Azhdarcho
Azhdarcho was a flying reptile from the time of dinosaurs. It had a long, stiff neck like a spear. It swooped over rivers and lakes to catch fish with its toothless beak.13
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Fun facts
Azhdarcho could not turn its neck at all. It could only bend it up and down a little.1
The name Azhdarcho comes from a Persian word for a dragon-like monster.1
This pterosaur belonged to the same family as Quetzalcoatlus, one of the largest flying animals ever.1
Scientists once thought Azhdarcho skimmed the water for food like a modern skimmer bird, but newer studies suggest it walked on land and hunted like a stork.1
Most Azhdarcho fossils are just neck bones. The first one found was a single vertebra from the Kyzyl Kum desert.1
Azhdarcho lived about 92 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period.1
Most asked questions about Azhdarcho
?How big was Azhdarcho?
Most Azhdarcho individuals had a wingspan of 3 to 4 metres, but some larger remains suggest a wingspan of 5 to 6 metres.1
?What did Azhdarcho eat?
Azhdarcho probably ate small animals and carrion, like a stork or ground hornbill. It may have also caught fish, but newer studies say it walked on land to hunt rather than skimming water.12
?Could Azhdarcho fly?
Yes, Azhdarcho was a flying reptile. It had wings and could fly, but one scientist thought it needed calm, mild winds to fly well.1
?Where did Azhdarcho live?
Azhdarcho lived in what is now Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and possibly Tajikistan, about 92 million years ago.1
?Is Azhdarcho a dinosaur?
No, Azhdarcho is a pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived during the time of dinosaurs but is not a dinosaur.1
?Why is it called Azhdarcho?
The name Azhdarcho comes from a Persian word for a dragon-like monster, because its long neck reminded scientists of a mythical dragon.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Azhdarcho was a dinosaur.
Truth: Azhdarcho was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that is not a dinosaur.3
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Azhdarcho
- Named by
- Nessov 19813
- Group
- Flying reptiles
- Family / clade
- Azhdarchidae3
- Classification
- Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea > Azhdarchidae3
- Age of the rocks
- 94 to 72 million years (Turonian / Campanian)3
- Rock formations
- Vitoria, Bissekty, Yalovach3
- Countries
- Spain, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan3
- Fossil records
- 4 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Russian paleontologist Lev A. Nesov named Azhdarcho in 1981. He found the fossils in the Kyzyl Kum desert of Uzbekistan during expeditions from 1974 to 1981.13
- Still debated
- Scientists still debate exactly how Azhdarcho and other azhdarchid pterosaurs hunted. Some think they skimmed water, others think they walked on land and grabbed prey like storks.1
Where the facts come from
- Azhdarcho (en.wikipedia.org)
- A Reappraisal of Azhdarchid Pterosaur Functional Morphology and Paleoecology | PLOS One (journals.plos.org)
- Azhdarcho in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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Pteranodon
Quetzalcoatlus
Dorygnathus
Rhamphorhynchus
Anhanguera
Pterodactylus
Tyrannosaurus
Triceratops
Velociraptor
Spinosaurus
Ankylosaurus
Parasaurolophus