During the Cretaceous period, as in modern times, South America was home to more than its share of large, colorful flying creatures. Tupuxuara is a good example: this large pterosaur had a flat, rounded crest on its head that was richly laced with blood vessels, a hint that the crest may have changed color seasonally to signal to the opposite sex. Confusingly, Tupuxuara is similar to another brightly colored pterosaur of Cretaceous South America, Tapejara. In fact, it was once believed that Tupuxuara was a species of Tapejara, but now paleontologists think Tupuxuara may have been more closely related to giant pterosaurs like Quetzalcoatlus.
Read more about pterosaurs like Tupuxuara: Pterosaurs - The Flying Reptiles
Illustration of Tupuxuara: Dmitri Bogdanov
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