Mimodactylus libanensis was a small pterosaur that lived in what is now Lebanon during the late Cretaceous, about 95 million years ago.
It was the latest-surviving known member of a group of pterosaurs called istiodactyliformes, closely related to the Chinese Haopterus.
The only known fossil specimen had a wingspan of around 1.3m (~4'3") — but it was still a juvenile and the full adult size of Mimodactylus is currently unknown. Its long narrow wings were shaped much like those of modern seabirds, suggesting it used dynamic soaring over the shallow sea and scattered islands that covered the region at the time.
Its fairly broad snout and strong pointed teeth may have been used to forage for shrimp at the water's surface similar to some modern albatrosses, a previously undocumented feeding style for pterosaurs.
———
NixIllustration.com | Tumblr | Patreon
