Nicorhynchus
Nicorhynchus was a big flying reptile that soared over ancient seas and rivers. It had a long snout full of pointy teeth and a crest on its head. It swooped down to catch fish with its jaws.1
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Fun facts
Nicorhynchus is one of the largest toothed pterosaurs, second only to Tropeognathus. Its skull could have been up to 75 cm (30 inches) long.1
The tip of its snout was shaped like a boxy rosette, wider than the rest of the jaw, and its front teeth pointed straight forward.1
Its name comes from the Old English word 'nicor', meaning a water dragon or knucker.1
Nicorhynchus lived about 105 to 92.5 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period.1
Scientists first thought Nicorhynchus was a species of Coloborhynchus, but in 2020 it got its own genus.12
The two species are Nicorhynchus capito from England and Nicorhynchus fluviferox from Morocco.1
Most asked questions about Nicorhynchus
?How big was Nicorhynchus?
It was one of the largest toothed pterosaurs, with an estimated wingspan of about 7 metres (23 feet) and a skull up to 75 cm (30 inches) long.1
?What did Nicorhynchus eat?
It ate fish. It swooped down over ancient seas and rivers to catch fish with its long, toothy jaws.13
?When did Nicorhynchus live?
It lived during the Cretaceous Period, about 105 to 92.5 million years ago.1
?Is Nicorhynchus a dinosaur?
No, it is not a dinosaur. It is a pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived at the same time as dinosaurs.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Nicorhynchus
- Named by
- Holgado and Pegas 20203
- Group
- Flying reptiles
- Family / clade
- Anhangueridae3
- Classification
- Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea3
- Age of the rocks
- 106 to 94 million years (Albian / Cenomanian)3
- Rock formations
- West Melbury Marly Chalk, Ifezouane3
- Countries
- United Kingdom, Morocco3
- Fossil records
- 4 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- The first fossils were named Ornithocheirus capito by Harry Seeley in 1870. In 2020, Borja Holgado and Rodrigo Pêgas gave it the new genus name Nicorhynchus.12
- Still debated
- Some scientists think the differences between Nicorhynchus and Coloborhynchus are too small, and they may be the same genus.1
Where the facts come from
- Nicorhynchus (en.wikipedia.org)
- A taxonomic and phylogenetic review of the anhanguerid pterosaur group Coloborhynchinae and the new clade Tropeognathinae - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica (app.pan.pl)
- Nicorhynchus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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Pteranodon
Quetzalcoatlus
Dorygnathus
Rhamphorhynchus
Anhanguera
Pterodactylus
Tyrannosaurus
Triceratops
Velociraptor
Spinosaurus
Ankylosaurus
Parasaurolophus