Quetzalcoatlus: When Plane-Sized Reptiles Ruled The Skies

When flying reptiles blocked out the sun.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
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CREDITS
Created by Dylan Dubeau
Executive Producer, Director, and Director of Photography: Dylan Dubeau
Host: Talia Lowi-Merri
Editor: Cat Senior
Producer, Camera Operator: Andres Salazar
Art and Camera Operator: Danielle Dufault
Writer: Lauren Greenwood
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Taking a deep look at the past and the animals that lived in it.

[@lafcursiax]

When my niece was little, I showed her a Quetzalcoatlus skeleton at a museum and told her it was the biggest flying thing ever. She asked "Why the biggest flying thing ever died? They shot it?"

[@Cobrax_x]

I mean, if it were alive in the 20th century.....

[@HHLucifer666]

In the words of Kayla watts, "Quetzalcoatlus, late cretaceous and it should've stayed there..."

[@Bagelgeuse]

Well, it and every other pterosaur was shot... With asteroid fragments.

[@barybarsboldia197]

A true American 😂😂😂

[@TheHjkkkl]

Wow my niece is so much smarter

[@DanGamingFan2406]

One of my absolute favorite prehistoric animals. A product of a bygone era when reptiles ruled the skies. Just imagine if we had these behemoths around today. Imagine seeing one from the window of a plane.

[@robertrobert7924]

If a plane collision with a Canada goose can be fatal to the plane............?

[@jojochua1479]

Then we’ll all be riding one. Could be a nice alternative to plane.

[@peaceleader7315]

The sky never was a limit ..

[@headwreak1768]

@@peaceleader7315 But the square cube law is!

[@peaceleader7315]

@@headwreak1768 don't breathe on it...

[@canis2020]

Floats like an Albatross, stings like a long hauler

[@generalspitfire01]

And the call of a trumpet (Prehistoric Planet 2)

[@extatixz]

3:50 The Herron wading method is very outdated. The most modern interpretation of what Quetzalcoatlus hunted would have been small vertebrates including small/juvenile dinosaurs. Quetz was very proficient when moving on the ground and likely hunted terrestrially.

[@BigBossMan538]

Think of a giant stork rather than a giant heron

[@isaiahmcguire1822]

Excatly! Its fur like downing would weigh it down as well if wet.

[@vincentx2850]

The wading hypothesis is somewhat recently revived, however, in a 2021 paper by Lehman. In the paper, the author noted that the smaller Quetzalcoatlus lawsoni specimens have a high concentrated at shallow lake deposits, while the gigantic Quetzalcoatlus northropi are located near river channels. This, coupled with other factors, led him to argue that these two species may rely heavily on aquatic invertebrates, the most abundant potential food item in the region, and are adapted to hunt in rather different environments. And although the comparison between stork and Azhdarchids are often made, it baffles me that people often forget that storks in general are wading birds, and rely heavily on aquatic prey during the breeding season. This apply to even the most terrestrial of them, such as the western white stork and marabou stork. Others, such as oriental white stork, black stork and wood stork, are specialized fish eaters. Given the size and diversity of Azhdarchids, I would say they have a wide niche width and can utilize both terrestrial and aquatic prey.

[@ExtremeMadnessX]

They definitely show and explained that better in Prehistoric Planet 2.

[@extatixz]

I’m going to take this moment of reach for this comment to say that the model they used throughout the video is a model that has been stolen from the video game “The Isle”. After some digging, they likely found the model on a site selling 3D assets illegally. So I hope everyone understands that this video may have issues revolving around it.

[@dynojackal1911]

Its European cousin was even scarier. Hatzegopteryx was the heaviest animal to ever take to the sky; and it could swallow a human whole if it were alive today. I refer to azdarchids as a group as dragon-storks, or stork-dragons.

[@stxticnathan6627]

Marabou storks remind me of azhdarchids, that's why they're on eof my favourite avian dinosaurs.

[@sizanogreen9900]

Absolutely my favorite thing to come out of the era of the dinosaurs(even if not one itself) I mean basically *real life DRAGONS!* What is not to love? A shame they aren't around anymore...

[@freshlycannedwater]

They're more like birds but not in a wyvern way

[@headwreak1768]

Having giraffe-sized fliers in our modern era would be terrifying.

