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Post by Dinotoyforum on May 28, 2008 10:29:58 GMT
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Post by Dinotoyforum on May 29, 2008 12:29:33 GMT
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Post by Dinotoyforum on May 29, 2008 12:37:13 GMT
 Very very nearly as cool and as interesting as plesiosaurs  |
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Post by richard on May 29, 2008 20:16:21 GMT
the best flying animal ever... I mean the one I like the most... interesting info thanks for sharing!
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Post by sbell on May 29, 2008 20:41:01 GMT
So here is something I've always wondered:
Is there any evidence for an arboreally predatory pterosaur, in the vein of a hawk or falcon? It seems like an obvious ecological niche to fill--the skies were apparently filled with flying reptiles, and later flying dinosaurs, of various sizes, and it just seems like natural selection would encourage a flier that could take prey on the wing--and take advantage of the flying smoragsbord--should have been possible and successful.
And what adaptations would we look for? Would pterosaurs have been able to evolve the necessary claws for on-the-wing grabs? Or would pterosaurs have been more likely to take flying prey with their jaws?
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Post by Dinotoyforum on May 29, 2008 22:11:35 GMT
So here is something I've always wondered: Is there any evidence for an arboreally predatory pterosaur, in the vein of a hawk or falcon? It seems like an obvious ecological niche to fill--the skies were apparently filled with flying reptiles, and later flying dinosaurs, of various sizes, and it just seems like natural selection would encourage a flier that could take prey on the wing--and take advantage of the flying smoragsbord--should have been possible and successful. And what adaptations would we look for? Would pterosaurs have been able to evolve the necessary claws for on-the-wing grabs? Or would pterosaurs have been more likely to take flying prey with their jaws? I think you mean aerial predator rather than arboreal? Pterosaurs are pretty delicate critters but it's an interesting suggestion. Small pterosaurs most probably caught prey on the wing, one snap and swallow, like bats catch insects for example. But snatching large vertebrate prey out of the air is a different matter. To my knowledge it has never been suggested before. |
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Post by sbell on May 29, 2008 22:18:34 GMT
So here is something I've always wondered: Is there any evidence for an arboreally predatory pterosaur, in the vein of a hawk or falcon? It seems like an obvious ecological niche to fill--the skies were apparently filled with flying reptiles, and later flying dinosaurs, of various sizes, and it just seems like natural selection would encourage a flier that could take prey on the wing--and take advantage of the flying smoragsbord--should have been possible and successful. And what adaptations would we look for? Would pterosaurs have been able to evolve the necessary claws for on-the-wing grabs? Or would pterosaurs have been more likely to take flying prey with their jaws? I think you mean aerial predator rather than arboreal? Pterosaurs are pretty delicate critters but it's an interesting suggestion. Small pterosaurs most probably caught prey on the wing, one snap and swallow, like bats catch insects for example. But snatching large vertebrate prey out of the air is a different matter. To my knowledge it has never been suggested before. Sigh, yeah, that should be aerial predator. Whoops. |
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Post by tomhet on May 30, 2008 5:15:19 GMT
^^^ Someone's drinking too much... again ;D
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Post by thagomizer on May 30, 2008 5:26:12 GMT
Well according to the paper (or the many blog posts and comments from the authors that go along with it, I'm having trouble keeping everything straight), the things you look for in a specialized aerial predator is a wide gape (to catch prey in the mouth), a hooked beak, and/or hook-like talons. Some pterosaurs had wickedly curved claws but none had hooked beaks. The only ones with wide rather than narrow jaws were anurognathids, which are traditionally interpreted as catching insects on the wing. They were too small to have gone after anything else.
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Post by sbell on May 30, 2008 13:25:48 GMT
Well according to the paper (or the many blog posts and comments from the authors that go along with it, I'm having trouble keeping everything straight), the things you look for in a specialized aerial predator is a wide gape (to catch prey in the mouth), a hooked beak, and/or hook-like talons. Some pterosaurs had wickedly curved claws but none had hooked beaks. The only ones with wide rather than narrow jaws were anurognathids, which are traditionally interpreted as catching insects on the wing. They were too small to have gone after anything else. So are there any with talons that would have worked? It is possible they could catch on the wing, then roost somewhere to eat; in that case, the capturing jaw might not matter, as long as they had the means to deal with larger prey afterwards. |
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Post by crazycrowman on May 30, 2008 18:11:42 GMT
Fascinating article!
Thanks for posting that.
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Post by thagomizer on May 31, 2008 0:43:31 GMT
So are there any with talons that would have worked? It is possible they could catch on the wing, then roost somewhere to eat; in that case, the capturing jaw might not matter, as long as they had the means to deal with larger prey afterwards. As far as I know, no known pterosaur feet were capable of grasping. Some had big talons but they must have had another use. Modern raptors have the benefit of a reversed hallux, perfect for snatching prey out of the air. |
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Post by stoneage on Jul 22, 2008 0:01:31 GMT
Does anyone know if ther is a good realistic picture of Ludodactylus?
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Post by sid on Jul 22, 2008 13:33:03 GMT
Does anyone know if ther is a good realistic picture of Ludodactylus? There's the Papo model for ya! ;D |
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Post by stoneage on Jul 22, 2008 21:57:23 GMT
Is what we know about it accurate with how Papo looks, is the head right?
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Post by tomhet on Jul 23, 2008 2:52:22 GMT
Maybe I'm wrong but I believe that not even the Ludodactylus would fit. From the descriptions I've read the cranium was different.
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Post by sid on Jul 23, 2008 14:59:42 GMT
Maybe I'm wrong but I believe that not even the Ludodactylus would fit. From the descriptions I've read the cranium was different. Yeah,it was more "Ornitocheirus-esque" in the snout,and the crest was more similar (at least from what i've seen around the web) to the Pteranodon Stenbergi's one than to the Longiceps' one However,until they'll produce a 100% accurate model of good ol' Ludo,we only have to stick with Papo (JP3) "Pteranodon" ;D |
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Post by Dinotoyforum on Jul 23, 2008 15:43:19 GMT
 The one and only skull of Ludodactylus. Unfortunately, most of the crest was sawn off before the fossil was spotted (the limestone is quarried for commercial use) so we have no idea what the exact shape of the crest is. It is sad to think how many fossils are being lost do the heavy machinery replacing manual labour. |
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Post by Dinotoyforum on Jul 23, 2008 15:49:43 GMT
By the way, I saw this specimen first hand. The story is, that that piece of woody material preserved in the jaws was the cause of death in this individual. It is wedged between the left and right mandibles, so probably the pterosaur accidently got it lodged there while skimming the water for fish (like the tiddler preserved below the antorbital fenestra, but bigger). It pierced the gullet and wedged the mouth open. A pterosaur that can't snap or swallow is a soon to be dead pterosaur...
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Post by Dinotoyforum on Jul 23, 2008 15:58:57 GMT
...or some similar scenario!...
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