General
Pteranodon litarally means "Winged and Toothless". These large flying reptiles lived during the late Cretaceous period about 98-65 million years ago. Pteranodons were not dinosaurs, but belonged to the Pterodactyls ("Winged Finger"). The Pterodactyls evolved in the late Jurassic from the more primitive Rhamphorhynchoids ("Prow Beaks") that lived during the Triassic period. Together they form the Pterosaurs ("Winged Lizard").

Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs are very closely related. The difference is that Dinosaurs had an upright stance, while Pterosaurs probably had a semi-upright stance. Together with dinosaurs, crocodilians and birds, the pterosaurs form the Archosaur reptiles. There were many species of pterodactyls, with wing spans ranging from 20-30 inches (the primitive Pterodactyls) to over 40 ft (the later Quetzalcoatlus). 

Fossils
Pteranodon fossils have been found in England and Kansas (USA), while other Pterosaur fossils have been found in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South and North America. Pteranodon was named by O.C. Marsh in 1871.

Anatomy
Pteranodons weighed about 35 pounds (16 kg) and were about 6 feet (1.8 m) long. The wingspan was about 25 foot (7.8 m), which is larger than any known bird. They had virtually no tail but the large light-weight wings enabled the Pteranodons to fly long distances. The wings were made by a thin but tough leathery membrane stretching between the ankle, the body and the elongated fourth finger of the forelimbs. Claws protruded from the other fingers at the front of the wings. They had hollow bones and the small bodies may have had fur likes some of the other Pterosaurs.

Crest
Some pteranodons had long light-weight crests on top of their heads. This strange crest may have acted like a rudder on an airplane or helped stabilize the flight. But it may just have been a sexual characteristic as not all Pteranodons had the crest.

Beak and food
They had large brains and good eyesight. As the name suggests they had no teeth in the long beak-like mouth, and they must have swallowed the fish whole. It is easy to picture them scooping fish out of the oceans like modern-day pelicans.