Re: Tail feathers

["James R. Cunningham" <jrccea@bellsouth.net>]

Matthew Troutman wrote:
snipped

> Based on what it is known about bird flight and the known and
> hypothetical use of the tail during flight, I find it rather perplexing
> that pterodactyloid pterosaurs didn't have a similiar system.  Dave
> Peters has suggested that some of the pterosaur fossils show a
> uropatagium, this could have functioned like a locomotor module.

Dave is right on this.  They did, and it did, assisted by that portion
of the brachiopatagium between the elbow and knee.
                                Jim