Description

Pterosaur beak – Alanqa saharica Ibrahim et al. 2010

Cretaceous

Ifezouane Formation

El Begaa, Taouz, Morocco.

88mm Azhdarchid pterosaur beak.

Pterosaur.

Alanqa is a genus of pterosaur known only from the Middle Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Morocco.  It was described from jaw pieces and a possible fragment of the postcranial skeleton.  The blessing and the curse of the Kem Kem Beds are that they yield a lot of interesting teeth and bones but little in the way of articulated remains.

Azhdarchid pterosaurs appeared during the Early Cretaceous but are better known from the Late Cretaceous right up to the end of the period.  They included the largest of all known flying animals like Quetzalcoatllus along with turkey-sized forms.