cry-olophosaurus: Rhamphorhynchus muesteri at the Natural History Museum of LA County. Rhamphorhynch

cry-olophosaurus:Rhamphorhynchus muesteri at the Natural History Museum of LA County.Rhamphorhynchus is a genus of small, piscivorous (fish-eating) Pterosaur. It’s a very well known genus with fossils found throughout Europe (Bavaria, Germany in particular is known for very well preserved specimens, and is where the pictured specimen was found).It is one of the oldest Pterosaur discoveries, and therefore it has a history of name changes and misclassofication. The first recorded Rhamphorhynchus fossil was found in 1825, and originally thought to be an ancient bird (It was reclassified as a Pterosaur soon after). It wasn’t until the 1840’s that Rhamphorynchus was recognized as a unique genus and earned it’s name. Despite this resolution, the apparent anatomical variations from hatchling to adult has also caused mass confusion when naming new found specimens.Recent research suggests they may have been adequate swimmers. This would mean they probably frequently died in or around water, which (along with their fairly small size) would probably be why their fossil record is so rich. -- source link
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