STL Science Center

STL Science Center

22 June 2015

Pteranodon Videos

From I'm A Dinosaur to Primeval, Pteranodon features heavily in the film industry in various genres. The reason for this is actually quite straightforward: Pteranodon is a mysterious reptilian creature with absolutely no morphological homologues in the living world. There are a number of reptiles that have cranial ornamentations somewhat similar to Pteranodon, but really only in that they are crests of bone and soft tissue of one variety or another that are vaguely similar in appearance. Pteranodon is also a major player in documentaries, like those shown in the Walking With Series, and in movies, like the ones that populate Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and the test islands of the other movies. These depictions are not, of course, always accurate in regards to the biomechanics of the animals, even when they are accurate representations of the flying animals themselves. Their flying abilities and physical looks, unfortunately, often cause them to be called flying dinosaurs by the media and this can lead to confusion. Sadly, we have to deal with this lack of knowledge on a semi-regular basis, especially when a new blockbuster movie comes out.
Yes, I like Jurassic Park III, and this is a reference. Blame Sam Neill if you must; Alan Grant is great.

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