Istiodactylus
Istiodactylus was a flying reptile with a wide, blunt snout full of sharp, interlocking teeth. It lived about 120 million years ago and probably used its teeth like a cookie cutter to slice meat from big dead animals.12
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Fun facts
Its skull was about 45 centimetres (18 inches) long and had a semicircle of 48 closely spaced, triangular teeth that interlocked to form a razor-edged outline.1
The lower jaw had a tooth-like projection that fit into the upper teeth, helping it bite cleanly.1
Some of its back vertebrae were fused into a structure called a notarium, which helped support its large wings.1
Its hindlimbs were very short, while its forelimbs and wing-finger were huge, making it a soaring specialist.1
For much of the 20th century, it was the only pterosaur known from three-dimensionally preserved fossils, giving scientists a rare look at pterosaur anatomy.12
Its teeth were unlike the long, curved fish-grabbing teeth of other pterosaurs, so scientists think it did not catch fish but instead scavenged.2
It lived in river and coastal environments in southern England, where the climate was warm, about 20 to 25 °C (68 to 77 °F).1
Most asked questions about Istiodactylus
?How big was Istiodactylus?
Its wingspan was about 4.3 to 5 metres. Its skull was about 45 centimetres long.12
?What did Istiodactylus eat?
It was a scavenger. It used its sharp, interlocking teeth like a cookie cutter to slice meat from dead animals.12
?Was Istiodactylus a dinosaur?
No, it was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived at the same time as dinosaurs but is not a dinosaur.1
?Could Istiodactylus fly?
Yes, it was a flying reptile with large wings. It may have been a soaring specialist, gliding long distances to find food.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Istiodactylus was a dinosaur because it lived with dinosaurs and had sharp teeth.
Truth: Istiodactylus was a pterosaur, a flying reptile, not a dinosaur. Pterosaurs are a separate group of reptiles.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Istiodactylus
- Named by
- Howse et al. 20013
- Group
- Flying reptiles
- Family / clade
- Ornithocheiroidea3
- Classification
- Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea3
- Age of the rocks
- 126 to 120 million years (Barremian / Aptian)3
- Rock formations
- Wessex, Vectis, Yixian3
- Countries
- United Kingdom, China3
- Fossil records
- 6 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- The first fossil was found on the Isle of Wight in 1887, and in 1901 it was named Ornithodesmus latidens. In 2001, scientists moved it to its own genus, Istiodactylus.1
- Still debated
- Scientists debate whether the Chinese species Istiodactylus sinensis really belongs to this genus or to a different one, and whether it is the same as another pterosaur called Longchengpterus.1
Where the facts come from
- Istiodactylus (en.wikipedia.org)
- New Insights into the Skull of Istiodactylus latidens (Ornithocheiroidea, Pterodactyloidea) | PLOS One (journals.plos.org)
- Istiodactylus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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