Pterosaur: Probably Not a Skimmer
Pterosaurs—extinct winged reptiles that soared during dinosaur days [ right ]—would have had a hard time skimming the ocean's surface for food like modern day pelicans do, according to a new study that contradicts scientists' original assumptions about the dino cousins' eating habits.
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Pterosaurs—extinct winged reptiles that soared during dinosaur days [right]—would have had a hard time skimming the ocean's surface for food like modern day pelicans do, according to a new study that contradicts scientists' original assumptions about the dino cousins' eating habits. Using a computer model of the pterosaur jaw slicing through air and water, researchers from the University of Sheffield in England and their colleagues conclude that it was so thick, skimming would have required much more energy than the pterosaur likely had available. This month's PLoS Biology has the details.
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