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Azhdarchidae (from Ajdarxo, the name of a dragon in Uzbek mythology) is a family of pterosaurs known primarily from the late Cretaceous Period, and which included some of the largest known flying animals of all time. Originally considered a sub-family of Pteranodontidae, Nessov (1984) named the azhdarchinae to include the pterosaurs Azhdarcho, Quetzalcoatlus, and "Titanopteryx" (now known as Arambourgiania). Azhdarchids are characterized by their long legs and extremely long necks, made up of elongated neck vertebrae which are round in cross section. Most species of azhdarchids are still known mainly from their distinctive neck bones and not much else. The few azhdarchids that are known from reasonably good skeletons include Zhejiangopterus and Quetzalcoatlus. Azhdarchids are also distinguished by their relatively large heads and long, spear-like jaws. It had been suggested azhdarchids were skimmers,[1][2] but further research has cast doubt on this idea, demonstrating that azhdarchids lacked the necessary adaptations for a skim-feeding lifestyle, and that they may have led a more terrestrial existence similar to modern storks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AzhdarchidQUOTE
Quetzalcoatlus (named for the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl) was a pterodactyloid pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous of North America (Campanian–Maastrichtian stages, 84–65 ma), and one of the largest known flying animals of all time. It was a member of the Azhdarchidae, a family of advanced toothless pterosaurs, and it is said to be the only Pterosaur species to go extinct along with the dinosaurs.
There are a number of different ideas about the lifestyle of Quetzalcoatlus. With its long neck vertebrae and long toothless jaws it might have fed on fish like a heron, or perhaps it scavenged like the Marabou Stork. Others maintain that it fed like modern-day skimmers. Presumably Quetzalcoatlus could take off under its own power, but once aloft it may have spent much of its time soaring. On the ground, Quetzalcoatlus probably walked on all fours. Recent studies suggest that it may have hunted on the ground, using flight as a method of long-range transport. [1]
Size comparison of the two known Quetzalcoatlus species and a human.
There have been suggestions that the largest Quetzalcoatlus specimens represent an upper biological limit for flight.[citation needed] The largest remains indicate an individual with a wingspan as large as 12 m (40 ft), though more recent estimates based on greater knowledge of azhdarchid proportions place its wingspan at 10-11 meters (33-36 ft). However, similar claims to an upper size limit for flight accompanied the discovery of large (up to 9 m (30 ft)) Pteranodon, and azhdarchids larger than Quetzalcoatlus with wingspans 12 meters or more (such as Hatzegopteryx) have been discovered.[5]
During the Cretaceous period, Texas' climate was similar to modern tropical coastal wetlands and lagoons, extending along the Cretaceous Seaway that filled the center of North America. Bones of related animals are also known from Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada.
Along with the dinosaurs, Quetzalcoatlus became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuetzalcoatlusQUOTE
Our traditional view of pterosaurs, a type of prehistoric flying dinosaur, included the idea that they lived and hunted much like modern-day gulls or sea hawks: swooping out of the sky to snatch fish from oceans or lakes. But Mark Witton, a PhD student in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Portsmouth in England, and his colleagues, have come up with a radically different view of one kind of pterosaur, the Azhdarchid pterosaur. They claim these giant predators actually preferred to walk on land, and snacked on baby dinosaurs and other small animals. Azhdarchids include the largest of all pterosaurs: some had wingspans exceeding 10 metres and the biggest ones were as tall as a giraffe.
http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/07-08/may31.htmlImagine this. A flying meat eating giraffe.
