Pterodactyl: Flew in the age of the dinosaurs

Pterodactyl

Flying in the age of the dinosaurs

Text, Photo / American Museum of Natural History

Translation / Wang Rui

◎ Sklerolosaurus is a genus of ornithopods dating back about 230 million years (late Triassic). The long hind legs of the Screero Dragon helped it run and jump. Based on some of its toe bones, Sklerolosaurus is believed by some researchers to have evolved somewhere between dinosaurs and pterosaurs, possibly the primitive ancestors of pterosaurs.

Introduction: "There is a fish in the north, and its name is Kun. The size of the carp is unknown to thousands of miles; it is transformed into a bird, and its name is Peng. Peng's back, I don't know how many thousands of miles it is; it flies with anger, and its wings are like clouds hanging in the sky. "In Zhuangzi's time, pterosaurs had disappeared for hundreds of millions of years. However, from a modern perspective, Zhuangzi's imagination of the strange fish of the Northern Hell is surprisingly similar to the image and evolutionary characteristics of the pterosaur. This vertebrate, the first to learn to fly, once stretched its wings in more than 150 million years of time corridors, skimming the oceans and the earth, lakes and mountains, and was a veritable mesozoic air hegemon.

Beaked pterosaurs and pterodactyls

Before the advent of pterosaurs, only insects flew. With the advent of the age of dinosaurs, pterosaurs became overlords in the air and ushered in an era of flying reptiles. From the Late Jurassic to the Cretaceous, the sky was dominated by pterosaurs.

Pterodactyls were the first vertebrates to learn to fly, and the largest flying animal ever existed in Earth's history. Pterodactyls are neither birds nor bats, and although they are close relatives of dinosaurs, they belong to the two branches of the reptile evolutionary tree.

◎ Aeolian pterosaur lived in the western plains of present-day Texas, USA, about 70 million years ago (late Cretaceous). With a wingspan of up to 33 feet, Aeolian pterosaurs are the largest known pterosaurs and flying animals. The name of the wind god pterosaur is derived from the feather serpent god, which was an important shrine worshipped by the Aztecs and Toltecs in ancient Mexico.

Pterodactyls can currently be divided into two suborders, beak-billed pterosaurs and pterodactyls. Beak-billed pterosaurs are the most primitive pterosaurs, appearing in the Nori order of the Late Triassic, from which they evolved into a variety of pterosaur species. By the late Jurassic period, pterosaurs evolved unique flight characteristics: the fourth finger became longer and became a flying finger, which distinguished them from their primitive ancestor, beak-billed pterosaurs, and became the first pterosaur to be named, the pterosaur.

◎ Fossil specimen of Pterodactyl This juvenile fossil specimen of Pterodactyl was found in Sauronhofen, Germany. The fossil clearly shows the skeletal details of Pterodactyl.

The most important survival skills

Although many animals can glide through the air, among vertebrates, only pterosaurs, birds, and bats evolved in addition to the ability to fly by flapping their wings. All three species evolved from reptiles on land, and their flight abilities evolved in a roughly identical path and manner: the forelimbs gradually elongated and elongated, formed a sword-shaped wing membrane, and were aerodynamic.

◎ Pterodactyl lived in the inland waters of present-day northern Italy, about 220 million years ago (late Triassic). The fossil was discovered in 1982 near the Preone Valley in the Italian Alps, and its genus name is "Preone", where the fossil was found. According to the taxonomy of the relatives of the famous pterosaur researcher David Unwin, Pterodactyl is the most primitive pterosaur (short-winged, long-tailed, fangs) belonging to beak-billed pterosaurs.

◎ Paleophyllum pterodactyl lived on the edge of an island in present-day southern Germany, about 160 million to 150 million years ago (late Jurassic). With a wingspan of up to 5 feet, it feeds mainly on insects or fish. Strictly speaking, the Ancient Pterodactyl was the first pterosaur to fly into the sky. The fourth finger of its forelimb evolved into a flying finger, supported by two flying fingers, which distinguished them from their primitive ancestor, beak-billed pterosaurs, and became the first pterosaur to be named, the pterosaur.

