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Pterosaurs are also colloquially referred to as pterodactyls, particularly in fiction and journalism. [16] However, technically, pterodactyl may refer to members of the genus Pterodactylus , and more broadly to members of the suborder Pterodactyloidea of the pterosaurs.
Pterodactylus (from Ancient Greek: πτεροδάκτυλος, romanized: pterodáktylos ' winged finger ' [2]) is a genus of extinct pterosaurs.It is thought to contain only a single species, Pterodactylus antiquus, which was the first pterosaur to be named and identified as a flying reptile and one of the first prehistoric reptiles to ever be discovered.
Pterodactyloidea (/ˌtɛrəˈdækt͡ɬɔɪdɪːə/; derived from the Greek words πτερόν (pterón, for usual ptéryx) "wing", and δάκτυλος (dáktylos) "finger") [1] is one of the two traditional suborders of pterosaurs ("wing lizards"), and contains the most derived members of this group of flying reptiles.
Pterosaur paleontology continues to progress into the 21st century. In fact, according to David Hone the early 21st century has seen more progress in pterosaur paleontology than in "the preceding two centuries" combined. He compared this transformative period in pterosaur paleontology to the Dinosaur Renaissance of the 1970s. [12]
Rhamphorhynchus (/ ˌ r æ m f ə ˈ r ɪ ŋ k ə s /, [1] from Ancient Greek rhamphos meaning "beak" and rhynchus meaning "snout") is a genus of long-tailed pterosaurs in the Jurassic period. . Less specialized than contemporary, short-tailed pterodactyloid pterosaurs such as Pterodactylus, it had a long tail, stiffened with ligaments, which ended in a characteristic soft-tissue tail va
The fossil shows the huge flying reptile would have had an estimated wingspan of more than 2.5 metres.
Dimorphodon (/ d aɪ ˈ m ɔːr f ə d ɒ n / dy-MOR-fə-don) was a genus of medium-sized pterosaur from Europe during the early Jurassic Period (about 201-191 million years ago). [1] It was named by paleontologist Richard Owen in 1859.
Pteranodon (/ t ə ˈ r æ n ə d ɒ n /; from Ancient Greek: πτερόν, romanized: pteron ' wing ' and ἀνόδων, anodon ' toothless ') [2] [better source needed] is a genus of pterosaur that included some of the largest known flying reptiles, with P. longiceps having a wingspan of over 6 m (20 ft).