Dimorphodon pterosaurs being hunted by a Sarcosaurus-like dinosaur, illustration. Dimorphodon was a flying reptile that lived around 196 million years ago, during the Early Jurassic. It is thought they fed on insects and small lizards and were adapted for climbing trees and rocks. Pterosaurs flew with wings formed from a membranous structure stretched between the ankles and a lengthened finger, but were able to use their wings as a pair of front legs on the ground. Research published in 2015 suggests that pterosaurs like Dimorphodon was a reluctant flier, only flying for short distances when hunted.