Was a Pterodactyl a Reptile?

Neither birds nor bats, pterosaurs were reptiles, close cousins of dinosaurs who evolved on a separate branch of the reptile family tree. They were also the first animals after insects to evolve powered flight—not just leaping or gliding, but flapping their wings to generate lift and travel through the air.

What is a pterodactyl classified as?

Pterodactyls, the common name for pterosaurs, are an extinct group of winged reptiles. ... Pterosaurs lived from the late Triassic Period to the end of the Cretaceous Period, when they went extinct along with dinosaurs. Pterosaurs were carnivores, feeding mostly on fish and small animals.

What is the closest living relative to a pterodactyl?

Birds are the closest living relative of extinct pterosaurs and four-winged dinosaurs.