Thanatosdrakon

Thanatosdrakon
Time Period:	Upper Coniacian to Lower Santonian, 86 to 85 million years ago(Late Cretaceous)
Length:	7-9 meters(Wingspan)
Diet:	Presumably carnivorous
Area:	Mendoza, Argentina; Plottier Formation
Scientific classifiation:	Quetzalcoatlinae, Azhdarchidae, Pterosauria
Species:	T. amaru

Thanatosdrakon is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur from the late cretaceous Plottier formation in Argentina.

Description

Thanatosdrakon was a large animal, and had a wingspan of 7 to 9 meters. This would make Thanatosdrakon the one of the largest pterosaurs to come out of South America, only rivaled in size by the Ornithocheirid Tropeognathus.

Classification

Cladistic analysis recovered Thanatosdrakon to be nested deep within Azdarchidae, as a Quetzalcoatline. This makes Thanatosdrakon the oldest member of Quetzalcoatlinae discovered so far. The cladogram below shows Quetzalcoatlinae and the placement of Thanatosdrakon as described in the paper.

	Arambourgiania Mistralazhdarcho Aerotitan Hatzegopteryx Albadraco
	Cryodrakon Thanatosdrakon Quetzalcoatlus ssp.

Habitat & Paleoecology

Thanatosdrakon was found in the Plottier Formation in floodplain deposits of ephemeral meandering systems meaning that Thanatosdrakon amaru inhabited continental environments.

It would have coexisted with a wide array of dinosaurs; A titanosaurian(Described as Titanosaurus sp.), "Antarctosaurus" giganteus, an Indeterminate Carnosaurian, Muyelensaurus pechi, 3 Indeterminate Theropods, 4 Indeterminate Titanosaurians, an Indeterminate Tetanuran, an Indeterminate Carcharodontosaurid, an Indeterminate Coelurosaurian, an Indeterminate Unenlagiine, an Indeterminate Ornithopod, an Indeterminate Aeoleosaurin, Petrobrasaurus puestohernandezi, Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi, and an indeterminate Titanosaurian.

T. amaru would have also lived alongside other animals; An indeterminate Testudine, Linderochelys rinconensis, Indeterminate Chelid, a possible Indeterminate Chelid, Rionegrochelys caldieroi, an Indeterminate Crocodyliforme, and an Indeterminate Mesoeucrocodylian.