Pterosaur Nests

[ZoPteryx]

Simple question, is it known whether or not pterosaurs made nests (and if so what kind?), or did they just lay their eggs in relatively open conditions like some sea birds?

Thanks for the help!

[Gryphoceratops]

If I'm not mistaken I think pterosaurs show evidence of being independent straight out of the egg like turtles.  That being said its possible the parents may have buried the eggs?  Or egg.  I remember that darwinopterus was found with an egg inside her.

I'm sure there was possibility for a lot of strategies even amongst pterosaurs.

[ZoPteryx]

I've always imagined that the smaller pterosaurs deposited their eggs in tree hollow or burrows they dug into river banks.  Larger ones maybe made simple nests of sticks on islands or perhaps buried their eggs.  Funny on how there's apparently so little out their pterosaur nesting behavior.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

We just need to ask David Peters     

[Dinoguy2]

Fossil ptero eggs show that the shells were leathery and porous like modern lizards, crocs and turtles, rather than rigid and water-tight like dinosaurs. These type of eggs need to be buried, so it's almost certain that all pterosaurs needed to bury their eggs either in soil or plant material like all modern reptiles except birds.

See summary with references here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterosaur#Reproduction_and_life_history

Most relevant recent paper: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08912960701189800

[Seijun]

I guess due to popular culture, and/or the superficially bird-like appearance of pterosaurs, I always imagined them having bird-style nests. The reptilian method of burying soft-shelled eggs makes much more sense though, even if I am having a very hard time imagining a pterosaur digging in the ground.

[ZoPteryx]

Fossil ptero eggs show that the shells were leathery and porous like modern lizards, crocs and turtles, rather than rigid and water-tight like dinosaurs. These type of eggs need to be buried, so it's almost certain that all pterosaurs needed to bury their eggs either in soil or plant material like all modern reptiles except birds.

See summary with references here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterosaur#Reproduction_and_life_history

Most relevant recent paper: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08912960701189800

Thanks for posting those Dinoguy!  I should've known to check wikipedia.   So it appears pterosaurus lived somewhat like flying sea turtles, burying their eggs and having independent hatchlings.

[Dinoguy2]

Fossil ptero eggs show that the shells were leathery and porous like modern lizards, crocs and turtles, rather than rigid and water-tight like dinosaurs. These type of eggs need to be buried, so it's almost certain that all pterosaurs needed to bury their eggs either in soil or plant material like all modern reptiles except birds.

See summary with references here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterosaur#Reproduction_and_life_history

Most relevant recent paper: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08912960701189800

Thanks for posting those Dinoguy!  I should've known to check wikipedia.   So it appears pterosaurus lived somewhat like flying sea turtles, burying their eggs and having independent hatchlings.

Yes, though some very new research suggests that pterosaurs did have some kind of limited parental care after hatching, I imagine something like crocs have, which seems to be a primitive feature of all archosaurs. That is, they may have guarded the young from predators for a little while but maybe not stayed in the nest or fed them as birds do.

[Balaur]

This reminds me of that pterosaur sequence in Dinosaur Revolution.