Head Dinosaur Keeper, Emily Brooks surveys the new quetzalcoatlus pterosaur.

A family of gigantic pterosaurs have soared into the grounds of West Midland Safari Park’s Land of the Living Dinosaurs attraction.

The newcomers include the quetzalcoatlus, with its 11-metre wingspan – which was the largest animal to have ever taken to the skies. It was so tall it could have looked a giraffe in the eye and had the ability to walk on all fours, using its gigantic folded wings as front limbs. Scientists have debated how a creature as large as a private plane could have ever flown. But it was believed they had hollow, lightweight bones and powerful forelimbs that helped them to catapult themselves into the air. Once airborne, they would use their large wings to soar, using air thermals to keep them aloft.

Head Dinosaur Keeper, Emily Brooks says: “The addition of a group of new pterosaurs to our large group of dinosaurs is very exciting, but is going to have its challenges.

“We are working very hard to build a comfortable home for our new residents, but quetzalcoatlus are three times bigger than a human, have a ginormous wingspan and can travel thousands of miles at a time, so if they do decide to go for a wander, there’s not a huge amount we can do to stop them!”

Entry to Land of the Living Dinosaurs is included in the standard admission charge for the park.