Kryptodrakon
Kryptodrakon was an early flying reptile that lived about 162 million years ago. It was one of the first pterosaurs with a long wing finger, which helped it fly better. This small dragon-like creature had a wingspan of about 1.4 metres (4.6 feet).2
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Fun facts
Kryptodrakon is the oldest known pterodactyloid pterosaur, meaning it had a long wing finger that made it a better flyer than earlier pterosaurs.2
Its name means 'hidden dragon' because it was discovered in a remote part of China and its fossils were hidden in rocks.1
Kryptodrakon lived in a river environment, which is unusual because many pterosaurs lived near the sea. This suggests it was adapted to life on land.2
The wing metacarpal bone of Kryptodrakon shows a mix of old and new features, with a primitive top part and a more advanced bottom part.2
Scientists think Kryptodrakon was an adult when it died because its shoulder and wrist bones were fused together.2
Most asked questions about Kryptodrakon
?What did Kryptodrakon eat?
No one knows for sure, but as a flying reptile it probably ate small animals like insects or fish.1
?Why is it called Kryptodrakon?
Its name means 'hidden dragon' because it was discovered in a remote part of China and its fossils were hidden in rocks.1
?When did Kryptodrakon live?
It lived about 162 million years ago, during the Middle to Late Jurassic.1
?Was Kryptodrakon a dinosaur?
No, it was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that is not a dinosaur.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Kryptodrakon was a dinosaur.
Truth: Kryptodrakon was a pterosaur, a flying reptile, not a dinosaur. Pterosaurs are a separate group of reptiles that lived at the same time as dinosaurs.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Kryptodrakon
- Named by
- Andres et al. 20143
- Group
- Flying reptiles
- Family / clade
- Pterodactyloidea3
- Classification
- Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea3
- Age of the rocks
- 162 to 155 million years (Oxfordian)3
- Rock formations
- Shishugou3
- Countries
- China3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Kryptodrakon was named in 2014 by paleontologists Brian Andres, James Clark, and Xing Xu. The fossils were found in the Shishugou Formation in Xinjiang, China.23
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating whether Kryptodrakon lived at the very end of the Middle Jurassic or the very beginning of the Late Jurassic, because its age is right on the boundary between these two time periods.2
Where the facts come from
- Kryptodrakon (en.wikipedia.org)
- Report The Earliest Pterodactyloid and the Origin of the Group (sciencedirect.com)
- Kryptodrakon in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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