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PTEROSAUR FOSSILS & TEETH FOR SALE
Often, individual pterosaur teeth are found as fossils. These small teeth tend to be thin, sharp, and needle-like as they were used to grasp slippery fish. Their exact shapes can vary greatly on positions in the mouth.
What Are Pterosaurs?
Pterosaurs are extinct flying reptiles. 110 species representing 85 genera are currently known. They were amazingly diverse in sizes, wingspans, and head shapes, indicating that they lived in a wide range of environments. In the past they were believed to be gliders rather than fliers, and needed high winds or something to jump off of to get airborne. It has been proven that this is not the case, and they were likely strong fliers that could easily get off the ground under their own power.
Fossil pterosaur at the History Museum in Karlsruhe, Germany. Photo by Ghedoghedo. Creative Commons License
What Did Pterosaurs Look Like?
Pterosaurs had small bodies, long heavy beaks, large crests, and long membranous wings. Head crests came in many shapes, sizes, and probably colors, as did beaks. The wings were connected to the body at the waist, thigh, or ankle, depending on the species. The leading edge was formed by an extremely elongated fourth finger (a human's ring finger). Pterosaurs were believed to have hairs on areas of their bodies, but a recent find has proven that they in fact had feathers.
Reconstruction of a pterosaur, by Dmitry Bogdanov. Creative Commons License
When Did Pterosaurs First Appear?
The oldest known pterosaurs are from the late Triassic, about 228 million years ago. The transition from pterosaur ancestor to true pterosaur has not been described as yet. The complex anatomy needed for flight has made describing pterosaur ancestors difficult, so their development is not known at this time.
When Did Pterosaurs Die Out?
By the Late Cretaceous, pterosaurs disappeared from the fossil record. It was thought that competition with birds may have caused their extinction, but it is now thought that the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction caused the end of pterosaurs.
How Big Were Pterosaurs?
Pterosaurs' wingspans ranged from 10 inches (25cm) to 40 Feet (11-12m). The largest was Quetzalcoatlus, whose wingspan reached up to 40 feet. For perspective, a small private airplane (Cessna 172) has a wingspan of 36 feet (11 meters). The smallest pterosaur was Nemicolopterus. It had a wingspan of just 10 inches (25 centimeters)!
Are Pterosaurs Birds?
Pterosaurs are not birds or an ancestor of birds. Nor are they dinosaurs: birds are dinosaurs. The development of wings, feathers, hollow bones, etc., in both pterosaurs and birds occurred independently and is an excellent example of convergent evolution. This is when two groups or species evolve similar characteristics in response to their environments, without having a common ancestor.
What Is The Difference Between A Pterosaur, Pterodactyl And Pteranodon?
Pterodactyls and pteranodons are types of pterosaurs. It would be incorrect to refer to all pterosaurs as pterodactyls, since very few of them are.
While there is a single species of pterosaur named Pterodactylus antiquus, the term pterodactyl is typically used to refer to any type of pterosaur in the suborder Pterodactyloidea. Well-known examples of pterodactyloids include Pterodactylus, Dsungaripterus, Pteranodon, and the massive Quetzalcoatlus. Pterodactyloids are traditionally considered to be the group of short-tailed pterosaurs with long wrist bones (metacarpus) compared to the relatively long tails and short wrist bones of other pterosaurs. Pteranodon refers to a specific genus of toothless pterodactyl.
Where Are Pterosaur Fossils Found?
While very rare in the fossil record, pterosaur fossils have been found in many different locations around the world. Some of the more well known localities are below:
Solnhofen Limestone In Germany - As many as 29 different species of pterosaurs ranging from the size of a sparrow to four feet lon, have been discovered in the Late Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone of Germany. This marine deposit produces amazing soft-bodied preservations, sometimes even preserving pterosaurs' wing membranes.
Sannine Formation in Lebanon - Immaculate pterosaur fossils have been recovered from the Late Cretaceous Sannine Formation in Lebanon, which has similar preservation to the Solnhofen Limestone.
Smoky Hills Chalk In Kansas - Pteranodon remains have been recovered from the Late Cretaceous Smoky Hills Chalk in Kansas, including fossils showing evidence of scavenging by sharks.
Kem Kem Beds In Southern Morocco - Pterosaur teeth along with the occasional fragmented bone are relatively common finds in the Late Cretaceous Kem Kem Beds in Morocco. This formation represents a fairly high-energy deposition environment, so complete bones let alone articulated remains are almost unheard of. Most teeth come from Siroccopteryx, which is considered synonymous with Coloborhynchus.