Unraveling the Secrets of the Sky: The Truth Behind Flying Dinosaurs

Sign up for our complimentary Health Check email to receive exclusive insights on the week in health

Receive our free Health Check email

Receive our free Health Check email

Researchers have long been intrigued by how feathered dinosaurs dominated the skies – until now.

Pterosaurs had the capability to fly due to large sail-like “vanes” located at the ends of their tails, palaeontologists have unveiled.

Using innovative laser technology, a team spearheaded by palaeontologists at the University of Edinburgh found that it was attributable to the lattice-like vanes connected to the ends of these creatures’ elongated tails.

The scientists indicated that the diamond-shaped formations, constructed from intertwined membranes, stopped the animals’ tails from flapping like banners in the breeze and instead assisted in directing and stabilizing them during flight.

They described that the vanes likely functioned similarly to a ship’s sail, tightening as the wind flowed through their interconnected membranes, thus permitting the reptiles to maneuver through the atmosphere.

Earlier studies indicated that sustaining rigidity in the tail vane was essential for allowing early pterosaurs to fly, yet the exact mechanism by which this was accomplished had eluded understanding until now.

The team achieved the breakthrough utilizing a novel approach known as Laser Simulated Fluorescence, which makes organic tissues that are nearly invisible to the unaided eye glow.

open image in gallery

By employing the technique on 150-million-year-old fossils of a pterosaur named Rhamphorhynchus, they identified the fragile membrane of the reptile’s tail vane and its internal formations “visibly emerged” when scanned with the laser.

They emphasized that while investigating prehistoric creatures is generally limited to analyzing fossilized bones, remnants of delicate tissues like skin and membranes can persist for millions of years.

Dr Natalia Jagielska, lead author and PhD graduate from the University of Edinburgh, remarked: “It continually astonishes me that, despite the passage of hundreds of millions of years, we can flesh out the anatomy of animals we will never witness in our lifetimes.

“Pterosaurs were entirely distinct beings with no modern counterparts, featuring a vast elastic membrane extending from their ankles to the tip of their hyper-elongated fourth fingers.

“For all we know, understanding how pterosaur membranes functioned might inspire new technologies for aircraft.”

open image in gallery

Pterosaurs – commonly referred to as pterodactyls – existed approximately 225 million years ago and flourished for over 100 million years before their extinction along with the dinosaurs at the conclusion of the Cretaceous period.

This discovery provides crucial understanding regarding the anatomy and evolution of these creatures and opens up further possibilities for how they may have utilized their tails.

Dr Jordan Bestwick, a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Zurich, who was not part of the study, stated: “This research offers a significant insight into how early pterosaurs may have initially taken to the air and the significance of their tails during flight.

“The study also poses fascinating possibilities regarding how pterosaurs might have used their tails to attract mates; pterosaur tails could have been more vibrant than previously assumed.”