October 19, 2023 - Quetzalcoatlus in flight · All · ‌ · ‌ ‌ ‌ · ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ · The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.

1 week ago - Quetzalcoatlus northropi has gained fame as a candidate for the largest flying animal ever discovered, though estimating its size has been difficult due to the fragmentary nature of the only known specimen. While wingspan estimates over the years have ranged from 5.2–25.8 m (17–85 ft), more recent estimates hover around 10–11 m (33–36 ft).

September 25, 2021 - Could Quetzalcoatlus (or any flying reptile in general) have used their beaks to pierce threats? Is that plausible or not. r/Paleontology • · r/Paleontology · A science-based community for discussing fossil findings, prehistoric life, and ancient ecosystems. Members · 3 · upvotes · · comments · Photosyntetic Tissue affects pteranodon fly speed?

October 13, 2024 - ... The head and neck are mostly hollow, it's actually very well balanced on land and in the air. More replies ... Paleontologist Michael Habib calculates something like Quetzalcoatlus could sprint at 128 kilometers an hour on all fours.

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October 31, 2025 - With enough of a jump, it could flap its powerful wings to reach an altitude at which it could soar like a condor. Estimates suggest that Q. northropi might have flown at speeds of up to 130 km (80 miles) per hour, and covered as much as 640 ...

June 17, 2024 - It had a wingspan of between 33-36 feet and was up to 18 feet tall, which is taller than most giraffes. Even with its massive weight–approximately 500 pounds–the Quetzalcoatlus flew at speeds of approximately 65 miles per hour.

December 8, 2021 - AUSTIN, Texas — With a wingspan nearing 40 feet, the giant pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus is the largest known animal to take to the sky. But known from only a few fossilized bones from West Texas, just how such a massive animal got airborne has been mostly a matter of speculation. Some think it rocked forward on its wingtips like a vampire bat. Or that it built up speed by running and flapping like an albatross.

December 9, 2021 - Despite a half century of interest, Quetzalcoatlus remains very incompletely described. Some paleontologists think the ancient giant rocked forward on its wingtips like a vampire bat; or that it built up speed by running and flapping like an albatross; or that it didn’t fly at all.

January 5, 2024 - It’s speed in the air is based around the fact that it’s a pterosaur and all pterosaurs will probably be like spinosaurs, pterosaurs are slow on land but fast in the air, spinosaurs are slow on land but fast in the water, it’s very similar. Now onto the damage, quetzal will probably have 2 ways of attacking, a peck and a bite.

September 4, 2025 - The biomechanics researcher’s hypothesis that Quetzalcoatlus took off by jumping with all four limbs is implausible. The paleontologist uses a speed requirement (48 km/h needed for takeoff) to show that the proposed jumping method is physically impossible, thereby rejecting the researcher’s ...

Some paleontologists have suggested that Quetzalcoatlus behaved much like modern pelicans, soaring above seas and lakes and taking fish and other animals from the surface; the stiffness of its neck and thus limited range of motion would have made high-speed fishing difficult, however.

October 29, 2024 - Some paleontologists assume it was not capable of powered flight due to their mass estimates, sometimes reaching 540 kg. Others believe it was quite competent in the air, achieving speeds of up to 130 km/h (70.2 knots).

December 16, 2020 - Gliding performance, deduced from ... proportionally to mass and wing loading, from as low as 4 m/s for Eudimorphodon to 16 m/s for Quetzalcoatlus....

December 16, 2021 - Older theories indicated the colossal creature rocked forward like a bat to take off or built up speed by running like an albatross. However, a new study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology found that it leapt eight feet in the air to flap its wings, instead — shedding new light on an ancient enigma. Formally known as Quetzalcoatlus northropi, the winged creature is a member of the Azhdarchidae family of toothless pterosaurs with elongated necks.

July 9, 2025 - Skim-feeding in modern birds like ... intense drag from water. Quetzalcoatlus had neither. Its jaw was too delicate, its neck too stiff and elongated, and its muscle attachments poorly suited to the strain of scooping through water at high speeds....

Scientists, however, are not sure if Quetzalcoatlus could take to the skies like its cousins. Even with special bones, a reptile as big as Quetzalcoatlus may have had a hard time getting up into the air. It isn’t always easy for us to know how an ancient animal might have lived during its time, but a Paleontologist can make educated guesses based on the bones that they study.

May 20, 2022 - Scientists have used aerodynamic models to comprehensively quantify soaring performances and wind requirements of these extinct pterosaurs and volant birds and compared them with extant soaring birds.

September 24, 2025 - Speed: Superhuman (Has a gliding speed of 24.9 m/s[1]), Subsonic top flight speed (Can fly up to 130 km/h or 36.1111 m/s; can fly at up to 48.3 m/s in short bursts[1])