Newly Discovered Pterosaur Is Unlike Any We've Ever Seen

[Pyrian]

Just because WE found their remains on a desert doesn't mean they thrive in a desert environment.

No, but the fact that we found a whole lot of them in a place that was a desert in the Cretaceous period when they lived, is a pretty good indication.

 

[RA92]

Most speculate that head crests such as these within pterosaurs were social displays to attract females and ward off rival males, although to confirm this they'll have to determine the sex of the adults which is unlikely.

Coming from a place of total ignorance... what are the chances of the crest being used for aerodynamic purposes? As in, could it be used as a stabilizer or for yaw control? I've never seen any aircraft with the empennage at the bow, so I guess there's an obvious reason on why it's not the case I'm missing...

I've only covered the basics when it comes to pterosaur biology but chances are slim, but not impossible I guess. The fact is that most palaeontologists compare extinct animals to extant ones (obviously) and from what I know there arn't any bird, bug or bat species that use large extremities such as crests for aerodynamic purposes.

BUT, you'd be surprised how much palaeontology is conjecture, especially when it comes to pterosaurs. This is why this find is such a big deal, most pterosaurs are based off only a hand full of small bones, e.g. Quetzalcoatlus (the big mother quacker) is based off a few wing bones, neck vertebrae and comparisons to smaller species.

Thanks for the extensive reply.

I actually dug around a little bit, and came across this study trying to figure out the aerodynamic effects of large crests:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2011/05/a-pterosaurs-crest-is-good-for-steering-too/

In short, the stabilizer at the fore tend to decrease stability, but increase maneuverability. The researchers were still as tentative as you about drawing any conclusions, though.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Is it just me or do those pterosaur in the picture kind of look like tucan?

 

[PunkRex]

Thanks for the extensive reply.

I actually dug around a little bit, and came across this study trying to figure out the aerodynamic effects of large crests:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2011/05/a-pterosaurs-crest-is-good-for-steering-too/

In short, the stabilizer at the fore tend to decrease stability, but increase maneuverability. The researchers were still as tentative as you about drawing any conclusions, though.

That was a neat read, thanks for the link.

As they mentioned in the article, maneuverability is a possibility but the biggest problem with this theory is what exactly they would have needed that kind of maneuvering for. Smaller pterosaurs were thought to mostly eat insects so it wouldn't be to surprising for them to need it, yet most of the smaller species don't have such crests. The largest ones used their immense height to sneak up on small lizards and (later) mammals on the ground so they wouldn't have needed them. When it comes to mid sized ones such as Tapejarids however their diets are a little harder to figure out...

or maybe I just havn't read that part of the book yet, derp!

 

[PunkRex]

@coil
Just because it got wings doesn't mean it can fly.

@PunkRex
Just because WE found their remains on a desert doesn't mean they thrive in a desert environment. A lot of things can change in 66 million years.

This is true but trust me, they would have known if it was a desert or not. Aeolian (wind eroded) rocks are very easy to identify and characteristic of either deserts of beach settings, chances are these are what they were found in.