Avgodectes
Encyclopedia
Avgodectes is a controversial pterosaur
genus
. The full binomial is Avgodectes pseudembryon, which translates to "false-embryo egg-biter"; avgo is taken from modern Greek
for "egg". Named by David Peters in 2004 and based on a pterosaur found within an egg. While the scientists who initially described the fossil, Wang and Zhou, interpreted it as an unhatched embryo
of an ornithocheirid
pterosaur, Peters interpreted the find as a tiny, adult anurognathid. The specimen comes from the Early Cretaceous
of China
.
Peters gave the species its name because the skeleton was the same size as most adult anurognathids. He hypothesized that the supposed embryo could have been an adult anurognathid fossilized while eating the contents of a dinosaur
egg, large enough to contain it. This interpretation was not accepted by other pterosaur researchers; Chris Bennett, for example, pointed to evidence also noted by the original authors that the ends of long bones in the fossil were not completely ossified (turned to solid bone rather than cartilage) and had not yet developed a complex structure, which indicates the specimen was immature when it died. Bennett agreed with the original authors that the best interpretation of an immature pterosaur (more immature than any previously known) found inside an egg is that the specimen represents an embryo. Peters himself acknowledged his misinterpretation when other pterosaur eggs were described in 2005. This second Chinese egg is that of an undisputed ornithocheirid and it differs from the Avgodectes material.
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
. The full binomial is Avgodectes pseudembryon, which translates to "false-embryo egg-biter"; avgo is taken from modern Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
for "egg". Named by David Peters in 2004 and based on a pterosaur found within an egg. While the scientists who initially described the fossil, Wang and Zhou, interpreted it as an unhatched embryo
Embryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
of an ornithocheirid
Ornithocheiridae
Ornithocheiridae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea. They were among the last pterosaurs to possess teeth.-Classification:Listing of genera after Unwin , except where noted.* Family Ornithocheiridae** ?Aetodactylus...
pterosaur, Peters interpreted the find as a tiny, adult anurognathid. The specimen comes from the Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
Peters gave the species its name because the skeleton was the same size as most adult anurognathids. He hypothesized that the supposed embryo could have been an adult anurognathid fossilized while eating the contents of a dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
egg, large enough to contain it. This interpretation was not accepted by other pterosaur researchers; Chris Bennett, for example, pointed to evidence also noted by the original authors that the ends of long bones in the fossil were not completely ossified (turned to solid bone rather than cartilage) and had not yet developed a complex structure, which indicates the specimen was immature when it died. Bennett agreed with the original authors that the best interpretation of an immature pterosaur (more immature than any previously known) found inside an egg is that the specimen represents an embryo. Peters himself acknowledged his misinterpretation when other pterosaur eggs were described in 2005. This second Chinese egg is that of an undisputed ornithocheirid and it differs from the Avgodectes material.