identifying baby pterosaurs/birds

[david peters <davidrpeters@earthlink.net>]

In working out the phylogeny of the Pterosauria, I have been including some of 
the nominal and actual babies in the hopes that the cladogram would not only 
assist in placing the babies in their proper cribs, er, uh, clades -- but also 
to see if any new immature characters might surface.

Also, if there are any miniaturized adults at the origin of major clades, as in 
the earliest mammals, I'd like to 
be able to differentiate neotenous adults from immature more primitive sister 
taxa.  

Yes, big orbit / short rostrum is on the list. Fewer maxillary and dentary 
teeth. And of course, small size and a few other characters. 

The question today is about the scleral ring. In the smallest pterosaurs, the 
scleral ring seems to be more robust, or rather, the iris opening seems to be 
smaller. Is this similar to the situation in some birds and mammals in which 
the eyes are closed for some time after birth?

And if this is a valid observation, what does it say about mother/offspring 
relations?

Thanks.
David Peters
St. Louis