Home > Prehistoric Flying Reptiles > Gnathosaurus

Gnathosaurus

---

Gnathosaurus was discovered very early in paleontological history--so early that, when its incomplete fossil was unearthed in Germany's Solnhofen fossil beds in 1833, this creature was identified as a prehistoric crocodile. Soon enough, though, experts realized they were dealing with a medium-sized pterosaur, which clearly used its narrow, tooth-studded beak to filter plankton and small marine organisms from the lakes and ponds of western Europe. Gnathosaurus was closely related to another plankton-feeding pterosaur of the late Jurassic period, Ctenochasma, and it's possible that at least one species of Pterodactylus may wind up being assigned to this genus.