Ornithocheiroidea

Ornithocheiroids Temporal range: Early - Late Cretaceous, 130–65Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Possible Middle Jurassic record
Skeletal cast of a Coloborhynchus spielbergi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Order:	†Pterosauria
Clade:	†Caelidracones
Suborder:	†Pterodactyloidea
Infraorder:	†Eupterodactyloidea
Clade:	†Ornithocheiroidea Seeley, 1870
Subgroups
†Azhdarchoidea †Pteranodontia †Alamodactylus †Nyctosauridae †Pteranodontoidea

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

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]

Ornithocheiroids were among the last of the world's pterosaur faunas. The species Piksi barbarulna and a few potential pteranodonts and nyctosaurs have all been found dating from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian ages of the Late Cretaceous period.^[3]

Classification

Below is a cladogram showing the results of a phylogenetic analysis presented by Andres & Myers, 2013.^[4] For alternate cladograms, see List of pterosaur classifications.

References