Could This Thing *Really* Fly?

Опубликовано 11 марта 2026, 18:45

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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
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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!): youtube.com/watch?v=5vea06e6x_...

Fascinating in-depth video about everything we know about Quetzalcoatlus, by @YourDinosaursAreWrong: youtube.com/watch?v=gCdOVC7CcX...

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CREDITS
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Ever Salazar | Script Writer, Narrator, Illustrator, Video Editor, Animator and Director
Dr. Krishma Singal (Postdoctoral Researcher - Rice University) | Storyboard Artist
Cony Pérez instagram.com/con0mmm | Storyboard Artist
Sarah Berman | Illustrator, Video Editor, and Animator
Nathaniel Schroeder | Music

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Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke
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Rhamphorhynchus Fossil In Berlin
Photo by: Uwe Jelting

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REFERENCES
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Hone, David W.E., (2023). The anatomy and diversity of the pterosaurian sternum. Palaeontologia Electronica. doi.org/10.26879/1261

Padian, K., et al (2021) Functional morphology of Quetzalcoatlus Lawson 1975, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2020....

Witton, M. (2018). "Why we think giant pterosaurs could fly". Mark P. Witton's blog. markwitton-com.blogspot.com/20...

Sullivan, T., et al (2017). Extreme lightweight structures: Avian feathers and bones. Materials Today. 20. doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2017....

Martin, E. G., & Palmer, C. (2014) Air Space Proportion in Pterosaur Limb Bones Using Computed Tomography and Its Implications for Previous Estimates of Pneumaticity. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0...

D.T. Ksepka (2014). Flight performance of the largest volant bird, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 111 (29) 10624-10629, doi.org/10.1073/pnas.132029711...

Claessens LPAM, O'Connor PM, Unwin DM (2009) Respiratory Evolution Facilitated the Origin of Pterosaur Flight and Aerial Gigantism. PLOS ONE 4(2): e4497. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0...

Witton M, Naish D (2008). A Reappraisal of Azhdarchid Pterosaur Functional Morphology and Paleoecology. PLOS ONE 3(5): e2271. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0...

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. doi.org/10.1144/gsl.sp.2003.21...