Line #140 Main/TerrorDactyl


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10	[[quoteright:310:[[WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TURU1_6856.jpg]]]]
11	[[caption-width-right:310:At least it's not a pterodactyl.[[note]]But the name ''Pteranodon'' misses the first "o".[[/note]]]]
12
13	->''"For most of us, 'pterodactyls' are imagined as large, vicious and ugly gargoyles with lanky limbs, leathery wings and jaws lined with savage teeth, the sort of disreputable brutes we find in Arthur Conan Doyle's ''[[Literature/TheLostWorld1912 The Lost World]]'', the ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' franchise – even a recent episode of ''Franchise/DoctorWho''."''
14	-->-- Palaeontologist Mark Witton, [[https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/aug/11/pterosaurs-fossils-research-mark-witton "Why pterosaurs weren't so scary after all"]]
15
16	While it is true that our knowledge of prehistoric fauna is steadily improving, the depictions in popular media do not seem to be as up to date with modern science. While dinosaurs are increasingly averting ScienceMarchesOn, however, the same cannot be said for the other dominant reptiles during their 200-million-year reign. As a case in point, look no further than their close relatives, the pterosaurs -- the first vertebrates [[note]]that is, animals with backbones[[/note]] to fly.
17
18	Nothing adds to the atmosphere of HollywoodPrehistory like tossing in some of these flying reptiles. Most media depicts these creatures as something like monstrous reptilian eagles or bats, [[KidnappingBirdOfPrey carrying off such luckless victims like tasty humans or adventurous baby dinosaurs]] and being far more aggressive than they were in real life. To appear more monstrous, these pterosaurs are often depicted with traits such as exaggerated sizes, scaly reptilian skin (because ReptilesAreAbhorrent), a beak [[MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily full of sharp teeth]], grasping eagle-like talons [[KidnappingBirdOfPrey to grab prey with]], and leathery wings that make them look like a giant BatOutOfHell. As in the case of most other PrehistoricMonster portrayals, RuleOfCool very much applies here.
19
20	Note that an inaccurate pterosaur by itself does NOT qualify as an example; ArtisticLicensePaleontology covers those cases already, so examples must be evil/antagonistic ''and'' inaccurate to qualify here. Nonetheless, there do seem to be a number of common traits to most such portrayals aside from [[KillAllHumans the inexplicable urge to attack the protagonists on sight]], including:
21	* [[DinosaursAreDragons Dragon-like designs rather than anything resembling the real animal]]. This includes portraying them with a covering of bare skin or reptilian scales rather than the hair-like scales called pycnofibers they had in real-life, and giving them bat-like wings with multiple fingers supporting a leathery membrane, rather than a single finger supporting a more complex, layered arrangement of muscle, gristle, and even air sacs to maintain the wing shape.
22	* [[FangsAreEvil Flashing beakfuls of fearsome fangs,]] [[ToothyBird even when they aren't supposed to have any]] (Many such portrayals are based on ''Pteranodon'', for instance, despite its name ''meaning'' "toothless wing"). Relatedly, pterosaurs that ''did'' have teeth often have them greatly exaggerated [[RuleOfScary for dramatic effect]].
23	* [[KidnappingBirdOfPrey Picking up and carrying off victims with]] [[AllFlyersAreBirds strong, bird-like foot talons]]. Pterosaurs had small and relatively weak hind legs, short feet, and short toes, meant simply for walking on land and unable to carry anything. They also generally lacked the size and strength to pick up a person, and even the biggest ones like ''Quetzalcoatlus'' likely landed on the ground to seize prey instead of snatching it on the fly.
24	* [[PredatorsAreMean Feeding strictly on flesh and nothing but]]. Pterosaur diets were likely a lot more varied than simply meat or fish, with many having beak and tooth shapes adapted for more specialized diets than your typical fictional [[ToServeMan people-guzzler]]. Some smaller species likely fed exclusively on insects, for instance, and a few may have even been fruit-eaters.
25	* [[TheDinosaursHadItComing Being seen as backwards, maladapted, evolutionary failures]] [[AlwaysChaoticEvil that exist only to be a predatory menace]]. Pterosaurs were as much a part of the tree of life on Earth as any other animal, being the dominant flying vertebrates on Earth for over 150 million years, and as such were every bit as adapted for survival until their extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period (which was caused by a cosmic event beyond their control rather than any inherent failure of pterosaur evolution).
26
27	This is a subtrope of ArtisticLicensePaleontology. See ArtisticLicenseOrnithology for the avian version and SomewhereAHerpetologistIsCrying for a reptilian version. See also GiantFlyer, AllFlyersAreBirds, DinosaursAreDragons (because pop culture pterodactyls are often surprisingly similar to [[OurWyvernsAreDifferent wyverns]]), and TerrifyingTyrannosaur (for when tyrannosaurs are the ones depicted as scary).
