Pteranodon

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BUENA OCT 1989 32830 25 Proranodon Balke FL VISTA, LAKE

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PTERANODON First Day of Issue: October 1, 1989 First Issue Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida The swamplands of prehistoric North America teamed with life. Snakes glided through murky waters, forty-foot crocodiles lived along the shores, and flying reptiles called Pterosaurs glided overhead on leathery wings. Pteranodon, one of the largest of the Pterosaurs, had a wingspan of about forty feet and long, toothless jaws. Since pteranodon's small body was only about as large as a modern turkey's, the animal's enormous wings had relatively little weight to carry, and pteranodon could glide through the air with great ease. Scientists believe that gliding was pteranodon's sole means of propulsion through the air— the creature had no “keel,” to which the powerful flight muscles of birds are attached, so it is not likely that it could flap its wings. And because fossilized pteranodons are found frequently in oceanic rock forma- tions, it seems probable that the animal was a marine hunter. It isn't hard to imagine pteranodon soaring over the waters, scooping into its pelican-like jaws any prehis- toric fish which strayed too close to the surface. No. 89-27 ©1989 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Don Balke