Others sported mouths full of teeth that stuck out at odd angles. Some grew bizarre crests atop their heads. Pterosaurs’ name comes from the Greek for “wing lizards.” These flying reptiles eventually spread around the world and ate a huge variety of prey. That was at least 70 million years before birds appeared - and more than 180 million years before bats. They arrived on the scene in Triassic times, perhaps some 237 million years ago. So it’s kind of surprising that only three groups of vertebrates have ever evolved flight: pterosaurs, birds and bats.Īnd pterosaurs were the first. It can also more easily cover distances quickly to find food and mates. It can drop down from above on unsuspecting prey. In an eat-or-be-eaten world, flying has many benefits.Ī creature that takes to the skies can more easily escape predators on the ground.
