Named By: | Darren Naish, Gareth Dyke, Andrea Cau, Francois Escuillie & Pascal Godefroit in 2012 |
Time Period: | Late Cretaceous, 84 Ma |
Location: | Kazakhstan - Bostobynskaya Formation |
Size: | Unknown due to lack of remains |
Diet: | Uncertain |
Fossil(s): | Lower jaw |
Classification: | | Chordata | Reptilia | Pterosauria | Pterodactyloidea | |
Samrukia is a genus of large Cretaceous pterosaurs known only from a single lower jaw discovered in Kazakhstan. The holotype and only known specimen was collected from the Santonian-Campanian age Bostobynskaya Formation in Kyzylorda District. It was described by Darren Naish, Gareth Dyke, Andrea Cau, Francois Escuillie, and Pascal Godefroit in 2012, and the type species is named Samrukia nessovi. The species is named after Lev Nessov, a paleontologist, and the genus is named after Samruk, a magical bird of Kazakh folklore.