A team of paleontologists from the University of Leicester has managed to decipher one of the many enigmas of the dinosaur era—the exact moment when pterosaurs, the large and unsettling flying reptiles that soared through the skies of the Mesozoic, adapted their anatomy to walk on land with the same skill they used to dominate the air.

The study analyzes fossilized footprints over 160 million years old that have allowed researchers to link, for the first time, the tracks with specific groups of pterosaurs. Scientists have identified three distinct types of tracks, each corresponding to a different family of these winged reptiles.

Robert Smyth, a researcher at the University of Leicester, explains that these footprints are a unique window into the behavior of pterosaurs in their natural habitat. They not only show us where they lived or how they moved, but also reveal details about their daily lives in ecosystems that disappeared millions of years ago, he states.

Giant winged reptiles learned to walk
Terrestrial locomotion and track morphology of pterodactyloid pterosaurs. Credit: Robert S.H. Smyth et al.

Footprints That Tell a Story

The main discovery belongs to the neoazhdarchoids, a group that includes Quetzalcoatlus, one of the largest flying animals in history, with a wingspan of up to 10 meters.

Their footprints, found in coastal areas as well as inland environments, confirm that these creatures not only ruled the skies but also lived on the ground, sharing space with dinosaurs up until the very moment of their extinction 66 million years ago.

Another group, the ctenochasmatids, with their elongated jaws and needle-like sharp teeth, left their tracks mainly in coastal zones. The footprints suggest that these pterosaurs moved through marshes and shallow lagoons, using their unique adaptations to capture small fish or floating prey. The abundance of these footprints indicates that they were much more common in these environments than their scarce skeletal remains had previously suggested.

Giant winged reptiles learned to walk
Some of the tracks analyzed. Credit: Robert S.H. Smyth et al.

But the most compelling evidence came with the discovery of footprints directly associated with fossilized skeletons of dsungaripterids, a group of pterosaurs with robust limbs and jaws specialized in crushing mollusks and other hard foods. This direct connection between tracks and fossils has allowed scientists to confirm, beyond any doubt, the identity of their makers.

A Key Ecological Shift

The research confirms the theory that, around 160 million years ago, pterosaurs underwent a radical transformation in their way of life. Several groups abandoned their exclusive reliance on flight to become terrestrial animals, adapting to new ecological niches.

Dr. David Unwin, co-author of the study and expert at the University of Leicester, highlights the historical importance of the discovery: Eighty-eight years after the first discovery of pterosaur tracks, we finally know exactly which species made them and how they did it.

Smyth adds that, although footprints have traditionally been overlooked in favor of fossilized bones, they contain invaluable information. They allow us to reconstruct aspects of their biology and ecology that skeletons alone cannot reveal, he emphasizes.

SOURCES

University of Leicester

Robert S.H. Smyth et al., Identifying pterosaur trackmakers provides critical insights into mid-Mesozoic ground invasion. Current Biology, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.04.017

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