Barbaridactylus (Barbary Finger) is a genus of nyctosaurid pterosaur that lived in the Ouled Abdoun Basin in Morocco, North Africa (within the region known as the Barbary Coast), 66 million years ago, during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period.
Barbaridactylus is a large nyctosaurid pteranodontian, said to have a wingspan of 5.2 meters (17 feet).[3] As with other nyctosaurids, Barbaridactylus no proper fingers aside from the elongated ones that support its wings. Because of their lack of functional fingers, it is believed that nyctosaurids spent almost all their time in the air, and, in the rare times when they stayed on the ground, walked on the joints of their wings where their hands would normally be.
It is assumed that, as is theorized for other pteranodontids, Barbaridactylus was sexually dimorphic, with the males possessing large head crests. While the skull of Barbaridactylus is only known from a partial mandible (with every other fossil of the pterosaur consisting of the femur, radius, ulna, scapulocoracoid, and humerus), Prehistoric Planet depicts the males with a large, pronged, antler-like crest based on the distinct, pronged crest of its smaller relative, Nyctosaurus. The only difference is that this speculative crest of Barbaridactylus is Y-shaped like a slingshot, with the prongs close together, as opposed to the wider L-shaped antler of Nyctosaurus, which has its prongs spread out in an almost 90-degree angle. Prehistoric Planet also depicts a second variation of polymorphism in the pterosaur. While some males have large, prominent crests, others rely on female mimicry to avoid getting into direct conflict with the standard males, preferring to compete against them through trickery instead.
Prehistoric Planet depicts Barbaridactylus with a pycnofiber coat that is dark gray and brown, with some white and light gray areas by the face and on the underside. Some males have a very small patch of white and light gray on their backs as well, while the backs of females are almost covered with this white and light gray colors. Both sexes have a reddish-orange beak, but the small crests and the tips of the beaks are vibrant yellow in females, while the beaks and crests of males appear to be a more striking shade of red, with less emphasis on the orange shades.
Barbaridactylus first appears in the second segment of Coasts, serving as one of the predatory threats to newly-hatched Alcione hatchlings along with Phosphatodraco. They are also the focus of the fifth segment of Deserts, involving a colony of them on a plateau, with males attempting to mate with females, either by fighting to defend their spots, or by pretending to be females themselves. Barbaridactylus also appears in the Prehistoric Planet: Uncovered segment "Flamboyant Flyers", which discusses the elaborate head crests of various pterosaurs, and footage of it is used in two other Uncovered segments, namely, "Could Giant Pterosaurs Really Hunt on the Ground?" and "What Else Lived Alongside The Dinosaurs?"
“ It's especially rich here in the North Atlantic, where huge shoals of fish come close to the shore. One kind of animal thrives in such places and forms immense colonies. Flying reptiles, pterosaurs. Here, on the beaches of North Africa, there are seven different species of them. They come here to feed, to rest, and to raise their young. ”
It was once believed that pterosaurs declined in diversity towards the end of the Cretaceous. But on the shores of what would one day become the Ouled Abdoun Phosphatic Basin, west of the Atlas Mountains, seven different species of pterosaurs (among them Barbaridactylus, Tethydraco, Phosphatodraco, and Alcione) showed that, up to the end, the pterosaurs were successful and diverse, only to be abruptly rendered extinct by the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event, which wiped out three-quarters of life on Earth 66 million years ago.
“ Over millions of years, water has carved some deserts into spectacular landscapes, as here, in North Africa, these canyon lands offer some desert visitors special opportunities. ”
While present on the coast, where they can feed on fish and the occasional juvenile pterosaurs, Barbaridactylus is also shown visiting plateaus in the desert, for they serve as a large, convenient roost out of reach of land predators.
