Sinopterus dongi was a tapejarid pterosaur that lived during the early Cretaceous, around 120 million years ago, in a temperate forest in what is now northeastern China.
It’s known from multiple specimens representing different life stages, with the largest fully mature individuals reaching a wingspan of about 1.9m (6’2″). Like other tapejarids it had a toothless parrot-like beak, and a low bony crest on its skull may have supported a larger soft-tissue structure.
A specimen with gut contents has been found showing evidence of plant matter and gastroliths, suggesting that Sinopterus was primarily herbivorous.
References:
- Jiang, Shunxing, et al. “First occurrence of phytoliths in pterosaurs—evidence for herbivory.” Science Bulletin (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2025.06.040
- Pêgas, Rodrigo V., et al. “A taxonomic revision of the Sinopterus complex (Pterosauria, Tapejaridae) from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota, with the new genus Huaxiadraco.” PeerJ 11 (2023): e14829. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14829
- Wang, Xiaolin, and Zhonghe Zhou. “A new pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea, Tapejaridae) from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of western Liaoning, China and its implications for biostratigraphy.” Chinese Science Bulletin 48.1 (2003): 16-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03183326
- Wikipedia contributors. “Sinopterus” Wikipedia, 10 Jul. 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinopterus