Quetzalcoatlus

"Only now do we know the true story- Megarachne was a giant prehistoric sea scorpion." The following card or its illustration are outdated. When transcribing the information from the card itself, please refrain from updating or changing the text in the process, and leave this for the trivia section.

Quetzalcoatlus
Front Back
Monsters of the Past
Previous	Giant Moa
Next	Cryolophosaurus
Card	86
Creature Features
Species	Quetzalcoatlus northropi
Size	Length up to 20 ft.; Wingspan up to 50 ft.; Weight up to 220 lbs.
Where?	Fossils have been found in Texas and Alberta, Canada
When?	67-65 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period
Prey	Fish, mollusks, crustaceans and dead dinosaurs
Sound off	KEWT-zal-koh-AT-lus
Did You Know?
In 1976, teachers and police officers in Texas reported seeing huge flying reptiles. Some thought it was Quetzalcoatlus.

Look, up in the sky... it's a bird, it's a plane, it's... Quetzalcoatlus? This huge flying reptile was about the size of a small airplane and glided through prehistoric skies. Quetzalcoatlus soared at great heights and could spot food from hundreds of feet in the air. Some people even think this prehistoric creature still exists.

Longneck: This flying reptile had a long neck, reaching up to 8 feet in length. This helped give Quetzalcoatlus a long reach for hunting and scavenging, and aided in keeping it balanced when soaring through the sky.

Big Span: With a wingspan that measured up to 50 feet wide, Quetzalcoatlus was the biggest flying creature ever known on Earth. The beast's body was 20 feet long, but had a light build and weighed only about 200 pounds.

Dead or Alive?

The world's largest flying animal glided through prehistoric skies.

Scientists still aren't sure what Quetzalcoatlus ate, but they do have some theories. Because it had such a long neck and bill, some think it was best suited for eating from the bodies of dead dinosaurs, poking deep into large carcasses to get at the meat, living like a modern-day vulture. However, this reptile's fossils were found near a large, dried up river bed, which means it may have eaten aquatic animals-swooping low over the water and grabbing fish from the surface while still in flight.

Take Off: Because this creature was so big and couldn't walk or run well, scientists aren't sure how it propelled itself into the air. Once airborne, though, Quetzalcoatlus could soar high and glide for long periods on rising currents of warm air.

See Anything? Large eyes and a big brain (compared to other creatures like it) show that Quetzalcoatlus had sharp vision, like that of modern eagles. This flying reptile could probably see its prey from hundreds of feet in the air.

Drop for Dinner

Quetzalcoatlus' muscles were too weak to power its flight by flapping its wings, so the great reptile glided on air currents for hours at a time. When it came time to feed, this creature probably soared toward a large lake or river and swooped down to grab a meal of fish. The reptile caught rising air currents to gain altitude again.

Trading Card

Quetzalcoatlus Quetzalcoatlus was the biggest creature ever to grace the skies. This giant pterosaur glided on wide wings, wasting little energy so it could attack from above with all its strength. The creature also ate dead dinosaurs. Say What? This reptile was named after an Aztec god. Stats Life 120 Attack 5 Defense 6

Trivia

• The quetzalcoatlus is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
  • It is first featured in Timeline Tracker on Monster Mania 57.
  • It is then featured in Record Setters on Monster Mania 61.
• The Size section of the Creature Features portion of the knowledge card lists the wingspan as 50 feet; the wingspan is actually believed to have been closer to 33-36 feet.
• Both of the hypotheses as to what Quetzalcoatlus ate are now outdated. It is now believed to have landed near living, land-animal prey, then ran on all fours after it with its sharp beak.
• Despite the card's claim that Quetzalcoatlus couldn't flap its wings, it likely could.