Pteranodontidae

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Pteranodontids Fossil range: Mid-Late Cretaceous
Skeletal reconstruction of Pteranodon
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Pterosauria Suborder: Pterodactyloidea Family: Pteranodontidae Marsh, 1876
Genera
?Bogolubovia Nyctosaurus Pteranodon Ornithostoma

Pteranodontidae is a family of large pterosaurs of the Cretaceous Period of North America. Many pteranodontids had a distinctive, elongated crest jutting from the rear of the head (most famously seen in Pteranodon itself). The spectacularly-crested Nyctosaurus is often included in this family, though originally placed in its own family, the Nyctosauridae (Williston, 1903).

[edit] Synonyms

Family: Pteranodontidae Marsh, 1876 = Ornithostomatidae Williston, 1893 = Ornithostomatinae Williston, 1897 = Pteranodontes Gadow, 1901 = Pteranodontinae Williston, 1892 = Pternanodontinae Kuhn, 1967 [sic]