Were these tiny Jurassic pterosaurs the ancient, winged equivalent of modern bats?

Nature · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Anurognathidae were small, short-tailed pterosaurs that thrived across Europe, Asia, and potentially North America. With large eye sockets and specialized insectivorous teeth, these creatures likely navigated the night sky, mirroring the ecological niche of modern bats. Some species even possessed claws perfectly adapted for gripping tree branches.

The evolutionary placement of the Anurognathidae remains a subject of intense scientific debate. Historically, researchers like Alexander Kellner and David Unwin categorized them as a basal pterosaur group. However, their physical traits, such as short, fused tail bones, resemble those of the more advanced Pterodactyloidea. A 2010 analysis by Brian Andres proposed that these two groups were sister taxa, a theory that helped resolve a significant 'ghost lineage' problem in the fossil record. More recently, the 2022 description of the genus Cascocauda has further shifted our understanding, positioning the family as a sister clade to the Breviquartossa.

Beyond their phylogeny, the integument of these pterosaurs has sparked significant controversy. A 2018 study examining fossils from Inner Mongolia suggested that anurognathids possessed complex, branched filaments similar to bird feathers, implying a shared evolutionary origin. Critics countered that these structures were merely the decomposed remains of aktinofibrils, the fibers used to stiffen pterosaur wings. While the original researchers argue that the distribution of these filaments—extending well beyond the wing membrane—supports the proto-feather hypothesis, others like Liliana D'Alba maintain that current evidence relies too heavily on gross morphology. Definitive proof, she suggests, requires scanning electron microscopy.

The family includes eight definitively known genera, ranging from the Late Jurassic Anurognathus of Germany to the Early Cretaceous Vesperopterylus of China. While most are considered insectivores, some, such as Batrachognathus and Jeholopterus, may have hunted fish. These creatures, which reached wingspans of up to 900 mm, continue to challenge our understanding of pterosaur evolution. As researchers uncover more specimens, like the potentially early-appearing 'Dimorphodon' weintraubi, the timeline of when these clades first emerged continues to be pushed further back into the Early Jurassic, making every new find critical for reconstructing the history of these ancient flyers.

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