Dino card No. 0341 of 2,027

Campylognathoides

Say it: KAM-pi-lo-NATH-oy-deez

Name means: “bent jaw”1

Ate: FishFlying reptilesEarly JurassicNot technically a dinosaur

Campylognathoides was a small flying reptile that lived in the Early Jurassic, about 182 million years ago. It had long, narrow wings and a short tail, and it probably hunted at night for squid-like animals called belemnoids.1 2

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

Lived

184 to 183 million years ago3

Early Jurassic

Fossils found in

Germany, in the Posidonia Shale of Holzmaden, Baden-Württemberg1 3

Food

Fish2

Wingspan

0.91 to 1.75 m1 2

C. liasicus wingspan 3 ft (0.91 m), C. zitteli wingspan 1.75 m

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How wide were its wings?

as long as 4 house cats nose to tail

How big was Campylognathoides compared to YOU?

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

cool stuff

Fun facts

Campylognathoides is the only pterosaur known to have eaten belemnoids. Scientists found hooklets from these squid-like animals in its stomach.2

Because belemnoids migrated to the surface at night, Campylognathoides may have hunted in the dark, like some modern bats and falcons.2

The first fossils of Campylognathoides were just wing fragments. Later, much better skeletons were found in the Holzmaden shale.1

Its original name, Campylognathus, was already used for a bug. So in 1928, the name was changed to Campylognathoides.1

Campylognathoides lived in a shallow sea. Its fossils are found in marine rocks, but it flew over the water to catch its prey.1 2

Scientists think Campylognathoides had a fast, agile flight, similar to falcons and mastiff bats that catch food while flying.1

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

?How big was Campylognathoides?

It was quite small. The larger species, C. zitteli, had a wingspan of about 1.75 metres (5.7 feet), and the smaller species, C. liasicus, had a wingspan of around 0.9 metres (3 feet).1

?Was Campylognathoides a dinosaur?

No, it was a pterosaur, a type of flying reptile that lived alongside dinosaurs but is not a dinosaur itself.1

?What did Campylognathoides eat?

It ate squid-like animals called belemnoids. Scientists found hooklets from a belemnoid called Clarkeiteuthis conocauda in its stomach.2

?Could Campylognathoides fly?

Yes, it was an excellent flier. Scientists think it had fast, agile flight similar to modern falcons and mastiff bats, and it probably hunted while flying.1 2

Ask Rex about Campylognathoides

Rex only answers questions about this page. 3 questions a day.

Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.

For dino experts

Scientific name: Campylognathoides
Named by: Strand 19283
Group: Flying reptiles
Family / clade: Campylognathoididae3
Classification: Pterosauria3
Age of the rocks: 184 to 183 million years (Toarcian)3
Rock formations: Posidonia Shale3
Countries: Germany3
Fossil records: 12 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: The first specimen was described by Felix Plieninger in 1894 as Campylognathus zitteli, based on wing fragments from Germany. In 1928, Embrik Strand renamed it Campylognathoides because the old name was already taken.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if Campylognathoides hunted only at night or also during the day. The idea of nocturnal hunting is still being studied.2

Where the facts come from

Campylognathoides (en.wikipedia.org)
Dietary tendencies of the Early Jurassic pterosaurs Campylognathoides Strand, 1928, and Dorygnathus (dinodata.de)
Campylognathoides 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.

Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex