Pterodactyl Facts for Kids

A Picture of Pterodactyl Antiquus
  • Species Type: Pterodactyl Antiquus
  • Type of Dinosaur: Pterosaur
  • Period: Late Jurassic
  • Diet: Meat (carnivorous)
  • Life Span: 10 to 25 years
  • Length: 3.5 feet (average)
  • Weight: Between 2 to 10 pounds

19 Pterodactyl Facts for Kids

  1. Pterodactyl are extinct members of the Pterodactylus genus.
  2. Pterodactyls are not actually dinosaurs, they are a pterosaurs and considered a flying reptile.
  3. A Pterodactyl is really the nickname for a Pterodactylus, but the phrase Pterodactyl is commonly used to describe it.
  4. The Pterodactyl was discovered in 1784 in Bavaria and given the scientific name Pterodactylus antiquus by Cosimo Alessandro Collini.
  5. The name Pterodactylus means: “Winged Finger”.
  6. The common name Pterodactyl is pronounced: “TERR-uh-DAK-tuhl”.
  7. The scientific name Pterodactylus is pronounced: “TERR-uh-DAK-tuhl-US”.
  8. The Pterodactyl was part of a group of dinosaurs known as Pterosaur (wing lizard).
  9. They lived at the end of the Jurassic Period between 148 and 151 million years ago.
  10. Estimates put the average length of a Pterodactyl at 3.5 feet.
  11. Estimates put the weight of the Pterodactyl between 2 and 10 pounds.
  12. Estimate put the average wing span of a Pterodactyl around 3.4 feet.
  13. Pterodactyl fossil remains have been found in Africa and Europe.
  14. The Pterodactyl was a carnivore that ate meat. Their diet most likely consisted of fish and other small animals.
  15. The Pterodactyl had an elongated beak with about 90 razor sharp teeth.
  16. The Pterodactyl walked on four legs, not two.
  17. Many paleontologist think the Pterodactyl was diurnal, meaning it was active during the day.
  18. A young Pterodactyl is called a flapling.
  19. The Pterodactyl was the first pterosaur ever to be indentified and described.

Additional Resources on Pterodactyls

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