page_title: Pterosaur
section_title: Paleobiology
hierarchical_section_title: Pterosaur / Paleobiology
caption_attribution_description: English: Pterosaurs were the first flying vertebrates and ruled the skies of the Mesozoic era. These flying arcosaurs appeared in the Triassic period and evolved during the Jurassic and Cretacic periods to highly-adapted forms. This infographic shows some of the most remarkable adaptations of pterosaur anatomy and physiology, including the anatomy of the wing or the structure and histology of the patagium (the pterosaur wing membrane), among others, depicted in Pteranodon, one of the most well-known groups of cretacean pterosaurs and an outstanding example of the degree of specialization acquired by pterosaurs.
context_page_description: Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the extinct clade or order Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous. Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight. Their wings were formed by a membrane of skin, muscle, and other tissues stretching from the ankles to a dramatically lengthened fourth finger.
  There were two major types of pterosaurs. Basal pterosaurs were smaller animals with fully toothed jaws and, typically, long tails. Their wide wing membranes probably included and connected the hind legs. On the ground, they would have had an awkward sprawling posture, but their joint anatomy and strong claws would have made them effective climbers, and they may have lived in trees. Basal pterosaurs were insectivores or predators of small vertebrates. Later pterosaurs evolved many sizes, shapes, and lifestyles. Pterodactyloids had narrower wings with free hind limbs, highly reduced tails, and long necks with large heads.
caption: Pterosaur flight adaptations.
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