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Rhamphorhynchus

Say it: RAM-foh-RINK-us

Name means: “beak snout”1

Ate: FishFlying reptilesLate Jurassic to Early CretaceousNot technically a dinosaur

Rhamphorhynchus was a flying reptile that lived in the Late Jurassic. It had a very long tail with a diamond-shaped flap at the tip. It used its needle-like teeth to catch slippery fish.1 2

Fun fact: pterosaurs flew over the dinosaurs, but they were their cousins, not dinosaurs themselves.

Lived

159 to 143 million years ago6

Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Bavaria, Germany (Solnhofen limestone), and also England, Tanzania, Spain and Portugal1 3

Food

Fish1 3

Length

0.5 m2

about 50 cm (20 inches) long including the tail

Wingspan

1.8 to 3 m1

largest known specimen (NHMUK PV OR 37002) estimated at 1.8 m; fragmentary Ettling specimen possibly over 3 m

Weight

0.555 kg to 2.085 kg4

estimated body mass for adult specimens (MTM V 2008.33.1 and BSPG 1929 I 69)

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 17 bananas

as long as 3 bananas end to endabout as heavy as a house catas heavy as 17 bananas

How big was Rhamphorhynchus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Its tail was stiffened with ligaments and ended in a diamond-shaped rudder, which may have helped it steer while flying.1 2

Rhamphorhynchus had no teeth at the very tip of its beak, but the rest of its beak held many forward-angled teeth that interlocked to trap fish.1

Fossils of Rhamphorhynchus often show impressions of soft parts, including wing membranes and fuzz-like pycnofibers.1

It probably swam and launched from the water like modern birds, not just flew over the waves.1

Rhamphorhynchus lived about 150 to 148 million years ago, during the late Jurassic Period.1

AI-made picture of Rhamphorhynchus — An AI-made picture of how Rhamphorhynchus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Rhamphorhynchus

?How big was Rhamphorhynchus?

Most adults had a wingspan of about 1 metre (3.3 feet), but the largest known specimen reached about 1.8 metres (5.9 feet) across. A huge fragmentary fossil may have had a wingspan of over 3 metres (10 feet).1 5

?What did Rhamphorhynchus eat?

It mainly ate fish and squid-like animals called cephalopods. Fossil stomach contents and droppings often contain fish and cephalopod remains.1 2

?Could Rhamphorhynchus swim?

Yes, it probably swam and launched from the water like modern birds. Its broad feet and body shape suggest it was good at swimming.1

?When did Rhamphorhynchus live?

It lived during the Late Jurassic Period, about 150 to 148 million years ago.1 2

?Was Rhamphorhynchus a dinosaur?

No, it was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that is not a dinosaur. Pterosaurs are close cousins of dinosaurs.1 2

?Why did Rhamphorhynchus have a long tail?

The long tail ended in a diamond-shaped flap that may have helped it steer while flying. The tail was stiffened with ligaments to keep it straight.1 2

?Did Rhamphorhynchus have feathers?

It did not have feathers, but it had a fuzzy coat called pycnofibers, which are like simple hairs. These are different from feathers.1

?Where have Rhamphorhynchus fossils been found?

The best fossils come from the Solnhofen limestone in Bavaria, Germany. Fragmentary remains have also been found in England, Tanzania, Spain, and Portugal.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Rhamphorhynchus was a dinosaur.

Truth: Rhamphorhynchus was a pterosaur, a flying reptile, not a dinosaur.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Rhamphorhynchus
Named by: Meyer 18476
Group: Flying reptiles
Family / clade: Rhamphorhynchidae6
Classification: Pterosauria > Rhamphorhynchidae6
Age of the rocks: 159 to 143 million years (Oxfordian / Tithonian)6
Rock formations: Solnhofen, Solnhofener Plattenkalk, Painten6
Countries: Germany, Portugal, Tanzania, United Kingdom6
Fossil records: 30 in the Paleobiology Database6
Discovery: The first specimen was brought to scientist Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring in 1825. It was later named Ornithocephalus muensteri by Goldfuss in 1831, and then renamed Rhamphorhynchus by Hermann von Meyer in 1847.1 3
Still debated: Scientists still debate exactly how many species of Rhamphorhynchus there were, because many similar fossils have been given different names.1

Where the facts come from

Rhamphorhynchus (en.wikipedia.org)
Rhamphorhynchus | Pterosaur, Jurassic & Flying Reptile | Britannica (britannica.com)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Life History of Rhamphorhynchus Inferred from Bone Histology and the Diversity of Pterosaurian Growth Strategies (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
A giant specimen of Rhamphorhynchus muensteri and comments on the ontogeny of rhamphorhynchines (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Rhamphorhynchus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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