Phosphatodraco

## PhosphatodracoPhosphate Dragon

***“ The dagger beak of Phosphatodraco. The nine foot-tall predator that stalks through these colonies, looking for a chance to snatch an unguarded hatchling. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Coasts*
***Phosphatodraco*** (Phosphate Dragon) is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived in the Ouled Abdoun Basin in Morocco, North Africa, 66 million years ago, during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period.

## Paleobiology

### Size and Physique

Much like the still-unnamed azhdarchid from Mongolia, *Phosphatodraco* is only known from a few neck vertebrae. But from these fragmentary remains, it is estimated to stand at least 2.75 meters (9 feet) tall, with a wingspan of 4 - 5 meters (13 - 16 feet), making it around half the usual size expected of azhdarchids. These measurements make *Phosphatodraco* around the same size as *Quetzalcoatlus lawsoni*, which is half the size of the more widely-recognized *Quetzalcoatlus northropi*. Hence, based on the calculated weight of *Q. lawsoni* as of 2022, *Phosphatodraco* may have weighed a mere 65 kilograms (143 pounds), though it should be noted that this is just a rough estimate given how the physique of *Phosphatodraco*, though yet to be fully determined, may be different compared to that of *Q. lawsoni*.

### Prehistoric Planet's Depiction

On Prehistoric Planet, *Phosphatodraco* is shown covered in a pycnofiber coat of whites, grays, and browns. It has a dull yellow "dagger beak" that ends with a dark, pencil-like tip, and a "mask" of red, orange, and yellow shades over the eyes. Given its dull, whitish-gray coat and the low ridge serving as its head crest, the few individuals seen on the show may be females given how most of the female pterosaurs on the show are duller in coloration and less ornate than the males (with the females of closely-related azhdarchid *Hatzegopteryx* also possessing a similar-looking low ridge on their heads as opposed to the tall, blade-like crests of the males), though this is unconfirmed to be the case for *Phosphatodraco* specifically, thus, it is also possible that the specimens seen are males, with the vibrant patches around their eyes corresponding with the more colorful displays expected of male animals. However, it is also likely that Prehistoric Planet did not intend to portray *Phosphatodraco* as a sexually dimorphic species, meaning that both males and females possess the same coloration.

## Paleoecology

### Paleoenvironment

*Main: Ouled Abdoun Basin*

Main: Ouled Abdoun Basin

***“ It's especially rich here in the North Atlantic, where huge shoals of fish come close to the shore. One kind of animal thrives in such places and forms immense colonies. Flying reptiles, pterosaurs. Here, on the beaches of North Africa, there are seven different species of them. They come here to feed, to rest, and to raise their young. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Coasts*
It was once believed that pterosaurs declined in diversity towards the end of the Cretaceous. But on the shores of what would one day become the Ouled Abdoun Phosphatic Basin, west of the Atlas Mountains, seven different species of pterosaurs (among them *Phosphatodraco*, *Tethydraco*, *Barbaridactylus*, and *Alcione*) showed that, up to the end, the pterosaurs were successful and diverse, only to be abruptly rendered extinct by the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event, which wiped out three-quarters of life on Earth 66 million years ago.

### Hunting Tactics and Feeding Preferences

As an opportunistic predator, rather than take flight to hunt for prey more actively, *Phosphatodraco* preferred to conserve its energy and walk along the beach, through a colony of *Tethydraco*, in hopes of grabbing unguarded pterosaur hatchlings with its "dagger beak" regardless of what species they are, given how juveniles are defenseless and easier to swallow whole. Given how it towered over the them, it was completely unfazed by several of the *Tethydraco* clacking their beaks at it to keep it away, though it wisely didn't pick unnecessary fights with them, and instead continued to scour the colony in hopes of grabbing a meal.

## Appearance

In the second segment of Coasts, set in Northern Africa, a colony of *Tethydraco*, along with a few *Alcione* and *Barbaridactylus*, gather on the beach, with one parent shown trying to keep its chick close to it. The concern of the parent made sense given the presence of a *Phosphatodraco* walking through the colony. The *Tethydraco* clack their beaks to keep the larger pterosaur away from their nests and chicks, though the azhdarchid remained undaunted, completely disregarding these warnings as it continued patrolling through their colony. A brief wide view of the beach from above reveals that there are at least two more *Phosphatodraco* walking through the colony, searching for easy prey to snatch.

***“ A crash landing in the colony. It's no place for a hatchling on its own. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Coasts*
Sometime later, while trying to escape a group of *Barbaridactylus* trying to feast on them, one *Alcione* hatchling crashes down on the beach. The *Tethydraco* look on as the *Alcione* hatchling tries to stand up, while a *Phosphatodraco* closes in on it, clacking its beak in satisfaction before grabbing the hatchling, devouring it as it screeched its last. The *Tethydraco* give one last glance as the predator swallowed and savored its meal, serving as a reminder of what fate could befall their chicks should they be left unguarded, before one turned its attention back to the *Alcione* that are still airborne, trying to escape the *Barbaridactylus*.

## Trivia

* *Phosphatodraco* is the only azhdarchid pterosaur to appear once on Prehistoric Planet. Along with *Tethydraco*, it is the only pterosaur to be featured in just a single segment of Prehistoric Planet (not counting stock footage in Uncovered segments, though *Phosphatodraco* doesn't appear to be present even in stock footage taken from the second segment of Coasts).

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 As stated in Coasts.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 A new azhdarchid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Comments on the Pteranodontidae (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) with the description of two new species
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Based on estimates of the similarly-sized *Quetzalcoatlus lawsoni* according to "The Princeton Field Guide to Pterosaurs"