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Pterosaurs were flying reptiles that lived from the Triassic to the Cretaceous period, and were the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight. They were not true dinosaurs, but dominated the aerial niche for 163 million years. Pterosaurs ranged in size from 10 inches to 39-foot wingspans, with adaptations for walking on the ground and hunting prey without taking off. They had no scales, but were covered in a thin coat of fur and a large elastic membrane, and were warm-blooded. The largest known pterosaur was Hatzegopteryx, with a 10-foot skull and a 39-foot wingspan.
Pterosaurs (Greek: “winged lizard”), sometimes called pterodactyls (“winged finger”) were flying reptiles that lived from the end of the Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous. Pterosaurs were members of the order Pterosauria. They were the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight, after insects some 120 million years earlier.
Sometimes called dinosaurs, pterosaurs are not members of the superorder Dinosauria and are therefore not true dinosaurs, even though they lived at a time when dinosaurs dominated terrestrial ecosystems. Pterosaurs lived for a relatively long time (163 million years) for one order of animals, a testament to their dominance of the aerial niche. Pterosaurs would have occupied a similar niche to birds today, but some (including some of the larger ones) had adaptations for walking on the ground on all fours, with various species using lying or upright positions. Though sometimes depicted as unstable on land, some pterosaurs would have been competent runners and walkers, capable of hunting down prey without even taking off.
Although pterosaurs were reptiles, they had no scales, had a thin coat of fur, were covered with a large elastic membrane, and were warm-blooded. The Mesozoic was a time when reptiles had diversified to occupy a large number of niches left unoccupied by the class today. Pterosaurs were characterized by long, thin skulls and an enlarged brain to handle the complexity of flight. The fragile nature of pterosaur skulls makes them difficult to study.
Pterosaurs ranged wildly in size, from the 10-inch (23 cm) Nemicolopterus to the 39-foot (12 m) wingspan monster Hatzegopteryx, the largest known flying animal, with a 10-foot (3 m) skull, among the larger than any land animal. The largest known pterosaur skeleton found at the time was thought on several occasions to represent the largest physically possible flying animal, but a larger specimen has always been found so far. Even larger specimens may be hidden in some remote areas of the Mesozoic strata.
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