Fun Zhejiangopterus Facts For Kidsprotoa

The pterosaurs consisted of numerous genera under them, the Zhejiangopterus was one such genus under the Pterosaurs. They existed during the ancient Cretaceous period.

The Chinese pterosaurs lived on either during the upper Cretaceous period. A Chinese quarry worker named Xu Chengfa found a large and olf fossil near the Linhai in 1986 while working. Xu later discovered three more fossils and another quarry worker discovered the skull of the Zhejiangopterus specimen from another site.

The Zhejiangopterus are known from six large and mostly complete fossils. The first material that was discovered was half but the fossils discovered after that were more defined and better structured.

By 1990, all the six fossils were excavated from the Campanian layer of the Cretaceous period. Among these specimens, researchers could find many paratypes of skeletons, for example, one holotype among the six was determined to be the holotype of a juvenile.

There was also a complete skeleton, a fragmentary skeleton, and a skeleton lacking the skull. To know more interesting facts about this animal, keep on reading these interesting facts about the Zhejiangopterus.

For similar content, keep on reading the articles on protoavis and rhamphorhynchus facts too.

Zhejiangopterus Interesting Facts

Was the Zhejiangopterus a dinosaur?

Even though we mostly talk about the dinosaurs when we refer to the Jurassic-Cretaceous period, there were some other animals that coexisted with them, during that geological time period. The pterosaurs were one such type of animal that lived alongside the primitive dinosaurs.

It is an extinct clade of flying reptiles that had membranous wings attached to its body. Unlike feathered dinosaurs, their wings originated as an extension of body tissue and muscle. It is believed that the wings of modern-day birds evolved from such types of membranous wings.

The Zhejiangopterus was a type of pterosaur and not a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. They were found in China.

How do you pronounce 'Zhejiangopterus'?

The name Zhejiangopterus is pronounced as Zee-zhang-op-te-rus. The type species of the genus is named Zhejiangopterus linhaiensis.

The name Zhejiangopterus actually pays tribute to the province from where its fossil type was discovered for the first time. They were found from a Chinese province maned Zhejiang. The literal meaning of the name of this reptile translates to the wing from Zheijiang.

What type of prehistoric flying bird was a Zhejiangopterus?

The Zhejiangopterus might seem like an extinct flying bird, but in reality, it was actually a flying reptile. Even though they could fly, their wing type neither matched with birds nor with bats.

They were one of the pterosaurs of the Cretaceous period. The pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates that showed the ability to fly. The wing in such animals was an extension of their skin, tissue, and muscle.

The Pterosauria order is divided into sub-clades. The Zhejiangopterus belong to the family of Azhdarchids under the Pterosauria order. They are characterized by long legs and long muscular necks.

The Azhdarchids had elongated neck vertebrae and most of them are still known for their neck bones. This pterosaur did not necessarily have a head crest but had large heads with sharp jaws.

In which geological period did the Zhejiangopterus live?

The Zhejiangopterus linhaiensis was species of the Late Cretaceous period, their remains have been discovered from the sediments of the Campanian rocks. The Cretaceous era lasted from 66-145 million years ago.

It was divided into early and late stages. The fossils that were excavated from the Chinese province dated cack to the Campanian rock layer of the Cretaceous. The Campanian is the fifth stage out of the six stages of the upper Cretaceous.

Geologically, the span of the Campanian stage lasted from 72-84 million years ago. The Zhejiangopterus fossils date back to the rock layers of 80-81 million years ago when the Campanian was still ongoing.

When did the Zhejiangopterus become extinct?

The Zhejiangopterus lasted through the Campanian stage and also entered the Maastrichtian stage of the Cretaceous. The Zhejiangopterus became extinct around 70 million years ago, in the middle of the Maastrichtian stage of the upper Cretaceous period.

Where did a Zhejiangopterus live?

The first specimen of the Zhejiangopterus was discovered from the village of Aonicun in Linhai. Their remains were excavated from a quarry in 1986. By 1990, six more materials were discovered from the Tangshan Formation in China.

What was a Zhejiangopterus's habitat?

The Zhejiangopterus was terrestrial in nature. These animals preferred to nest in quarries.

