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Wukongopterus
Wukongopterus

Wukongopterus

Family

Wukongopteridae

Environment

Tiaojishan Formation

Late
Triassic
Early
Jurassic
Middle
Jurassic
Late
Jurassic
Early
Cretaceous
Late
Cretaceous

Description

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.

Artist

Joschua Knüppe

Size

0.73 m (2.4 ft)

Fossil Locations


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