Gallery: Absurd Creature of the Week: The 16-Foot-Tall Reptilian Stork That Delivered Death Instead of Babies

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    *Quetzalcoatlus* kindly adjusts a baby dino's neck. *Illustration: Mark Witton*
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    quetz royal society

    A model of *Quetzalcoatlus* that paleontologist Mark Witton (the top half of the two stacked humans at right) designed and sculpted for the Royal Society's 350th anniversary celebration. (A word of warning regarding the models and illustrations in this gallery: Scientists have nowhere near a complete skeleton of a large azhdarchid, and base the creatures' appearances in part on complete specimens of smaller types of pterosaurs. On top of that, large azhdarchids are getting a good amount of attention from paleontologists these days, and researchers are frequently updating their reconstructions.) *Image courtesy Mark Witton*
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    quetz air

    *Quetzalcoatlus* in flight over sauropods, who don't even bother to pose or anything because they just know that *Quetz* is totally stealing the show, as per the usual. *Illustration: Mark Witton*
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    *Quetzalcoatlus* indulges a juvenile *T. rex* in a bit of playtime. *Illustration: Mark Witton*
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    Mark
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    quetz takeoff

    *Hatzegopteryx thambema*, another type of giant azhdarchid, shown during takeoff. Note its highly elongated vertebrae. *Illustration: Mark Witton*
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    quetz pose

    Quetzalcoatlus strikes a majestic pose just minutes before going extinct. *Illustration: Mark Witton*
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