Dimorphodon

[Barry the Baryonyx]

Dimorphodon

_{(c) Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County}

Dimorphodon (dy-MORF-oh-don) ("Two-form Teeth") was a genus of medium-sized pterosaur from the Early Jurassic Period. It was 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 - which is comparatively rare among reptiles. 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. Dimorphodon was approximately 1 m (3.3 ft) long, with a 1.2 m (4 ft) wingspan.

It has been argued that Dimorphodon was a biped, though fossilised track remains of other pterosaurs (ichnites) show a quadrupedal gait while 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.

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