Scaphognathus
Scaphognathus was a small pterosaur with a blunt snout and a long tail. It flew over warm Jurassic lagoons and snatched fish from the water. Unlike many pterosaurs, it was probably awake during the day.1
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Fun facts
Scaphognathus had a short, blunt skull only about 11 centimetres (4.5 inches) long.1
It had 16 teeth in the upper jaw and 10 in the lower jaw, and they pointed straight up and down, not forward.1
A second specimen found was much smaller, with a wingspan of only 50 centimetres (20 inches), and scientists think it was a juvenile.1
Scaphognathus lived during the Late Jurassic, about 155 to 150 million years ago.1
Its eye bones (scleral rings) suggest it was diurnal, or active during the day, unlike some other pterosaurs that were nocturnal.1
The first fossil was described in 1831 by August Goldfuss, who thought it was a species of Pterodactylus.1
Most asked questions about Scaphognathus
?How big was Scaphognathus?
Scaphognathus had a wingspan of about 0.9 metres (3 feet). A second, smaller specimen had a wingspan of only about 50 centimetres (20 inches) and was probably a juvenile.12
?What did Scaphognathus eat?
Scaphognathus was a carnivore, meaning it ate meat. Its main food was a type of ancient fish called Pholidophorus.2
?Was Scaphognathus a dinosaur?
No, Scaphognathus was a pterosaur, a flying reptile, not a dinosaur. It lived during the Late Jurassic, about 155 to 150 million years ago.12
?Why did Scaphognathus have a long tail?
Scaphognathus had a long tail that ended in a leaf-shaped flap. This probably helped it steer and balance while flying, like a rudder on a boat.2
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Myth buster
Myth: Scaphognathus is sometimes confused with Rhamphorhynchus because both have long tails.
Truth: Scaphognathus had a shorter, blunter skull and vertical teeth, while Rhamphorhynchus had a longer, thinner skull with forward-pointing teeth.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Scaphognathus
- Named by
- Wagner 18613
- Group
- Flying reptiles
- Family / clade
- Rhamphorhynchidae3
- Classification
- Pterosauria > Rhamphorhynchidae3
- Age of the rocks
- 168 to 143 million years (Bathonian / Tithonian)3
- Rock formations
- Solnhofener Plattenkalk, Tiaojishan3
- Countries
- Germany, China3
- Fossil records
- 3 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Also known as
- Brachytrachelus, Pachyrhamphus (older names now counted as the same animal)3
- Discovery
- The first Scaphognathus fossil was described by August Goldfuss in 1831 from the Solnhofen Limestone near Eichstätt, Germany. He originally named it a new species of Pterodactylus. In 1861, Johann Wagner gave it its own genus name Scaphognathus.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure whether some fossils from China belong to Scaphognathus or to a related pterosaur.3
Where the facts come from
- Scaphognathus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Scaphognathus Facts for Kids (kids.kiddle.co)
- Scaphognathus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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