A set of neoazhdarchian pterosaur footprints discovered in South Korea is offering a rare glimpse into how some of the largest flying reptiles may have hunted on land.
Life reconstruction drawing of Jinjuichnus procerus and tetrapod trackmakers. The neoazhdarchian trackmaker is following the small vertebrate. Image credit: Jun Seung Yi.
Pterosaurs, the first vertebrates to achieve powered flight, are often imagined soaring above ancient seas.
But for decades, paleontologists have argued that some pterosaur species also spent considerable time on the ground, stalking prey like modern wading birds.
Direct evidence of such behavior, however, has been elusive.
“Pterosaurs were key components of Mesozoic ecosystems, thriving from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous,” said Dr. Jongyun Jung, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin and Korea Dinosaur Research Center at Chonnam National University, and colleagues.
“They occupied a wide range of ecological niches and exhibited diverse dietary adaptations.”
“In particular, Neoazhdarchia, which includes thalassodromids, chaoyangopterids, and azhdarchids, has been inferred to represent predominantly terrestrial carnivorous hunters, based on anatomical features, functional morphology, and other associated fossil records.”
“These interpretations have suggested that some groups may have employed hunting strategies comparable to extant terrestrial stalkers, such as storks or cranes.”
“Nevertheless, the fossil record has so far lacked direct evidence of terrestrial predation in pterosaurs.”
Jinjuichnus procerus trackway and associated small vertebrate trackways preserved on a single slab. Image credit: Jung et al., doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-48019-y.
The newly-described footprints, preserved in 106-million-year-old rock in the Jinju Formation, may help fill this gap.
Assigned to a new ichnogenus and species, Jinjuichnus procerus, these large, asymmetrical impressions with elongated digits were left by a neoazhdarchian pterosaur.
The flying reptile’s footprints run in close proximity to a separate set of tracks likely made by a small, ground-dwelling animal — possibly a salamander or lizard — raising the possibility of a prehistoric pursuit.
The animal’s trackway shows an abrupt change in direction and a noticeable increase in stride length, suggesting a sudden burst of speed.
At the same time, the pterosaur appears to have been moving relatively quickly for its size, around 0.8 m/sec.
This is consistent with the hypothesis that neoazhdarchians were well-adapted terrestrial predators.
However, a coincidental association between the two trackways cannot be ruled out.
“This association provides the potential ichnological evidence of terrestrial vertebrate interaction by a pterosaur,” the paleontologists said.
“Nonetheless, an alternative interpretation of the two trackways remains possible, making it difficult to confirm any direct interaction between the trackmakers.”
“The paired trackways offer insight into the factors to consider when evaluating potential interactions with the trackmaker.”
“While scenarios such as predation remain ambiguous, they nonetheless highlight the interpretive complexity inherent in assessing behavioral associations preserved in trackway assemblages.”
The team’s paper was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
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J. Jung et al. 2026. New large pterosaur tracks from Korea and their implications on terrestrial behavior. Sci Rep 16, 12363; doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-48019-y
