Pterodactyl

Pterodactyl is a term that is often used to refer to any member of the group of flying reptiles called pterosaurs. However, 'pterodactyl' specifically refers to a subgroup of pterosaurs known as the Pterodactyloidea, which includes several genera such as Pterodactylus, Dimorphodon, and Rhamphorhynchus. Pterodactyls lived during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous periods, approximately 150-100 million years ago. They were the first vertebrates to evolve the ability to fly, using a membrane of skin stretched between their elongated fingers to form wings. Pterodactyls varied in size, with some species having wingspans of just a few feet, while others had wingspans of over 30 feet. They are believed to have been carnivorous, with some species having sharp, pointed teeth for catching and eating fish, while others had beak-like snouts for tearing apart prey. Pterodactyls went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, along with many other groups of dinosaurs.