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Tapejarids
Tapejaridae (from a Tupi word meaning "the old being") are a family of pterodactyloid pterosaurs from the Cretaceous period. Members are currently known from Brazil, England, Hungary, Morocco, Spain, the United States, and China. The most primitive genera were found in China, indicating that the family has an Asian origin. Description Tapejarids were small to medium-sized pterosaurs with several unique, shared characteristics, mainly relating to the skull. Most tapejarids possessed a bony crest arising from the snout (formed mostly by the premaxillary bones of the upper jaw tip). In some species, this bony crest is known to have supported an even larger crest of softer, fibrous tissue that extends back along the skull. Tapejarids are also characterized by their large nasoantorbital fenestra, the main opening in the skull in front of the eyes, which spans at least half the length of the entire skull in this family. Their eye sockets were small and pear-shaped. Studies of tapejari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tupandactylus
''Tupandactylus'' (meaning "Tupan finger", in reference to the Tupi thunder god) is a genus of tapejarid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil. History ''Tupandactylus imperator'' is known from four nearly complete skulls. The holotype specimen is MCT 1622-R, a skull and partial lower jaw, found in the Crato Formation, dating to the boundary of the Aptian-Albian stages of the early Cretaceous period, about 112 Ma ago.Martill, D.M., Bechly, G. and Loveridge, R.F. (2007). ''The Crato fossil beds of Brazil: window into an ancient world.'' Cambridge University Press. , It was initially described as a species of '' Tapejara'', but later research has indicated it warrants its own genus. The skull was toothless and had a prominent sagittal crest, only the base of which was bony: the front of the crest featured a tall bony rod extending up and back, and the rear of the crest had a long prong of bone projecting behind it. The bulk of the crest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tupandactylus Imperator
''Tupandactylus'' (meaning "Tupan finger", in reference to the Tupi people, Tupi thunder god) is a genus of tapejaridae, tapejarid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil. History ''Tupandactylus imperator'' is known from four nearly complete skulls. The holotype specimen is Museu de Ciências da Terra, MCT 1622-R, a skull and partial lower jaw, found in the Crato Formation, dating to the boundary of the Aptian-Albian stages of the early Cretaceous period, about 112 Ma ago.Martill, D.M., Bechly, G. and Loveridge, R.F. (2007). ''The Crato fossil beds of Brazil: window into an ancient world.'' Cambridge University Press. , It was initially described as a species of ''Tapejara (pterosaur), Tapejara'', but later research has indicated it warrants its own genus. The skull was toothless and had a prominent sagittal crest, only the base of which was bony: the front of the crest featured a tall bony rod extending up and back, and the rear of the cre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Europejara
''Europejara'' is a genus of tapejarid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous period of Spain. The type species, type and only species known is ''Europejara olcadesorum''. Discovery and naming In 2012, the type species ''Europejara olcadesorum'' was named and described by Romain Vullo, Jesús Marugán-Lobón, Alexander Kellner, Angela Buscalioni, Bernard Gomez, Montserrat de la Fuente and José Moratalla. The generic name combines the names of Europe and the related genus ''Tapejara (pterosaur), Tapejara'', in reference to the fact that ''Europejara'' is the first tapejarid found in that continent. The specific name (zoology), specific name refers to the Olcades, the Celtiberians, Celtiberic tribe inhabiting the region of Province of Cuenca (Spain), Cuenca, the location of the find, in Classical antiquity, Antiquity. The holotype, MCCM-LH 9413, was uncovered at the Las Hoyas site in a chalkstone layer of the Calizas de La Huergina Formation dating from the late Barremian. It cons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tapejara Wellnhoferi
''Tapejara'' (from a Tupi word meaning "the old being") is a genus of Brazilian pterosaur from the Cretaceous Period (Santana Formation, dating to about 127 to 112 million years ago). ''Tapejara'' crests consisted of a semicircular crest over the snout, and a bony prong which extended back behind the head. It was a small pterosaur, with a wingspan of approximately . Species and classification The type species and only one currently recognized as valid by most researchers, is ''T. wellnhoferi''. The specific name honors German paleontologist Peter Wellnhofer. Two larger species, originally named ''Tapejara imperator'' and ''Tapejara navigans'', were later classified in the genus ''Tapejara''. However, several studies have shown that ''T. imperator'' and ''T. navigans'' are significantly different from ''T. wellnhoferi'' and therefore were reclassified into new genera. The species ''T. imperator'' was given its own genus, '' Tupandactylus'', by Alexander Kellner and Diogenes de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tapejara (pterosaur)
''Tapejara'' (from a Tupi word meaning "the old being") is a genus of Brazilian pterosaur from the Cretaceous Period (Santana Formation, dating to about 127 to 112 million years ago). ''Tapejara'' crests consisted of a semicircular crest over the snout, and a bony prong which extended back behind the head. It was a small pterosaur, with a wingspan of approximately . Species and classification The type species and only one currently recognized as valid by most researchers, is ''T. wellnhoferi''. The specific name honors German paleontologist Peter Wellnhofer. Two larger species, originally named ''Tapejara imperator'' and ''Tapejara navigans'', were later classified in the genus ''Tapejara''. However, several studies have shown that ''T. imperator'' and ''T. navigans'' are significantly different from ''T. wellnhoferi'' and therefore were reclassified into new genera. The species ''T. imperator'' was given its own genus, '' Tupandactylus'', by Alexander Kellner and Diogenes de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wightia Declivirostris
