What supported the giraffe-like neck of one of the largest flying animals that ever lived—the azhdarchid pterosaur? Bones built like bicycle wheels, according to research from last year. ScienceMagArchives
About 100 million years ago, gigantic flying reptiles with necks longer than those of giraffes cruised the skies of modern-day Morocco. Scientists think this kind of pterosaur, with its large jaw and slim neck, preyed on fish, small mammals, and even baby dinosaurs. But how their necks didn't snap as they carried their prey has long been a mystery. Now, a new study shows the bones inside had an intricate spokelike structure that made them strong and stable, but light enough for flight.
To learn more about their bones, researchers examined the internal structure of a well-preserved azhdarchid pterosaur vertebra; it was nearly 100 million years old, and had been found in the Kem Kem beds, a fossil-rich region near the border of Morocco and Algeria.
Besides allowing the pterosaurs to catch and lift their prey, the intricate bone structure of their necks could have helped them withstand the strong winds that buffeted their large skulls while flying, or the fierce blows of fellow males during rivalry brawls, the authors note. However, Pêgas wishes the team had scanned the vertebrae of other pterosaurs to find out whether the spokelike bones were unique to the azhdarchids. Alexander Kellner, a paleontologist and director of the National Museum at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, agrees."I'm not very impressed," he says."I think you should have more specimens to really make a claim." He says he has noticed in his research pterosaur vertebrae with more or less trabeculae.
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