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Prehistoric Life

How wide was Pterodactylus antiquus?

An adult Pterodactylus antiquus had a wingspan of about 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in).

What is measured: adult wingspan

Pterodactylus antiquus (1.5 m) drawn to scale beside a bowling pin (38.1 cm) and an adult person (1.7 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Bowling pin (38.1 cm), Pterodactylus antiquus (1.5 m) and Adult person (1.7 m).

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How big is that, really?

  • About the height of an adult person
  • About 75% of the height of a doorway
  • About 3.9× the height of a bowling pin
  • About 4 would fit end to end along a 20-foot shipping container
  • About 8 would fit end to end along a city bus

Learn

Facts about Pterodactylus antiquus

Pterodactylus was a small pterosaur with a long, tooth-filled snout and a wingspan comparable to that of a large bird.

Source: Natural History Museum — Pterodactylus; Encyclopaedia Britannica — Pterodactyl

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Pterodactylus antiquus
Paranthropus boisei1.4 m (4 ft 7 in)0.93×
Dimorphodon macronyx1.45 m (4 ft 9 in)0.97×
Pterodactylus antiquus1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)this page
Thylacoleo carnifex1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)same size
Ichthyostega stensioei1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)same size
Titanis walleri1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)same size
Icadyptes salasi1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)same size
Neanderthal1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)1.1×
Dimetrodon grandis1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)1.1×
Homo erectus1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)1.1×

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