![]() NPS Photo / Emily Brouwer ![]() Identification Level: Order Numerous types of pterosaurs lived around the globe during the Late Cretaceous Period. Paleontologists are eagerly searching for more fossils in order to further hone the specific identity of Denali’s pterosaurs. What is for dinner?
Although they ruled the sky, pterosaurs likely hunted for their meals in the water. Pterosaurs in interior Alaska most likely ate fish and snapped them up in their beaks from river and lake waters. ![]() So far, Denali is the only place in Alaska where we have found evidence of pterosaurs. It has been deduced that one particular fossil track was created by an individual that likely weighed 35 pounds and had a 25-foot wingspan. When on the ground, pterosaurs walked on all fours, leaving distinctive three-digit hand prints. Fun fact
Denali preserves the first evidence of pterosaurs in Alaska. These tracks extend the known northern range of pterosaurs by several degrees of latitude and several thousand kilometers. ![]() |
Last updated: August 16, 2016