Austriadactylus
Austriadactylus was an early flying reptile with a long tail and a crest on its head. It lived about 215 million years ago in what is now Austria and Italy. This pterosaur had many different kinds of teeth, perfect for crunching hard-shelled bugs.12
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Fun facts
Austriadactylus had a bony crest on its head that started at the tip of its snout and went back to above its eye. The crest was about 2 cm tall.21
Its teeth were very different from each other. It had tall, pointed teeth at the front, blade-like teeth with tiny serrations in the middle, and triangular teeth with up to 12 small points at the back.2
Unlike many other long-tailed pterosaurs, Austriadactylus had a flexible tail without stiff rods made of bone.21
The only known fossil of Austriadactylus was found in an abandoned mine near Ankerschlag in Tyrol, Austria.21
Austriadactylus lived during the Late Triassic period, about 215 million years ago, in a shallow sea environment with islands.12
The name Austriadactylus cristatus means 'crested Austrian finger', referring to the wing finger and the crest on its head.1
Most asked questions about Austriadactylus
?What did Austriadactylus eat?
It mostly ate hard-shelled bugs. Scientists can tell from the tiny scratches on its teeth that it crunched hard invertebrates.1
?How big was Austriadactylus?
Its wingspan was about 120 cm (47 inches), and its skull was 11 cm long. It was about the size of a crow.1
?Did Austriadactylus have a crest?
Yes, it had a bony crest on its head that started at the tip of its snout and went back to above its eye. The crest was about 2 cm tall.1
?Is Austriadactylus a dinosaur?
No, it is a pterosaur, which is a flying reptile that lived at the same time as dinosaurs but is not a dinosaur.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Austriadactylus
- Named by
- Dalla Vecchia et al. 20023
- Group
- Flying reptiles
- Family / clade
- Pterosauria3
- Classification
- Pterosauria3
- Age of the rocks
- 215 to 206 million years (Norian)3
- Rock formations
- Seefelder Schichten, Dolomia di Forni3
- Countries
- Austria, Italy3
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Austriadactylus was named in 2002 by Fabio Marco Dalla Vecchia and colleagues. The fossil was found in an abandoned mine in Tyrol, Austria, and is stored at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany.31
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure if Austriadactylus is a close relative of Eudimorphodon or if it belongs to a different group. Some think it might even be the same animal as Eudimorphodon.1
Where the facts come from
- Austriadactylus (en.wikipedia.org)
- vrpa_22_124.196_199.tp (doc.rero.ch)
- Austriadactylus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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