Pterodactyl Causes Car Crash! That’s Fabulous!

Ohhh, man, I really need to go hunt these things... (with a videocam) Need to do a lot of things, really :D

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http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/pterodactyl-wash/

Pterodactyl Causes Car Crash
Posted by: Loren Coleman on December 29th, 2007

Giant flying reptiles, believe it or not, have routinely been sighted in the Olympic National Park's rainforest in Washington State. I've been hearing about reports from there for decades. Now comes an intriguing, if unbelievable, account from the same area.

First, here are some quick footnotes about pterodactyls vs pterosaurs vs pteranodons, which the media creatively confuse. No telling what this person really saw.

Pterodactyls are any of various small, extinct flying reptiles (pterosaurs) of the genus Pterodactylus of the late Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Pterodactyls had long, narrow jaws with sharp teeth, and a wingspan of 3.3 ft (1 m) or less.

Pterosaurs are any of various extinct flying reptiles of the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods with wings consisting of a flap of skin supported by an elongated fourth digit on each forelimb (rather than an elongated second digit as in birds). Some pterosaurs were unique among reptiles in being covered with hair. Pterosaurs had wingspans ranging from less than 1 ft (0.3 m) to close to 50 ft (15.2 m).

Pteranodons are a genus of extinct flying reptiles, descendants of the pterodactyl. Fossils are known from Late Cretaceous (99 – 65 million years ago) deposits of Europe, Asia, and North America. Pteranodons had a wingspan of 23 ft (7 m) or more. The largest specimen had a wingspan of 50 ft (15.5 m). The body was about the size of a modern turkey.

Pteranodons had a crest at the back of the skull and long, pelicanlike, toothless jaws. They probably made nests and spent much time gliding over the ocean searching for fish. They probably depended on air currents for liftoff rather than on flapping their wings.

Now, in breaking news this week….

A 29-year-old Wenatchee man told police a pterodactyl caused him to drive his car into a light pole about 11:30 p.m. Thursday [December 27, 2007].

Wenatchee police cited the man with first-degree negligent driving. A breathalyzer test showed "a minimal amount of alcohol," said Wenatchee police Sgt. Cherie Smith.

Witnesses told police the man was northbound on Wenatchee Avenue and drifted into a southbound lane for less than a block. Oncoming traffic stopped and waited for the man to pass, Smith said.

He then totaled his car on a light pole, Smith said.

When police asked the man what caused the accident, his one-word answer was "pterodactyl," Smith said. A pterodactyl was a giant winged reptile that lived more than 65 million years ago.

The man was treated and released at Central Washington Hospital, hospital officials said.

~ by Rachel Schleif, Wenatchee World
"Man blames car wreck on prehistoric winged reptile,"
Saturday, December 29, 2007.