Meet The Quetzalcoatlus, The Giraffe-Sized Pterosaur That Was The Largest Flying Dinosaur To Ever Live

“Pterosaurs have huge breastbones, which is where the flight muscles attach, so there is no doubt that they were terrific flyers,” said Padian.

Despite the range in size from large to small, researchers had attributed all previously uncovered fossils of Quetzalcoatlus northropi to that same species. It was only now that they realized that the smaller bones weren’t those of juvenile members, but belonged to two previously unknown pterosaur species, instead.

“To say that this work is long awaited is something of an understatement,” said pterosaur expert Darren Naish.

Identified as Quetzalcoatlus lawsoni, one of them was named in honor of Douglas Lawson and was only the second Quetzalcoatlus to ever be found. This creature had a wingspan between 18 and 20 feet. The other pterosaur species was christened Wellnhopterus brevirostri and is unrelated to Quetzalcoatlus.

In order to determine how Quetzalcoatlus northropi became the largest flying dinosaur, researchers partially reconstructed the bones of its smaller species in order to find out more. Scientists discovered that the flying reptile did not rock back and forth like a bat. Nor did it gather speed by running like an albatross as had previously been theorized.