~215 million years ago (Late Triassic)Reputable sourceWell documented
The First Pterosaurs Take Flight
On the timeline · around ~215 million years ago (Late Triassic) · The Triassic
What happened
The first pterosaurs appear in the fossil record around 215 million years ago. These flying reptiles were not dinosaurs but close archosaur cousins — and they were the first vertebrates ever to evolve powered flight, tens of millions of years before birds.
Why it matters
Pterosaurs would rule the skies for the rest of the age of dinosaurs and eventually produced the largest flying animals that have ever lived.
Sources
- Natural History Museum. Pterosaurs: the truth about these 'flying dinosaurs' · Reputable source