A diminutive pterosaur from the uppermost Maastrichtian chalk of Denmark

A diminutive pterosaur, represented by a fragment of a finger bone, has been discovered in the uppermost Maastrichtian chalk at Møns Klint, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Stevns Klint. This specimen, identified as a proximal phalanx from digit IV, challenges previous hypotheses about Late Cretaceous niche partitioning by showing that small-bodied pterosaurs with wingspans under 50 cm coexisted with birds during the final stages of the Cretaceous period. The discovery, made in the Højerup Member of the Møns Klint Formation at Holtug quarry, provides the first record of pterosaurs from Denmark's chalk and suggests that size-based competition avoidance was not a defining factor for these flying reptiles.

Milàn, J., Jakobsen, S. L., & Kramer Lindow, B. E. (2025). A diminutive pterosaur from the uppermost Maastrichtian chalk of Denmark. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 70(4), 723–730. https://doi.org/10.4202/app.01252.2025