Evolution Of Pterosaur Research Essay

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Neither bat nor bird, the pterosaurs were flying reptilians. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous; about 228 to 66 million years ago. This put them as the first known vertebrate to have developed flight. While there are still some holes to fill about what is known of pterosaurs, there have already been a great deal of discoveries and origin classification for the order, Pterosauria. Pterosaur species sometimes varied vastly while retaining certain characteristics that made them pterosaurs. Specie size is one of the most varying characteristic. The smallest specie was found to be Nemicolopterus crypticus, having a wingspan of about 250 millimeter (Wang). One of the largest known species was Hatzegopteryx thambema, and they had a wingspan of 10 to 11 meters (Witton and Martill). Based on fossil records, it was not hard for researchers to discover that these were flying animals. However, at a first glance in 1784, Cosimo Alessandro Collini mistakenly thought that the wings of a pterosaur were used as flippers. But, he was soon corrected. A more researched argument is over the idea of pterosaurs being bipedal …show more content…

The term "dinosaur" refers to just those reptiles descended from the last common ancestor. Current scientific consensus is that this group excludes the pterosaurs, as well as the various groups of extinct marine reptiles. Like the dinosaurs, and unlike these other reptiles, pterosaurs are more closely related to birds than to crocodiles or any other living reptile (Naish). Classification of pterosaurs has been subtle since they do not have as many cladistic characteristic as someone might think. The three main characteristics being size, the presence of teeth, and skull/crests. With this in mind, the discovery of any new characteristic or trait can dramatically shift the foundation of their ancestry and

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