Dimorphodon
Appearance
Dimorphodon Temporal range: Lower Jurassic
| |
---|---|
Fossil
| |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Suborder: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | Dimorphodon Owen, 1859
|
Species | |
|
Dimorphodon was a prehistoric flying pterosaur from the early Jurassic period. It had a big head, a small brain, a tall beak, and two types of teeth. Variation in teeth is rare in pterosaurs.
Like Rhamphorhynchus, Dimorphodon is only found in Jurassic strata. It was the first pterosaur found in England, by Mary Anning, in 1828.[1]
Most of the known specimens were found in the Jurassic chalk of the south coast of England in the 19th century. Another species of Dimorphodon has been found in La Boca Formation in Tamaulipas, Mexico, from the Lower Jurassic.[2]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Buckland W. (1 January 1829). On the discovery of a new species of Pterodactyle in the Lias at Lyme Regis. Transactions of the Geological Society of London. s2-3 (1): 217–222.
- ↑ Clark J.M.; Hopson J.A.; Hernández R., R.; Fastovsky D.E.; Montellano M. 1998. Foot posture in a primitive pterosaur. Nature. 391 (6670): 886–889. [1]