Haopterus

How-op-teh-russ.
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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

Haopterus (Hao's wing).

Phonetic

How-op-teh-russ.

Named By

Wang & L� - 2005.

Classification

Chordata, Reptilia, Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea, Ornithocheiridae.

Diet

Piscivore.

Species

H. gracilis

Size

125 centimetre wingspan.

Known locations

China, Liaoning Province - Yixian Formation.

Time Period

Barremian to Aptian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Single almost complete skeleton of a sub adult.

In Depth

       The teeth of Haopterus are quite robust. As well as extending for the first two thirds of the jaws they also point towards the back of the mouth. These teeth are well adapted for catching and holding onto fish, which seem to be the preferred diet of pterosaurs that belong to the Ornithocheiridae.

Further Reading

Further reading- Discovery of a pterodactylid pterosaur from the Yixian Formation of western Liaoning, China. – Chinese Science Bulletin 46:1112-1117. – X. Wang & J. L� – 2001.

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