Vienna, Austria

Fabrizio De Rossi

Fabrizio is a freelance creature-, concept- and paleo-artist based in and Vienna, Austria. He has always been fascinated by creatures of all kinds and has been drawing what came to his mind from a young age. In recent years he has taken up paleoart again and has been working on dinosaur reconstructions for the University of Vienna (Struthiosaurus austriacus for the 650th anniversary), for personal projects and for the indie game project ‘The Isle’. Fabrizio’s past occupations include an education in Graphic Design (with jobs at several agencies), animal handling (as well as conceptualizing, building and maintaining of nature-inspired enclosures for reptiles, amphibians and fish) and studying at the University of Vienna. His field is paleobiology, currently studying for a bachelor’s degree about Struthiosaurus austriacus.

Illustrations

13 genera

Austriadactylus
Austria's pet pterosaur was a very primitive flyer from the early years of the Mesozoic Era.
Wingspan 1.2 m
Azhdarcho
This animal lent its name to a whole family of pterosaurs. The researchers who discovered Azhdarcho in 1984 could not have known just how bizarre it was in life.
Wingspan 4.5 m
Carniadactylus
The first specimen of Carniadactylus was found accidentally in rockfall at the base of an Italian cliff.
Wingspan 70 cm
Caupedactylus
This crested Brazilian pterosaur is named for the Tupi goddess of the sky.
Wingspan 3 m
Geosternbergia
This fisher of the open sea had a long toothless bill and a tall rectangular crest.
Wingspan 7 m
Haopterus
This small fisher was the first Yixian Formation pterosaur discovered with a skull.
Wingspan 1.35 m
Ikrandraco
It was among the most surprising of all pterosaurs from China's Early Cretaceous rocks, named after the dragon-like flying aliens in the movie Avatar.
Wingspan 1.5 m
Jianchangnathus
The stout jaws and teeth of Jiangchangnathus show it was no pushover.
Wingspan 1.2 m
Microtuban
Lebanon's most complete pterosaur specimen is characterized by unusual proportions in the wing finger.
Wingspan 1.5 m
Montanazhdarcho
Not all pterosaurs from the end of the Mesozoic were giants, Montanazhdarcho from the Campanian of Montana had a wingspan of “only” 2.5 meters or 8 feet.
Wingspan 2.5 m
Ornithocheirus
Among the earliest pterosaurs discovered, Ornithocheirus rose to fame only after its portrayal in the 1999 documentary Walking with Dinosaurs. Yet, there was something else accompanying this popularity: A massive taxonomic pickle that took years to resolve.
Wingspan 5 m
Tendaguripterus
A close relative of Germanodactylus, Tendaguripterus flew between the towering necks of the famous brachiosaurs of Jurassic Tanzania.
Wingspan 1 m
Volgadraco
This Late Cretaceous pterosaur hunted on low-lying subtropical islands in what is now Russia.
Wingspan 1 m

Fabrizio De Rossi

Illustrations

Austriadactylus

Azhdarcho

Carniadactylus

Caupedactylus

Geosternbergia

Haopterus

Ikrandraco

Jianchangnathus

Microtuban

Montanazhdarcho

Ornithocheirus

Tendaguripterus

Volgadraco

Pterosaurs: The Field Guide