Pterodactyl | Description, Size, Wingspan, Skeleton, & Facts

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External Websites

• Cell Press - Current Biology - The Earliest Pterodactyloid and the Origin of the Group (PDF)
• A-Z Animals - Pterodactyl
• LiveScience - Pterodactyl: Facts about pteranodon and other pterosaurs

Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

• pterodactyl - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• pterodactyl - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

pterodactyl fossil reptile group Ask Anything Homework Help Also known as: pterodactyloid Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

pterodactyl, informal term for a subgroup of flying reptiles (Pterosauria) known from the Late Jurassic through Late Cretaceous epochs (163.5 million to 66 million years ago).

Related Topics: Quetzalcoatlus Why Are Pterodactyls Not Dinosaurs? Pteranodon Lacusovagus Pterodactylus (Show more) See all related content

Pterodactyls, or, more correctly, pterodactyloids, are distinguished from basal pterosaurs by their reduced teeth, tail, and fifth toe. Pterodactyloid metacarpals (palm bones) were more elongated than those of earlier pterosaurs, which instead had elongated phalanges (finger bones). There are also proportional differences in the skull, neck, pelvis, and wing bones. Pterodactyloid genera include Pterodactylus, a Late Jurassic form from Germany with a wingspan ranging from 50 cm (20 inches) to well over 1 metre (3.3 feet). It is likely that all fossils of Pterodactylus represent different stages of growth within a single species. Pteranodon, a Late Cretaceous form found in North America, had a long cranial crest and a wingspan exceeding 7 metres. Other crested genera are found in Late Cretaceous deposits of Brazil and include Tupuxuara, Anhanguera, and Santanadactylus; Dsungaripterus and several other crested forms have been discovered in China. A group of Late Cretaceous pterodactyloids called azhdarchids includes Montanazhdarcho and Quetzalcoatlus from North America, Europe, and Africa. The wingspan of these reptiles ranged from 2 to 11 metres (6.5 to 36 feet), which makes them the largest known flying animals.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.