Written by
Kidadl TeamPublished on Mar 28, 2022
Written by
Kidadl TeamPublished on Mar 28, 2022
Belonging to the Middle Jurassic period, fossils of the curved toothed, Extinct genus of anurognathid pterosaur, Dendrarhynchoides, were recovered from China. Research shows that these dinosaurs fed upon insects and lived in forestlands. Post discovery, a difference in opinion regarding its taxonomic classification arose due to the illegal activities of fossil dealers.
It is pronounced as 'Den-dro-rink-oides'.
Belonging to the class Reptilia, a Dendrorhynchoides was a anurognathid pterosaur. Some researchers are of the opinion that they are closely related to Rhamphorhynchus.
According to paleontologists David Hone and Lu Junchang, all Chinese anurognathids, including Dendrorhynchoides, roamed the Earth during the Middle Jurassic period.
The exact time of extinction of these dinosaurs is still a mystery.
Dendrorhynchoides fossils were recovered at the Tiaojishan Formation of Qinglong, northern China.
Being terrestrial creatures, the Dendrorhynchoides was a tree-dweller that preferred to live in forests and grasslands.
The sociability of these dinosaurs is unknown due to a lack of specific research on the subject.
The lifespan of Dendrorhynchoides is yet to be quantified due to a lack of adequate data.
Like any other dinosaur, it can be assumed that these dinosaurs were oviparous in nature and reproduced by laying eggs.
The holotype GMV2128 of fossil pterosaur Dendrorhynchoides included most of the skeletal structure except the sternum, the fourth phalanx of the wing finger, sacrals, and the tail end. Studies show that this dinosaur had a small, rounded head with large eye sockets and curved teeth, followed by a compact body with sharp claws.
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The exact number of bones that a Dendrorhynchoides possessed is unknown. However, the fossils recovered from two similar specimens aided the scientists to reconstruct a nearly complete skeletal structure of the dinosaur that included eleven teeth, lower jaws, belly ribs, humerus, ulna, metacarpals, pteroid, tibia, femur, foot, and other parts.
It can be assumed that, like other dinosaur species, they interacted through visual cues.
The exact length of this miniature dinosaur is not known except for the wingspan that measured 15.7 in (40 cm).
Although unknown, it can be assumed, considering the petite yet compact body structure, that this dinosaur was fast-paced and moved with great agility while catching prey.
The weight of an adult Dendrorhynchoides is unquantified due to a lack of scientific data.
The male and female counterparts of this dinosaur species can be simply referred to as male or female Dendrorhynchoides.
Since the babies of dinosaurs, including Dendrorhynchoides, hatched out of eggs, they may be referred to as hatchlings or chicks.
Dendrorhynchoides are insectivorous in nature. Apart from the wide mouth and small yet sharp teeth, the large eye sockets that assumedly rendered great eyesight and smaller wingspan and skeletal structure helped them to spot and catch insects quite easily.
The exact level of aggression that these dinosaurs showed is yet to be known. However, considering its small size and diet, it can be assumed that they were partially aggressive.
The D. curvidentatus specimen had been illegally modified with fake pterosaurian tail vertebrae, longer than the femur length, to fetch a higher price. Subsequently, a second specimen was discovered and designated as a new dinosaur species, D. mutoudengensis.
The new specimen proved that genus Dendrorhynchoides, indeed, had an elongated tail.
It is not known how greedy or rare they were.
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