恐龍卡第 1322 張，共 2 027 張

Ornithocheirus

名字的意思： “bird hand”1

吃：魚飛行爬蟲類白堊紀早期到白堊紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Ornithocheirus was a flying reptile that lived during the Early Cretaceous, about 110 million years ago. It had a long, narrow beak with a bumpy crest on top and sharp teeth for catching fish. Even though it was not a dinosaur, it was one of the biggest flying animals of its time.1

趣味小知識：翼龍在恐龍頭上飛來飛去，但牠們是恐龍的親戚，不是恐龍喔。

生存年代

133 到 90 百萬年前5

白堊紀早期到白堊紀晚期

化石發現地

United Kingdom (England) and possibly Morocco1 2

長度

2.5 m (8.2 ft)4

翼展

4.5 到 6.1 m (15 到 20 ft)1

體重

20 kg 到 45 kg (44 到 99 lb)1 4

最高速度

時速約 74 公里（46 英里）

飛行, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

三疊紀

侏羅紀

白堊紀

2 億 5200 萬年前20114566，小行星撞地球

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

牠有多重？

跟 2 隻狗一樣重

跟 2.5 隻狗從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 14 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長跟 11 隻家貓一樣重跟 9 顆西瓜一樣重跟 2.5 個幼兒園小朋友一樣重跟 1.5 個小學生一樣重能在 5.1 秒內飛越一整座足球場

Ornithocheirus 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

Ornithocheirus 時速約 74 公里 (46 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Ornithocheirus means 'bird hand' because scientists first thought its wing bones looked like a bird's hand.1

Only one species is considered valid today: Ornithocheirus simus. Many other fossils once called Ornithocheirus are now placed in different genera.1

Its fossils were found in the Cambridge Greensand of England, a layer of rock that was once a sandy seabed about 110 million years old.1

Ornithocheirus had a keel-shaped crest on its snout, which may have been used for display or to help it steer in flight.1

Its teeth were mostly straight up and down, not angled outward like those of some of its relatives.1

Early paleontologists like Richard Owen argued about its name. Owen preferred Criorhynchus ('ram beak') because he did not like the idea of evolution.1

Some fossils once thought to be birds, like Cimoliornis and Palaeornis, turned out to be Ornithocheirus or its relatives.1

Ornithocheirus 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Ornithocheirus 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

你們都在問

關於 Ornithocheirus 最常被問的問題

?How big was Ornithocheirus?

It was a medium-sized pterosaur with a wingspan of about 5 metres (16 feet) and a body mass of about 20 kilograms (44 pounds).1

?Was Ornithocheirus a dinosaur?

No, Ornithocheirus was a pterosaur, a flying reptile, not a dinosaur.1

?What did Ornithocheirus eat?

It ate fish, which it caught with its sharp teeth while flying over the sea.1

?When did Ornithocheirus live?

It lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 110 million years ago.1

?Where was Ornithocheirus found?

Its fossils were found in the Cambridge Greensand of England, and possibly also in Morocco.1

?Why did Ornithocheirus have a crest?

Scientists think the keel-shaped crest on its snout may have been used for display or to help it steer in flight.1

?How fast could Ornithocheirus fly?

Nobody knows for sure, but as a large pterosaur it was probably a strong flier that could cover long distances.1

?Is Ornithocheirus the biggest pterosaur?

No, it was not the biggest. A related pterosaur called Tropeognathus had a wingspan of about 8.2 metres (27 feet), making it the largest toothed pterosaur known.1

迷思破解王

迷思： Many people think Ornithocheirus had a wingspan of 12 metres (40 feet), making it the largest flying reptile ever.

真相： That number is exaggerated. Scientists now estimate its wingspan was about 4.5 to 6.1 metres (15 to 20 feet), making it a medium-sized pterosaur.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Ornithocheirus
命名者: Seeley 18695
類群: 飛行爬蟲類
科 / 演化支: Ornithocheiroidea5
分類: Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea5
岩石的年代: 133 到 90 百萬年 (Hauterivian / Turonian)5
岩層: West Melbury Marly Chalk, Calcaires à Spatangues, Zig Zag Chalk5
國家: 英國, 法國, 葡萄牙, 剛果民主共和國, 俄羅斯, 德國5
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 12 筆5
又名: Cimoliornis, Criorhynchus, Palaeornis （舊名稱現在也算作同一種動物）5
發現: The first fossils were found in the 1800s in England and named Pterodactylus simus by Richard Owen in 1861. Harry Seeley later gave it the genus name Ornithocheirus in 1869.1 2
仍有爭議: Scientists still debate which fossils truly belong to Ornithocheirus and which belong to similar pterosaurs like Coloborhynchus or Tropeognathus.1 3