75 Million BC
23 Feet
37 Pounds
Pteranodon belongs to an ancient group of flying reptiles called "pterosaurs" that lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. When the first pterosaur fossils were discovered in Germany in 1784, scientists thought they were aquatic animals. It took them 100 years to finally recognize they were flying reptiles!
Pteranodon had one of the largest wingspans of all the pterosaurs, measuring as much as 23 feet wide. This 37-pound creature had a sharp beak with no teeth, and almost half the length of its head was taken up by a bony, protruding crest whose purpose is still not fully understood. Some scientists think it may have been decorative and useful for attracting mates, while others believe that it may have acted like a rudder to steady Pteranodon during flight.
Pteranodon probably flew over the seas of what are now Kansas and Texas at speeds of up to 23 miles per hour, feeding on fish and mollusks. Because it had no teeth it probably caught fish like modern pelicans do, swallowing them whole.
LOCALITY: England; Germany; Midwestern North America
SUPERORDER: Archosauria
ORDER: Pterosauria
SUBORDER: Pterodactyloidea
FAMILY: Ornithocheiridae