Dimorphodon
Period of life:
195-190 mya
Period:
Habitat:
Coasts
Taxonomy:
Pterosaurs
Countries:
United Kingdom...
Length:
1 m
Dimorphodon
(195-190 mya)
Dimorphodon was a genus of medium-sized pterosaur from the early Jurassic Period. It was named by paleontologist Richard Owen in 1859. He was the first to describe the unusual remains of an ancient flying predator, discovered in 1828 in the British Dorset.
The body structure of Dimorphodon displays many "primitive" characteristics, such as, according to Owen, a very small brain-pan and proportionally short wings. The neck that held a massive skull of more tham 20 cm was short but strong and flexible. The vertebrae had pneumatic openings to lighten their weight.
Dimorphodon had an adult body length of 1 meter long, with a 1.45 meter wingspan. The tail of Dimorphodon was long and consisted of thirty vertebrae. The terminal end of the tail may have borne a tail vane, although no impressions have yet been found to confirm this speculation. Dimorphodon got its name due to the fact that it had two distinct types of teeth in its jaws: fang-like and flattened pointed teeth. THis trait is comparatively rare among reptiles. Knowledge of how dimorphodon lived is limited. It may have mainly inhabited coastal areas and may have had a very diverse diet, from insects to fish.
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