Wang, A. W. A. Kellner, S. Jiang, X. Cheng, Xi Meng & T. Rodrigues – 2010. – New anatomical information of the wukongopterid Kunpengopterus sinensis Wang et al., 2010 based on a new specimen. – PeerJ 5:e4102 DOI. – Xin Cheng, Shunxing Jiang, Xiaolin Wang� & Alexander W.A. Kellner – 2017.

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