The term EXTINCT FLYING REPTILE can be summarized as PTEROSAUR, a 9-letter word. Pterosaurs were a group of extinct flying reptiles that lived during the Mesozoic era, from 228 to 66 million years ago. They were the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight and had wings made of skin stretched between their elongated fourth finger and their body. They were the dominant flying animals of their time and ranged in size from the size of a sparrow to the size of a small airplane.