Re: pteros have lift-off

[David Peters <davidpeters@att.net>]

Greg Paul in dinos of the air suggested that Archaeopteryx and other birdy 
descendants of short-armed theropods gained their long arms from tree-clinging 
and tree-climbing. Is this the general consensus?

Can the same be said of pterosaurs? Or did terrestrial take-off somehow 
encourage longer antebrachia?

Also, did basal short-metacarpal pterosaurs create a Z-fold in the forelimb? 

And finally, what was that maximum carpal angle? and did it fold medially, 
laterally, or posteriorly?

PS thoughts below.

David Peters
davidpeters@att.net
 
Mike H. wrote: > Ground effect doesn't help quite that much.  

Then why does every big bird launch I've ever seen include it?
It seems like a good way to accelerate AND fly. Such a system requires a less 
powerful takeoff.


Mike H. wrote: > Besides, a biped launch doesn't get many pterosaurs even close 
to cruise speed

And with ground effect acceleration, it doesn't need to. That's the point, I 
think...