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Quetzalcoatlus (/ k ɛ t s əl k oʊ ˈ æ t l ə s /) is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous in North America. The type specimen, recovered in 1971 from the Javelina Formation of Texas, United States, consists of several wing fragments and was described as Quetzalcoatlus northropi in 1975 by Douglas Lawson.
Azhdarchidae (from the Persian word azhdar, اژدر, a dragon-like creature in Persian mythology) is a family of pterosaurs known primarily from the Late Cretaceous Period, though an isolated vertebra apparently from an azhdarchid is known from the Early Cretaceous as well (late Berriasian age, about 140 million years ago). [1]
The name Quetzalcoatl comes from Nahuatl and means "Precious serpent" or "Quetzal-feathered Serpent". [15] In the 17th century, Ixtlilxóchitl, a descendant of Aztec royalty and historian of the Nahua people, wrote, "Quetzalcoatl, in its literal sense, means 'serpent of precious feathers' but in the allegorical sense, 'wisest of men'."
Azhdarchoidea (/æʒdɑːrˈkɔɪdɪːə/, meaning "azhdarchid-like forms") is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.Pterosaurs belonging to this group lived throughout the Early and Late Cretaceous periods, with one tentative member, Tendaguripterus, that lived in the Late Jurassic period.
Reconstructed skeleton of Quetzalcoatlus in the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa Arizona. It was once thought that competition with early bird species might have resulted in the extinction of many of the pterosaurs. [144] It was thought that by the end of the Cretaceous, only large species of pterosaurs were present (no longer true ...
The name Ornithocheiroidea was originally defined as an apomorphy-based taxon by Christopher Bennett in 1994.It was given a relationship-based definition in 2003 by Alexander Kellner, who defined it as the least inclusive clade containing Anhanguera blittersdorffi, Pteranodon longiceps, Dsungaripterus weii, and Quetzalcoatlus northropi. [2]
They assigned it to Quetzalcoatlus northropi and mistakenly identified it as a femur. A wingspan of 13 m (43 ft) was estimated. A wingspan of 13 m (43 ft) was estimated. [ 5 ] [ 2 ] However, nowadays, wingspan estimates for Q. northropi have been more moderate, at around 10 to 11 m (33 to 36 ft), which would still make it one of the largest ...
It is known from fragmentary remains including the distinctive, elongated neck vertebrae that characterizes members of the family Azhdarchidae, a family that includes many giant pterosaurs such as Quetzalcoatlus. The name Azhdarcho comes from the Persian word azhdar (اژدر), a dragon-like creature in Persian mythology. [2]