Pteranodon longiceps
Oil on canvas, 38 X 46 cm.
A pterosaur from the Cretaceous. The known fossil specimens fall into two different groups – some larger, with a long crest on the head and a rather narrow pelvis and some smaller, with only a small crest but a wider pelvis. They could be two different species, but a likely explanation is that they represent one species that shows sexual dimorphism, the smaller ones with the wider pelvis being the females. This painting shows a male who has seen a really hot lady Pteranodon and now makes a graceful turn to hit on her.
One question that generates heated arguments among palaeontologists is where the wing membranes of a pterosaur is attached. In my reconstruction I have looked at the Vienna specimen (NHMW 1975/1756) of another species, Pterodactylus antiquus, where the membrane appears to be attached to the thigh. Bear in mind that “appears to” doesn’t mean that it was beyond any doubt the case – this is basically a guess, although I try to make it at least somehow educated …
