Zhejiangopterus
Art: Chris Masnaghetti
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Zhejiangopterus
/jeh-JYANG-op-ter-us/
One of the best preserved azhdarchids, Zhejiangopterus was also instrumental in heightening our understanding of these impressive animals.
Pterosaur data
Mesozoic era · 252–66 Ma
Wingspan
About this pterosaur
Hailing from Late Cretaceous China, this is an influential azhdarchid discovery, and certainly one of the most completely known. The holotype of Zhejiangopterus linhaiensis, described in 1994 by Cai and Feng, consisted of just a partial skull but soon six more finds were documented and these were much more complete.
The fossils all come from the Tangshang Formation, a series of Campanian rocks, roughly 81 million years old. It is quite easy to restore the animal as a whole. It was a long-necked, big-headed terrestrial stalker like the others in its family.
However, all azhdarchids were not exactly homogenous after all, with the robust, short-necked Romanian taxa and this one, with its lack of a bony crest. Among its relatives, it is quite moderately-sized, with a wingspan of 3.5 meters.
Across the network
Credits
