Ornithocheiroidea

Ornithocheiroidea

Unikonta

Ornithocheiroids
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic - Late Cretaceous, 160–75 Ma
Artist's restoration of Ornithocheirus mesembrinus
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: †Pterosauria
clade: †Monofenestrata
Suborder: †Pterodactyloidea
Superfamily: †Ornithocheiroidea
Seeley, 1870
Type species
Pterodactylus simus
Owen, 1861
Subgroups

Ornithocheiroidea is an extinct group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.

Contents

Locomotion

Ornithocheiroids, like other pterosaurs, are considered to have been skilled fliers as well as adept at moving on the ground. Evidence from footprints shows that most pterosaurs did not sprawl their limbs to a large degree, as in modern reptiles, but rather held the limbs relatively erect when walking, like dinosaurs. While no ornithocheiroid footprints are known, it is likely that they also walked erect.[1] Among pterosaurs, ornithocheiroids had unusually uneven limb proportions, with the forelimbs much longer than the hind limbs. This would likely have required them to use unique modes of locomotion when on the ground compared to other pterosaurs. It is possible that ornithocheiroids ran (but not walked) bipedally, or that they used a hopping gait.[1] Pterosaur researcher Mike Habib has noted that the limbs proportions of ornithocheiroids like Anhanguera are consistent with hopping.[2]

Classification

Listing of families after Unwin (2006), except where noted.

Phylogeny

Cladogram after Unwin (2003).[4]

 Ornithocheiroidea 

Istiodactylus

 Euornithocheira 

Ornithocheiridae

 Pteranodontia 

Pteranodontidae


Nyctosaurus




References

  1. ^ a b Witton, M.P. and Habib, M.B. (2010). "On the Size and Flight Diversity of Giant Pterosaurs, the Use of Birds as Pterosaur Analogues and Comments on Pterosaur Flightlessness." PLoS ONE, 5(11): e13982. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013982
  2. ^ Habib, M. (2011). "Dinosaur Revolution: Anhanguera." H2VP: Paleobiomechanics. Weblog entry, 20-SEP-2011. Accessed 28-SEP-2011: http://h2vp.blogspot.com/2011/09/dinosaur-revolution-anhanguera.html
  3. ^ Lü, J.; Ji, S.; Yuan, C.; and Ji, Q. (2006) (in Chinese). Pterosaurs from China. Beijing: Geological Publishing House. p. 147 p.. 
  4. ^ Unwin, D. M., (2003). "On the phylogeny and evolutionary history of pterosaurs." Pp. 139-190. in Buffetaut, E. & Mazin, J.-M., (eds.) (2003). Evolution and Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs. Geological Society of London, Special Publications 217, London, 1-347.
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