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- Plesiosaurus. Plesiosauridae. Like any other pterosaurs, the Plesiosaurus is often mistaken as a dinosaur when in fact it was actually a marine reptile that thrived during the Jurassic period.
- Pteranodon. Pteranodontinae. Also known as the “toothless flying reptile“, the Pteranodon was a descendant of another pterosaur known as the Pterodactylus.
- Pterodactylus. Pterodactylidae. Literally meaning “winged finger“, the Pterodactylus was a type of pterosaur that thrived during the late Jurassic Period.
- Dimorphodon. Dimorphodontinae. Discovered by Richard Owen in England in 1859, the Dimorphodon (meaning “two-form tooth“) was a flying reptile that lived during the early Jurassic period.
- Sizes of Pterosaurs
- Physical Characteristics
- What Did Pterosaurs Eat?
- Additional Resources
- Bibliography
The smallest pterosaur, called Nemicolopterus crypticus, was discovered in the western part of China's Liaoning Province. It had a wingspan of only 10 inches (25 centimeters), according to a description of the animal, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The remains of this flying reptile revealed that over half...
Given the large number of different types of pterosaurs, the physical characteristics of the winged reptiles varied widely depending on the genera. Pterosaurs often had long necks, which sometimes had throat pouches similar to pelicans' for catching fish. Most pterosaur skulls were long and full of needle like teeth. However, pterosaurs of the taxo...
Pterosaurs were carnivores, though some may have occasionally ate fruits, Hone said. What the reptiles ate depended on where they lived — some species spent their lives around water, while others were more terrestrial. Terrestrial pterosaurs ate carcasses, baby dinosaurs, lizards, eggs, insects and various other animals. "They were probably fairly ...
For more information about pterosaurs check out “Pterosaurs:Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy”, by Mark P. Witton, “Age of Pterosaurs” by Yang Yang and “Dinosaurs: New Visions of a Lost World” by Michael J. Benton.
Natalia Jagielska and Stephen L. Brusatte, “Pterosaurs”, Volume 31, Current biology, August 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.086 David M. Martill, “The early history of pterosaur discovery in Great Britain”, Geological Society, London,Volume 343, January 2010, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP343.18 David M.Martill and David M.Unwin, “The world...
- Pterodactylus. Pterodactylus is the first pterosaur genus that lived in the late Jurassic Period. By the way, Pterodactyl is an informal term for Pterosaurs, based on this genus known to science, Pterodactylus antiquus.
- Pterodaustro. Pterodaustro is a later Pterosaurs with a long head, big eye sockets, and teeth used to squeeze tiny organisms from the water. Living during the early Cretaceous period, it features bristle-like teeth, unlike other Pterosaurs.
- Moganopterus. Moganopterus lived in the Early Cretaceous Period and is an extinct genus of ctenochasmatid pterosaur from Liaoning Province, China. Because of the blade-like jaws, its name is derived from a legendary Chinese couple, Gan Jiang and Mo Ye.
- Pteranodon. Pteranodon is a genus of Pterosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, with a long wingspan of 6.5 m (21 ft). Almost 1200 fossils of this Pterosaur have been found enough to give researchers good anatomical information.
Sep 7, 2023 · Meet the prehistoric flyers that ruled the skies long before birds. Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles that first appeared during the Triassic period, around 230 million years ago. They...
- Founding Editor
Jul 12, 2024 · Pterosaurs are often commonly referred to as “flying dinosaurs” or “pterodactyls”, and these are the “dinosaurs” that we’ll be covering today. You might have seen them in movies or pop culture, but these flying creatures were 100% real.
Dec 13, 2019 · Pterodactyl: Pictures, Types, and Characteristics. Most people use the word pterodactyl to refer to two different genera of pterosaurs, Pterodactylus and Pteranodon. Here are pictures of these two famous flying reptiles.
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Sep 18, 2021 · Pterodactyl Facts. Anhanguera, a pterosaur that lived in what is now Brazil. Pterodactyls were flying reptiles. They were the world’s first flying vertebrates; pterodactyls appeared long before birds, which themselves appeared long before the first bats.
