NormalQuetzalcoatlus
Quetzalcoatlus northropi
KET-zal-koh-AT-lus· “after Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec feathered serpent”
🪽 Pterosaur🕰️ Cretaceous🥩 carnivore🦴 Azhdarchidae
10.5 m
Length
5 m
Height
250 kg
Weight
One of the largest flying animals of all time — a giant azhdarchid pterosaur with a wingspan of around 10–11 metres, standing as tall as a giraffe. It likely strode across the land stalking small prey before launching into powered flight. A pterosaur, not a dinosaur.
When
Late Cretaceous, ~68–66 million years ago
Found in
United States
Discovered
Douglas Lawson, 1971
Did you know?
- Among the largest animals ever to fly, with a ~10–11 m wingspan.
- Stood as tall as a giraffe and may have foraged on foot before taking off.
- Named after Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec feathered-serpent god.
Artwork: Dmitry Bogdanov, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.