Microtuban
Microtuban was a small flying reptile that lived near the coast of an ancient ocean. It had long, narrow wings and probably caught fish or other sea creatures for food.31
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Fun facts
Microtuban is known from only one partial skeleton that lacks the skull. The bones include parts of the neck, shoulder, left wing, and hind legs.1
The fossil was found in marine rocks that formed about 99 to 96 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period.1
Microtuban was a young animal when it died. Many of its bones were broken, possibly from a predator's bite or a collision before it sank to the seafloor.1
It is only the second pterosaur fossil ever found in Lebanon, and a rare example from the ancient African continental plate.1
The name Microtuban combines Greek for 'little' and Arabic for 'dragon', also referencing the star Thuban in the constellation Draco.1
Microtuban belonged to a group called azhdarchoid pterosaurs, which includes some of the largest flying animals ever.1
Most asked questions about Microtuban
?How big was Microtuban?
It was small. The only known fossil had a wingspan of about 1.3 metres (4.3 feet), but it was not fully grown, so adults may have been larger.1
?What did Microtuban eat?
It probably ate fish or other sea creatures. It lived near the coast of an ancient ocean and had long, narrow wings for flying over water.13
?Is Microtuban a dinosaur?
No, it is a pterosaur, which is a flying reptile and not a dinosaur.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Microtuban
- Named by
- Elgin and Frey 20113
- Group
- Flying reptiles
- Family / clade
- Azhdarchoidea3
- Classification
- Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea3
- Age of the rocks
- 100 to 94 million years (Cenomanian)3
- Rock formations
- Sannine Limestone3
- Countries
- Lebanon3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Microtuban was named by Ross A. Elgin and Eberhard Frey in 2011. The only known fossil was bought from a local dealer by the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe and came from a quarry near Hjoula, Lebanon.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly what Microtuban ate, but it probably fed on fish or other marine animals based on where it lived.12
Where the facts come from
- Microtuban (en.wikipedia.org)
- First complete pterosaur from the Afro-Arabian continent: insight into pterodactyloid diversity | Scientific Reports (nature.com)
- Microtuban in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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