28
29	----
30	[[foldercontrol]]
31
32	!!Examples:
33
34	[[folder:Advertisements]]
35	* A stereotypical naked, talon-footed pterosaur snatches up a caveman (or tries to) in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM_pwc7rBcA this]] BC Dairy commercial.
36	* [[https://vimeo.com/515268727 An advertisement for Russian telecom company Beeline]] has a "pterodactyl" hoist a man into the air with its feet and carry him to its nest, wherein he ends up [[spoiler:watching dinosaur cartoons with the babies on his portable media player]]. While the adult pterosaur is naked and bird footed, she also [[ShownTheirWork has long, rounded wings with pteroid bones on them and concept art shows that the babies have visible pycnofibres and are quadrupeds]]. Interestingly, the pterosaurs themselves look vaguely similar to a generic ctenochasmatoid, the kind of pterosaur ''Pterodactylus'' was. The pterosaurs are also shown nesting on a snowy mountaintop. Meaning that they ''must'' be warm-blooded [[ShownTheirWork (as real pterosaurs were)]] because they wouldn't be able to survive the cold if they weren't.
37	* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXnlxbU-xoM this commercial for Nissin Cup Noodles]], a mother ''Quetzalcoatlus'' is shown using her talons to drop a slab of meat into her nest to feed her young, and then dropping a rock (one which should weigh almost as much as she does, if not more) onto a gaggle of humans.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
41	* ''Franchise/DragonBall'': Early installments feature many prehistoric animals in the setting (something that was gradually phased out as the series went on) and pterosaurs are among them. One even makes an appearance in the first episode as a StarterVillain. These pterosaurs seem to take after ''Pteranodon'' as the obvious baseline inspiration, but they're scaled up to near kaiju levels and look significantly more monstrous and cartoony, with scaly skin, teeth, lizard-like tails and talons. They're never referred to by any genus name, but they ''are'' referred to as "dinos", which appears to be treated as a blanket term for prehistoric reptiles in the series.
42	* ''Anime/TheUltraman'' has two pterosaur-based monsters, Gadon the kaiju-sized ''Archaeopteryx'' who becomes hostile after being affected by the Devil Star, and later a smaller but equally dangerous creature called a Choirus who resembles closer to the classic pterosaur (albeit blue in colour).
43	[[/folder]]
44
45	[[folder:Comic Books]]
46	* ''ComicBook/DeffSkwadron'': The squighawk, a creature leathery pointed wings, a long tail with an arrowhead tip, a fang-lined beak, and a triangular crest on its head, is portrayed as a ferocious and aggressive predator.
47	* ''ComicBook/{{Flesh}}'': The pterosaurs seen in Book 1 and Book 2 [[KidnappingBirdOfPrey carry people off in their claws]].
48	* ''[[ComicBook/ConanTheBarbarian The Savage Sword of Conan]]'': The monstrous pterosaur featured in "At the Mountain of the Moon-God", apart from being scaly, bipedal, and toothy, is BornAsAnAdult after incubating in an egg for thousands of years and can fly while grasping a fully-grown human in each hand. The narrative acknowledges that last inaccuracy before brushing it off.
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
52	* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': In the arc introducing the Transmogrifier Gun, Calvin asks Hobbes to transmogrify him into a pterodactyl so he can terrorize the neighborhood. Instead, he is transmogrified into a bipedal cartoony "pterodactyl" which is no bigger than a duck, much to his dismay as he believes pterodactyls are big (which is ironic as his pterosaur form is the right size for a ''Pterodactylus'') and his puny form won't be terrorizing anyone.
53	* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'': Pterosaurs are the subject of numerous strips, and mostly depicted as gigantic, heavy-bodied, toothy and ferocious carnivores who co-exist with cavemen in HollywoodPrehistory. They often serve as hilariously inappropriate bird-replacements:
54	** A caveman has "trained" his pet pterosaur to "perch" on his finger, and has lost large chunks of his anatomy in the process, reducing him to using crude bits of wood as replacements.
55	** A caveman family has set up a "bird feeder", which is some cows staked out on tethers for the pterosaurs to swoop down on and carry off.
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Fan Works]]
59	* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'': Like several other ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}''-series kaiju, Rodan is presented as having been genetically engineered by an ancient civilization as a planetary guardian, in this case being a gigantic pterosaur prior to modification. As this wasn't present in the canon material, it serves as a meta-level HandWave for any anatomical changes that brought him closer to this trope (anatomy-wise, at least -- his personality is rather laid-back rather than being a predatory menace) than with actual pterosaur anatomy. After he's accidentally teleported to [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Equestria]] early in the story and gets magically transformed into a [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent griffon]], he has in place of the eagle parts of a normal Equestrian griffon the more reptilian or dragon-like features of his true form, [[AllFlyersAreBirds raptorial talons and all]].
