page_title: Ornithocheiridae
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Ornithocheiridae / Description
caption_attribution_description: Comparison between Ornithocheirus simus and Tropeognathus mesembrinus. A and C Ornithocheirus simus, holotype CAMSM B54428 (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum A anterior view C ventral view B and D Tropeognathus mesembrinus, holotype BSP 1987 I 46 (Aptian / Albian, Romualdo Formation), anterior part of the rostrum B anterior view D ventral view. Arrows and numbers mark the position of the first pair of alveoli. Scale bar = 10 mm.
context_page_description: Ornithocheiridae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea. These pterosaurs were among the last to possess teeth. Members that belong to this group lived from the Early to Late Cretaceous periods, around 140 to 96 million years ago.
  Ornithocheirids are generally infamous for having an enormously controversial and very confusing taxonomy. Although agreements that these animals were related, and therefore similar to istiodactylids and pteranodontians, there is still no virtual consensus over the exact content and interrelationships of this group. Ornithocheirids were the most successful pterosaurs during their reign, they were also the largest pterosaurs before the appearance of the azhdarchids such as Quetzalcoatlus. Ornithocheirids were excellent fish hunters, they used various flight techniques to catch their prey, and they are also capable of flying great distances without flapping constantly. The later existence of the crested pteranodontids made paleontologists think that ornithocheirids were their potential ancestors.
context_section_description: Among toothed pterodactyloids, ornithocheirids were the largest; they were also among the most successful and widely distributed pterosaurs. Ornithocheirids were characterized by long jaws that had spike-like teeth. Ornithocheirid wingspans varied in size, with smaller species having wigspans of approximately 4 meters (13 ft), while giant morphs reached wingspans of up to 8 meters (26 ft) or more. Specimen NHMUK R481, a specimen that belongs to the species Coloborhynchus capito, the largest toothed pterosaur, had wingspan that may have reached 7 meters (23 ft). However, in 2013, a specimen referred to the genus Tropeognathus (MN 6594-V) was calculated to have had a normal wingspan of 8.26 meters (27.1 ft), while a calculated maximum winspan reached 8.70 meters (28.5 ft), meaning that this specimen clearly shows that wingspans of toothed pterosaurs could exceed 7 meters (23 ft).
caption: Comparison between the holotypes of Ornithocheirus (A and C) and Tropeognathus (B and D)
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