“ With a 17-foot wingspan, Barbaridactylus, a type of pterosaur, can exploit the thermals with effortless skill, and so cover great distances, despite the fact that some have enormous head crests. Every year, males and females gather at these special places in the sky, in their thousands. ”
As with all pterosaurs, Barbaridactylus took off from the ground by means distinct from those of birds. To fly, birds jump off with their two legs, and some even need to run in order to take off. Pterosaurs, on the other hand, relied on the "quadrupedal launch" technique, as suggested by Dr. Mark Witton and Dr. Michael Habib, two of the experts who worked on Prehistoric Planet. With their muscular forelimbs and pectoral muscles, they are able to catapult their lightweight bodies into the air and achieve lift. Due to their more energy-efficient means of taking flight, the pterosaurs were not restricted to the same body size and form limitations as birds, allowing them to achieve massive body sizes, with their flight muscles being 50 kilograms (110 pounds), making up 20 - 25% of the total body mass of the largest azhdarchids.[4][5][6] One common misconception is that the different atmospheric conditions of the Mesozoic Era allowed pterosaurs to stay aloft better, though Dr. Darren Naish, Prehistoric Planet's lead consultant, clarified that pterosaurs only relied on their own power to achieve lift, and would be able to fly just fine even in environments like those of the modern day.[7]
Hunting Tactics and Feeding Preferences[]
“ Barbaridactylus. Powerful predatory pterosaurs that normally catch fish, but the hatchlings are too good to miss. ”
As a pteranodontian and a coast-dwelling creature, Barbaridactylus likely specialized in fishing. However, like most predators, it is an opportunistic hunter, taking the opportunity to go after the plentiful, defenseless Alcione hatchlings as they flew over the ocean to reach the forest. They are also shown preferring high places like canyons to safely do their various activities far from the reach of predators. When it comes to mating, some show off and attract females with sheer domination, great, impressive displays, and brute force (though sometimes, this only ends up calling the attention of other males, usually leading to hostile encounters), while certain males prefer to keep a low profile and sneak around mating with other females while pretending to also be females, and so be able to avoid getting into dangerous confrontations. Despite their territorial nature, Barbaridactylus is not averse to mingling with other pterosaurs, as some could be seen along with some Alcione in a Tethydraco colony on the beaches of North Africa.
Mating and Agonistic Behavior[]
“ Large males select an area in which to perform their displays, whilst eager young bachelors circle overhead. Territory holders warn off any challengers, a message that sometimes needs to be violently reinforced. ”
As is the case for many animals, male pterosaurs are depicted as being aggressive and territorial, especially during the mating season, when males of certain species may be more willing to kill their enemies and risk their own lives in the process just to assert their dominance,[8][9][10][11] something Prehistoric Planet earlier demonstrated in the first segment of Deserts. Males strive to mate with females with the least amount of opposition possible, and this can be better secured the more territory one has, which not only proves the strength of the male, but also allows him to attract and mate with females in a wide space unopposed. For this reason, some males would attempt to defend and expand their own territories while decreasing the land held by their rivals, which can lead to violent altercations. Upon being challenged, one male Barbaridactylus proves his power by pursuing his rival around a plateau before fatally knocking him down to the ground far below.
“ But you don't necessarily have to be heavyweight to succeed. There are some males that don't develop the huge head crest. They are sneaky males that look like females, and so can try to remain unnoticed. It's a dangerous game to play, because the large males are regularly on patrol, and they perform their displays. ”
In order to avoid getting directly involved in such fights, some male animals mimic females (either via temporary changes or permanent, default forms), preferring to trick their rivals instead by hiding in plain sight and mating with the females while the more dominant males are still unaware of the deception taking place. When spotted and mistaken for actual females, some individuals would even reciprocate the courting gestures of the dominant males or even engage in intercourse with them just to maintain the façade (and, at times, the dominant males would still carry this out even when they are aware of the deceiver's true sex), though, in the case of Barbaridactylus, sneaky males would not go that far, and would simply reject the advances of the dominant males.
“ Large males might seem more attractive, but the females, it seems, ensure producing the fittest young by mating with as many partners as they can, whether they're impressively adorned, or just sneaky. ”
In some species, females may ignore or even attack female mimics due to perceived weakness, as these sneaky males may not be able to properly defend territory, and may be seen as unlikely to provide offspring with stronger, more desirable genes. While female Barbaridactylus can prove to be selective, Prehistoric Planet shows that they can also choose to simply mate with any male that they come across, aiming for high offspring quantity in the hopes that some of them will be of decent or high quality.
