Pterodactylus

Pterodactylus was a small pterosaur with an estimated adult wingspan of about 1.04 metres (3.4 feet).1

Pterodactylus was a generalist carnivore that probably ate invertebrates and small vertebrates. It had a relatively high bite force that helped it crush the shells of invertebrates.1

Pterodactylus lived during the Late Jurassic period, about 150.8 to 148.5 million years ago.1

Most Pterodactylus fossils have been found in the Solnhofen limestone of Bavaria, Germany. A few fragmentary remains have also been tentatively identified from elsewhere in Europe and Africa.1

No, Pterodactylus was not a dinosaur. It was a pterosaur, a type of flying reptile that lived at the same time as dinosaurs.12

Pterodactylus had wings made of skin and muscle that stretched from its very long fourth finger to its hind legs. The wings were supported by fibres inside and ridges on the outside.1

The name Pterodactylus means 'winged finger' because its wing was supported by one very long finger.1

The first Pterodactylus fossil was described by Italian scientist Cosimo Alessandro Collini in 1784. It was later named Pterodactylus by French scientist Georges Cuvier in 1809.1

Yes, Pterodactylus had teeth. The shape, size and arrangement of its teeth show it was a carnivore that ate small animals.1

Pterodactylus lived alongside other small pterosaurs like Rhamphorhynchus and Anurognathus, as well as the early bird Archaeopteryx and small dinosaurs like Compsognathus.1