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Pterosaurs: Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy
The most authoritative illustrated book on flying reptiles availableFor 150 million years, the skies didn't belong to birds—they belonged to the pterosaurs. These flying reptiles, which include the pterodactyls, shared the world with the nonavian dinosaurs until their extinction 65 million years ago. Some pterosaurs, such as the giant azhdarchids, were the largest flying animals of all time, with wingspans exceeding thirty feet and standing heights comparable to modern giraffes. This richly illustrated book takes an unprecedented look at these astonishing creatures, presenting the latest findings on their anatomy, ecology, and extinction.Pterosaurs features some 200 stunning illustrations, including original paintings by Mark Witton and photos of rarely seen fossils. After decades of mystery, paleontologists have finally begun to understand how pterosaurs are related to other reptiles, how they functioned as living animals, and, despite dwarfing all other flying animals, how they managed to become airborne. Here you can explore the fossil evidence of pterosaur behavior and ecology, learn about the skeletal and soft-tissue anatomy of pterosaurs, and consider the newest theories about their cryptic origins. This one-of-a-kind book covers the discovery history, paleobiogeography, anatomy, and behaviors of more than 130 species of pterosaur, and also discusses their demise at the end of the Mesozoic.
The most comprehensive book on pterosaurs ever publishedFeatures some 200 illustrations, including original paintings by the authorCovers every known species and major group of pterosaursDescribes pterosaur anatomy, ecology, behaviors, diversity, and moreEncourages further study with 500 references to primary pterosaur literature
The most comprehensive book on pterosaurs ever publishedFeatures some 200 illustrations, including original paintings by the authorCovers every known species and major group of pterosaursDescribes pterosaur anatomy, ecology, behaviors, diversity, and moreEncourages further study with 500 references to primary pterosaur literature
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
47 people are currently reading
835 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 3, 2016
No, I'm not a pterosaurologist. Not even a palaeontology fan. Haven't read a book about dinosaurs (not that we're meant to use that word for pterosaurs, but you know what I mean) for probably 15 years, or more. Picked this one up on a whim, on realising how little I knew about the (bizarre) subject, and seeing all the great reviews for this book.
Supposedly, this is both an up-to-date general overview of what people know about pterosaurs, from a researcher at the cutting edge of the (very small) field, and an introductory book with pretty illustrations that a layman can understand. I can't really speak for the first, but it's certainly (almost entirely) the second.
The writing is as clear as it can be, particularly early on (although he does forget to define a few things as the book progresses) and with some welcome humour - he combines a conversational manner of speech with technical subject matter and terminology. The layout and appearance are very attractive, and the hand-drawn illustrations, while maybe not fine art, are both appealing (beautiful and often endearing) and very effective at conveying the nature of the things described: Witton's emphasis here is very much on pterosaurs as living animals, not merely as a puzzle for scientists, and there are far more life-reconstructions here than photographs of fossils (though there are quite a few of them as well).
Sort of feels half like a good textbook, half like a coffee-table book.
One slight problem is with the structure, can feel a bit repetitive as he describes each family of pterosaurs in turn; maybe a book to be read one chapter at a time rather than in one burst.
If you think you might want to learn about pterosaurs (hint: the largest were the size of giraffes, and look like sort of a combination of a bird, a bat, a giraffe, concorde, maybe a gorilla, and perhaps with an element of snake in there somewhere, or an industrial crane, and would give you nightmares if they weren't drawn in such a charming way), but are starting from the perspective of knowing nothing about pterosaurs whatsoever (though I guess a rough awareness of some biological stuff, like what a genus is, might be helpful) this is a good book to pick up. If nothing else, you can look at the pretty pictures.
Supposedly, this is both an up-to-date general overview of what people know about pterosaurs, from a researcher at the cutting edge of the (very small) field, and an introductory book with pretty illustrations that a layman can understand. I can't really speak for the first, but it's certainly (almost entirely) the second.
The writing is as clear as it can be, particularly early on (although he does forget to define a few things as the book progresses) and with some welcome humour - he combines a conversational manner of speech with technical subject matter and terminology. The layout and appearance are very attractive, and the hand-drawn illustrations, while maybe not fine art, are both appealing (beautiful and often endearing) and very effective at conveying the nature of the things described: Witton's emphasis here is very much on pterosaurs as living animals, not merely as a puzzle for scientists, and there are far more life-reconstructions here than photographs of fossils (though there are quite a few of them as well).
Sort of feels half like a good textbook, half like a coffee-table book.
One slight problem is with the structure, can feel a bit repetitive as he describes each family of pterosaurs in turn; maybe a book to be read one chapter at a time rather than in one burst.
If you think you might want to learn about pterosaurs (hint: the largest were the size of giraffes, and look like sort of a combination of a bird, a bat, a giraffe, concorde, maybe a gorilla, and perhaps with an element of snake in there somewhere, or an industrial crane, and would give you nightmares if they weren't drawn in such a charming way), but are starting from the perspective of knowing nothing about pterosaurs whatsoever (though I guess a rough awareness of some biological stuff, like what a genus is, might be helpful) this is a good book to pick up. If nothing else, you can look at the pretty pictures.
