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ZoomDinosaurs.com
Dinosaur and Paleontology Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Click on an underlined word for more information on that subject.
If the dinosaur or paleontology term you are looking for is not in the dictionary, please e-mail us.

RHAMPHORHYNCHUS
"Beak Snout"
Rhamphorhynchus Printout

ANATOMY

Rhamphorhynchus was a pterosaur, an extinct flying reptile. It had a wingspan up to 5.75 feet (1.75m) wide. It had a diamond-shaped flap of skin at the end of its long, thin, pointed tail. This meat-eater had long, narrow jaws with sharp teeth that pointed outwards. It had tiny legs.



WHEN RHAMPHORHYNCHUS LIVED
Rhamphorhynchus lived during the late Jurassic period, roughly 150 million years ago. This was a time when there were many dinosaurs, including the enormous sauropods like Apatosaurus and Brachiosaurus.

DIET
Rhamphorhynchus was a carnivore (a meat-eater) and probably ate fish.

LOCOMOTION
Rhamphorhynchus flew well using large, light-weight wings. Its long tail with a diamond-shaped flap of skin at the end helped stabilize it in flight. Its tiny legs probably made Rhamphorhynchus a poor runner.

CLASSIFICATION
Rhamphorhynchus was a pterosaur, a flying reptile closely related to the dinosaurs. By definition, all dinosaurs were diapsid reptiles with an upright stance. Pterosaurs probably had a semi-upright stance, and were not dinosaurs. There is a small minority of paleontologists who think that the pterosaurs' stance could have been upright and that pterosaurs should therefore be included in the clade of dinosaurs (being derived theropods). Either way, dinosaurs and pterosaurs are certainly closely related.

Rhamphorhynchus was a:

DISCOVERY OF FOSSILS
Rhamphorhynchus fossils have been found in Solnhofen, Germany, and Tanzania. It was named by Meyer in 1847.

RHAMPHORHYNCHUS AND PTEROSAUR ACTIVITIES LINKS
Rhamphorhynchus printout
A first-grade level Pterosaur addition activity print-out.
The Pterosaur Homepage, a very good site by David Peters. Also, see his page on Rhamphorhynchus.
Pterosaurs from the UCMP, Berkeley.





Information Sheets About Dinosaurs
(and Other Prehistoric Creatures)

Just click on an animal's name to go to that information sheet. If the dinosaur you're interested in isn't here, check the Dinosaur Dictionary or the list of Dinosaur Genera. Names with an asterisk (*) were not dinosaurs.
How to write a great dinosaur report.

For dinosaur printouts, click here.

For brief dinosaur fact sheets, click here.




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