Re: Fish eaters

["Larry Febo" <larryf@capital.net>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Tracy L. Ford <dino.hunter@home.com>
To: Dinonet (E-mail) <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Date: Sunday, January 06, 2002 3:59 AM
Subject: Fish eaters


>Ok, the first part is about Pterosaurs.
>
>Ever wonder how a toothed pterosaur got the fish off its teeth? Once the
>fish was caught, speared with its teeth, it probably was wiggling before it
>died, the pterosaur had to be a good enough flyer not to crash. Then, once
>it landed, on the ground I assume (I can't see how it could if it was in a
>tree), it would have to get the fish off its teeth. Either from opening its
>mouth, pushing off with its tongue or with help of its 3 wing fingers. The
>toothless pterosaurs may have been just better predators and didn't have to
>worry about this little problem. I also don't think pterosaurs ever went
>into a tree. IMHOP pterosaurs were ground up flyers and theropods were
trees
>down.
>
>I also wonder how they landed. Like an Albatross? I can't see it flying
into
>a tree, the wings are two large.

   I think you are right in the sense that pterosaurs were too "top heavy"
to have landed on stiff gymnosperm branches they would have tended to flop
down heavily upon their forepaws and not have been capable of landing on a
narrow perch. I do think , however, that the earlier smaller forms were well
adapted to landing on cycad branches (leaves), as they would have been
springy enough to cushion the landing. Then, climbing along the branch to
the center of the tree, they would have an excellent perch from which to
nest, or eat, or just rest.
   Later pterosaurs became shoreline fishing specialists, and being much
larger, must have  preferred landings on solid ground, clifftops and
ledges.Of course, the fossil record is also biased toward preserving these
shoreline species vs possible inland varieties.
   I don`t think birds developed flight from the ground up (for a number of
reasons), and think that pterosaurs were even less capable of this. Hard to
see even the earlier forms as being fast bipeds, although I do think they
were capable of bipedal motion (perhaps as an aid to quickly get to the next
tree in case of a ground landing). I don`t see them as being fast runners at
all, or even very good bipeds at that , perhaps thats why no secondarilly
flightless pterosaurs (except perhaps for lagosuchus).
   Well, that`s my two cents anyway!