How are a Pterodactyl and a Pteranodon different?

Pterodactyl is the common term for the winged reptiles properly called pterosaurs, which belong to the taxonomic order Pterosauria. Scientists typically avoid using the term and concentrate on individual genera, such as Pterodactylus and Pteranodon. read more

"Pterodactyl" is a term often used to refer to any pterosaur, though some prefer to reserve it for the short tailed, more advanced species. If this is what you meant by pterodactyl, the answer is that Pteranodon is a type of pterodactyl. read more

The pteranodon was a much larger animal, with a wingspan of over 20 feet. It weighed about 37 pounds. The pteranodon flourished during the Late Cretaceous period, which could have been between 70 to 100 million years ago. Unlike the pterodactyl, it was both tailless and toothless. read more