Identifying pterosaur trackmakers provides critical insights into mid-Mesozoic ground invasion
Summary
Fossilized tracks have provided unique insights into the distribution, behavior, and ecology of extinct taxa. Moreover, because they are
abundant and often have distinct distributions in time and space
compared with the body fossil record, they have considerable potential
for testing and extending macroevolutionary hypotheses. The key to
unlocking this vast potential lies in reliably linking tracks to their producers, but this remains a persistent challenge. This limitation is particularly evident among pterosaurs, the dominant flying vertebrates
of the Mesozoic. Despite an extensive record of pterosaur tracks
spanning more than 100 million years, the identities of trackmakers are unclear in most cases, limiting their use for addressing key questions
about pterosaur ecology and evolution. In this study, we employ
quantitative analyses and diagnostic features of pedal anatomy to
directly link three distinct pterosaur track morphotypes to specific pterodactyloid clades: ctenochasmatoids, dsungaripterids, and neoazhdarchians. These results considerably extend the known
biogeographic distribution of these clades, supporting macroevolutionary
and ecological hypotheses derived from analyses of the body fossil
record. The absence of pterosaur tracks prior to the Middle Jurassic supports evidence from hand and foot morphology indicating that early pterosaurs were arboreal or scansorial. Track evidence demonstrates a
major radiation of derived pterodactyloid pterosaurs into terrestrial
niches beginning in the Middle Jurassic. Successive clades maintained a strong presence across diverse terrestrial environments throughout the latter half of the Mesozoic, highlighting the evolutionary versatility
and ecological significance of pterosaurs in terrestrial environments.
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00446-4
On 5/4/25 9:03 AM, erik simpson wrote:I would love to know if Quetzalcoatylus could fly. It would almost have
Identifying pterosaur trackmakers provides critical insights into
mid-Mesozoic ground invasion
Summary
Fossilized tracks have provided unique insights into the distribution,
behavior, and ecology of extinct taxa. Moreover, because they are
abundant and often have distinct distributions in time and space
compared with the body fossil record, they have considerable potential
for testing and extending macroevolutionary hypotheses. The key to
unlocking this vast potential lies in reliably linking tracks to their
producers, but this remains a persistent challenge. This limitation is
particularly evident among pterosaurs, the dominant flying vertebrates
of the Mesozoic. Despite an extensive record of pterosaur tracks
spanning more than 100 million years, the identities of trackmakers
are unclear in most cases, limiting their use for addressing key
questions about pterosaur ecology and evolution. In this study, we
employ quantitative analyses and diagnostic features of pedal anatomy
to directly link three distinct pterosaur track morphotypes to
specific pterodactyloid clades: ctenochasmatoids, dsungaripterids, and
neoazhdarchians. These results considerably extend the known
biogeographic distribution of these clades, supporting
macroevolutionary and ecological hypotheses derived from analyses of
the body fossil record. The absence of pterosaur tracks prior to the
Middle Jurassic supports evidence from hand and foot morphology
indicating that early pterosaurs were arboreal or scansorial. Track
evidence demonstrates a major radiation of derived pterodactyloid
pterosaurs into terrestrial niches beginning in the Middle Jurassic.
Successive clades maintained a strong presence across diverse
terrestrial environments throughout the latter half of the Mesozoic,
highlighting the evolutionary versatility and ecological significance
of pterosaurs in terrestrial environments.
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00446-4
It's been well established that most azhdarchids were terrestrial
predators, though I don't think any have been identified as flightless.
On 5/4/25 5:52 PM, John Harshman wrote:
On 5/4/25 9:03 AM, erik simpson wrote:I would love to know if Quetzalcoatylus could fly.-a It would almost have
Identifying pterosaur trackmakers provides critical insights into
mid-Mesozoic ground invasion
Summary
Fossilized tracks have provided unique insights into the
distribution, behavior, and ecology of extinct taxa. Moreover,
because they are abundant and often have distinct distributions in
time and space compared with the body fossil record, they have
considerable potential for testing and extending macroevolutionary
hypotheses. The key to unlocking this vast potential lies in reliably
linking tracks to their producers, but this remains a persistent
challenge. This limitation is particularly evident among pterosaurs,
the dominant flying vertebrates of the Mesozoic. Despite an extensive
record of pterosaur tracks spanning more than 100 million years, the
identities of trackmakers are unclear in most cases, limiting their
use for addressing key questions about pterosaur ecology and
evolution. In this study, we employ quantitative analyses and
diagnostic features of pedal anatomy to directly link three distinct
pterosaur track morphotypes to specific pterodactyloid clades:
ctenochasmatoids, dsungaripterids, and neoazhdarchians. These results
considerably extend the known biogeographic distribution of these
clades, supporting macroevolutionary and ecological hypotheses
derived from analyses of the body fossil record. The absence of
pterosaur tracks prior to the Middle Jurassic supports evidence from
hand and foot morphology indicating that early pterosaurs were
arboreal or scansorial. Track evidence demonstrates a major radiation
of derived pterodactyloid pterosaurs into terrestrial niches
beginning in the Middle Jurassic. Successive clades maintained a
strong presence across diverse terrestrial environments throughout
the latter half of the Mesozoic, highlighting the evolutionary
versatility and ecological significance of pterosaurs in terrestrial
environments.
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00446-4
It's been well established that most azhdarchids were terrestrial
predators, though I don't think any have been identified as flightless.
to jump off a cliff to get airborne.
I would love to know if Quetzalcoatylus could fly.-a It would almost have
to jump off a cliff to get airborne.
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