Fossil pterodactyloids appear in the Upper Jurassic.
They were short-tailed pterosaurs, suggesting that they had more sophisticated control of their flight, which no doubt gave them some advantages.
2–300 specimens of 17 different species of pterosaur has been found at Solnhofen from eight different genera.ᵖ²⁶³ They include the earliest examples of Pterodactylus, and Germanodactylus, a genus which is also found in England and China.
Ctenochasma, also from Solnhofen, had a comb of 260 thin teeth showing it to be a filter-feeder that may have waded or swam in the water.
There were several other genera with similar life-styles.

In the Lower Cretaceous there were many pterodactyloids, mostly quite small.
Gradually, larger versions evolved, and by the Upper Cretaceous most pterosaurs had huge wing-spans and clearly covered huge distances soaring on upcurrents in a warm environment.
Pteranodon, with a wing-span of over 20 feet (7m), and Quetzalcoatlus, with a wingspan of 40 feet (12m) are famous examples.
The question of their eating habits is still undecided.

Since birds were already common in the Lower Cretaceous, they would have competed vigorously with the smaller pterodactyloids.
That may explain the extinction of the smaller pterosaur species, though the lack of fossils from the forested areas makes it difficult to judge.
The huge Upper Cretaceous types clearly lived a different life-style from the smaller species, and one which was not yet accessible to birds.
As the climate changed in the Upper Cretaceous, becoming colder and more seasonal, the number of pterosaurs became fewer.
Like most of the larger species on Earth, the huge pterosaurs did not survive the K/T extinction event.
At least some families of birds did.
So ended the competition between the two types of flying reptile through the long 79 million years of the Cretaceous period.ᵖ³⁴⁶
Fossil pterodactyloids appear in the Upper Jurassic. They were short-tailed pterosaurs, suggesting that they had more sophisticated control of their flight, which no doubt gave them some advantages. 2–300 specimens of 17 different species of pterosaur has been found at Solnhofen from eight different genera.ᵖ²⁶³ They include the earliest examples of Pterodactylus, and Germanodactylus, a genus which is also found in England and China. Ctenochasma, also from Solnhofen, had a comb of 260 thin teeth showing it to be a filter-feeder that may have waded or swam in the water. There were several other genera with similar life-styles.
In the Lower Cretaceous there were many pterodactyloids, mostly quite small. Gradually, larger versions evolved, and by the Upper Cretaceous most pterosaurs had huge wing-spans and clearly covered huge distances soaring on upcurrents in a warm environment. Pteranodon, with a wing-span of over 20 feet (7m), and Quetzalcoatlus, with a wingspan of 40 feet (12m) are famous examples. The question of their eating habits is still undecided.
Since birds were already common in the Lower Cretaceous, they would have competed vigorously with the smaller pterodactyloids. That may explain the extinction of the smaller pterosaur species, though the lack of fossils from the forested areas makes it difficult to judge. The huge Upper Cretaceous types clearly lived a different life-style from the smaller species, and one which was not yet accessible to birds. As the climate changed in the Upper Cretaceous, becoming colder and more seasonal, the number of pterosaurs became fewer. Like most of the larger species on Earth, the huge pterosaurs did not survive the K/T extinction event. At least some families of birds did. So ended the competition between the two types of flying reptile through the long 79 million years of the Cretaceous period.ᵖ³⁴⁶
Pterosaur