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David Attenborough is fascinated by the largest flying animal ever to exist during the time of the dinosaurs. From 2011.

As Sir David Attenborough explains:

"The biggest animal to fly was not a bird, but a reptile."

It was a Quetzalcoatlus, a pterosaur with at least a 44 foot wingspan. David, a huge fan of palaeontology, is skilled in bringing the past natural histories to life through stories about the discovery of key fossils.

What a creature this "terrible lizard" must have been - big enough to scavenge the bodies of dead Tyrannosaurus and yet able to fly, probably in large numbers. And with a twist so typical of Sir David's writing, he brings this pterosaur to life at the very end.

Written and presented by David Attenborough.

Producer: Julian Hector

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011.

10 minutes

On radio

Tomorrow06:45
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