#sinopterus

Results from the Flocking #paleostream!

Sinopterus dongi was a tapejarid pterosaur that lived during the early Cretaceous, around 120 million years ago, in a temperate forest in what is now northeastern China.

It's known from multiple specimens representing different life stages, with the largest fully mature individuals reaching a wingspan of about 1.9m (6'2"). Like other tapejarids it had a toothless parrot-like beak, and a low bony crest on its skull may have supported a larger soft-tissue structure.

A specimen with gut contents has been found showing evidence of plant matter and gastroliths, suggesting that Sinopterus was primarily herbivorous.

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here's this week's #Paleostream flocking sketches (im late because i was swamped with uni work)

this week we sketched Sharovipteryx, Sinopterus, Pachycrocuta, and Ptolemaia

Flocking Together

Sharovipteryx/Sinopterus

A wild sinopterus appeared!

Pterosaur Sinopterus dongi, of Early Cretaceous, China!

Our next archosauromorph, and our first pterosaur of Archovember is Sinopterus dongi. Sinopterus dongi is a small tapejarid from Early Cretaceous, China, known for being one of the first pterosaurs with direct evidence pointing to it being a herbivore, or at most an omnivore, based on the remains of plant matter and gizzard stones found in its gut. Like other tapejarids, Sinopterus had a large Toucan-like skull filled with air pockets that would have made it lightweight. It is known from several specimens at various stages of growth, which has allowed scientists to study the changes these animals went through during their lifespan. Based on wing proportions and bone strength/flexibility, Sinopterus flaplings seemed to be capable of powered flight very shortly after hatching. Juveniles also seem to have been more adapted to flight in closed environments, like dense forests, compared to adults. Juveniles therefore probably occupied different ecological niches than adults, transitioning between different niches as they grew.

Sinopterus dongi lived in the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Chaoyang, Liaoning, China. It shared this forested environment with the famous dromaeosaur Microraptor, as well as other slightly less famous theropods like Sinotyrannus, Jeholornis, Wulong, Similicaudipteryx, Sapeornis, Omnivoropteryx, Neimengornis, Kompsornis, Cratonavis, Confuciusornis, Chongmingia, Zhongjianornis, Yixianornis, Yanornis, Songlingornis, Shuilingornis, Similiyanornis, Imparavis, Musivavis, and more. While the forest may have seemed dominated by birds, there were still plenty of other pterosaurs as well, including Chaoyangopterus, Eoazhdarcho, Forfexopterus, Guidraco, Hongshanopterus, Huaxiadraco, Ikrandraco, Liaoningopterus, Liaoxipterus, Linlongopterus, Meilifeilong, Nemicolopterus, Nurhachius, Pangupterus, and Shenzhoupterus. The forest environment of the Jiufotang was mainly suited for the small, feathery, and the fluffy, but a few larger Ornithischians lived here as well, including the ankylosaurs Chuanqilong and Liaoningosaurus, and the Psittacosaurus’ P. meileyingensis and P. mongoliensis, and evidence of at least one large titanosaur is present in the formation.