Pterosaur: The Largest Flying Creature

Pterosaur   image source: toursmongolia.com

Much like today's birds, Pterosaurs ruled earth's Mesozoic skies. Adapting to many different habitats while their dinosaur cousins roamed below. But these were no birds. Pterosaurs were flying reptiles. Some pterosaurs were as big as fighter jets.

Pterosaurs means winged lizard in Greek. 'Ptero' means WINGED and 'saurs' means LIZARD. They were the very first vertebrates on earth to take to the skies. The most well-known pterosaur is the pterodactyl. It was the first one discovered back in the 18th century. But since then, paleontologists have uncovered more than 200 different species, including pteranodons and quetzalcoatlus, which was one of the most massive pterosaurs of all. Named for the Aztec winged serpent god, quetzalcoaltus had a wingspan of nearly 40 feet and likely soared through the skies, hunting for baby dinosaurs below. Some like anurognathus, were the size of small birds and probably preferred to eat insects.

With such a wide range in pterosaur size, there is ongoing debate over how some species were able to fly. But similarity in their wing structure and anatomy may offer clues. Pterosaur wings ran along their sides from shoulder to ankle. Each wing was held up and supported by an elongated digit.

Pterodactyl   image source: thoughtco.com

The first pterosaur ever discovered was actually named for this characteristic. Pterodactyl is a combination of the Greek words for wing and finger. 'Ptero' means WING and 'dactyl' means FINGER. Each pterosaur wing consisted of a tough 3-layered membrane laced with blood vessels, fibrous cords and muscles. It has been theorized that the muscles could alter the shape of their wings in mid-flight, the same way a passenger jet might adjust its wings during takeoff and landing. Pterosaurs fossils also suggest that even the largest species must have been relatively light for their size. Because, much like birds, their bones were hollo. Hollow bones would have enabled even quetzalocoaltus to soar.

Dracula, largest pterosaur found to date   image source: scientificamerican.com

But not all pterosaurs could fly. In 2009, paleontologists found an enormous specimen in Transylvania that they nicknamed Dracula. At 11.5 feet tall with a wingspan of 39 feet, it;s one of the largest pterosaurs ever found. But the shape of its shoulders and wings suggest it probably couldn't get off the ground.

With every new discovery, paleontologists are learning more about the nature of pterosaurs. But the hollow bones that enabled some of the largest pterosaurs to fly are also part of the reason their fossils are so often incomplete. And the full picture of a sky once ruled by reptiles has yet to be reveealed.