60	* ''Fanfic/RiseOfTheGaleforces'': Two pterosaur genera are among the resurrected Mesozoic creatures to appear: the ''Pteranodon'' from ''Film/JurassicParkIII'' appear regularly, and are joined by ''[[Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs Ornithocheirus]]'' later in the story. The [=JP3=] ''Pteranodon'' are unchanged (talons, teeth, and all), and the protagonists even end up having to go through almost the exact same aviary scene as in the film at one point. The ''Ornithocheirus'' meanwhile behave a lot like the ''Cearadactylus'' in ''Literature/JurassicPark1990'', being unusually aggressive and strong, though at least they pick things up with their beaks instead of their feet like the ''Pteranodon'' do. Most notable of all, however, is the AuthorAvatar whose super alias literally ''is'' "Terrordactyl" - his main schtick being that he's actually a [=JP3=]-style ''Pteranodon'' who was even further enhanced by the DNA of other creatures [[spoiler:[[HalfHumanHybrid including that of one of the human protagonists]]]], giving him a long, dragon-like tail, an absurdly fast HealingFactor, and [[spoiler:the ability to [[HumanityEnsues assume a human form himself]]]].
61	* ''[[https://www.deviantart.com/dinohunter2/gallery/584047/terra-monstrum Terra Monstrum]]'': Rodan is one of the main {{Kaiju}} characters in this ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' fanfiction, taking on a more prominent role than in the films' canon after Godzilla himself is permanently killed by Mechagodzilla. Despite being stated to be a "pterodactylid", Rodan doesn't look too different from the versions in the franchise proper which mostly play the trope straight themselves; specifically, he resembles a mix of the Showa and Millenium versions with the added addition of bird-like talons and serrated, blade-like wings. Despite his monstrous appearance and fierce temperament, though, [[NonMaliciousMonster he's still one of the good guys]].
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
65	* ''WesternAnimation/TheGoodDinosaur'': Thunderclap and his clan are a band of hostile, toothed and eagle-clawed pterosaurs that are the closest to actual villains in the film.
66	* ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'': [[WesternAnimation/IceAgeDawnOfTheDinosaurs The third film]], set in a LostWorld with LivingDinosaurs, features two flavors of this trope: pink ones resembling giant ''Rhamphorhynchus'' with short ''Pteranodon''-like crests and dangerous blue ones with orange stripes, [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] and pointed teeth which mostly resemble oversized ''Pterodactylus''. When Buck, Crash, and Eddie ride one of the pink ones to [[InevitableWaterfall Lava Falls]], a pack of the ''Pterodactylus''-like pterosaurs follow after seeing the possums for prey, which leads to a daring AerialCanyonChase.
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
70	* ''Film/AgeOfDinosaurs'': Scaly pterosaurs appear that carry people away with their feet.
71	* ''Film/TheDinosaurProject'': The characters are attacked by carnivorous nocturnal anurognathid pterosaurs, which are also depicted as flightless and instead get around by leaping from tree to tree like monkeys.
72	* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'': Rodan, a giant pterosaur-dragon Kaiju, is usually portrayed as highly aggressive and territorial, in contrast to the more reactive Godzilla and pacifist Mothra, although he isn't actively evil the way King Ghidorah is. Whether or not he's an actual pterosaur or just looks sort of like one varies -- in ''Film/{{Rodan}}'' he's a mutated giant ''Pteranodon'', while in ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' he dates back to the Permian period, meaning that he predates the pterosaur order by over 60 million years.
73	* ''Franchise/JurassicPark'':
74	** Generally speaking, ''Pteranodon'' are portrayed as highly aggressive predators of land-bound targets, usually humans, which they grasp with prehensile feet and carry off into the sky. Depending on the film in question, they may or may not have teeth.
75	** ''Film/JurassicWorld'': The ''Pteranodon'' (toothless this time) still portrayed as DeathFromAbove, and also joined by a different pterosaur: ''Dimorphodon''. These are depicted as aerial predators (the real life ''Dimorphodon'' was a harmless insectivore/hunter of small animals), and physically resemble emaciated bat-wyvern creatures with toothy jaws instead of beaks. Notably, this film is one of the first pop-culture work to depict ''Pteranodon'' plunge-diving for food like pelicans or gannets, [[ShownTheirWork something they likely did in real life]], and it also remembers their sexual dimorphism (having short, stumpy crests when female). The ''Pteranodons'' that get appeared up in the prologue of ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'' inexplicably use the same models as this movie, but one is shown diving into the water, showing that this behavior was not limited to the modern-day hybrids from ''Jurassic World'' proper.
