Dorygnathus fossil map
Where fossils of Dorygnathus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 190 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 190 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Pterosaurs |
|---|---|
| Lived | 184.2–182.9 million years ago (Toarcian) |
| Periods | Jurassic |
| Family | Rhamphorhynchidae |
| Named by | Wagner 1860 |
| Fossil records | 37 occurrences at 17 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Germany, France |
| Rock formations | Posidonia Shale, txn:38470, Posidonienschiefer , Marne de Flize |
About Dorygnathus
Dorygnathus ("spear jaw") was a genus of rhamphorhynchid pterosaur that lived in Europe during the Early Jurassic period, when shallow seas flooded much of the continent. It had a short wingspan around 1.5 meters (4.9 feet), and a relatively small triangular sternum, which is where its flight muscles attached. Its skull was long and its eye sockets were the largest opening therein. Large curved fangs that "intermeshed" when the jaws closed featured prominently at the front of the snout while smaller, straighter teeth lined the back.
Having two or more morphs of teeth, a condition called heterodonty, is rare in modern reptiles but more common in basal ("primitive") pterosaurs. Its heterodont dentition and direct dietary evidence based on gut contents suggest that Dorygnathus is a piscivore (fish-eater). The fifth digit on the hindlimbs of Dorygnathus was unusually long and oriented to the side. Its function is not certain, but the toe may have supported a membrane like those supported by its wing-fingers and pteroids. Dorygnathus was according to David Unwin related to the Late Jurassic pterosaur Rhamphorhynchus and was a contemporary of Campylognathoides in Holzmaden and Ohmden.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Dorygnathus (revision 1332793448), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q134593.
_at_G%C3%B6teborgs_Naturhistoriska_Museum_9000.jpg){kind=link}