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Caviramus

Say it: ka-vee-RAY-mus

Name means: “hollow branch of the lower jaw”1

Ate: FishFlying reptilesLate TriassicNot technically a dinosaur

Caviramus was a small flying reptile that lived about 205 million years ago, during the Late Triassic. It had a lightweight, hollow jaw and sharp teeth for catching fish. Caviramus is not a dinosaur, but a pterosaur, a close relative of dinosaurs.3 1

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

Lived

211 to 201 million years ago3

Late Triassic

Fossils found in

western slope of Mount Schesaplana, Northern Calcareous Alps, Switzerland3 1

Food

Fish3 1

Wingspan

1.35 m2

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 2.5 house cats nose to tail

How big was Caviramus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Caviramus had a jaw that was hollow and filled with air spaces, making it very light.1

Its teeth had multiple cusps, like little bumps, and were different in the front and back of the mouth.1

The only known fossil of Caviramus is a piece of the lower jaw, found in Switzerland.1

Caviramus lived in a shallow sea or lagoon, alongside sharks, fish, and other marine reptiles.1

Its wingspan was about 135 centimeters, which is a little over four feet.2

Some scientists think Caviramus might have searched for food on the ground, because its legs were long.2

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

?What did Caviramus eat?

It may have eaten fish, but its teeth were also good for chewing plants, so it might have been an omnivore or herbivore.2 3

?How big was Caviramus?

Caviramus had a wingspan of about 135 centimeters (53 inches).2

?Did Caviramus have a crest?

Yes, a related specimen called Raeticodactylus had a tall thin bony crest on the front of its upper jaw and a keel on the lower jaw.2

?Could Caviramus fly?

Yes, it was a pterosaur with wings that were good for soaring, and it could probably fly.2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Caviramus
Named by: Fröbisch and Fröbisch 20063
Group: Flying reptiles
Family / clade: Pterosauria3
Classification: Pterosauria3
Age of the rocks: 211 to 201 million years (Norian / Rhaetian)3
Rock formations: Kössen3
Countries: Switzerland3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Caviramus was named in 2006 by paleontologists Nadia Fröbisch and Jörg Fröbisch, based on a lower jaw found in the Swiss Alps.3 1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if another pterosaur called Raeticodactylus is actually the same animal as Caviramus.2

Where the facts come from

UPPER TRIASSIC OF THE NORTHERN CALCAREOUS (redpath-staff.mcgill.ca)
Caviramus (en.wikipedia.org)
Caviramus 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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