Pterodactyls

Pterodactyls are common names used for pterosaurs, flying reptiles that lived from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous. In strict usage, it refers to the pterodactyloids, a derived subgroup of Pterosauria that includes many of the more familiar long-winged forms. The best-known genus associated with the name is Pterodactylus, a small, toothed animal from the Late Jurassic of Europe. The term is informal and not a precise taxonomic designation.

Anatomically, pterodactyloids share a wing membrane stretched along a greatly elongated fourth finger, forming their primary flight surface. Suited to active flight, their skeletons varied from small, light-built forms to larger species with wingspans reaching several meters. Many pterodactyloids had toothless beaks, especially in later Cretaceous groups, while earlier genera possessed diverse dentition.

Ecology varied by species; most pterodactyloids were coastal or near-water foraging fish and small invertebrates, though some were terrestrial or freshwater-adjacent. They laid eggs, likely in clutches on cliffs or remote shores, and some species may have formed roosting areas in colonies. Their fossil record is especially rich in Europe and North America, with several Lagerstätten preserving well-preserved specimens.

During the Jurassic and Cretaceous, pterodactyloids diversified into many lineages and occupied a range of habitats, but all pterosaurs disappeared at the end of the Cretaceous about 66 million years ago in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. Today, pterodactyloids are studied as a key group for understanding the evolution of powered flight and Mesozoic ecosystems.