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Study: Several Groups of Pterosaurs Became More Terrestrial 160 Million Years Ago

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May 1, 2025 - 17:00
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Study: Several Groups of Pterosaurs Became More Terrestrial 160 Million Years Ago
Terrestrial locomotion and track morphology of pterodactyloid pterosaurs: (A) reconstruction of the ctenochasmatoid pterosaur Ctenochasma elegans walking using an ipsilateral gait in which fore and hind limbs on the same side of the body move together as pairs; (B) manual and pedal morphology of Ctenochasma elegans; the pes is plantigrade and pentadactyl, whereas the manus is digitigrade and functionally tridactyl, as the large fourth digit, which supports the outer wing, is folded away during terrestrial locomotion; (C) height map of pterosaur manus and pes footprints in the holotype of the ichnotaxon Pteraichnus stokesi, exhibiting a morphology consistent with that of Ctenochasma elegans; (D) height map of part of a pterosaur trackway, Pteraichnus isp., from the Upper Jurassic Cazals Formation of Crayssac, France; (E) interpretive outline drawing of Pteraichnus isp. Scale bars - 20 mm in (C) and 200 mm in (D) and (E). Image credit: Smyth et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.04.017.

Pterosaurs are often imagined soaring over the heads of dinosaurs, but a new analysis of their fossilized footprints shows that some of these flying reptiles were just as comfortable walking on the ground.

The post Study: Several Groups of Pterosaurs Became More Terrestrial 160 Million Years Ago appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

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