76	** ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'': The ''Quetzalcoatlus'' in the prologue are depicted as terrestrial, quadrupedal macro-predators. A revived one also appears in the present day, attacking a cargo plane the human protagonists are flying in; this one is [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever much larger than the real animal]], almost the same size ''as the plane itself''. Its menacing the humans is, in this case, rather realistic -- azhdarchids, the group ''Quetzalcoatlus'' belongs to, likely hunted terrestrial prey, particularly ground-dwelling animals like small reptiles, mammals, and dinosaur hatchlings.
77	* ''Film/KingKong1933'' is probably the TropeCodifier, featuring a memorable scene where a hungry pteranodon tries to snatch Ann out of Kong's lair. Kong [[CurbStompBattle makes short work of it]].
78	* ''Film/KongSkullIsland'': The Leafwings and their larger cousins, the Psychovultures, are said to be evolved descendants of pterosaurs in supplementary material. Both species are very aggressive, with a flock of Leafwings attacking the Monarch crew in the movie and carrying off a crewmember that they dismember in midair.
79	* ''Film/LegendOfDinosaursAndMonsterBirds'': The ''Rhamphorhynchus'' in the movie is gigantic, much bigger than the real animal, and extremely aggressive.
80	* ''Film/TheLostWorld'': The first prehistoric creature encountered is a massive ''Pteranodon'' that grabs a peccary with its beak and carries it to its perch to eat.
81	* ''Film/TheLostWorld1998'': The team attempts to escape the plateau in a hot air balloon. Summerlee observes nearby Quetzalcoatlus, and they attack the balloon, causing Myar to fall. The balloon also suffers a large tear and drops back to the plateau.
82	* ''Film/OneMillionYearsBC'' has Loanna captured by an immense, bat-winged ''Pteranodon'' to be fed to its young. The ''Pteranodon'' and its young then get killed by an oversized, short-tailed, and also bat-winged ''Rhamphorhynchus''.
83	* ''Film/TyrannosClaw'': A massive pterosaur menaces the main characters several times, and later snatches the (unnamed) female lead to its nest to feed its young.
84	* ''Film/WhenDinosaursRuledTheEarth'': While Tara is hiking back to his tribe, which has been taken over by the overzealous Kingsor, he is carried off by a giant ''Rhamphorhynchus''.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Literature]]
88	* ''Literature/{{Dinotopia}}'': ''Pteranodon'' are portrayed as dangerous, aggressive man-eaters, which prey with impunity on anyone who enters their territories in the lower reachers of the Ancient Gorge where they make their carrion-strewn lairs. Depending on the specific work, they range from mindless monsters to respected but savage gatekeepers of the World Beneath.
89	* ''Literature/JurassicPark1990'' features an aviary full of ''Cearadactylus''. While they're depicted as [[ShownTheirWork furry, quadrupedal fish-eaters]], they also fill the "airborne terror" role. Granted, the reason they're so aggressive is much more plausible than most portrayals -- they're naturally territorial and aren't too keen on people wandering into their nesting ground. They're also erroneously referred to as "birds" and "flying dinosaurs", which is made all the more jarring by the fact that the chapter they appear in is told from the perspective of a ''legitimate paleontologist''.
90	* ''Literature/{{Spooksville}}'': The plot of ''The Deadly Past'' is kicked off by the gang being attacked by a pterodactyl, who proceeds to take Cindy to its nest.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
94	* ''Series/Danger5'': Played for laughs, with a "pterodon" played by a man [[PeopleInRubberSuits in a bad rubber suit]]. It talks, and attacks Jackson with a [[GrievousBottleyHarm broken beer bottle]] after [[AttemptedRape sexually assaulting a woman]].
95	* ''Series/DoctorWho'': "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E2DinosaursOnASpaceship Dinosaurs on a Spaceship]]" features abnormally aggressive Pteranodons (called "Pterodactyls" by the Doctor) attacking the Doctor, Rory, and Brian (Rory's dad) in one scene. They hunt in packs and, while they don't try to grab anyone with their feet, they instead try to stab the heroes with their beaks.
96	* ''Series/MonsterWarriors'': The Warriors battle monstrous pterodacyls in "Pterodactyl Terror" and "The Secrets of the Lost Canyon". The inaccuracies are {{Justified}} is this case these are not supposed to be real pterodactyls, but creatures conjured out of an old monster movie by the series' BigBad.
