pterodactyl

Everyday

1. A pterodactyl is a flying reptile that lived at the time of the dinosaurs, with wings made of skin stretched from a long finger. tree →
2. In everyday talk, any flying reptile from that time (a pterosaur) is often called a pterodactyl. tree →

In the lessons

In science and history lessons it appears with dinosaurs and fossils; strictly it was not a dinosaur and not a bird. Phrases: a pterodactyl fossil, flying reptiles.

Examples

• The pterodactyl soared over the sea. tree →
• A pterodactyl was not a dinosaur, but it lived with them. tree →
• We saw a pterodactyl skeleton at the museum. tree →
• Pterodactyls had wings of skin. tree →
• My little brother screeched like a pterodactyl. tree →
• Pterodactyls died out about 66 million years ago. tree →

Note

Say ter-uh-DAK-til; the p is silent. «Ptero» means wing, «dactyl» means finger. Myth: pterodactyls were not dinosaurs and are not ancestors of birds.