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Quetzalcoatlus

Say it: ket-sul-ko-AHT-lus

Name means: “named after the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl”1

Ate: MeatFlying reptilesLate CretaceousNot technically a dinosaur

Quetzalcoatlus was one of the largest flying animals that ever lived. It was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived at the same time as dinosaurs. With a wingspan as wide as a small airplane, it could soar over the ancient landscapes of Texas.2 1

Fun fact: pterosaurs flew over the dinosaurs, but they were their cousins, not dinosaurs themselves.

Lived

72 to 66 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Texas, USA (Big Bend National Park, Javelina Formation)3 2

Food

Meat1

Length

3.5 m1

body length from beak tip to tail tip, for Q. lawsoni

Wingspan

11 to 12 m2 1

estimated for the largest species Q. northropi

Weight

230 kg2

Height

2 to 3 m1

shoulder height for Q. northropi

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

shoulder height for Q. northropi

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 8 big dogs

as long as 4 dogs nose to tailas long as 19 bananas end to endas heavy as 46 watermelonsas tall as 1.5 doors stacked up

How big was Quetzalcoatlus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Quetzalcoatlus had a wingspan of about 11 to 12 metres (36 to 39 feet), which is as wide as a small plane.2

It weighed only about 230 kilograms (500 pounds), which is light for its huge size, thanks to hollow bones.2

Quetzalcoatlus could walk on all fours using its wings as front legs, like a bat.2

It lived about 68 to 66 million years ago, right at the end of the age of dinosaurs.1

The first fossil was a single wing bone found by a student named Douglas Lawson in 1971.2

Quetzalcoatlus probably launched into flight by pushing off the ground with its strong front legs, not by jumping with its back legs.1

There might be two species: the giant Q. northropi and a smaller one called Q. lawsoni, which had a wingspan of about 5.5 metres (18 feet).2 1

AI-made picture of Quetzalcoatlus — An AI-made picture of how Quetzalcoatlus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Quetzalcoatlus

?Was Quetzalcoatlus a dinosaur?

No, Quetzalcoatlus was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived at the same time as dinosaurs but was not a dinosaur.2

?How big was Quetzalcoatlus?

It had a wingspan of about 10 to 11 metres (33 to 36 feet), which is as wide as a small airplane. It weighed around 230 kilograms (500 pounds).1 2

?What did Quetzalcoatlus eat?

It most likely hunted small prey on the ground, like storks and ground hornbills do. Some scientists think it also ate small aquatic animals.1

?Could Quetzalcoatlus fly?

Yes, it could fly. It probably launched into the air by pushing off the ground with its strong front legs, using a four-legged takeoff.1

?When did Quetzalcoatlus live?

It lived about 68 to 66 million years ago, at the very end of the Cretaceous period, just before the big extinction that killed the dinosaurs.1 2

?Where was Quetzalcoatlus found?

Its fossils were discovered in Big Bend National Park in Texas, USA, in rocks of the Javelina Formation.1 2

?Was Quetzalcoatlus bigger than T. rex?

Quetzalcoatlus had a much bigger wingspan than T. rex was tall, but T. rex was heavier. Quetzalcoatlus was not a dinosaur, so they are hard to compare directly.1

?Did Quetzalcoatlus have feathers?

No, it did not have feathers. It was covered in hair-like filaments called pycnofibres, which are different from feathers.1

?How did Quetzalcoatlus walk?

It walked on all fours, using its wings as front legs, similar to a bat. It could also walk with a pacing gait.1 2

?Is Quetzalcoatlus the biggest flying animal ever?

It is one of the largest flying animals ever, with a wingspan of about 10 to 11 metres. Some other pterosaurs like Hatzegopteryx were similar in size.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Many people think Quetzalcoatlus was a dinosaur.

Truth: Quetzalcoatlus was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that is not a dinosaur. Dinosaurs are a different group of animals.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Quetzalcoatlus
Named by: Lawson 19753
Group: Flying reptiles
Family / clade: Azhdarchidae3
Classification: Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea > Azhdarchidae3
Age of the rocks: 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)3
Rock formations: Javelina, Black Peaks3
Countries: USA3
Fossil records: 8 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: In 1971, geology student Douglas Lawson found a huge wing bone in Big Bend National Park, Texas. He named it Quetzalcoatlus northropi in 1975.2 1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure whether the smaller Quetzalcoatlus fossils are a separate species (Q. lawsoni) or just young individuals of the giant species.2 1

Where the facts come from

Quetzalcoatlus (en.wikipedia.org)
Pterosaurs - Big Bend National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Quetzalcoatlus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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