Pterosaurs are an extinct group of flying reptiles that lived from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period (220 to 65.5 million years ago). They include the largest known flying creatures of all time. They were able to fly because of their hollow and air-filled bones, which are clearly visible in the thin section views shown here. Other characteristic features include membranes of skin (similar to that found on modern day bats and flying squirrels) that were attached to an extremely long fourth finger of each arm.

Archaeopteryx is a well known feathered flying reptile of Jurassic age that has been found in limestone near Solnhofen in Germany. It is a transitional species intermediate between dinosaurs and modern birds. More information here.

Credits:

Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge

National Museum Wales, Cardiff

View thin section

SEM views

Object movie

Archaeopteryx lithographica

Eichstätt specimen, as displayed at the Munich Mineral Show 2009

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