Fun Kryptodrakon Facts For Kids

Chandrayan Choudhury
Jan 30, 2023 By Chandrayan Choudhury
Originally Published on Sep 27, 2021
Edited by Katherine Cook
Discover awesome Kryptodrakon facts in this article.

Kryptodrakons are known as the oldest flying reptiles. They lived during the middle-late Jurassic era, around 163 million years ago. They were present in the Shishugou Formation in Xinjiang, China.

Kryptodrakon were pterodactyloid pterosaurs that had a small body, long head, and huge wings. They were devoid of a tail. They had a wingspan of around 4.8 ft (1.5 m).

They had a long beak with teeth inside. According to research, they were carnivorous creatures who ate smaller creatures, mostly fish. Kryptodrakon means 'hidden dragon' in Greek and the specific name 'progenitor' means 'ancestor' or 'founder of a family' in Latin.

This was just the introduction to this creature. In this article, there are more interesting and fun facts about the Kryptodrakon progenitor that will surely amaze you.

For more relevant content, check out our Ziapelta and Rhinorex facts for kids.

Kryptodrakon Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Kryptodrakon'?

Kryptodrakon were in the genus of pterodactyloid pterosaur that roamed the Earth and sky from the middle to late Jurassic period. Kryptodrakon is pronounced as 'krip to dray kon'.

What type of dinosaur was a Kryptodrakon?

According to fossil studies, Kryptodrakons are the oldest pterodactyloid dinosaurs. Prehistoric pterodactyls are reptiles with wings that are extinct in today's day and age. They were carnivorous and mostly ate fish.

They belonged to the class Reptilia, order Pterosauria, and suborder Pterodactyloidea. Pterodactyloidea is one of the two sub-orders of Pterosauria. Their generic name is Kryptodrakon, and their scientific name is Kryptodrakon progenitor.

In which geological period did the Kryptodrakon roam the earth?

According to the description provided by their fossil, they were present on Earth during the middle-late Jurassic era, around 163 million years ago.

When did the Kryptodrakon become extinct?

Kryptodrakon dinosaurs were both aerial and terrestrial creatures. They were in the family of Pterosaurs and lived in the middle-late Jurassic era around 163 million years ago. According to scientists, this dinosaur had gone extinct by the end of Jurassic.

Where did a Kryptodrakon live?

Kryptodrakon dinosaurs were in the family of pterosaurs and could both walk and fly. They were carnivorous in nature and mostly hunted fish. It is assumed that they lived on islands and in forest lands.

What was a Kryptodrakon's habitat?

Pterodactyloids were present in the late Jurassic and Kryptodrakon progenitor were inhabitants of Asia. Their bones were found around the boundary of China. We can assume that they were creatures with a Chinese origin.

Who did a Kryptodrakon live with?

There is no exact answer available to this question. They might have lived in groups, but again these prehistoric birds that were carnivorous and carnivorous birds of today's world generally don't live in big groups.

How long did a Kryptodrakon live?

There is no exact answer to this question. However, average land dinosaurs lived up to an age of 70-80 years.

How did they reproduce?

Kryptodrakon dinosaurs were pterodactyloids that inhabited the earth millions of years ago. They were prehistoric birds, so we can assume that they reproduce like birds. They also would have made nests, similar to birds of today's world. They would have laid their eggs there, and after their hatching, they would have taken care of their young.

Kryptodrakon Fun Facts

What did a Kryptodrakon look like?

Kryptodrakon dinosaurs were pterodactyloid pterosaurs that were carnivorous bird-like creatures. Their bones had been excavated from the China boundary. This discovery opened a lot of mysteries.

They had simple biology. According to scientists, the Kryptodrakon progenitor were the oldest pterodactyloid species. Their body was somewhat bird-like.

They had a thin bodies with big wings. They had a very long beak which probably had teeth inside. There had no tail at the end of their body but, they had strong legs with which they could walk on land.

They had both aerial and terrestrial environment adaptations. Their wings were well built and had a strong set of bones. According to the fossil, in their wings, the fourth metacarpal was relatively slender and elongated.

