Gegepterus

Gegepterus was the first pterosaur from the Yixian Formation that scientists could confidently place in the Ctenochasmatidae family, because its teeth were preserved.1

The name Gegepterus comes from the Manchu word 'ge ge', meaning princess, and the Greek word 'pteron', meaning wing.1

The first fossil of Gegepterus was found in 2001 and included a crushed skull, jaws, and some soft tissue like dark patches near the head.1

A second, smaller Gegepterus specimen described in 2011 showed that the animal was covered in hair-like fibers, similar to other pterosaurs.1

Gegepterus had about 150 teeth, all thin and needle-like, which helped it strain small prey from the water.1

This pterosaur lived around 125 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous period, in what is now northeastern China.1