September 26, 2014
I've been reading a lot about pterosaurs lately. This is the most technical of the books-- he uses words like "dorsoventrally" a lot.
Mark Witton's most famous illustration is the one where a queztlcoatlus is standing quadrupedally next to a giraffe. Their necks are of similar lengths, and the tops of their heads are in roughly the same place. Of course, the pterosaur's beak reaches more than halfway to the ground. The book is filled with his lifelike illustrations, which really adds a lot to the mostly dry text.
A few things I learned from the book: pterosaurs were quite good at running, but moved their legs like a camel or giraffe-- first the legs on the left side, then the ones on the right. (the wing folds in half and acts like a leg.) They laid soft, leathery eggs, probably buried in sand, and the hatchlings could fly not long after birth. Only male pteranodons had large head crests, and there are more female than male pteranodon fossils found. Nobody knows how pterosaurs folded up to swim.
This is the most up to date book about pterosaurs you can buy, published 2013. One reason I like reading about fossils is I enjoy seeing the steps of deductive reasoning laid out. It's like a Sherlock Holmes story.
The others I have read in the last year or two are the
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs
and
Pterosaurs from Deep Time
both of which were really good. As near as I can tell, those three are the only books ever written for an adult, nonexpert audience on pterosaurs. Well, unless you count Dragons of the Air from 1901.
I want to read a book about fossil sea reptiles now.
Mark Witton's most famous illustration is the one where a queztlcoatlus is standing quadrupedally next to a giraffe. Their necks are of similar lengths, and the tops of their heads are in roughly the same place. Of course, the pterosaur's beak reaches more than halfway to the ground. The book is filled with his lifelike illustrations, which really adds a lot to the mostly dry text.
A few things I learned from the book: pterosaurs were quite good at running, but moved their legs like a camel or giraffe-- first the legs on the left side, then the ones on the right. (the wing folds in half and acts like a leg.) They laid soft, leathery eggs, probably buried in sand, and the hatchlings could fly not long after birth. Only male pteranodons had large head crests, and there are more female than male pteranodon fossils found. Nobody knows how pterosaurs folded up to swim.
This is the most up to date book about pterosaurs you can buy, published 2013. One reason I like reading about fossils is I enjoy seeing the steps of deductive reasoning laid out. It's like a Sherlock Holmes story.
The others I have read in the last year or two are the
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs
and
Pterosaurs from Deep Time
both of which were really good. As near as I can tell, those three are the only books ever written for an adult, nonexpert audience on pterosaurs. Well, unless you count Dragons of the Air from 1901.
I want to read a book about fossil sea reptiles now.
December 9, 2017
3 stars out of 5. Being a very long time dinosaur nerd, I got this book from the library figuring it would be interesting to explore, and it might answer a question that has bedeviled me occasionally for a long time. It was indeed interesting, and even well written. But it is well written in the same sense that a star turn PhD thesis in comparative anatomy of species that are mostly known from fossils squashed flat as pancakes is well written. It's a wolf of a too technical for non-specialists technical tome inside the sheep's clothing of a coffee table sized volume with an arty cover. I spent about fifteen hours skimming the parts that seemed comprehensible to me. I don't recommend you do the same unless you have a long history of being annoyed by the nagging question of why pterosaurs weighing something like 500 pounds could fly but the largest bird, an extinct one, which was able to get off the ground weighed in at only about 170 pounds. I still don't know the answer to that question, by the way. But I'm only 69 years old, so I still have some time to get to the bottom of it.
September 13, 2015
Amazing book with great illustrations. Comparative anatomy and flight modeling have revealed much about the pterosaurs. Much information on soft tissues of pterosaurs has become available in recent years from the examination of fossils under UV light.
Best guess is that pterosaurs were a parallel development with dinosaurs, but no "proto" fossils have yet been found.
Many species of Pterosaur have pneumatized bones were they have become larger in size, but with thinner walls. These types of bones are also found in birds and sauropod dinosaurs.
It appears that pterosaurs had internal air sacs and had a respiratory system like that of birds where air passes over the lungs in one direction only. This design yields high efficiency, needed for flight.
As the flight muscles are anchored on the pelvis, pterosaurs probably had thin, non-muscular tails. On the other hand, the neck appears to have been well muscled and relatively thick.
It appears that pterosaurs were fairly densely feathered with small pycnofibers, including around the head but little on the wings. As they differ from the feathers of theropods, they appear to have evolved independently. The pycnofibers seem to have evolved to provide insulation and suggest that they were warm blooded.
The wings of pterosaurs are complex (more so than bats) with a layer of fibers to strengthen and stiffen the wings.
Studies of flight mechanics based upon the slenderness of the wings and body mass ratios show that many pterosaurs were likely gull-like soarers, although subsequent research suggest more active flight styles: aerial predators and short-burst fliers. It appears that most launched from their front limbs, as do many bats especially the vampires. Trackways show that they landed on both feet, as opposed to landing at a run.
