5.25" Pterosaur (Rhamphorhynchus) Skull From Solnhofen

Rhamphorhynchus is a genus of long-tailed pterosaurs that lived during the Jurassic. Their jaws housed needle-like teeth that angled forward, with curved, sharp, beak-like tips lacking teeth, indicating that their diets were mainly of fish. The largest known specimen of a Rhamphorhynchus species, Rhamphorhynchus muensteri (catalog number BMNH 37002), measures 1.26 meters (4.1 feet) long with a wingspan of 1.81 meters (5.9 feet).



A large number of Rhamphorhynchus species have been named, but are currently considered synonymous with R. muensteri by most researchers.

The Solnhofen limestone is a famous Upper Jurassic lagerstätte in Germany. It is where one of the most famous fossils of all time, Archaeopteryx, was found. The fine-grained limestone makes excellent building material, which has led to heavy quarrying over the past two centuries. In the process, some spectacular fossils were unearthed, including fossil dragonflies, fish, pterosaurs, shrimp, horseshoe crabs, and many more.

This area represents an ancient archipelago at the edge of a sea. Due to high salt content, the lowest levels in the water column could not support much life and were largely devoid of oxygen. This lack of oxygen and scavengers on the bottom of the sea led to beautiful fossil preservation.