
Pangupterus
Art: Joschua Knüppe
All illustrations are copyright their respective artists. Use of any image requires a paid licence — contact us for licensing enquiries.
Pangupterus
/PANG-goo-ter-us/
The newest entry into the ranks of the flying reptiles, Pangupterus liui also had the oddest set of teeth of any pterosaur.
Pterosaur data
Mesozoic era · 252–66 Ma
Wingspan
About this pterosaur
The Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation from China has revealed yet another incredible pterosaur. Its name is Pangupterus liui and it has a dental array never before seen in a flying reptile. Its teeth were incredibly thin, and were set in an extremely narrow pair of jaws. Of its jaws, only the lower has been found.
From this part, it is estimated that the animal had a 20-centimeter skull. Pangupterus might have had a 70-centimeter wingspan, small for a Cretaceous pterosaur.
The animal bore a very thin and elongated snout. However we still don't know what it was eating or catching with those odd teeth and jaws. What we do know is that Pangupterus may have looked, for all the world, like an oversized mosquito.
Across the network
Credits