[@sizanogreen9900]

@@headwreak1768 not any worse than tigers or basically any animal in australia. If people can live there then we'd have no real trouble with azhdarchids being around.

[@syedmuhammaddaniyalhasansh2276]

@@headwreak1768 If they had surrvived the K-T extinction then we humans would have made them extinct

[@DJFracus]

@@freshlycannedwater in the sense that their wings are skin membranes, and not the weird feathered wings that are unique to birds, they're more like dragons

[@Anthomnia]

Bro i know The isle quetz model when i see it

[@extatixz]

Listen to this man. He has played it. As have I.

[@Stranger-ux9yu]

Well, they in for alot of issues soon, that is the isle quetz model.

[@EmilySteppPaleoart]

I'm sure it's an honest mistake, but that quetz model belongs to The Isle and people have ripped it and uploaded it to stock sites illegally.

[@caffeinefiend3720]

I love how prehistoric creatures look like they're straight out of a fantasy world!! I can definitely picture a hero riding on the back of one of these, off on some adventure!! 🤩🤩🤩

[@davidbowman2001]

It’s pretty crazy if you went back far enough being on Earth would just be like some random alien planet.

[@JasonB808]

Once I was driving to work and I saw a large flying thing that at first look like a person flying with some winged suit of something, but after looking at it for a short while, I realized it was an Albatross the largest flying bird still living. It was huge. I can’t imagine what a plane sized reptile would look like. It would be surreal.

[@daniell1483]

Growing up, I was such a fanboy for T. Rex. I've since come to appreciate the Quetzalcoatlus and Hatzegopteryx as my favorite prehistoric animals. It is easy to love the Rex, but these giant fliers managed to achieve something much more rare.

[@ExtremeMadnessX]

Did you watch Prehistoric Planet 2 and the fight between T. Rex and Quetzalcoatlus?

[@semaj_5022]

Same! Well, I was always a sauropod fan myself. As a kid i loved imaging those massive creatures lumbering around. But since I've gotten older and learned more about prehistoric animals, Quetzalcoatlus and the other Azhdarchids have become my favorite prehistoric reptiles too. Favorite prehistoric animals period though might have to be the Gorgonopsids.

[@jamesaron1967]

@@ExtremeMadnessX I did and it's very well done.

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

Flying reptiles are one of the extinct animals I'd most like to see. Flight is so amazing!

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

I low-key would want to breed flying humans. Anyone have extra skin or brittle bones? 😅

[@yboy898]

​@@TragoudistrosMPH lol gotta have to ask the hospital for that

[@NeilsonBuntowa]

You do know we will be in their menu right?

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

@@NeilsonBuntowa ... but... do you really like EVERYONE... there's no one you wouldn't miss? Roll that dice and see them fly!

[@Pridefallen975]

It truly is

[@erichtomanek4739]

Correction: Quetzalcoatlus would never have seen Ichthyosaurs; Mosasaurs yes. Ichthyosaurs became extinct millions of years before. Or so I've read.

[@Tiamat_Stan24]

Right! Last Ichthyosaur died at about 95 MYA, far before any Quetzalcoatlus (±66 MYA)

[@ParistheParasaurolophus]

One of my favorite pterosaurs. Interesting video!

[@goshawky5333]

Did you just use the Quetz model from "The Isle" haha?

[@FluffyWoWNerd]

I was thinking it was the "Path of Titans" Quetz.

[@extatixz]

Yeah I was wondering if the team put the model on sale for public use, otherwise there may be possible… issues…

[@CyanShaman]

Final Fantasy taught me a lot of useful information, such as this amazing creature could use devastating Thunder and Sonic Blast attacks to overcome it's foes and was an awesome Aeon/Eikon to have on your side 💗

[@generalspitfire01]

There is the "Ground Stork" idea for Azdarcids like Quetzalcoatlus

[@mosasaurus2211]

If the Quetzalcoatlus blocks out the sun and ruled the skies Then the Tyrannosaurus shall rule in the shade

[@TheAnimalKingdom-tq3sz]

Quetzalcoatlus when fighting Rex: "This carcass ain't big enough for the two of us!"

[@Todeon]

Yes!!! My favorite animal ever ❤

[@MichaelLowerJr]

My favorite Pterosaur! ❤

[@HumphreyAlphaandOmega]

Mine too

[@buddharuci2701]

I miss them. I wish they’d come back.

