Could This Thing *Really* Fly?

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Help stop the worst parts of factory farming: https://www.farmkind.giving/minute-earth?promo=minute_earth The Quetzalcoatlus – one of the largest pterosaurs that ever lived – was able to fly even though it was the size of a giraffe! How on Earth did this giant manage to fly? LEARN MORE ************** To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords: - Pterosaurs: are an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order Pterosauria and are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight. - Quetzalcoatlus: is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur. Quetzalcoatlus northropi has gained fame as a candidate for the largest flying animal ever discovered. - Deltopectoral crest: is a forward directed bony flange on the upper part of the humerus. It provided insertion surfaces for muscles of the shoulder and chest. - Postcranial pneumaticity: is the presence of air-filled cavities inside bones of the body (everything except the skull) that are connected to the respiratory system. - Quad Launch (also Quadrupedal launch): is a takeoff method where an animal launches into the air using all four limbs—both the hind legs and the forelimbs. If you liked this week’s video, you might also like: Our friends at @Howtown recently made a video about the Quetzalcoatlus and it's great! (They even got to chat with Mark Witton!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vea06e6x_E Fascinating in-depth video about everything we know about Quetzalcoatlus, by @YourDinosaursAreWrong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCdOVC7CcXk SUPPORT MINUTEEARTH ************************** If you like what we do, you can help us!: - Become our patron: https://patreon.com/MinuteEarth - Our merch: http://dftba.com/minuteearth - Our book: https://minuteearth.com/books - Sign up to our newsletter: http://news.minuteearth.com - Share this video with your friends and family - Leave us a comment (we read them!) CREDITS ********* Ever Salazar | Script Writer, Narrator, Illustrator, Video Editor, Animator and Director Dr. Krishma Singal (Postdoctoral Researcher - Rice University) | Storyboard Artist Cony Pérez https://www.instagram.com/con0mmm/ | Storyboard Artist Sarah Berman | Illustrator, Video Editor, and Animator Nathaniel Schroeder | Music MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC https://neptunestudios.info OUR STAFF ************ Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes Henry Reich • Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida OTHER CREDITS ***************** Rhamphorhynchus Fossil In Berlin Photo by: Uwe Jelting OUR LINKS ************ Youtube | https://youtube.com/MinuteEarth TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@minuteearth Twitter | https://twitter.com/MinuteEarth Instagram | https://instagram.com/minute_earth Facebook | https://facebook.com/Minuteearth Website | https://minuteearth.com Apple Podcasts| https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/minuteearth/id649211176 REFERENCES ************** Hone, David W.E., (2023). The anatomy and diversity of the pterosaurian sternum. Palaeontologia Electronica. https://doi.org/10.26879/1261 Padian, K., et al (2021) Functional morphology of Quetzalcoatlus Lawson 1975, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2020.1780247 Witton, M. (2018). "Why we think giant pterosaurs could fly". Mark P. Witton's blog. https://markwitton-com.blogspot.com/2018/05/why-we-think-giant-pterosaurs-could-fly.html Sullivan, T., et al (2017). Extreme lightweight structures: Avian feathers and bones. Materials Today. 20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2017.02.004 Martin, E. G., & Palmer, C. (2014) Air Space Proportion in Pterosaur Limb Bones Using Computed Tomography and Its Implications for Previous Estimates of Pneumaticity. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0097159 D.T. Ksepka (2014). Flight performance of the largest volant bird, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 111 (29) 10624-10629, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1320297111 Claessens LPAM, O'Connor PM, Unwin DM (2009) Respiratory Evolution Facilitated the Origin of Pterosaur Flight and Aerial Gigantism. PLOS ONE 4(2): e4497. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004497 Witton M, Naish D (2008). A Reappraisal of Azhdarchid Pterosaur Functional Morphology and Paleoecology. PLOS ONE 3(5): e2271. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0002271 Witton, M. (2008). A new approach to determining pterosaur body mass and its implications for pterosaur flight. Zitteliana Reihe B: Abhandlungen der Bayerischen Staatssammlung fur Palaontologie und Geologie. B28. 143-158. S. Christopher Bennett, 2003. "Morphological evolution of the pectoral girdle of pterosaurs: myology and function", Evolution and Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs. https://doi.org/10.1144/gsl.sp.2003.217.01.12