| Literature DB >> 33552741 |
Abstract
Pterosaurs were widespread during the Late Cretaceous, but their fossils are comparatively rare in terrestrial depositional environments. A large pterosaur bone from the Kaiparowits Formation (late Campanian, ~76-74 Ma) of southern Utah, USA, is tentatively identified as an ulna, although its phylogenetic placement cannot be precisely constrained beyond Pterosauria. The element measures over 36 cm in preserved maximum length, indicating a comparatively large individual with an estimated wingspan between 4.3 and 5.9 m, the largest pterosaur yet reported from the Kaiparowits Formation. This size estimate places the individual at approximately the same wingspan as the holotype for Cryodrakon boreas from the penecontemporaneous Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta. Thus, relatively large pterosaurs occurred in terrestrial ecosystems in both the northern and southern parts of Laramidia (western North America) during the late Campanian.Entities:
Keywords: Azhdarchidae; Kaiparowits Formation; Laramidia; Late Campanian; Late Cretaceous; Pterosaur; Pterosauria
Year: 2021 PMID: 33552741 PMCID: PMC7825364 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10766
Source DB: PubMed Journal: PeerJ ISSN: 2167-8359 Impact factor: 2.984