"Pterodactyl" refers to any flying reptile of the order Pterosauria that lived 228 to 65 million years ago during the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period. There are over fifty genera known. Pterodacatyls are not related to dinosaurs or birds. They evolved from early reptiles, an example of Convergent Evolution. Note that the term "Pterodactyl" has been replaced by "Pterosaur" in the scientific vernacular.

Until the late Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic era (~145-65 million years ago), Pterosaurs filled many of the ecological niches now occupied by birds -- insect eaters, carrion eaters and scavengers, and fishers. They ranged in size from smaller than a sparrow to as large as a modern Cessna airplane and lived in a wide variety of climates. By the end of the Cretaceous, pterosaurs, dinosaurs became extinct, making the way for new species of birds and mammals to flourish.

The Kongamato in Africa and the Ropen in Papua New Guinea are reported to match the description of different types of Pterosaurs. So far, no specimens have been captured or scientifically documented to confirm their existence, and remain supported only by eyewitness accounts, legend, and folklore.

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