Trackways have also given detailed information on their walking postures. They walked upright with the legs directly below the body, giving a narrow track. The fourth digit of the front ankle, being part of the wing, was folded back against the body while the other three toes touched the ground. When running, they leaned forward and splayed the front legs. Trackways of swimming pterosaurs show they held their front legs high, sometimes touching bottom with their rear legs.
Apparently, pterosaurs laid soft-shelled eggs suggesting wet area nests as in crocodilians. The limbs are well formed at birth indicating they could fly soon after. Bone growth rings indicate that they took 5 - 7 years to mature.
It seems now that sexual dimorphism was present in the pterosaurs. Studies of Pteranodon show that a third of the specimens had large crests, narrow pelvises and were 50% larger - probably the males. UV examination of a Pterorhynchus shows color banding of the crest.
The book examines each group of pterosaurs in more detail. Examination of the anatomy has revealed much about the probable life-styles.
Dimorphodontidae - The early Dimorphodon with well developed legs was probably a poor flier that spent much time moving around the forest under-story.
Anurognathidae - Anurognathus was likely a small insect-hawking animal. Broad-headed and hairy.
Campylognathodids - Campylognathoides had well developed teeth, showing signs of having chewed it's food, and likely fed on a broad diet.
Rhamphorhynchidae - Rhamphorynchus was a large animal with wingspans greater than 2 m. which fed on fish.
Wukongopteridae - Darwinopterus shows characteristics midway between early pterosaurs and later pterodactyls. It appears to have flitted around the forests eating invertebrates.
Istiodactylidae - Istiodactylus had notable interlocking teeth that would be effective for shearing, and would have been well adapted for scavenging carcasses.
Ornithocheiridae - Some Ornithocheirus had a 4 m. wingspan and was likely an oceanic dip-feeder.
Boreopteridae - Little studied, Boreopterus had small feet suggesting that it spent much time in aquatic environments.
Pterandontia - Noted for it's large crests, Pteranadon was likely an oceanic soarer. Nyctosaurus was more so, probably possessing the highest glide ratio of any pterosaur - ill suited to walking, it probably spent most of it's time in the air.
Ctenochasmatoidea - With long necks, large feet and unusual dentition, animals of this group were likely wading birds. Pterodaustro appears to have been a filter feeder.
Dsungaripteroidea - Chunky skulls and robust teeth suggest a powerful bite - Dsungaripterus was likely a wading bird that fed on shellfish.
Lonchodectidae - Little studied with fragmentary fossils.
Tapejaridae - Tupandactylus had the largest head crest of all the pterosaurs. This group appears to have been seed, fruit and vegetation eaters, perhaps important for seed dispersal.
Chaoyangopteridae - Medium sized pterosaurs with large skulls and straight bills, these were likely omnivores.
Thalassodromidae - With a large skull and an impressive crest, Thalassodromeus may have been a raptor-like predator.
Azhdarchidae - While the bodies were not large, these pterosaurs had very long necks and wings. They may have been ground foragers similar to present day storks and hornbills.
The pterosaurs first appeared 225 mya in the Triassic, diversified greatly in the Cretaceous and disappeared by the KT event 65 mya.
Best guess is that pterosaurs were a parallel development with dinosaurs, but no "proto" fossils have yet been found.
Many species of Pterosaur have pneumatized bones were they have become larger in size, but with thinner walls. These types of bones are also found in birds and sauropod dinosaurs.
It appears that pterosaurs had internal air sacs and had a respiratory system like that of birds where air passes over the lungs in one direction only. This design yields high efficiency, needed for flight.
As the flight muscles are anchored on the pelvis, pterosaurs probably had thin, non-muscular tails. On the other hand, the neck appears to have been well muscled and relatively thick.
It appears that pterosaurs were fairly densely feathered with small pycnofibers, including around the head but little on the wings. As they differ from the feathers of theropods, they appear to have evolved independently. The pycnofibers seem to have evolved to provide insulation and suggest that they were warm blooded.
The wings of pterosaurs are complex (more so than bats) with a layer of fibers to strengthen and stiffen the wings.
Studies of flight mechanics based upon the slenderness of the wings and body mass ratios show that many pterosaurs were likely gull-like soarers, although subsequent research suggest more active flight styles: aerial predators and short-burst fliers. It appears that most launched from their front limbs, as do many bats especially the vampires. Trackways show that they landed on both feet, as opposed to landing at a run.
Trackways have also given detailed information on their walking postures. They walked upright with the legs directly below the body, giving a narrow track. The fourth digit of the front ankle, being part of the wing, was folded back against the body while the other three toes touched the ground. When running, they leaned forward and splayed the front legs. Trackways of swimming pterosaurs show they held their front legs high, sometimes touching bottom with their rear legs.
