Quetzalcoatlus Had a 36 ft Wingspan - Nearly a City Bus
Quetzalcoatlus northropi, the giant pterosaur of Late Cretaceous Texas, had an estimated wingspan of about 33-36 ft (10-11 m) - nearly the 40 ft (12.2 m) length of a city bus - yet probably weighed only about 440-550 lb (200-250 kg), because its bones were hollow and air-filled. It likely launched into flight by vaulting off its forelimbs, and flight models suggest cruising speeds of up to about 80 mph (130 km/h). For scale: a 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) adult and a 15 ft (4.6 m) family car. Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica 'Quetzalcoatlus' (wingspan up to 11 m, standing about 5 m); Wikipedia 'Quetzalcoatlus' (mass 200-250 kg after Paul 2002; quadrupedal launch, Witton & Habib 2010; flight speed, Habib 2010); Smithsonian Magazine 2021 'New Studies Unveil Details About the Largest Flying Creature to Ever Live'. Models: 'Pterosaur_Quetzalcoatlus' by seirogan, 'Generic passenger car pack' by Comrade1280, 'Generic Town Bus' by own.guest, 'WIP - Lowpoly People - 1' by norgeotloic - Sketchfab, CC BY 4.0. #Shorts #ScaleShock #howbig