Pteranodon

Pteranodon is a genus of large, toothless pterosaurs that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous. Its most distinctive feature was a long cranial crest whose shape varied among individuals.

Pterosaur: A flying reptile belonging to the extinct group Pterosauria, which lived from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous. Pteranodon is one of the best-known members of this broader group of flying reptiles.
Wing loading: The ratio of an animal's weight to its wing area, affecting its flight speed and maneuverability. Pteranodon's broad wings imply low wing loading suited to soaring.
Pteranodon longiceps: A species of Pteranodon known from Late Cretaceous fossils in North America. It is the best-known Pteranodon species and the source of many familiar reconstructions.
Nyctosaurus: A genus of Late Cretaceous pterosaur with a distinctive branched cranial crest and reduced fingers. It lived in similar seas but had a strikingly different crest and wing structure.
Pterosaur paleontology: The study of pterosaur fossils, evolution, anatomy, and ecology. Pteranodon became a landmark subject in the developing study of pterosaurs.
Pterosaur flight: The powered flight of pterosaurs, enabled by wings formed from a membrane stretched over an elongated fourth finger. Its enormous wings carried Pteranodon over coastal waters and open landscapes.
Soaring: Flight in which an animal gains or maintains altitude by exploiting rising air rather than continuous powered flapping. Thermal and coastal updrafts could help a large pterosaur travel with limited flapping.
Pteranodon sternbergi: A species of large pteranodontid pterosaur named from fossils found in Kansas. Its taller, backward-projecting crest contrasts with the crest typical of P. longiceps.
Pterodactylus: A genus of relatively small pterosaur known from Jurassic fossils in Germany. It differs from Pteranodon in age, size, and its toothed jaws.
Kansas: A state in the central United States whose Cretaceous rocks preserve extensive marine fossil deposits. Many of the earliest and most important Pteranodon fossils came from Kansas chalk.

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