Apparently, pterosaurs laid soft-shelled eggs suggesting wet area nests as in crocodilians. The limbs are well formed at birth indicating they could fly soon after. Bone growth rings indicate that they took 5 - 7 years to mature.
It seems now that sexual dimorphism was present in the pterosaurs. Studies of Pteranodon show that a third of the specimens had large crests, narrow pelvises and were 50% larger - probably the males. UV examination of a Pterorhynchus shows color banding of the crest.
The book examines each group of pterosaurs in more detail. Examination of the anatomy has revealed much about the probable life-styles.
Dimorphodontidae - The early Dimorphodon with well developed legs was probably a poor flier that spent much time moving around the forest under-story.
Anurognathidae - Anurognathus was likely a small insect-hawking animal. Broad-headed and hairy.
Campylognathodids - Campylognathoides had well developed teeth, showing signs of having chewed it's food, and likely fed on a broad diet.
Rhamphorhynchidae - Rhamphorynchus was a large animal with wingspans greater than 2 m. which fed on fish.
Wukongopteridae - Darwinopterus shows characteristics midway between early pterosaurs and later pterodactyls. It appears to have flitted around the forests eating invertebrates.
Istiodactylidae - Istiodactylus had notable interlocking teeth that would be effective for shearing, and would have been well adapted for scavenging carcasses.
Ornithocheiridae - Some Ornithocheirus had a 4 m. wingspan and was likely an oceanic dip-feeder.
Boreopteridae - Little studied, Boreopterus had small feet suggesting that it spent much time in aquatic environments.
Pterandontia - Noted for it's large crests, Pteranadon was likely an oceanic soarer. Nyctosaurus was more so, probably possessing the highest glide ratio of any pterosaur - ill suited to walking, it probably spent most of it's time in the air.
Ctenochasmatoidea - With long necks, large feet and unusual dentition, animals of this group were likely wading birds. Pterodaustro appears to have been a filter feeder.
Dsungaripteroidea - Chunky skulls and robust teeth suggest a powerful bite - Dsungaripterus was likely a wading bird that fed on shellfish.
Lonchodectidae - Little studied with fragmentary fossils.
Tapejaridae - Tupandactylus had the largest head crest of all the pterosaurs. This group appears to have been seed, fruit and vegetation eaters, perhaps important for seed dispersal.
Chaoyangopteridae - Medium sized pterosaurs with large skulls and straight bills, these were likely omnivores.
Thalassodromidae - With a large skull and an impressive crest, Thalassodromeus may have been a raptor-like predator.
Azhdarchidae - While the bodies were not large, these pterosaurs had very long necks and wings. They may have been ground foragers similar to present day storks and hornbills.
The pterosaurs first appeared 225 mya in the Triassic, diversified greatly in the Cretaceous and disappeared by the KT event 65 mya.
September 24, 2021
Excellent reference work about our knowledge of Pterosaurs (at least up to the publication date of 2013).
March 23, 2020
Gargoyles and Harpies.
There once was a time that dragons flew through the air. Not the dragons of myth and legend but real flying reptiles that prospered and diversified during the Age of Dinosaurs. They didn't breathe fire but they were magnificent, marvelous creatures non the less. In Pterosaurs, Author/Paleontologist Mark P Witton has written what is probably one of the most comprehensive treatment of these unique animals to date. Although this well written book is accessible to the lay reader, I think it was meant primarily for the professional or student paleontologist. In depth and up to date (as of 2013), Pterosaurs delves into the anatomy, evolution and behavior of these "Dragons of the Air". Parts of the book are quite technical, the chapters on skeletons and soft tissue are rather daunting but Witton does a good job, giving the reader a kind of "Anatomy 101". Chapters 10 through 25 spotlight the various kinds of pterosaurs and the author pulls no punches when it comes to naming body parts and the scientific names of each species, so be prepared. Over the years since their discovery in the mid 1700s professional interest in pterosaurs has waxed and wained but some new discoveries in the early 20th Century has brought them back into the lime light. Flight is the pterosaurs signature behavior, but how did it come about? They must have had a non flying ancestor that somehow took to the air. Although there are no fossils (so far) of a protopterosaur (HyPtA) the search is on and specialist all over the world are digging in Triassic formations for their elusive remains. Were pterosaurs good or poor flyers? Over the years opinions have fluctuated back and forth but at this point in time the consensus seems to be that they were active, competent flyers. On every aspect of pterosaur study there seems to be a vast difference of opinion among the specialists on; relationships, anatomy, flight ability, fossil analysis, etc, etc, etc.. Each one has his or her own opinion and can make a convincing argument to support their view. Witton is very good about telling all sides of the story as well as his own. Everything we know about pterosaurs comes from fossils of one kind or another. Bones and teeth, all the hard parts, are readily fossilized and have much to tell us. The soft parts; skin, organs, fur, feathers and, in some cases, the remains of the animals last meal can also be fossilized but are very rare. Then there are the so called "trace fossils"; track ways, foraging impressions and the like. When properly analyzed these can reveal many secrets of animal behavior. Witton covers all aspects of fossil interpretation and what they have to say about relationships, flight, reproduction and diet. Interpretation of fossils can lead to speculation on various aspects of the organisms life style but Witton urges caution on that front. For example: is a specimen male or female? Are two slightly different pterosaurs different species or just variation of the form-type? Do head crests indicate male-female difference or growth patterns or different species? This book covers a lot of ground but, still, it doesn't answer all the questions, no book could. In addition to the text, the book has many fine illustrations: maps, graphs, charts, skeletal reconstructions and technical restorations to help you visualize the animals. Additionally, there are some beautiful water-color plates done by the author himself and some exceptional photographs of various fossils under both normal lighting and UV. In spite of some very difficult parts this was a good read and I highly recommend Pterosaurs to anyone with a strong background in science reading. I had no technical or formatting problems with this Kindle edition.
