Dino card No. 0319 of 2,027

Caelestiventus

Say it: suh-LES-tih-VEN-tus

Name means: “heavenly wind”1

Ate: FishFlying reptilesLate Triassic to Early JurassicNot technically a dinosaur

Caelestiventus was a flying reptile that lived in a hot desert during the Late Triassic, about 205 million years ago. It was one of the biggest pterosaurs of its time, with a wingspan over 1.5 meters (5 feet). Unlike most early pterosaurs, which are found in marine rocks, this one lived among sand dunes.2 1

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

Lived

237 to 175 million years ago4

Late Triassic to Early Jurassic

Fossils found in

Saints & Sinners Quarry in northeastern Utah, USA1 4

Food

Fish4 1

Wingspan

1.5 m1

estimate based on 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?

as long as 3 house cats nose to tail

How big was Caelestiventus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Caelestiventus is the only known desert-dwelling non-pterodactyloid pterosaur, and it is 65 million years older than any other desert pterosaur.2 1

Its skull was 17.8 centimeters (7 inches) long, and most of the skull bones were preserved in three dimensions, not squashed flat like most Triassic pterosaur fossils.1

The lower jaw of Caelestiventus was hollow and air-filled, with large openings that may have helped reduce weight for flight.1

It had three different kinds of teeth: long fang-like spikes at the front, large leaf-shaped blades, and tiny blades further back.1

The only known fossil includes most of the skull and the last finger bone of the wing, which supported the wingtip.1

Caelestiventus is closely related to Dimorphodon, a pterosaur from the Early Jurassic of Britain.2 1

The quarry where it was found also contained bones of crocodile-like reptiles, lizards, and small meat-eating dinosaurs.1

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

?Was Caelestiventus a dinosaur?

No, Caelestiventus was a pterosaur, a flying reptile, not a dinosaur.1 3

?How big was Caelestiventus?

It had a wingspan of at least 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) and a skull 17.8 centimeters (7 inches) long. It was one of the largest Triassic pterosaurs, and the only known specimen was not fully grown.1

?What did Caelestiventus eat?

Scientists are not sure, but its three kinds of teeth (fang-like spikes, leaf-shaped blades, and tiny blades) suggest it ate different foods, possibly insects or small animals.1

?Did Caelestiventus have feathers?

No, it did not have feathers. Like most pterosaurs, it was covered in small hair-like structures called pycnofibers.3

?When did Caelestiventus live?

It lived during the Late Triassic Period, about 205 million years ago.1

?Where was Caelestiventus found?

It was discovered in the Saints & Sinners Quarry in northeastern Utah, USA, in fossilized sand dunes.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Caelestiventus
Named by: Britt et al. 20184
Group: Flying reptiles
Family / clade: Dimorphodontidae4
Classification: Pterosauria4
Age of the rocks: 237 to 175 million years (Carnian / Toarcian)4
Rock formations: Nugget Sandstone4
Countries: USA4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: The fossil was discovered in 2007 by Dan Chure and George Engelmann in the Nugget Sandstone of Utah. It was named in 2018 by Britt and colleagues, honoring Robin Hansen, a geologist who helped with the excavation.1 4
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if the hollow spaces in its skull and jaw were used for storing food, for making sounds, or for display.1

Where the facts come from

Caelestiventus (en.wikipedia.org)
Caelestiventus hanseni gen. et sp. nov. extends the desert-dwelling pterosaur record back 65 million years | Nature Ecology & Evolution (nature.com)
Caelestiventus hanseni - BYU Geology (geology.byu.edu)
Caelestiventus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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