In the debate of the flight of pterosaurs, now yes

2011/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Paleontologia
• Arkeologia

There is an intense debate about pterosaurs. These large dinosaurs had wings, but it is not clear if they could fly, because they were very heavy animals. In 2009, some experts argued that it was impossible and yet a published study concluded that pterosaurs were flying.

There are few pterosaurs fossils, but considering these bones, it is admitted that they were animals of hundreds of kilos. In 2009, a group of Japanese and French paleontologists calculated that an animal larger than 41 kilos could not fly. This calculation was carried out comparing with current bird data and, once the results were published, many opinions emerged in favor and against.

Paleontologists Mark Witton, of the University of Portsmouth, and Michael Habib, of the University of Pittsburgh, went to the fossil record and discovered an eye-catching piece of pterosaurs: their humers compared to those of birds with very strong bones, should be proportionally. Therefore, it is proposed that, unlike birds, pterosaurs used the four limbs to start the flight: the two legs and the wings. They have created a starter model for a 250-kilogram pterosaurus that, according to calculations, was flying.

This idea is reinforced by a fossil found in open sea sediments, a seven-metre pterosaurus from one end to the other. However, many experts question the numbers of paleontologists. Numerous estimates have been made to complete the model. For example, animal mass and humerus strength are highly controversial data. In addition, Witton and Habibe have not published all the data. The debate is not over.