For a long time people thought pterosaurs could only glide and soar, and were not strong enough to flap their wings.
In the 20th century, after aeroplanes had been invented, our understanding of flight advanced.
English palaeontologists showed that pterosaurs could fly, and Tilly Edinger showed that by the end of the Jurassic, pterosaur brains were more like that of modern birds than of Archaeopteryx.
Recent work has used working model to simulate their flight.ᵖ²¹⁸ The wing membrane was about 1mm thick, with a tough skin and had long fibres reinforcing it.
This can be clearly seen in some of the fossils.ᵖ³³² The structure helped the wings survive the stresses of flight.
The larger pterosaurs were mainly soarers, as is the case with birds today.

How pterosaurs moved on the ground has been something of a mystery.
It is most likely that they walked on four legs while on the ground, as fossil tracks have been found showing they used both their legs and hands to support them.

Pterosaurs also had special bones.
They were extremely light (even more than bird's wings – some were almost as thin as a piece of paper), and some were almost hollow.
Tiny holes in the bones are evidence of air sacs which extended into the vertebrae and limb bones, as it does with birds.
Also present were supporting struts which made these bones stronger.
With these special bones, even the largest of pterosaurs, Quetzalcoatlus, probably weighed less than 200 pounds.
For a long time people thought pterosaurs could only glide and soar, and were not strong enough to flap their wings. In the 20th century, after aeroplanes had been invented, our understanding of flight advanced. English palaeontologists showed that pterosaurs could fly, and Tilly Edinger showed that by the end of the Jurassic, pterosaur brains were more like that of modern birds than of Archaeopteryx. Recent work has used working model to simulate their flight.ᵖ²¹⁸ The wing membrane was about 1mm thick, with a tough skin and had long fibres reinforcing it. This can be clearly seen in some of the fossils.ᵖ³³² The structure helped the wings survive the stresses of flight. The larger pterosaurs were mainly soarers, as is the case with birds today.
How pterosaurs moved on the ground has been something of a mystery. It is most likely that they walked on four legs while on the ground, as fossil tracks have been found showing they used both their legs and hands to support them.
Pterosaurs also had special bones. They were extremely light (even more than bird's wings – some were almost as thin as a piece of paper), and some were almost hollow. Tiny holes in the bones are evidence of air sacs which extended into the vertebrae and limb bones, as it does with birds. Also present were supporting struts which made these bones stronger. With these special bones, even the largest of pterosaurs, Quetzalcoatlus, probably weighed less than 200 pounds.
Pterosaur