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| Pterosauria | |
|---|---|
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| Pteranodon longiceps | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| clade: | Ornithodira |
| Order: | †Pterosauria Kaup, 1834 |
| Subgroups | |
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Pterosaurs ("winged lizards") are flying reptiles of the extinct clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the mid Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period (228 to 66 million years ago). Their temporal range was from 228-66 Ma.
Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight. Their wings were formed by a membrane of skin, muscle, and other tissues stretching from the ankles to a dramatically lengthened fourth finger. Early species had long, fully toothed jaws and long tails, while later forms had a highly reduced tail, and some lacked teeth. Many sported furry coats made up of hair-like filaments known as pycnofibers, which covered their bodies and parts of their wings. Pterosaurs spanned a wide range of adult sizes, from the very small anurognathids to the largest known flying creatures of all time, including Quetzalcoatlus and Hatzegopteryx.
These primitive fliers are split into two major groups; the earlier rhamphorhynchoids, who had teeth, long tails, and were usually small, and the later pterodactyloids, who were usually toothless, had short tails, and could reach up to thirteen metres long.
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