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Size of P. sternbergi male (green) and female (orange) compared with a human. Pteranodon sternbergi was among the largest pterosaurs, with the wingspan of most adults ranging between 3 and 6 meters (9.8 and 19.7 ft). No complete skulls of adult males have been found, but a nearly complete lower jaw has been estimated at 1.25 meters (4.1 ft ...
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.
For comparison, the wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of living birds at up to 3.5 m (11 ft) but usually weighs less than 12 kilograms (26 lb). This indicates that the largest pterosaurs may have had higher wing loadings than modern birds (depending on wing profile ) and this has implications for the manner in which pterosaur flight ...
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).
The name Ornithocheiroidea was originally defined as an apomorphy-based taxon by Christopher Bennett in 1994. It was given a relationship-based definition in 2003 by Alexander Kellner, who defined it as the least inclusive clade containing Anhanguera blittersdorffi , Pteranodon longiceps , Dsungaripterus weii , and Quetzalcoatlus northropi . [ 11 ]
In 1809, he coined the name Ptéro-Dactyle, "wing-finger". [96] This was in 1815 Latinised to Pterodactylus. [97] At first most species were assigned to this genus and ultimately "pterodactyl" was popularly and incorrectly applied to all members of Pterosauria. [16]
The fossil shows the huge flying reptile would have had an estimated wingspan of more than 2.5 metres.
This would likely have required them to use unique modes of locomotion when on the ground compared to other pterosaurs. Most pteranodontians like Pteranodon flew like modern day albatrosses, which consists of flying very long distances and rarely flapping, [ 5 ] [ 6 ] though they were thermal soarers like continental flyers rather than dynamic ...