Pteranodon
Classification
| Diet | Piscivore |
|---|---|
| Habitat | Aerial |
| Era | Late Cretaceous |
| Family | Pteranodontidae |
| Genus | Pteranodon |
| Bio Group | Small Carnivore |
Size
| Height (m) | 2 |
|---|---|
| Length (m) | 3 |
| Weight (kg) | 55 |
Stats
| Lifespan | 41 - 70 |
|---|---|
| Resilience | 84 |
| Attack | 0 |
| Defence | 0 |
| Medical Dart Resistance | 60 |
| Sedative Resistance | 60 |
| Poison Resistance | 155 |
Environmental Needs
| Comfort threshold | 80% | |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland (m2) | 14800 | 74% |
| Forest (m2) | 5200 | 26% |
Unlock requirements
Unlocked by retrieving the fossil from one of the following dig sites:
| Dig Sites | Fossil Quality | Fossil Quantity | Locations | Duration | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky Hill Chalk | ★ | 2 | North America | USA | Kansas | 02:00 | $75,000 |
| ★★ | 5 | ||||
| ★★★ | 3 | ||||
| Pierre Shale | ★★★ | 4 | North America | USA | Montana | 02:00 | $60,000 |
| ★ | 1 | ||||
| ★★ | 5 |
Incubation
| Duration | 03:00 - 03:20 |
|---|---|
| Cost | 425,000 |
Disease
| Immune | None |
|---|---|
| Susceptible | None |
Description
Pteranodon is a genus of late Cretaceous pterosaur, flying reptiles that - while not dinosaurs themselves - share the clade Avemetatarsalia with dinosaurs. The name is derived from Greek meaning "wing without tooth". With wingspans over 7 metres, these reptiles would have been extremely light and delicate in order to be able to fly.It is likely that Pteranodons were coastal animals that roosted offshore, out of reach of predators. Fossil evidence suggests a toothless jaw with a pouch of skin that held fish, like modern pelicans, and a crest that could have acted as a counterbalance when skimming the water's surface.
Discovery
The first pteranodon fossils, the first of any pterosaurs discovered outside of Europe, were discovered by the American paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in Kansas. The specimens were collected from 1870 to 1872, among other marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs and mosasaurs, and consisted of skulls, wings, and finger bones. Marsh named the new species Pteranodon longiceps, with the specific name referring to the "long head" of the animal.
Paleoecology
At the time of the Pteranodon, the areas fossils have been discovered in would have been the Western Interior Seaway, a large inland sea that divided the North American continent in two. This suggests that Pteranodon roosted near the sea and preyed on fish, but the delicate nature of their fossils could also mean that specimens were only able to survive in this limestone.At the time P. longiceps was a very common species, and it shared its environment with other flying animals such as Nyctosaurus and Ichthyornis.
Cohabitation Preferences