Giant flying reptiles preferred to walk
They may have been the largest creature that ever flew but these giant reptiles hunted their prey by walking, scientitss believe.Azhdarchids had a ten-metre wingspan and lived 230-65 million years ago along with dinosaurs.
Until now it has been thought the monstrous reptiles lived like modern seabirds: as gull- or pelican-like predators flying over lakes and oceans, grabbing fish from the water.
But boffins at Portsmouth University have studied fossil distribution and footprints and now claim they were strongly adapted for life on the ground.
The researchers studied fossils in London, Portsmouth and Germany and compared the anatomy of azhdarchid with those of modern animals. This showed that azhdarchids - named after the Uzbek word for 'dragon' - were strikingly different from mud-probers and animals that grab prey from the water’s surface while in flight.
Expert Dr Naish said: “Azhdarchids first became reasonably well known in the 1970s but how they lived has been the subject of much debate.
"All the details of their anatomy, and the environment their fossils are found in, show that they made their living by walking around, reaching down to grab and pick up animals and other prey.”
