Let’s talk about Hatzegopteryx, the king of the skies from Romania! Discovered in the 1970s, this massive pterosaur was even bigger than the famous Quetzalcoatlus, which was once thought to be the largest flying animal ever. With a wingspan of about 36 feet and weighing as much as a small truck, it was a true giant! Living on a secluded island, Hatzegopteryx ruled without competition, making it the biggest and heaviest pterosaur around. It was Europe’s top predator during the late Cretaceous period, and nothing messed with this flying titan. So, if you thought Quetzalcoatlus was the largest, think again! Credits: Ceratosaurus nasicornis walking: By Oleg Kuznetsov - 3depix, Epix Inc., https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=98996430 Ceratosaurus: By Elekes Andor, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82001279 Baltow JuraPark Ceratosaurus: By Krugerr, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11328970 Dilophosaurus wetherilli: By Ryan Somma - https://flic.kr/p/5iXVEp, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8490215 Apatorhamphus holotype: By Smith, R.E.; Ibrahim, N.; Longrich, N.; Unwin, D.M.; Jacobs, M.L.; Williams, C.J.; Zouhri, S.; Martill, D.M. - Smith, R.E.; Ibrahim, N.; Longrich, N.; Unwin, D.M.; Jacobs, M.L.; Williams, C.J.; Zouhri, S.; Martill, D.M., https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12542-022-00642-6, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=128415917 Ceratosaurus nasicornis DB: By DiBgd, CC BY 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2443219 Europasaurus holgeri Scene 2: By Gerhard Boeggemann, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1074277 Credit: CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0: Quetzalcoatlus: By Johnson Mortimer - http://johnson-mortimer.deviantart.com/art/Quetzalcoatlus-582934790, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49523137 Quetzalcoatlus 2: By Johnson Mortimer - http://www.deviantart.com/art/Quetzalcoatlus-582934326, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49523094 Quetzalcoatlus northropi: By Mark Witton, Darren Naish - Witton MP, Naish D, PLoS ONE 3(5): e2271. - doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002271, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4124334 Arambourgiania, Nyctosaurus and Quetzalcoatlus: By see above, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34946129 Dilofozaur PGI: By Hiuppo, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2677855 Dilophosaurus wetherilli 3: By Wikipek, Geological Museum of the Polish Geological Institute, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7540067 CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0: Triassic Mural: By Carl Malamud - https://flic.kr/p/KDj6n, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13855593 Ceratosaurus & Dryosaurus: By Kordite - https://flic.kr/p/47Gijh, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4030916 CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/: QuetzalcoatlusROM: By Eduard Solà, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21098957 Tarbosaurus and Deinocheirus: By ABelov2014, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64948884 Palaeontinidae Distribution: By Dr. Ron Blakey - http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~rcb7/derivative, ObsidinSoul, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15856121 Hatzegopteryx Leaps Off: By KaiserKaijin3DX, https://prehistoric-planet.fandom.com/wiki/Forests?file=Hatzegopteryx_Leaps_Off_Ha%C8%9Beg_Island.gif Hatzegopteryxes Leave Trieste: By KaiserKaijin3DX, https://prehistoric-planet.fandom.com/wiki/Hatzegopteryx?file=Hatzegopteryxes_Leave_Trieste.gif Hatzegopteryx old male: By KaiserKaijin3DX, https://prehistoric-planet.fandom.com/wiki/File:Hatzegopteryx_old_male_with_juvenile_Tethyshadros_06.png Hatzegopteryx old male stares: By KaiserKaijin3DX, https://prehistoric-planet.fandom.com/wiki/File:Hatzegopteryx_old_male_stares_up_after_finishing_nest_02.png Hatzegopteryx female answers: By KaiserKaijin3DX, https://prehistoric-planet.fandom.com/wiki/File:Hatzegopteryx_female_answers_02.png Dilophosaurus2: By HombreDHojalata, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19860633 Dilophosaurus wetherilli 2: By Wikipek, Geological Museum of the Polish Geological Institute, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7457450 Ceratosaurus: By DinoTeam, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33796519 Ceratosaurus NT: By NobuTamura, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19459948 CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0: Arambourgiania philadelphiae: By Mark Witton - https://peerj.com/articles/2908/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55123331 Pteranodon skeleton model: By Qualiesin, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86982002 Cryodrakon: By PaleoEquii, https://commons.wikimedia.o