Last Ranger
There once was a time that dragons flew through the air. Not the dragons of myth and legend but real flying reptiles that prospered and diversified during the Age of Dinosaurs. They didn't breathe fire but they were magnificent, marvelous creatures non the less. In Pterosaurs, Author/Paleontologist Mark P Witton has written what is probably one of the most comprehensive treatment of these unique animals to date. Although this well written book is accessible to the lay reader, I think it was meant primarily for the professional or student paleontologist. In depth and up to date (as of 2013), Pterosaurs delves into the anatomy, evolution and behavior of these "Dragons of the Air". Parts of the book are quite technical, the chapters on skeletons and soft tissue are rather daunting but Witton does a good job, giving the reader a kind of "Anatomy 101". Chapters 10 through 25 spotlight the various kinds of pterosaurs and the author pulls no punches when it comes to naming body parts and the scientific names of each species, so be prepared. Over the years since their discovery in the mid 1700s professional interest in pterosaurs has waxed and wained but some new discoveries in the early 20th Century has brought them back into the lime light. Flight is the pterosaurs signature behavior, but how did it come about? They must have had a non flying ancestor that somehow took to the air. Although there are no fossils (so far) of a protopterosaur (HyPtA) the search is on and specialist all over the world are digging in Triassic formations for their elusive remains. Were pterosaurs good or poor flyers? Over the years opinions have fluctuated back and forth but at this point in time the consensus seems to be that they were active, competent flyers. On every aspect of pterosaur study there seems to be a vast difference of opinion among the specialists on; relationships, anatomy, flight ability, fossil analysis, etc, etc, etc.. Each one has his or her own opinion and can make a convincing argument to support their view. Witton is very good about telling all sides of the story as well as his own. Everything we know about pterosaurs comes from fossils of one kind or another. Bones and teeth, all the hard parts, are readily fossilized and have much to tell us. The soft parts; skin, organs, fur, feathers and, in some cases, the remains of the animals last meal can also be fossilized but are very rare. Then there are the so called "trace fossils"; track ways, foraging impressions and the like. When properly analyzed these can reveal many secrets of animal behavior. Witton covers all aspects of fossil interpretation and what they have to say about relationships, flight, reproduction and diet. Interpretation of fossils can lead to speculation on various aspects of the organisms life style but Witton urges caution on that front. For example: is a specimen male or female? Are two slightly different pterosaurs different species or just variation of the form-type? Do head crests indicate male-female difference or growth patterns or different species? This book covers a lot of ground but, still, it doesn't answer all the questions, no book could. In addition to the text, the book has many fine illustrations: maps, graphs, charts, skeletal reconstructions and technical restorations to help you visualize the animals. Additionally, there are some beautiful water-color plates done by the author himself and some exceptional photographs of various fossils under both normal lighting and UV. In spite of some very difficult parts this was a good read and I highly recommend Pterosaurs to anyone with a strong background in science reading. I had no technical or formatting problems with this Kindle edition.
Last Ranger
January 17, 2015
This is easily a five-star book, with the caveat that you have to have some interest in pterosaurs.
One of the reviews of this book described it as being part coffee-table book, part textbook. As a coffee-table book, it excels. Witton's illustrations are gorgeous and amazing (image-search "quetzalcoatlus witton" for some pretty astonishing examples), but the scientific content is very high. I'm no pterosaurologist, so I can't assess whether this would be a graduate-level review, or something that old, bearded professors would refer to, but it was plenty for me. Over half of the book is devoted to reviews of 16 different pterosaur groups; their paleontological history, anatomy, possible ecology, and refreshingly frank discussions of the current state of their taxonomy. This is obviously pretty tedious and not something you'd want to read straight through, although a chapter a day is pretty interesting. Two chapters cover anatomy in some depth. For example, in Chapter 4, Witton takes the reader's hand and walks them through the general pterosaur skeleton bone-by-bone. I mean that almost literally--for example, it turns out that the typical pterosaur has four different types of vertebrae, and Witton will tell you all about the differences, and how those vertebrae change as the animal ages.
