Quetzalcoatlus - (pronounced ket-ZAHL-koe-at-luss)

Quetzalcoatlus (named for the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl) was a pterodactyloid pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous period of North America (Campanian–Maastrichtian stages, 84–65 million years ago), and one of the largest known flying animals of all time. It was a member of the Azhdarchidae, a group of advanced toothless pterosaurs. Quetzalcoatlus died out about 65 million years ago, during the K-T mass extinction.

 

Quetzalcoatlus was a flying reptile whose wing-span was just under 36 feet wide (10.96 metres). It had hollow bones, was lightly built and had a small body. Even though it was very big, it probably weighed only about 300 pounds (135 kg). It had toothless jaws and a long, thin beak. The neck was 10 feet (3 metres) long. The legs were over 7 feet (2.1 metres) in length, as was the long head.

Quetzalcoatlus had a large brain and big eyes (it probably had good eyesight). Fur-like fuzz (modified scales) may have covered its body. A light-weight, bony crests on the head may have been a mating characteristic. The crest might have acted as a rudder for flying.

Quetzalcoatlus wings were covered by a leathery membrane and were over 9 inches (23 cm) thick at the elbow. This thin but tough membrane stretched between its body, the top of its legs and its elongated fourth fingers, forming the structure of the wing. Claws protruded from the other fingers. Quetzalcoatlus flew long distances.

There are a number of different ideas about the lifestyle of Quetzalcoatlus. With its long neck vertebrae and long toothless jaws it might have fed on fish like a heron, or perhaps it scavenged like the Marabou Stork, others maintain that it fed like modern-day skimmers. Presumably Quetzalcoatlus could take off under its own power, but once aloft it may have spent much of its time soaring. On the ground, Quetzalcoatlus probably walked on all fours.

The first Quetzalcoatlus fossil was discovered in Texas in 1971 by Douglas A. Lawson. During the Cretaceous period, Texas's climate was similar to modern tropical coastal wetlands and lagoons, extending along the Cretaceous Seaway that filled the centre of North America. Bones of related animals are also known from Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada.

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Sauropsida

Order: Pterosauria

Suborder: Pterodactyloidea

Family: Azhdarchidae

Genus: Quetzalcoatlus

Species:
Q. northropi
Q. sp.