Flying is the most important survival skill of pterosaurs. Flying skills allowed pterodactyls to migrate long distances, open up new habitats to hide from the sky, and swoop down to hunt prey. That's why they migrate around the globe and form a large number of species.

◎ Fossil specimen of " Diplodocus " was found in Saurenhofen , Germany. It belonged to beak-billed pterosaurs that lived in present-day Germany about 150 million years ago (late Jurassic). The specimen had a wingspan of only 3 feet and only partially hardened bones, so it was not an adult individual.

Evidence of vulnerability

Apart from fossils, Pterodactyls left no genetic information. Even pterosaur fossils are very rare compared to their close relatives, dinosaurs. The skeleton of pterosaurs is hollow and brittle, and it is not easy to preserve, so pterosaur fossils are often difficult to form. Extraction, handling. Either research or demonstration could damage pterosaur fossils.

Of course, there will also be well-preserved pterosaur fossils. The fossils of the ancient magic pterosaur found in Brazil are the best-preserved fossils to date.

↑ Sea-skimming pterodactyl Ancient Greek meaning "sea runner" lived in present-day Brazil, about 110 million years ago (early Cretaceous). The Sea-Skimming Pterodactyl was large, especially known for its large crown on the head, and was the largest known vertebrate with the largest crown. The huge crown of the sea-skimming pterosaur was covered with blood vessels, which may have the function of regulating body temperature.

↑ Fossil specimen of the dragon head bone of the skimming sea wing.

◎ Beaked Pterodactyl about 150 million years ago (late Jurassic). Beaked Pterodactyl long-tailed fangs, hard wing membranes, stable flight. Some scientists believe that the wing membrane of beaked pterosaurs functions similar to fishtails, allowing them to roll freely in the air; others believe that they resemble paddles and are used to control flight altitude.

The discovery and global distribution of pterosaur fossils

The history of pterosaur research is accompanied by the discovery of its fossils. Since the discovery of the first pterosaur fossil in the limestone layer of Solenhofen in Bavaria, Germany, in 1784, the history of the discovery and research of pterosaurs has exceeded 200 years.

◎ Dawn Pterodactyl is one of the largest pterodactyls, dating from about 90 to 66 million years ago (late Cretaceous). At its peak, Dawn Pterodactyl soared into rough seas with other giant toothless pterosaurs and then covered the entire Great Plains of the United States (the valleys and plains of the Midwest of North America).

◎ Soders dragon Meaning "demon" in Greek, it belongs to the beak-billed pterosaur, which lived in present-day southern Kazakhstan, about 155 million years ago (late Jurassic). Sodersosaurus may have made a living by fishing, with its extensive wing membrane connecting the hind limbs from the wingbones and extending to the ankles, aiding its flight. Some fossils suggest that Soderson was covered with fur-like fibers to keep warm.

At present, the fossils of pterosaurs that have been found are mainly distributed in Saurenhofen in Germany, Liaoning in China, Santana Formation in Brazil, green sandstone in Cambridge, England, and western Kansas in the United States. These pterosaur fossils found around the world not only roughly illustrate their main activity areas and evolutionary trajectories, but also specifically and subtly reveal the mysteries of pterosaur survival.

◎ Fossil specimen of Wukong Pterosaur Is a genus of the order Pterosaur, found in the Daohugou fossil layer in Liaoning Province, China, geologically dated to the late Jurassic or early Cretaceous. Goku Pterodactyl possessed both the long tail of beaked pterosaur and the long neck of pterodactyl, so scientists believe that the evolutionary location of this species is in the transition from beaked pterosaur to pterodactyl.

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This article is excerpted from the December 2014 issue of Civilization

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