Targaryendraco

Tar-gah-ry-en-fray-ko.
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Lilah Turner

Evolutionary Biologist

Lilah Turner investigates how prehistoric animals adapted to changing environments, offering insights into evolution's mechanisms.

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Name

Targaryendraco ‭(‬Targaryen dragon‭)‬.

Phonetic

Tar-gah-ry-en-fray-ko.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Pterosauria,‭ ‬Pterodactyloidea,‭ ‬Lanceodontia,‭ ‬Targaryendraconia.

Diet

Piscivore‭?

Species

T.‭ ‬wiedenrothi‭

Size

Unknown due to lack of remains.

Known locations

Germany‭ ‬-‭ ‬Stadthagen Formation.

Time Period

Hauterivian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial remains.

In Depth

       If the name Targaryendraco sounds like something out of the‭ ‬television series Game of Thrones‭ (‬or the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series‭)‬,‭ ‬then you are actually right.‭ ‬The name of this pterosaur actually means‭ ‘‬Targaryen dragon‭’‬,‭ ‬a reference to the house of Targaryen from A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones.‭ ‬Clearly the describers of this pterosaur are fans of these series,‭ ‬though the specific reference‭ ‬here is that the holotype fossils Targaryendraco are black,‭ ‬like the dragons members of House Targaryen ride.

       Targaryendraco was initially described as a species of Ornithocheirus,‭ ‬O.‭ ‬wiedenrothi.‭ ‬Now as a distinct genus,‭ ‬Targaryendraco is thought to represent a lanceodont pterosaur.‭ ‬The shape of the jaws suggest that Targaryendraco was a probable hunter of fish.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Pterosaur remains‭ (‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Pterosauria‭) ‬from the Lower Cretaceous‭ (‬Hauterivian‭) ‬of Hannover‭ (‬Lower Saxony‭)‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Neues Jahrbuch f�r Geologie und Pal�ontologie,‭ ‬Abhandlungen,‭ ‬181:‭ ‬241‭–‬254.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Rupert Wild‭ ‬-‭ ‬1990. -‭ ‬On Targaryendraco wiedenrothi gen.‭ ‬nov.‭ (‬Pterodactyloidea,‭ ‬Pteranodontoidea,‭ ‬Lanceodontia‭) ‬and recognition of a new cosmopolitan lineage of Cretaceous toothed pterodactyloids.‭ ‬Historical Biology.‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬V.‭ ‬Pegas,‭ ‬B.‭ ‬Holgado,‭& ‬M.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Leal‭ ‬-‭ ‬2019.

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