Pterosaur

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Pterosaur
Fossil range: TriassicCretaceous
Coloborhynchus piscator, a Late Cretaceous pterosaur.
Coloborhynchus piscator, a Late Cretaceous pterosaur.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
(unranked) Archosauria
Order: Pterosauria
Kaup, 1834
Suborders
Rhamphorhynchoidea *
Pterodactyloidea

Pterosaurs were flying reptiles that lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. Some pterosaurs grew very big, bigger than any other flying animals. The pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus was 12 metres across. Most pterosaurs, however, were small or medium-sized animals. Pterosaurs had hair covering their bodies, but did not have feathers. Their wings were made from a flap of skin between their bodies and a big fourth finger (sometimes called the "wing finger").

The skin on the wing was complicated, and had many layers. It had muscles and strong fibres in it, to help keep its shape while the animal was flying.

For a long time people thought pterosaurs could only glide, and were not strong enough to flap their wings. Now we think that pterosaurs could flap, but spent a lot of the time soaring (riding on wind created by waves or hills). When they were on the ground, pterosaurs walked on four legs.


The little pterosaur Pterodactylus, looking for grubs in the sand.
The little pterosaur Pterodactylus, looking for grubs in the sand.

Most pterosaurs ate fish but some ate invertebrates and other things as well.