Who did a Zhejiangopterus live with?

Often the pterosaur juvenile skeletons have been recorded in bone beds indicating that they lived together. However, such bonebeds have not been recorded for Zhejiangopterus so their social structure is not known.

How long did a Zhejiangopterus live?

The Zhejiangopterus came into existence during the later stages of the Cretaceous. They existed from 81 million years ago up to 70 million years ago and lived for a span of around 11 million years on earth.

How did they reproduce?

The reproduction process mimicked the breeding methods of birds. They laid eggs in a nest that hatched after days. The juveniles fly after spending a few days in the nest. No specific reproduction information has been gathered.

Zhejiangopterus Fun Facts

What did a Zhejiangopterus look like?

The Zhejiangopterus is a large pterosaur of the Cretaceous epoch. It was one of the Asian azhdarchids with a long and pointed beak and a petite body.

The wingspan was bigger, 11.5 ft (3.5 m), in comparison to the size of the body. The jaws had very sharp edges with the snout ending in a pointy beak. The beak was long and was devoid of teeth.

The skull was long but low and was a perfect arch in shape. It lacked a crest or keel on the head. The antorbital fenestra joins with the nasal opening to form a single oval opening, which covers almost the half-length of their head.

The oval opening reduces the weight of the Zhejiangopterus. They possibly had long legs which facilitates their hunting process and the small pectoral girdle limited their flying abilities.

*We've been unable to source an image of Zheijiangopterus and have used an image of Pterodactylus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Euskelosaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.

How many bones did a Zhejiangopterus have?

Recovery of almost complete fossils has been possible for this pterosaur. However, the total number of bones present in the body of a Zhejiangopterus is unknown.

How did they communicate?

Similar to all pterosaurs, the Zhejiangopterus communicated by vocalizations. There is no additional data that properly describes the communication methods of Zhejiangopterus.

How big was a Zhejiangopterus?

The length of a Zhejiangopterus is unknown but their wingspan is measured to be around 11.5 ft (3.5 m). Their wingspan was around five times bigger than the Pterorhyncus.

How fast could a Zhejiangopterus move?

The Zhejiangopterus was not a fast-flying pterosaur. The extensive beak and neck make their body heavier with respect to the wing and therefore the flight became limited. Their speed of movement is unknown.

How much did a Zhejiangopterus weigh?

The average weight of a Zhejiangopterus was 17 lb (7.7 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

The male and the female pterosaurs do not have any specific names. Both of them are called Zhejiangopterus.

What would you call a baby zhejiangopterus?

A baby pterosaur is referred to as a flapping.

What did they eat?

The Zhejiangopterus was carnivorous in nature. Like all pterosaurs, the Zhejiangopterus also predominantly preyed on fishes.

How aggressive were they?

This pterosaur was large in size with a strong and robust beak. They appear much more aggressive than the relative pterosaurs.

Did you know...

The fossils were researched and studied by the Chinese paleontologists for four years and finally, in 1994, two renowned Chinese paleontologists, Cai Zhengquan and Wei Feng described these fossils for the first time. Feng and Cai named the pterosaur in honor of the places where their specimens were first discovered.

What does Zhejiangopterus mean?

The Zhejiangopterus is a member of the pterosaur family of marine reptiles. They occurred during the Cretaceous period in a Chinese province from where they got their name.

These remains were much larger and were more outright than the first specimen. The generic name is a combination of a province name and a Latin term. Zhejiang is the province from where they were discovered and the Latin term pteron means wing.

Therefore, the name Zhejiangopterus literally translates to the wing from Zhejiang. The specific name of the animal, Zhejiangopterus linhaiensis, refers to the city of Linhai from where Xu discovered the Zhejiangopterus fossils first.

What climate did Zhejiangopterus live in?

The climate of the Zhejiangopterus place of origin is pleasant and warm. The place is bordered by the ocean on the eastern side. However, the present climatic conditions differ completely from the climatic conditions of the Cretaceous period. So no conclusion should be drawn based on the current climate.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly prehistoric animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these ludodactylus fun facts, or gargoyleosaurus facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable dinosaur coloring pages.

Main image by Tim Evanson

Second image by Zissoudisctrucker