pterosaur

Everyday

A pterosaur was a flying reptile that lived at the time of the dinosaurs, with wings of skin stretched from a very long finger. tree →

In the lessons

In science and history lessons, pterosaurs like Pteranodon and Quetzalcoatlus flew over the dinosaurs; some were as big as a small plane. They are not dinosaurs and not birds — they are close cousins of dinosaurs. They died out with the dinosaurs.

Examples

• A pterosaur glided over the sea looking for fish. tree →
• Quetzalcoatlus was a giant pterosaur. tree →
• Pterosaurs had wings made of skin. tree →
• A pterosaur is not a dinosaur. tree →
• We found a pterosaur in the museum. tree →
• Some pterosaurs had big crests on their heads. tree →

Note

The «p» is silent: «TERR-uh-sor». Common trap: calling them «flying dinosaurs». Birds came from dinosaurs; pterosaurs did not become birds.