Pterosaurs are often referenced as “flying dinosaurs,” though they’re just flying reptiles — cousins to dinosaurs. From the late Triassic period to the end of the Cretaceous period, Petrosaurs dominated the sky. They could be as large as fighter jets and as small as toy planes. Here are five of the most fascinating flying reptiles that lived among the dinosaurs.
1. Pterodactylus
Pterodactylus was the first pterosaur to be recognized as a flying reptile. First described in 1784 by Italian Naturalist Cosimo Collini — based on unearthed fossils from Bavaria — it had an unusual straight jaw containing approximately 90 teeth. At first, researchers misidentified it as a marine animal that used its large arms as flippers to move through the water. It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that it was fully recognized as a flying animal.
Pterodactylus is by far the most well-known of all the pterosaurs, leading to the name “Pterodactyl” becoming synonymous with all pterosaurs, even though it is its own species.
