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KOMPAS.com – Pterodactyl is a general term for the winged reptiles called pterosaurs, which belong to the taxonomic order Pterosauria.
Pterodactyls were the first animals, after insects, to develop powerful flight, that is, not just jumping or gliding, but flapping their wings to generate lift and flying through the air.
Reported from American Museum of National History (AMNH), they evolved into dozens of species.
Some of its evolutions were the size of an F-16 fighter jet and others as small as a paper airplane.
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Since as early as 1834 the scientific community has regarded pterodactyl as an informal name for members of the order Pterosaurs which includes all flying reptiles that lived in the Mesozoic Era (252.2 million to 66 million years ago).
Pterosaurs were the first reptiles capable of flight and the first vertebrates to successfully fly using their powerful forelegs to launch their bodies into the air.
Their wings are formed by a membrane of skin connected to the hand by an elongated fourth finger, not unlike the fleshy wings of a bat.
Reported from Encyclopedia Britannica, although pterodactyls lived among dinosaurs and looked like dinosaurs, the two groups were not the same.
Like humans and apes, pterodactyls and dinosaurs shared a common ancestor which explains the similarities between these two creatures.
Also read: This Fossil of the Oldest Dinosaur Ancestor from South America Reveals the Origin of Dinosaurs
Both pterosaurs and dinosaurs are part of the Avemetatarsalia clan in the subclass Archosauria, the latter including close relatives of crocodiles and close relatives of dinosaurs and pterodactyls.
However, within Avemetatarsalia, there is a clear line of division, with dinosaurs and their close relatives on one side (Dinosauromorpha) and pterosaurs on the other.
Pterodactyls and dinosaurs can be distinguished by their bones. Skeletonally, the two groups diverged about 250 million years ago, which led to a number of physical differences, especially in their appendages.
Dinosaurs had hollow holes in their hip cavities and a long crest on their forearm bones, whereas pterodactyls had neither.
Thus, pterodactyls cannot be called dinosaurs. Instead, ancient flying reptile is a more appropriate name.
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