Thursday 28 November 2013

Coloborhynchus clavirostris

Coloborhynchus as like many pterosaurs had an elongated skull. Crammed full of sharp pointed teeth, it also had smaller teeth protruding forward from the front of the jaw, this probably helped to hold the pterosaurs prey so that it could transport the fish further towards the throat.

Coloborhynchus had a small crest protruding from the snout region of the skull. Coloborhynchus has been found in the lower Cretaceous and from localities in Europe, South America and North America, multiple species have been described. Coloborhynchus is known mostly from fragmentary remains, including sections of the skull and teeth. Coloborhynchus remains have been found from the lower Cretaceous period, Albian stage of the Cambridge Greensand of England.


Name
Coloborhynchus clavirostris
Authority
clavirostris (Owen 1874) - BMNH:Holotype
araripensis (Veldmeijer 2003)
spielbergi (Veldmeijer 2003)
piscator (Veldmeijer 2003)
Meaning of generic name
Maimed Beak
Meaning of specific name
Key Snout
Size
Wingspan: 3 m
Remains
Fragmentary remains, include several teeth, isolated and associated bones, skulls and partial skeleton
Age and Distribution
Lower Cretaceous Greensand Formation (Albian), Cambridge, England.

Lower Cretaceous Santana Formation (Cenomanian), Brazil.
Classification
Pterosauria Pterodactyloidea Ornithocheiroidea Ornithocheiridae
Further Reading
A.J. Veldmeijer, H.J.M. Meijer and M. Signore. Coloborhynchus from the Lower Cretaceous Santana Formation, Brazil (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueridae); an update. Journal of vertebrate palaeontology, 3, 2, (2006)

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