Archovember 2024 Day 14 - Cuspicephalus scarfi
Cuspicephalus scarfi was a wukongopterid pterosaur from Late Jurassic England. It’s name comes from the Latin cuspis for “point” and the Greek κεφαλή for “head”, and its species name is a reference to Gerald Scarfe who was known for caricatures with very pointy noses (including Margaret Thatcher as the “Torydactyl), and who was also the production designer for Disney’s Hercules. Cuspicephalus scarfi basically means “pointed head which could have been designed by Gerald Scarfe.” Looking at this animal you can probably see the resemblance! Cuspicephalus had a very long, angled skull, most of which was occupied by the air pockets in its fenestra. A low bony crest is present, which was likely the base of a much higher soft tissue crest. Like most other Jurassic pterosaurs, it had sharp interlocking teeth, and likely also had a long ornamented tail. Due to its small size and lightly built skull, it probably fed on small land animals like arthropods and worms.
Cuspicephalus scarfi was found in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation. This was a seaside environment and is known for its many fish, turtle, plesiosaur, and icthyosaur fossils. Other pterosaurs have been found here as well, but from later ages than Cuspicephalus. Other archosaurs would have included the stegosaur Dacentrurus, the iguanodontian Cumnoria, the megalosaurid Torvosaurus, and the thalattosuchians Bathysuchus, Cricosaurus, Dakosaurus, Metriorhynchus, Plesiosuchus, and Torvoneustes.
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