Quetzalcoatlus /kɛtsəlkoʊˈætləs/ is a genus of pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous period of North America (Maastrichtian
stage); its members were among the largest known flying animals of all time. Quetzalcoatlus is a member of the Azhdarchidae, a family of advanced toothless pterosaurs with unusually long, stiffened necks. Its name comes from the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. The type species is Q. northropi, named by Douglas Lawson in 1975, the genus also includes the smaller species Q. lawsoni, which was known for many years as an unnamed species before being named by Brian Andres and Wann Langston Jr. (posthumously) in 2021.