SV: Floating pterosaurs

["Tommy Tyrberg" <tommy.tyrberg@norrkoping.mail.telia.com>]

I must say that based on my experience of large seabirds I strongly
doubt that it was mechanically feasible for the larger pterosaurs to
take off from water in a calm, but that it was probably possible in a
moderate headwind.

Note that it is not absolutely necessary for seabirds to be able to land
on water. Frigatebirds can't, but still spend most of their lives over
the sea. However they don't occur in Mid-ocean (unless there are
islands, like Ascension). However I suppose it is not very likely that
any fossil pterosaurs are known from abyssal sediments.

Tommy Tyrberg

-----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
Från: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu] För jrc
Skickat: den 6 juli 2009 19:24
Till: dannj@alphalink.com.au
Kopia: dinosaur@usc.edu
Ämne: Re: Floating pterosaurs

Preliminary calculations indicate that pterosaurs could have taken off
from 
fresh water without significant difficulty, at least up the midrange
sizes 
(5 to 7 meters span).  Larger ones may have been able to do so as well
--  
haven't looked at them yet.  Taking off from salt water would be easier.
JimC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dann Pigdon" <dannj@alphalink.com.au>
To: <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Sent: Sunday, July 05, 2009 6:22 PM
Subject: Re: Floating pterosaurs


> might also have been possible for pterosaurs to have taken off wet,
since
> they used skin membranes instead of feathers. Then again, modern bats 
> don't do well when they
> fall into water.