Pterodactyls were meat eaters and most likely carnivores. They ate mostly invertebrates and small vertebrates, and their prey size was limited, but likely included any small creature unfortunate enough to find itself in the shadow of the pterodactyl. Early pterodactyls likely ate mostly invertebrates, like insects and mollusks, but later in their evolution, their diets shifted more towards fish and small animals. Based on the shape of their skulls and the type of teeth they had, it’s likely that pterodactyls hunted their prey in many of the same ways that modern predatory birds hunt. Pterodactyls that lived near water fed mostly on fish, while those that lived far from water ate small animals. They also ate dinosaur carrion and reptiles. In the first few months of their life, they ate insects. Pterodactyls likely had to keep their nests safe from other creatures, so they probably took some care of their young, and it’s possible that they fed their young until they were old enough to leave the nest.