Pterodactyl

Pterodactyl is the informal term for a subgroup of flying reptiles (which is also called Pterosauria) known from the Late Jurassic through Late Cretaceous epochs (around 163.5 million - 66 million years ago). Pterodactyls, or, correctly, pterodactyloid, are differentiated from basal pterosaurs by their reduced teeth, fifth toe and tail.

Pterodactyloid metacarpals (palm bones) were longer than those of early pterosaurs, who possessed extended phalanges instead (the finger bones). Also, there are proportional differences in the neck, skull, wing bones and pelvis. The pterodactyl lifespan is about 10 to 25 years.

About Pterodactyl Dinosaur

Pterodactylus (or spell pterodactyl dinosaur), a Late Jurassic form from Germany with a wingspan ranging from 50 cm (20 inches) to well over 1 metre, is one of the Pterodactyloid genera (3.3 ft). It is likely that all the Pterodactylus fossils represent varying stages of growth within a single species. Pteranodon, a Late Cretaceous North American form, with a large cranial crest and a wingspan of more than 7 metres.

Whereas other crested genera are found in Late Cretaceous deposits of Brazil and include Anhanguera, Tupuxuara and Santana Dactylus, Dsungaripterus and many other crested forms have been discovered in China. Quetzalcoatlus and Montanazhdarcho, both from North America, Africa, and Europe, belong to the azhdarchids, a group of Late Cretaceous pterodactyloids. The wingspan of these particular reptiles ranged from 2 - 11 metres (6.5 - 36 ft), which makes them the largest well-known flying animals. There is also a game on Pterodactyl with the name of clan of pterodactyl.

Description

Pterodactylus is well-known from over 30 fossil specimens, and though most belong to juveniles, several preserve complete skeletons. Pterodactylus antiquus was defined as a relatively small pterosaur, having an estimated adult wingspan of up to 1.04 meters (3 feet 5 inches), based on the only known adult specimen that is represented by an isolated skull.

The other "species" were thought to have been once smaller. However, these smaller specimens have been shown as juveniles of Pterodactylus and its contemporaneous cousins, including Germanodactylus, Ctenochasma, Gnathosaurus, Aurorazhdarcho, and, if this genus is genuinely legitimate, Aerodactylus.

The skulls of the adult Pterodactylus were thin and long, having up to 90 narrow and conical teeth. The teeth extended back from the tips of both of the jaws and became smaller far away from the jaw tips, unlike the ones observed in most of the cousins, which had teeth missing from the upper jaw tip and were quite consistent in size.

Also, the Pterodactylus' teeth extended farther back into the jaw to that of close relatives, and some were present below the front of the nasoantorbital fenestra that is the largest opening in the skull. The other autapomorphy, which Pterodactylus has, is that the jaws and skull were straight, unlike the upwardly curved jaws that are seen in the related ctenochasmatids.

The below figure represents a Life restoration of BMMS 7, which is the largest known Pterodactylus specimen. The shape of the soft tissue crest is completely based on the specimen BSP 1929 I 18.

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Pterodactylus, which is like related pterosaurs, had a crest on its skull composed primarily of soft tissues. Whereas, in the adult Pterodactylus, this crest extended between the back of the skull and the back edge of the antorbital fenestra. At least in one specimen, the crest had a short bony base, also noticed in related pterosaurs like Germanodactylus. Solid crests have only been found on fully and large adult specimens of Pterodactylus, meaning that this was a display structure, which became larger and more well developed as individuals reached maturity. 

In 2013, the pterosaur researcher named S. Christopher Bennett noted that the other authors have claimed that the soft tissue crest of Pterodactylus has extended backwards behind the skull; beneth, on the other hand, found no indication of the crest reaching past the rear of the skull. Two specimens of P. antiquus (which is an incomplete skull BMMS 7 and the largest known skull of P. antiquus including the holotype specimen BSP AS I 739) contain a low bony crest on their skulls; in BMMS 7, it is 47.5 mm long (1.87 in, either more or less than 24% of its projected total skull length) and a maximum pterodactyl height of 0.9 mm (0.035 in) above the orbit.

Many P. antiquus specimens previously had signs of the soft tissue extensions of these crests, such as an "occipital lappet," a flexible and tab-like structure extending from the rear of the skull. In addition, the majority of these specimens have been reclassified as Aerodactylus scolopaciceps, a closely related species.

