Quetzalcoatlus

Quetzalcoatlus northropi · Quetzalcoatlus was a giant azhdarchid pterosaur that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous, with fossils found in Texas.

It lived about 68 to 66 million years ago.

Quetzalcoatlus
Photo: Connor Ashbridge, CC BY 4.0
Quetzalcoatlus
Photo: Johnson Mortimer, CC BY 3.0
Quetzalcoatlus
Photo: Jfstudiospaleoart, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderPterosauria
FamilyAzhdarchidae
GenusQuetzalcoatlus
SpeciesQuetzalcoatlus northropi

Where its fossils were found

Big Bend National Park, western Texas, USA.

Fun facts

  • Its head may have been held more than 4 meters high, about the height of a giraffe.
  • Quetzalcoatlus probably hunted small prey on the ground, much like storks and ground hornbills do today.
  • Despite its size, it probably launched into the air from a four-legged posture, using its powerful forelimb muscles to push off the ground.
  • Computer modeling suggested Quetzalcoatlus northropi could fly at up to 130 km/h for 7 to 10 days at altitudes of 4,600 meters.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).