Dino card No. 0324 of 2,027

Caiuajara

Say it: kai-oo-ah-JAH-rah

Name means: “named after the Caiuá desert where it was found”1

Ate: PlantsFlying reptilesEarly Cretaceous to Late CretaceousNot technically a dinosaur

Caiuajara was a flying reptile that lived in a hot desert. It had a big crest on its head that grew steeper as it got older. Dozens of Caiuajara fossils were found together, showing they lived in colonies.1

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

Lived

121 to 72 million years ago4

Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Cruzeiro do Oeste, Paraná State, southern Brazil1

Food

Plants2 1

Wingspan

0.65 to 2.35 m1

range from juveniles to adults

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

as long as 5 house cats nose to tail

How big was Caiuajara compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Caiuajara is the first pterosaur found in southern Brazil. All other Brazilian pterosaurs come from the northeast.1

At least 47 individuals were found in one bone bed, which is very rare for pterosaurs.1

Young Caiuajara had a small, slanted head crest (about 115°). Adults had a larger, steeper crest (about 90°).1

Caiuajara could probably fly at a very young age. This is called being precocial.1

It lived around an oasis lake in a Cretaceous desert. Storms may have carried dead pterosaurs into the lake.1

Caiuajara belongs to a group called Tapejaridae, which had no teeth and are thought to have eaten fruit.1

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

?How big was Caiuajara?

The largest Caiuajara had a wingspan of about 2.35 meters (7.7 feet). The smallest juveniles had a wingspan of about 0.65 meters (2.1 feet).1 3

?Did Caiuajara have teeth?

No, Caiuajara had no teeth. It belonged to a group of toothless pterosaurs called Tapejaridae.1 3

?What did Caiuajara eat?

Scientists think Caiuajara ate fruit, because other tapejarid pterosaurs are thought to have been frugivorous. However, no direct food remains have been found with the fossils.1 3

?Could Caiuajara fly?

Yes, Caiuajara could fly. Even very young individuals had well-developed flight muscles and could probably fly soon after hatching.1 3

?Where was Caiuajara found?

Caiuajara fossils were found in southern Brazil, near the town of Cruzeiro do Oeste in the state of Paraná. It is the first pterosaur discovered in southern Brazil.1 3

?Why did Caiuajara have a crest?

The crest on Caiuajara's head probably helped with display, like attracting mates or recognizing other members of its species. The crest grew larger and steeper as the animal got older.1 3

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Caiuajara
Named by: Manzig et al. 20144
Group: Flying reptiles
Family / clade: Tapejaridae4
Classification: Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea4
Age of the rocks: 121 to 72 million years (Aptian / Campanian)4
Rock formations: Goio-Erê4
Countries: Brazil4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Caiuajara was named in 2014 by Manzig and colleagues. The fossils were found near Cruzeiro do Oeste in southern Brazil.2 1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly how old the rocks are. Caiuajara could be the youngest known tapejarid pterosaur, or the rocks might be older than thought.1

Where the facts come from

Discovery of a Rare Pterosaur Bone Bed in a Cretaceous Desert with Insights on Ontogeny and Behavior of Flying Reptiles | PLOS One (journals.plos.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Caiuajara (en.wikipedia.org)
Caiuajara 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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