However, that may be nothing, just a junior synonym. Even if the Aerodactylus were correct, a single specimen with these characteristics is thought to belong to Pterodactylus, BSP 1929 I 18, which has an occipital lappet similar to the proposed Aerodactylus definition, as well as a small triangular soft tissue crest with the peak positioned above the eyes.

Paleobiology

Life History

Same as other pterosaurs (most notably - Rhamphorhynchus), Pterodactylus specimens can differ considerably based on maturity level or age. Both the proportions of the limb bones, shape and size of the skull and number of teeth and size changed as the animals grew. This has historically led to multiple growth stages (including the growth stages of related pterosaurs) being mistaken for new species of the Pterodactylus. Many detailed studies using different methods to measure growth curves among the known specimens have suggested that there is actually only a single valid species of P. Antiquus, Pterodactylus.

The youngest immature specimens of the Pterodactylus antiquus (alternately interpreted as the younger specimens of the distinct species - P. Kochi) contain a minimal number of teeth, as few as 15 in some, and the teeth contain a relatively broad base. At the same time, the teeth of other P. Antiquus specimens are both more numerous and narrower (around 90 teeth are present in many specimens).

The below representation is defined as the Holotype specimen of the species P. Spectabilis, which is now considered a juvenile specimen of P. Antiquus.

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Pterodactylus specimens are further classified into two-year groups. In the first-year class, the skulls only range from 15 - 45 millimeters (0.59 - 1.77 inches) in length. And, the second-year class is characterized by skulls of up to 55 - 95 millimeters (2.2 - 3.7 inches) long. However, they are still immature. Once, these first two size groups were classified as the juveniles and adults of the species P. Kochi until further study revealed that even the supposed "adults" were immature and possibly belonged to the distinct genus.

The specimens of "traditional" P. Antiquus, as well as a few isolated, large specimens formerly assigned to P. Kochi, which overlap P. Antiquus in size, make up a third-year class. However, in this third-year class, all specimens also show signs of immaturity. The fully mature Pterodactylus specimens remain to be unknown or may have been classified as a different genus mistakenly.

Some Formerly Assigned Species

Let us look at some of the formerly assigned species in detail.

A number of species have been assigned to Pterodactylus in the years since its discovery. In the 19th century's first half, any new pterosaur species would be named Pterodactylus, which therefore became a "wastebasket taxon." Even after varied forms had later been given their generic name, some new species would be created from the productive sites throughout North America and Europe, often based on only slightly different material.

Controversial Significance

The only well-supported and well-known species left by the first decades of the 21st century were P. Kochi and P. Antiquus. However, most of the studies between 1995 and 2010 have found little reason to separate even these particular two species and treated them as synonymous. Many recent studies of pterosaur relationships have found that pterodactyloids and anurognathids to be sister groups that would limit the inclusive group Caelidracones to just two clades.

Cultural Significance

Pterodactylus is regarded as the most iconic prehistoric creature, having multiple appearances in movies, books, several video games and television series as well. The informal name "pterodactyl" is at times used to refer to any kind of an animal that belongs to the order Pterosauria, though most of the time to Pterodactylus, as it is the most known member of the group. The popular aspect of the Pterodactylus consists of potentially large wings and an elongated head crest. However, studies of Pterodactylus conclude that it may even lack a bony cranial crest, though many analysis has proven that Pterodactylus may, in fact, contain a crest made up of soft tissue instead of bone.

Intelligence of Pterodactyls

As one might expect, it is not easy to determine the intelligence of any animal without noticing its behaviour. Obviously, this is not possible to accomplish in the pterosaurs case since this group of avemetatarsalians has been extinct for up to 66 million years. That said, there have been some studies that have aimed to arrive at estimates for pterosaurian intelligence depending on the concept of encephalization. To keep it simple, encephalization refers to the ratio of hypothesized (predicted) brain mass to the actual brain mass of an organism of a given weight (a quantity, called Encephalization Quotient, or EQ).

Pteranodon vs pterodactyl

Let us look in brief at pteranodon vs pterodactyl. Apart from their relative sizes, the main difference between the Pterodactylus and Pteranodon is given that the former pterosaur possessed fewer teeth, while the latter was toothless.