Dsungaripterus is a genus of dsungaripterid pterosaur which lived during the Early Cretaceous in what is now China and possibly South Korea. Its fossils come from the Wuerho Pterosaur Fauna group (WPF) of the Tugulu Group, comprising sections of the of the Junggar Basin. Both formations have seen various age estimates, with data suggest at least some of the WPF dates to the middle Valanginian, but the upper and lower bounds of these pterosaur bearing deposits remains unclear.
Pterodactylus is a genus of extinct pterosaurs. It is thought to contain only a single species, Pterodactylus antiquus, which was the first pterosaur to be named and identified as a flying reptile and one of the first prehistoric reptiles to ever be discovered.
Pteranodon is a genus of pterosaur that included some of the largest known flying reptiles, with P. longiceps having a wingspan of over 6 m (20 ft). They lived during the late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present-day Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota and Alabama. More fossil specimens of Pteranodon have been found than any other pterosaur, with about 1,200 specimens known to science, many of them well preserved with nearly complete skulls and articulated skeletons. It was an important part of the animal community in the Western Interior Seaway.
Quetzalcoatlus is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous in North America. The type specimen, recovered in 1971 from the Javelina Formation of Texas, United States, consists of several wing fragments and was described as Quetzalcoatlus northropi in 1975 by Douglas Lawson. The first part of the name refers to the Aztec serpent god of the sky, Quetzalcōātl, while the second part honors Jack Northrop, designer of a tailless fixed-wing aircraft. The remains of a second species were found between 1972 and 1974, also by Lawson, around 40 km (25 mi) from the Q. northropi locality. In 2021, these remains were assigned the name Quetzalcoatlus lawsoni by Brian Andres and (posthumously) Wann Langston Jr, as part of a monograph on the genus.
Dimorphodon was a genus of medium-sized pterosaur from Europe during the early Jurassic Period. It was named by paleontologist Richard Owen in 1859. Dimorphodon means "two-form tooth", derived from the Greek di- (δι-) meaning 'two', morphḗ (μορφή) meaning 'shape' and odṓn (ὀδών) meaning 'tooth', referring to the fact that it had two distinct types of teeth in its jaws – which is comparatively rare among reptiles. The diet of Dimorphodon has been questioned among researchers, with earlier interpretations depicting it as an insectivore or a piscivore. Recent studies have suggested that Dimorphodon likely hunted small vertebrates, though it still would have consumed soft invertebrates like insects.
Azhdarchidae is a family of pterosaurs known primarily from the Late Cretaceous Period, though an isolated vertebra apparently from an azhdarchid is known from the Early Cretaceous as well. Azhdarchids are mainly known for including some of the largest flying animals discovered, but smaller cat-size members have also been found. Originally considered a sub-family of Pteranodontidae, Nesov (1984) named the Azhdarchinae to include the pterosaurs Azhdarcho, Quetzalcoatlus, and Titanopteryx. They were among the last known surviving members of the pterosaurs, and were a rather successful group with a worldwide distribution. Previously it was thought that by the end of the Cretaceous, most pterosaur families except for the Azhdarchidae disappeared from the fossil record, but recent studies indicate a wealth of pterosaurian fauna, including pteranodontids, nyctosaurids, tapejarids and several indeterminate forms.
Anurognathidae is a family of small, short-tailed pterosaurs that lived in Europe, Asia, and possibly North America during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Five genera are known: Anurognathus, from the Late Jurassic of Germany; Jeholopterus, from the Middle to Late Jurassic of China; Dendrorhynchoides, from the Middle Jurassic of China; Batrachognathus, from the Late Jurassic of Kazakhstan; and Vesperopterylus, from the Early Cretaceous of China. Bennett (2007) suggested that the holotype of Mesadactylus, BYU 2024, a synsacrum, belonged to an anurognathid, though this affinity has been questioned by other authors. Mesadactylus is from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation of the United States. Indeterminate anurognathid remains have also been reported from the Middle Jurassic Bakhar Svita of Mongolia and the Early Cretaceous of North Korea.
Peteinosaurus was a prehistoric genus of pterosaur. It lived in the late Triassic period in the late Norian age, and at a wingspan of around 60 cm (24 in), was one of the smallest and earliest pterosaurs, although other estimates suggest a wingspan of up to 1 m (3.3 ft).
Austriadactylus is a genus of primitive pterosaur. The fossil remains were unearthed in Late Triassic rocks of Austria.
