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A set of neoazhdarchian pterosaur footprints found in South Korea is providing an uncommon peek into how a few of the biggest flying reptiles might have hunted on land.
Life restoration illustration of Jinjuichnus procerus and tetrapod trackmakers. The neoazhdarchian trackmaker is following the little vertebrate. Image credit: Jun Seung Yi.
Pterosaurs, the very first vertebrates to attain powered flight, are frequently pictured overlooking ancient seas.
For years, paleontologists have actually argued that some pterosaur types likewise invested substantial time on the ground, stalking victim like modern-day wading birds.
Direct proof of such habits, nevertheless, has actually been evasive.
“Pterosaurs were essential elements of Mesozoic environments, prospering from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous,” stated Dr. Jongyun Jung, a scientist at the University of Texas at Austin and Korea Dinosaur Research Center at Chonnam National University, and coworkers.
“They inhabited a wide variety of eco-friendly specific niches and displayed varied dietary adjustments.”
“In specific, Neoazhdarchia, that includes thalassodromids, chaoyangopterids, and azhdarchids, has actually been presumed to represent mainly terrestrial meat-eating hunters, based upon physiological functions, practical morphology, and other associated fossil records.”
“These analyses have actually recommended that some groups might have used searching techniques similar to extant terrestrial stalkers, such as storks or cranes.”
“Nevertheless, the fossil record has up until now did not have direct proof of terrestrial predation in pterosaurs.”
Jinjuichnus procerus trackway and associated little vertebrate trackways maintained on a single piece. Image credit: Jung et aldoi: 10.1038/ s41598-026-48019-y.
The newly-described footprints, protected in 106-million-year-old rock in the Jinju Formation, might assist fill this space.
Designated to a brand-new ichnogenus and types, Jinjuichnus procerusthese big, unbalanced impressions with lengthened digits were left by a neoazhdarchian pterosaur.
The flying reptile’s footprints run in close distance to a different set of tracks likely made by a little, ground-dwelling animal– potentially a salamander or lizard– raising the possibility of an ancient pursuit.
The animal’s trackway reveals an abrupt modification in instructions and an obvious boost in stride length, recommending an unexpected burst of speed.
At the very same time, the pterosaur appears to have actually been moving fairly rapidly for its size, around 0.8 m/sec.
This follows the hypothesis that neoazhdarchians were well-adapted terrestrial predators.
A coincidental association in between the 2 trackways can not be ruled out.
“This association supplies the possible ichnological proof of terrestrial vertebrate interaction by a pterosaur,” the paleontologists stated.
“Nonetheless, an alternative analysis of the 2 trackways stays possible, making it hard to validate any direct interaction in between the trackmakers.”
“The paired trackways provide insight into the elements to think about when assessing prospective interactions with the trackmaker.”
“While situations such as predation stay unclear, they however highlight the interpretive intricacy intrinsic in evaluating behavioral associations maintained in trackway assemblages.”
The group’s paper was released in the journal Scientific Reports
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J. Jung et al2026. New big pterosaur tracks from Korea and their ramifications on terrestrial habits. Sci Rep 16, 12363; doi: 10.1038/ s41598-026-48019-y
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