Dino card No. 0146 of 2,027

Arambourgiania

Say it: AIR-am-boor-GAN-ee-ah

Name means: “named after Camille Arambourg, a French paleontologist”4

Ate: FishFlying reptilesLate CretaceousNot technically a dinosaur

Arambourgiania was one of the biggest flying animals that ever lived. It was a pterosaur, not a dinosaur, and soared over ancient seas. It had a wingspan as wide as a small airplane!1

Fun fact: pterosaurs flew over the dinosaurs, but they were their cousins, not dinosaurs themselves.

Lived

72 to 66 million years ago4

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Ruseifa phosphate mine, Jordan4

Food

Fish4

Wingspan

up to 12 m1

estimate, may have reached 12 meters

Weight

180 kg to 250 kg2

estimate

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How wide were its wings?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 8 big dogs

wings as wide as 2.5 cars in a rowas heavy as 50 watermelons

How big was Arambourgiania compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Arambourgiania lived during the Maastrichtian age, about 72 to 66 million years ago.4

Its wingspan may have reached 12 meters (about 39 feet), making it as big as Quetzalcoatlus.1

Only a few bones of Arambourgiania have been found, including a neck vertebra.1

The first fossil was discovered in a phosphate mine in Jordan.4

It belongs to the family Azhdarchidae, a group of giant pterosaurs with long necks.4

AI-made picture of Arambourgiania — An AI-made picture of how Arambourgiania might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Arambourgiania

?How big was Arambourgiania?

It was one of the largest flying animals ever, with a wingspan estimated at 10 to 12 meters (33 to 39 feet). Some studies suggest a wingspan of 8 to 10 meters (26 to 33 feet).1 2

?Was Arambourgiania a dinosaur?

No, it was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived at the same time as dinosaurs but is not a dinosaur itself.2

?What did Arambourgiania eat?

Scientists are not sure, but it likely ate fish or other small animals it could catch while flying or wading. Its fossils are found in ancient seas, so it may have eaten aquatic prey.2

?When did Arambourgiania live?

It lived during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period, about 72 to 66 million years ago.2

?Where was Arambourgiania found?

Its first fossil was discovered in a phosphate mine near Ruseifa, Jordan. Other possible remains have been found in the United States and Morocco.2

?Could Arambourgiania fly?

Yes, it was a flying reptile with hollow, lightweight bones and wings adapted for soaring, similar to modern soaring birds.3 2

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Arambourgiania was a dinosaur.

Truth: Arambourgiania was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived at the same time as dinosaurs but was not a dinosaur.4

For dino experts

Scientific name: Arambourgiania
Named by: Nessov et al. 19874
Group: Flying reptiles
Family / clade: Azhdarchidae4
Classification: Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea > Azhdarchidae4
Age of the rocks: 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)4
Rock formations: Phosphorite Unit4
Countries: Jordan4
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: The first fossil was described by Camille Arambourg in 1959, and the genus was named Arambourgiania by Nessov and colleagues in 1987.4
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly how big Arambourgiania was because only a few bones have been found.1

Where the facts come from

A reappraisal of Arambourgiania (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea): One of the world's largest flying animals - Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen Band 199 Heft 2, Schweizerbart science publishers (schweizerbart.de)
Arambourgiania (en.wikipedia.org)
New pterosaur remains from the Late Cretaceous of Afro-Arabia provide insight into flight capacity of large pterosaurs: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: Vol 44 , No 1 - Get Access (tandfonline.com)
Arambourgiania in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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