Re: Nice example of narrow chord pterosaur wing on the 'net

[Mike Habib <habib@jhmi.edu>]

I echo David M. on this one - the photo is not of sufficient quality  
to make a good judgement.  Furthermore, most current debate regarding  
pterosaur wing shape centers on the issue of wing *attachment* - since  
the inboard wing cannot be seen (unprepped or simply missing) there is  
no way to use the specimen in question to address that primary aspect  
of the debate.  It is very nice Pterodactylus, though.

Cheers,

--Mike


Michael Habib
Assistant Professor of Biology
Chatham University
Woodland Road, Pittsburgh PA  15232
Buhl Hall, Room 226A
mhabib@chatham.edu
(443) 280-0181



On Mar 19, 2010, at 7:24 PM, David Marjanovic wrote:

> http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Pterodactylus_micronyx_-_IMG_0677.jpg
> > Not sure how it can be interpreted any differently, but please give
> > it a shot.
>
> Not sure how it can be interpreted at all, blurry as it is. Some  
> moron DESCREENED it -- yes, I am shouting. It makes my eyes hurt; I  
> try to focus, but there is no sharp image to focus on!
>
> So, I can't tell if that's a wing membrane or just the limit of  
> preparation (as it is around the tail).
>
> Most importantly, the part of the wing proximal to the elbow isn't  
> visible.