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Pteranodon Facts for Kids

Pteranodon Facts for Kids

  • Common Name: Pteranodon
  • Order: Pterosauria
  • Type Species: Pteranodon longiceps
  • Total Species: 1
  • Diet: Carnivorous (Ate Meat)
  • Period: Late Cretaceous Period
  • Description: A Flying Reptilian Predator

21 Pteranodon Facts For Kids

  1. The Pteranodon was a dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period.
  2. The Pteranodon is not a dinosaur, it is a pterosaur and a member of the Pteranodontidae family.
  3. Pteranodon was a large flying reptile and predator.
  4. The Pteranodon was carnivorous and ate other dinosaurs (meat).
  5. You pronounce the name Pteranodon by saying: “tuh-RA-nuh-daan”.
  6. The meaning of the dinosaur name Pteranodon is “toothless wing”.
  7. There is only one species of Pteranodon recognized by paleontologists.
  8. The type species for the Pteranodon is Pteranodon longiceps.
  9. American paleontologist George F. Sternberg was the first person to discover a Pteranodon specimen in 1952.
  10. American paleontologist John Christian Harksen was the first person to scientifically described the Pteranodon in 1966.
  11. The holotype specimen for Pteranodon is YPM 1177.
  12. The Pteranodon was estimated to have an average body weight between 80 and 120 pounds.
  13. The Pteranodon was estimated to have an average wingspan between 12 and 18 feet, varying by gender.
  14. The flight speed of the Pteranodon was estimated to have been between 18 and 20 miles per hour.
  15. The lifespan of the Pteranodon is estimated to have been between 35 and 70 years.
  16. The discovery of Pteranodon specimens show it lived in modern-day North America.
  17. The most prominent feature of the Pteranodon was its large cranial crest.
  18. The Pteranodon had no teeth, instead it had a long sharp beak, similar to the beaks of modern-day birds.
  19. More than 1,200 fossil specimens of the Pteranodon have been discovered, more than any other pterosaur.
  20. For a while there was debate around the mobility of the Pteranodon, some believed it was bipedal, while others quadrupedal. The discovery of Pteranodon tracks showed it was a quadrupedal pterosaur.
  21. The Pteranodon had a diet that consisted mostly of fish, but probably also included other small vertebrae.

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Pteranodon Pictures

There is a saying that claims a picture is worth a thousand words. If that is true then the below images will help you with your research on the Pteranodon Below you will find three pictures related to the Pteranodon dinosaur. These pictures should give you a bettering understanding of the Pteranodon and what it may have looked like.

A Pteranodon Flying In The Sky

A picture of a Pteranodon flying in the sky.

Pteranodons Flying Over Islands

A picture of Pteranodons flying over islands.

A Group Of Pteranodons

A picture of a group of Pteranodons.

Pteranodon Resources

We hope the above Pteranodon facts, information, data, and images were helpful in your research. You can continue your research on the Pteranodon using one of the below websites. We picked the below websites for the credibility, you can trust their information and data when it comes to the Pteranodon.