Ornithocheirus was a pterosaur, a type of flying reptile. It was not a dinosaur, though it lived during the same period. Ornithocheirus lived during the Late Jurassic and resided in Africa, Australia, Europe and South America. The first Ornithocheirus fossil was discovered in 1869.

Quick facts about Ornithocheirus:

  • Existed from 136.4 million years ago to Turonian Age
  • Lived in a marine environment
  • Was a piscivore
  • Could fly
  • 11 different specimens have been found by paleontologists

All the Ornithocheirus illustrations below were collected from the internet. Enjoy and explore:

Ornithocheirus was described by the following scientific paper(s):
  • R. Owen. 1859. Supplement (No. I) to the Monograph on the Fossil Reptilia of the Cretaceous Formations. Palaeontographical Society Monographs
  • E. Malzahn. 1979. Apseudes giganteus nov. spec. — die erste Scherenassel aus der Kreide. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien 82:67-81
  • M. W. Caldwell and J. A. Cooper. 1999. Redescription, palaeobiogeography and palaeoecology of Coniasaurus crassidens Owen, 1850 (Squamata) from the Lower Chalk (Cretaceous; Cenomanian) of SE England. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society of London 127:423-452