The length of the fourth metacarpal was around 2.4 ft (72.2 cm). They had an amazing wingspan of around 4.8 ft (1.5 m). Though they were a species of pterosaurs and could fly, their bones were most probably not pneumatic.

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

How many bones did a Kryptodrakon have?

There is no exact information available on how many bones Kryptodrakons actually had. They were primitive flying reptiles that had a smaller vertebrae if compared to other reptiles. They had no long tail attached to their body. This means their bone count naturally decreases.

How did they communicate?

They were a bird species of the ancient world. They would have had their specific calls for communication. They would have communicated through a screeching voice.

How big was a Kryptodrakon?

Kryptodrakon dinosaurs were a pterodactyloid pterosaur species that roamed the skies. According to fossils, they were dinosaurs with a wingspan range of 4.8 ft (1.5 m). They had no tail in order to reduce their body weight. Correct information about their body length and body weight is yet to be discovered.

How fast could a Kryptodrakon move?

Kryptodrakon dinosaurs were the first flying creatures. There is no information available on exactly how fast a Kryptodrakon could fly. However, because they were a pterosaur species, we can estimate that they had a similar flying speed to other pterosaur species. Other species could fly at an average speed of 80 mph (128.7 kph).

How much did a Kryptodrakon weigh?

There is no information available on how heavy Kryptodrakon dinosaurs were. The length of their fourth metacarpal was around 2.4 ft (72.2 cm), and their wingspan was estimated around 4.8 ft (1.5 m).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names given to the males or females of this species. They are commonly known as Kryptodrakon dinosaurs. They were pterosaur species that once ruled the sky.

What would you call a baby Kryptodrakon?

Like all other baby dinosaurs, babies of the Kryptodrakon progenitor are also known as hatchlings. They are commonly called hatchlings because they come from eggs.

What did they eat?

After the discovery of their fossils, scholars and scientists studied their biology and described their carnivorous nature. Kryptodrakon dinosaurs were pterosaur reptiles that followed a carnivorous diet. According to several descriptions, they ate smaller organisms that they could find in their territory but mostly ate fish.

How aggressive were they?

They were flying reptiles and might have had aggressive behavior. They were carnivorous bird reptiles that mostly ate fish. Being carnivorous, they would face a lot of fights in their lifetime.

Did you know...

Kryptodrakon dinosaurs were the first vertebrates who made it to the skies. Their specimens were found in the Chinese border areas.

It was found in the Xinjiang region by paleontologist Chris Sloan. At first, the bones were thought to be from theropods, but James Clark identified their pterosaurian nature. Later on, Brian Andres, James Clark, and Xu Xing named this creature Kryptodrakon.

What does Kryptodrakon mean?

Kryptodrakon dinosaurs were flying reptiles that existed around 163 million years ago. Their remains were found in China. Their name was given after a lot of thinking. The generic name 'Kryptodrakon' has two parts, namely 'kryptos' and 'drakon'.

'Kryptos' in Greek means 'hidden' and 'drakon' means 'dragon'. Kryptodrakon means 'hidden dragon'. This hidden dragon of the prehistoric world is the oldest pterodactyl species.

This is the genus name now, but lets discuss the species name or specific epithet. The species name of this creature is 'K. progenitor'. 'Progenitor' is a Latin word that means 'ancestor' or 'founder of a family'.

Is Kryptodrakon the oldest known pterodactyl?

Scientists from George Washington University named this dinosaur and confirmed on the basis of the acquired fossil remains that Kryptodrakon progenitor was the earliest and the oldest pterodactyl.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Spiclypeus facts or Eolambia facts for kids.

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

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

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Written by Chandrayan Choudhury

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English Language and Literature

Chandrayan Choudhury picture

Chandrayan ChoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English Language and Literature

Skilled content writer Chandrayan has a passion for producing compelling and engaging content. With an excellent command of the English language and a talent for research and proofreading, Chandrayan has honed his skills through years of experience in the industry. Chandrayan is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from Tripura University, demonstrating his dedication to the craft of writing. 

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