The largest flying animal to have ever existed was the pterosaur. New research on the creature gives us a better idea of how it got airborne.
The take-off method of Q. northropi has been debated, with some suggesting that it ran to build up speed like an albatross before flying.
The study suggests that the pterosaur used a jump of up to 2.5 meters into the air, followed by flaps of its wings to take to the sky. The plane would have slowed down in the air before touching down on terra firma and taking a hop for stability.
Kevin Padian from the University of California Museum of Paleontology says that if they could jump twice their hip height, they would be able to clear the ground and execute a deeper flight stroke. It depends on the power from the legs, but this may be the best option.
The animal had to flap its wings to stall and slow its descent before it lands with its back feet. "Then it puts down its front feet, takes a four-legged stance, and walks away."
There are tracks from France that show the unconventional landing and walking style. The scientists think that the creature would have used its beak to catch and eat fish and small animals from the water.
Northropi used a leap to take off. James Kuether is a person.
In the air, Q. northropi would have been much more like a condor, using its large head to help complete turns. The researchers think that the wings were attached to the front limbs, like the birds we know today.
The first proper analysis of smaller bones found at the Texas site has also revealed a smaller species called Q. lawsoni, which is thought to have had a wingspan of around 4.5 meters. The structure of the skull and spine are different from the larger pterosaur.
Matthew Brown from the University of Texas at Austin says that this is the first comprehensive study of its kind. Even though it has been known for 50 years, it has not been well known.
The new findings give us a better understanding of the prehistoric beasts and there are more species to be found. The shape of its wing membrane is one of the questions that should be answered by further study.
The spread, habitat, and evolutionary family tree of the Quetzalcoatlus species are some of the topics covered by the new batches of papers. The definitive source of reference for these creatures will likely be found in the latest research.
The pterosaurs met the same end as the rest of the dinosaurs, but through careful analysis of fossils, we can bring them back to life.
"These ancient flying reptiles are legendary, although most of the public conception of the animal is artistic, not scientific," says Padian.
This is the first real look at the entire animal, as far as we know. The results are revolutionary for the study of pterosaurs, the first animals to evolve powered flight.
The research was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
