As tall as giraffes, winged reptiles killed hundreds of land dinosaurs, and not marine fauna as it was initially believed.

“Winged lizards” as they are called by specialists, presented a special category, which reached gigantic dimensions. The Quetzalcoatlus reptiles can be taken as an example. These reptiles weighed 250 kg,had a wing span of over 10 metres and were as tall as giraffe. Their size allowed them to feast on young T-Rex dinosaurs, and even on smaller species. This was shown by a study which was conducted by two British researchers from the Portsmouth University.

If until now researchers believed that pterozaureses caught their food while flying, from lakes and oceans, the new study suggests that their prey was found on land.

The food preference of flying dinosaurs emerged after researchers examined the remains of the giant prerozaureses. More than half of the fossils were found in areas where there was land over 65 million years ago. What is more, some physical characteristics, such as the small back feet and the stiff neck do not confirm the fishing while flying theory. In order to fish, these dinosaurs would have needed a flexible neck, and bigger paws in order to swim more efficiently.