What did pterosaurs eat?
Although we can't observe living pterosaurs eating, we can deduce what they ate. The most common way is to compare the teeth and jaws of pterosaurs to living animals: fish-eating mammals, reptiles, and fish have sharp cone-shaped teeth, so pterosaurs with similar teeth probably ate fish too.
Terrestrial carnivores
Long necks and stout toothless jaws were ideal for hunting small land animals like lizards. Long, narrow jaws resembling tweezers, with numerous small curved teeth, were perfectly suited to probing and tearing away meat from carcasses.
Fishers
Many pterosaurs ate fish. Some used long forward-pointing teeth at the front of their jaws to trap prey, and shorter teeth in the back to grasp wiggling fish. Others had widely spaced cone-shaped teeth like those in crocodiles, ideal for plucking fish from the waves over the open sea. Others were toothless like pelicans and kingfishers.
Insectivores
Sharp, cone-shaped teeth were perfect for holding on and biting into flying insects.
Frugivores
Short toothless jaws with curved margins were ideal for eating fruits and seeds.
Shellfish eaters
Stout jaws and bone-covered conical teeth were ideal for crushing hard shells.
Suspension feeders
Dozens of needle-like teeth pointing outward from the jaws were perfect for filtering small animals from the water or mud.
