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Nemicolopterus

Say it: neh-MIH-koh-LOP-teh-rus

Name means: “hidden flying forest dweller”1

Ate: InsectsFlying reptilesEarly CretaceousNot technically a dinosaur

Nemicolopterus was a tiny flying reptile that lived in the forests of ancient China. It was about as big as a sparrow and had curved claws on its feet for gripping tree branches. This little pterosaur probably spent its life flitting through the treetops hunting for insects.1

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

Lived

121 to 113 million years ago3

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Luzhougou, Yaolugou Town, Jianchang County, Huludao City, western Liaoning Province, China1

Food

Insects1

Wingspan

0.25 m1

estimated from a single immature specimen

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How wide were its wings?

How big was Nemicolopterus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Nemicolopterus is one of the smallest pterosaurs ever found, with a wingspan of only about 25 centimeters (10 inches).1

Its feet had strongly curved claws, more curved than any other pterodactyloid pterosaur, which helped it grip tree branches.1

Nemicolopterus lived about 120 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period.1

It is the only pterosaur known with a well-developed triangular process on the thigh bone above the knee joint.1

Nemicolopterus is a close relative of giant pterosaurs like Quetzalcoatlus, which had a wingspan of about 10 meters (33 feet).1

The fossil of Nemicolopterus was found in lake sediments, but its curved claws show it lived in trees.1

Nemicolopterus had no teeth and a long, pointed skull about 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) long.1

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

?Was Nemicolopterus a baby pterosaur?

Scientists disagree. The original study said it was a sub-adult, but a 2021 study argued it was a young juvenile or hatchling of Sinopterus. So nobody knows for sure.2 1

?How big was Nemicolopterus?

About 25 centimeters (10 inches) across the wings. That is about as wide as a sheet of paper.2 1

?What did Nemicolopterus eat?

It probably ate insects. Its toothless beak and small size suggest it snatched bugs in the forest canopy.1

?Where did Nemicolopterus live?

It lived in the forests of northeastern China, about 120 million years ago. Its curved claws helped it grip tree branches.2 1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Nemicolopterus
Named by: Wang et al. 20083
Group: Flying reptiles
Family / clade: Azhdarchoidea3
Classification: Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea3
Age of the rocks: 121 to 113 million years (Aptian)3
Rock formations: Jiufotang3
Countries: China3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Nemicolopterus was named in 2008 by Wang Xiaolin and colleagues based on a nearly complete skeleton found in the Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning, China.3 1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if Nemicolopterus is a juvenile of another pterosaur species, because the only known fossil is from an immature individual.1

Where the facts come from

Discovery of a rare arboreal forest-dwelling flying reptile (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from China - PMC (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Nemicolopterus (en.wikipedia.org)
Nemicolopterus 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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