Cearadactylus is a genus of the pterosaur order that lived in the Early Cretaceous Santana Formation of Brazil. Cearadactylus had a crestless skull that could reach a length of 57 centimeters.
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Novels
In Jurassic Park, Cearadactylus lived inside the Isla Nublar Aviary. They were territorial creatures, attacking maintenance crews that were working on the Pteratops Lodge; a second hotel where visitors could observe the pterosaurs at flight level. The dactyls would fold up their wings like bats and dive, striking workmen with such force, incapacitating them. Later in the novel, they were confused by the characters with Pterodactylus, but Alan Grant recognized them as Cearadactylus. According to Grant's description, they had membranous wings that they could fold up and walk with and clawed forearms for grasping fish. That was ultimately put into the Isla Sorna Aviary scene in Jurassic Park III.
Errors
- In the novel, the counting system counts six pterosaurs, although Dr. Wu specifically says that they have four pterosaurs.
Comics
Cearadactylus from Topps comics.(Image courtesy of Jurassic Park Legacy)
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