Hatzegopteryx

Hatzegopteryx ("Hațeg basin wing") is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur. It was found in Transylvania, Romania. It is known only from the type species, Hatzegopteryx thambema, named in 2002 based on parts of the skull and humerus. Additional fossils, including a neck vertebra, were included later. The largest of these remains shows that the Hatzegopteryx was one of the biggest pterosaurs, with an estimated wingspan of .

It is unusual because it had a very wide skull with large muscular attachments. The bones had a soft internal texture instead of being hollow. it had a short, robust, and heavily muscled neck  long. This short neck was about half the length of other azhdarchids. The neck could withstand strong bending forces. Hatzegopteryx lived on Hațeg Island, an island in the Cretaceous subtropics within the prehistoric Tethys Sea. It was probably the apex predator of Hațeg Island, tackling larger prey (including dwarf titanosaurs and iguanodontians) than other azhdarchids.

References

Category:Pterosaurs
Category:Animals of Europe