The piscivorous dinosaur Tropeognathus lived in South America during the Early Cretaceous period around 110m years ago, and is one of the largest pterosaurs ever to have existed with a wingspan of over 8m. The name Tropeognathus means 'keel jaw', and refers to the enlarged crests on its jaw, which the dinosaur uses to retain balance when diving into water to catch fish.
Discovery
Tropeognathus was formally named in 1987 by German paleontologist Peter Wellnhofer, after his workplace received a pterosaur skull that had been excavated from the Romualdo Formation in Ceara, Brazil. Additional fossils have since been found near to the site of its discovery, including a near-complete skeleton in 2013 missing only the tail and parts of the back legs.
Paleoecology
Experts believe that Tropeognathus lived along the coastline of South America, nesting high out of reach of predators and plunging into the sea and nearby lakes to catch its prey. It shared its habitat with numerous other dinosaurs, including fellow pterosaur Cearadactylus.
