Aerotitan
Sign in to saveAerotitan is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Argentina. Its only remains, which consist of a partial snout, were found in the Allen Formation of the Neuquén Basin in northern Patagonia. This specimen was made the holotype of Aerotitan sudamericanus by paleontologist Fernando Novas and colleagues. The generic name combines the Greek word ἀήρ, meaning "air" and Titan, alluding to the pterosaur's large size. The specific name is a reference to its origin, South America.
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Discovery and naming
- Description
- Classification
- See also
- References
Aerotitan is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Argentina. Its only remains, which consist of a partial snout, were found in the Allen Formation of the Neuquén Basin in northern Patagonia. This specimen was made the holotype of Aerotitan sudamericanus by paleontologist Fernando Novas and colleagues. The generic name combines the Greek word ἀήρ, meaning "air" and Titan, alluding to the pterosaur's large size. The specific name is a reference to its origin, South America.
Aerotitan is the first pterosaur belonging the family Azhdarchidae that was found in South America. A wingspan of at least has been estimated for this pterosaur. Within Azhdarchidae, the genus Mistralazhdarcho from France seems to have been the closest relative of Aerotitan, based on numerous phylogenetic analyses that have recovered them together in a clade.