Pteranodontians Temporal range:
| |
---|---|
Skull specimen (AMNH 7515) of the pteranodontid Pteranodon longiceps | |
Skull cast of the nyctosaurid Nyctosaurus gracilis | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Order: | †Pterosauria |
Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
Clade: | †Pteranodontoidea |
Clade: | †Pteranodontia Marsh, 1887 |
Subgroups | |
| |
Synonyms | |
|
Pteranodontia is an extinct group of ornithocheiroid pterodactyloid pterosaurs. It lived during the Late Cretaceous (Turonian to Maastrichtian stages) of North America, South America, Europe and Africa.[1] They were some of the most advanced pterosaurs, and possessed highly specialized cranial crests that may have served as sexual attraction, with males having a much larger crest.