Dino card No. 0787 of 2,027

Harpactognathus

Say it: har-PAK-tog-NAY-thus

Name means: “seizing or grasping jaw”1

Ate: MeatFlying reptilesLate JurassicNot technically a dinosaur

Harpactognathus was a large flying reptile that lived during the Jurassic period. It had a strong, wide beak and sharp teeth for grabbing prey. This pterosaur was one of the biggest of its kind that did not belong to the short-tailed pterodactyl group.1

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

Lived

152 to 145 million years ago2

Late Jurassic

Fossils found in

Albany County, Wyoming, USA1 2

Food

Meat1

Wingspan

2.5 m1

estimate

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How wide were its wings?

wings as wide as 1.5 bicycles in a row

How big was Harpactognathus compared to YOU?

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

cool stuff

Fun facts

Harpactognathus is known from only a partial skull and a few other bones, so scientists are still learning about its full appearance.1

It had a crest on the front of its skull that might have been used for display to attract mates or show off to rivals.1

With a wingspan of about 2.5 metres (8.2 feet), Harpactognathus was among the largest non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs.1

Its fossils were found in the Morrison Formation, the same rock layer that contains famous dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Diplodocus.1

Unlike many other pterosaurs that ate fish, Harpactognathus probably hunted small animals on land near rivers and lakes.1

The name Harpactognathus comes from Greek words meaning 'seizing jaw', which describes its strong, grabbing beak.1

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

?Was Harpactognathus a dinosaur?

No, Harpactognathus was a pterosaur, a flying reptile, not a dinosaur.1

?How big was Harpactognathus?

It had an estimated wingspan of about 2.5 metres (8.2 feet) and a skull length of 280 to 300 millimetres (11 to 12 inches).1

?What did Harpactognathus eat?

It was a terrestrial carnivore that probably hunted small animals on land near rivers and lakes, not fish like many other pterosaurs.1

?Where was Harpactognathus found?

Its fossils were found in the Morrison Formation in Wyoming, USA, the same rock layer as Stegosaurus and Diplodocus.1

?Did Harpactognathus have a crest?

Yes, it had a thin crest on the front of its skull that may have been used for display to attract mates or show off to rivals.1

?When did Harpactognathus live?

It lived during the Kimmeridgian stage of the Late Jurassic period, about 157 to 152 million years ago.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Harpactognathus is often thought to be a dinosaur.

Truth: Harpactognathus was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that is not a dinosaur.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Harpactognathus
Named by: Carpenter et al. 20032
Group: Flying reptiles
Family / clade: Lonchognatha2
Classification: Pterosauria2
Age of the rocks: 152 to 145 million years (Kimmeridgian / Tithonian)2
Rock formations: Morrison2
Countries: USA2
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database2
Discovery: Harpactognathus was named in 2003 by paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter and his team. The first fossil, a partial snout, was found in 1996 at Bone Cabin Quarry in Wyoming, USA. The species name honors Joe Gentry, a volunteer who helped with fossil preparation.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure whether Harpactognathus belongs to the scaphognathine or rhamphorhynchine group of pterosaurs, because its fossils are so incomplete.1

Where the facts come from

Harpactognathus (en.wikipedia.org)
Harpactognathus 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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