97	* ''Series/OddSquad'': One episode, "6:00 to 6:05", features Precinct 13579 being attacked by a small pterosaur after a mass breakout from the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Dinosaur Room]]. The [[{{Pun}} odd]] thing is, the pterosaur is quite clearly a ''Pterodaustro'', a filter-feeder that has the Cretaceous equivalent of a flamingo, and is depicted as being about [[AnimalsNotToScale half the size of a real one]].
98	* ''Series/PrimevalNewWorld'': The ''Pteranodon'' from the first episode is a hyper-aggressive man-eater that spears things with its beak, sometimes walks on two legs, and abducts a child. It's particularly odd since the original ''Primeval'' series featured a much less aggressive ''Pteranodon''.
99	* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'': Pterodactyls look like a slightly less mediocre version of ''Film/JurassicParkIII'''s second pterosaur variety. By "less mediocre", its just because it lacks teeth. Sans the appearance, Myfanwy also seems to be a super predator when even its anatomy dictates that injuring partially-converted Cybermen and ''Apatosaurus''-aliens would be a fairly hard task.
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Music]]
103	* Music/TheHistorianHimself's "Earth Beasts Awaken" project, based around a Kaiju Apocalypse, features the monstrous "Terrorsoar" as the main harbinger of humanity's demise.
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
107	* ''TabletopGame/DinosaursAttack'': ''Pteranodon'' are depicted [[http://www.bobheffner.com/dinosaursattack/front6.htm eating the president and his first lady]], and then go on to [[http://www.bobheffner.com/dinosaursattack/front17.htm nest in Mount Rushmore and feed tourists to their babies]].
108	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': The Pterafolk of Chult are BeastMan versions of this trope. They are bipedal, with a toothy beak and ''Pteranodon''-like crest, green scaly skin and grasping feet. They also have bat-like wings, but they can magically retract them when on the ground, turning them into humanoid arms. Culture-wise they are barbaric savages who will attack jungle travellers.
109	* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': Downplayed by sky titans. Their artwork shows them as fairly realistic azhdarchid pterosaurs, but their otherwise share the trope's propensity for preying on human-sized, land-bound victims that they divebomb like meteors and pull into the heavens to toy with before swallowing whole.
110	* ''TabletopGame/OkoYrrhedesa'': Aggressive pterosaurs are the main danger in crossing a hanging bridge in ''The Eye of Yrrhedes'' scenario. You have to fight them, and they can throw you off the bridge, and there is also a chance that the whole construction will fall apart due to their attacks, taking down everyone on it.
111	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'':
112	** ''Dimorphodon'' is portrayed as a man-sized, aerial predator with a venomous bite, naked skin, and a hooked beak, unlike the much smaller, arboreal generalist it is thought to have been in real life.
113	** 2nd edition portrays ''Pteranodon'' as a toothy, draconic monstrosity with a mane of spiny quills, while ''Quetzalcoatlus'' has grasping talons and abilities that encourage it to hunt prey from the air and carry victims away into the sky.
114	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': The Lizardmen have units of Terradon and Ripperdactyl Riders, as well as Terradon steeds for heroes and generals, creatures depicted as scaly, floppy-winged, toothy man-eaters with claws strong enough to carry stones to drop on enemies' heads. The Ripperdactyls in particular are highly aggressive, blunt-jawed predators specialized for strafing and attacking land-bound targets.
115	[[/folder]]
116
117	[[folder:Video Games]]
118	* ''VideoGame/ArkSurvivalEvolved'': The game's pterosaurs run the gamut:
119	** The ''Pteranodon'' has teeth, scales, bat-like wings, and the ability to pick up humans ([[RuleOfFun a technique used by riders to harass enemies]]).
120	** The ''Dimorphodon'' has feathers and KillerRabbit tendencies.
121	** The ''Quetzalcoatlus'' is way bigger than the real thing and strong enough to carry off a mammoth as well as a small building on its back. Ironically, it is portrayed as being constantly airborne like an albatross, despite being one of the most terrestrial of pterosaurs.
122	** The ''Tapejara'' is a carnivore (it probably ate fruit in real life), and has the strength to carry three people and pick up another with its claws.
123	* ''VideoGame/BigKarnak'': Prior to battling Osiris, the god will transform himself into a gigantic purple pterodactyl, backed up by several blue ones, to fight you. Said monster is either Osiris' AttackAnimal, or Osiris himself turning into an animal form to fight you before reverting to humkanoid, but it's never explained.
