Did you know? Pterosaurs were the FIRST vertebrates that evolved the ability to fly!
Pterosaurs are an extinct group of flying reptiles that lived 220 to 66 million years ago, a period of time called the Mesozoic era. The first pterosaur described in the scientific literature was in 1784. The fossil was a well-preserved, complete skeleton found in the Solnhofen Limestone beds of Germany, which would also yield the first Archaeopteryx skeleton in 1861.
Pterosaurs are reptiles, not dinosaurs. They lived during the time of the dinosaurs and went extinct at the same time.
Over 150 species of pterosaurs have been identified, with the greatest diversity occurring around 125 million years ago. Pterosaur fossils have been found on every continent, except Antarctica.
Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to evolve the power of flight — the only other vertebrates to accomplish this are birds and bats. Pterosaurs did not have feathers; their wings are formed from a skin membrane. A bat’s wing is also formed by a skin membrane, but that is where the similarities between the two groups end. Rare, well-preserved pterosaur fossils show that their wing membrane is composed of distinct layers and far more complex than a bat’s wing.
When pterosaurs were not flying in the air, they walked on all four limbs. Their wings folded up and tucked behind their front limbs — similar to folding up an umbrella and tucking it under your arm, while still holding onto the handle.
Pterosaurs were not covered with scales as one might expect for being reptiles. The majority of their body was covered with a hair-like fuzz, called pycnofibers, which has only been documented on pterosaurs. Pterosaurs did have some scales, but they were restricted to their feet and ankles.
Pterosaurs ranged from the size of a sparrow to a two-seater airplane. For example, Nemicolopterus crypticus had a wingspan of 10 inches (25 cm) and Quetzalcoatlus northropi had a wingspan of over 33 feet (10 m). Quetzalcoatlus stood as tall as a giraffe (18 ft, 5.5 m) when standing on the ground.
Almost all pterosaurs had some type of crest on top of their head. These crest structures came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and were composed of bone and soft tissue, though soft tissue made up the majority of the structure.
Pterosaurs laid thin, soft-shelled eggs more similar to modern reptiles than the hard-shelled eggs of dinosaurs or birds.
A Pterosaur’s diet varied by species and this is reflected in their tooth shape. Some pterosaurs had hundreds of fine, needle-like teeth, suggesting that they were filter feeders. Other species had larger, tusk-like teeth that curved outward for capturing animals. Many pterosaurs did not have any teeth and only bird-like beaks.
Learn more about these ancient reptiles in the GRPM’s Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs exhibit!
By: Dr. Cory Redman, GRPM’s Science Curator