Re: Smallest flying vertebrate?

["Patrick Norton" <ptnorton@msn.com>]

> Maybe *Normannognathus* was the smallest known adult pterosaur, I don't 
> know.<

I don't have Buffetaut's paper in front of me, but I don't recall any 
mention of adult/juvenile status of the holotype of N. wellnhoferi.  I do 
recall that the maxilla and premaxilla were unfused and slightly separated. 
I don't know if that's typical for pterosaurs or suggests a juvenile 
condition.

> What about *Anurognathus*?<

I believe that Anurognathus is known from (at least one) fairly complete 
skeleton which was around 10 cm in length with about a 50 cm 
wingspan--roughly the size (in my estimation) of N. wellnhoferi.

At this point I guess my money would be on that diminutive dinosaur 
descendent, the bee hummingbird, as the best candidate for the smallest 
(known) flying vertebrate.

PTN


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