As with most other extinct animals, new discoveries about pterosaurs are constantly being made. The size of pterosaurs that have been discovered has increased enormously in recent years. One of these, Quetzalcoatlus, had a wing span greater than 15 m, which is larger than that of many light planes. Its body was about the size of a human’s, but much lighter.
Palaeontologists have difficulty in understanding the diet of Quetzalcoatlus. This pterosaur has been found in inland fossil deposits, so it would not have been a fish-eater. Some people think that it may have been a scavenger, like a vulture. However, it is difficult to imagine such an enormous and awkward creature scrabbling around on a carcass on the ground.
What did pterosaurs feed on?
All pterosaurs were carnivorous, and most are thought to have fed on fish because of their long pointed teeth. As the pterosaur swooped low over the water it would have snatched fish from the water’s surface. Some toothless pterosaurs may have had a pouch in which small fish could be trapped, like that of the modern pelican.
One extraordinary form called Pterodaustro had a long upturned curved beak filled with hundreds of fine bristles. These were probably used to sieve tiny shrimps from the water, like the beak of the modern flamingo.
How did pterosaurs get around on the ground?
The experts are unable to agree about how pterosaurs moved about on the ground. We know for certain that their huge wings could not be folded away as neatly as those of a modern bird, and they would have been very ungainly on the ground. Most palaeontologists think that pterosaurs scuttled around on their hands and on the feet of their hind legs, with their wings folded and trailing behind them. A different view is that some pterosaurs may have scuttled about upright, running on their hind legs.
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