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Qilong β€” Swan-beaked Pterosaurs

Published: 2006-03-03 09:43:17 +0000 UTC; Views: 4254; Favourites: 47; Downloads: 165
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Description Well, really, there's nothing truly "swan-beaked" about Cycnorhamphus, despite that being the name's meaning. Given the gentle curvature of the snout, the long neck, and the long legs, one is more inclined to plovers and sandpipers than to swans and duck and geese. However, this smaller-jawed, more robust and possibly more primitive pterosaur than Ctenochasma (shown here ), is known from the Upper Jurassic of France, at roughly the same time as its German relatives Ctenochasma and Gnathosaurus, but much earlier than the Argentinian Pterodaustro.

This animal is very distinct because of the very long, slender wings, with four phalanges (Ctenochasma has only three -- that I can find), and the large, robust humerus, the deeper skull, the relatively shorter dentigerous (tooth-bearing) portion of the jaw, the shorter post-artibular region of the lower jaw, and the long crest at the back of the skull, which from the shapes and elements of the bones probably attached several neck muscles and tendons, likely for pulling the skull up and back. As this animal was likely eating aquatic prey, as in it's slender-snouted relatives named above (which were more likely to be filter-feeders than this one), the slender teeth and skull-neck region were likely intimately involved in this. The long wings may have operated like stilts in shallow water, but very useful in flight.
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Comments: 13

MAD-KNIGHT [2017-03-31 14:30:57 +0000 UTC]

What's your opinion on Cycnorhamphus adults having big crests and oddly-curved beaks?

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Qilong In reply to MAD-KNIGHT [2017-04-01 00:25:16 +0000 UTC]

Need more evidence than one bizarre skull out of two without the freakish curve. No opinion on crests.

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MAD-KNIGHT In reply to Qilong [2017-04-11 11:11:17 +0000 UTC]

What about Hatzegopteryx? Any opinions on Witton's reconstruction of it as a short-neck, bulkyΒ Azhdarchid that was built for a more predatory lifestyle?Β 

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Heytomemeimhome [2014-06-29 03:45:21 +0000 UTC]

But I thought pterosaurs were quadrupeds?

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Qilong In reply to Heytomemeimhome [2014-07-01 15:48:45 +0000 UTC]

These skeletals were done ONLY to show the animals in a dynamic and near-flight posture. At the time, it was plausible they would launch as many birds, before the biomechanics of quadrupedal launching was conceived and the problems of bipedal running-launching were pointed out. Even so, I was drawing my pterosaurs much as my birds, so these skeletals resemble those for merely that reason. I do not do them currently this way.

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Kairu-Hakubi [2007-02-11 03:51:26 +0000 UTC]

Woot, i like the long legs.. Nice to see a pterosaur that can actually run.
Er, but am I to assume that, because you didn't draw in the full leg bones, we havent found a complete skeleton? ^^'

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Qilong In reply to Kairu-Hakubi [2007-02-12 08:10:46 +0000 UTC]

Yes, that is correct! The long legs are drawn from comparisons with other similar pterosaurs, such as Ctenochasma. I don't think it could actually run like this, however, since the body would be so extremely forward overbalanced that the only way it could walk on the ground in a stable way is to be on all fours, and even then, its speed was likely rather slow.

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Kairu-Hakubi In reply to Qilong [2007-02-12 23:40:20 +0000 UTC]

Well, you never know! ^_^' I've seen some lizards run pretty darn fast on their hind legs, despite being just as forward-heavy.

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Qilong In reply to Kairu-Hakubi [2007-02-18 01:27:03 +0000 UTC]

This is true, however those lizards usually have a long counterbalancing tail, which pterosaurs lack. The above skeleton is used only for the sake of elegance and aesthetics.

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aspidel [2006-03-12 00:09:49 +0000 UTC]

Another fine skeletal of another poorly known pterosaur. And another fav.

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zakafreakarama [2006-03-03 23:20:26 +0000 UTC]

Cool! That's a favourite too! Your skeletal reconstructions are always amazing

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Sainte-Vincient [2006-03-03 21:40:53 +0000 UTC]

Beautiful. I wasn't even aware of this animal yet. I'll definitely have to be doing a restoration. +fav

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ZEGH8578 [2006-03-03 16:42:04 +0000 UTC]

*tosses little bits of bread to it*

*watches fingers*

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