Scientists clarify origins of pterosaurs, the dinosaur era's flying reptiles - The Tribune

Scientists may have solved one of paleontology’s enduring mysteries — the evolutionary origins of the flying reptiles called pterosaurs that ruled the skies at the same time that dinosaurs dominated the land.
Researchers said on Wednesday a poorly understood Triassic Period reptile group called lagerpetids, known from a few partial skeletons from the United States, Argentina, Brazil and Madagascar, appears to have been the evolutionary precursor to pterosaurs.
The oldest-known pterosaurs appear in the fossil record about 220 million years ago, with anatomies fully developed for flight including wings formed by a membrane extending from the ankles to an exceptionally elongated fourth finger.
Studying previously discovered and newly unearthed fossils using sophisticated scanning technology and three-dimensional modeling, the researchers identified at least 33 skeletal traits suggesting an evolutionary link between lagerpetids and pterosaurs.
While starting relatively small, pterosaurs eventually achieved huge dimensions, with wingspans reaching 35 feet (10.7 meters).