Page 153 - The Dinosaur Book and Other Wonders of the Prehistoric World (DK-Smithsonian)

The long, sharp-toothed
jaws of Cearadactylus were
ideal for seizing fish at sea. Later pterosaurs

Cearadactylus Pteranodon’s long,

slender wings were used
to soar over the ocean, like
those of a modern albatross.

The bones of a fourth,
greatly elongated finger
The long, beaklike jaws supported the outer wing.
of this pterosaur—and
many others—had no
teeth at all.

Pteranodon

Alanqa

With its outer
wings folded up,
Tapejara could HOW PTEROSAURS EVOLVED
walk on all fours.
Early pterosaurs were typically crow-sized animals with long, bony tails, short
necks, and powerful jaws bristling with pointed teeth. During the Jurassic
Period, they gradually gave way to bigger, short-tailed pterosaurs with longer
necks and long, often toothless jaws. Many of these later pterosaurs also had
spectacular crests on their heads.
Crested head
Short neck
Very long tail

Short tail
Long neck
Tapejara
Early pterosaurs Later pterosaurs

able to swim on the ocean surface like seabirds of small aircraft, with wingspans of 33 ft (10 m)
and dive briefly below to catch fish. Many of or more. These were the largest flying animals
these later pterosaurs were giants compared that ever lived, and all the evidence suggests
to the earlier ones. Pteranodon had a wingspan that they were excellent fliers, able to cover
of more than 23 ft (7 m), and the biggest of all— vast distances by soaring on rising air currents
Quetzalcoatlus and Hatzegopteryx—were the size like gigantic vultures. 151

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