Rhamphorhynchus: The long-tailed Jurassic flying reptile

Rhamphorhynchus is a fascinating pterosaur: unlike many toothless pterosaurs, it kept a long tail, ending in a little sail-like vane. It lived during the Late Jurassic and was a flying reptile — not a dinosaur and not a bird.

Its body

Its front limbs were long, carrying membranous wings. The mouth held a row of forward-pointing teeth well suited to catching fish. Its most unusual feature is the long tail, tipped with a soft-tissue vane shaped a bit like a diamond or a kite. The vane probably helped steer in flight, while the tail itself acted like a long rudder.

It was smaller than most adults: a wingspan of roughly one to two metres, making it a small-to-medium-sized early pterosaur. Its four clawed limbs would have let it climb trees or rocks, and it may have rested near the water.

Where it lived and what it ate

The pointed, toothed beak was good for scooping small fish from the water. Fish remains in a fossil's stomach show that fish were part of its diet, and one fossil records what may have been an unsuccessful attack on a cephalopod. It probably flew low over the water like some water birds do, snapping up food.

Where its fossils were found

Most Rhamphorhynchus specimens come from Europe, especially southern Germany. The fine Jurassic limestones there preserve remarkable detail — even the wing membranes, the soft tail vane and stomach contents. That lets researchers reconstruct its appearance unusually well.

What the fossils tell us — and what they do not

Because preservation is so fine, scientists have a rare and clear picture of its wing outline and tail shape. Even so, its body colour, the exact edge of the wing membrane and how it took off and landed are reconstructions. The tail vane even changed with age, and its colour is not something the fossil directly gives us.

A note for grown-ups

You could look at the tail with a child and ask: "What do you think the little tail vane is for?" Connecting a feature to flight control is a great way to understand animal anatomy.