Reconstructed (model) skeleton of the Brazilian tapejarid Tupandactylus imperator, formerly on show at the Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro (tragically ruined by fire in 2018), shows the deep rostrum, pointed jaw tips and remarkable bony crests (on the snout, rear of the skull, and lower jaw) typical of this azhdarchoid pterosaur group. Image: Darren Naish.
There will come a time when I’ll stop talking about the impact of, and publicity associated with, the Witton & Naish 2008 ‘terrestrial stalking’ paper, but that time is not today. Here are screengrabs showing a few of the treatments the story was given by the great British press. Cor blimey, wot a whopper, Gary Lineker’s woke pet donkey stole my garden shed, and so on.
Skeletal reconstructions of the giant azhdarchids (A) Hatzegopteryx and (C) Arambourgiania to scale, showing the markedly different body shapes of these animals. (B) shows how broad the back of the skull and neck was in Hatzegopteryx. Contrast this with D-E: the small Quezalcoatlus species, with its 4.6 m wingspan and long, slender neck. Scale bar = 1 m. Credit: Naish & Witton 2017, images by Mark Witton.
If all of this works out, this is going to be pretty epic year for azhdarchoid #pterosaurs. Such an exciting time to be working on these fantastic animals.