Two life-sized reconstructions of Pteranodon longiceps -- a giant, extinct flying reptile -- soared through the Atrium of the Canadian Museum of Nature.

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Collage of images: photo of a skull of Daspletosaurus torosus CMNFV 8506; illustration of a burying beetle, Nicrophorus sayi; photo of purple saxifrage, Saxifraga oppositifolia.

Pteranodon longiceps

3D model of a pterosaur skull and the fossil upon which it is based. CMN41358.

The art of reconstruction requires a creative leap from a fossil, of which only this surface is visible, to a three-dimensional model. Catalogue: CMN41358.

What's in a Name?

Pteranodon , the Latin name for this genus of pterosaur, means "toothless flier". Two large species of Pteranodon are known: Pteranodon sternbergi, which had a wingspan up to 9.1 m, and the species we have reconstructed here, Pteranodon longiceps.

For many years, this species was referred to as Pteranodon ingens, but it is now recognized as Pteranodon longiceps , the name given it when first described by Yale University paleontologist O.C. Marsh in 1876. The specific term "longiceps" means "long-headed", referring to the huge head and crest, particularly of the males of this species. Incidentally, although they lived at the same time and are both reptiles, pterosaurs were not dinosaurs. They are what paleontologists call a "sister group", closely related forms that share a common ancestor.

Model of a pterosaur skull and the fossil upon which it is based. CMN41358.

The model of the skull, including the toothless bottom jaw, of this as-yet-undescribed pterosaur is shown beside its fossil, still snug in its bed of chalk. Lacking the large crest sported by Pteranodon, this pterosaur skull was found with its disarticulated skeleton in the Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the Niobrara Chalk in western Kansas. Catalogue: CMN41358

Amazing Story 2

Where in the World?

A life-sized model of Pteranodon longiceps.

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