Hey there! Squeaks and I are getting ready for a big trip. We’re going to fly on an airplane, and it’s Squeaks’ first time flying. He was a bit nervous, so we learned all about flying to help him feel better.
It’s amazing that big things like airplanes can fly! Most flying creatures we see, like insects, bats, and birds, aren’t nearly as big. Squeaks wondered if any animal was ever as big as an airplane. Well, not as big as the jumbo jet we’re taking, but scientists believe there was once a giant flying reptile called Quetzalcoatlus. It lived millions of years ago and was about as big as a small airplane!
Even though Quetzalcoatlus lived at the same time as dinosaurs, it wasn’t a dinosaur. Dinosaurs are just one group of ancient animals. There were many other creatures back then, like turtles, small furry mammals, and crocodiles. Quetzalcoatlus was part of a group called pterosaurs, which had different shaped bones than dinosaurs.
Quetzalcoatlus is extinct, which means it’s no longer found on Earth. It went extinct long before humans existed, so no one has ever seen one alive. But we know some cool things about it! Quetzalcoatlus was as tall as a giraffe and had wings as big as a small airplane. Scientists, called paleontologists, study ancient life by looking for clues left behind, like fossils.
Fossils are bones and other traces of ancient living things. Fossils of pterosaurs show they had big, long wings. Paleontologists find long bones and marks in the dirt made by the Quetzalcoatlus’ skin. These marks show that the long bones were connected by skin to make wings!
By comparing the wings of animals today to Quetzalcoatlus’ wings, scientists think it could fly. Not all animals with wings can fly, like ostriches and kiwis. But Quetzalcoatlus had strong muscles in its wings, similar to birds that do fly. It probably used its wings and legs to leap into the air and only needed to flap its wings a few times to stay up, like a kite!
Once in the air, Quetzalcoatlus could travel about 16,000 kilometers without stopping, almost halfway around the Earth! With everything Squeaks learned, he’s not scared to fly anymore. In fact, he’s really excited! Knowing more about the world makes it less scary, and we’re in for a fun adventure. Don’t you think?
Thanks for joining us here on SciShow Kids. If you want to keep learning and having fun with Squeaks, me, and all our other friends, be sure to hit the subscribe button. See you next time at The Fort!
