Plataleorhynchus

Name: Plataleorhynchus (Spoonbil snout).
Phonetic: Plat-al-e-oh-rink-us.
Named By: Stafford Howse & Andrew Milner - 1995
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea, Ctenochasmatidae.
Species: P. streptorophorodon (type).
Type: Filter feeder.
Size: Estimated 1.5 meter wingspan.
Known locations: England, Dorset - Purbeck Marble (Purbeck Limestone).
Time period: Tithonian of the Jurassic to Berriasian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Single specimen.

       Plataleorhynchus got its name from its specialised jaws that expand at the tips to form a spoon shape. By adopting this shape, the jaws could process a larger area as Plataleorhynchus sifted through mud and wet sand to find invertebrates to eat. However the presence of smaller teeth and hard horn covered palate has brought forth the suggestion that Plataleorhynchus may have searched for invertebrate prey in shallow water, where a larger jaw area would also be a benefit.

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