Jurassic June: Quetzelcoatlus

Name: Quetzelcoatlus (Ketz-zell-coe-ought-lus)

Named after: Quetzelcoatl, the Aztec feathered serpent god of the winds

Quetzelcoatlus was the largest pterosaur that ever soared across the skies during the final days of the Late Cretaceous, 68-66 million years ago. This giant was as tall as a giraffe and had the wingspan of 40 feet. That's about as long as a Cessna 172 light aircraft.

Due to its size it would likely had to jump at least 2 meters into the air in order to take flight. Once in the air it likely flew like modern vultures or condors, gliding rather than flapping its enormous wings.

Quetzelcoatlus fossils can be found throughout North America from Texas to Montana. It lived along the last of the dinosaurs such as the horned Triceratops, the duck-billed Edmontosaurus, and the apex predator Tyrannosaurus. Its fossil may have influenced the myth behind the Thunderbird, a mythological creature among certain Native American cultures.

This pterosaur will make its first big screen debut in Jurassic World Dominion where one Quetzelcoatlus is attacking a plane operated by Owen Grady (played by Christ Pratt), Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise), and Claire Dearing (played by Bryce Dallas Howard).

#JurassicJune #pterosaur #paleontology #science #education #facts