Exposures of Cambridge Greensand could be present in each Cambridgeshire and neighbouring Hertfordshire. It’s well-known for pterosaur fossils. Over 200 pterosaur fossil bones have been discovered, though they’re fragmentary. These fossils characterize pterosaurs (principally ornithocheirids) that died out at sea. Their bones have been buried on the seafloor solely to be exhumed once more by historic storms and redeposited as a part of geologically a lot youthful strata. Regardless of their poor situation and extremely fragmentary nature, nineteenth century scientists erected quite a few pterosaur taxa.
To learn an article about analysis into toothless pterosaurs from the Cambridge Greensand: Sinking our Tooth into Toothless Pterosaurs.
An instance of a doubtful Cambridge Greensand ornithocheirid is Criorhynchus.
Many genera of pterosaur have been erected from extremely fragmentary stays related to Cambridge Greensand materials. An instance is the ornithocheirid “Criorhynchus”. There’s a lot debate whether or not this can be a legitimate genus or a nomen dubium. Image credit score: Every part Dinosaur.
Image credit score: Every part Dinosaur
Criorhynchus and the Cambridge Greensand
Crew members at Every part Dinosaur got the chance to view Cambridge Greensand pterosaur fossils while visiting the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences (Cambridge). Lots of the labels related to the fossilised bones check with Criorhynchus. The validity of this taxon has been questioned. It’s an instance of a taxon being erected primarily based on poorly preserved and scrappy fossil stays. Greater than half a dozen Criorhynchus species have been named, all primarily based on Cambridge Greensand materials. The controversy over the validity of the pterosaur genera erected primarily based on fossils from this geological unit continues.
The Ornithocheiridae have been geographically widespread. Their fossils have been present in Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas. Nonetheless, establishing the taxonomy of the Ornithocheiridae because of the nineteenth century analysis continues to stay problematic. It’s nonetheless attention-grabbing to go to museums which have these fossils of their collections. While most researchers disregard numerous the Cambridge Greensand pterosaur fossils, they characterize an essential chapter within the research of the outstanding Pterosauria.
Go to the award-wining Every part Dinosaur web site for pterosaur and different prehistoric animal fashions: Pterosaur and Dinosaur Fashions.
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