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GIANTSOF THESKIESScientists have been fascinated with pterosaurs ever since their discovery by Mary Anning and other early fossil hunters. These winged reptiles achieved powered flight tens of millions of years before birds or bats. Now scientists are beginning to understand how they did this.PTEROSAURS: RISE AND FALLPterosaurs ruled the skies for over 160 million years. The earliest were small with long tails; later versions%u2014like Quetzalcoatlus%u2014stood as tall as giraffes. Pterosaur fossils have been discovered around the world, mostly in China, Brazil, the United States, Germany, and England.The neck and head together stretched more than six meters.TRIASSICPTEROSAURSBIRDSJURASSICDimorphodonWingspan: 1.2 mMary Anning discovered the first fossil of this early pterosaur at Lyme Regis in 1828.short neckAnurognathus ammoniWingspan: 60 cm228 mya70Unit 5A