October unleashed. Gwawinapterus

   Gwawinapterus was found inside a rock with some of the bones and teeth on the surface. To get a better idea as to what was inside it, the rock was cut in half. The skull of Gwawinapterus was found to be similar to that of Istiodactylus. The teeth are closely packed and triangular but laterally compressed with a visible curvature on the front, although the whole tooth is straight. These teeth suggest that Gwawinapterus had a piscivorous lifestyle, as has been suggested for other pterosaurs of its group. Also it seems that Gwawinapterus was actually one of the last 'toothed' pterosaurs from a time when other toothless pterosaurs such as Pteranodon seem to have been dominant.
       Gwawinapterus got its name from the Kwak'wala word Gwa'wina which means 'raven', which in turn was inspired by the hamatsa masks of the Kwakwaka'wakw. The species name is in honour of Graham Beard, who brought the find to the attention of Currie.