Thalassodromeus sethi

Thalassodromeus is a pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil. It had an extraordinary large skull surmounted by a huge bony crest. The crest was irrigated by blood vessels and might have been used for body temperature regulation. The beak is similar in shape with the one of the modern skimmer (Rhynchops) and it was suggested that Thalassodromeus might have had a similar feeding strategy. However, new biomechanical studies of the neck show that its unlikely that it was a skimmer. The scizzor like jaws indicate it might had been a scavenger, or an aerial piscivore that used the jaws to grasp prey rather than skim.

Name

Thalassodromeus sethi

Authority

Kellner & Campos, 2002

Meaning of generic name

Sea runner

Size

Skull length: 1.4 m, Wingspan: 4.5 m

Remains

Nearly complete skull.

Age and Distribution

Romualdo Member, Santana Formation (Early Cretaceous, Aptian-Albian) Ceará, Brazil.

Classification

Pterosauria Pterodactyloidea Azhdarchoidea

Further Reading

Kellner A. W. A. and Campos D. A., 2002, The function of the cranial crest and jaws of a unique pterosaur from the early Cretaceous of Brazil. Science. vol. 297, no. 5580 19 July 2002, pp. 389-392.