Animal Pictures Archive
Animal Photo Album

New Photos Animal News Animal Sounds Animal Movies Upload Photo Copyright Korean
Funny Animal Photos Monsters in Animalia Wiki Articles   Fun Facts about Animals Links Home Mobile A.P.A.
Delete Modify    
Dimorphodon - Wiki latin dict size=67   common dict size=512
Image Info Original File Name: Dimorphodon-macronyx_jconway.jpg Resolution: 700x285 File Size: 27270 Bytes Upload Time: 2007:12:10 11:27:41
Author Name (E-mail): Unknown
Subject Dimorphodon - Wiki

Dimorphodon - Wiki; Image ONLY
Email : E-Card | Poster | Web Master    Delete   Edit Info   Admin

Description
Dimorphodon - Wiki

Dimorphodon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fossil range: Early Jurassic
Order: Pterosauria
Suborder: Rhamphorhynchoidea
Family: Dimorphodontidae
Genus: Dimorphodon
Species
- Dimorphodon macronyx (Buckland, 1829) (type species)
- Dimorphodon weintraubi Clark et al., 1998

[Photo] Pterosaur Dimorphodon macronyx. By John Conway (http://jconway.co.uk).
Copyright (C) John Conway
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".


Dimorphodon dai??m??ː(r)f.??.d??n ("Two-form Teeth") was a genus of medium-sized (wing span 1.6 m., length of skull 22 cm.) pterosaur from the Early Jurassic Period (180-170 million years ago). It was named by paleontologist Richard Owen in 1859. Dimorphodon means "two-form tooth" (Greek di meaning 'two', morphe meaning 'shape' and odon meaning tooth), referring to the fact that it had two distinct types of teeth in its jaws - which is comparatively rare among reptiles.

It had a large, bulky skull whose weight was reduced by large cavities separated from each other by thin bony partitions. Its structure, reminiscent of the supporting arches of a bridge, prompted Richard Owen to declare that, in far as achieving great strength from light-weight materials was concerned, no vertebrae was more economically constructed. Otherwise, of course, the body structure of Dimorphodon displays many primitive characters, such as a very small brain-pan. The neck was strong and flexible and may have had a membraneous pouch on the under side.

Our knowledge of how Dimorphodon lived is also very small. It probably inhabited coastal regions and had a very varied diet.

Fossil remains have been found in England. Mary Anning made the first Dimorphodon (Dimorphodon macronyx) discovery, at Lyme Regis in Dorset, UK in 1828. This region of Britain is now a World Heritage Site, dubbed the Jurassic Coast. Dimorphodon was approximately 1 metre (3.3 ft) long, with a 1.4 meter (4.6 ft) wingspan.

It has been argued that Dimorphodon was a biped, though fossilised track remains of other pterosaurs (ichnites) show a quadrupedal gait while on the ground. Its teeth and jaws suggest it was, like most pterosaurs, a piscivore (fish eater), although until quite recently it was suggested that it hunted small land animals. Most depictions give it a puffin-like 'beak'.

Dimorphodon lived approximately 200 million to 180 million years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimorphodon
The text in this page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article shown in above URL. It is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Copyright Info AnimmalPicturesArchive.com does not have the copyright for this image. This photograph or artwork is copyright by the photographer or the original artist. If you are to use this photograph, please contact the copyright owner or the poster.

Search Major Animal Websites
Misidentified?
Need further identification?
Any comment?
Leave your message here.
Name :    PASSWORD :
Email :
 
Search
Back List Upload Home Korean
CopyLeft © since 1995, Animal Pictures Archive. All rights may be reserved.
Powered by KRISTAL IRMS

Stats