How It Works-Book Of Dinosaurs

Fly away

The discovery of

embryo pterosaurs has

lead scientists to believe

they could fl y from birth

due to well-deveoped

wing membrane

Discovery

The fi rst pterosaur was

discovered by Italian

naturalist Cosimo

Alessandro Collini in 1784

Two g ro u ps

Pterosaurs are made up of

two groups: the earlier

rhamphorhynchoids and

the later pterodactyloids

DINOSAURS

Pterosaurs

These flying reptiles lived alongside

dinosaurs in a variety of environments

across the Earth from the Late Triassic to the

end of the Cretaceous period (225 to 65 million years

ago). They ranged in size from just a few centimetres

to more than 12 metres (one inch-39 feet), mostly

feeding on fish while some scavenged dead animals

and ate insects inland.

The w ing of the pterosaur was unique, a large

membrane suspended from a hugely expanded

fourth finger. Pterosaurs are largely regarded as the

first vertebrates to achieve sustainable powered

f light, although the largest relied mainly on the w ind

and gliding to stay in the air. There is much contention

among palaeontologists as to whether these f ly ing

reptiles should be classed as dinosaurs, but the

physical similarities are plain to see nonetheless,

which is why we have included them here.

The Quetzalcoatlus is the largest of the pterosaurs–

in fact it is the largest known flying animal of all time.

With a w ingspan of up to 12m (39 feet) and a head the

size of a car, the Quetzalcoatlus ruled the sk y in the

Late Cretaceous period (100 to 65 million years ago). It

is widely believed that Quetzalcoatlus fed on living

dinosaurs, unlike other pterosaurs who preferred fish

and dead animals, to fuel its enormous metabolic

needs. Despite its incredible size this giant reptile

weighed no more than 250kg (550lb) due to the hollow

bones associated with pterosaurs.

Pterosaurs faced extinction after more than 150

million years at the same time as the dinosaurs,

conquering ever y single continent in the process.

Whatever you do, don’t call

them ‘fl ying dinosaurs’

Pterosaurs