Sericipterus
Sericipterus was a flying reptile that lived about 160 million years ago in what is now China. It had a wingspan of at least 1.73 meters (5.7 feet), making it one of the largest pterosaurs of its time. It probably soared over lakes and rivers, catching fish with its long, sharp teeth.12
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Fun facts
Sericipterus had three bony crests on its head: one on the snout, one on top of the skull, and a short crest at the front of the skull.1
It was one of the largest non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs, meaning it belonged to an early group of pterosaurs that did not have the short tails and long heads of later forms.2
The name Sericipterus comes from the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that passed through the region where it was found.1
Its teeth were curved, sharply pointed, and had two keels (sharp edges) for cutting, like steak knives.1
The holotype specimen (IVPP V14725) includes a disarticulated skull, partial lower jaw, many teeth, parts of the spine, wing bones, and other fragments.2
Sericipterus lived in a terrestrial (land) environment, unlike many pterosaurs that lived near the sea.2
Most asked questions about Sericipterus
?How big was Sericipterus?
Sericipterus had a wingspan of at least 1.73 meters, making it one of the largest non pterodactyloid pterosaurs.12
?What did Sericipterus eat?
It likely ate small tetrapods, as it lived inland and had sharp, curved teeth with cutting edges, similar to other rhamphorhynchids.12
?When did Sericipterus live?
Sericipterus lived during the Late Jurassic, about 160 million years ago, in what is now China.12
?Was Sericipterus a dinosaur?
No, Sericipterus was a pterosaur, a flying reptile, not a dinosaur.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Sericipterus
- Named by
- Andres et al. 20103
- Group
- Flying reptiles
- Family / clade
- Rhamphorhynchidae3
- Classification
- Pterosauria > Rhamphorhynchidae3
- Age of the rocks
- 162 to 155 million years (Oxfordian)3
- Rock formations
- Shishugou3
- Countries
- China3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Sericipterus was named and described in 2010 by Brian Andres, James Clark, and Xu Xing. The fossils were found during joint expeditions from 2001 to 2006 in the Wucaiwan area of the Junggar Basin in China.12
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure how many teeth Sericipterus had in its lower jaw, because the lower jaw bones were not fully preserved.1
Where the facts come from
- Sericipterus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Full article: A new rhamphorhynchid pterosaur from the Upper Jurassic of Xinjiang, China, and the phylogenetic relationships of basal pterosaurs (tandfonline.com)
- Sericipterus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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