According to a new computer model, pterosaurs (more commonly known as pterodactyls) had no trouble flying despite their massive size. Taking off, however, posed a big problem — and it probably kept these ancient reptiles from growing any bigger.
Pterosaurs had wingspans of up to 35 feet, and the largest of them may have weighed a quarter of a ton. That’s a good 10 feet larger across than the largest known flying bird to have ever lived. Those massive birds couldn’t even fly by flapping their wings — their bodies were so heavy they had to glide. Some researchers have argued that the largest Pterosaurs must have used similar hang-glider-like tricks, or not flown at all.
But now we know that pterosaurs simply flew differently than birds do. Instead of running and flapping their wings, the pterosaurs used all four limbs to launch themselves up into the air.
In a study presented recently at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting in Berlin, Colin Palmer, a mechanical engineer and doctoral student at Bristol University, and Mike Habib, a paleontologist at the University of Southern California, combined their areas of expertise to put this unique method of flight to the test.
