Istiodactylus

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Istiodactylus Fossil range: Early Cretaceous
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Pterosauria Suborder: Pterodactyloidea Family: Ornithocheiridae Genus: Istiodactylus Species: I. latidens
Binomial name
Istiodactylus latidens Howse, Milner, & Martill, 2001

Istiodactylus was a medium sized pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous period.

Discovered in Isle of Wight rock, Istiodactylus latidens was originally placed in the genus Ornithodesmus by H.G. Seeley in 1901 and was fully described by R.W. Hooley in 1913. The type species of the genus Ornithodesmus, however, was later discovered to be based on bones belonging to a theropod dinosaur, which meant a new genus had to be named for O. latidens. This species was assigned to its own genus Istiodactylus by Howse, Miller, and Martill in 2001. Since then, a second species, I. sinensis, has also been discovered.

This was a moderately large pterosaur; its skull was 65 cm long, and its wingspan was probably in the 5 meter range, making it about half the size of Pteranodon. Because of the flat, rounded shape of its beak, Istiodactylus is sometimes referred to as a "duck billed pterosaur".^{[citation needed]} However, unlike a duck, it had small, sharp teeth that allowed the capture of fish. Recent studies, however, show that it might had been a scavenger [1]

[edit] External links

• http://www.pterosaur.co.uk