| Pteranodon Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
| |
| A restoration of Pteranodon longiceps | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
| Family: | †Pteranodontidae |
| Subfamily: | †Pteranodontinae Marsh, 1876 |
| Genus: | †Pteranodon |
| Type species | |
| †Pteranodon longiceps Marsh, 1876 | |
| Referred species | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Pteranodon (/tɪˈrænədɒn/) (from Greek πτερόν pteron "wing" and ἀνόδων anodon "toothless") is an extinct genus of pteranodontid pterosaur, it measured about 1.8 metres (six feet) long with a wingspan of 7.5 m (25 feet), and lived during the late Cretaceous period. It ate fishes, squid and other small sea animals and captured them with its long beak. It usually gets mistaken for pterodactyl, even though pterodactyl's proper name is Pterodactylus, a reptile that was much smaller and lived in the Late Jurassic - earlier than Pteranodon did, and on the territory of modern-day Europe rather than North America instead.
A number of species of Pteranodon have been named, including Pteranodon ingens, P. longiceps, and P. sternbergi. Today only P.longiceps and P.sternbergi are considered valid. P.sterbergi has been placed in it's own genus in the past, however paleontologists disagree with this classification.
Description[]
Pteranodon was notable for its skull crest. The crest has many blood vessels in it, found especially in male skeletons. It is believed that these were used as mating displays, in a similar fashion to how a peacock uses its tail feathers. Finds indicate that Pteranodon may have gathered in large rookeries during mating season. It is likely that males with bigger and brighter crests would be more appealing to the females. These may have been used as mating displays, or it might have acted as a rudder, or perhaps both. It has been suggested that males of the species bore larger crests, but with fossil animals it is often difficult to tell whether differences in crest shape reflect different sexes or different species.
Classification[]
Pteranodon is classified as the type genus of the group Pteranodontia, family Pteranodontidae, and subfamily Pteranodontinae, housed in the diverse suborder of Pterodactyloidea. It is a quite large genus in its clade, and its closest known relative is assumed to be potentially Tethydraco, though this placement is disputed. The next closest confirmed relatives would be the whole of its sister family, Nyctosauridae, which includes Barbaridactylus and Nyctosaurus.
In the Media[]
Pteranodon appears in many movies, TV shows and video games. It has become one of the most popular pterosaurs. It has appeared in the following media (among others):
A Pteranodon from Jurassic Park III
- A little Pteranodon named Madonna was seen in the trilogy of Prehysteria!.
- A dozen Pteranodons were seen at the end of The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
- A flock of Pteranodons attack the main characters in Jurassic Park III. Unlike the real animal, they are depicted with teeth.
- Another flock of Pteranodon appear in Jurassic World.
- It is revealed that there are surviving Pteranodon populations on Isla Nublar during Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, although they will now face an impending danger, alongside many other creatures, in the form of an erupting volcano. They were seen flying alongside a giant herd running away from Mount Sibo.
- 1 Pteranodon was seen in The 1998 IMAX Film T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous.
- Pteranodon appeared on Dinosaur King.
- A small flock of Pteranodons was seen at the beginning of Sea Monsters A Prehistoric Adventure flying over a Gorgosaurus & over the sea. 1 was also seen in the Video Game Version at the end.
- It is also seen in The Lost World novel by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Terrorsaur from beast wars
- One of the main characters of the movie We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story is a purple female Pteranodon named Elsa. However, she is referred to as a pterodactyl. With a long tail like that of a Rhamphorhynchus.
- It can be created in the video game Jurassic Park Park Builder.
- One of the main characters of the Land Before Time movies is a young Pteranodon named Petrie.
- Mr. and Mrs. Pteranodon, Tiny, Shiny, and Don are some of the characters from Dinosaur Train.
- Several Pteranodons appear in the TV series Primeval and Primeval: New World.
- In Hasbro's Transformers, the Autobot Swoop transforms into a mechanical Pteranodon, along with other Transformers characters such as Graphy, Terrorsaur, and Brimstone.
- It appears in the Walking with Dinosaurs special: Land of Giants.
- The Pteranodon is a common tame in the game Ark: Survival Evolved.
- in 1995’s Disney Pixar toy story. There is a pterodactyl similar to the Kenner Jurassic Park toy
- Pteranodon is in Jurassic World: Evolution via the Return to Jurassic Park DLC.