Pteranodon

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* Evolution

* Evolution 2
* Evolution

***Pteranodon*** is a genus of flying reptile in the *Jurassic World Evolution* series. Originated from Late Cretaceous North America and by far the most well-known pterosaur, *Pteranodon* is unique among all species in *Evolution*, being bred and released in the Aviary, rather than a normal enclosure.

Released with the *Return to Jurassic Park* expansion pack, *Pteranodon* fossils are unlocked on 1993 Isla Nublar and can then be excavated from the Pierre Shale and the Smoky Hill Chalk. Upon completion of the *Return to Jurassic Park* story missions, *Pteranodon* becomes available in the main campaign by progressing through the Security Division on Isla Sorna.

## History

*Pteranodon* were recreated by InGen on Isla Sorna, intending to exhibit them at the Jurassic Park Aviary prior to the 1993 incident. Following the incident, Sorna's *Pteranodon* population was mostly confined to the Isla Sorna Aviary but some were known to have escaped into the surrounding landscape at some point prior to 2001. In 2001, during the Isla Sorna Rescue Mission, Eric Kirby, Alan Grant, and others would encounter Sorna's aviary and be attacked by its *Pteranodon* inhabitants. During the attack, the main gate to the aviary was left unlocked, leading to the escape of many *Pteranodon*. These escaped *Pteranodon* would later be captured by the InGen Security Division headed by Masrani Global.

Between the opening of Jurassic World and until 2015, numerous *Pteranodon* were exhibited in the Jurassic World Aviary alongside the *Dimorphodon*. The Aviary would later be compromised during the 2015 Isla Nublar Incident by the rampaging *Indominus rex*, allowing the pterosaur population to escape and attack the park guests. After the abandonment of Nublar and prior to the eruption of Mt. Sibo, the now wild *Pteranodon* population roamed the island undisturbed.

In 2018, with the eruption of Mt. Sibo, many *Pteranodon* were captured and taken to the Lockwood Manor in California. Maisie Lockwood would later release them into the wild; where they quickly traveled across North America, going as far as Las Vegas within the year.

A year after the events at Lockwood Manor, a *Pteranodon* was recorded catching a wedding dove.

Four years after the events at Lockwood Manor, several *Pteranodon* were taken to a sanctuary created by BioSyn while others were seen migrating alongside modern birds and other pterosaurs.

## Characteristics

One of the largest pterosaurs ever to have existed with a wingspan stretching up to over seven meters, *Pteranodon* is a genus of Late Cretaceous pterosaur easily recognizable thanks to the crest on the top of its skull, which it uses for display purposes. Although its diet consists largely of fish, *Pteranodon* does not have teeth, chewing its prey with its beak – in fact, its name is derived from Greek meaning "*Toothless Wing*". These pterosaurs are extremely light and delicate in order to be able to fly. It is likely that *Pteranodon* was a coastal animal that roosted offshore, out of reach of predators. Their toothless jaws with a pouch of skin could hold fish, like modern pelicans, and the crest that could have acted as a counterbalance when skimming the water's surface. The base cosmetic genome of the *Pteranodon* has a dark brown base with creamy yellow countershading along the body and the wings. They are enclosed exclusively in aviaries, and each aviary can exhibit up to six individuals. There are multiple viewing points where guests can observe the animals up-close.

## Gameplay

### *Evolution*

#### Behaviour

Every *Pteranodon* present within the aviary will preform a looped animation, occasionally flying to another part of the aviary. If the aviary is damaged by a storm, the *Pteranodon* will escape and despawn after flying at a certain height. *Pteranodon* will also fly around the islands as ambient animals.

Unlike other species in the game which are susceptible to diseases and attacks, *Pteranodon* can only die from natural causes related to its lifespan. Despite being considered piscivores, they do not require a feeder to survive.