[@Aberrantyrannus2575]

Do you really? Imagine having to hide in the forest any time you hear wings flapping, imagine being out on a summer night trying to have fun with friends/family and then BAM, a group of giraffe-sized pterosaurs drop out of the sky and start grabbing and swallowing people whole. You can't outrun them on land because they'll just gallop after you, you can't even hide in a car because they'll just break the windshield. All you can do is wait for them to move on.

[@tatsusama3192]

Congrats on your release from the tooth bindings😋 You look great!

[@TroyColey]

Can you please do a video on trilobites?

[@Skyypixelgamer]

I think you guys should talk about balaur bondoc. A unique raptor like avian that coexisted with one of the largest pterosaurs to ever live!

[@marisoldavis3357]

Please make a video of Moa and elephant bird.

[@Fede_99]

It seems that people forgot the existence of Hatzegopteryx

[@stxticnathan6627]

Just what I'm thinking 😅

[@Aberrantyrannus2575]

The Hatzegopteryx cult will not forget this.

[@HenriqueLSilva]

"we're talking about the carnivorous king of the cretaceous skies...quetzalcoatlus!" Hatzegopteryx, the only known instance of an azhdarchid pterosaur that became an apex predator: "are you f**ken blind you can't see me?!" Pterosaurs are just so cool man

[@stxticnathan6627]

That's what I was trying to say

[@nebulan]

I love the john williamsy music :D. Like Indiana Jones meets ET

[@natnerdz]

Ah… the creature I have been forever wishing I could ride 😆

[@RyanMc66]

Do Tianyulong next! There are so MANY to choose from!

[@YeeSoest]

From above the lower leg portion in flight just looks like a naked dude flying around in a weird wingsuit 😂

[@Magmafrost13]

1:32 curious what your source if for that. Last I heard 250 was the _minimum_ , and it may have been up to 500 kg Actually there's a few questionable things in this video. Like who is saying Quetz was mostly fishing? And there were definitely no ichthyosaurs by the K-Pg event, they'd gone extinct 30 million years earlier.

[@dinonuggett2968]

No one is, the heron hypothesis is outdated…

[@dinonuggett2968]

It’s kinda sad to see they are using outdated information

[@nukleer9996]

Did you know The Quetzaclotlus lived at the same time as T-Rex did 66 million years ago! It would make sense if it’s a T-Rex next!

[@rotoscopic8757]

Such a Shame they're not around anymore. I would have loved to ride one into battle.

[@znail4675]

Something I find interesting is how large part of the body is devoted to the neck and head. That to me means that it needed that large weapon to hunt and kill it's prey. Pterosaurs could have grown even larger, most likely twize as large if they had small heads and necks instead. But they obviously needed those large heads.

[@garychaney5484]

Even butterfly's and bugs use thermals to soar effortlessly! Even spiders use thermals to fly!!! Check out the Gossamer spiders!

[@ZentaBon]

IS THIS PALEOLOGIC?!?!?!?! I LOVE IT!

[@rjw7058]

these are incredible animations of ancient history, i dont have a vr sys yet, but this would make me want to get one, how immersive this could be and especially as an interactive game?

[@phil4986]

When you see a modern heron, you see this animal. When you see a modern vulture,you see a small dose of what this creature must have been like. To think that it was a carnivore,it must have been terrifying ,impressive and beautiful to see. Imagine the massive bodies of dead dinosaurs with a hundreds of these all around them tearing at the flesh of the carcass.Just an amazing flying adaptation of the time. A time of massive living food everywhere for millions of years.

[@jeanettecook1088]

Its bones were hollow, a trait it got from its ancestors, carnivorous dinosaurs. Birds got their hollow bones from their dinosaurian ancestry too.

[@BugsandBiology]

Pterosaurs did not evolve from dinosaurs. They’re two separate clades, though both are members of the Ornithodira.

[@jeanettecook1088]

@@BugsandBiology You're right.. I was actually commenting on a KZbin video concerning chickens... and somehow it got posted here! Don't know what happened... anyway, thanks for the correction. 🌌

[@marthaluciavillafanemunoz4234]

Beautiful videos that Animalogic presentes to us, congratularnos for your excelente job.

[@dinonuggett2968]

It’s a terribly made video. Just to let you know. Look up another video that has better information on this animal. Preferably one that specializes in paleontology.

