Caiuajara

Ky-u-ah-yaj-ra.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Caiuajara ‭(‬Caiu� being‭).

Phonetic

Ky-u-ah-yaj-ra.

Named By

‭ ‬P.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Manzig,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Kellner,‭ ‬L.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Weinsch�tz,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Fragoso,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Vega,‭ ‬G.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬Guimar�es,‭ ‬L.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Godoy,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Liccardo,‭ ‬J.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Z.‭ ‬Ricetti‭ & ‬C.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Moura‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Pterosauria,‭ ‬Pterodactyloidea,‭ ‬Tapejaridae.

Diet

Piscivore‭?

Species

C.‭ ‬dobruskii‭

Size

Wingspan roughly about‭ ‬2.35‭ ‬meters across.

Known locations

Brazil‭ ‬-‭ ‬Goio-Er� Formation.

Time Period

Coniacian to Campanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial skull and post cranial skeletal fossils of several individuals.

In Depth

       Noted for its similarity to the genus Tapejara,‭ ‬Caiuajara is a tapejarid pterosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬Tapejarid pterosaurs are noted for their large head crests,‭ ‬and‭ ‬Caiuajara is no exception.‭ ‬The crest of Caiuajara has been reconstructed to have formed a crest shaped much like a shark fin,‭ ‬and this grew up from the top of the skull,‭ ‬with the base running from the front of the snout all the way to the back of the head.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Discovery of a Rare Pterosaur Bone Bed in a Cretaceous Desert with Insights on Ontogeny and Behavior of Flying Reptiles.‭ ‬-‭ ‬PLoS ONE‭ ‬9‭(‬8‭)‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬P.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Manzig,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Kellner,‭ ‬L.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Weinsch�tz,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Fragoso,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Vega,‭ ‬G.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬Guimar�es,‭ ‬L.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Godoy,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Liccardo,‭ ‬J.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Z.‭ ‬Ricetti‭ & ‬C.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Moura‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014.

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