Pterosaurs could fly from birth

[Logo7]

A new study of nineteen embryos of four species of pterosaur originating from China and Argentina has found that these animals were extremely advanced in their development just before hatching, which can be seen through early ossification of several of the bones in each embryo. This suggests that pterosaurs were super-precocial and could fly from birth. The study also identifies a possible relationship between egg size and shape and embryo development, with small, elongate eggs containing embryos at earlier stages of development than those in larger, rounder eggs. It is possible that the differences in egg shape and size might have resulted from differences in water level, as pterosaur eggs are known to have pliable shells. Here is a link to the paper describing this study.

Paper (abstract only): https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2019.0409

[Jose S.M.]

That sounds really interesting. I've always seen baby pterosaurs depicted staying in their nests guarded by their parents.

[Logo7]

That sounds really interesting. I've always seen baby pterosaurs depicted staying in their nests guarded by their parents.

There was a study that showed that pterosaur embryos of the genus Hamipterus were not fully developed in the egg, which led to claims that they were protected by their parents. Now, it's believed that they just weren't that close to hatching yet when they were fossilized.