Tupandactylus | 3D Dinopedia

Tupandactylus

Period of life:

112 mya

Period:

Cretaceous period

Habitat:

Coasts

Taxonomy:

Pterosaurs

Height:

2.5 m

Countries:

Cretaceous period Tupandactylus | 3D Dinopedia

Tupandactylus (112 mya)

What the name means: Tupan's Finger (Tupan is the god of thunder in the Tupi people's mythology)

Tupandactylus is a genus of early Cretaceous pterodactyloid pterosaurs that lived about 112 million years ago. Currently, at least two species of these flying reptiles are known to science: the imperial (imperator) and the sail-bearing (navigans). The sail-bearing Tupandactylus was more modest in size, with a wingspan of up to 2.7 meters, while the imperial species was considerably larger, reaching up to 4 meters and weighing about 50 kg.

A distinctive feature of these pterosaurs was a large head crest, consisting of bone and soft tissue. The sail on the head of Tupandactylus navigans protruded sharply upwards and was supported by a single bony growth. It was about one and a half times the height of the head. In contrast, the sail on the head of the imperial Tupandactylus was two and a half times larger than the head, reaching almost 1.7 meters in length. Tupandactylus imperator is the largest known pterosaur with a sail-crest. The diet of these pterosaurs remains unknown. They may have hunted fish, but it is more likely that they were primarily fruit-eaters.

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