Zhenyuanopterus
Zhenyuanopterus was a flying reptile that lived in ancient China. It had a long snout full of needle-like teeth and a wingspan as wide as a small car. It probably hunted fish by swooping down over lakes.1
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Fun facts
Zhenyuanopterus had 86 teeth in its upper jaw and 86 in its lower jaw, all long and needle-like.1
Its longest front teeth were more than 10 times longer than its shortest teeth.1
The skull of the first fossil found measured 54.5 centimeters (21.5 inches) long.1
Zhenyuanopterus had a rectangular crest on top of its snout and a small crest at the back of its head.1
Some scientists think Zhenyuanopterus might actually be an adult of a smaller pterosaur called Boreopterus, because the differences could be due to age.1
It lived in a lakeside forest with volcanoes, alongside other pterosaurs like Boreopterus and Feilongus.1
Most asked questions about Zhenyuanopterus
?How big was Zhenyuanopterus?
Its wingspan was about 3.5 to 4 metres (11 to 13 ft). Its skull was 54.5 centimetres (21.5 inches) long.1
?What did Zhenyuanopterus eat?
It probably ate fish and amphibians that lived in lakes. It may have hunted by swimming and trapping prey with its needle-like teeth, like a river dolphin.1
?Did Zhenyuanopterus have a crest?
Yes, it had a rectangular crest on top of its snout and a small crest at the back of its head. Some scientists think younger pterosaurs of the same family did not have a crest yet.1
?Is Zhenyuanopterus a dinosaur?
No, it is a pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived at the same time as dinosaurs but is not a dinosaur itself.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Zhenyuanopterus was a dinosaur.
Truth: Zhenyuanopterus was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that is not a dinosaur.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Zhenyuanopterus
- Named by
- Lü 20103
- Group
- Flying reptiles
- Family / clade
- Boreopteridae3
- Classification
- Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea3
- Age of the rocks
- 126 to 120 million years (Barremian / Aptian)3
- Rock formations
- Yixian3
- Countries
- China3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Zhenyuanopterus was named by paleontologist Lü Junchang in 2010. The first fossil, a complete skeleton, was found at the Huangbanjigou locality in Liaoning, China, and given to Lü by Sun Zhenyuan.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure if Zhenyuanopterus is a separate species or just an adult version of Boreopterus.1
Where the facts come from
- Zhenyuanopterus (en.wikipedia.org)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Zhenyuanopterus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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