Gladocephaloideus

Glad-oh-sef-ah-loy-de-us.
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Liam Carter

Paleoanthropologist

Liam Carter explores the roots of humanity by studying early human fossils and artifacts. His ground-breaking work has provided a deeper understanding of our ancestors' lifestyles and social structures.

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Name

Gladocephaloideus

Phonetic

Glad-oh-sef-ah-loy-de-us.

Named By

L� Junchang,‭ ‬Ji Qiang,‭ ‬Wei Xuefang and Liu Yongqing‭ ‬-‭ ‬2011.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Pterosaur,‭ ‬Pterodactyloidea,‭ ‬Ctenochasmatoidea,‭ ‬Gallodactylidae.

Diet

Filter feeder.

Species

G.‭ ‬jingangshanensis‭

Size

Uncertain.

Known locations

China,‭ ‬Liaoning Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Yixian Formation.

Time Period

Barremian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Complete skull and partial post cranial skeleton.

In Depth

       Gladocephaloideus was a very exciting discovery as it was the first gallodactylid pterosaur to be discovered in Asia.‭ ‬As such Gladocephaloideus is thought to be related to Cycnorhamphus which itself is known from Germany.

       The jaws of Gladocephaloideus are filled with numerous small and thin teeth which were probably used to filter invertebrates from water and silt.‭ ‬Also of interest is the presence of what seems to be‭ ‘‬hairs‭’ ‬on the body of Gladocephaloideus which seem to have been there for insulation.‭ ‬These‭ ‘‬hairs‭’ ‬would in actual fact be what are called pycnofibres,‭ ‬growths that are actually more like primitive feathers in form that are also found upon other pterosaurs,‭ ‬most famously on the pterosaur Sordes.‭ ‬This strongly suggests that pterosaurs evolved into reptilian creatures that did not have cold-blooded metabolisms like reptiles we know today.

Further Reading

– A new ctenochasmatoid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of western Liaoning, China. – Cretaceous Research. 34: 26–30. – L� Junchang, Ji Qiang;,Wei Xuefang & Liu Yongqing – 2012. – New Material of the Pterosaur Gladocephaloideus L� et al., 2012 from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, China, with Comments on Its Systematic Position. – PLoS ONE 11(6): e0154888. – J. L� , M. Kundr�t & C. Shen – 2016.

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