It was a giant reptile, the size of a giraffe, and was the largest flying creature that ever existed. It had to jump about 2.4m off the ground in order to take off.
This pterosaur, called Quetzalcoatlus (pronounced ket-zel-co-uat-lus), was part of an extinct group of flying reptiles. It had thin limbs, a very long beak and wings 12 meters long.
Although a relative of the dinosaurs, Quetzalcoatlus was not a dinosaur, but a pterosaur weighing almost 500 kilos, which lived between 70 and 66 million years ago.
Megan Marples
Despite having become extinct and passed into (pre)history, we can now see a life-size representation of this magnificent creature in all its splendor at the Science Museum of Virginia in the United States.
The specimen is suspended from the museum's ceiling, visible from all three floors of the building as visitors move through what was once a historic train station.
It is depicted in flight, with its wings outstretched to a height of 11 meters. Its sloping 8-meter body is covered in millions of hand-painted pycnofibers, with a furry body covering, and its huge mouth is open - all details designed to bring the creature to life.
This representation of the giant reptile is the largest Quetzalcoatlus ever produced, the only one ever made with its mouth open and the only one with this coloration, given by a custom paint job created by the world's largest manufacturer of scientifically accurate museum-quality animals.
To celebrate the arrival of its new guest" the Museum is organizing a Prehistoric Party, reports RVA Hub. People expect to see dinosaurs when they visit a science museum, but the Science Museum of Virginia wants to give visitors something even better: the unexpected.
Richard Hayes
50 years after the discovery of the fossilized bones of the majestic pterosaur in Big Bend National Park in Texas, USA, a study published in 2021 in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology finally explained how such a large animal could fly.
And next Friday, a special event called "Science After Dark" will give visitors the chance to see Quetzalcoatlus in action.
Mysterious, impressive and awe-inspiring, just like a dinosaur, the Quetzalcoatlus will provide a moment of discovery and delight for visitors of all ages.
