Pterosaur Tracks Show Flying Reptiles Were at Home on Land Alongside Dinosaurs

Rapid Summary:

• A new study reveals that pterosaurs, ancient flying reptiles, were adept at walking on the ground as well as flying during the Jurassic period (201-145 million years ago).
• Research published in Current Biology supports older fossil evidence that pterosaurs evolved to walk using both their hands and feet.
• Previously unidentified tracks were linked to specific pterosaur groups, including ctenochasmatoids, dsungaripterids, and neoazhdarchians.
• Neoazhdarchian footprints indicate they lived in coastal and inland regions alongside dinosaurs.
• Researchers used 3D models of footprints compared with skeletons to shed light on locomotion, behavior, and ecosystem interactions of these extinct creatures.
• Study leader Robert Smyth noted that footprint analysis offers insights into pterosaur movement patterns and lifestyles across vanished ecosystems.

Indian Opinion Analysis:
The study deepens understanding of prehistoric biodiversity by linking track evidence to specific species.The findings illustrate how extinct animals adapted their behavior to varied environments over millions of years. This meticulous research combining fossils with modern 3D modeling reinforces India’s growing interest in paleontology-an area where ancient India itself holds rich prehistoric resources like dinosaur fossils found in Gujarat or Madhya Pradesh.For Indian researchers aiming for global collaboration or innovation within this field, such studies serve as benchmarks for interdisciplinary methods bridging biology and geoscience.

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