Jidapterus
Art: Joschua Knüppe
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Jidapterus
/jih-DAP-ter-us/
Chaoyangopterus' kin clearly dominated many parts of the world. The Early Cretaceous world was their oyster. They spread through China and even Brazil, living like their long-necked azhdarchid kin as terrestrial stalkers.
Pterosaur data
Mesozoic era · 252–66 Ma
Wingspan
About this pterosaur
Another Jiufotang pterosaur, Jidapterus was also a chaoyangopterid. It was marginally similar in size to Chaoyangopterus and probably behaved in a similar fashion.
It was likely a hunter of small vertebrates on the ground, searching the forest floor with its very sharp, pointed beak. It didn’t have a ridged crest running the length of the skull but it did have a small projection at the back.
Its classification, like that of many azhdarchoids, has been debated in the past. Some asserted that it was related to pteranodontids while today its place as a member of Neoazhdarchia is clear and firm. The type species and only one in its genus is J. edentus. It was described by Zhiming Dong and coworkers on the basis of an almost complete skeleton in 2003.
Across the network
Credits
