The name Ctenochasma (Greek for "comb jaw") is right on the money: the long, narrow beak of this late Jurassic pterosaur was studded with over 200 fine, needle-like teeth, resulting in an intermeshing, comb-like structure well-suited to filtering plankton from the ponds and lakes of western Europe. Judging by this pterosaur's well-preserved remains (some of which were discovered at the famous Solnhofen fossil beds in Germany), adult specimens of Ctenochasma possessed modest crests on their heads, a feature lacking in juveniles. Also, it seems that Ctenochasma hatchlings were born with only 50 or 60 teeth, and sprouted the full complement as they aged.

Read more about pterosaurs like Ctenochasma: Pterosaurs - The Flying Reptiles

Photograph of Ctenochasma: The Dinosaur Store

Dolphins are usually considered to be gentle creatures, but the late Miocene Eurhinodelphis ("well-nosed dolphin") looked like one tough customer, with its long, narrow, swordfish-like snout studded with numerous sharp teeth. Other than this deadly piece of equipment, though, Eurhinodelphis was fairly similar to modern dolphins, possessing a complex inner-ear structure (for echolocation) and a slightly asymmetrical brain (which helped it in the pursuit of fast-moving prey). This was also one of the first dolphin ancestors ever to be identified, way back in 1867, when the first naturalists were still absorbing Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection.

Read more about prehistoric mammals like Eurhinodelphys: The Giant Mammals of the Cenozoic Era

Photograph of Eurhinodelphys: Wikimedia Commons

Did you know that the name Sarcosuchus means "flesh crocodile"? Or that this prehistoric reptile was as long as a city bus? Here are 10 Facts About Sarcosuchus.

Photograph of Sarcosuchus: Flickr

Coloborynchus ("maimed beak") has been in the news lately because of the recent discovery of an unusually large jaw fragment, which points to a toothed pterosaur with a 23-foot wingspan--meaning that Coloborhynchus outclassed even its close relative Ornithocheirus in size. The trouble is, the various proposed species of Coloborhynchus continue to carry a faint whiff of disreputability; no sooner had this pterosaur untangled itself from Ornithocheirus (of which it was once considered a separate species) than other paleontologists lumped it in with even more obscure genera like Uktenedactylus and Siroccopteryx.

Read more about pterosaurs like Coloborhynchus: Pterosaurs - The Flying Reptiles

Photograph of Coloborhynchus: Wikimedia Commons