Coloborhynchus- The Partial Jaw Flying Reptile
Sir Richard Owen named a small fragment of an ornithocheirid pterosaur discovered in the Lower Cretaceous Hastings Beds of southern England Coloborhynchus clavirostrus in 1874. The genus name means “truncated snout,” referring to the specimen’s flattened front end.
One of the reasons why Coloborhynchus teeth are for sale is its distinct definition of its oral sockets. Coloborhynchus has six pairs of empty tooth sockets, indicative of the fact that it had a distinctive dentition and a partial upper jaw. The front two teeth of the reptile are slightly on the upper side compared to other teeth. The following two pairs of teeth, on the sides, are directed downwards. This distinct creation was probably so that the piscivore could easily catch and collect fishes for survival.
Easily confused for a dinosaur, the Coloborhynchus does not even belong to the same family and can, in fact, fly too! Nonetheless, even experts have had difficulty establishing the Coloborhynchus’ phylogenetic position due to the only described specimen’s incomplete existence. Several have discovered it to be an Ornithocheirine Ornithocheirid, closely related to the Uktenadactylus and Siroccopteryx, as well as the Ornithocheirus and Tropeognathus. Ornithocheirids, basically, were aerial fishermen who used their long, narrow wings to catch prey. Hence, the comparison. Due to a unique set of features and a varied school of thought regarding the reptile, Coloborhynchus is widely regarded as one of the most renowned species of ancient times. It is this fame and demand, probably, that has made the Coloborhynchus teeth available for sale to many.
Further, the Coloborhynchus’ skull was said to be about 30-35 cm (12-14 inches) long. As compared to other Ornithocheirids (5 feet), its wingspan was about 1.5 meters. In terms of prey, Southern England became a vast subtropical plain crossed by several wide braided rivers when the Hastings Beds were deposited between 135-140 million years ago, making it a perfect fishing ground for the Coloborhynchus.
If you read more about the Coloborhynchus, you’ll get to know of the confusion and chaos regarding its classification and specification. As a matter of fact, after Owen’s naming, Reginald Walter in 1913 stated that the genus could not be differentiated from that erected in 1874 in Criorhynchus Simus. He had, in fact, also ignored the reassignment of two former species of the Ornithocheirus. However, in 1967 it was agreed that Coloborhynchus Clavirostris was a synonym for the Criorhynchus Simus.
The most recent classification dates to 2013 when Kellner and Rodrigues stated that the Coloborhynchus is a monotypic consisting only of the C. Clavirostris. They even placed other species (that were being compared to the Coloborhynchus) in different groups and subdivisions, classifying them as ‘nomina dubia’ (meaning: doubtful names). You can quickly check online and buy Coloborhynchus teeth available for sale at an affordable price.
Author’s Bio: The author is a blogger. This article is about the history and features of the Coloborhynchus.
