Dimorphodon macronyx

Height: 4 feet
Weight: 3 pounds
Wingspan: 4.6 feet

**Coloration:**

*Adult & juvenile (both sexes) -* mostly a drab
brownish gray body, with orange wing membranes. The sides of the snout
and the area around the eyes are tinged with pink.

**Diet:**

Mostly invertebrates, but also small arboreal mammals
including monkeys, sloths and ocelots; as well as lizards, snakes and
frogs. Spending at least some of its time living on the backs of large
sauropods also gives Dimorphodon an opportunity to feed on wounds left
behind from carnivore attacks. It may also scavenge on the remains of
fish left behind by adolescent hippocratesi Pteranodon.

**Preferred Habitat:**

Mostly forested regions of Sorna. In open areas, colonies of Dimorphodon seek refuge on the backs of large sauropods.

**Social Structure:**

 Quite social, living either in mated pairs or small to medium-sized colonies.

**Description:**

 Small pterosaur. Wings short in proportion to its
body. Unlike the other pterosaurs of Sorna, Dimorphodon has a long tail,
 tipped with a thin diamond-shaped vane composed of soft tissue. The
neck is short and the head is quite large, the jaws containing many
sharp, fang-like teeth. The toes on its feet are long with sharp claws.
The pterosaur’s back and the top of the head are covered with
filamentous fibres.

**Behaviors:**

Sorna’s smallest pterosaur, Dimorphodon is incapable
 of soaring, instead relying on rapid wingbeats in order to stay
airborne and using its long tail as a stabilizer when in flight. It is
quite agile on the ground, moving in a scampering motion on all four
limbs. It is also an adept climber and lives most of its life in trees
or on the backs of large herbivores, using its long, grasping toes and
sharp claws to keep a hold. Primarily a predator of small invertebrates,
 mammals, lizards and amphibians, Dimorphodon snatches its prey with a
rapid snapping motion of its jaws. It has large eyes for spotting prey,
as well as predators such as the arboreal dinosaur Herrerasaurus.

Dimorphodon does in fact share a symbiotic relationship with Isla
Sorna’s largest sauropods, using the massive dinosaurs as platforms on
which to rest and breed. The pterosaur hunts the insects that are
disturbed by the movements of its larger hosts, or uses its interlocking
 teeth to pick off parasites lodged in skin. The pterosaur may feed on
the flesh and blood from wounds left behind from predator attacks. While
 keeping wounds clean of insect larvae and thus helping to prevent
infection, it can also prolong the healing process. However Dimorphodon
is highly active and rarely stays on a single animal for long. It is
constantly on the move, travelling between host to host. A sauropod
dying from a Dimorphodon infestation is unheard of.

Dimorphodon mated pairs share life-long bonds. The pair constantly renew
 their bonds through rapid chattering and snout-rubbing, and often mate
on the backs of sauropods. When the female is ready, she and her mate
retreat into dense forests, choosing a large tree in which to build the
nest. The female uses her sharp, slightly outward-pointing teeth to tear
 a hole in the bark wide enough to fit herself and her young. The male
will help by bringing back nesting material and mud with which to seal
up the hole to protect the nest inside, leaving a gap wide enough for
him to pass food through to the female and young. The female lays two or
 three eggs. When the room inside the hole has reached full capacity due
 to the growing chicks, the female will break out, and the young are
able to practice their flying skills under the watchful eyes of their
parents. The same Dimorphodon pair may use the same nesting hole each
breeding season.

Small groups of Dimorphodon may sometimes be found accompanying
adolescent hippocratesi Pteranodon that have been evicted from their
family group, benefitting by scavenging the remains of the Pteranodons'
prey. Owing to the increased aggression of the full-grown individuals,
Dimorphodon tends to give the adults a wide berth.

Dimorphodon is moderately aggressive and particularly protective of
nests and young. It has been known to go after young Tapejara and small
dinosaurs the size of Dryosaurus, and even use diversionary tactics to
confuse and harass the predatory Herrerasaurus.