Liaoxipterus

Liaoxipterus was the first istiodactylid pterosaur found in China, but scientists first thought it was a different kind of pterosaur called a ctenochasmatid.2

Its lower jaw was about 161 millimetres long, which is shorter than a ruler, and it had about 26 teeth in total.12

The hyoid bone in its throat was Y-shaped and very long, similar to a chameleon's, which helps the tongue shoot out to catch prey.2

Liaoxipterus lived alongside other pterosaurs like Nurhachius and Istiodactylus sinensis in the same ancient environment.2

Its teeth were all the same shape, with roots longer than the crowns, and they were flattened from side to side.2

Scientists think the wide tip of its lower jaw might have been different from other pterosaurs because of sexual differences, like males and females looking different.2