Breakthrough research suggests that pterosaurs may have exhibited flight patterns similar to modern birds, challenging previous assumptions about their behavior. Findings from remarkably preserved pterosaur fossils uncovered in Jordan reveal that while larger pterosaurs likely used their wings to soar, smaller species may have employed a flapping flight mechanism.
This revelation stems from an analysis conducted by researchers who examined the structural characteristics of the bones of various pterosaur species. The study indicates that the mechanics of flight are reflected in the skeletal form, as explained by experts in the field.
Pterosaurs, which ruled the skies approximately 80 million years before the emergence of birds and bats, thrived for over 150 million years from the Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous periods. Ranging from small, sparrow-sized creatures to those with wingspans comparable to city buses, pterosaurs demonstrated diverse flight adaptations to conquer various environments across all continents.
Researchers compared two distinct pterosaur species and were surprised to find that the fossils retained their intricate 3D bone structures, despite the fragility of pterosaur bones. Advanced imaging techniques revealed significant differences in their skeletal designs.
The larger species, known as Arambourgiania philadelphiae, displayed internal bone structures resembling the fixed-wing posture seen in modern soaring birds like eagles. Conversely, the smaller, previously unidentified species, Inabtanin alarabia, exhibited a criss-cross design inside its bones, similar to that of flapping birds.
These structural variations indicate that the helical patterns in the larger species’ bones enhance their ability to resist twisting forces associated with soaring flight, while the crossed structures in the smaller species support the bending forces encountered during flapping flight. The location of these fossil finds, in an area that was once coastal, suggests the larger pterosaurs may have utilized sea thermals—updrafts of warm air—to gain altitude, potentially indicating that while they could soar, flapping may have been essential for takeoff.
The contrasting flight mechanics of these two pterosaur species open up new avenues of research into the aerial navigation of over 100 known pterosaur species. Future studies aim to explore fossils from various global locations to determine whether this flight pattern trend is consistent, possibly revealing that only the largest pterosaurs engaged in soaring, similar to the behavior of modern avian species.
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