Pterosaurs / Cuspicephalus
Cuspicephalus

Cuspicephalus

Art: Joschua Knüppe

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Wukongopteridae

Cuspicephalus

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Cuspicephalus, the largest of the wukongopterids, hails from the Late Jurassic of England. Quite unusual for members of its family, most of which are from China.

Pterosaur data

Age
Tithonian
152.1–145 Ma
Wingspan
1.2 m
/ 12 m
Fossil record
fragmentary
Known from isolated fragments
Diet
piscivore

Mesozoic era · 252–66 Ma

Tithonian
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
252 Ma 201 145 66 Ma

Wingspan

Cuspicephalus wingspan comparison
1.2 m (3.9 ft)

About this pterosaur

One more animal joins the ranks of the Wukongopteridae. It has been known since 2013, named by David Martill and colleagues. For a while it was known as just another monofenestratan pterosaur like the rest. 

Both the pterodactyloids and the wukongopterids are combined in the clade known as Monofenestrata, The latter are known for having features of both primitive non-pterodactyloids and more advanced animals. Cuspicephalus was one of these, a wukongopterid. 

It was one of the very largest of this group, very much larger than the largest Darwinopterus robustus. A good-sized Cuspicephalus has a wingspan of about 1.2 meters across. However, this still does not make it one of the biggest Jurassic pterosaurs. It had a similar crest to other members of the family, a tall, keratinous crest that might have been used for display purposes. It also had a long tail with vanes of skin called vexillia. This is just like any other wukongopterid or even non-pterodacyloids in general.

Fossils of Cuspicephalus scarfi, the only species, come from the Kimmerigian Stage of the Late Jurassic. It was found in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation of Dorset. These beds date back to about 155 million years ago, and preserve a marine environment like the ones that seemed to be common in Jurassic Europe. It probably did not feed on fish, instead taking on small animals on land due to its small size. The Kimmeridge Clay's marine life contains a plethora of marine reptiles, fish, ammonites and other common sea creatures from the Age of Dinosaurs.

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Credits

Joschua Knüppe
Joschua Knüppe

Born in 1992 in Mettingen, Germany Began drawing at age 3 2010, diploma (Fachabitur) dicipline design Studying art since 2010 at the Academy for fine Arts Münster Since 2013 in the class of Shana Moulton Since 2014 master student <b>Exhibitions</b> -2012 "Pyrungata", Kunst in der Region, Kloster Gravenhorst -2013 Förderpreisausstellung, Kunsthalle Münster -2013 "Studentennester", Stadtmuseum Münster -2013 "Ausgrabung eines Eurovenator anglicus westfalia", Museumsdorf Detmold -2013 "All Yesterdays", SkF Osnabrück -2014 Förderpreisausstellung, Kunsthalle Münster -2014 "Silvanus" in F24, Münster -2014 "Seeschlangen, schützenswerte Exoten aus den Reiche der Legende", Geomuseum Münster -2015 “Ein lebender Mythos”, Kunstraum Unten, Bochum <b>Scientific work</b> Sachs et al 2015, Cenomanian–Turonian marine amniote remains from the Saxonian Cretaceous Basin of Germany

Illustrator
Vasi Devi
Vasi Devi
Author
Nick Garland
Nick Garland
Exhibit designer
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