Pterosaurs flew like modern aeroplanes
by Jonathan Sarfati
Scientists have long wondered how the extinct flying reptiles, the pterosaurs, could
fly. They seemed too ungainly to lift into the air from the ground, or to land safely
without breaking their delicate wings. Quite reasonably, some scientists proposed
that there must have been greater air pressure in the past.
However, we have reported on recent discoveries that pterosaurs had a complex wing
anatomy, with muscles and nerves, and a large brain region to process the signals.1 This enabled them to fly more smoothly
and efficiently than fixed-wing aircraft. And fossil trackways showed they could
also land elegantly.2
This unique design speaks of a Master Flight Engineer.
But what about the initial take-off? Earlier calculations had overlooked a tiny
bone called the pteroid. This is unique to pterosaurs, and was previously
thought to bend inwards. But Matthew Wilkinson and his team in the animal flight
group at Cambridge University, UK, studied pterosaur fossils and showed that the
pteroid pointed forward.3
This evidently supported a front flap of skin that acted as a movable leading edge
on the wing. Darren Naish, a paleontologist at the University of Portsmouth, UK,
says that fossilized pterosaur soft tissue found in China is strong evidence for
this.4
The pteroid and flap enabled the pterosaur to use ‘aerodynamic tricks like
those found in modern aircraft’.5
Angling this flap would increase lift by a huge 30%, so even the largest pterosaurs
could take off by simply spreading their wings into a moderate breeze. And this
extra lift would mean their minimum flying speed (i.e. below which they would stall)
was reduced by 15%, allowing a smooth landing. Also, by flexing the pteroid on one
wing and extending it on the other, they would have different lifts on both wings,
enabling them to bank during turns.
This unique design speaks of a Master Flight Engineer, who designed flying creatures
that could work efficiently in ordinary air pressure (Genesis 1:20–23).
Related article
References and notes
- Terrific pterosaur flyers,
Creation 28(2):9, 2004. Return to text.
- Pterrific pterosaurs,
Creation 27(2):7, 2005. Return to text.
- Wilkinson, M.T., Unwin, D.M., Ellington, C.P., High lift function
of the pteroid bone and forewing of pterosaurs, Proceedings of the Royal Society
273(1582):119–126, 7 January 2006 (DOI: 10.1098/rspb.
2005. 3278). Return to text.
- Marks, P., Where flying lizards got their lift, New Scientist
188(2521):12, 15 October 2005. Return to text.
-
Lorenzi, R., Pterosaurs flew like jumbo jets, News in Science, <abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1483770.htm>,
17 October 2005. Return to text.
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