Re:

[jrc <jrccea@bellsouth.net>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Peters" <davidrpeters@earthlink.net>
To: <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Cc: "jrc" <jrccea@bellsouth.net>
Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2006 8:36 PM


> Granted, but those first few inches could be improved for  skimming, like 
> the rostrum of Azhdarcho and Pteranodon. I understand  that the rest of 
> the beak is built with a ventral crest for strength,  but that's just 
> using minimal materials for maximum strength. You can  make a barn door 
> fly, given enough horsepower, but there are better  ways.

In my opinion, the tip is pretty near optimally shaped for skimming through 
schools of relatively small fish.  In my day job, I specialize in the flow 
of water, but of course -- that doesn't mean that I know what I'm talking 
about, so take this opinion with a grain of salt.....  :-)

As an aside, barn doors actually fly pretty well, when at an aoa less than 
about 10 or 11 degrees.  At lower, but sufficient, aoa's, it doesn't take 
much power at all to fly one.

> >> No, I am referring to the photo of Q sp. I took in Austin. Also
> seen in Kellner and Langston, JVP and on pterosaurinfo.com.

Good.  I thought that was an appropriate point to mention to all interested 
that the Wellhofer photo and the early Sibbick illustrations were in error. 
For my interpretation of shape, I generally refer to my own AutoCad drawings 
of the photos I took of the skulls in Austin, plus  the photos I took of 
Wann's 'restored' skull, which is mostly, but not entirely, intact forward 
of mid-orbit.

> > And everyone knows that pushing a  yardstick width-wise through  water, 
> > as if it was attached to a  skimmer) is not the most  efficient way to 
> > 'knife' through the water.
> >>> But they have to follow phylogenetic pathways and this is how Q.
> got his long nose, with a tip'o the hat to Rudyard Kipling.
I like that line.......