Paleontology News
Figure 1 from Smith Robert SH et al, 2025 showing a reconstruction of pterosaur terrestrial locomotion and track morphology. Image Credit: Smith, Robert SH et al, 2025 (CC BY 4.0)
New Clues from Ancient Tracks: When Pterosaurs Took to the Ground
Newly analyzed fossil footprints reveal that multiple groups of pterosaurs adapted to life on the ground around 160 million years ago, marking a major ecological shift in these ancient flying reptiles. Read the news story below:
Summary Points
Figure 5 from Smith Robert SH et al, 2025 showing a pterosaur track morphology and how they matched the tracks to specific pterosaurs. Image Credit: Smith, Robert SH et al, 2025 (CC BY 4.0)
Pterosaur footprints show they walked on land as well as flew.
cientists linked specific tracks to different pterosaur groups.
Some pterosaurs lived in coastal areas, others inland.
The study reveals pterosaurs adapted to ground life 160 million years ago.
New Clues from Ancient Tracks: When Pterosaurs Took to the Ground
This article is based on a new release by University of Leicester - May 1, 2025, and the Open Access (CC BY 4.0) Journal Article (Smith, Robert SH et al, 2025) from Current Biology.
New research from the University of Leicester is reshaping our understanding of pterosaurs—not just as airborne reptiles, but as confident terrestrial walkers. Using 160-million-year-old fossil footprints, a team of paleontologists has traced how these flying reptiles began adapting to life on the ground. By matching footprints with specific pterosaur groups using 3D modeling and anatomical comparisons, the researchers have opened a new window into how these Mesozoic icons lived and moved.
The study, published in Current Biology, identifies three distinct types of pterosaur tracks, each tied to a different group. This discovery confirms a major shift in pterosaur ecology during the mid-Jurassic: some species were not just gliders of the sky but also roamed mudflats, shores, and inland habitats. The footprints offer direct insights into their movement and behavior—far more than bones alone could reveal.
Among the most impressive findings are tracks linked to neoazhdarchians, a group that includes Quetzalcoatlus, one of the largest known flying animals. Their prints have been uncovered in both coastal and inland sediments, suggesting these creatures were as comfortable striding across solid ground as they were soaring overhead. These tracks even persisted up to the mass extinction event 66 million years ago.
Another group, the ctenochasmatoids—famed for their slender jaws and needle-like teeth—left prints mostly in coastal areas. These wading pterosaurs likely stalked shallow waters for small fish and prey. Though skeletal remains of these species are rare, their footprints suggest they were common shoreline inhabitants.
A third track type, attributed to dsungaripterids, was found in close proximity to their skeletal fossils. These robust reptiles used their beak-like jaws and crushing teeth to feast on hard-shelled prey. The close association of bones and prints offers the most definitive link yet between pterosaur anatomy and behavior. As lead researcher Robert Smyth notes, tracks provide a vivid, underappreciated glimpse into the lives of these prehistoric animals.
Figure 3 from Smith Robert SH et al, 2025 showing additional pterosaur track morphology. Image Credit: Smith, Robert SH et al, 2025 (CC BY 4.0)
Journal Article:
Smyth, Robert S.H., et al. "Identifying Pterosaur Trackmakers Provides Critical Insights into Mid-Mesozoic Ground Invasion." Current Biology, vol. 35, no. xx, Elsevier, 7 May 2025, DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2025.04.017..
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