恐龍卡第 0035 張，共 2 027 張

Aerotitan

名字的意思： “air titan”1

吃：魚飛行爬蟲類白堊紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Aerotitan was a giant flying reptile that soared over South America about 70 million years ago. It was not a dinosaur, but a pterosaur, a close cousin of dinosaurs. With a wingspan of at least 5 metres, it was one of the biggest animals ever to fly.1

趣味小知識：翼龍在恐龍頭上飛來飛去，但牠們是恐龍的親戚，不是恐龍喔。

生存年代

72 到 66 百萬年前4

白堊紀晚期

化石發現地

Argentina, in the Allen Formation of Patagonia1 2

翼展

5 m (16 ft)1

最高速度

時速約 69 公里（43 英里）

飛行, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

三疊紀

侏羅紀

白堊紀

2 億 5200 萬年前20114566，小行星撞地球

牠有多大？

牠的翅膀有多寬？

翅膀跟 3 台腳踏車排成一排一樣寬能在 5.5 秒內飛越一整座足球場

Aerotitan 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

Aerotitan 時速約 69 公里 (43 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Aerotitan was the first azhdarchid pterosaur ever found in South America. Azhdarchids were a group of huge, long-necked flying reptiles.1

The only known fossil of Aerotitan is a piece of its snout, about 26 centimetres long. From this small piece, scientists estimated its wingspan.1

Aerotitan had no teeth. Its jaws were long and narrow, perfect for snapping up slippery fish.1

Scientists used to think the fossil was an upper jaw, but a 2021 study showed it was actually a lower jaw. This changed how they picture the animal.3

Aerotitan's closest known relative might be Mistralazhdarcho from France. They share many features in their jaw tips.1 3

Aerotitan lived near the sea, and its fossils were found in marine rocks. It probably flew over the ocean hunting for food.2

Aerotitan 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Aerotitan 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

你們都在問

關於 Aerotitan 最常被問的問題

?How big was Aerotitan?

Aerotitan had a wingspan of at least 5 metres (16 feet), making it one of the largest flying animals of its time.1

?Was Aerotitan a dinosaur?

No, Aerotitan was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that is a close cousin of dinosaurs, not a dinosaur itself.1

?What did Aerotitan eat?

Aerotitan had no teeth and long, narrow jaws, which scientists think were perfect for catching fish while flying over the sea.1

?When did Aerotitan live?

Aerotitan lived during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period, about 70 million years ago.1

?Where was Aerotitan found?

Aerotitan was found in the Allen Formation in Patagonia, Argentina, in rocks that were formed near the sea.1

?Why is Aerotitan called Aerotitan?

The name combines the Greek word for air, 'aer', and Titan, because it was a large flying reptile.1

迷思破解王

迷思： Aerotitan was a dinosaur.

真相： Aerotitan was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived at the same time as dinosaurs but was not one of them.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Aerotitan
命名者: Novas et al. 20124
類群: 飛行爬蟲類
科 / 演化支: Azhdarchidae4
分類: Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea > Azhdarchidae4
岩石的年代: 72 到 66 百萬年 (Maastrichtian)4
岩層: Allen4
國家: 阿根廷4
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 1 筆4
發現: Aerotitan was named in 2012 by Fernando Novas and colleagues. They described it from a partial snout found in the Allen Formation in Patagonia, Argentina.1 2
仍有爭議: Scientists still debate whether Aerotitan was an azhdarchid or a thalassodromid, because the only fossil is a jaw tip. Some studies say it was an azhdarchid, others say it was a thalassodromid.1 3