Re: poling dangers

[Christopher Collinson <thats_mr_annoying_to_you@yahoo.com>]

Does this kill the possibility of swimming/floating  
Pteranodon, or is it possible pterosaurs employed
other means of getting themselves airborn?

Cheers,
Christopher Collinson



--- Michael Habib <mhabib5@jhmi.edu> wrote:



> Well, I can see 'scouting', but Qn would not take
> off like a duck.  In 
> fact, it took off "in reverse order" compared to a
> duck, in the sense 
> that the forelimbs leave last, rather than the
> hindlimbs leaving the 
> ground last (which allows ducks to run over the
> water while flapping).  
> If the water was relatively deep (which is what
> seemed to be implied), 
> such that the animal was poling on the forelimbs
> only, I cannot see how 
> it would take off.  In shallow water it is not an
> issue; but in deep 
> water the forelimbs simply could not move through
> the fluid fast enough 
> to initiate a proper launch, as best I can make out.
>  In addition, if 
> the animal is floating to any significant degree, it
> will have an 
> awfully hard time pre-loading the forelimbs for
> launch (imagine trying 
> to leap into the air without being able to bend your
> knees much).
> 
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> --Mike H.
> 


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