Dimorphodon
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Dimorphodon (dy-MORF-oh-don) was a medium-sized pterosaur from the Jurassic period, named by paleontologist Richard Owen in 1859. Dimorphodon means "two-form tooth" (Greek di meaning 'two', morphe meaning 'shape' and odon meaning tooth), referring to the fact that it had two distinct types of teeth in its jaws. Fossil remains have been found in England. Mary Anning (1799 - 1847) was famous for her Dimorphodon (D. macronyx) discovery at Lyme Regis in Dorset, UK. This region of Britain is now a World Heritage Site, dubbed the Jurassic Coast.
The length of the Dimorphodon was 1 m (3.3 ft), with a 1.2 m (4 ft) wingspan. Fossilised track remains (ichnites) suggest that it was quadrupedal, when on the ground. Its teeth and jaws suggest it was, like most pterosaurs, a piscivore (fish eater). Most depictions display a puffin-like 'beak'.
Dimorphodon lived approximately 200 million to 180 million years ago.
See also
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