After100 million years of long span, the oldie flying devils are coming back. This is not a script writing for Jurassic-Park but in real, they will soon fly over your heads to horrify you. The big creatures with wingspans of about 4m called pterosaurs, (pterodactyls) the subject of researches Roger Highfield and Dr Matthew Wilkinson of Cambridge University.
They are recently working with the models of Anhanguera and Quezalcoatlus. The two scientists with assistance of German model builder Vivian Bock have ended a model of Anhanguera, a species that died about 100 million years ago. In fact, they want to study the mechanism, how such big creatures were able to take off with such a bulky body.
Two co researchers Prof Charles Ellington, of Cambridge, and Dr David Unwin, in Berlin found that it made use unique bone called the pteroid, thumb like shaped, only it sprouted from the creature’s wrist and is pointed towards shoulders with skin-like membrane. The study of fossils found from Brazil shows that pteroid could have formation like wings of aircraft.
Dr. Wilkinson completely disagrees and says, ‘the wings could not be vigorously flapped but having movable forewings meant to catch the air-crucial for take off.’ In addition, study shows that the creatures took off from ground.
Via: telegraph
