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Pteranodon
(ter-an-o-don)
Pteranodon means "winged lizard"
Pteranodon was like a bird today,
it had a small, light body and hollow bones.
But Pteranodon had no feathers, he just had
smooth skin stretched to form incredible wings,
spanning up to 25 feet long!
He probably glided through the air rather than flapping his wings to fly.
Pteranodon weighed 20-40 pounds.
He had a long triangular crest that pointed up from the back of his head.
It probably helped him steer more carefully through the air.
Pteranodon's excellent eyesight helped him spot his prey from great distances.
Pteranodon ate fruit, insects and fish.
He also had a neck pouch like pelicans do today.
He would over the water and scoop up fish with its long toothless beak.
Pteranodon must have looked like a flying dragon or a giant bat
as he soared overhead.
Many Pteranodon skeletons have been found in Kansas where
millions of years ago, there was a great inland sea.