ORDER PTEROSAURIAThe first group of vertebrates to take to the air as a way of life were the pterosaurs. These flying reptiles flew on "wings" made of skin, which were attached along the length of the greatly elongated, fourth fingers of each hand, and rejoined the body at thigh-level.These flying reptiles evolved in Late Triassic times, some 70 million years before the first-known bird, Archaeopteryx , appeared (see p. 176). They thrived throughout the Jurassic and early part of the Cretaceous, diversify¬ ing into many forms, among them the largest flying creatures of all time. Then the group began to decline, its last mem¬ bers becoming extinct at the end of the Mesozoic Era. Pterosaur remains have been found all over the world, except in Antarctica, mostly in marine deposits.There are 2 suborders of pterosaur (below). The earliest and most primitive types are the rhamphorhynchs; the later types include the more familiar flying reptiles — the pterodactyls.
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The Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals
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