order of reptiles (fossil)
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Pterosaur
Pterosaur - Wikipedia
2 weeks ago - Pterosaurs are often referred to by popular media or the general public as "flying dinosaurs", but dinosaurs are defined as the descendants of the last common ancestor of the Saurischia and Ornithischia, which excludes the pterosaurs. Pterosaurs are nonetheless more closely related to birds ...
Live Science
livescience.com › animals › extinct species › dinosaurs
Pterodactyl, Pteranodon & Other Flying 'Dinosaurs'
October 13, 2022 - Pterodactyls soared in the skies during the age of the dinosaurs and include some of the largest flying reptiles ever.
Videos
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Pterosaurs 101 | National Geographic - YouTube
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How to ride a pterosaur, according to science - BBC REEL - YouTube
34:38
The History of The Pterosaur: When Flying Creatures Ruled The World ...
02:43
Unknown Pteranodon FACTS! Dino Times - YouTube
09:01
Pteranodon - The Adventures Of Flying Dinosaurs | Dinosaurs for ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/dinosaurs › how do you explain to a layperson that “pterodactyl” isn’t a dinosaur?
r/Dinosaurs on Reddit: How do you explain to a layperson that “pterodactyl” isn’t a dinosaur?
September 10, 2023 -
There have been a couple times where I’ve asked someone their favorite dinosaur and they say pterodactyl, and then usually the rest of the conversation goes like this:
Me: Here’s a fun fact that lots of people don’t know, but pterodactyl isn’t a dinosaur
Them: Well then what is it?
Me: It’s a pterosaur, basically a kind of flying reptile that lived at the same time a the dinosaurs, but isn’t a dinosaur
Them: Well what’s the difference?
Me: (can’t think of an answer that would be satisfying to someone who isn’t a huge nerd about this)
So, how do you explain to some that pterosaurs aren’t dinosaurs (or birds, for that matter) without sounding pedantic? I think a lot of people assume that anything prehistoric is a dinosaur, but when I tell them that something isn’t a dinosaur, I can never think of a better explanation than “well, because it’s not”
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https://maxs-blogo-saurus.com/2022/02/09/whats-the-difference-between-pterosaurs-and-dinosaurs/ There are some minute anatomical differences, such as dinosaurs having a foremen (hole) in their hips and a crest in their arm bones that pterosaurs lack, while pterosaurs have an elongated 4th digit that supports their wings which is not seen in any dinosaur. However, the big distinguishing factor is that pterosaurs diverged from the Archosauria ancestors of dinosaurs millions of years before the common ancestor to all dinosaurs evolved. Because of this, pterosaurs lie outside the Dinosauria clade, meaning the two lineages are separate. A modern analogy would be chimps and humans. Chimpanzees are great apes, are extremely close relatives to Humans, and share a basic body plan with us, but their ancestors diverged from those of humans before the common ancestor of the Homo genus appeared. They may be our closest relatives (as pterosaurs were to dinosaurs), but you wouldn’t call a chimp a human, would you?
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They're dinosaur cousins, literally the next closest group related to dinosaurs. They are closely related but not the same.
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
ripleys.com › stories › pterodactyls
Were Pterodactyls and Other ‘Flying Dinosaurs' Actually Dinosaurs? | Ripley's Believe It or Not! | Aquariums, Attractions, Museums
May 21, 2024 - Soaring through the air for more than 160 million years, Pterodactyls weren't actually dinosaurs; they were flying reptiles!
Natural History Museum
nhm.ac.uk › discover › the-truth-about-pterosaurs.html
Pterosaurs: The truth about these ‘flying dinosaurs’ | Natural History Museum
Pterosaurs – or pterodactyls as you may also have heard people refer to them – are one of Hollywood’s great scene-setters. In the same way that a tumbleweed rolling on by evokes a Western, chuck a pterosaur in the sky and you’re whisked into a prehistoric world. But forget what you think you know about pterosaurs being flying dinosaurs...
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Pterodactylus
Pterodactylus - Wikipedia
2 weeks ago - 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.
University of Oxford
earth.ox.ac.uk › article › fossil-study-brings-us-one-step-closer-revealing-how-flying-dinosaurs-took-flight
Fossil study brings us one step closer to revealing how ‘flying dinosaurs’ took flight | Department of Earth Sciences
Dinosaurs did not fly until true birds (which are a group of dinosaurs) evolved. So pterosaurs were the only reptiles capable of flying for a very long time. Model of Pterodactyl flying through a forest Credit: Jaroslav Moravcik/Shutterstock
BBC
bbc.co.uk › newsround › articles › cvgxgexd4mvo
Mystery of how pterosaurs took to the skies finally solved - BBC Newsround
January 8, 2025 - Some pterosaurs were as large as a fighter jet, and others as small as a paper airplane. Now researchers finally know how they managed to fly.
Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum
dinomuseum.ca › home › blogosaur › an introduction to pterosaurs
An Introduction to Pterosaurs - Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum
June 11, 2024 - Anyone who’s ever heard of a dinosaur almost certainly also knows about the pterosaurs- the flying reptiles that often serve as window dressing or to give a sense of scale to depictions of dinosaurs in prehistoric artwork. They also, to the eternal exasperation of paleontologists, get labeled ...
ZME Science
zmescience.com › home › features › natural sciences › geology and paleontology › dinosaurs › ‘flying dinosaurs’: 7 amazing pterosaurs that ruled the sky
'Flying Dinosaurs': 7 Amazing Pterosaurs that Ruled the Sky
February 9, 2024 - If you want to refer to a ‘flying dinosaur’, the Pteranodon is the closest to it. Pteranodon represented mid-flight. Often confused with Pteranodons, pterodactyls are another well-known member of the pterosaur family.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
carnegiemnh.org › photo-amnh-pterodactyl-or-pterosaur-when-you
Pterodactyl or Pterosaur?
Pterodactyl, or Pterodactylus antiquus, is actually a specific type of pterosaur in the group Pterosauria, which encompasses the entire group of prehistoric flying reptiles.
MyDinosaurs
mydinosaurs.com › home › blog › the top 10 flying dinosaurs
The Top 10 Flying Dinosaurs - MyDinosaurs
July 24, 2025 - Pterodactylus had a relatively small wingspan, usually around 3 to 4 meters (10 to 13 feet), with a long, toothless beak and a relatively short tail. Its wings were supported by a very elongated fourth finger, and it had a robust, lightweight ...
HowStuffWorks
animals.howstuffworks.com › extinct animals › prehistoric animals
There Were No Flying Dinosaurs, Only Flying Reptiles | HowStuffWorks
August 2, 2024 - It can be fun to imagine what it ... that imaginary scenario is technically inaccurate. As it turns out, there were no flying dinosaurs, only flying reptiles....
Britannica
britannica.com › science › earth science, geologic time & fossils › fossils & geologic time
Why Are Pterodactyls Not Dinosaurs? | Britannica
June 13, 2025 - No matter how much you like pterodactyls, you’ll want to think twice before telling someone that they’re your favorite dinosaur. Since as early as 1834 the scientific community has considered pterodactyl an outdated informal name for members of the order Pterosauria, which includes all flying reptiles that lived in the Mesozoic Era (252.2 million to 66 million years ago).
The Independent
independent.co.uk › news › science › archaeology
Researchers finally solve the mystery of the flying dinosaurs | The Independent
January 8, 2025 - Pterosaurs were able to fly thanks to a sail-like vane at the end of their long tails, scientists have discovered (Natalia J/PA) Pterosaurs – commonly known as pterodactyls – lived some 225 million years ago, and thrived for more than 100 ...
Natural History Museum
nhm.ac.uk › discover › watch-a-pterosaur-fly.html
Watch a pterosaur fly | Natural History Museum
This animal is Anhanguera, one of the flying reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs.
DinosaurPictures.org
dinosaurpictures.org › dinosaurs › late jurassic › africa
Pterodactyl Pictures & Facts - The Dinosaur Database
Pterodactyl was a pterosaur, a type of flying reptile. It was not a dinosaur, though it lived during the same period. Pterodactyl lived during the Late Jurassic and resided in Africa and Europe.
Orlando Science Center
osc.org › home › are pterodactyls dinosaurs? learn more about these prehistoric predators
Are Pterodactyls Dinosaurs? Learn More About These Prehistoric Predators
July 14, 2025 - There was a genus of pterosaur ... of the above! Because they flew and their front limbs stretch out to the sides, they are not dinosaurs....
BirdNote
birdnote.org › podcasts › birdnote-daily › pterodactyls-and-birds
Pterodactyls and Birds | BirdNote
September 16, 2024 - The answer to both questions is “no”. The flying creatures were pterosaurs. Pterosaurs—often called pterodactyls—were flying reptiles. Dinosaurs, which used to be thought of as giant reptiles, were an entirely different group of creatures.
Britannica
britannica.com › science › earth science, geologic time & fossils › fossils & geologic time
Pterodactyl | Description, Size, Wingspan, Skeleton, & Facts | Britannica
May 27, 1999 - Pterodactyl, informal term for a subgroup of flying reptiles (Pterosauria) known from the Late Jurassic through the Late Cretaceous epochs (163.5 to 66 million years ago). Their wingspans ranged from 2 to 11 meters (6.5 to 36 feet), which makes ...