Quetzalcoatlus

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***Quetzalcoatlus*** is a genus of flying reptile that originated from Late Cretaceous North America. It is part of the *Dominion Biosyn Expansion*.

## History

Four years after the events at Lockwood Manor, several *Quetzalcoatlus* were seen nesting on top of skyscrapers and migrating alongside modern birds and other pterosaurs. One individual was present in the sanctuary that was created by BioSyn, and it was seen attacking the plane that Owen Grady, Claire Dearing, and Kayla Watts were in when they entered BioSyn's restricted airspace.

## Characteristics

Named after the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, meaning "*Feathered Serpent*", *Quetzalcoatlus* dates back to the Late Cretaceous period and is considered to be among the largest known flying animals, let alone pterosaurs, of all time. With a massive wingspan measuring between 10 and 13 meters wide and a shoulder height of nearly 10 feet, this aerial giant was roughly the size of an airplane. Its sheer size and long, sharp beak makes it a dominating force in the air.

## Gameplay

### Behavior

The *Quetzalcoatlus* is much like most other flying reptiles, not being able to walk and it will fly around despite in real life it was believed to mostly stay on land. Occasionally it will land to perch on perch points, drink and eat. However, unlike most pterosaurs, they can only perch on certain objects such as the Control Centre. They will eat live bait by hunting it, and will also hunt hadrosaurs such as the *Parasaurolophus* and *Corythosaurus*, they kill it by dropping it on the ground and pecking before snapping it’s neck. They also will hunt other pterosaurs such as *Pteranodon* and can also hunt small herbivores such as *Dryosaurus*, *Homalocephale*, and *Gallimimus*.

## Paleontology

*Quetzalcoatlus* was discovered through chance by Douglas A. Lawson in 1971 - while digging for sauropods at Big Bend National Park in Texas, Lawson's team unearthed a giant wing bone fossil. The bone was so large that there was much controversy over what animal the specimen belonged to, but Lawson was able to show comparisons to *Pterodactyl* that confirmed it was, in fact, a new and much larger genus. The flying habits of *Quetzalcoatlus* have been debated due to its large size, with some theorizing that it was a soaring animal while others say it was completely flightless. Recent studies have shown that it would be capable of boosting itself several feet into the air with its hind legs to gain the momentum necessary for downstrokes.

The feeding habits of *Quetzalcoatlus* have been widely debated. One theory suggests that it acted like a marabou stork, scavenging while acting as a predator to small live animals. Another theory suggests that it hunted fish like modern skimmers, flying over the water and scooping them up with its bottom jaw, though this one was disproven due to how inefficient it would be for such a large animal due to energy consumption and drag. The most recent theory is that it was a mostly terrestrial land stalker like a stork, hunting on plain ground or in small patches of water. This is supported by how its limb proportions are more similar to that of modern running ungulate mammals, implying a terrestrial life style.

### Paleoecology

*Quetzalcoatlus* lived in the southern states of the USA around 66-72 million years ago and coexisted with with a range of other pterosaurs including *Javelinadactylus* as well as many dinosaurs such as *Triceratops*, *Alamosaurus* and the fearsome *Tyrannosaurus*. It was thought to live in semi-arid areas with no indications of large bodies of water near their fossil sites. *Quetzalcoatlus* remains have mainly been found inland, although this may be because remains were unable to be preserved closer to the coast.

## External Links

* Quetzalcatlus on Wikipedia.

1. ↑ Trevorrow, Colin. (Director). (2022). *Jurassic World Dominion* [Film]. Universal Pictures.