Pterosaurs were flying reptiles that lived during most of the Mesozoic Era, from about 228 to 66 million years ago, coexisting with dinosaurs and finally becoming extinct at the same time. They are not dinosaurs themselves but are closely related. Pterosaurs ranged in size from small, sparrow-sized creatures to some of the largest flying animals ever to have lived, with wingspans exceeding 10 meters. These creatures were the first vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight. Their wings were formed by a membrane of skin and muscle stretching from their elongated fourth finger to their hind limbs. Pterosaurs had hollow bones, a feature that lightened their bodies making flight possible. They are known from numerous fossils which show that they were present all over the world. Their diets varied from species to species; some were fish-eaters, others were insectivores, and some may have been scavengers. Pterosaurs are often mistakenly called “flying dinosaurs,” although they are technically not dinosaurs.
A newly identified pterosaur species, Haliskia peterseni, was discovered in Queensland, offering new insights into the diverse group of ancient reptiles and enhancing regional scientific…
Paleontologists have discovered a massive Jurassic pterosaur in Oxfordshire, with an estimated wingspan of over three meters, making it one of the largest of its…
Scientists unveil a new pterosaur species from Scotland, offering insights into the diversity and global spread of early flying reptiles and challenging established views on…
The animal had a 2-meter wingspan and a large bony crest on its head. A team of researchers from Britain, America, and Germany identified a…
107-million-year-old pterosaur bones, the oldest of their kind, have been confirmed by researchers in Australia, as reported in Historical Biology. The fossils, discovered over three…
Paleontologists from England, Germany, and Mexico have uncovered an extraordinary new species of pterosaur, characterized by an astonishing 400 teeth that resemble the prongs of…
Pterosaurs were a group of flying reptiles that lived during the dinosaur era, from the Late Triassic period (227 million years ago) until the end-Cretaceous…
What the new Jurassic Park movie gets wrong: Aerodynamic analysis causes a rethink of the biggest pterosaur. One of the most exciting moments of Jurassic…
Remarkable new evidence that pterosaurs, the flying relatives of dinosaurs, were able to control the color of their feathers using melanin pigments has been discovered…
With a wingspan nearing 40 feet (12 meters), the giant pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus is the largest known animal to take to the sky. But known from…
70 million-year-old fossils reveal unique walking behavior of this huge, heron-like pterosaur. Look around any wetland today and you’re likely to see 3-foot-tall (0.9-meter-tall) egrets…
Newly-hatched pterosaurs may have been able to fly but their flying abilities may have been different from adult pterosaurs, according to a new study. Pterosaurs…
Little is known about azhdarchid pterosaurs, gigantic flying reptiles with impressive wingspans of up to 12 meters. Cousins of dinosaurs and the largest animals ever…
A new 160-million-year-old arboreal pterosaur species, dubbed ‘Monkeydactyl’, has the oldest true opposed thumb — a novel structure previously not known in pterosaurs. An international…
Study describes new group of pterosaurs, identifies crustacean-heavy diet. New research suggests that ancient flying reptiles known as pterosaurs were much more diverse than originally…
Paleontologists have discovered the fossilized bones of a 68 million year old flying reptile, Eurazhdarcho langendorfensis, in the Transylvanian Basin of Romania. A new kind…
New research has allowed paleontologists to gain new insight on a prehistoric piece of jaw from a pterosaur specimen, Istiodactylus latidens, which has been housed…
This incredible fossil, depicting a pterosaur in the process of being devoured by a ganoid fish, was recently showcased in a new study published in PLoS…