[@McPilch]

Sparrow-sized pterosaurs??? OMG pleeeease science, bring these back, imagine them as pets!!! (Settle down, I'm not serious about the pet part.. tho.. if we ever get technologically advanced enough to have realistic robot versions then yes please!)

[@wilgarcia1]

10 meters is over 32 feet if anyone is wondering.

[@LarzGustafsson]

Great stuff.

[@luzmarinavillafane8779]

Bellos animales. Lástima que hayan desaparecido. Gracias a Animalogic, puedo conocer de estas especies extinguidas.

[@isaiahmcguire1822]

Please do Acrocanthosaurus? It's one of my all time favorites prehistoric therapods and under appreciated!

[@cintronproductions9430]

*insert Prehistoric Planet Quetzalcoatlus honks here*

[@generalspitfire01]

The funky trumpet

[@wilgarcia1]

I have to wonder if they had feathers. Maybe the leathery wings we are picturing had feathers attached that went far beyond the 10 meters.

[@CosmicCaribbean]

They had structures homologous to feathers (could even by called feathers themselves just how similarly they are to dinosaur feathers), but their wings are completely leathery & thick skinned. Their fluff was only found on anywhere but the wings themselves.

[@Gildedmuse]

They had hair like filaments which are likely related to feathers. They would have been a lot like "dinosaur fluff" aka simple, basic feather filaments.

[@SharkUsingaComputer]

the filaments they had are called pycnofibers!

[@Aberrantyrannus2575]

All pterosaurs had pycnofibers which looked like feathers but they didn't have them on the wings.

[@D4rk_Lum1nous]

I still don't get how it managed to fly with it's head being so big and far front from it's wings without counter balance

[@kimbratton9620]

So awesome to hear about!!

[@LarzGustafsson]

Let's talk about the mosasaurus, please.

[@ian.r5261]

when i first saw Quetzalcoatlus height compared to a giraffe, i thought it's a fictional size

[@CJFreeza]

Awesome, now all we need to do is building wing suits like this.

[@playernotfound9489]

0:51 no its hatzegopteryx due to it being more robust

[@snakeboi2.o]

True

[@silkworm6861]

Love the ROM Quetzalcoatlus specimen you showcased a couple of times, one of my favourites in the museum.

[@fademusic1980]

Closest thing to actual dragons

[@piedadvillafane3979]

Me parece interesante conocer sobre las especies que se han extinguido. Me gustó el video.

[@Imperiused]

It occurred to me watching this video that pterosaurs were the only major flying group to go extinct since insects, birds, and mammals are still around (although birds are distant relations through the Archosaurs).

[@JoaoPedroPT696]

Ichthyosaurs were not "wiped out" after the K-Pg event. They went extinct around 90 million years ago. Any paleontologist knows that.

[@dont-hurt-me2519]

Please do a video on Centrosaurus!!

[@thomascircle245]

Do a video on Helicoprion, AKA the Buzzsaw Shark.

[@nicolassarras8323]

It would be great a video on the extinct pelagornis birds, specifically pelagornis chilensis for being native to my country, but of course any member of this impressive and little-known group would be spectacular

[@liambrandley2716]

some other pterosaurs you could do videos about are pteranodon, tropeognathus, tapejara, and anerognathus.

[@sweetdrahthaar7951]

With a maximum of around 500 pounds, those things would be able to carry a substantial snack.

[@buriedtoodeep1508]

Curious that the skull should have a 'beak'. Is that fossilized bone or cartilage? I'd expect a ridged 'crushing plate', to save on weight, ie not needing to consume rocks to aid digestion as some species of animals do.

[@buriedtoodeep1508]

Sorry, so long ago I can't remember what I noticed should or shouldn't probably be there@@darkonyx6995

[@fernandamancini3619]

Pretty interesting creature, but honestly glad they are not around anymore, it would be pretty scary.

[@grahamcrooks3581]

Birds that fly far and high [Ducks, Swans, Geese] usually have a deep chest to enable efficient wing flapping muscles. This animal is more like an albatross, which lacks that deep chest and relies on the wind to enable take-off. Just a thought.

[@stxticnathan6627]

No, we know how pterosaurs take of, they would push themselves into the air like a jump to take off, this was more efficient.

