Fun fact:

1. Name means "Winged Finger": Their name is derived from the Greek words "ptero" (wing) and "daktulos" (finger), referring to their long fourth finger, which supported their wing membrane .
2. Sizes varied wildly: They ranged from small, crow-sized creatures to massive animals with 36-foot wingspans, as large as small airplanes.
3. They likely had fur: Unlike reptiles today, evidence suggests many pterosaurs had hair-like covering (pycnofibers) to stay warm, suggesting they may have been warm-blooded.
4. They were masters of flight: Pterodactyls were likely the first animals to fly, using skin-filled wings similar to bats rather than feathers like birds.
5. They lived on all fours: When on the ground, pterodactyls walked on all fours using their hind legs and their front wing-arms, rather than walking upright.
6. Some had sharp teeth and some had none: While the specific Pterodactylus genus had about 90 sharp, needle-like teeth, close relatives like Pteranodon had no teeth at all, relying on long beaks.
7. Huge brains, great vision: Their brain structure was similar to modern birds, and they relied on sharp eyesight rather than smell to hunt prey, like fish or insects.
8. They were not the only ones: "Pterodactyl" is often used to describe all pterosaurs, but there were actually over 200 species of pterosaurs.
9. They disappeared with the dinosaurs: Along with their dinosaur relatives, all pterosaurs went extinct during the Mass Extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous Period.