Pterosaurs RULERS OF THE SKIES IN THE DINOSAUR AGE by Caroline arnold Illustrated by laurie Caple
Quetzalcoatlus Wing Lizards More than sixty-five million years ago huge flying reptiles with nearly 40-foot wingspans flew in the skies over what is now southern Texas Like living sailplanes they soared on narrow skin covered wings circling on rising air currents much as eagles and
vultures do today Scientists have given these ancient animals the name Quetzalcoatlus after Quetzalcoatl the winged serpent god of the Aztecs They are the biggest living creatures creatures ever known to fly Quetzalcoatlus belongs to a large and diverse group of flying reptiles called pterosaurs a name that comes from Greek words meaning wing lizards The p in the word ptero is not pronounced Ranging in size from that of a sparrow to that of a small fighter jet pterosaurs lived throughout the prehistoric world Some of them flew over oceans and lakes scooping up fish from the surface of the water in their long-toothed beaks Others lived on land feeding on insects and other food able to grasp objects with the three clawed fingers at the edge of each of their wings More than a hundred species of these ancient reptiles are known to have existed and the list is growing as scientists continue to unearth pterosaur fossils in Brazil China Antarctica and elsewhere elsewhere Recent discoveries have revealed new information about pterosaurs and are helping to answer questions about what the world was like when these amazing flying reptiles were alive
