Pterosaurs May Have Sported Far More Varied Wings than Paleontologists Imagined

Jun 30, 2026 - 10:30
 0  1
Pterosaurs May Have Sported Far More Varied Wings than Paleontologists Imagined
Walters et al. compared theoretical pterosaur wings with published reconstructions over a series of shape and function tests to understand whether the current scientific understanding of pterosaur wing shape is likely to accurately represent the diversity of pterosaur wing shapes and whether issues in depicting pterosaurs stem from the style or substance of life reconstructions; their results revealed that reconstructions do not perform as expected and thus do not accurately represent the flight abilities of pterosaurs. Image credit: Mark P. Witton.

New research from the University of Bristol suggests that pterosaurs -- the first vertebrates to achieve powered flight -- probably displayed a much wider array of wing shapes and flying styles than fossil-based reconstructions have depicted.

The post Pterosaurs May Have Sported Far More Varied Wings than Paleontologists Imagined appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

What's Your Reaction?

Like Like 0
Dislike Dislike 0
Love Love 0
Funny Funny 0
Angry Angry 0
Sad Sad 0
Wow Wow 0