Geosternbergia

Geosternbergia from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America, was one of the largest pterosaur genera and had a wingspan of up to 7.25 metres (23.8 ft).

Description
Geosternbergia was among the largest pterosaurs, with the wingspan of most adults ranging between 3 and 6 meters (9.8–19.6 ft). While most specimens are found crushed, enough fossils exist to put together a detailed description of the animal. Geosternbergia is distinguished from Pteranodon mainly by its upright-crest. The lower jaw of G. sternbergi was 1.25 meters (4 ft) long.[1]

The most distinctive characteristic of Geosternbergia is its cranial crest. These crests consisted of skull bones (frontals) projecting upward and backward from the skull. The size and shape of these crests varied due to a number of factors, including age, gender, and species. Male G. sternbergi, the older species of the two described to date, had a larger vertical crest with a broad forward projection, while G. maysei had a short, rounded vertical crest and was generally smaller.[2] Females of both species were smaller and bore small, rounded crests.[3] The crests were probably mainly display structures, though they may have had other functions as well.

Discovery
It was collected by George F. Sternberg in 1952 and described by John Christian Harksen in 1966, from the lower portion of the Niobrara Formation. It was older than Pteranodon longiceps and is considered by Bennett to be the direct ancestor of the later species.[3]

Geosternbergia fossils are known from the Niobrara and Sharon Springs Formations of the central United States. Geosternbergia existed as a group for more than four million years during the late Coniacian - early Campanian stages of the Cretaceous period.[3] The genus is present in the lower the Niobrara Formation except for the upper two; in 2003, Kenneth Carpenter surveyed the distribution and dating of fossils in this formation, demonstrating that Geosternbergia sternbergi existed there from 88-85 million years ago, while the species later named G. maysei existed between 81.5 and 80.5 million years ago.