Pteranodon

Pteranodon is the name given to a group of large flying reptiles that existed in the late Cretaceous period, around 80-86 million years ago, in what is now known as North America. Its fossils were first found by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1870 in western Kansas, USA, while the first Pteranodon skull was found in 1876 in Kansas, USA, by Samuel Wendell Williston. Pteranodon is also incorrectly referred to as Pterodactyl in various media. The creatures appeared in The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3.

Description

The largest species of Pteranodon had a wingspan of up to 20ft, was up to 6ft tall and weighed up to 40kg. They were quadrupedal reptiles, using their wings to move around while on the ground. The creatures in Jurassic Park 3 were portrayed as the right size, but unlike the creatures in the movie, real Pteranodons did not have teeth in their beaks, a trait they share with modern birds.

Pteranodons also weren’t capable of grasping onto something with their feet like the creatures in The Lost World or Jurassic Park 3. In reality, they would scoop up fish from the ocean with their beaks. Another distinguishing feature of the reptiles was their unique crest on their heads, with males having one larger than the females. It was originally theorised that they were used for counterbalance against their long beak, but recently, it’s believed the crests were purely for sexual display.

Novels

Pteranodons were not included in either of the Jurassic Park novels. Instead, the Cearadactylus featured in Jurassic Park’s aviary, which is similar to Pteranodons but smaller.

Movies

Jurassic Park

Director Steven Spielberg thought the aviary sequence in the first Jurassic Park novel would be too expensive and complex to create, so it was scrapped for the movie.

The Lost World

Originally, there was going to be an action scene in The Lost World as the characters were escaping the Velociraptors. They were going to jump off a cliff with hang gliders but were attacked by Pteranodons or Geosternbergia. Concept art was created as well as models, but the scene was abandoned. Another scene cut also involved the creatures attacking the rescue helicopter. Pteranodons did, however, have a cameo appearance at the very end of The Lost World. They were seen flying over a group of Stegosaurus and one of them is shown resting on a branch.

Jurassic Park 3

Pteranodons finally have a major action scene in Jurassic Park 3. For the movie, the creatures have been redesigned since The Lost World. They are shown to be much bigger and different-coloured, and they also possess teeth, which they don’t have. In the film, when Dr Grant, Billy and the Kirbys reach the aviary, they are attacked by Pteranodon. One of them flies away with Eric while Billy parasails down to rescue him. The characters manage to escape the aviary while one of the Pteranodon gets crushed by a falling cage. At the end of the film, we can see that the Pteranodon have escaped the aviary into the world.

Jurassic World

In 2015’s Jurassic World, the Pteranodons play a major role during the Isla Nublar incident. After the Indominus rex breaches the aviary, a flock of Pteranodons attacks the pursuing JW001 helicopter, causing a crash that kills CEO Simon Masrani and allows the rest of the aviary’s creatures to escape.

A flock of Pteranodon and Dimorphodon attack tourists at the park’s Main Street and the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo. A pterosaur attempts to fly off with a baby Triceratops before dropping it. Another Pteranodon picks up park employee Zara Young before dropping her into the Jurassic World Lagoon. As the Pteranodon dives to retrieve her, the Mosasaurus emerges from the water, swallowing both of them. The remaining creatures are eventually stopped by Owen Grady and park rangers, but after the park was abandoned, the surviving Pteranodons were left to roam freely.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

In 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Pteranodons are among the species on Isla Nublar threatened by the eruption of Mount Sibo. Several escaped the island during the eruption.

Mercenaries capture at least three Pteranodons and transport them to the Lockwood Manor on the mainland. They eventually escape into the wild alongside the rest of the dinosaurs, with the help of Claire Dearing and Maisie Lockwood. During the escape, one Pteranodon grabs a mercenary and drops him onto a car. In a post-credits scene, three Pteranodons are shown perched atop the miniature Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas.

Jurassic World: Dominion

By the events of 2022’s Jurassic World: Dominion, Pteranodons can now be found across the world, with reported sightings in India, Japan, Canada, Spain, Peru, South Korea, and the United States. Many individuals from both Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna are captured by the genetics company Biosyn and relocated to a sanctuary in Italy.

A flock of Pteranodons attacks Claire Dearing after she ejects from a crashing plane. They shred her parachute, forcing her to crash-land in the territory of a Therizinosaurus. Later, following a devastating forest fire caused by Lewis Dodgson burning his giant locusts, the Pteranodons are evacuated to the sanctuary’s central headquarters with other prehistoric creatures. At the end of the film, they are seen peacefully migrating alongside giant Quetzalcoatlus and modern birds like geese and ducks.

Jurassic World: Rebirth

In 2025’s Jurassic World: Rebirth, many of the de-extinct creatures have started to die out due to climate differences and now survive in equatorial regions.

In Suriname, a captive “dwarf” Pteranodon, having a larger crest reminiscent of the Isla Sorna variants, is seen inside a birdcage at a bar by Dr. Henry Loomis. Pteranodons are also encountered in the wild on Ile Saint-Hubert, though it remains unclear whether they were cloned there or migrated to the island for its better climate. One is seen flying over a drinking Tyrannosaurus rex. Later, the Delgado family spots a flock of dwarf individuals near a raft at the Worker Complex, with two more seen flying past a helipad.