Pterodactyls are exciting, interesting and fun!
Facts
Pterodactyls are a type of pterosaur, they were winged reptiles and flew in the sky when dinosaurs were roaming the Earth!
Pterodactyls lived on Earth millions of years ago, we only know about them from their remains being preserved in rocks, these are called ‘fossils’.
The word ‘pterodactyl’ means ‘winged finger’. Pterodactyls had extremely long, specially adapted fourth fingers, to which their wings were attached.
Pterodactyls had lots of tiny sharp teeth in their beaks and ate fish and small animals.
Scientists think that when they were on the ground, pterodactyls didn’t hop about on their feet like birds, instead they walked around on all fours, using their wings like feet!
Funny
Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl going to the toilet?
A: Because the ‘p’ is silent
Which was the scariest pre-historic animal?
A: The Terror-dactyl
Why did the pterodactyl cross the road?
A: Because the chicken hadn’t evolved yet!
What do you do if you find a pterodactyl sleeping in your bed?
A: Find somewhere else to sleep!
Did you know that pterodactyls could jump higher than houses?
A: Of course they could, houses can’t jump!
Have you got any pterodactyl jokes you’d like to share?
Pterodactyl dot to dot and colouring
https://www.bigactivities.com/ctd/dinosaurs/pterodactyl/pterodactyl5.php
Here’s a pterodactyl song!
Film
Pterodactyls have played a leading role in many films including the Jurassic Park franchise and some great B movies such as One Million Years BC.
Fiction
The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle
This classic tale is about an exhibition to a plateau in the Amazon basin of South America where prehistoric animals still survive.
The pterodactyls in the book are described like this
‘tall, grey, and withered, more like dead and dried specimens than actual living creatures, … absolutely motionless save for the rolling of their red eyes or an occasional snap of their rat-trap beaks as a dragon-fly went past them. Their huge, membranous wings were closed by folding their fore-arms, so that they sat like gigantic old women, wrapped in hideous web-colored shawls, and with their ferocious heads protruding above them.’
Conan Doyle obviously didn’t think pterodactyls would be very friendly! Have you written a story or poem about pterodactyls that you’d like to share?
Doing!
Make a origami Pterodactyl
Yakomoga origami has a Facebook page
Colouring download
If you like colouring in there are several pterosaurs on this page that you can either print or colour them on-line and save them.
http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/dinosaurs/pterodactyl
