A Pterodactyl was a pterosaur or flying lizard, with a wingspan of about 50-75 cm (20-30 inches), that lived on lake shores during the late Jurassic era. There is some debate over how well adapted pterodactyls were to flight, and also over their general appearance and characteristics. Fossil pterodactyls have been found in many locations.

The name derives from the Greek words ptero (winged) and dactyl (finger). Like all pterosaurs, pterodactyl's wing streached from its last finger to its torso, and was internaly supported by collogen ridges.

See also Pterosaur.