History Main / PteroSoarer

* Turu the trained (and toothed) Pteranodon on ''JonnyQuest''. (To be fair, the "teeth" are [[strike:[[http://www.classicjq.com/info/images�6_turu.jpg presented as a serrated bill]]]](DeadLink due to invalid character) -- but that is hardly accurate, either.)

* ''ClashOfTheDinosaurs'' features a Quetzalcoatlus that, although featuring some new discoveries about pterosaurs (namely, the catapult way of taking off and the complex nervous system), is also scaly for no good reason, can apparently detect dinosaur urine and other strange ficticious traits that make it look like the pterosaur analogue of a superhero. That's just one of the [[SoBadItsHorrible many]] problems with this documentary.

* A New Zealand version of ''JourneyToTheCentreOfTheEarth'' has pterodactyls that basically represent everything that is wrong with cultural perception of pterosaurs. Then again, [[SoBadItsHorrible the movie is really just horrible.]]

Mistaking pterosaurs for dinosaurs is reasonable, even if inaccurate. What is really {{egregious}} is how they are portrayed in media; across these decades, the popular image of dinosaurs [[ScienceMarchesOn changed drastically to fit the new scientific discoveries]], but the popular image of pterosaurs barely changed since the ''70's''. Whereas feathered raptors and other anatomically correct dinosaurs are slowly becoming more present in media, and obviously now omnipresent in documentaries, most pterosaurs seen in media are carbon copies of reconstructions of several decades ago: leathery winged, naked/scaly skinned poor flyers that are essencially giant vultures or seagulls, as opposed to the diverse linage of warm-blooded, pycnofiber (aka "pterofuzz"; pterosaur fur, essentially) covered that had both the most sophisticated wings of all time and that were vastly superior to modern birds and bats in aerodynamic capacities. See [[http://archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/whats-wrong-with-pterosaurs-a-top-10/ this]] for a list of the most prevalent mistakes. One common mistake not mentioned there: no known pterosaur had prehensile feet with opposable digits.

Mistaking pterosaurs for dinosaurs is reasonable, even if inaccurate. What is really {{egregious}} is how they are portrayed in media; across these decades, the popular image of dinosaurs [[ScienceMarchesOn changed drastically to fit the new scientific discoveries]], but the popular image of pterosaurs barely changed since the ''70's''. Whereas feathered raptors and other anatomically correct dinosaurs are slowly becoming more present in media, and obviously now omnipresent in documentaries, most pterosaurs seen in media are carbon copies of reconstructions of several decades ago: leathery winged, naked/scaly skinned poor flyers that are essencially giant vultures or seagulls, as opposed to the diverse linage of warm-blooded, pycnofiber (aka "pterofuzz"; pterosaur fur, essentially) covered that had both the most sophisticated wings of all time and that were vastly superior to modern birds and bats in aerodynamic capacities. See [[http://archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/whats-wrong-with-pterosaurs-a-top-10/ this]] for a list of the most prevalent mistakes.

* The movie ''Pterodactyl''. Imagine if the second variety of JP Pteranodons took steroids and decided to go bipedal. [[NightmareRetardant And it's supposed to be scary]].
** [[SoBadItsGood Granted, this is a movie that has one slice a man in half with its wing.]]
** This troper here just now googled that and got [[{{Rule34}} porn]]. [[NightmareFuel Is that why it's supposed to be scary?]]

* Many a HarryhausenMovie with dinosaurs pulls this off (specific examples include ''One Million Years BC'' and ''The Valley of Gwangi''). WordOfGod states the major inaccuracy, giving the animal '''bat wings''', was because they didn't found out a decent wing support that was modeled like the real animal's wing.

* Tolkien's [[TheLordOfTheRings fell beasts]], who are naked and have bat wings. Then again, he did not specifically designed them as being pterosaurs, just original fantasy monsters.

[[caption-width-right:338: ''Hatzegopteryx thambema'''s skull was ten feet long.]]

Mistaking pterosaurs for dinosaurs is reasonable, even if inaccurate. What is really {{egregious}} is how they are portrayed in media; across these decades, the popular image of dinosaurs [[ScienceMarchesOn changed drastically to fit the new scientific discoveries]], but the popular image of pterosaurs barely changed since the ''70's''. Whereas feathered raptors and other anatomically correct dinosaurs are slowly becoming more present in media, and obviously now omnipresent in documentaries, most pterosaurs seen in media are carbon copies of reconstructions of several decades ago: leathery winged, naked/scaly skinned poor flyers that are essencially giant vultures or seagulls, as opposed to the diverse linage of warm-blooded, pycnofiber (aka "pterofuzz"; pterosaur fur, essencially) covered that had both the most sophisticated wings of all time and that were vastly superior to modern birds and bats in aerodynamic capacities. See [[http://archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/whats-wrong-with-pterosaurs-a-top-10/ this]] for a list of the most prevalent mistakes.

** This troper here just now googled that and got [[{{Rule34}} porn]]. [[NightmareFuel Is that supposed why it's scary?]]

