The pterosaurs in the Early and Middle Jurassic Eras had long tails. They were known as Rhamphorhynchoid Pterosaurs. These early pterosaurs had very large teeth. The best known type is Rhamphorhynchus. This fossil comes from the Lithographic Limestone of Bavaria in Germany. The drawing on the right shows a Rhamphorhynchus.
The long tail has a flat end. This was used to help balance the pterosaur when it flew
There are claws on the wing and the long wing finger is the fifth finger. That is the same as the little finger in humans.
The skull has lots of long, sharp teeth. This type of pterosaur may have eaten insects and smaller pterosaurs.
In the Middle Jurassic Era a new type of pterosaur was found. This was the Pterodactyloid Pterosaur. This type had a very short tail. Pterodactyls were quite small about 170 million years ago.
Pterodactylus antiquus was the size of a large pigeon. It could have flown in open forest or near rivers. This was the first type of pterosaur to be found.
