Nature never ceases to amaze us. Two hundred and twenty-five million years ago, when no vertebrate had yet dared to defy gravity (it even rhymes), pterosaurs spread their wings in the skies of the Triassic. But how did they do it? The answer has come thanks to a discovery that overturns everything we knew about these ancient masters of the air.
Pterosaurs, the first Kings of the skies
Pterosaurs were not only the first, but also the largest vertebrates to conquer flight. As pioneers of prehistoric aviation, these extraordinary reptiles They have dominated the skies for over a hundred million years (Boeing, move right). Their evolutionary success story is comparable to that of the Wright brothers, but on a much longer time scale.
The key to their success has only now been discovered, thanks to a team of paleontologists from theUniversity of Edinburgh. It is a diamond-shaped structure on the tail, composed of interwoven membranes, which functioned as a natural rudder. I will tell you more about it below.
This discovery is particularly significant because it shows us that nature solved the problem of flight long before we humans tried. It is likely that if our ancestors had discovered this “secret” of pterosaurs, civil flight would have developed centuries earlier.
A surprisingly sophisticated structure
The tail structure of pterosaurs, as mentioned, was much more advanced than previously thought. Like a well-designed sail, the diamond-shaped membrane stretched with the wind, allowing the animal to maintain stability during flight.
This feature was revealed thanks to a cutting-edge technology called Laser induced fluorescence, which allowed the study of the fossilized soft tissues of the rhamphorhynchus, a pterosaur that lived 150 million years ago.
The research team, which published its findings in the journal eLife (I link them to you here), was able to observe details never seen before, which had remained hidden for millions of years. It is as if we had finally found the instruction manual for an ancient glider.
A design that could inspire the future
The doctor Natalia Jagielska, lead author of the study, emphasizes that this discovery could also have implications for the future of aviation. Pterosaurs were unique creatures, without modern equivalents, and now their flight system surprises: in fact, it inspires.
Yes, because this elastic membrane, which extended from the ankle to the tip of the hyper-elongated fourth toe, represents an engineering solution that could suggest new approaches to aeronautical design.
After hundreds of millions of years, we can put skin back on the bones of animals we will never see in our lifetimes.
Not Just Flight: Other Surprises Hidden in Fossils from Pterosaurs
Il Dr. Nick Fraser of the National Museums Scotland highlights how this discovery was only possible thanks to the application of new technologies on fossils that we thought we already knew well. It is a reminder of how much we still have to learn from the past.
The research also opened new perspectives on the possible use of the tail for sexual attraction. According to the Dr. Jordan Bestwick ofUniversity of Zurich, the tails of the pterosaurs may have been more colorful than previously thought, adding a new chapter to their already fascinating evolutionary story.
As often happens in science, this discovery not only answers old questions, but opens up new ones, fueling our curiosity about these extraordinary inhabitants of the prehistoric skies.
A flight, that of knowledge, that truly never ends.
