Mistralazhdarcho
Mistralazhdarcho was a huge flying reptile that soared over ancient France. It was not a dinosaur, but a pterosaur, a cousin of dinosaurs that ruled the skies. With a wingspan as wide as a small car, it was one of the biggest animals in the air.12
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Fun facts
Mistralazhdarcho had a bump on the top of its lower jaw, which might have helped it crush shellfish or make sounds.1
Its bones were found scattered over a small area, so scientists think they all came from one young animal.1
It was a medium-sized azhdarchid, bigger than some relatives but smaller than the giant Hatzegopteryx.2
The first fossil was found in 1992, but it took until 2018 for scientists to name it.1
Its closest relative might be Aerotitan from Argentina, even though they lived far apart.1
Most asked questions about Mistralazhdarcho
?How big was Mistralazhdarcho?
Its wingspan was about 4.5 metres (15 feet) for the young fossil found, and adults may have reached 5 to 6 metres (16 to 20 feet). That is as wide as a small car.12
?Was Mistralazhdarcho a dinosaur?
No, it was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived alongside dinosaurs but is not one itself.1
?What did Mistralazhdarcho eat?
Scientists are not sure, but the bump on its lower jaw might have helped it crush shellfish. It likely ate small animals or fish.1
?When did Mistralazhdarcho live?
It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 72 million years ago, in what is now France.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think pterosaurs like Mistralazhdarcho were dinosaurs.
Truth: Pterosaurs were flying reptiles, not dinosaurs. They lived at the same time but were a different group.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Mistralazhdarcho
- Named by
- Vullo et al. 20183
- Group
- Flying reptiles
- Family / clade
- Azhdarchidae3
- Classification
- Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea > Azhdarchidae3
- Age of the rocks
- 84 to 72 million years (Campanian)3
- Countries
- France3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- The fossil site was found in 1992 by Xavier Valentin, and the pterosaur bones were dug up between 2009 and 2012. In 2018, scientists named it Mistralazhdarcho maggii.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly where Mistralazhdarcho fits in the pterosaur family tree. Some studies put it with one group, others with another.1
Where the facts come from
- Mistralazhdarcho (en.wikipedia.org)
- Mistralazhdarcho Maggii , Gen. Et Sp. Nov., A New Azhdarchid Pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Southeastern France - INSU - Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (insu.hal.science)
- Mistralazhdarcho in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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