Zhejiangopterus
| Zhejiangopterus Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous 81.5 mya
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| Zhejiangopterus linhaiensis | |
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| Genus: | Zhejiangopterus
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| Zhejiangopterus linhaiensis Cai & Feng, 1994
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Zhejiangopterus is a pterosaur that was found in China. It lived in the late Cretaceous.
At least six specimens of adults have been found. Zhejiangopterus was a moderately large pterosaur. Its wingspan was first estimated at five metres (16.4 feet). Later estimates reduced this to about 3.5 metres (11 feet).[1]
Its skull was long, low, perfectly arched, and lacked a "keel" or any other crest sometimes seen in related species. The beak was long, thin, sharply pointed, and lacked teeth. The cervical vertebrae were elongated. The first six dorsal vertebrae had fused together. This helped the chest keep stable against the forces generated by the wings.
Several pairs of belly ribs were preserved. Its upper leg bone was half the size of its upper arm bone, and strong and thin. The wings were short but robust[2]
References
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- ↑ Unwin D. & Lü J. 1997. On Zhejiangopterus and the relationships of pterodactyloid pterosaurs. Historical Biology. 12, 200
- ↑ Cai Z. and Wei F. 1994. On a new pterosaur (Zhejiangopterus linhaiensis gen. et sp. nov.) from Upper Cretaceous in Linhai, Zhejiang, China. Vertebrata Palasiatica, 32: 181-194.
