Dorygnathus was a pterosaur, a type of flying reptile. It was not a dinosaur, though it lived during the same period. Dorygnathus lived during the Early Jurassic and resided in Europe. The first Dorygnathus fossil was discovered in 1860.

Quick facts about Dorygnathus:

  • Existed from Pliensbachian Age to 182 million years ago
  • Lived in a marine environment
  • Was a piscivore
  • Could fly
  • 37 different specimens have been found by paleontologists

All the Dorygnathus illustrations below were collected from the internet. Enjoy and explore:

Dorygnathus was described by the following scientific paper(s):
  • E. Buffetaut and B. Gibout. 2010. A pterosaur from the Toarcian (Early Jurassic) of the Ardennes (northeastern France). Carnets de Géologie/Notebooks on Geology 2010/01:1-6
  • K. Padian and R. Wild. 1992. Studies of Liassic Pterosauria, I. The holotype and referred specimens of the Liassic pterosaur Dorygnathus banthensis (Theodori) in the Petrefaktensammlung Banz, northern Bavaria. Palaeontographica Abteilung A 225:59-77
  • D. Delsate and R. Wild. 2000. Premiere decouverte d'un reptile volant determinable (Pterosauria, Dorygnathus cf banthensis) du Toarcien inferieur (Jurassique inferieur) de Nancy (Lorraine, France). Bulletin de l'Académie et de la Societé Lorraine des Sciences 39(1-4):3-14