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Using your head - cranial steering in pterosaurs.

Donald M Henderson1

  • 1Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Drumheller, AB, Canada. don.henderson@gov.ab.ca.

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|May 7, 2024
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Pterosaur heads and crests likely controlled flight steering. Their large size created turning moments that corresponded with body inertia, suggesting a functional aerodynamic role.

Keywords:
Body massFlightFlight controlPterosaursRotational inertia

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Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Aerodynamics
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Pterosaurs, extinct flying reptiles, typically possessed large heads and elaborate crests.
  • The aerodynamic implications of these cranial structures during flight are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hypothesis that oversized pterosaur heads and crests functioned in controlling lateral body motion during flight.
  • To determine the relationship between head-neck turning moments and whole-body rotational inertia in pterosaurs.

Main Methods:

  • Digital models of 18 pterosaurs (8 rhamphorhynchoids, 10 pterodactyloids) were created to analyze mass distribution.
  • Turning moments were calculated based on head/crest lateral area, aerodynamic lift, and estimated flight speeds (derived from body mass).
  • Rotational inertias were computed from the 3D mass distribution of the entire body, including limbs and flight membranes.

Main Results:

  • A strong correlation was observed between the calculated turning moments of the head+neck and the whole-body rotational inertia about the vertical axis.
  • This correspondence was consistent across both major pterosaur groups studied (rhamphorhynchoids and pterodactyloids).
  • The findings support a functional link between cranial morphology and flight control mechanisms.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides evidence that large pterosaur heads and crests played a significant role in managing lateral stability and steering during flight.
  • These results informed revisions of life restorations for two pterosaur species and suggested lower flight speeds for two others.