The Dracula pterosaur that lived about 66 million years ago was as big as a giraffe when standing and had extra wings with a wingspan of 12 meters.
One of the most notable specimens of the Altmuhltal Dinosaur Museum in Denkendorf, Germany, is the fossil of a pterosaur that lived in Transylvania, Romania, 66 million years ago. This may also be the largest creature to ever fly on Earth. In 2009, when the fossil was discovered in the Hateg basin, Transylvania, Romania, scientists nicknamed it Dracula.
The Altmuhltal Dinosaur Museum displays a replica of the Dracula fossil along with a model skeleton and a life-size statue of the creature. With an estimated height of 3.5 m and a wingspan of 11.4 – 12 m, it is comparable to a giraffe when standing, or a small plane when flying.
Dracula belongs to the pterosaur family Azhdarchidae, famous for its massive size, but usually only has a maximum wingspan of about 10 m. Therefore, it is still a giant even when compared with its relatives.
However, the question that has puzzled the scientific community for many years is whether a giant creature like Dracula, or even its pterosaur relatives, can really fly or not. A 2018 study in the journal Scientific American suggested that Dracula’s wrist joint features may mean that the animal was not well-suited for flight. However, this remains speculative as Dracula’s fossils are severely fragmented and incomplete.
Simulation of Dracula, the largest pterosaur ever discovered. Image: Frederik Spindler/Altmuhltal Dinosaur Museum
In a new study published in the journal Current Biology In 2024, a group of scientists at the University of Leicester studied the evolutionary history of pterosaurs through fossils of their hands and feet. During their research, they discovered a distinct change in the mid-Jurassic period, when the hand and foot anatomy of pterosaurs became more similar to that of animals living on the ground.
“In the first pterosaurs, the hind limbs were connected by a flight membrane, which greatly hindered walking and running. In later pterosaurs, this membrane separated along the middle, allowed each hind limb to move independently. This was an important innovation that, combined with modifications to the hands and feet, greatly enhanced the terrestrial mobility of pterosaurs.” said study co-author Dr. David Unwin.
This is the key for them to develop larger bodies. “When no longer limited by climbing, later pterosaurs could grow to enormous sizes, some species becoming true giants of the Mesozoic era (252 – 66 million years ago) )”, Unwin said.
“The fact that pterosaurs could fly is only part of the story. By exploring how they lived in trees and on the ground, we can begin to understand their role in ancient ecosystems,” said the study’s lead author, Robert Smyth.