Thalassodromeus
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Extinct (fossil)
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| Thalassodromeus sethi Kellner & Campos, 2002 |
Thalassodromeus ("sea runner") was a large pterosaur found in northeastern Brazil. It lived roughly from 122-109 million years ago. It shared the skies with it's larger cousin- Tapejara. It is particularly notable for its immense head crest, which accounts for seventy five percent of the surface of its 1.4 metre long skull. It had a wing span of roughly 4.5 metres. Its crest may have been brightly coloured, something like the crest of it's relative Nyctosaurus. The function of the crest is unknown, but it may have been used for sexual display, species recognition, or thermoregulation.
Thalassodromeus is believed to have fed in a similar way to modern skimmers; trailing its lower jaw in the water while it flew.
[edit] References
- Kellner, A. W. A., and Campos, D. A. (2002). "The function of the cranial crest and jaws of a unique pterosaur from the early Cretaceous of Brazil." Science, 297 (5580): 389-392. (19 July 2002).
[edit] External links
- National Geographic story on Thalassodromeus [1]
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