Rhamphorhynchids
Sordes Pilosus
First described in 1971 by Aleksandr Grigorevich Sharov, Sordes Pilosus was a small species of pterosaur with a wingspan of roughly 2 feet, and somewhat small skull (roughly 3 inches long) with pointed jaws that sat on a relatively short neck. Sordes possesed a long tail which ended in a tail vane (flange design as it is often called) that accounted for over half it's total body length. It had somewhat shorter wings than many other species, howver they were far from short and stubby. It is considered to have had membrane running down to it's legs and to also have had a membrane between it's legs. The purpose of this extra membrane is unknown, however it might have been used to help it slow down more quickly in it's habitat.
The name Sordes means "filth" or "scum" depending on the translation. It is an allusion to native folklore of Kazakhstan about evil spirits. The species name Pilosus means "hairy" and references the claimed hair-like fibers found on several specimens. Type specimen is a relatively complete, albeit crushed skeleton, which includes soft tissue parts and hair-like structures preserved on the specimen. It is unknown what these fibrous structures truly were or what purpose they served. They may have simply been remains of collagen such as those found in Theropod dinosaurs and other animals, or they may have genuinely been hair-like structures on some types of pterosaurs. We need more in depth analysis of specimens to truly answer such puzzling questions.
It is unknown what Sordes ate, but it is heavily assumed that it ate small animals. However, we simply don't know, it may well have been omnivorous, or frugivorous. Regardless of what little we know about Sordes, we can clearly see that is is part of God's amazing creation that we ahve lived alongside since the beginning. It would be wonderful to discover a population still living somewhere, as we have done with a number of other "prehistoric" creatures.
Scaphognathus
Rhamphorhynchus
Sericipterus
Harpactognathus