Noripterus fossil map
Where fossils of Noripterus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 130 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 130 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Pterosaurs |
|---|---|
| Lived | 137.05–121.4 million years ago (Valanginian to Barremian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Family | Dsungaripteridae |
| Named by | Young 1973 |
| Fossil records | 8 occurrences at 5 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China, Mongolia |
| Rock formations | Lianmuqin, Tsagaantsav |
About Noripterus
Noripterus (meaning "lake wing" from Mongolian nuur, "lake" and Greek pteron, "wing") is a genus of dsungaripterid pterodactyloid pterosaur from Lower Cretaceous of Asia. The type species, Noripterus complidicens, is from the Wuerho Pterosaur Fauna (WPF) of the Lianmuqin Formation and Shengjinkou Formation in the Junggar Basin of Xinjiang, China. Both formations have seen various age estimates, with data suggest at least some of the WPF dates to the middle Valanginian, but the upper and lower bounds of these pterosaur bearing deposits remains unclear. It was first named by Yang Zhongjian (also known as C.C. Young in older sources) in 1973. The second species, Noripterus parvus, was recovered from the Tsagaantsav Formation of Mongolia.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Noripterus (revision 1334270148), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q2078996.
