Ornithocheiroidea
| Ornithocheiroids Temporal range: Early - Late Cretaceous, 130–65 Ma Possible Middle Jurassic record | |
|---|---|
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| 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 | |
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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.
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"Wyomingopteryx"
The name "Wyomingopteryx" appears in a painting of Morrison prehistoric animals by Robert Bakker. However, this binomen is a nomen nudum, and it is possible that Bakker may have intended to coin "Wyomingopteryx" for the Istiodactylus-like specimen TATE 5999 because that specimen is found in Wyoming.[5][6]
References
- 1 2 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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Federico L. Agnolin and David Varricchio (2012). "Systematic reinterpretation of Piksi barbarulna Varricchio, 2002 from the Two Medicine Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Western USA (Montana) as a pterosaur rather than a bird" (PDF). Geodiversitas 34 (4): 883–894. doi:10.5252/g2012n4a10.
- ↑ Andres, B.; Myers, T. S. (2013). "Lone Star Pterosaurs". Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: 1. doi:10.1017/S1755691013000303.
- ↑ Bakker, R.T. (1994) Unearthing the Jurassic. In: Science Year 1995. World Book Inc.:Chicago, London, Sydney, Toronto, 76-89. ISBN 0-7166-0595-3.
- ↑ Bakker, R.T. (1998). "Dinosaur mid-life crisis: the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition in Wyoming and Colorado". In Lucas, Spencer G.; Kirkland, James I.; Estep, J.W. Lower and Middle Cretaceous Terrestrial Ecosystems 14. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. pp. 67–77.