David M. Martill, , Nizar Ibrahim & Samir Bouaziz (2018)
A giant pterosaur in the Early Cretaceous (Albian) of Tunisia.
Journal of African Earth Sciences (advance online publication)
Research highlights
A large tooth is referred to the pterodactyloid pterosaur clade Ornithocheiridae.
The tooth indicates giant pterosaurs present in Tunisia in the Early Cretaceous
The wingspan is estimated at 6 m or more
Abstract
A large, slender, recurved tooth with crenulated ornamentation and arcuate enamel border from the Oum ed Diab Member of the AÃn el Guettar Formation (Early Cretaceous, Albian) of southern Tunisia is assigned to the Ornithocheiroidea (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea). It is most similar to the teeth of Coloborhynchus Owen, 1874 and Ludodactylus Frey et al., 2003, both members of the Ornithocheiridae. Although not the first dental record of pterosaurs in Tunisia, the specimen is notable for its size, and with a base of 16 mm diameter and calculated minimum crown height of 78 mm may represent an animal with a wingspan of six metres or more.
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