Beipiaopterus
Name:
Beipiaopterus
(Beipiao wing).
Phonetic: Bey-pi-aop-teh-rus.
Named By: L� Junchang - 2003.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea, Ctenochasmatidae,
Ctenochasmatinae.
Species: B. chenianus
(type).
Diet: Filter feeder.
Size: Roughly 1 meter wingspan.
Known locations: China, Liaoning Province -
Yixian Formation.
Time period: Aptian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Crushed partial skeleton
thought to be of a subadult, including wing membranes. Skull
unknown.
Ctenochasmatid
pterosaurs
are usually confirmed by their special dentition which
allows them to filter sediment and water as they hunt for
invertebrates. However this was not possible for Beipiaopterus
because the skull was unknown. Instead the remainder of the body had
to be examined for identifying features and the conclusion to this was
that Beipiaopterus was a basal member of the
Ctenochasmatidae.
Although enough of the original pterosaur remains to give a fairly
reliable indication of wingspan and total size, the fact that the
specimen is of a subadult means that Beipiaopterus
likely grew bigger
with a wingspan exceeding one meter.
Beipiaopterus
was the subject of a special 2005 study where the wing membrane was
subjected to scrutiny under the power of an electron microscope. This
study confirmed the presence of a network of blood vessels that have
been speculated to have been for the purpose of thermoregulation.
This has been held up as further proof for the theory that pterosaurs
were warm-blooded, a state that would better support the lifestyle of
an active flyer.
Further reading
- A new pterosaur: Beipiaopterus chenianus, gen. et
sp. nov. (Reptilia:
Pterosauria) from Western Liaoning Province, China. - Memoir of the
Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum 2: 153-160. - J.-C. L� - 2003.
- SEM Observation of the Wing Membrane of Beipiaopterus
chenianus
(Pterosauria). - Acta Geologica Sinica 79:6 766-769. - J.-C. L�, Y.
Kobayashi , C. Yuan, S. Ji & Q. Ji - 2005.
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