Guidraco is an anhanguerid pterosaurian reptile from the Early Cretaceous of China. It was named in 2012 by Wang Xiaolin. It is a very enigmatic pterosaur, and despite being like any other Early Cretaceous pterosaur, stands out due to its massive front teeth.
Physiology[]
Guidraco resembled the generic Early Cretaceous pteranodontoid, a large pterosaur with 4 legs (2 of which served as wings), 4 fingers on each hand (one of which was elongated and supported the wing membrane), a small body, a small crest, a short tail, and a long, toothy beak. However, it had one major difference; near the front of its teeth, it had massive teeth which were way bigger than the teeth that protruded from the sides of its beak. Most of its body (excluding its beak, crest, and wings) would have been covered in a fur-like covering called pycnofibers.
Diet[]
Guidraco was a predator, preying on small fish. Its front teeth were larger than the rest of its teeth, and were used to grab onto struggling prey (with an even lower chance of its meal escaping).
Ecology[]
Like that of a few other pterosaurs, Guidraco's feeding strategy was landing on the surface of the water and foraging for fish, similar to a modern day seagull. While it was feeding, its teeth would have functioned similarly to a trawling net, catching any fish swim into its jaws and presenting an extremely low chance of escaping. As well as this, while it lacked the keel-like beak crests present in anhanguerids such as Tropeognathus, it had a small crest on its head. This head crest was used for display, as well as for recognition by members of its species; the latter function would have been useful, as many pterosaurs were present during the days of the Early Cretaceous.