Pterodactyl vs. Pterodactyl: What's the Difference?

There's still a lot we don't know about dinosaurs, including the difference between pterodactyls and Pteranodons. These two creatures may belong to the same genus of dinosaurs, but there are many differences between them. If you've been wanting to learn more about pterodactyls and pteranodons, you've come to the right place.

In this article, we discuss these creatures in detail, including the differences between them. We'll discuss the times and periods in which they lived, as well as their preferred diet and appearance. Let's get started now.

Comparing Pterodactyl vs Pterodactyl

Key Differences Between Pterodactyl and Pterodactyl

There are many differences between Pterodactyl and Pteranodon. Although both were creatures of the genus Pterosaur , the two species existed at different times. Pterodactyls existed in the Jurassic period, and pterosaurs existed in the Cretaceous period. Pterosaurs were also much larger than Pterodactyls, and they had no teeth compared to Pterodactyls.

There are many more differences to discuss. Let's get started and understand the differences in more detail.

Pterodactyl vs. Pteranodon: Times and Times Alive

One of the key differences between Pterodactyl and Pteranodon is the era they lived in and the period of their existence. Although both organisms existed throughout the Mesozoic Era, they lived at different times in this era. As far as we know, it's unlikely that these two creatures existed at the same time. Let us now discuss this issue in more detail.

Pterodactyls mainly lived at the end of the Jurassic period, while pterosaurs lived at the end of the Cretaceous period. While this might not make much sense at first glance, the two periods were separated by millions of years, so it's unlikely that these two dinosaurs would have met!

Speaking of two creatures that never met, the locations where the pterodactyl and Pteranodon fossils were found are also interesting. Pterosaur remains were first found in North America, especially the Midwest, while pterodactyl remains were first found in Germany. This gives us an insight into where these creatures may have lived long ago.

Pterodactyl vs. Pterodactyl: Appearance

Another difference between pterodactyls and pteranodons is their appearance. Although both organisms are members of the same genus, there are key physical differences between them, which may have resulted from centuries of evolution and adaptation. The main physical difference between these two organisms is the presence of teeth, but we'll discuss that in more detail later.

Pterodactyls were much smaller than Pteranodons. They are all winged creatures, but pterodactyls often walked on land with the help of their hands. Pterodactyls also differed from Pteranodon in that their heads were soft, while Pteranodon had hard heads with large crests.

There are also size differences between the sexes of each creature. Although pterodactyls remained similar in size regardless of sex, males were much larger than females. Female pterosaurs had much wider hips than males, probably because they laid eggs.

Pterodactyl vs. Pteranodon: The presence of teeth

While the answer might surprise you, a key difference between pterodactyls and Pteranodons is whether they had teeth. The two creatures are separated by this fact. Pterodactyls had teeth, while pterosaurs did not — their beaks were more curved, similar to those of modern pelicans.

Pterodactyl had a narrow beak and nearly 90 teeth in its skull, which was the main difference from Pteranodon. While these two flying dinosaurs may look similar and belong to the same genus, teeth alone can separate them.

Pterodactyl vs. Pterodactyl: Diet

A final difference between pterodactyls and Pteranodons is their diet. Considering that pterodactyls had teeth and pterosaurs did not, this had obvious and real implications for their diet. Let's talk more about these differences now so you can get a good understanding of these two unique creatures.

Both pterodactyls and pteranodons were carnivores with some key differences. For example, pterodactyls ate small dinosaurs and other animals while alive, while pteranodons preferred to eat fish and the carcasses of other dinosaurs. Given that Pteranodon did not have teeth, they may not have been able to hunt and eat live dinosaurs the way pterodactyls could.

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