Tapejara is a tapejarid pterosaurian reptile from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil. It was named in 1989 by Alexander Kellner. It was one of the most unique pterosaurs, as it was very different from others that lived alongside it.
Physiology[]
Tupandactylus was a pterosaur with with 4 legs (2 of which served as wings), 3 regular fingers on each hand (joined by an elongated 4th finger which supports the wing membrane), a small body, a short tail, and a short, toothless beak. Perhaps the most defining trait of Tapejara was the large, rounded crest atop its head; as well as this, it had larger claws than most other pterosaurs did. Most of its body (excluding its beak, crest, and wings) would have been covered in a fur-like covering called pycnofibers.
Diet[]
Tapejara was an omnivore, feeding mainly on fruits and seeds, but also sometimes snacking on small arthropods, lizards and amphibians. Its blunt and thickly-built beak was similar to that of a parrot, and so, it is presumed that it ate in a similar manner to the modern bird, using its beak to crush food.
Ecology[]
Tapejara had a large, semi-circular crest atop its head which was likely used for display, with exact functions unknown; while its crest wasn't as large as that of the earlier Tupandactylus, it still would have likely been large and colorful enough to gather attention onto itself (and also would have been relatively standard for its kind, as other tapejarids had crests similar in size and shape). As well as this, similarly to many other pterosaurs, Tapejara was once thought to be a coastal piscivore, soaring near the shoreline and catching fish from the water; however, due to how its beak was shaped, it is more likely that it fed on seeds from early flowering plants, and it is not impossible that it would have preyed small animals from time to time. In fact, remains of a juvenile Tapejara show that it had larger claws than many other pterosaurs did, indicating that it spent more time on the ground than the anhanguerids it shared its habitat with; it may have used its claws for climbing up steep slopes, as its habitat was a coastal rift valley consisting of various wetlands. A comparison of its sclerotic rings to those of modern reptiles and birds indicates that it was cathemeral.
In popular culture[]
Tapejara was featured in the 4th episode of the 1999 documentary Walking with Dinosaurs, where it is portrayed with the skull of Tupandactylus navigans; this was understandable at the time, as T.navigans was once a species of Tapejara before becoming a species of Tupandactylus (however, this error could potentially become a bit more jarring, as it is possible that T.navigans may very well be its own genus). In the episode itself, a flock of the pterosaurs fly around the coastal cliffs and engage in mating rituals during the breeding season, right before a (considerably oversized) Tropeognathus (referred to as an "Ornithocheirus") flies nearby.