On day five of creation week, which God documented for us in the Bible’s first chapter of Genesis, God filled the skies with flying creatures. But those winged wonders weren’t just birds and bats. Some of those flying animals were reptiles that had broad wings, long crests, and needle-like teeth.

What are they? We call them pterosaurs (TAIR-oh-sores).

Although the name sounds dinosaur-y, pterosaurs weren’t dinosaurs at all. They were a group of reptiles designed to soar with wings that stretched back from their long fingers. Their wings had fibers that made them strong and flexible, and some of their bones were lighter to keep them moving through the skies.

Pteranodon: A toothless giant with a wing span of up to 18 feet (5.6 meters . . . or about the length of three men) (top image)
Pterodactylus: A toothy fish eater (middle image)
Rhamphorhynchus: A long-tailed flyer (that may have been able to swim too, bottom image)