Wukongopterus
Art: Joschua Knüppe
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Wukongopterus
/woo-KONG-op-ter-us/
The type genus of the Wukongopteridae, this was the pterosaur that gave its name to the entire family of oddball flyers.
Pterosaur data
Mesozoic era · 252–66 Ma
Wingspan
About this pterosaur
This Middle Jurassic flying reptile gave its name to the entire family of wukongopterids. Wukongopterus, like many of its fellow relatives, comes from the highly diverse Tiaojishan Formation of China.
It was similar to its relatives, a small pterosaur with a 73-centimeter wingspan. It was possibly an insect-eater and had a long pair of jaws, a set of short teeth and a long tail. We know from its relatives that it had a keratinous crest on its head and a small, compact body covered with furry pycnofibers. Wukongopterus gets its unique genus name from Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King from the old Chinese novel, Journey to the West.
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