124	* ''VideoGame/DinoCrisis'' also has pretty stock pterosaurs, which are apparently supposed to be ''Pteranodon''. They lack "fur" and are only seen on the ground when they die, flapping pathetically (although they landed in a bipedal stance at one point). They also attack Regina by -- you guessed it -- hoisting her up into the air with their feet, with one death scene showing them carrying away her 100+ pound corpse. Granted, if they did not attack her it would be [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality a fairly boring game and would make them a pointless enemy]], but their motivation is apparently to eat her. Oddly enough, at least one [[AllThereInTheManual strategy guide]] [[LampshadeHanging points out the errors of a]] ''[[LampshadeHanging Pteranodon]]'' [[LampshadeHanging predating on a human]] [[WildMassGuessing and speculates that they are attacking her for territorial reasons]].
125	* ''VideoGame/DinoRex'': The ''Pteranodon'' is shown to be a ManEater, whith one female in particular snatching up the human losers of each match and taking them to her nest to feed them to her hatchlings. She will even occasionally devour them whole!
126	* ''VideoGame/DinoTrauma'': In outdoor areas, expect pterosaurs to constantly swoop from above and attack you with their beaks. Like every other creature in the game, they're hostile by default.
127	* ''VideoGame/EVOSearchForEden'':
128	** ''Pteranodon'' (''Ptenodon'' in the English localization) in the [[BonusDungeon optional level]] Mt. Brave are depicted as having a tail of ''Rhamphornynchus'' and happen to be among [[GoddamnBats the game's most annoying enemies]] because they [[MookBouncer fly above you then grab you with their feet and drop you from high on the hard ground below]] which causes massive damage (even if you are upgraded with strong body armor). If you somehow manage to bypass them and jump off the mountain's top, you will evolve into a pterosaur yourself; and can upgrade your body by mix-and-matching parts of various pterosaurs, birds and non-avian dinosaurs.
129	** A secret hidden level above the clouds also has actual ''Rhamphorhynchus'' (dubbed ''Rhamcys'') guard secret power-ups, despite the game's cartoonish aesthetic they are also a pain to deal with because they can instantly fly towards you and quickly [[CycleOfHurting peck you]] [[DeathOfAThousandCuts to death]].
130	* ''VideoGame/TheHunterPrimal'': The ''Quetzalcoatlus'', while physically mainly accurate (they have pycnofibers and a realistic skull shape) show a KidnappingBirdOfPrey-like behaviour similar to the ones seen in ''VideoGame/PrimalCarnage'' and ''VideoGame/DinoCrisis'' in which they grab the player's character with their feet to then let you free causing to suffer a swift death by showing you how gravity works. Ironically and in spite of the fact that ''Quetzalcoatlus'' was one of the most terrestrial species of pterosaur, they are never seen on the ground.
131	* ''VideoGame/JurassicParkTheGame'': In episode 2, a ''Pteranodon'' (based on ''JP III''[='s=] version, down to having teeth) attacks a rescue helicopter for no apparent reason.
132	* ''VideoGame/LordOfGun'' has a [[DinosaursAreDragons fire-breathing]] pterodactyl as one of the two DualBoss enemies in the swamp level, alongside the [[WhenTreesAttack tree demon]]. It swoops in and out of the screen to ambush you periodically.
133	* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'': "Pterodactyls" show up in the Jurassic Marsh levels, resembling cartoony toothy ''Pteranodon'' but [[AnachronismStew coexisting with "Raptors", Stegosaurus, and T. rex]]. They're scaly, bipedal, and can pick up zombies with their feet, [[DungeonBypass dropping them off on the near side of your lawn to attack your plants from behind]]. If [[MookFaceTurn charmed by the Perfume-Shroom]], however, they carry zombies off the lawn for a OneHitKill instead.
134	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' gives us Aerodactyl which, despite its name coming from "pterodactyl", barely resembles real pterosaurs at all, looking more like a wyvern than anything else. Later, ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' introduced Skarmory which takes a bit of influence from pop-culture pterosaurs as well, particularly with its ''Pteranodon''-like head with teeth. Both of these have appeared in supplementary material playing the KidnappingBirdOfPrey role a lot of these creatures occupy, with Aerodactyl's very first appearance in the main series anime having it menace the main cast with carnivorous intent and pick up Ash in its talons.
135	* ''VideoGame/SilentHill1'': The first game features two monsters, the Air Screamer and the Night Flutter, based on illustrations from one of Alessa's favorite books, ''Literature/{{The Lost World\|1912}}'' by Sir Creator/ArthurConanDoyle. This being ''Franchise/SilentHill'', the flying horrors haven been twisted by the town, with the Air Screamer resembling a hideously emaciated pterodactyl/bat hybrid and the Night Flutter possessing a human-like body and a wriggling mass of worms for a head.
136	* ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'' has King Shahryar (played by Dr. Eggman) getting snatched away by a ''Pteranodon'', which picks up Shahryar with its beak instead of its feet.
