Istiodactylus

Istiodactylus is a genus of pterosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 120 million years ago. It had very large forelimbs, with a wing-membrane distended by a long wing-finger, but the hindlimbs were very short. Its distinctive teeth indicate that it was a scavenger that may have used its teeth to sever morsels from large carcasses.

About Istiodactylus in brief

Istiodactylus is a genus of pterosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 120 million years ago. The first fossil was discovered on the English Isle of Wight in 1887, and in 1901 became the holotype specimen of a new species, O. latidens. This species was moved to its own genus, IstiodActylus, in 2001; this name is Greek for’sail finger’ It had very large forelimbs, with a wing-membrane distended by a long wing-finger, but the hindlimbs were very short. Its distinctive teeth indicate that it was a scavenger that may have used its teeth to sever morsels from large carcasses in the manner of a cookie cutter. The wings may have been adapted for soaring, which would have helped it find carcasses before terrestrial carnivores. In 2006, a species from China, I. sinensis, was assigned to IStiodactylus, but it has since been found to belong to a different genus. It was the only known pterosaurs of its kind until the 21st century, and was placed in its own family, I Stidactylidae, within the group Ornithocheiroidea. Its skull was about 45 centimetres long, and bore a semicircle of 48 teeth. It had a very large naso-antorbital opening and a slender eye socket. Some of the vertebrae were fused into a notarium, to which the shoulder blades connected. It is known from the Wessex Formation and the younger Vectis Formation, which represent river and coastal environments that were shared with various pter dinosaurs, dinosaurs, and other animals.

It may have had a large wingspan of 4.3 to 5 metres, but estimates of its wingspan range from 4.5 to 6 metres. The skull had a low and blunt, blunt snout and a triangular triangular teeth that were closely spaced, interlocked, and formed a ‘razor-edged’ outline. Its lower jaw also had a tooth-like projection that occluded with the teeth, and it was relatively short and broad for a perosaur. It has a proportionally shorter skull than other istiodactymans. It lived in the early Jurassic period in southern England, and is thought to have been a large scavenger. It died out in the late Cretassic period, when it was found to have a much smaller wingspan and a much shorter snout than other pterosaurus species. The holotype, NHMUK R176, is considered the only specimen and the specimen is considered to be the only valid name for the genus. The only other specimens of the genus are O. latiden, which was described and illustrated by the Reverend William Fox in his 1901 book Dragons of the Air. Seeley did not designate a specimen for O latIDens after the latter specimen, he named and illustrated and illustrated parts of parts of the latter.

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