Dino card No. 1413 of 2,027

Peteinosaurus

Say it: peh-TY-nə-SOR-əs

Name means: “winged lizard”1

Ate: FishFlying reptilesLate TriassicNot technically a dinosaur

Peteinosaurus was a tiny flying reptile that lived about 215 million years ago. It had a wingspan as small as 60 centimetres, making it one of the smallest pterosaurs ever. It flew over the warm seas of what is now Italy.1

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

Lived

215 to 211 million years ago3

Late Triassic

Fossils found in

Cene, Seriana Valley, Italy3 1

Food

Fish3 1

Wingspan

0.6 to 1 m1

estimates vary

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How wide were its wings?

as long as 2 house cats nose to tail

How big was Peteinosaurus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Peteinosaurus had three different types of teeth in its mouth, a feature called trimorphodonty.1

Its wings were short compared to its legs: the wing was only twice the length of the hindlimb, while later pterosaurs had wings at least three times longer.1

The fifth toe on its foot was long and had no claw, and it could bend in a special way to control a membrane between its legs.1

All known fossils of Peteinosaurus are from young animals, and none include a skull.1

One of the fossils, called the paratype, has a long tail stiffened by bony rods, a common feature in early pterosaurs.1

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

?How big was Peteinosaurus?

It was tiny. Its wingspan was about 60 cm (24 in), though some estimates go up to 1 m (3.3 ft).1

?What did Peteinosaurus eat?

It ate insects. Its sharp, cone-like teeth were good for catching bugs on the wing.1 2

?When did Peteinosaurus live?

It lived in the Late Triassic period, about 218 to 215 million years ago.1

?Where was Peteinosaurus found?

Its fossils were found near Cene, Italy, in the Italian Alps.1 2

?Could Peteinosaurus fly?

Yes, it was a flying reptile. It is one of the earliest vertebrates to show evidence of true flying, not just gliding.2

?Is Peteinosaurus a dinosaur?

No, it is a pterosaur, a flying reptile that is not a dinosaur.1

Ask Rex about Peteinosaurus

Rex only answers questions about this page. 3 questions a day.

Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.

For dino experts

Scientific name: Peteinosaurus
Named by: Wild 19783
Group: Flying reptiles
Family / clade: Dimorphodontidae3
Classification: Pterosauria3
Age of the rocks: 215 to 211 million years (Norian)3
Rock formations: Zorzino Limestone3
Countries: Italy3
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: German paleontologist Rupert Wild named Peteinosaurus in 1978. The species name zambellii honors Rocco Zambelli, curator of the Bergamo natural history museum.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure whether Peteinosaurus is closely related to Dimorphodon or if it is one of the most primitive pterosaurs.1

Where the facts come from

Peteinosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Walking with Dinosaurs - Fact File: Peteinosaurus (web.archive.org)
Peteinosaurus 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.

Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex