Facts and Knowledge:

The pteranodon, a reptilian, flying dinosaur, lived 80 million years ago on the shores of the ocean that once covered much of Kansas. The Birthday Pteranodon is part of an order of flying reptiles. Animals in this order ranged in size from tiny, sparrow like creatures to huge, meat eating dinosaurs. Research may never reveal complete information about the pteranodon.

Food & Feeding: The pteranodon's 23 foot wingspan was out of proportion to the rest of its size: at 33 pounds, the pteranodon's body was about the size of a modern turkey.  The wings were so long that they could not be folded completely when the creature ws on the ground.  Its beak was long and toothless.  A bony horn, called a crest, on the back of the pteranodon's head could be twice as long as is skull.  The crest balanced the weight of the huge beak and lessened the strain on the dinosaur's neck muscles.  Even through the  pteranodon us classified as a reptile, it was warm blooded, and its body was covered by thick fur.  Its wing structure is more similar to a bats than to a bird's.  Like the modern day bird, though, the pteranodon had hollow bones, which kept its frame light enough for flying.  Its skeleton also played an important role for the pteranodon.  In addition to breathing through its lungs, the dinosaur obtained supplementary air from pouches that were distributed throughout the hollow bones.  These pouches became inflated as it flew.  Unlike today's reptiles, the pteranodon's brain was large and well developed.

Breeding: Little is known about the breeding habits of the warm blooded pteranodon.  But it is likely that either the young were born live, or they were hatched from eggs.  The young dinosaurs would have depended on the female or warmth and feeding, She would probably also have taught them to fly.  The male would have brought food to the nest for both the mother and young.  It is reasonable to assume that pteranodon's paired for a complete mating and breeding cycle or even for life.

Behavior:  Recent research has demonstrated that the pteranodon could have been capable of flying by flapping its wings.  But it is unlikely that it had the control and endurance of modern birds.  The pteranodon may also have been skilled at gliding because of its huge wingspan and comparatively light body weight.  By standing in a high place, facing into a breeze, and spreading its wings, the pteranodon would have been lifted into the air.  the air currents created by the ocean would have carried it aloft.

Food & Feeding: The pteranodon caught fish by gliding above the water, then diving down to snap up a fish near the surface.  The dinosaur stored its catch in a throat pouch similar to a pelican's.  One pteranodon fossil (preserved form of an animal or plant from an earlier geologic age) was discovered with two complete fish fossils in its pouch.
 

Key Facts: Sizes, Weight, breeding, lifestyle, related Species

Wing Span: 25 feet.
Weight: 35 lbs

Breeding:
Mating Unknown

Lifestyle:
Habitat: Coastal Areas
Diet: Fish
Habit: Believed to have been solitary, but may have paired for life.

Related Species: Other members of the order pterosaur (Pterosauria) include Pterodactylus, Dimorphodon, Rhamphorhychus, Titanopreryx and Quetzalcoatlus.

Range and Era of the Pteranodon: The only known pteranodon fossils were found in chalk deposits of western Kansas, in the central area of the United States.  The pteranodon lived during the Upper Cretaceous Period, about 80 million years ago.  The ocean covered much of North America during that time, and the  pteranodon was a sea going creature that lived in coastal areas.