Sordes

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Sordes
Fossil range: Late Jurassic

Extinct (fossil)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Pterosauria
Suborder:	Rhamphorhynchoidea
Family:	Rhamphorhynchidae
Genus:	Sordes
Species:	S. pilosus

Binomial name

Sordes pilosus
Sharov, 1971

Sordes (meaning "devil" in Greek) was a small pterosaur that lived in the Mesozoic era. Sordes lived in the late Jurassic Period in the area of Kazakhstan. It belonged to the family Rhamphorynchidae. These were the earliest of the pterosaurs, evolving in the late Triassic and surviving to the late Jurassic. Rhamphorynchids were small pterosaurs, ranging from 0.30 to 0.90 meters (1 foot to 4 feet) in length. Their teeth were tiny, so Sordes and other Rhamphorynchids probably ate insects and amphibians.

When Sordes was discovered in 1971, paleontologists were amazed. They found tiny, dense hairs on the body that was imprinted in the rock. This supported the theory that pterosaurs probably did have a layer of down fur. This hair found on the Sordes skeleton served as insulation and provided a streamlined flight profile. But scientists were confused at why pterosaur fossils found in Germany, having the best preserved fossils, yielded no fur.

Sordes had a 0.45 m (1.5 feet) wingspan. It had a slender, not round, head with long, pointed jaws. Its teeth were small and slanted. It had a thick and compacted neck. It had a long, whiplash tail, accounting for over half the body size. There was no "club" at the end. Its eye was small, but its nostrils were large for smelling prey. Unlike most pterosaurs, it had no head crest. Sordes had wing membranes attached to the legs, and a membrane between the legs.