Dsungaripterus
Early Cretaceous pterosaur with shellfish-crushing jaws.
Dsungaripterus is a pterosaur belonging to the family Dsungaripteridae. It lived during the Early Cretaceous, and its remains have been found in China, with possible evidence from South Korea. The fossils were collected from the Wuerho Pterosaur Fauna, which is part of the Tugulu Group and includes the Lianmuqin and Shengjinkou Formations in the Junggar Basin. The exact ages of these rock layers are not fully pinned down, though some deposits appear to date from the middle Valanginian.
This animal had a wingspan of about 3 to 3.5 meters. Like other dsungaripteroids, its skeleton was sturdy, with thick bone walls and a stout build, which points to a mostly ground-based way of life. How it flew is not well understood, but it likely involved a lot of flapping and sudden landings. Its skull, over 46 centimeters long, had a low crest running from the base to about halfway along the beak. Together, the head and neck measured nearly a meter. The most striking feature is the long, narrow, upward-curving jaws with a pointed tip. The front part of the jaws had no teeth, probably used to pry prey from cracks in rocks or from sandy, muddy environments. The back of the jaw held flat, knobby teeth good for crushing shellfish or other hard items. This suggests dsungaripterids were durophagous and possibly ate fish. The palate of Dsungaripterus was similar to that of azhdarchoids.
The genus was named in 1964 by Yang Zhongjian. The name combines the Junggar Basin with the Greek word for wing. The type species is Dsungaripterus weii, named after paleontologist C.M. Wei. The holotype, a partial skull and skeleton, came from the Lianmuqin Formation. In 1973, more material, including nearly complete skulls, was found in the Shengjinkou Formation. In 1980, Peter Galton reassigned *Pterodactylus brancai* from the Tendaguru Formation to *Dsungaripterus brancai*, but this is now generally rejected. In 1982, Natasha Bakhurina named *Dsungaripterus parvus* from a smaller skeleton in Mongolia. This was later renamed *Phobetor* (a name already in use), and in 2009 it was determined to be the same as *Noripterus*. A wing finger bone from South Korea’s Hasandong Formation, reported in 2002, was identified in 2015 and 2018 as possibly *Dsungaripterus* cf. *D. weii*.
Yang originally placed Dsungaripterus in the Dsungaripteridae. A 2014 phylogenetic analysis by Andres and colleagues place
- field
- Paleontology
- known_for
- Durophagous pterosaur with upcurved jaws and crushing teeth
- wingspan
- 3–3.5 meters (9.8–11.5 ft)
- type_species
- Dsungaripterus weii
Lore & Background
Dsungaripterus was described in 1964 and named by Yang Zhongjian. The genus name combines a reference to the Junggar Basin with a Latinized Greek pteron, meaning 'wing'. The type species is Dsungaripterus weii, the specific name honoring paleontologist C.M. Wei. The holotype, IVPP V-2776, is a partial skull and skeleton from the Lianmuqin Formation. In 1973, more material was found within the Shengjinkou Formation, including almost complete skulls.
In 1980, Peter Galton renamed Pterodactylus brancai into Dsungaripterus brancai, but the identification is now commonly rejected. In 1982, Natasha Bakhurina named a new species, Dsungaripterus parvus, based on a smaller skeleton from Mongolia; this was later renamed into 'Phobetor', a preoccupied name, and in 2009 concluded to be identical to Noripterus. A dsungaripterid wing finger phalanx reported in 2002 from the Hasandong Formation of South Korea was identified in 2015 and 2018 as Dsungaripterus? cf. D. weii.
Dsungaripterus had a wingspan of 3–3.5 meters and a robust skeleton with thick walls and stout bodily proportions, suggesting a mostly terrestrial lifestyle. Its skull, over 46 centimeters long, bore a low bone crest running from the base of the skull to halfway to the beak. The head and neck together were almost 1 meter long. The front part of its jaws lacked teeth and were likely used to remove prey from cracks in rocks or sandy, muddy inland environments.
Reader's Guide
Dsungaripterus is significant as a well-known example of a durophagous pterosaur, adapted to crushing hard-shelled prey such as shellfish. Its robust skeleton and stout proportions suggest a mostly terrestrial lifestyle, unusual among pterosaurs. The genus has been central to debates on pterosaur classification: phylogenetic analyses have placed it either within the Dsungaripteromorpha (a subgroup of Azhdarchoidea) as sister taxon to Domeykodactylus, or outside Azhdarchoidea within Tapejaroidea as sister taxon to Noripterus. Its fossils from the Wuerho Pterosaur Fauna group help constrain the age of Early Cretaceous deposits in the Junggar Basin, though the upper and lower bounds of these pterosaur-bearing deposits remain unclear. The possible occurrence in South Korea extends its geographic range. The history of its taxonomy—including rejected synonymies and reidentifications—illustrates the challenges of pterosaur systematics.
Did You Know?
- Dsungaripterus had no teeth in the front part of its jaws, which were probably used to remove prey from cracks in rocks or sandy, muddy environments.
- The holotype of Dsungaripterus weii is a partial skull and skeleton from the Lianmuqin Formation.
- A dsungaripterid wing finger phalanx from South Korea was identified as Dsungaripterus? cf. D. weii in 2015 and 2018.
- The species Dsungaripterus parvus was later concluded to be identical to Noripterus.
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