Archive · 20 Sep 2025
Storms Doomed Baby Pterosaurs, Fossils Reveal
Imagine tiny flying reptiles called baby Pterodactylus that lived a long time ago.
A big tropical storm hit the chain of islands they lived on.
The wind was super strong and snapped the babies' wing bones.
With broken wings, they fell into the water and drowned.
Scientists found their fossils and learned how the storm led to their deaths.
This helps us understand how tough life was for even the smallest creatures back then.
Scientists examined fossils of baby Pterodactylus hatchlings.
The fossils showed the hatchlings died due to a tropical storm.
The storm snapped their wing bones, and they drowned in a lagoon.
The pterosaurs were only a few days to weeks old when they died.
The discovery provides a glimpse into life during the Jurassic Period.
- Who
- Baby Pterodactylus hatchlings nicknamed Lucky and Lucky II
- What
- Fossils reveal how baby pterosaurs were killed by a tropical storm
- When
- Roughly 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period
- Where
- A chain of islands in what is now southern Germany
- Why
- The baby pterosaurs were caught in a storm, their wings broke, and they drowned.
- Creatures
- Baby Pterodactylus (Pterosaurs) nicknamed Lucky and Lucky II
- Discovery
- Fossils showing wing fractures caused by a tropical storm
- Location
- Southern Germany (Bavaria)
- Time Period
- Roughly 150 million years ago (Jurassic Period)
- Injuries
- Broken humerus (upper arm bone)
- Cause of Death
- Drowning in a lagoon due to a storm
