Rhamphorhynchus (pterosaur)

Rhamphorhynchus Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 150.8–148.5 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Cast of the first specimen found with wing membranes, Musée de sciences naturelles de Bruxelles
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	†Pterosauria
Family:	†Rhamphorhynchidae
Subfamily:	†Rhamphorhynchinae
Genus:	†Rhamphorhynchus Meyer, 1846
Type species
†Pterodactylus longicaudus Münster, 1839
Species
†Rhamphorhynchus muensteri (Goldfuss, 1831) †Rhamphorhynchus etchesi (O'Sullivan & Martill, 2015)
Synonyms
Genus synonymy Ornithopterus Meyer, 1838b Odontorhynchus Stolley, 1936 Pteromonodactylus Teryaev, 1967 Species synonymy Ornithocephalus muensteri Goldfuss, 1831 Pterodactylus longicaudus Münster, 1839 Pterodactylus lavateri Meyer, 1838a Pterodactylus gemmingi Meyer, 1846 Rhamphorhynchus suevicus O. Fraas, 1855 Pterodactylus hirundinaceus Wagner, 1857 Rhamphorhynchus curtimanus Wagner, 1858 Rhamphorhynchus longimanus Wagner, 1858 Rhamphorhynchus meyeri Owen, 1870 Rhamphorhynchus phyllurus Marsh, 1882 Rhamphorhynchus longiceps Woodward, 1902 Rhamphorhynchus kokeni F. Plieninger, 1907 Rhamphorhynchus megadactylus Koenigswald, 1931 Rhamphorhynchus carnegiei Koh, 1937

Rhamphorhynchus (/ˌræmfəˈrɪŋkəs, -foʊ-/, "beak snout") is a genus of long-tailed pterosaurs in the Jurassic period. Less specialized than contemporary, short-tailed pterodactyloid pterosaurs such as Pterodactylus, it had a long tail, stiffened with ligaments, which ended in a characteristic diamond-shaped vane. The jaws of Rhamphorhynchus housed needle-like teeth, which were angled forward, with a curved, sharp, beak-like tip lacking teeth, indicating a diet mainly of fish; indeed, fish and cephalopod remains are frequently found in Rhamphorhynchus stomachal contents, as well as coprolites.

Although fragmentary fossil remains possibly belonging to Rhamphorhynchus have been found in England, Tanzania, and Spain, the best preserved specimens come from the Solnhofen limestone of Bavaria, Germany. Many of these fossils preserve not only the bones but impressions of soft tissues, such as wing membranes. Scattered teeth believed to belong to Rhamphorhynchus have been found in Portugal as well.

The largest known specimen of Rhamphorhynchus muensteri (catalog number BMNH 37002) measures 1.26 meters (4.1 ft) long with a wingspan of 1.81 m (5.9 ft).