That said, the book is written in a very accessible manner, there is plenty here for the layman and non-scientist (chapters on where pterosaurs probably came from, and how they probably lived), and, again, the pictures are very impressive. I'm not entirely sure what the target audience for this book is, but it seems like I could pull this book of the shelf when I needed to make a point in an argument with a paleontologist, OR when I needed to distract my three-year-old nephew for an hour. Even besides the up-to-date scientific review and the pretty pictures, I didn't need much convincing that the pterosaurs are just an intrinsically interesting bunch of animals in and of themselves (I mean, look at the front cover of the book! What kind of thing even is that?!)
One of the reviews of this book described it as being part coffee-table book, part textbook. As a coffee-table book, it excels. Witton's illustrations are gorgeous and amazing (image-search "quetzalcoatlus witton" for some pretty astonishing examples), but the scientific content is very high. I'm no pterosaurologist, so I can't assess whether this would be a graduate-level review, or something that old, bearded professors would refer to, but it was plenty for me. Over half of the book is devoted to reviews of 16 different pterosaur groups; their paleontological history, anatomy, possible ecology, and refreshingly frank discussions of the current state of their taxonomy. This is obviously pretty tedious and not something you'd want to read straight through, although a chapter a day is pretty interesting. Two chapters cover anatomy in some depth. For example, in Chapter 4, Witton takes the reader's hand and walks them through the general pterosaur skeleton bone-by-bone. I mean that almost literally--for example, it turns out that the typical pterosaur has four different types of vertebrae, and Witton will tell you all about the differences, and how those vertebrae change as the animal ages.
That said, the book is written in a very accessible manner, there is plenty here for the layman and non-scientist (chapters on where pterosaurs probably came from, and how they probably lived), and, again, the pictures are very impressive. I'm not entirely sure what the target audience for this book is, but it seems like I could pull this book of the shelf when I needed to make a point in an argument with a paleontologist, OR when I needed to distract my three-year-old nephew for an hour. Even besides the up-to-date scientific review and the pretty pictures, I didn't need much convincing that the pterosaurs are just an intrinsically interesting bunch of animals in and of themselves (I mean, look at the front cover of the book! What kind of thing even is that?!)
July 16, 2014
That such a detailed, scientifically solid book (according to all the paleontology blogs I read, anyway) is so readable to someone who is not a specialist is delightful. That it's full of great art (largely Witton's) is just gravy. Thanks, Mark Witton!
I still don't know just how I'm going to tell my kid (when he's a little older) that Tiny, Shiny, and Don were probably largely quadrupedal, when they walked at all. Maybe I'll just think of it as payback for the Brontosaurus thing, about which he teases me mercilessly whenever I read one of my childhood dinosaur books to him.
I still don't know just how I'm going to tell my kid (when he's a little older) that Tiny, Shiny, and Don were probably largely quadrupedal, when they walked at all. Maybe I'll just think of it as payback for the Brontosaurus thing, about which he teases me mercilessly whenever I read one of my childhood dinosaur books to him.
July 9, 2016
A very accessible and readable overview of this group of prehistoric reptiles.
Let down a bit by the production of some of the charts: if you're told to look for a blue line, for instance, it helps if the line is actually coloured blue. There are a couple, particularly the aspect ratio/wing loading chart, which the author could have done with reworking from scratch to make it useful for the lay reader.
Let down a bit by the production of some of the charts: if you're told to look for a blue line, for instance, it helps if the line is actually coloured blue. There are a couple, particularly the aspect ratio/wing loading chart, which the author could have done with reworking from scratch to make it useful for the lay reader.
August 3, 2015
Outstanding book! What a wonderful resource.
July 17, 2021
I haven't finished this book, don't know if I will any time soon, but I find myself picking it up here and there when I'm in a pterosaur mood. This book is filled with incredible illustrations, history, and a lot of details about pterosaurs - like A LOT. It can be very technical, and it's definitely more thorough but inaccessible than a couple other dinosaur books I've read. But this is a good thing: it seems like there's not very many books about pterosaurs (which is baffling because they are just as cool as - imo, even cooler than - dinosaurs), so it's great to have a book that is both extensive but also beautiful and fun to browse. And it is beautiful: his paleoart is incredible; I didn't realize at first that much of the art in the book is from the author himself. Being a talented scientist AND artist is awesome.
Check out Mark Witton's blog and Twitter too for amazing art and facts. The man really loves dinosaurs and pterosaurs.
Check out Mark Witton's blog and Twitter too for amazing art and facts. The man really loves dinosaurs and pterosaurs.
February 26, 2025
Highly informative, but dense with information and jargon. This is a book that, it seems to me, expects some measure of existing knowledge. Whilst it does explain some of the terminology that will be used, and justifies the use of more advanced language by not wanting to get tied up in grammatical knots, some knowledge of anatomy, I think, makes this an easier read.
Indeed, it is very dense and does feel slow to read through when you have to constantly remind yourself what words mean. That being said, when you can wrap your head around all the jargon, it provides a comprehensive insight into our knowledge of pterosaurs (as of 2012) and various aspects of their biology.
