Ikrandraco
Name:
Ikrandraco
(Ikran dragon).
Phonetic: Ik-ran-dray-coe.
Named By: Xiaolin Wang, Taissa Rodrigues,
Shunxing Jiang, Xin Cheng, Alexander W. A. Kellner - 2014.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea.
Species: I. avatar (type).
Diet: Piscivore?
Size: Skull 28 centimetres long. Wingspan
about 1.5 meters
Known locations: China - Jiufotang Formation.
Time period: Aptian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Almost complete remains of
two individuals.
It’s
kind of obvious that the team behind the naming of the pterosaur
Ikrandraco are fans
of the 2009 film Avatar. The Ikran part of
the name is a
reference to the Ikran of the film, flying dragon-like creatures that
are ridden by the Na’vi. The inspiration for this came from the large
keeled crest that extends down from the lower jaw of Ikrandraco.
The
draco part of the name more simply means ‘dragon’, a word that is
fairly common in the naming of pterosaur genera (i.e. Aussiedraco,
Dawndraco,
Volgadraco,
Bakonydraco,
etc).
As
already mentioned, the key area of interest about Ikrandraco
is the
large crest that grows out from the anterior of the lower jaw. This
crest is so large that it covers almost half the length of the lower
jaw, and even more interestingly had a hook on the posterior portion
of the crest near where the crest joined the mandibles (lower jaw
bones). The describers of Ikrandraco have
speculated that this
feature may have been the attachment point for a pouch similar to that
of a pelicans. In turn this led to suggestions that Ikrandraco
may
have been a skim feeder, snatching up fish that swam too close to the
surface of the water and then carrying them off in its pouch. This
feeding idea has been speculated for many pterosaurs, though not all
palaeontologists agree to it.
In
terms of other features, Ikrandraco also had up
to twenty-one pairs
of teeth in the upper jaw, and fifteen to eighteen pairs in the lower
jaw (the number varies between the two specimens). These teeth
are not especially long but are thin and needle like. These teeth are
better adapted for puncturing the flesh of prey and are common seen in
piscivorous (fish eating) animals.
Hailing
from the Jiufotang Formation, Ikrandraco shared
the skies with other
pterosaur genera such as Nurhachius,
Eoazhdarcho,
Guidraco,
Chaoyangopterus,
Liaoxipterus,
Shenzhoupterus,
Jidapterus,
Liaoningopterus
and Sinopterus.
Primitive birds such as Yanornis,
Jeholornis,
Sapeornis
and Confuciusornis
amongst others were also
present. Not to be outdone, dinosaurs such as Microraptor
and
Psittacosaurus
would have also been roaming around.
Further reading
- An Early Cretaceous pterosaur with an unusual mandibular crest from
China and a potential novel feeding strategy. - Scientific Reports
4 doi:10.1038/srep06329. - Xiaolin Wang, Taissa Rodrigues,
Shunxing Jiang, Xin Cheng, Alexander W. A. Kellner - 2014.
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