This story was originally published with the title "Leapin' Lizards"

9 Comments

1. 1. gigabetz 06:42 PM 4/23/09

   As a former windsurfer I can tell you that it doesn't take much oomf to get the sail up as long as you angle it correctly into the wind. Perhaps it is as simple as settling in a windy area and using the leaping technique along with correct positioning of the wings into the wind!

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2. 2. jgrosay 05:36 AM 5/15/09

   I remember having read about the former existence of a cliff hundreds of miles long from where those things may have started flying just jumping into the ascendent air column that originates when a wind hits a slope. There is a modality of sailplane flying that uses the same principle, once upon a time, an spanish sailplane pilot (Ara or Juez?) hold a world record of sailplane endurance by flying in slope wind. Salut +

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3. 3. toooldtobetrue 09:15 AM 5/15/09

   Was the atmosphere denser then? Was there stronger prevailing wind flowing to certain direction all the time? Were there plenty of fish very close to or above water surface to be scooped up while they were flying? Otherwise once those creatures landed on somewhere to feed, then they might have not been able to fly again to escape from their predators. Or were they eating flying insects? Very interesting and fascinating beings. Puzzles me all the time.

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4. 4. jeffdodson 08:05 PM 5/17/09

   The windsurfer dude/dudette brings up an interesting possibility. But, if the pterosaur is on land when there is no wind, the problem of protecting itself from predators remain. Perhaps the especially beefy forelimbs were actually used as clubs, and not necessarily for superman-style leaps. A muscular clubbing of said predator might be enough to allow the pterosaur to dissuade it from using it as its next meal.

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5. 5. Dan T 01:41 PM 5/27/09

   Creatures weighing more than 200 pounds with 34 foot wingspans can frequently be seen flying from hills and dunes as small as 10 feet high near where I live. With a headwind of 10-12 miles an hour they only require two or three short steps to get airborne and can easily get airborne with a brisk run of 6-8 steps from any moderate sized hill in no wind at all. Many of them are capable of remaining aloft with airspeeds as low 17 mph rather than the 30 to 40 noted in the article. These creatures are of course hang glider pilots.
   
   Nearly all experienced hang glider pilots have experienced "bullet thermals." These are narrow, sharp columns of rising air that are not more than a few feet in diameter and create momentary changes in velocity of 1000 ft/minute or more in under a second. If the researchers calculated the airborne stress on the front limbs based solely upon the stress that the wing experiences in calm air, they missed the substantial impulse forces resulting from these thermals. The leading edges of modern hang gliders consist of stout aluminum tubing in part so that they can withstand these forces.
   
   With the exception of the seemingly useless narrow pointed tips a modern hang glider looks remarkably like the pterosaur's wings. If you are seriously interested in understanding how the air behaves in their environment a visit to a club site and a willingness to ask questions could be very enlightening. The National Association is the USHGPA, easily found by googling.

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6. 6. inboulder 03:19 PM 1/27/10

   "Creatures weighing more than 200 pounds with 34 foot wingspans can frequently be seen flying from hills and dunes as small as 10 feet high near where I live. With a headwind of 10-12 miles an hour they only require two or three short steps to get airborne and can easily get airborne with a brisk run of 6-8 steps from any moderate sized hill in no wind at all. Many of them are capable of remaining aloft with airspeeds as low 17 mph rather than the 30 to 40 noted in the article. These creatures are of course hang glider pilots. "
   
   And do these hang glider pilots land back at the same spot they took off at in all kinds of weather conditions? Do these hang glider pilots have the ability to take off at will from any location to avoid predators? Do these hang glider pilots need to attach 30hp+ motors to their back to achieve powered flight?

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7. 7. Dan T in reply to inboulder 08:23 PM 1/28/10

   InBoulder, My point was that it isn't difficult for a 250 pound creature with a 35 foot wingspan to achieve flight without the benefit of a high cliff. We do it all the time, and yes we are quite capable of landing at the same spot where we took off after having flown for hours without any source of power whatsoever other than the thermals and the wind.
   
   If humans can do this without a great deal of strength and the aid of a prosthesis, I suspect that the pterosaurs might have been able to do it as well. If the pterosaurs landed on a flat area near a hill, a short climb might be all it needed to get airborne once again.

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8. 8. SkwosH in reply to Dan T 11:12 PM 4/7/10

   Dan T, your points about hang gliders are interesting, although I must say that I have I found some major things were different between hang gliders and pterosaurs, especially large members of pterodactyloidea. For example, most members of pterodactyloidea are characterised by long necks, made up of fairly long cervical vertebrae. This can especially be seen in azhdarchids like arambourgiania and quetzalcoatlus. Thus, the head and neck, although lightly built, do provide some imbalance when comparing to the relatively puny hind limbs of these pterosaurs. A running start does not seem feasible to me at all. I have read in Peter Wellnhofer's book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs that relatively litte wind speed would be needed to get these animals airborne, seeing as their wings covered such a large surface area. However, the pterosaurs must be at a complete standstill. They have a very little chance of staying upright for very long due to the massive imbalances caused by the long neck and head against the small limbs.

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9. 9. JDahiya in reply to SkwosH 02:41 AM 1/14/11

   Could it be that they pulled their necks in for take-off, and extended them for searching and for flight control later?
   
   As Dan T says, climbing back up could help them take off from low heights, land lower and do it all again. So, could the strong fore-limbs be for climbing back up?

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