Tapejara

This rather small pterosaur hails from Early Cretaceous Brazil, and made a small appearance in the 1999 BBC TV show 'Walking with Dinosaurs'. It is well known for having a rather small crest, unlike most of its family with impressive headgear. Its short jaws may have been used to crack fruits and nuts as well as tackle small animals.

Description

The original tapejarid, Tapejara wellnhoferi is yet another Santana genus. It is from the same time and place as animals like the thalassodromids Tupuxuara and Thalassodromeus, the pteranodontoid Cearadactylus and the ornithocheirid Tropeognathus.

All these animals coexisted thanks to different dietary specifications, with the toothy eagle-like ornithocheirids and their cousins picking fish from the water’s surface, the thalassodromids being land predators and Tapejara as either an omnivore or a herbivore.

Tapejara itself was one of the smaller pterosaurs in the formation, with a 3.5-meter wingspan.

It was named by Kellner in 1989 and despite popular depictions, does not preserve any signs of a keratinous crest. This description was mostly assigned to Tapejara navigans and T. imperator, now both members of the related genus Tupandactylus.

Tapejara

Description

Setting

Wingspan

Credits