Quetzalcoatlus
PALAEONTOLOGICAL RECORD
Quetzalcoatlus is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous in North America. The type specimen, recovered in 1971 from the Javelina Formation of Texas, United States, consists of several wing fragments and was described as Quetzalcoatlus northropi in 1975 by Douglas Lawson. The generic name refers to the Aztec serpent god of the sky, Quetzalcōātl, while the specific name honors Jack Northrop, designer of a tailless fixed-wing aircraft. The remains of a second species were found between 1972 and 1974, also by Lawson, around 40 km (25 mi) from the Q. northropi locality. In 2021, these remains were assigned to the name Quetzalcoatlus lawsoni by Brian Andres and (posthumously) Wann Langston Jr., as part of a series of publications on the genus.
DISCOVERY
Discovered in Texas in 1971 by Douglas A. Lawson.
DIETARY PROFILE
Terrestrial stalker; consumed small dinosaurs on the ground rather than skimming waters.
NOTABLE PALAEONTOLOGY FACTS
- The largest flying animal in Earth's history, standing as tall as a giraffe when grounded.
- It did not hunt by plucking fish from the ocean, opting instead to stalk across plains like a giant heron.
HOLLYWOOD INACCURACIES
- Mostly accurate scale and appearance.
- It carried pycnofibers (fuzz), true to life.
- Its ability to take down planes is physically questionable but cinematic.
