New Golden Age for Pterosaurs, Flying Reptiles of the Dinosaur Era

Pterosaurs were the most magnificent fliers of all time. With wings of skin stretched over bone, they soared over the heads of dinosaurs below.

Their ranks included fuzzy little flappers the size of a bat and enormous soaring species with 33-foot (10-meter) wingspans that stood on the ground as tall as a giraffe.

Paleontologists have known about the existence of pterosaurs since the early days of fossil investigation, but researchers are just now getting to know these extinct fliers.

The reptiles are also gaining more attention from the general public. Pterosaurs are often put on exhibit as the "also rans" of the Mesozoic era, presented as window dressing in a world ruled by other, more famous creatures like Tyrannosaurus rex. But this weekend they will fly into the spotlight in the new American Museum of Natural History exhibit "Pterosaur: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs."

Source: Here