Tupandactylus fossil map
Where fossils of Tupandactylus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 115 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 115 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 | 119.57–113.2 million years ago (Aptian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Family | Tapejaridae |
| Named by | Kellner and Campos 2007 |
| Fossil records | 3 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Brazil |
| Rock formations | Crato |
About Tupandactylus
Tupandactylus (meaning "Tupâ or Tupan finger", in reference to a personification of the Tupi supreme deity) is a genus of tapejarid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil. It is known from two species, T. imperator and T. navigans, though it has been suggested that there is only a single, highly sexually dimorphic species (which would then be T. imperator). T. imperator was described in 1997 by D. A. Campos and Alexander W. A. Kellner, who assigned it to Tapejara. Six years later, T. navigans was named and also assigned to Tapejara. In 2007, two efforts to reallocate both species to a new genus were made, and ultimately the name Tupandactylus came into use.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Tupandactylus (revision 1369695533), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in.