137	[[/folder]]
138
139	[[folder:Web Original]]
140	* ''WebOriginal/DinoHunter2sAges'': The [[https://www.deviantart.com/dinohunter2/art/The-Pterodactyl-868474830 Pterodactyl]] Legend plays this trope as straight as can be, albeit with traits of various real-world pterosaurs in many of its skins. An almost wyvern-like aerial menace with vulture-like traits, its passive ability enables it to Snatch objects and other Legends with its talons, and its grapple attack has it pick up its enemy and drop it to the ground. It can also Scatter enemy forces with its non-combat "roar" ability (a terrible screech), and its main attacking ability is to rush forward [[BeakAttack beak-first]], allowing it to Spear through multiple opponents.
141	* ''Website/{{Mortasheen}}'', naturally for a creation of Website/{{Bogleech}}, has plenty of monster designs inspired by weird and wild real-world biology, so its takes on this trope can get quite odd indeed. Granted, Bogleech normally [[ShownTheirWork does his research]] on the animals his monsters are based on, so it's almost guaranteed that these monsters were intended to be deliberately over-the-top.
142	** One of the oldest monsters in the archive is the [[http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/pteracide.htm Pteracide]], an acid-spraying flyer that's next to naked with a skull that looks nothing like any real pterosaur, but is quadrupedal and supports each wing with one finger. Of all the monsters to play with this trope, it's the only one so far that actually uses powered flight, since it was created before Bogleech's design rules for this world came around (one of which is that monsters inspired by winged creatures should generally be flightless, and if there's an exception, it had better be for a very good reason).
143	** The [[GhostlyAnimals Ecto]][[FossilRevival saur]] class introduced the [[http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/gunkergeist.htm Gunkergeist]], a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot flightless ghostly azdharchid]] with the upper and lower parts of its beak fused together to form a tubular snout. It uses this to [[SuperSpit spit gobs of]] GreyGoo at living creatures, converting them into "slime ghouls" which it tends to like a mother bird with its young.
144	** Also from the Ectosaur class, and with even more BodyHorror thrown in, is the [[http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/vaporgeist.htm Vaporgeist]]. It looks like the Crystal Palace depictions of pterosaurs crossed with a disembodied pair of lungs, bearing a branching tubular snout instead the beak that can [[BreathWeapon spray clouds of]] [[DeadlyGas poisonous gas]].
145	* ''Website/{{Neopets}}'':
146	** The [[http://www.neopets.com/pteri/ Pteri]]. As its name suggests, [[http://images.neopets.com/pp/pteri.gif its design is very reminiscent of a really small, adorable pterodactyl]] and it is native to [[{{Prehistoria}} Tyrannia,]] but it's commonly referred to as a [[AllFlyersAreBirds bird]]. It's is possible that the Pteri might be based on an ''Archaeopteryx'', given its feathers and long tail.
147	** [[spoiler:The "Lair of the Beast" (also in Tyrannia) is a standard scary pterodactyl]].
148	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': The Teryx is a [[AnimalisticAbomination Grimm]] creature, first seen in Volume 7, resembling a skeletal dinosaur with pterosaur wings on its back. It can grow to almost the size of an Atlesian gunship and, like all creatures of Grimm, is a vicious monster that seeks to cause as much carnage among humanity as it can.
149	* ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'':
150	** Subverted; a PTA meeting gets attacked by what [[CharacterNarrator Cecil]] identifies as pteranodons/flying dinosaurs. Later, however, he issues this correction:
151	--->''"Secret police are now reporting that the offending beasts were not pteranodons after all, but pterodactyls. Also, pteranodons aren't even dinosaurs, as the station had previously stated -- just winged reptiles that lived about 70 million years after pterodactyls."''
152	** [[DoubleSubversion Subverted again]] in a later episode. Pteranodons aren't dinosaurs; they're arachnids.
153	* The idea of fictional pterosaurs being dragons with the numbers filed off is parodied with relish [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/babbletrish/6188862899/in/photostream/ near the bottom of this comic]].
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Western Animation]]
157	* ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'': A pterodactyl resembling a toothy ''Pteranodon'' menaces DM in his flying car in "150 Million Years Lost" and is able to grab the car with its feet.
158	* ''WesternAnimation/DinkTheLittleDinosaur'':
159	** The series often features predatory, villainous pterosaurs referred to simply as "Scavengers" ([[InformedAttribute despite the fact that they're always seen hunting the protagonists rather than actually scavenging]]) that look vaguely like ''Cearadactylus'' with stumpy crests like a female ''Pteranodon''.
160	** "The Secret" features "Big Wings", which are 80s-styled ''Quetzalcoatlus'' that hunt like eagles.