''Wightia'' is a genus of tapejarid pterosaur recovered from the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) aged Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight of England, from which it gets its name. The only species within this genus is ''W. declivirostris''. Discovery and naming Amateur paleontologist John Winch discovered a pterosaur snout at the east coast of Wight, near the cliff of Yaverland Point at Sandown, in a fossil plant debris layer. In 2020, the type species ''Wightia declivirostris'' was named and described by David Michael Martill, Mick Green, Roy Smith, Megan Jacobs and John Winch. The generic name ''Wightia'' comes from the Isle of Wight in England where the fossil was found. The specific name means "slanting beak" in Latin, from ''declivis'', "inclining downwards", and ''rostrum'', "snout", referring to the snout kink typical of tapejarids. The holotype, IWCSM. 2020. 401, was found in a layer of the Wessex Formation dating from the Barremian. It consists of partial paired praemaxi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caiuajara
''Caiuajara'' is an extinct genus of tapejarid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous period ( Santonian stage) of Brazil. It is known from a single type species, ''Caiuajara dobruskii''. Discovery and naming In 1971, the labourers Alexandre Dobruski and his son João Gustavo Dobruski found pterosaur fossils in a field near Cruzeiro do Oeste in the south of Brazil, in the state of Paraná. The finds were in 2011 brought to the attention of paleontologists Paulo C. Manzig and Luiz C. Weinschütz. In 2014, the type species ''Caiuajara dobruskii'' was named and described by Paulo Manzig, Alexander Kellner, Luiz Weinschütz, Carlos Fragoso, Cristina Vega, Gilson Guimarães, Luiz Godoy, Antonio Liccardo, João Ricetti and Camila de Moura. The generic name refers to the geological Caiuá Group and the related genus '' Tapejara''. The specific name honors the discoverers. The holotype, CP.V 1449, was found in a sandstone layer of the Goio-Erê Formation, of Turonian age, in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caiuajara Dobruskii
''Caiuajara'' is an extinct genus of tapejarid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous period (Santonian stage) of Brazil. It is known from a single type species, ''Caiuajara dobruskii''. Discovery and naming In 1971, the labourers Alexandre Dobruski and his son João Gustavo Dobruski found pterosaur fossils in a field near Cruzeiro do Oeste in the south of Brazil, in the state of Paraná. The finds were in 2011 brought to the attention of paleontologists Paulo C. Manzig and Luiz C. Weinschütz. In 2014, the type species ''Caiuajara dobruskii'' was named and described by Paulo Manzig, Alexander Kellner, Luiz Weinschütz, Carlos Fragoso, Cristina Vega, Gilson Guimarães, Luiz Godoy, Antonio Liccardo, João Ricetti and Camila de Moura. The generic name refers to the geological Caiuá Group and the related genus '' Tapejara''. The specific name honors the discoverers. The holotype, CP.V 1449, was found in a sandstone layer of the Goio-Erê Formation, of Turonian age, in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afrotapejara
''Afrotapejara'' (meaning "African old being") is an extinct genus of tapejarid pterosaur discovered in Morocco. The type species, ''Afrotapejara zouhri'', was named and described in 2020. It was the first tapejarid discovered in Africa and the fourth pterosaur discovered in the Kem Kem Beds. Discovery British paleontologist David Michael Martill acquired a pterosaur jaw from a fossil trader at Erfoud. It would have been excavated at the plateau of Ikhf N’ Taqmout, in Tafilalt. In 2020, the type species ''Afrotapejara zouhri'' was named and described by David Martill, Roy Smith, David M. Unwin, Alexander Kao, James McPhee and Nizar Ibrahim. The generic name combines references to Africa and the related genus '' Tapejara''. The specific name honours the Moroccan paleontologist Samir Zouhri. The holotype, FSAC-KK 5004, had been found in the Kem-Kem Beds, dating from the Albian - early Cenomanian. It consists of a snout lacking the front tip and extending to behind to a posit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thalassodrominae
Thalassodrominae or Thalassodromidae (meaning "sea runners", due to previous misconceptions of skimming behavior; they are now thought to be terrestrial predators) is a group of azhdarchoid pterosaurs from the Cretaceous period. Its traditional members come from Brazil, however, other possible members also come from other places, including the United States, Morocco, and Argentina. Thalassodrominae is considered either to be a subfamily within the pterosaur family Tapejaridae, or as a distinct family, Thalassodromidae, within the clade Neoazhdarchia, closely related to dsungaripterids or azhdarchids. Classification Thalassodrominae traditionally includes only two genera, ''Thalassodromeus'' and '' Tupuxuara'', and was defined to include them and any other descendants of their most recent common ancestor. The classification of thalassodromines is controversial. Some studies, including one by Lü and colleagues in 2008, have found that the thalassodromines are more closely relate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pterosaurs
Pterosaurs (; from Greek ''pteron'' and ''sauros'', meaning "wing lizard") is an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order, Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 to 66 million years ago). Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight. Their wings were formed by a membrane of skin, muscle, and other tissues stretching from the ankles to a dramatically lengthened fourth finger. There were two major types of pterosaurs. Basal pterosaurs (also called 'non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs' or ' rhamphorhynchoids') were smaller animals with fully toothed jaws and, typically, long tails. Their wide wing membranes probably included and connected the hind legs. On the ground, they would have had an awkward sprawling posture, but the anatomy of their joints and strong claws would have made them effective climbers, and some may have even lived in trees. Basal pterosaurs were insecti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the Latin word for the white limestone known as chalk. The chalk of northern France and the white cliffs of south-eastern England date from the Cretaceous Period. Climate During the Late Cretaceous, the climate was warmer than present, although throughout the period a cooling trend is evident. The tropics became restricted to equatorial regions and northern latitudes experienced markedly more seasonal climatic conditions. Geography Due to plate tectonics, the Americas were gradually moving westward, causing the Atlantic Ocean to expand. The Western Interior Seaway divided North America into eastern and western halves; Appalachia and Laramidia. India maintained a northward course towards Asia. In the Southern Hemisphere, Australia an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
