Scientists have unlocked one of the secrets to the soaring flight of prehistoric fliers the size of small planes: how these huge animals without backbones managed to fly. There were those that were exceptional fliers whereas some of them just glided, demonstrating the amazing flexibility of ancient flying reptiles.
Pterosaur Flight: The Mystery
The largest pterosaurs, massive flying reptiles that ruled the air in prehistoric times, have been a source of debate among scientists for year about their flight capabilities. Were they really aerial at all, or did they merely jump and glide?
However, a new published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology may have finally shed some light on this long-running mystery. Scientists have discovered how two large-bodied pterosaur species — including the world’s largest, Quetzalcoatlus — likely flew (shown in these images) by studying a unique region of their backbones.
But not all pterosaurs were born to fly, according to the research carried out by a team of scientists from University of Michigan, Natural Resources Authority and Yarmouk University in Jordan, and Saudi Geological Survey. A few species flapped their wings to remain airborne, while others glided in a fashion similar to modern-day vultures.
Uncovering The Mysteries Of Pterosaur Wings
At the heart of the riddle of how these ancient animals perfected their air travel is a previously unrecognised arrangement inside their wing bones. Thanks to the use of new advanced high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scans, the researchers could study in detail even small features of the fossils and made surprising discoveries.
The first specimen they looked at was the established giant pterosaur, Arambourgiania philadelphiae, which measured about 10 meters in wingspan. CT scans of the bird’s humerus — the upper wing bone — revealed a string of spiral ridges that lined the inside, which look a lot like structures seen in the wing bones of living vultures. This says it could support soaring flight, taking off and then migrating without the necessity of constant flapping.
The second specimen, a new species dubbed Inabtanin alarabia and boasting a 5-metre wingspan had an entirely different internal bone anatomy. And its pic of flight were developed from a system of reed rods, akin to the wing bones of jabbing out arms. This suggests the Inabtanin was well adapted to powered flapping flight and could have launched itelf and flown actively during the dive using its wings.
The discoveries show that not only the biggest pterosaurs were powerful flappers but also they help to highlight the vast variety of different methods by which these ancient flying reptiles took to air. It is a testament to how extremely adaptable and successful they were as animals that ruled the skies for millions of years before their extinction.
Conclusion
The new conclusions from this research provide a fresh perspective on the incredible range of flight characteristics in these ancient pterosaurs. Scientists have developed the most complete models to date of how wing bones inside birds and bats respond during flight. Finding pterosaurs with flight styles so different not only poses a challenge to what we think about how these pterosaurs flew, but it also raises questions about their past evolutionary history and roles in the ecosystem. It is a triumph of modern paleontological methodologies and the perpetual attempts to shed light on the mysteries of the ancient world.
