Skiphosoura bavarica

Skiphosoura bavarica is an extinct pterodactyl pterosaur from the Late Jurassic, recently described from an exceptionally complete fossil from the Mörnsheim Formation ( Dritter 's Kieselflinz layer) in a limestone deposit near Solnhofen, Bavaria, Germany. The holotype (LF 4157) was discovered in 2015 and prepared using modern techniques that have preserved a significant portion of its bones in three dimensions, a rare occurrence in pterosaurs due to the fragility of their skeletons.

Anatomically, Skiphosoura represents an intermediate morphology between basal (non-pterodactyloid) and derived pterodactyloid pterosaurs, a position that has been confirmed in recent phylogenetic analyses. Its wingspan is estimated at approximately 1.75–2 m, similar to that of large modern birds of prey, placing it among the largest flying animals of the Early Jurassic ecosystems.

The recovered partial skull, about 25 cm long, shows a combination of anatomical features that allow us to infer its ecology and feeding habits: a prominent frontal bony crest on the snout and dentition with long, sharp teeth suggest a predatory and/or piscivorous way of life, capable of capturing diverse prey such as lizards, small mammals, large insects or fish in flight or on the prowl near watercourses or riverine environments.

In addition to its wing and cranial proportions, Skiphosoura exhibits mixed postcranial features including a relatively elongated wrist and a relatively short fifth phalanx compared to more primitive pterosaurs, as well as a distinctive short, tapered tail; these features reinforce its position in a transitional state of anatomical evolution, helping to elaborate a clearer sequence of how body features changed in the lineage that led to the Cretaceous pterodactyloids.

The paleoecological habitat of Skiphosoura bavarica corresponds to a Late Jurassic landscape (~147 million years ago) dominated by continental environments with lakes, marshes, and floodplains in what is now southern Germany, in a subtropical climate. The sediments of the Mörnsheim Formation are known for their excellent preservation of vertebrate and invertebrate fauna, indicating a biodiversity-rich ecosystem where these flying reptiles shared niches with fish, other flying reptiles, and theropod and sauropodomorph dinosaurs.

From an evolutionary perspective, Skiphosoura bavarica is significant because it fills an important gap in the pterosaur fossil record, showing how cranial and postcranial features were gradually reorganized during the transition from early non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs to the more advanced groups that would dominate the skies in the Cretaceous, thus helping to refine phylogenetic reconstructions of these flying vertebrates.

Approximate measurements of the Skiphosoura :

• Scale 1:12 - Complete
• Length 40 mm
• Height 50 mm
• Width 34 mm
• Wingspan 158 mm
  
  
• Scale 1:6 - Complete
• Length 79 mm
• Height 100 mm
• Width 68 mm
• Wingspan 315 mm