Animals that walk on land
Pterosaurs are also colloquially referred to as pterodactyls, particularly by journalists. Technically, Pterodactyl refers only to members of the genus Pterodactylus, and more broadly to members of the suborder Pterodactyloidea of the pterosaurs. Very little is known about pterosaur reproduction, and pterosaur eggs are very rare. The first known pterosaur egg was found in the quarries of Liaoning, the same place that yielded feathered dinosaurs. The egg was squashed flat with no signs of cracking, so evidently the eggs had leathery shells, as in modern lizards. Both pterosaurs and dinosaurs are distinct groups that shared a common ancestor, and so to call a pterosaur a dinosaur is to ignore this major divergence in the evolution of both groups. A pterosaur is no more a dinosaur than a goldfish is a shark. Calling a pterosaur a dinosaur is an error of the same order of magnitude as saying that our species is a marsupial, but to understand why we need to flesh out the evolutionary relationships of these animals. Pterodactyl is an informal name for members of the order Pterosauria. Pterodactylus (/ˌtɛrəˈdaektɨləs/ ˌTɛRəˈDæKTɨLəS-terr-ə-dak-til, əs from The greek, πτεροδάκτυλος, pterodaktulos meaning winged) finger is a genus of, pterosaurs whose members are popularly known as (/pterodactyls/). ˌtɛrəˈdaektɨlz ˌtɛrəˈdæktɨlz Pterodactylus antiquus was a relatively small pterosaur, with an estimated adult wingspan of about 1.04 meters (3 feet 5 inches) (the only known adult specimen is represented by an isolated skull). Other species were once thought to be smaller. Pterodactyl is the common term for the winged reptiles properly called pterosaurs, which belong to the taxonomic order Pterosauria. Scientists typically avoid using the term and concentrate on individual genera, such as Pterodactylus and Pteranodon.  A Pteranodon in flight (Wikimedia Commons). Pterodactyl is the generic word people use to refer to two famous pterosaurs of the Mesozoic Era-- Pteranodon and Pterodactylus.  A Pterodactyl had a wingspan of anywhere between a few inches up to over 40 feet long. Pterodactyls are believed to have flown long distances using large wings and they had above average eyesight to help them catch their prey. Paleontologist classify Pterodactyls as flying reptiles and not dinosaurs.  This Pguy!”. Despite what you learned in your very first dinosaur book, the Pterodactyl was not a dinosaur. Dinosaurs (at the time of this writing, at least) are defined as land-dwelling, diapsid reptiles that descended from the archosaurs.  1.1 (In general use) any pterosaur. Example sentences. 1  I decided on a pterodactyl, a dinosaur with a distinct advantage over most dinosaurs: the ability to fly like an eagle. 2  Based on widely accepted criteria, pterodactyls and other pterosaurs are not dinosaurs. 1 Based on widely accepted criteria, pterodactyls and other pterosaurs are not dinosaurs. 2  Birds, close cousins of pterodactyls, are believed to have evolved from theropod dinosaurs about 150 million years ago. Full Definition of PTERODACTYL. : any of various pterosaurs (suborder Pterodactyloidea) of the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous having a rudimentary tail and a beak with reduced dentition; broadly: pterosaur. See pterodactyl defined for English-language learners.  Physical Description. Pterodactyl basically meant winged lizard. The term Dinosaurs refer to strictly to animals that walk on land, so technically the Pterodactyl is a mammal, but since it was a flying reptile during the time of dinosaurs it is good to understand the Pterodactyl. The wings were attached to the very long forth finger on each of its arms. They were one of the only flying reptiles during the period of the dinosaurs. The wings of a pterodactyl are not like that of a bird. Pterodactyls had 4 fingers and three of them would end at about half of the wing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterosaur http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-a-pterosaur-is-not-a-dinosaur-87082921/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterodactylus http://www.livescience.com/24071-pterodactyl-pteranodon-flying-dinosaurs.html http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/typesofdinosaurs/ss/10-Facts-About-Pterodactyls.htm http://mantyweb.com/dinosaur/pterodactyl.htm https://animalreview.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/pterodactyl-pterosaur/ http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pterodactyl http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pterodactyl http://www.dinosaurfacts.org/pterodactyl
what is a pterodactyl dinosaur