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Description
Alanqa saharica, so far only known from the Kem Kem beds but as a flying animal it's relatively save to assume that it was also present in Bahariya.
Especially in the light of recent discoveries.
Nizar Ibrahim and David Martill describe in an paper unusual structures on the jaws of this pterosaur so called "bony protuberances on the occlusal surface". A feature so far not known from Azharchids or any other pterosaur. The authors assume that Alanqa may have used these structures to crush the shells of crustaceans and clams. Such invertebrates are rare in the Kem Kem beds but Stromer once described large oyster banks- possible feeding grounds for this pterosaur. A modern day analogy could be the African openbill, a stork, specialized on clams and snails.
The animal shown here has a wingspan of 4 m but single bones indicate the presence of larger, maybe 6 m spanning specimens.
Edit: Now with an juvenile specimen, Alanqa is one of a few pterosaurs were we may have hints of the ontogentic growth series, the presumed juveniles have a much shorter beak and certainly preferred a different diet, something you can also observe in other pterosaurs (look at "Beasts of Antiquity" by Matt Martyniuk for some nice examples).
Especially in the light of recent discoveries.
Nizar Ibrahim and David Martill describe in an paper unusual structures on the jaws of this pterosaur so called "bony protuberances on the occlusal surface". A feature so far not known from Azharchids or any other pterosaur. The authors assume that Alanqa may have used these structures to crush the shells of crustaceans and clams. Such invertebrates are rare in the Kem Kem beds but Stromer once described large oyster banks- possible feeding grounds for this pterosaur. A modern day analogy could be the African openbill, a stork, specialized on clams and snails.
The animal shown here has a wingspan of 4 m but single bones indicate the presence of larger, maybe 6 m spanning specimens.
Edit: Now with an juvenile specimen, Alanqa is one of a few pterosaurs were we may have hints of the ontogentic growth series, the presumed juveniles have a much shorter beak and certainly preferred a different diet, something you can also observe in other pterosaurs (look at "Beasts of Antiquity" by Matt Martyniuk for some nice examples).
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Question: If there were any kind of ornithopod native to the Kem Kem Beds and the Bahariya Formartion, what would be our best bet as to what kind would it be, and how would it fit into the ecosystem? Sorry if this is too specific.