** This troper here just now googled that and got [[Rule34 porn]]. [[NightmareFuel Is that supposed why it's scary?]]

** This troper here just now googled that and got [[Rule34 porn]]. Is that supposed to happen?

Mistaking pterosaurs for dinosaurs is reasonable, even if inaccurate. What is really {{egregious}} is how they are portrayed in media; across these decades, the popular image of dinosaurs [[ScienceMarchesOn changed drastically to fit the new scientific discoveries]] (creationists aside), but the popular image of pterosaurs barely changed since the ''70's''. Whereas feathered raptors and other anatomically correct dinosaurs are slowly becoming more present in media, and obviously now omnipresent in documentaries, most pterosaurs seen in media are carbon copies of reconstructions of several decades ago: leathery winged, naked/scaly skinned poor flyers that are essencially giant vultures or seagulls, as opposed to the diverse linage of warm-blooded, pycnofiber (aka "pterofuzz"; pterosaur fur, essencially) covered that had both the most sophisticated wings of all time and that were vastly superior to modern birds and bats in aerodynamic capacities. See [[http://archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/whats-wrong-with-pterosaurs-a-top-10/ this]] for a list of the most prevalent mistakes.

In prehistory, [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs things are always better with dinosaurs]]. With anything else that is dead, not really, but people don't outright hate them. Of course, for some reason, they don't love them either, so they are pretty much ignored, and when they aren't expect a totally erroneous depiction. Such is the sad case with pterosaurs, the Mezozoic flying reptiles often known as "pterodactyls" in homage to the first discovered species. (Let's not get into the question of whether birds should be considered reptiles.)

* Many a HarryhausenMovie with dinosaurs pulls this off. WordOfGod states the major inaccuracy, giving the animal '''bat wings''', was because they didn't found out a decent wing support that was modeled like the real animal's wing.
* The third ''IceAge'' movie has the stereotypical cartoony pterodactyls; about the only thing remotely accurate was that the animal's wing was somewhat rounded in shape, instead of the pointy wings seem in other mediocre depictions (flight would be impossible if the wings were that pointy in RL).
* ''[[{{Dinosaur}} Disney's Dinosaur]]'' features perhaps the only true aversion; here, a very anatomically accurate ''Pteranodon steinbergi'' carries Aladar's egg in the begginning. Unfortunately it disappeared after it let the egg fall, and thus was forgotten by the universe.

* {{Rodan}} is a giant man-in-suit pterosaur, with all the silliness that that implies. Semi-justified in that the original was intended to be an entirely fictional species. The 90's version is a more straightforward mutated pteranodon, with its own excuses.

* ''WalkingWithDinosaurs'' fell somewhat ScienceMarchesOn about its pterosaurs, but the way how they bend the wings when on the ground is still anatomically impossible.

* DinosaurTrain has traditional cartoony Pteranodon as among the main cast, being scaly, green, bipedal creatures with bat wings. Thankfully, at least pterosaurs are acknowledged as not being dinosaurs, and several dinosaurs like the TyrannosaurusRex and the Troodon are equally more cartoony than realistic.

* The documentary FlyingMonsters3D by DavidAttenborough attempted to be an aversion of this trope. Unfortunately, [[http://pterosaur-net.blogspot.com/2011/01/one-word-review-of-flying-monsters-3d.html several mistakes made through to the final version]]. At least the visuals are nice.

** [[SoBadItsGood Granted, this is a movie that has one slice a man in half with its wing.}}

* {{Rodan}} is a giant bipedial Pterandon that is far from realstic. Then again, since Rodan is a monster mutated by radiation, its not supposed to be.

* Turu the trained (and toothed) Pteranodon on ''JonnyQuest''. (To be fair, the "teeth" are [[http://www.classicjq.com/info/images�6_turu.jpg presented as a serrated bill]] -- but that is hardly accurate, either.)

* ''WestOfEden'' features scaly, cold blooded pterosaurs that can't even take off the ground. It completly illustrates what this trope is about, as it was written in the 80's and features things that would make even the paleontologists of the 70's cry.

* {{Primeval}}'s Pteranodon is somewhat decent, but the Anurognathus in the same episode look more like what would happen if you mixed a bat, a penguin and a gator than the real things.

* Good look finding a cartoon whose pterosaurs aren't a seventies style Pteranodons with long tails. ''TheFlintstones'' are the primary example of the typical western pterosaur.

* ''ClashOfTheDinosaurs'' features a Quetzalcoatlus that, although featuring some new discoveries about pterosaurs (namely, the catapult way of taking off and the complex nervous system), is also scaly for no good reason, can apparently detect dinosaur urine and other strange ficticious traits that make it look like the pterosaur analogue of a superhero.

* This trope technically first appeared in early movies like ''KingKong'', back when not much was known about prehistoric animals in general. In this example's case, WordOfGod states the major inaccuracy, the bat wings, was because they didn't found out a decent wing support that was modeled like the real animal's wing.

* The movie ''Pterodactyl''. Imagine if the second variety of JP Pteranodons took steroids and decided to go bipedal. [[NightmareRetardant And its supposed to be scary]].

* Petrie in ''TheLandBeforeTime'' looks like a seventie's Pteranodon, but at least the animators tried to lessen the blow by giving him subtle influcence from theories that were new back then and eventually turned out true, like making him walk on all fours most of the time and not mentioning his diet. The sequels, however, threw these hints to the garbage can and made all pterosaurs vulture expies that eat leaves.