Re: Wilkinson's new pterosaur paper, Cunningham, Habib

[jrc <jrccea@bellsouth.net>]

I'm in total agreement with Mike.  I've not seen any preserved membrane 
where the preserved membrane passes the elbow more than 40% of the length of 
the humerus behind the elbow, and I think I'm the one who originally 
suggested both the single-slotted Fowler flap concept and the thought that 
the differential preservation and/or 'gathering' that a few wings show 
behind the elbow could be related to a drag reducing 'nacelle' function at 
what would otherwise be a rather draggy location.  I do point out that there 
is no consensus among pterosaur workers yet.  Padian, Peters, Conway, Habib, 
me, and a few others tend to fall in the mostly narrow wing camp.  Some of 
us don't think ankle attachments are impossible in some species -- others 
do.  I believe Unwin, Wilkinson, McMasters, Frey, Martill, and Chatterjee 
fall in the totally broadwing camp, but they are all welcome to correct me 
if my memory is wrong.  I think Bennett may lie somewhere between, but am 
pretty sure he prefers an ankle attachment.  In any event, I don't consider 
the trailing edge attachment to be proven yet, nor necessarily fixed. 
Speaking for myself, I've never seen any evidence for a broadwing or ankle 
attachment that I find personally convincing.  That doesn't mean they don't 
exist. And the fact that no unequivocal narrowwing attachment has been found 
doesn't mean that they don't exist.
JimC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "MICHAEL HABIB" <habib@jhmi.edu>
To: <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 10:05 PM
Subject: Re: Wilkinson's new pterosaur paper, Cunningham, Habib


> >The question is indeed what the inboard wing looked like. And it is 
> >certain. [David P]
>
> I actually agree that most, if not all, known pterosaurs probably had 
> narrow chord wings. [Mike H]