Ornithodesmus fossil map
Where fossils of Ornithodesmus 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 |
| Named by | Seeley 1887 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United Kingdom |
| Rock formations | Wadhurst Clay, Wessex |
About Ornithodesmus
Ornithodesmus (meaning "bird link") is a genus of small, dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Isle of Wight in England, dating to about 125 million years ago. The name, along with that of the type and only species, O. cluniculus, was originally assigned to a bird-like sacrum (a series of vertebrae fused to the hip bones), initially believed to come from a bird and subsequently identified as a pterosaur. More complete pterosaur remains were later assigned to Ornithodesmus. More recently, a detailed analysis determined that the original specimen in fact came from a small theropod, specifically a dromaeosaur, making it one of the first dromaeosaurs known to science. All pterosaurian material previously assigned to this genus has been renamed Istiodactylus.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Ornithodesmus (revision 1368886595), 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: Q1578419.
