Re: Pterosaur in water Re: Fw: Water-bourne pterosaur launch

[Mike Habib <habib@jhmi.edu>]

There is indeed a possibility that many pterosaurs, even pelagic ones,  
could barely swim.  However, their anatomy suggests that they could,  
unlike a Frigate Bird, take off from the water if they were unlucky  
enough to end up in it for any number of stochastic reasons.  Frigate  
birds have very unusual limb morphology among birds; this would appear  
to be why they cannot launch from water.

--Mike Habib



On Oct 7, 2009, at 6:55 PM, Dann Pigdon wrote:

> On Thu, Oct 8th, 2009 at 9:29 AM, "Richard W. Travsky" <rtravsky@uwyo.edu 
> > wrote:
>
> > Ok, it just occurred to me I've not seen a representation of a  
> > pterosaur
> > in water. Did a quick google search but nothing yet.
> >
> > So, did they sit in the water like a duck? How were the wings  
> > folded? etc
> >
> > Is there a pic someone's done? Having troubles visualizing this water
> > take off...
>
> There's every possibility that they couldn't swim at all. Frigate  
> birds spend their entire lives around
> the ocean, but if they land in the water they risk drowning. Holiday  
> resort operators in Queensland
> often have to rescue frigate birds from their fresh-water beach-side  
> pools, which the birds skim for
> a drink.
>
> --
> _____________________________________________________________
>
> Dann Pigdon
> GIS / Archaeologist                Australian Dinosaurs
> Melbourne, Australia               http://home.alphalink.com.au/~dannj
> _____________________________________________________________