Ornithocheiroidea
| Ornithocheiroidea | ||||||||||||
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Istiodactylus , living reconstruction |
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| Temporal occurrence | ||||||||||||
| Berriasian ( Lower Cretaceous ) to Maastrichtian ( Upper Cretaceous ) | ||||||||||||
| 145 to 66 million years | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ornithocheiroidea | ||||||||||||
| Young , 1964 |
The ornithocheiroidea are a group of medium-sized to very large short-tailed pterosaurs that occurred worldwide throughout the Cretaceous Period .
features
All known ornithocheiroidea reached wingspans over one meter, most of them measured from wing tip to wing tip three to four meters, the largest, Pteranodon , reached a wingspan of six to nine meters. Ornithocheiroidea seem more than all other pterosaurs and like today's albatrosses and frigate birds to have specialized in a life as a glider pilot. The shoulder blades were short and stocky compared to those of other pterosaurs. This meant that the wings did not start halfway up the body, but rather sat much higher, which increased stability during gliding. The hind legs were slim and weak. The animals probably spent little time on the ground.
Internal system
The ornithocheiroidea are divided into four families, the possibly scavenger Istiodactylidae and three ocean-dwelling fish-eating families, the first of which, the Ornithocheiridae , had strong fangs, while the Pteranodontidae and Nyctosauridae were completely toothless.
The family relationships are illustrated by the following cladogram :
| Ornithocheiroidea |
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swell
- David M. Unwin: The Pterosaurs. From deep time. PI Press, New York NY 2006, ISBN 0-13-146308-X .
