Reconstructing Pterosaur Wingspan

by Lydia Manos

Submitted : Spring 2012

This paper compares the wingspan, wing area, and weight of 19 pterosaur species. The purpose of this project is to learn how these aspects are related and what those relationships can tell us about their ecology, lifestyle, and flight dynamics. Measurements for 19 pterosaur species were taken from Witton (2008), and used throughout the paper to reconstruct the life histories for these creatures. The results of the project show that dynamic soarers in marine environments tended to have better energy efficiency than thermal soarers in terrestrial environments, and that Ramphornynchus, Ctenochasma, and Huaxiapterus are best suited for sustained flight, while Dsungaripterus and Quetzalcoatlus were likely better suited for burst flying.

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