Where did Pterosaurs come from?

Pterosaurs dominated Mesozoic skies but it has always been a mystery where these flying reptiles came from. This week Susie and Rob discuss Pterosaur controveries and a cool new study that attempts to solve the problem of where and how they originated. How can you do this? By looking at the climate and locations of where pterosaurs lived and their closest relatives - the weird looking lagerpetids -, we can make predictions about how pterosaurs lived, thrived, and died. And maybe even where we should be looking for them...

Figure 4 from paper shows the authors predictions where in the Triassic world would have the right climate for Pterosaurs to live (left column) and Lagerpetids to live (right column).

The paper is "Climate drivers and palaeobiogeography of lagerpetids and early pterosaurs" published by Davide Foffa and colleauges in Nature Ecology and Evolution, June 2025.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02767-8

Widescreen artwork: Gabriel Ugueto