It delivers a detailed and engaging overview of how pterosaurs likely evolved, and how they are related to the dinosaurs. We are given a family-by-family introduction to the most significant pterosaur groups and learn about how they're identified.
We also get a lot of insight into how palaeontologists (or pterosaurologists more specifically) are studying these extinct animals, and how a lot is (was) still unknown and how there are various theories relating to them. The author focuses on providing one interpretation, but acknowledges where alternative viewpoints can be read.
Overall, very interesting and informative, but the jargon and highly academic approach can make it a slog at times.
Indeed, it is very dense and does feel slow to read through when you have to constantly remind yourself what words mean. That being said, when you can wrap your head around all the jargon, it provides a comprehensive insight into our knowledge of pterosaurs (as of 2012) and various aspects of their biology.
It delivers a detailed and engaging overview of how pterosaurs likely evolved, and how they are related to the dinosaurs. We are given a family-by-family introduction to the most significant pterosaur groups and learn about how they're identified.
We also get a lot of insight into how palaeontologists (or pterosaurologists more specifically) are studying these extinct animals, and how a lot is (was) still unknown and how there are various theories relating to them. The author focuses on providing one interpretation, but acknowledges where alternative viewpoints can be read.
Overall, very interesting and informative, but the jargon and highly academic approach can make it a slog at times.
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December 29, 2025A great book on pterosaurs. A little meatier than some other pterosaur books which means that it takes a bit more reading to get through, but this book gives a great balanced overview of pterosaur research. Mark is an exception a palaeoartist and the whole book is illustrated beautifully. Highly recommended as a reference source to dive a bit deeper into key literature, or if you are interested in pterosaurs.
October 31, 2020
Mark Witton takes us on a detailed journey through the anatomy, ecology and history of each group of pterosaurs. Completely recommended for all pterosaur fans out there. My favourite description is of tapejarids: they look like the devil himself fashioned them using left over bits of cassowaries after binging on energy drinks.
This is how science writing should be done.
This is how science writing should be done.
October 13, 2018
220 rokov pterológie v kocke: všetko o anatómii, spôsobe obživy, kráčaní po zemi, spôsobe vzletu a hniezdení vrátane rozdelenia 130 druhov pterosaurov do rodov podľa príbuznosti. Jazyk je silno vedecký, no je to typ knihy na záujmové čítanie a teda netreba ju čítať od prvej strany po poslednú
January 17, 2021
Entertainingly written, well reference book on an awesome group of animals. Although anatomical terms are explained in early chapters the language might be too technical unless you’re already familiar with these.
The humour is spot on.
The humour is spot on.
September 8, 2022
Pterosaurs is a thorough, highly accessible, and beautifully illustrated book on these flying reptiles that has stood the test of time well so far. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2022...
October 30, 2025
Just amazing read. Very comprehensive and easy to read tour around all the Pterosaur groups. learned so much and the illustrations are inspiring. Great work which I will recommend. Love to see an update!
January 9, 2018
Excellent modern overview of the extraordinary pterosaur radiations. Beautifully illustrated. Well done.
May 30, 2019
Brilliant, long overdue, and filled with surprises. A book I'll always cherish.
September 24, 2019
Truly Amazing Read
Truly amazing history of these incredible animals. What a sight they must have been in flight. I used to fly an Ultralight that had a wingspan equal to the largest Pterosaur.
Truly amazing history of these incredible animals. What a sight they must have been in flight. I used to fly an Ultralight that had a wingspan equal to the largest Pterosaur.
December 8, 2022
Informative. Very dry
November 23, 2025
A nice monograph on many Pterosaur taxa and species along with their ecology, and locomotion (Azhdarchids being mainly terrestrial stalkers), highly recommend, though it can get abit academic.
May 24, 2021
Great book on my now favorite dinosaur-like animal. I enjoyed the information, the illustrations, and the conversational writing style.
January 6, 2021
Despite being a 260-page book about pterosaur evolution, taxonomy, and paleoecology, this book is actually a great and, dare-I-say, fun read. The author writes in a lively style that engages the reader at every page; in addition, he has humor and wit. A few things I really like about this book:
1. Pictures. There are artist illustrations, photos of fossils, phylogenetic trees, anatomical diagrams, size comparisons, biomechanical models, timelines - every page is bursting with images that literally illustrate what the author is writing.
2. Balance. There is a clear order - each clade gets a chapter that is neatly broken into an intro, anatomy, locomotion, and paleoecology. The book is overall balanced, in that the author goes into just enough detail to engage the reader without bogging you do with endless minutiae about every metacarpal from Cretaceous Brazil.
3. References. If you do want to read endless minutiae about every metacarpal from Cretaceous Brazil, the citations will easily give you every source you could want. Every fact, every theory, every paragraph, is rigorously cited with numerous works. I would not be surprised if literally every work on pterosaurs before 2013 was referenced at some point by this author, who goes out of their way to include international scientists from beyond the Anglosphere (for example, China, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco). I have never, in all my life, read a book as thoroughly referenced as this.
