Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Volume 276, Issue 1674, Pages 3881-3886Publisher
ROYAL SOC
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.1161
Keywords
Pterosauria; ichnology; functional morphology; Late Jurassic; Mesozoic vertebrates
Categories
Funding
- University of California Museum of Paleontology
- College de France (Paris)
- Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris)
- National Geographic Society
- local Public Councils
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The terrestrial progression of pterosaurs, the flying reptiles of the Mesozoic Era, has been debated for over two centuries. The recent discovery of quadrupedal pterodactyloid pterosaur tracks from Late Jurassic sediments near Crayssac, France, shows that the hindlimbs moved parasagittally, as in mammals, birds and other dinosaurs, and the hypertrophied forelimbs could make tracks both close to the body wall and far outside it. Their manus tracks are unique in form, position and kinematics, which would be expected because the forelimbs were used for flight. Here, we report the first record of a pterosaur landing track, which differs substantially from typical walking trackways. The individual landed on both hind feet in parallel fashion, dragged its toes slightly as it left the track, landed again almost immediately and placed the hindfeet parallel again, then placed its forelimbs on the ground, took another short step with both hindlimbs and adjusted its forelimbs, and then began to walk off normally. The trackway shows that pterosaurs stalled to land, a reflection of their highly developed capacity for flight control and manoeuverability.
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