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Arcticodactylus

Say it: ark-TIK-oh-DAK-tih-lus

Name means: “Arctic finger”1

Ate: FishFlying reptilesLate TriassicNot technically a dinosaur

Arcticodactylus was a tiny flying reptile that lived during the Late Triassic in what is now Greenland. It was one of the smallest pterosaurs ever found, with wings about as wide as a ruler. It probably flew over ancient lakes and rivers, snatching fish with its many-pointed teeth.1 2

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

Lived

227 to 206 million years ago2

Late Triassic

Fossils found in

Macknight Bjerg, Jameson Land, East Greenland1 2

Food

Fish2

Wingspan

0.24 m1

estimated from the only known specimen, which was not fully grown

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How wide were its wings?

How big was Arcticodactylus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Arcticodactylus is one of the smallest pterosaurs known, with a wingspan of only 24 centimeters (9.4 inches).1

It had 11 or 12 multi-cusped teeth on each side of its upper jaw, each with three to five points.1

Its thighbone was almost as long as its shinbone, and its wings were relatively short compared to its feet.1

The only known fossil was discovered in 1989 in Greenland and was originally thought to be a species of Eudimorphodon.1

Scientists can tell it was not a newborn because of its bone structure, but it was still growing when it died.1

Its closest relatives might have been Eudimorphodon or Austriadraco, other early pterosaurs.1

AI-made picture of Arcticodactylus — An AI-made picture of how Arcticodactylus 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 Arcticodactylus

?Was Arcticodactylus a dinosaur?

No, it was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that is not a dinosaur.1

?How big was Arcticodactylus?

It was tiny, with a wingspan of only 24 centimeters (9.4 inches), making it one of the smallest known pterosaurs.1

?What did Arcticodactylus eat?

It probably ate fish, snatching them from ancient lakes and rivers with its many-pointed teeth.1

?When did Arcticodactylus live?

It lived during the Late Triassic, about 208 to 201 million years ago.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Arcticodactylus
Named by: Kellner 20152
Group: Flying reptiles
Family / clade: Pterosauria2
Classification: Pterosauria2
Age of the rocks: 227 to 206 million years (Norian)2
Rock formations: Fleming Fjord2
Countries: Greenland2
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database2
Discovery: The first fossil was found in 1989 by William Amaral on Macknight Bjerg in Greenland. It was named Eudimorphodon cromptonellus in 2001, but in 2015 Alexander Kellner gave it its own genus, Arcticodactylus.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly how Arcticodactylus is related to other early pterosaurs, because it shares features with both Eudimorphodon and Austriadraco.1

Where the facts come from

Arcticodactylus (en.wikipedia.org)
Arcticodactylus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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