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| Boreopterus Fossil range: Early Cretaceous |
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| Boreopterus cuiae Lü, J., and Ji, Q., 2005 |
Boreopterus (meaning "north wing") is a genus of ornithocheirid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Barremian-Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is based on JZMP-04-07-3, a nearly complete skeleton and skull. The skull is 235 millimeters long (9.25 inches), and its wingspan is estimated to have been around 1.45 meters (4.76 feet). Its teeth, especially the anterior nine pairs, are quite large for an ornithocheirid, forming a mesh of sharp teeth at the front of the mouth; the third and fourth teeth from the front are the largest. There are at least 27 teeth in each side of both the upper and lower jaws, which is a large amount.[1]
The status of Boreopterus as an ornithocheiroid has been supported by recent publications,[2][3] but it may form its own basal clade with Feilongus.[2] A new report following this line of thought has put it and Feilongus into the new ornithocheiroid family, the Boreopteridae.[4]
Paleobiology
Ornithocheiroids like Boreopterus are interpreted as soaring animals, like today's albatrosses and frigatebirds.[5]
References
- ^ Junchang Lü; and Qiang Ji (2005). "A new ornithocheirid from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, China". Acta Geologica Sinica 79 (2): 157–163.
- ^ a b Lü, Junchang; and Qiang Ji (2006). "Preliminary results of a phylogenetic analysis of the pterosaurs from western Liaoning and surrounding area". Journal of the Paleontological Society of Korea 22 (1): 239–261. Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
- ^ Unwin, David M. (2006). The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time. New York: Pi Press, p. 272. ISBN ISBN 0-13-146308-X.
- ^ Junchang, Lü; Ji, S.; Yuan, C.; and Ji, Q. (2006). Pterosaurs from China (in Chinese). Beijing: Geological Publishing House, 147 p..
- ^ Unwin, David M. (2006). "A tree for pterosaurs", The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time. New York: Pi Press, 79-82. ISBN 0-13-146308-X.
External links
- Boreopterus in The Pterosaur Database
- Boreopterus in The Pterosauria
