This is the largest creature that has ever flown on Earth.

The Dracula pterosaur lived about 66 million years ago and was as big as a giraffe when standing and had wings with a wingspan of 12m.

One of the most remarkable specimens at the Altmuhltal Dinosaur Museum in Denkendorf, Germany, is the fossil of a pterosaur that lived in Transylvania, Romania, 66 million years ago. It may have been the largest creature ever to fly on Earth. In 2009, scientists nicknamed it Dracula when the fossil was discovered in the Hateg Basin, Transylvania , Romania .

Model of the Dracula pterosaur at the Altmuhltal Dinosaur Museum, Germany. (Photo: Axel Schmidt/Altmuhltal Dinosaur Museum).

The Altmuhltal Dinosaur Museum displays a replica of the Dracula fossil, along with a model skeleton and a life-size statue of the creature. With an estimated height of 3.5m and a wingspan of 11.4 - 12m, it would have been comparable to a giraffe when standing, or a small plane when flying.

Dracula belongs to the Azhdarchidae pterosaur family , known for its massive size, but typically only had a maximum wingspan of around 10m. So it was still a giant even compared to its relatives.

However, the question that has puzzled scientists for years is whether a creature as massive as Dracula, or even its pterosaur relatives, could actually fly. A 2018 study in Scientific American suggested that Dracula's wrist joint characteristics may mean the animal was not built for flight. However, this remains speculative, as Dracula fossils are severely fragmented and incomplete.

Replica of Dracula, the largest pterosaur ever discovered. (Photo: Frederik Spindler/Altmuhltal Dinosaur Museum).

In a new study published in the journal Current Biology in 2024, a team of scientists at the University of Leicester studied the evolutionary history of pterosaurs through fossilized hands and feet. During their research, they discovered a distinct change in the mid-Jurassic period, when the anatomy of pterosaurs' hands and feet became more similar to those of ground-dwelling animals.

"In early pterosaurs, the hind limbs were joined by a flight membrane, which greatly hindered walking and running. In later pterosaurs, this membrane split along the middle, allowing each hind limb to move independently. This was a key innovation that, combined with changes to the hands and feet, greatly enhanced the terrestrial mobility of pterosaurs," said study co-author Dr David Unwin.

This was key to their development of larger bodies. "No longer limited to climbing, later pterosaurs could grow to enormous sizes, with some becoming true giants of the Mesozoic era (252 to 66 million years ago) ," says Unwin.

"The fact that pterosaurs could fly is only part of the story. By exploring how they lived in the trees and on the ground, we can begin to understand their role in ancient ecosystems," said lead author Robert Smyth.