# Attacked by Giant Pterosaur? (Not Urgent) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 27, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047 "2013-06-27T17:40:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/1 "2013-06-27T17:40:29Z")
Would an unarmed human have any chance against one of the big pterosaurs like Quetzalcoatlus if it decided to attack? Let’s just say that one of the beasties is “fast-forwarded” through time to the present day. Hungry and confused, the soaring saurian swoops down upon the nearest likely meal, which happens to be an averagely-built man. Is the guy going to get pierced by that monster of a beak, or will he be able to fend off the attack? Here is the giant flying beast : > **[Quetzalcoatlus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatlus)** > > Quetzalcoatlus /kɛtsəlkoʊˈætləs/ is a genus of azdarchid pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous Maastrichtian age of North America. Its two confirmed species, along with other azdarchids, were the largest known flying animals of all time. Azhdarchidae is a family of advanced toothless pterosaurs with unusually long, stiffened necks and giant wingspans. Its name comes from the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl. The type species is Q. northropi, named by Douglas Lawson in 1975. The gen... That one might be just a bit too big for an ordinary fellow. What about the pteranodon? When I was a kid, this was billed as the biggest pterosaur : > **[Pteranodon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pteranodon)** > > Pteranodon (/tɪˈrænədɒn/); from Ancient Greek πτερόν (pteron 'wing') and ἀνόδων (anodon 'toothless') is a genus of pterosaur that included some of the largest known flying reptiles, with P. longiceps having a wingspan of over 6 m (20 ft). They lived during the late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present-day Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota and Alabama. More fossil specimens of Pteranodon have been found than any other pterosaur, with about 1,200 specimens known to scie... So, does a man have a fighting chance against this time-travelin’ beastie? Any thoughts, opinions, etc. would be appreciated… ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/2 "2013-06-27T17:48:31Z")
Ever watch a heron eat a fish? Quetalcoatlus would snatch you up, turn you around head first, and gobble you into her gullet. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/3 "2013-06-27T17:50:19Z")
Theoden told me it’s no fun: [Eowyn meets the Witch King of Angmar - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ_-rmuPZC4) ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/4 "2013-06-27T17:53:08Z")
I would give the human a fighting chance, but mostly because he’s going to be quicker on his feet than the pterosaurs and able to pick things up to throw or wield as a weapon/shield. The bill may be very impressive in size, but it doesn’t seem designed for piercing a large prey animal - rather, for picking up smaller animals or fish like a modern-day stork. So I don’t know how much damage it would really do to a person. I’m imagining something painful rather than lethal, but I might be wrong on that point. Furthermore, while the size and wingspan of these pterosaurs is very impressive, they were not particularly heavy. (Wikipedia says probably 200-250kg for the quetzalcoatlus, but possibly as little as 70kg, and 20-90 kg for the pteranodon). This means that the man isn’t so terribly outclassed as the lengths/heights alone would suggest, and it means that many parts of the pterosaurs will be pretty flimsy. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/5 "2013-06-27T17:53:19Z")
Carry your spear sideways to jam in its throat. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/6 "2013-06-27T17:55:35Z")
Smack it on the nose with a newspaper; it’ll go away. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/7 "2013-06-27T18:05:14Z")
And say “_Bad_ Giant Pterosaur! Bad!” ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/8 "2013-06-27T18:09:44Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Theoden told me it’s no fun: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ\_-rmuPZC4](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ_-rmuPZC4) No, that didn’t look fun at all. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/9 "2013-06-27T18:11:26Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I would give the human a fighting chance, but mostly because he’s going to be quicker on his feet than the pterosaurs and able to pick things up to throw or wield as a weapon/shield. > > The bill may be very impressive in size, but it doesn’t seem designed for piercing a large prey animal - rather, for picking up smaller animals or fish like a modern-day stork. So I don’t know how much damage it would really do to a person. I’m imagining something painful rather than lethal, but I might be wrong on that point. > > Furthermore, while the size and wingspan of these pterosaurs is very impressive, they were not particularly heavy. (Wikipedia says probably 200-250kg for the quetzalcoatlus, but possibly as little as 70kg, and 20-90 kg for the pteranodon). This means that the man isn’t so terribly outclassed as the lengths/heights alone would suggest, and it means that many parts of the pterosaurs will be pretty flimsy. You’re probably right. I do wonder what the largest prey item of something like quetzalcoatlus would be… ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/10 "2013-06-27T18:24:10Z")
Much better than \*\*Attacked by Giant Pterosaur? (Need Answer Fast) \*\* ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/11 "2013-06-27T18:25:05Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Much better than \*\*Attacked by Giant Pterosaur? (Need Answer Fast) \*\* Well, I didn’t want everybody to panic, or anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/12 "2013-06-27T18:42:16Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > Furthermore, while the size and wingspan of these pterosaurs is very impressive, they were not particularly heavy. (Wikipedia says probably 200-250kg for the quetzalcoatlus, but possibly as little as 70kg, and 20-90 kg for the pteranodon). This means that the man isn’t so terribly outclassed as the lengths/heights alone would suggest, and it means that many parts of the pterosaurs will be pretty flimsy. That’s how I think of them, too. These are creatures that sacrifice a lot of strength to be light. I don’t think they’d stand up to a human that was struggling – the wings and neck are easy points to attack. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/13 "2013-06-27T18:55:09Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > That’s how I think of them, too. These are creatures that sacrifice a lot of strength to be light. I don’t think they’d stand up to a human that was struggling – the wings and neck are easy points to attack. You’ve never been attacked by an angry cockatiel. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/14 "2013-06-27T19:01:21Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > You’ve never been attacked by an angry cockatiel. Good point! Could living things designed for flight actually become more flimsy as they scale up? I wonder… ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/15 "2013-06-27T20:49:33Z")
A goose can supposedly sometimes break somebody’s arm with its wings. I imagine these things could do so easily. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/16 "2013-06-27T21:32:01Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > A goose can supposedly sometimes break somebody’s arm with its wings. I imagine these things could do so easily. Oh, yeah, that’s right! Forgot about those crazy geese… ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/17 "2013-06-27T21:48:43Z")
The key is to carry chocolate - preferably dark. Pteranodons love chocolate. Then, you can take her back to your Secret Underground Base under the Millenium Centre. Let her fly free there, there’s plenty of room, and she should get along fine with you and your teammates, but be sure that you flavor “things-the-Pteranodon-may-eat” with a special barbecue sauce, so she knows what’s OK and what isn’t. It’s important not to get any of the barbecue sauce on your girlfriend, though… ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/18 "2013-06-27T22:02:52Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > The key is to carry chocolate - preferably dark. Pteranodons love chocolate. > > Then, you can take her back to your Secret Underground Base under the Millenium Centre. Let her fly free there, there’s plenty of room, and she should get along fine with you and your teammates, but be sure that you flavor “things-the-Pteranodon-may-eat” with a special barbecue sauce, so she knows what’s OK and what isn’t. > > It’s important not to get any of the barbecue sauce on your girlfriend, though… Unless you just get tired of her, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/19 "2013-06-27T23:05:38Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Ever watch a heron eat a fish? > > Quetalcoatlus would snatch you up, turn you around head first, and gobble you into her gullet. You know, looking at[this painting](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090107-pterosaur-picture.html)by Mark Witton, I can picture that. And that’s not Quetzalcoatlus, it’s something slightly smaller. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047/20 "2013-06-27T23:18:09Z")
Just FYI, there is [documentary footage](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGSGYwl880w) of what happens when Quetzalcoatl attacks a human. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attacked-by-giant-pterosaur-not-urgent/662047.md?page=2)