#### Skins

 NULL

 ALPINE

 COASTAL

 JUNGLE

 RAINFOREST

 WETLAND

### *Evolution 2*

#### Cosmetics

##### Skins

AMAZON RAINFOREST

CHAMPLAIN VALLEY

DEATH VALLEY

GAMBIA RIVER BASIN

GREAT SANDY DESERT

LIMPOPO RIVER

MANGROVE FOREST

QILIAN MOUNTAINS

SALAR DEL HUASCO

SONORAN DESERT

SVALBARD

YUKON RIVER

PTERANODON 2001

##### Patterns

File:Pteranodon Chalcorana pattern from Evolution 2.png
CHALCORANA

File:Pteranodon Lithobates pattern from Evolution 2.png
LITHOBATES

File:Pteranodon Papurana pattern from Evolution 2.png
PAPURANA

File:Pteranodon Pelophylax pattern from Evolution 2.png
PELOPHYLAX

File:Pteranodon Pulchrana pattern from Evolution 2.png
PULCHRANA

File:Pteranodon Rana pattern from Evolution 2.png
RANA

## Paleontology

By far the most well-known species of pterosaur, the first *Pteranodon* remains found by American paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in 1870 to 1872, in the Late Cretaceous Smoky Hill Chalk deposits of western Kansas, when he unearthed numerous skulls, wings, and finger bones among other marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs and mosasaurs. The first pterosaur discovered outside of Europe, it was originally deemed a species of the much smaller and earlier *Pterodactylus*, but that changed in 1876 when its skull with no teeth was discovered, and thus its lack of teeth lend it its name and classified as a new genus. Marsh named the new species *Pteranodon longiceps*, with the specific name referring to the "*Long Head*" of the animal. Since then, hundreds of specimens have been found, from all stages of development.

Originally, many different *Pteranodon* species were named, due to some individuals being larger and having a noticeable crest, but paleontologists have discovered those differences are due to sexual dimorphism, with females being smaller and crestless. Today, only two species are generally recognized: the traditional, straight crested *Pteranodon longiceps*, and the curve-crested *Pteranodon sternbergi*, which is sometimes classified as its own separate genus, *Geosternbergia*.

### Paleoecology

*Pteranodon* lived 80-88 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period and is native to North America – particularly in and around the Western Interior Seaway, a large inland sea that split what is now the North American continent into two continents, and more precisely in what is now the Niobrara Formation. This is where fossils had been discovered and suggests that *Pteranodon* roosted near the sea and preyed on fish, but the delicate nature of their fossils could also mean that specimens were only able to survive in this limestone. *Pteranodon* shared its habitat with its smaller relative *Nyctosaurus*, toothed birds *Ichthyornis* and *Hesperornis*, plesiosaur *Elasmosaurus*, a large diversity of mosasaurs including *Tylosaurus*, and a huge array of both sharks and bony fishes.

A proven piscivore, *Pteranodon* is one of the few Mesozoic reptiles whose breeding strategy is known by paleontologists. Due to the smaller females being far more common than the males, even in bonebeds, it is likely *Pteranodon* was polygynous, with a single male mating with a large number of females, who would be the sole providers of parental care.

## Behind the scenes

The design of the *Pteranodon* in *Evolution* is based on its appearance in 2001's *Jurassic Park III*, while its design in *Evolution 2* is based on its appearance in 2015's *Jurassic World*. The Rainforest skin, however, is based on its brief appearance in 1997's *The Lost World: Jurassic Park*.

It received a Species Profile along with other *Return to Jurassic Park* species, on November 22, 2019.

## Gallery

VideosSpecies Profile - PteranodonSpecies Field Guide - Pteranodon - Jurassic World Evolution 2
Images
## References

1. ↑ Johnston, Joe. (Director). (2001). *Jurassic Park III* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
2. ↑ *The Rise and Fall of Masrani Global*. (March 26, 2018). Dinosaur Protection Group. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
3. ↑ Trevorrow, Colin. (Director). (2015). *Jurassic World* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
4. ↑ Bayona, J. A. (Director). (2018). *Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
5. ↑ Trevorrow, Colin. (Director). (2019). *Battle at Big Rock* [Short film]. Universal Pictures.
6. ↑ Trevorrow, Colin. (Director). (2022). *Jurassic World Dominion* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
7. ↑ Frontier Developments. (November 22, 2019). *Jurassic World Evolution: Return to Jurassic Park Species Profiles* [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 26, 2019.