Tapejara

*Tapejara wellnhoferi*

***Tapejara*** (from a Tupi word meaning "the old being") is a genus of Brazilian pterosaur from the Cretaceous Period (Santana Formation, dating to about 108 Ma ago). *Tapejara* crests consisted of a semicircular crest over the snout, and a bony prong which extended back behind the head.

## Species and classification

The type species and only one currently recognized as valid by most researchers, *T. wellnhoferi*, is the smallest species to have been assigned to *Tapejara* and does not preserve evidence of soft-tissue crest extensions. The specific name honours German paleontologist Peter Wellnhofer. A second species, originally named *Tapejara imperator* ("emperor"), is much larger and possessed a crest made up of distinctively long prongs, projecting from the rounded snout crest and the back of the skull, which supported a large, possibly rounded sail-like crest of keratin. A third species, *Tapejara navigans* ("sailing"), was mid-sized and sported a similar crest to *T. imperator*, though narrower and more dome-shaped, that lacked the backwards-pointing bony support prong.

Several studies in 2007 showed that *T. imperator* and *T. navigans* are too different from *T. wellnhoferi* and therefore require their own genus names. The species *T. imperator* was given its own genus, *Tupandactylus*, by Kellner and Campos. Unwin and Martill found that *T. imperator* and *T. navigans* belong in the same genus, and named them *Ingridia imperator* and *I. navigans*, respectively. The genus name honoured Wellnhofer's late wife Ingrid. Because *Tupandactylus* was named first, it retains priority over the name *Ingridia*. To complicate matters, both the name *Tupandactylus* and *Ingridia* used the former *Tapejara imperator* as their type species. The scientists who described *Tupandactylus* did not name a *Tupandactylus navigans* (but instead suggested it was synonymous to *Tupandactylus imperator*), and *Tapejara navigans* was not formally reclassified as a distinct species of *Tupandactylus* until 2011.

The cladogram below follows the 2011 analysis of Felipe Pinheiro and colleagues.

## Paleobiology

Comparisons between the scleral rings of *Tapejara* and modern birds and reptiles suggest that it may have been cathemeral, active throughout the day at short intervals. Given the locomotion of other pterosaurs, Tapejara is easily assumed to have taken a quadrupedal, cocodile-like stance when landed, walking in a similar manner. The creature most likely vaulted itself into the air with its strong frontal limbs, and from there was able to assume proper flight.

## Dinosaur Field Guide Description

Tapejara (after the Tapejara, an ancient being in Tupi Indian mythology) is one of the more advanced kinds of pterosaurs known as a pterodactyl. Pterodactyls ("winged fingers" generally had shorter tails than primitive terosaurs. Although some pterodactyls were small, many were eagle-sized or larger. The bones in the palm of a pterodactyl's hand were much longer than the palm bones in primitive pterosaurs making their wings even longer. Each species of pterodactyl had its own distinctive crest on its head. Even within each species, there seem to be
some individuals that have bigger and better-developed crests than others. Some scientists think that those with the bigger crests were the males and those with the smaller crests were the
females. Perhaps the big crests were used for display, like the tails of peacocks. The crest in some Tapejaras is very strange. There is a single spike near the front of the snout that is taller than the skull is long.

## Fun Facts

The Santana Formation of Brazil contains the fossils of many different pterosaurs. Each is distinct in its own way: Some of these have tall crests; some have short, heavy beaks; and some (like Ornithocheirus) are gigantic

## Trivia

Many of the pterosaurs, fish, and even dinosaurs found in the lime-stones with Tapejara have muscle tissue that has petrified, or turned to stone. Unfortunately, because the muscles have turned to stone, they no longer contain DNA.

## Appearance in other media

### *Jurassic Park*

* *Tapejara* is one of the creatures available in the IOS application Jurassic Park Builder, it was released for the first time on November 14th 2014. It appears to be based on *Tapejara navigans*, which is now considered a species of *Tupandactylus*. Despite being a carnivorous pterosaur in the game, they get an enclosure without fences like what the herbivores in the game get and may have been a herbivore.

* *Tapejara* appears in Jurassic World: The Game as a Rare pterosaur and costs 670 DNA after being hatched for the first time. In Jurassic World: The Game, *Tapejara* had teeth in its beak while it had no teeth in reality. Like in Jurassic Park: Builder, it seems to be based off of *Tupandactylus*, which also had no teeth in reality.

## References

1. ↑ Template:Cite journal
2. ↑ Unwin, D. M. and Martill, D. M. (2007). "Pterosaurs of the Crato Formation." In Martill, D. M., Bechly, G. and Loveridge, R. F. (eds), *The Crato Fossil Beds of Brazil: Window into an Ancient World.* Cambridge University Press (Cambridge), pp. 475-524.
3. ↑ Naish, D. (2008). "Crato Formation fossils and the new tapejarids." Weblog entry. *Tetrapod Zoology*. 18 January 2008. Accessed 31 January 2008 (http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2008/01/crato\_formation\_tapejarids.php).
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pinheiro, F.L., Fortier, D.C., Schultz, C.L., De Andrade, J.A.F.G. and Bantim, R.A.M. (in press). "New information on *Tupandactylus imperator*, with comments on the relationships of Tapejaridae (Pterosauria)." *Acta Palaeontologica Polonica*, in press, available online 03 Jan 2011. Template:Doi
5. ↑ Template:Cite journal