Wednesday May 28, 2008
Fossil prints reveal giant winged reptile was a stalker
John von Radowitz
Press Association
The Guardian
The largest creatures that ever flew may have spent much of their time on the ground, research suggests. Azhdarchids were a type of pterosaur, or "winged lizard", living at the time of the dinosaurs. Their wingspans could exceed 10 metres (32ft). They were thought to have lived like seagulls or pelicans, patrolling coastlines from the air and swooping down on fish in the water. But new evidence from their fossil distribution and footprints suggests they were more likely to stalk prey on foot.
Darren Naish, from the University of Portsmouth, and his team studied fossils in London, Portsmouth and Germany, and compared the physical characteristics of azhdarchids with those of modern animals.
read full story
Posted in: by bubblejam at 03:09 PM | Comments (0) | Email This Entry