Quetzalcoatlus

Quetzalcoatlus northropi

Resurrected on:

7 jul. 2019

Genus information

Quetzalcoatlus is the largest species of pterosaur that ever lived on our planet. There are still many mysteries about its habits and capabilities: was it able to fly and what did it feed on? Its wingspan was enormous, reaching to at least 11 meters, which would make it the size of a small airplane. It lived during the Late Cretaceous period of North America where it probably soared over great plains looking for food, like carrion or maybe even small dinosaurs. Quetzalcoatlus was capable of walking on four feet, so it was able hunt on the ground, like some bird-of-prey do nowadays.

Family:

Distribution:

Epoch:

Azhdarchidae

North America

Upper Cretaceous

Species information

There’s just a single species known to the genus Quetzalcoatlus. A few fragmentary individuals were initially found in 1971 in Texas (USA), but more fossils were discovered in the famous Hell Creek Formation in 2002. The species was abundant in its time.

Species:

Paleontologist:

Distribution:

Epoch:

Quetzalcoatlus northropi

Lawson, 1975

North America

Upper Cretaceous

Length:

Height:

Weight:

11.0 m wingpan

3.0 m

250 kg

Reference:

Kubo, T. (2011). Estimating body weight from footprints: application to pterosaurs. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 299(1-2), 197-199.