Overview

• University of Leicester researchers report in Current Biology that two neonatal Pterodactylus, nicknamed Lucky and Lucky II, died during violent tropical storms 150 million years ago.
• The hatchlings were only days or weeks old with wingspans under 20 centimeters, making their lightweight, hollow bones especially vulnerable.
• Both fossils show matching, clean diagonal breaks in the humerus consistent with twisting forces from extreme winds rather than impact.
• UV-stimulated fluorescence exposed previously unrecognized trauma in Lucky II, strengthening the interpretation of storm-driven death followed by drowning.
• Rapid burial in fine lagoonal sediments produced exceptional preservation, and the team argues this process selectively recorded juveniles, skewing Solnhofen’s fossil record and leaving adults scarce and fragmentary.