Newly identified prehistoric pterosaur will help us understand evolution of flying reptiles

The Isle of Skye has a rich palaeontological heritage, so perhaps it’s no surprise scientists made an important discovery there.

Paul Barrett, Individual Merit Researcher, Natural History Museum • conversation
Feb. 6, 2024 • ~7 min

Why we think that some extinct giant flying reptiles cared for their young

Reptiles don’t generally care for their offspring, but some pterosaurs may have bucked the trend.

Jason Gilchrist, Lecturer in the School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University • conversation
Aug. 18, 2023 • ~7 min

Fossil study brings us one step closer to revealing how 'flying dinosaurs' took flight

Prehistoric reptiles like pterodactyls took flight long before bats and birds, but we don’t know how it happened.

Ben Igielman, PhD Candidate, Palaeontology, University of Oxford • conversation
Jan. 17, 2023 • ~6 min

Baby giant pterosaurs may have driven smaller species extinct, fossil discovery shows

We examined pterosaur jaw fragments from the Moroccan desert to understand more about how these creatures evolved.

David Martill, Professor of ​Palaeobiology, University of Portsmouth • conversation
Nov. 11, 2021 • ~7 min

Largest ever flying creatures had longer necks than giraffes – we found out how these pterosaurs kept their heads up

Gigantic flying reptiles had impressive wingspans of up to 12 metres – and a special trick in their necks.

Cariad Williams, PhD Candidate, Paleoentomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • conversation
April 14, 2021 • ~7 min

Pterosaurs increased their flight efficiency over time – new evidence for long-term evolution

Fossils reveal that dinosaurs' flying cousins become twice as efficient at flying over 150 million years.

Michael J. Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of Bristol • conversation
Oct. 28, 2020 • ~6 min

Giant 'toothed' birds flew over Antarctica 40 million to 50 million years ago

Paleontologists have discovered fossil remains belonging to an enormous 'toothed' bird that lived for a period of about 60 million years after dinosaurs.

Peter A. Kloess, Doctoral Candidate, Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley • conversation
Oct. 27, 2020 • ~7 min

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