Research reviewed 30 July 2026. Scientific interpretations may change as new evidence is published.
Pterodactylus antiquus was a small flying reptile that lived around tropical lagoons in what is now southern Germany about 150 million years ago. It was a pterosaur rather than a dinosaur, with a skin covered wing supported by one extremely long finger.
| Fact | Answer |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Pterodactylus antiquus |
| Name meaning | Ancient wing finger |
| Period | Late Jurassic |
| Age | About 151 to 148 million years ago |
| Fossil location | Bavaria, Germany |
| Diet | Probably small fish and other small animals |
| Wingspan | Large adults reached about 1 to 1.1 metres |
| Animal group | Pterosaur |
Pterodactylus was a pterosaur, one of the flying reptiles that lived alongside dinosaurs. Pterosaurs were close relatives of dinosaurs within a larger group called archosaurs, but they were not dinosaurs themselves. They were also not birds or bats. Each of those three groups evolved flight separately.
The first Pterodactylus fossil to attract scientific attention was described in the eighteenth century. Its unusual skeleton puzzled researchers because no living animal had the same combination of a reptile like head, light bones and extended wing finger. The name refers to this striking feature: pteron means wing and daktylos means finger.
Pterodactylus lived in the Late Jurassic, approximately 151 to 148 million years ago. Its best fossils come from the fine limestone around Solnhofen in Bavaria, Germany. This rock formed as very fine mud settled in quiet, salty lagoons near islands and reefs.
The water at the lagoon floor contained little oxygen, so scavengers and decay had less time to destroy bodies. Fine sediment recorded delicate bones and sometimes traces of soft tissue. These special conditions made the Solnhofen Limestone one of the world’s most important fossil deposits.
The wing membrane stretched from the side of the body along an enormously lengthened fourth finger. The other fingers remained short and carried claws. Hollow, thin walled bones reduced weight while still resisting the forces of flight. Powerful chest and shoulder muscles moved the wings.
Large adult Pterodactylus probably had a wingspan just over one metre. Many known fossils are much smaller because they belonged to young animals. A 2025 study proposed that tropical storms swept inexperienced juveniles into the lagoons more often than strong adults, creating a misleading fossil sample.
Pterodactylus could perform powered flight rather than merely glide. On the ground it probably walked using all four limbs, placing its hands as well as its feet on the surface. Trackways from other pterosaurs support this four limbed walking posture.
The long jaws contained many small, pointed teeth. Their shape suggests a diet of small fish and other small aquatic animals, although insects and soft bodied invertebrates may also have been eaten. The exact menu remains uncertain because direct stomach contents are rare.
Scientists compare the teeth, jaw shape, neck and habitats of pterosaurs when investigating diet. These clues make shoreline feeding plausible, but they do not prove one fixed feeding behaviour for every age of Pterodactylus.
Complete skeletons reveal the proportions of the skull, neck, torso, limbs and fingers. A series of specimens from small juveniles to larger individuals also shows how the animal changed as it grew. The skull became longer, the teeth changed in proportion and a soft tissue crest developed in mature individuals.
Growth studies are important because young Pterodactylus fossils were once split into several separate species. Researchers now recognise that many differences reflect age rather than different animals. This is a useful example of how a fossil classification can change when a full growth series is studied.
Researchers continue to investigate exactly what Pterodactylus ate and how its feeding style changed with age. Its flight performance, launch method and preferred habitat can be tested with computer models, but each model depends on estimates of body mass and soft tissue.
The number of valid Pterodactylus species has also been debated. Careful comparisons currently support Pterodactylus antiquus as the best established species. New fossils may refine the picture, especially if they preserve adults rather than the juveniles that dominate many collections.
Pterodactylus was not a dinosaur, bird or bat. "Pterodactyl" is often used for every pterosaur, but Pterodactylus is one particular genus. It was not a huge monster able to carry a person, since even a large adult had a wingspan of only about one metre. Its wings were supported mainly by one long finger, not by several equally long fingers as in a bat.
No. It was a pterosaur, an extinct flying reptile closely related to dinosaurs.
The name means "wing finger" and describes the extremely long finger that supported each wing.
It lived about 151 to 148 million years ago, and its best known fossils come from Bavaria in Germany.
Large adults probably reached a wingspan of about 1 to 1.1 metres. Many fossil specimens are smaller juveniles.
It probably caught small fish and other small animals, but its exact diet remains uncertain.
Yes. Its skeleton and wing structure show that it was capable of powered, flapping flight.
It probably walked on all four limbs, using both its feet and its clawed hands.
Recent research suggests storms may have carried less experienced juveniles into the Solnhofen lagoons more often than adults.
