Rhamphorhynchus (animal)

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iRhamphorhynchus
Fossil range: Late Jurassic

Rhamphorhynchus gemmingi

Extinct (fossil)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Pterosauria
Suborder:	Rhamphorhynchoidea
Family:	Rhamphorhynchidae
Genus:	Rhamphorhynchus

Species

R. muensteri
R. longicaudus
R. gemmingi
?R. jessoni
R. longiceps
?R. tendagurensis
R. intermedius

Rhamphorhynchus was a long-tailed pterosaur of the Jurassic period. Its name means 'beak jaw'. Only 17.5 cm (7 in) long but with a wingspan of 100 cm (3 ft), it was less specialized than the later pterodactyloids. It had a long tail stiffened with ligaments which ended in a diamond-shaped vane.

Rhamphorhynchus longicaudus - Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Rhamphorhynchus probably ate fish and it is believed that one of the ways it hunted was by dragging its beak in the water, catching fish and tossing them into its throat pouch, a structure similar to that of pelicans, which has been preserved in some fossils. This method of catching fish is found today in skimmers.

Although fossils have been found in England, the best preserved come from the Solnhofen quarry in Bavaria; many of these fossils preserve not only the bones but impressions of soft tissues such as the wings and tail.