A reader writes about flying reptiles:
The vestigial wings are curious. This thing surely can’t fly or even glide.
According to the first post on Azhdarchid Paleobiology from 2008:
Pterosaurs are flying reptiles that lived during the age of the dinosaurs (between about 230 and 65 million years ago). Although often called dinosaurs, they are not part of this group and represent a distinct lineage of reptiles that evolved flight independently of birds and bats. There are around 100 species of pterosaurs currently known, and one group – including about nine species – is particularly controversial. These are the azhdarchids, a group named after the Uzbek word for ‘dragon’ [image above shows a giant azhdarchid in flight].
With massive, elongate heads, very long, stiff necks, long hindlimbs, and often gigantic size, azhdarchids are more than deserving of their ‘dragon’ title. Azhdarchids include the largest of all pterosaurs: some had wingspans exceeding 10 m and, when standing, had shoulder heights of over 2.5 m …
I’m having trouble mapping vestigial to wingspans in excess of 10 meters. Then again, just the thought of something that large, flapping about, scooping up stray people … reminds me of The Giant Claw (1957).
