Name
Eopteranodon (Dawn Pteranodon).
Phonetic
E-oh-teh-ran-o-don (the P is silent and not pronounced).
Named By
L� Junchang & Xang Xingliao - 2005.
Classification
Chordata, Reptilia, Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea, Azhdarchoidea, Chaoyangopteridae.
Diet
Uncertain but presumed to be either a piscivore or carnivore.
Species
E. lii
Size
1.1 meter wingspan. Skull 20 centimetres long.
Known locations
China, Liaoning Province, Yixian Formation.
Time Period
Aptian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation
Skull and partial post cranial remains.
Eopteranodon gets its name from how its jaws and crest look like those on the more famous pterosaur Pteranodon that existed later in the Cretaceous of North America. Eopteranodon however was not only much smaller than Pteranodon but it is actually of a different pterosaur family.
Further reading- New pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Yixian Formation of Western Liaoning. Geological Review 51(4):458-462. – J. L� & B. Zhang – 2005.
