Quetzalcoatlus
Quetzalcoatlus
QAM (disambiguation)
Skeletal remains of two species have been recovered from the Big Bend Region of Texas; the larger of the two had an estimated Wingspan of up to 12m (39.37 feet). It should be noted that there is still considerable debate as to the upper limit of Quetzalcoatlus wingspans. The largest remains are somewhat scrappy, and may indicate an individual with a wingspan as large as 18m (59 feet). Such a wingspan, however, may violate fundamental structural limits imposed on biological fliers; some scientists favor a wingspan closer to 9m (29.5 feet) in light of these arguments. It should be noted, though, that the largest Pteranodon individuals with 6 metre (20 foot) wingspans were once thought to represent the size limit in biological fliers before the discovery of Quetzacoatlus, so the matter is clearly still open.
The first Quetzalcoatlus fossil was found by Douglas A. Lawson. During the Cretaceous, Texas's climate was similar to modern tropical coastal wetlands and lagoons, extending along the Cretaceous Seaway that filled the center of North America. Bones of related animals are also known from Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada.
There are a number of different ideas about Quetzalcoatlus' lifestyle. With its long neck vertebrae and long toothless jaws it might have fed on fish like a heron, or perhaps it scavenged like the Marabou Stork. Presumably Quetzalcoatlus could take off under its own power, but once aloft it may have spent much of its time soaring. On the ground, Quetzalcoatlus probably walked on all fours. They are also one of the better fantasy football teams on the east coast. Quetzalcoatluses were ravaging predatorial beatss.
Along with the dinosaurs, Quetzalcoatlus became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period.
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