Not a dinosaur — pterosaur
"Toothless wing"
Pteranodon
Not a dinosaur — a pterosaur, a separate group of flying reptiles. Pteranodon patrolled the shores of the shallow sea that once split North America in two, snatching fish from the surface. Hollow, air-filled bones kept a six-meter wingspan light enough to fly, at the cost of almost never fossilizing intact.
Length2.5 m
Wingspan6.4 m
Height0.8 m
Weight20 kg
Top speed50 km/h
Field notes
- Named in 1876 by O. C. Marsh during the fiercely competitive "Bone Wars" of American paleontology.
- Unlike earlier pterosaurs, it had no teeth at all — just a sharp beak.
- Its backward-pointing crest may have acted as a rudder or a counterweight for its long beak.