The Largest Flying Animal Ever
The largest and most famous flying reptile ever found is Quetzalcoatlus northropi, which weighs 250kg with a wingspan of 11 metres and more than five meters tall. It is as wide as a Cessna 172 aeroplane! Q. northrop could fly at 130km/h and can stay there up to 10 days. It was a member of the Azhdarchidae, a family of advanced toothless pterosaurs with unusually long, stiff necks.
Quetzalcoatlus was a pterodactyloid pterosaur from North America. It was the largest known flying animal to have ever lived. Quetzalcoatlus is the most famous member of the azhdarchids, a family of pterosaurs limited to the Cretaceous period, the time between 144 and 66 million years ago. These flying reptiles were all very large animals with long, pointed skulls and some had short crests at the backs of their heads. They had very long necks, small torsos, long legs and a short pair of wings in proportion to their bodies.
Like all flying reptiles, they launched off the ground in a four-footed leap. This launch style was supported by an immense amount of power. Quetzalcoatlus’ torso, though small in comparison to its body, was very dense and packed with huge muscles. After launch they can travel nonstop for 16,000 kilometers, rarely flapping to keep themselves in the air and to steer their path. Its short wings were not just thin membranes of skin, but densely packed muscle fibers called actinofibrils. Like all other pterosaurs, Quetzalcoatlus was warm-blooded and had an incredible metabolism to power its lifestyle. They are medium level hunter.
- Quetzalcoatlus northropi weight is the maximum weight limit for a flying animal.
- Quetzalcoatlus can eat the prey as large as the size of small dinosaurs
- The Pelagornis Sandersi, a bird that lived 25 million years ago, is estimated to have wingspans of up to 7.4 meters.
- The wandering albatross is the current record holder, with a maximum recorded wingspan of 3.7 metres.
- Wandering Albatrosses can fly up to 40 km per hour.
- Wandering Albatrosses make shallow dives while hunting.
- Wandering Albatrosses breed every 2 years.
- Wandering Albatrosses female lays 1 egg about 10 cm long and takes 11 weeks to incubate.
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