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Definition of: pterodactyl
(ter′ə·dak′til) noun Paleontol.
1. Any of a genus (Pterodactylus) of extinct flying reptiles which flourished in the Jurassic period, characterized by a large, birdlike skull, long jaws, and flying membrane somewhat like that of a bat.
2. A pterosaurian. [<NL <Gk. pteron a wing + daktylos a finger]
(American Cretaceous: wing span about 6 feet)
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