By now you have probably realized that today’s Wild Fact is a little bit different than most of our other facts. Well, let me explain to you why we are going to talk about this famous dinosaur, we will also explain why the Pterodactyl isn’t actually a dinosaur. You see, I told my wonderful niece that I will be getting her a pet Pterodactyl for her 7th birthday coming up in September. As a result, I have been thinking a lot about these incredible creatures and even though they are extinct, I thought it would make for a great Wild Fact. Oh and if any of you know where I will be able to find a pet Pterodactyl for my niece, please leave a comment below.

Okay, so why is it wrong to call the Pterodactyl a dinosaur? Well my dear friends, the term Dinosaur is reserved for an unique group of reptiles that have a particular upright stance. Unfortunately, our flying friends don’t technically fall into this group. So what in the world are they then? Great question! Technically the Pterodactyl is a Pterosaur, which is a group of flying reptiles. Unfortunately, most people refer to the entire Pterosaur group as “Pterodactyls” but this is also incorrect as only certain members of this larger group are the Pterodactyl that we will be discussing today. Confused? Good, so am I!

The true Pterodactyl, which has been described and recreated from 27 fossil records is a relatively small Pterosaur. Of course, I am not talking Chickadee small but with a wingspan of only 1.5 m (5′) the Pterodactyl was small for the time it lived in. Don’t worry though, since what it lacked in size, it made up for in teeth. They may have been small but with 90 large, long, cone-like teeth, I would not want to be the dentist working on this creatures mouth. So what did they use all of these teeth for? Eating of course! I would love to tell you exactly what these animals ate but to be honest, I am not 100% certain. Amongst the broader Pterosaur group, the diet varied between carrion (dead animals), invertebrates, small animals and some feasted on fish. Due to the hooked beak, the throat pouch and the webbed feet on our true Pterodactyl friend, I would guess they were among the fish eaters. Perhaps they were like today’s seagulls and swarmed the Dinosaurs as they ate their french fries near the water. Again, this is just my personal hypothesis and I am far from being a Palaeontologist.

Wow, today’s Wild Fact flew by. I might have to start writing about Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs more often. Thanks for reading and I will see you tomorrow.