Zhenyuanopterus

Zen-yoo-an-op-teh-rus
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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

Zhenyuanopterus (Zhenyuan wing).

Phonetic

Zen-yoo-an-op-teh-rus

Named By

L� Jungchang - 2010.

Classification

Chordata, Sauropsida, Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea, Ornithocheiroidea, Boreopteridae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

Z. longirostris (type)

Size

About 4 meter wingspan.

Known locations

China, Liaoning Province.

Time Period

Early Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Well preserved specimen.

In Depth

       The jaws of Zhenyuanopterus feature long needle like teeth that protrude out of the jaws and intermesh when the mouth is closed. The largest teeth are at the front, although they get significantly smaller as they approach the nostril. Some have considered the larger teeth at the front to have been too fragile to cope with struggling larger and more powerful prey, and as such Zhenyuanopterus may have focused upon smaller fish.

       Zhenyuanopterus also had extremely tiny feet. There is also what remains of a low crest that rises up from the top of the skull from just before the nostril to roughly half way over the antorbital fenestra.

Further Reading

– A boreopterid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province, northeastern China. – Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition) 84(2):241-246. – J. L� – 2010.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT