Pterosaur Pterorhynchus wellnhoferi, of Middle Jurassic, China!
Pterorhynchus wellnhoferi was a small pterosaur equipped with a unique crest, giving it a name meaning “wing snout” (referring to its snout looking like an extra wing!) It also had a long, ornamented tail, often seen in early “rhamphorhynchoid” pterosaurs, though Pterorhynchus was a darwinopteran, and crests are something not normally seen in rhamphorhynchoids. Pterorhynchus is also one of the handful of pterosaurs found with preserved pycnofibers, a hairy, downy feather-like covering. These pycnofibers covered the body as well as portions of the wing membrane.
We have already visited the Tiaojishan Formation this Archovember with Jeholopterus, and Pterorhynchus lived there alongside Jeholopterus, as well as in the Haifanggou Formation. In the Haifanggou Formation, Pterorhynchus wellnhoferi would have also come across Jeholopterus, as well as other pterosaurs such as Daohugoupterus. It would have also come across small dinosaurs like Pedopenna, Epidexipteryx, and Scansoriopteryx. Also found in this formation were mammaliforms like the arboreal shrew-like Agilodocodon and Microdocodon, the semi-aquatic otter-like Castorocauda, and the gliding insectivore Volaticotherium.
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