Pteranodon, the "Toothless Wing," is 
a very well known species of 
pterosaur due to a lot of repres-
entation in the fossil record as 
well as popular movies and 
television shows. Showing a great
degree of sexual dimorphism,
pteranodon is a fascinating 
prehistoric flying reptile. Males 
grew to over six meters from wingtip 
to wingtip and had a very large 
crest; females were smaller with 
wingspans that didn't quite reach 
four meters and shorter, rounder 
crests. Though traditionally the 
crest was thought to be used as a 
rudder when flying, the range of 
sizes of crests across genders means 
it likely was not used for anything 
other than a mating display.

During the late Cretaceous Period,
the center of the United States was
an underwater paradise known as the 
Western Interior Seaway, which was a
small sea full of tasty creatures 
for pteranodon to feast on. Its diet 
likely consisted of only fish, but 
at least there were plenty of fish 
in the sea for every pterosaur. 
Pteranodon probably fished by 
sitting on the water and plunging 
their long beaks into the waves, but
may have also been able to dive into
the water to make spectacular 
catches. On land, these creatures 
walked on all-fours with their wings
folded so that their small hands 
could reach the ground. 
