Ornithocheiridae

Aerodraco is an ornithocheirid pterosaur from the fossil-rich Late Cretaceous Cambridge Greensand Formation of England. Art by Joshua Tedder Text by Henry Thomas

The ornithocheirid Aetodacylus, from the Cretaceous of Texas, has a unique jaw that attests to the diversity of pterosaurs both in general and in its own family.

Anhanguera was a fairly large pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil's Santana Formation.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle may not have realized what kind of world lurked beneath the Brazilian plateau of his novel.

Aussiedraco comes from Australia's Toolebuc Formation which is also known for its dinosaurs, plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs.

Barbosania is a pterosaur from the famous Santana Formation of Brazil.

The Cretaceous rocks of Brazil are loaded with pterosaurs, but Brasileodactylus is the one that took its home country's name.

Legendary British paleontologist Harry Govier Seeley was the first to describe a specimen of Camposipterus in 1869 but initially assigned it to a genus already taken by another animal.

The "caulkheads" of the Isle of Wight have their own unofficial pterosaur mascot.

Brazil's Santana Formation is one of the world's greatest fossil locations. Its fauna includes Cearadactylus, a large fish-eating pterosaur.

Named after the "father of paleontology" Georges Cuvier, Pterodactylus cuvieri through a tortuous renaming sequence became Cimoliopterus cuvieri.

Renowned paleontologist Sir Richard Owen named Coloborhynchus back in 1874.

Ferrodraco, or “Iron Dragon,” is named after the ironstone in which it was found. It is Australia’s most complete pterosaur fossil.

Linlongopterus was an aerial fisher from the Early Cretaceous of China.

The only known fossil specimen of Ludodactylus seems to show signs of the living animal having had a yucca leaf lodged in its beak, which likely led to its death.

Maaradactylus is named after Maara, the daughter of a chief of the Kariri indigenous people, who through sorcery was changed into a monster that ate fishermen.

Mythunga, hailing from the Toolebuc Formation of Australia, lived in an environment that was as far south as today's Falkland Islands.

Many people might remember Ornithocheirus as part of the documentary Walking With Dinosaurs.

Named after the Santana Formation, an Early Cretaceous treasure trove of fossils in Brazil, Santanadactylus was a large pterosaur with a few named species.

The fossilized jaw bone of Siroccopteryx has a strange appearance and contains pits that paleontologists suggest are the result of abscesses draining after a major injury.

One of the largest known pterosaurs, Tropeognathus was prominently featured in the BBC television series Walking With Dinosaurs.

Uktenadactylus was named after Uktena, a giant horned snake from Cherokee mythology.