With an estimated wingspan of 12 m, Hatzegopteryx was a very large azhdarchid pterosaur from the late Cretaceous of Romania. It is known from fragmentary remains which include skull fragments. The skull is characterized by its large size (initially estimated to be nearly 3 m in length) and its robusteness.
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Name
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Hatzegopteryx thambema
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Authority
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Buffetaut, Grigorescu & Csiki, 2002
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Meaning of the generic name
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Hatzeg (Basin) ing
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Size
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Skull length >2.5 m: , Wingspan: 12 m
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Remains
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Holotype ( FGGUB R 1083): fragments of a skull and associated partial humerus
Referred Material: Femur (FGGUB R 1625)
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Age and Distribution
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Horizon: Upper part of the Middle Densus-Ciula Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Late Maastrichtian).
Typical location: Valioara, northwestern Hateg Basin, Transylvania, Romania.
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Classification
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Pterosauria Pterodactyloidea Azhdarchoidea Azhdarchidae
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Further Reading
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E. Buffetaut, D. Grigorescu, and Z. Csiki. 2002. A new giant pterosaur with a robust skull from the latest Cretaceous of Romania. Naturwissenschaften 89:180-184.
E. Buffetaut, D. Grigorescu and Z. Csiki. 2003. Giant azhdarchid pterosaurs from the terminal Cretaceous of Transylvania (western Romania). Geological Society, London, Special Publications 217: 91-104.
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Synonyms |
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Line drawings of the holotype (FGGUB R 1083) skull fragments of Hatzegopteryx thambema. After Buffetaut et al., 2002. Scale bars are 50 mm. a) Occipital face of skull. b) right part of posterior part of palate with suspensorium |
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