Dinosaurs were not the only giant reptiles inhabiting Earth during the late Cretaceous period. Pteranodons were there too, winging their way through the prehistoric skies. These large flying reptiles must have been an amazing sight to see as they swooped down to catch prey from the water. Readers will dive into prehistory and find out more about these fascinating reptiles—from their habitat to their choice of food.

Presents general information about the pteradon, including the period in which it lived, where its fossils have been found, its bodily structure, and how it probably behaved.

Explains how scientists learn about dinosaurs and what their discoveries have revealed about Pteranodon.

"Simple text and illustrations present the life of pteranodon, how it looked, and its behavior"--Provided by publisher.

Pterosaurs were a peculiar group of Mesozoic vertebrates, which acquired the ability to fly in an original way, using a membrane attached to a single finger of the hand. Ever since the first description of a pterosaur skeleton in 1784, these remarkable animals have elicited much discussion and controversy among palaeontologists, and many basic questions about their origin, evolution and biology remain disputed. In the last few years, interest in pterosaurs has been revived by numerous discoveries of new and sometimes remarkably preserved specimens, which have enlarged and changed our picture of this group. The volume begins with descriptions of several new pterosaurs from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous of Europe, North and South America, and Africa. Following this, alternative hypotheses of pterosaur phytogeny and evolution are put forward. Several papers discuss the functional anatomy of pterosaurs and its implications for aerial locomotion. The study of pterosaur footprints provides important new evidence concerning their terrestrial locomotion, and this approach is used in several contributions. A developing aspect of pterosaur research is bone histology, as shown by the final papers in this collection.

Discusses what is presently believed about the flying reptiles of the dinosaur age known as pteranodon.