[@huhwhatwhy]

The big boy itself soars the skies

[@gatopardoantico5657]

yeah this is Sparta Ptero-Xerxes :)

[@andrew6089]

when the flying reptiles destroyed the sun.are favorite rock star 🌟

[@stumpyale]

Could you please talk about Cryolophasaurus, it's my favorite Dinosaur ever

[@dylansearcy3966]

1:01 what about condors?

[@smetanaandfriends6016]

Hey Dannielle and Talia, how about next time you could discuss the other pterosaurs besides Quetzalcoatlus, such as Pteranodon.

[@alfredoharris5036]

Favorite flying mount in ARK

[@virgilasevedo5440]

What a shame. They didn't do their do diligence. For if they did, they would have referenced Dr Mark Witton and Dr Darren Naish's Paper on how Azdarchids , like Quetzalcoatlus, would have been ground stalkers hunting small land animals and had extremities proportionate to modern ungulates. I've seen videos will lower production values do a way better job with research of the subject material that they are discussing. And with how successful Animalogic has become as an educational channel, as well as how much they've expanded, I expected a lot better from them, especially with an animal as fascinating as Quetzocoatlus.

[@ExtremeMadnessX]

They definitely explained it better in Prehistoric Planet 2.

[@plopdoo339]

They did fly though. I'm also sure they proved these animals would sometimes also prey on young Trex.

[@ExtremeMadnessX]

@@plopdoo339 Nobody said that they couldn't fly? Also, in The Last Day of Dinosaurs documentary, they show Quetzalcoatlus eating babies T. Rex.

[@syedmuhammaddaniyalhasansh2276]

They ate any thing small enough to swallow whole. Also they were probably opportunistic scavengers as well

[@plopdoo339]

@@ExtremeMadnessX the op is implying that they couldn't fly because of their body proportions...

[@wilhelmtan5301]

i like u posted this a week after when a pair of these beat up a T Rex at Prehistoric Planet

[@jjhggdcqz]

Please make a video about nanuqsaurus.

[@takenname8053]

SUPER NICE

[@sassa82]

Its incredible!

[@ausgruenden1590]

Great video, but why picture those animals constantly flapping? Wouldn't they be mostly gliding just like today's albatrosses?

[@evanchojnowski2895]

Is that the old quetz model from the isle?

[@Weirdisjustabrownandyellowword]

I just discovered your channel with this video. How many different types of prehistoric animals do you do videos on? Is it just archosaurs or could you do a video about temnospondyls, the giant amphibians that ruled the land long before dinosaurs and somehow survived several million years after the Great Dying? Or cynodonts, the Mesozoic ancestors of mammals? Or hallucigenia and other Cambrian fossils found in those mountains in Canada that I've forgotten the name of and nowhere else? Or trilobites? Or the common ancestor of all bilaterians and how they evolved into protostomes and deuterostomes? They'd all be good videos.

[@ramonnajar1974]

Wonder Artistic Models in Santiago, Chile, has an awesome Quetzalcoatlus articulated model skeleton (wood)

[@michaelteret4763]

More ankylosaurs, please!

[@ryebreadisepic]

A fighter jet made out of meat. Absolutely metal.

[@TB-1927]

YASSS!!!

[@mailasun]

I love this girl

[@barybarsboldia197]

That’s false the newest theory how azdarchids hunted it’s actually that they were ground predators that galloped on the ground after small animals such as mammals and small dinosaurs.

[@a.bodhichenevey1601]

Very interesting essay!

[@tdkreturns-batcavepictures1224]

The Moa from New Zealand next!

[@Circe-nx5zs]

Speaking of large flying animals, Argentavis would be a good topic. It is the heaviest flying bird of all time.

[@stxticnathan6627]

It was the biggest flying dinosaur

[@adamwatson2914]

I bet they were scary as hell

[@bnthern]

pleasantly enthusiastic presentation

[@markwan3382]

Can you do a video on the Ethiopian highland wolf

[@Auroral_Anomaly]

It’s a dragon!

[@dont-hurt-me2519]

Estemmenosuchus please!

[@louiemercado5595]

Excellent on the magnificent Quetzalcoatlus, my friend! Perhaps someday, you can make a video on one of my favorite pterosaurs is Pteranodon.

[@lenardcservid5502]

The largest?? Maybe after Hatzegopteryx.

[@knightshade6232]

in remote indonesia their are some siting of terasours that horrified locals at night they also say their biolumenes

[@dianewallace6064]

Thank you! So fascinating.