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ZoomDinosaurs.com
Dinosaur and Paleontology Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Click on an underlined word for more information on that subject.
If the dinosaur or paleontology term you are looking for is not in the dictionary, please e-mail us.

DSUNGARIPTERUS

ANATOMY
Dsungaripterus was a pterosaur with 10 feet (3 m) wide leathery wings. It had an unusual bony crest running along its snout and had long, narrow, curved jaws with a pointed tip. The crest may have acted as a rudder when flying or may have been a sexual characteristic. It had flat teeth at the back of the jaws, probably for crushing the shells of its prey. It was not a dinosaur, but a type of extinct, flying reptile.

They were lightly built with hollow bones, long, curved necks, long skulls, and small bodies. They had large brains and good eyesight.

Dsungaripterus wings were covered by a leathery membrane. This thin but tough membrane stretched between its body, the top of its legs and its elongated fourth fingers, forming the structure of the wing. Claws protruded from the other fingers.

CLASSIFICATION
Dsungaripterus was a pterodactyloid; it was a reptile, but not a dinosaur. By definition, all dinosaurs were diapsid reptiles with an upright stance. Pterosaurs probably had a semi-upright stance. There is a small minority of paleontologists who think that the pterosaurs' stance could have been upright and that pterosaurs should therefore be included in the clade of dinosaurs (being derived theropods). Either way, dinosaurs and pterosaurs are certainly closely related.

Pterodactyloids were: WHEN DSUNGARIPTERUS LIVED
Dsungaripterus lived during the early Cretaceous period.

The birds evolved during the Jurassic period and were probably competition for the pterodactyloids, including Dsungaripterus.

DIET
Dsungaripterus was a carnivore It probably ate fish (which it caught at the surface of the oceans), mollusks, crabs, perhaps plankton (for some species), insects, and scavenged dead animals on land.

LOCOMOTION
Dsungaripterus probably flew long distances using large, light-weight wings.

DISCOVERY OF FOSSILS
Dsungaripterus fossils have been found in China. It was named by Young in 1964.

PTERODACTYLOID ACTIVITIES AND LINKS
Print out a K-3 level Pterodactylus info page to color!
Pterosaurs from the UCMP, Berkeley.
Quetzalcoatlus information sheet from Enchanted Learning.
Pteranodon information sheet from Enchanted Learning.
Quetzalcoatlus, the giant pterosaur, at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.




Information Sheets About Dinosaurs
(and Other Prehistoric Creatures)

Just click on an animal's name to go to that information sheet. If the dinosaur you're interested in isn't here, check the Dinosaur Dictionary or the list of Dinosaur Genera. Names with an asterisk (*) were not dinosaurs.
How to write a great dinosaur report.

For dinosaur printouts, click here.

For brief dinosaur fact sheets, click here.




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