#raeticodactylus

[he-who-needs-to-be-silenced]

Raeticodactylus thinks it might be raining

[alphynix]

Caviramus schesaplanensis, a pterosaur from the Late Triassic of Switzerland (~205 mya). Known from two fossil specimens -- a partial jaw and a much more complete skull and skeleton -- it was about the size of a modern raven, with a length of around 60cm (2′) and a wingspan of 1.35m (4′5″).

(The more complete fossil is also sometimes considered to be a separate genus and species, Raeticodactylus filisurensis, depending on which pterosaur specialist you ask. If it was a different animal it still would have been very closely related to Caviramus, though, and the two would likely have looked very similar to each other.)

It had some odd anatomy for an early pterosaur, with proportionally long and slender limbs and a fairly heavily-built skull. There were bony crests on both its upper and lower jaws, with the upper crest probably supporting a much larger soft-tissue structure.

Powerful jaw muscles along with a combination of fang-like teeth at the front of its jaws and and serrated slicing-chewing teeth further back suggest it was specialized for eating particularly tough foods such as hard-shelled invertebrates -- and it may even have been omnivorous, capable of eating plant matter as well.

[ape-of-god]

That Raeticodactylus, now with move.

[ape-of-god]

These guys are my favorite real-life dragons

[ape-of-god]

My Raeticodactylus child, crafted from my own skin. Ironically, he has none of his own.

[everypterosaur]

Raeticodactylus going in for a landing. This is a bit out of order (Austriadraco should have been next) but I had already sketch it.

Raeticodactylus had a wingspan of about 1.35m (~4.5 ft) and likely ate fish. It is known from a disarticulated skeleton that includes an almost complete skull. Unusually for such an early pterosaur, Raeticodactylus had a crest. It’s possible that it is synonymous with Caviramus, or they are sister taxa.