This ancient flying reptile likely filter-fed like a flamingo, perhaps even turning pink.

Nature · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Pterodaustro was a Cretaceous pterosaur with a specialized, upward-curving snout packed with a thousand bristle-like teeth. By straining aquatic crustaceans from the water, this unique creature lived much like a modern flamingo. Scientists even suspect its diet may have given it a distinct pink hue millions of years ago.

Discovered in Argentina's Lagarcito Formation, Pterodaustro is one of the best-known pterosaurs, with over 750 specimens collected from a single site. Dating back 105 million years, this creature possessed a striking anatomy: a three-meter wingspan, an elongated tail with twenty-two vertebrae, and a skull where the snout comprised 85 percent of its length. Its most defining feature was the lower jaw, which held approximately one thousand thin, flexible teeth used for filter-feeding.

Unlike most reptiles, these teeth were not replaced and were held in long grooves rather than individual sockets. To process its diet of small, hard-shelled crustaceans, Pterodaustro used a combination of its bristle-like comb and small, globular teeth in the upper jaw. The presence of gizzard stones in specimens MIC V263 and MIC V243 supports the theory that it consumed hard-shelled prey. Some researchers have even suggested that, similar to modern flamingos, this diet could have resulted in a pink coloration.

Pterodaustro’s life cycle is exceptionally well-documented, with fossils representing every stage from egg to adult. Juveniles grew rapidly for two years before reaching sexual maturity, followed by a slower growth phase until reaching a determinate stop. Biomechanical models indicate that these juveniles were capable of powered flight, challenging earlier theories that suggested they could only glide. Despite these adaptations, the animal’s long torso and neck made launching difficult, likely requiring frantic, low-angled take-offs similar to modern geese.

The classification of Pterodaustro has evolved since its 1969 naming by José Bonaparte. While initially placed in various families, modern cladistic studies now firmly position it within the Ctenochasmatidae, a group of filter-feeding pterosaurs. Recent debates have also emerged regarding its biology, such as the 2009 report of medullary bone tissue—a feature usually associated with egg-laying birds—which was later contested as potentially being crushed endosteal tissue.

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