Fun Facts About Pterodactyl!

Did you know that the Pterodactyl wasn't really a dinosaur? Well, it's true. The Pterodactyl lived at the same time as the dinosaurs but was actually like a lizard with wings. It had a long thin beak with sharp teeth, which it used to catch fish and other small animals, and enormous wings made of skin stretched over its long fingers, which it used to glide through the air. So next time you see a bird flying in the sky, think how scary it would have been if it was actually a Pterodactyl up in the sky, ready to dive down on its prey!

Pterodactyl Videos For Kids

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Fun Pterodactyl Fact #1

The name Pterodactyl means ‘Winged Finger’ and comes from the Greek word ‘Pteron’ which means wing and the Latin word ‘Dakylos’ which means finger. Put them together and you’ve got Pterodactyl!

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Fun Pterodactyl Fact #2

Pterodactyl’s were not dinosaurs! Yes, that’s right, Pterodactyls weren’t dinosaurs at all, but enormous flying reptiles that lived at the same time as dinosaurs and became extinct at around the same time.

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Fun Pterodactyl Fact #3

Modern birds might have a few things in common with the Pterodactyl, they can both fly and they both have beaks, but birds didn’t descend from Pterodactyls. In fact birds today came from small, feathered dinosaurs that didn't even fly.

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Fun Pterodactyl Fact #4

Pterodactyls are the largest flying animals known to science. When a Pterodactyl spread its wings, the distance from the tip of one wing to the tip of the opposite wing could reach over 11 meters (36 feet). Wow, that’s a big bird... I mean flying reptile.

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Fun Pterodactyl Fact #5

The T-Rex had hollow bones which were strong without being too heavy. Just like birds today, the tyrannosaurus could breath from air stored in its bones as well as from its lungs. Wow!

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Fun Pterodactyl Fact #6

Unlike birds, Pterodactyls didn’t have feathers on their wings. Instead, the wings of a Pterodactyl were made of stretchy skin, like the wings of a bat!

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Fun Pterodactyl Fact #7

Large Pterodactyls used hot air currents to soar high up into the sky and glide around, instead of constantly flapping their wings.

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Fun Pterodactyl Fact #8

Pterodactyls were meat eaters. When Pterodactyls flew over the sea they would hunt fish, squid and other sea creatures. When they flew over the land Pterodactyls would catch prey like baby dinosaurs and dinosaur eggs.

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Fun Pterodactyl Fact #9

The T-Rex had hollow bones which were strong without being too heavy. Just like birds today, the tyrannosaurus could breath from air stored in its bones as well as from its lungs. Wow!

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Fun Pterodactyl Fact #10

Looking at fossil prints scientists have been able to discover that Pterodactyls walked on all fours when they were on land like vampire bats. That’s very different from birds which walk on 2 legs.

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