4. Scientific Thinking. The author never just states a favored theory and leaves it at that. For every past and current debate in pterosaur studies, or even every debate about how individual genera lived and functioned biologically, the author lays out the history of the argument. He presents the different factions, the history of their research, their evidence, the dialogue between them, the response of the scientific community over time. It really made me feel like a pterosaur-scientist, because he so consistently engaged me, the reader, in the thought process of sifting through competing theories to decide which one seems more likely.
1. Pictures. There are artist illustrations, photos of fossils, phylogenetic trees, anatomical diagrams, size comparisons, biomechanical models, timelines - every page is bursting with images that literally illustrate what the author is writing.
2. Balance. There is a clear order - each clade gets a chapter that is neatly broken into an intro, anatomy, locomotion, and paleoecology. The book is overall balanced, in that the author goes into just enough detail to engage the reader without bogging you do with endless minutiae about every metacarpal from Cretaceous Brazil.
3. References. If you do want to read endless minutiae about every metacarpal from Cretaceous Brazil, the citations will easily give you every source you could want. Every fact, every theory, every paragraph, is rigorously cited with numerous works. I would not be surprised if literally every work on pterosaurs before 2013 was referenced at some point by this author, who goes out of their way to include international scientists from beyond the Anglosphere (for example, China, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco). I have never, in all my life, read a book as thoroughly referenced as this.
4. Scientific Thinking. The author never just states a favored theory and leaves it at that. For every past and current debate in pterosaur studies, or even every debate about how individual genera lived and functioned biologically, the author lays out the history of the argument. He presents the different factions, the history of their research, their evidence, the dialogue between them, the response of the scientific community over time. It really made me feel like a pterosaur-scientist, because he so consistently engaged me, the reader, in the thought process of sifting through competing theories to decide which one seems more likely.
July 30, 2014
3.5 stars:
I love me some prehistoric beasties, but it's hard to find a book that finds a good middle ground between books geared toward children and books geared toward scientists. I think this book largely succeeded, though there were definitely sections where Witton strayed too far in the direction of Scientific American for me. He did a really good job of explaining why a particular bone shape indicated X, and what this theory is based on and why it opposes that theory. I felt like I followed his narrative and understood, but there were limits. Most chapters included a section specifically about the bones, and it got to be a bit of a chore to wade through those sections chapter after chapter. I also found the nomenclature and history of bone fragment discoveries to be dizzying, but that might have been his point!
The book was only about 1 year old when I read it, and it was kind of exciting to read about discoveries and theories from only a couple years before. I definitely learned a LOT about Pterosaurs from this book, and one thing that really helped with that were the plentiful supply of illustrations and photographs. This is most definitely a coffee table book, but with plenty of text packed into its 300 pages.
Witton's passion shows through in his writing, and you can see how he tries to pull the reader in with some humor, too. His explainations were very clear, the illustrations were fun and sometimes even playful, and the historical background was great. I'd happily read another book by Witton.
I love me some prehistoric beasties, but it's hard to find a book that finds a good middle ground between books geared toward children and books geared toward scientists. I think this book largely succeeded, though there were definitely sections where Witton strayed too far in the direction of Scientific American for me. He did a really good job of explaining why a particular bone shape indicated X, and what this theory is based on and why it opposes that theory. I felt like I followed his narrative and understood, but there were limits. Most chapters included a section specifically about the bones, and it got to be a bit of a chore to wade through those sections chapter after chapter. I also found the nomenclature and history of bone fragment discoveries to be dizzying, but that might have been his point!
The book was only about 1 year old when I read it, and it was kind of exciting to read about discoveries and theories from only a couple years before. I definitely learned a LOT about Pterosaurs from this book, and one thing that really helped with that were the plentiful supply of illustrations and photographs. This is most definitely a coffee table book, but with plenty of text packed into its 300 pages.
Witton's passion shows through in his writing, and you can see how he tries to pull the reader in with some humor, too. His explainations were very clear, the illustrations were fun and sometimes even playful, and the historical background was great. I'd happily read another book by Witton.
June 25, 2015
Good comprehensive, up to date survey of pterosaurs, scholarly enough, with lots of references to articles to look up if you need more detail, but also a good introduction to the field. The anurognathidians were a revelation (an adoreable one at that). The bad jokes are just the right side of endearing too. The art work isn't too great, but it's not Witton's day job, so it is excusable.
September 28, 2024
Lots of detail on the various types of pterosaurs, their anatomy, likely behavior, etc. However, the loads of evolutionary garbage throughout the book undermines its usefulness; for example, the author spends several pages describing a completely imaginary creature that evolutionists think "evolved into" pterosaurs, even though there is absolutely no evidence that such a creature existed.
September 23, 2021
Loved this book! A grand tour through the diversity of Pterosaurs with fascinating information and excellent illustrations! For my more detailed review, go here: https://norfolknaturalist.ca/2020/01/...
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December 5, 2014567.918 W8326 2013
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