Lombardy

Eudimorphodon ranzii

Partial pterosaur skeleton, holotype of the species

Description

Fossil remains of pterosaurs, the flying reptiles of the Mesozoic, are rare worldwide, which is why the discovery at Cene (Bergamo) of Eudimorphodon ranzii, in Upper Triassic (Norian) rocks dating back approximately 220 million years, constituted a fundamental milestone for Italian and international palaeontology.

At the time of its discovery, Eudimorphodon represented the oldest known flying reptile, enabling scholars to push back the appearance of pterosaurs and the onset of flight capability in vertebrates by around 20 million years. Even today, over fifty years after its discovery, it remains one of the oldest known and studied specimens.

The skeleton, belonging to an adult, is exceptionally well preserved and was found in anatomical connection. The quality of the find revealed essential details attesting to its flying capability: hollow, lightened bones, together with long phalanges in the forelimbs supporting the patagium (the wing membrane), bear witness to the effectiveness of Eudimorphodon as a flying reptile.

This pterosaur was one of 21 new species among reptiles, fish and crustaceans found at the Cene deposit: this great variety of specimens, and their perfect state of preservation, led first to the recognition of this palaeontological site as a Geosite of worldwide significance and, with a view to its enhancement, to it becoming Italy's firs "Palaeontological Park" .

Classification and size comparison

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Order: †Pterosauria

Family: †Eudimorphodontidae

 Subfamily: †Eudimorphodontinae

Genus: †Eudimorphodon

Species: †Eudimorphodon ranzii
Zambelli, 1973

Modified from “Eudimorphodon NT small.jpg” evidence for the reconstruction of Nobu Tamura, Wikimedia Commons, licenziata CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).

  • ERA: Mesozoic
  • PERIOD: Triassic
  • EPOCH: Upper Triassic
  • ETÀ: Norico (227-208.5 Ma)
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The second of the three ages that make up the Upper Triassic, it takes its name from the Austrian Noric Alps and is characterized by marine carbonate platform formations that make up a large part of the Dolomites.

Cava Ratta, Cene (BG)

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Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "E. Caffi" di Bergamo

Catalogue number:
MCSNB2888

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Gallery

Dr. Annalisa Aiello introduces the Eudimorphodon specimen and briefly discusses its importance.

Video by Paolo Magliocco.

Reconstruction of the skull of EudimorphodonThe predatory dentition, comprising 114 conical teeth ending in one or more points arranged outward as if forming a cage, together with the discovery of fossil remains of its last meal (a coprolite) containing scales, points towards a piscivorous diet.

Diorama from the "E. Caffi" Civic Museum in Bergamo reconstructing the palaeoenvironment of the Late Triassic in Lombardy, 220 million years ago.

Detail of the reconstruction of Eudimorphodon as represented in the diorama of the Bergamo Museum.

Paleoart corner

3D reconstruction by Fabio Manucci.

Strange birds - Simone Zoccante
The World through a porthole - Andrea Balducci
Triassic sunset - Alessio Ciaffi

Bibliography:

  • Dalla Vecchia F.M. (2004). A review of the Triassic pterosaur record. Rivista Museo Civico di
    Scienze Naturali E. Caffi di Bergamo, 22: 12-29.
  • Dalla Vecchia F.M. (2013). Triassic pterosaurs. In Nesbitt S.J., Desojo J.B. & Irmis R.B. (eds),
    Anatomy, phylogeny and paleobiology of early archosaurs and their kin. Geological Society of
    London Special Publication, 347: 119-155.
  • Dalla Vecchia F.M. (2014). Gli Pterosauri triassici. 319 pp. Museo Friulano di Scienze Naturali,
    Udine.
  • Pinna G. (1993). The Norian reptiles of Northern Italy. Paleontologia Lombarda, 2: 115-124.
  • Renesto S. (1993). An isolated sternum of Eudimorphodon (Reptilia, Pterosauria) from the Norian
    of Bergamo Prealps (Lombardy, Northern Italy). Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia,
    99: 415-422.
  • Unwin D.M. (2004). Eudimorphodon and the early history of pterosaurs. Rivista del Museo Civico
    di Scienze Naturali E. Caffi di Bergamo, 22: 39-46.
  • Wild R. (1978). Die Flugsaurier (Reptilia, Pterosauria) aus der Oberen Trias von Cene bei
    Bergamo, Italien. Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana, 17: 176-256.
  • Zambelli R. (1973). Eudimorphodon ranzii gen. nov. sp. nov., nuovo pterosauro triassico.
    Rendiconti dell’Istituto Lombardo di Scienze e Lettere, Classe B, 107: 27-32.

Credits and acknowledgments

Thanks to Dr Annalisa Aiello of the "Enrico Caffi" Civic Museum of Natural Sciences in Bergamo for sharing the multimedia material used on this page.

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