Identification

• The official name of this pterosaur is Tropeognathus mesembrinus, which means Southern Keel Jaw. When on land, Tropeognathus stood five feet tall, and when airborne, its wingspan was 20 feet. It had a two-foot-long toothed bill that it used to scoop up its diet of fish and squid while airborne. The upper and lower jaws both had keels on the ends, making it easy for Tropeognathus to dip its bill in the water to grab fish without losing its balance and falling in. Tropeognathus had no feathers; instead, the animal had a membrane-like wing, similar to what is found on bats.
  
  

Range

• The Tropeognathus originated in Brazil during the Cretaceous Period about 112 to 122 million years ago. Fossil evidence found in Australia, Morocco, Europe and North America suggests that Tropeognathus either fanned out to colonize these areas or migrated seasonally, just as some birds do today. Since during the Cretaceous Period the Atlantic Ocean was thought to be only 200 miles wide, it would have been an easy flight for such a huge winged creature.
  
  

Santana Formation

• The Santana Formation is one of the richest fossil finds in Brazil. It is located in northeastern Brazil and named after a local village, Santo do Cariri. It is here that the fossils of Tropeognathus were first found, and where the huge size of the animals was first realized. The size discrepancy between previously discovered Ornithocherius, a flying dinosaur with a wing span of up to nine feet, prompted scientists to give their new find the name Tropeognathus.
  
  

Crato Member

• The Crato Member limestone strata, though only a very small part of the Santana Formation, has provided the best examples of Tropeognathus. As in other pterosaurs, the bones of Tropeognathus were hollow. This enabled the huge animals to fly, but it also meant that many of the fossils found were crushed. The fossils in the Crato Member were covered with sediment, but not crushed, allowing scientists to study three-dimensional examples of Tropeognathus fossils.
  
  

Fun Fact

• The Tropeognathus pterosaur was used as a model for the character Zon in the "Secret Saturdays" animation series that began in 2008. The creator, Jay Stephens, has characterized Zon as a descendant of the extinct flying dinosaur that is not all that comfortable being around humans. Zon pals around with two other unusual characters. One is Fisk, a phantom that was rescued from Sherwood Forest and the other is Komodo, a monitor lizard who is always hungry and has the ability to become almost invisible.