Page 156 - The Dinosaur Book and Other Wonders of the Prehistoric World (DK-Smithsonian)

Colorful crests

The crest of
Well-preserved fossils show that Thalassodromeus
the crest of a Pterodactylus was made Pterodactylus contained a thin
Pterosaurs was the first
entirely of springy cartilage and skin.
sheet of bone.
fossil

pterosaur
known
Pterodactylus
to science.

This pterosaur had a
bony crest covered with
skin that may have been
brightly colored.
Thalassodromeus

Tupuxuara

The heads of many later structures made of skin or horn supported
pterosaurs had spectacular by slender, bony struts. The smaller crest of
crests that were almost certainly for Thalassodromeus was based on a thin,
display to rivals and potential breeding lightweight plate of bone, while the crests
partners. The crests of Tupandactylus and of other species, including Pterodactylus,
Nyctosaurus were huge but lightweight were made entirely of soft tissue. Pterosaur

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