161	* ''Franchise/DuckTales'':
162	** One episode of the [[WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987 1987 series]], "Dinosaur Ducks", features a giant "Pterodactyl" that resembles a ''Rhamphorhynchus'' with a ''Pteranodon''-like crest, bat-like wings, eagle-like talons, and a bipedal stance. It is shown attacking planes that come across its territory, ripping off the wings of smaller ones with its feet, and it apparently lays oversized eggs in a bird-like nest.
163	** The [[WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017 2017 reboot]] portrays its pterosaurs more accurately, though still has instances of this:
164	*** The "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJNdCFptI6k Meet Scrooge!]]" short features a bird-footed ''Pteranodon'' with two toes in front and one in back, apparently naked (though the art style makes it hard to tell), does not have enough fingers (though that could be chalked up as cartoony art simplicity), and has weird-looking wing membranes attached to the hips.
165	*** In "Nightmare on Killmotor Hill!", Lena transforms into a monstrous version of Magica that is reminiscent of this trope, growing bat-like wings with small fingers, but she also drops down on all fours similar to the quadrupedal posture of real pterosaurs.
166	*** "Quack Pack!" briefly shows a photo of Donald getting carried off by a ''Ludodactylus''-looking pterosaur with tooth-like serrations lining the beak and bony rods supporting the wing[[note]]which is jarring given the ''Pteranodon'' from the abovementioned short and the ''Geosternbergia'' skeleton seen in Scrooge's garage both correctly didn't have this trait[[/note]]. At least it's carrying him with its beak instead of its feet (which still have two toes in front and one in back).
167	* ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeDinosaurs'': Bullzeye is a toothed ''Pteranodon'' with bat wings, and gains an additional set of arms upon mutation. As a result, he's mistaken for a dragon in one episode.
168	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'': Any episode that involves dinosaurs or TimeTravel will have gigantic pterosaurs that desire to hunt humans for no reason.
169	%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' is the primary example of the typical western pterosaur.
170	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': "[[Recap/FuturamaS6E9AClockworkOrigin A Clockwork Origin]]" has a robotic ''Pteranodon'' that carries off Fry to feed him to its young.
171	* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In "[[Recap/GravityFallsS1E18TheLandBeforeSwine The Land Before Swine]]", the Pterodactyl is portrayed as an aggressive predator with batlike wings, eagle-like talons, and a fanged beak; first coming to the characters' attention when it snatches up Waddles the pig to carry off to its nest, which is shown to have several human skeletons inside. Later, its newly hatched offspring is ready to eat humans right out of the shell, as shown when [[spoiler:it devours Old Man [=McGucket=] the moment it hatches]].
172	* ''WesternAnimation/IlEtaitUneFois'': In "In the Land of the Dinosaurs", the protagonists get attacked by oversized ''Rhamphorhynchus''.
173	* ''WesternAnimation/JimmyNeutronBoyGenius'': One episode has a scaly ''Pteranodon'' able carry Sheen to its nest using its feet.
174	* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'': Turu the trained (and toothed) ''Pteranodon'' is depicted as gigantic and bipedal, and is shown grabbing Dr. Quest with his feet and carrying him away through the air. He is unrealistically durable, surviving multiple hits from bazooka rounds (although they eventually send him plummeting to his doom into a tar pit).\
175	\
176	Turu reappears briefly on ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'', since it was inspired by and occasionally crosses over with ''Jonny Quest''. In "Venture Libre", Turu is Dr. Venture's first taste of the weirdness going on in the jungle of Puerta Bahia, which his own rogue creation has turned into a refuge for victims of unethical super science. Though still enormous, grasping and damaging a jet the size of a Concorde, this incarnation of Turu has no teeth-like serrations on his bill. The tendency to mix up pterosaur species is lampshaded when one of the refugees demands that Dr. Venture be killed for being a super scientist and for murdering Turu:
177	-->'''Dr. Venture:''' Is Turu a pterodactyl?\
178	'''Carl the Cheetah-Man:''' ''Pteranodon'', you monster!\
179	'''Venturestein:''' See, he not even good at science.
180	* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction'': In "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueActionS1E31BoostersGold Booster's Gold]]", ComicBook/GreenArrow is attacked by a prehistoric flying reptile and correctly identifies it as a pterosaur. Then, less than a minute later, he refers to it as a dinosaur. So close.
181	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': The final segment of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS30E4TreehouseOfHorrorXXIX Treehouse of Horror XXIX]]", parodying ''Jurassic Park'', has Agnes Skinner transforming into a bipedal pterosaur that tries to eat people (namely her son's arms).
182	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'': "Dinobot Island Part 1" features all kinds of Mesozoic reptiles, including a [[http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/e/ed/Dinobotisland_ham_on_his_eggs.jpg pterosaur]] which decides that one of the TokenHuman characters is a snack.
183	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TerrorDactyl