Noripterus is a genus of dsungaripterid pterodactyloid pterosaur from Lower Cretaceous-age Wuerho Pterosaur Fauna (WPF) of the Lianmuqin Formation and Shengjinkou Formation in the Junggar Basin of Xinjiang, China. Both formations have seen various age estimates, with data suggest at least some of the WPF dates to the middle Valanginian, but the upper and lower bounds of these pterosaur bearing deposits remains unclear. It was first named by Yang Zhongjian in 1973. Additional fossil remains have been recovered from Tsagaantsav Svita, Mongolia.
The Tuchengzi Formation is a geological formation in China whose strata span the Tithonian to Berriasian ages. Dinosaur fossils, particularly footprints, have been found from the formation.
The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Late Jurassic sedimentary rock that is found in the western United States, which has a wide assortment of taxa represented in its fossil record, including dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandstone, siltstone and limestone and is light grey, greenish gray, or red. Most of the fossils occur in the green siltstone beds and lower sandstones, relics of the rivers and floodplains of the Jurassic period.
Haenamichnus is an ichnogenus of probable azhdarchid pterosaurs from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of South Korea.
The Uhangri Formation, located at the Uhangri Dinosaur Fossil Site, is a geological formation from which fossil pterosaur tracks have been recovered near Haenam-eup, Jeollanam-do, South Korea.
The Haman Formation is an Early Cretaceous geological formation in South Korea. It has been dated to the Albian, with an estimated maximum depositional age of 105.4 ± 0.4 Ma. The deposit is known for its tracks, including those of dinosaurs, pterosaurs and birds. It overlies the Silla Conglomerate which overlies the Chilgok Formation. It is laterally equivalent to the Sagog Formation.
The Hekou Group is a geological group in Gansu Province, China. It is Early Cretaceous in age. Many dinosaur fossils have been recovered from the Hekou Group, including iguanodonts, large sauropods, and armored dinosaurs. Fossil eggs are rare, but one oogenus, Polyclonoolithus, was discovered in the Hekou Group. Extensive fossil tracks belonging to pterosaurs and dinosaurs have also been described. The group spans the Valanginian to Albian and can be subdivided into four formations.
The Aztec Sandstone is an Early Jurassic geological formation of primarily eolian sand from which fossil pterosaur tracks have been recovered. The formation is exposed in the Mojave Desert of Arizona, California and Nevada. Aztec Sandstone is named after the Aztec Tank, a lake in the Spring Mountain region of Nevada.
The Lianmuqin Formation, also transcribed as Lianmugin Formation, and Lianmuxin Formation, is an Early Cretaceous geologic formation composed of "interbedded red green and yellow variegated mudstones and siltstones". Dinosaur remains have been recovered from it.
Cryodrakon is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived during the late Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Canada, around 76.7 and 74.3 million years ago. Starting in 1972, fossil remains of large azhdarchid pterosaurs have been reported from Alberta. Paleontologists assigned them to the genus Quetzalcoatlus, given that it was the only known azhdarchid from North America back then and because they had limited information about its actual remains, so they simply could not deduce anything different. In 1992, a partial pterosaur skeleton was uncovered in the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta. It was partially described in 1995 by paleontologist Philip J. Currie and colleagues, with a subsequent and more complete description in 2005. But it was not until 2019 that it received a new genus and type species, Cryodrakon boreas, named and described by paleontologists David Hone, Michael Habib, and François Therrien. The partial skeleton was made the holotype specimen of this new pterosaur. Its generic name means "cold dragon" in Ancient Greek, in reference to its Canadian origin, while its specific name refers to the Greek god of the north winds, Boreas. All azhdarchid remains from the Dinosaur Park Formation were subsequently referred to Cryodrakon.
Wellnhopterus is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period in what us now Texas, United States. Its fossil remains were discovered in the Javelina Formation at Big Bend National Park, located in Brewster County, Texas. The fossils consist of a set of upper and lower jaws, several cervical (neck) vertebrae, and a fragmentary long bone. Originally referred to an indeterminate species of Quetzalcoatlus, these remains would receive various interpretations ranging from a tapejarid to an azhdarchid identity. It was not until December 2021 that they were given a new genus and type species, Wellnhopterus brevirostris, named and described by paleontologists Brian Andres and, posthumously, Wann Langston Jr.. Its generic name means "Wellnhofer's wing", named in honor of paleontologist Peter Wellnhofer, while its specific name means "short-beaked", attributing to the blunt structure of its jaws.
