Animal Profiles
Reptiles

Pteranodon

Pteranodon

Extinct

This animal is extinct. No living individuals remain.

Status source

Pteranodon was a toothless flying reptile of the Late Cretaceous. Long wings and a prominent head crest distinguish its fossils, many of which come from rocks deposited beneath ancient North American seas.

Pteranodon, AI-generated lifelike reconstruction
AI-generated reconstruction. Colors and soft tissues are interpretive.

At a glance

Habitat
Coast
Diet
Piscivore
Food
Fish.

Classification

Common name
Pteranodon
Browse group
Reptiles
Scientific name or taxon
Pteranodon
Source classification
Reptilia

Three things to know

  • Its name refers to toothless wings.
  • Fish remains provide evidence of its diet.
  • Its wings were supported by an elongated finger.

Habitat and range

Pteranodon lived around the ancient seaway that covered central North America. Fossil discoveries in what is now Kansas helped reveal that these pterosaurs were part of a marine-associated ecosystem.

Appearance and adaptations

A long toothless beak, large wings and a backward-projecting crest create the familiar outline. Wing membranes were supported by an elongated finger, unlike the feathered wings of birds.

Diet and behaviour

Fish remains found with Pteranodon fossils provide direct feeding evidence. Its exact capture techniques are less certain. It belonged to the pterosaurs, a separate flying-reptile lineage rather than the birds or non-avian dinosaurs.

Sources

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