Pterosaurs, one of the first and largest vertebrates to learn to fly, were often seen as the cool cousins of the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex.
Now scientists have discovered the 100 million year old secret to the success of the flying pterosaur: a neck longer than a giraffe.
Portsmouth University paleontologists are amazed at how giant flying azhdarchid pterosaurs have managed to support their thin necks as they take off and fly while carrying heavy prey.
But thanks to new CT scans of intact surplus, discovered in Morocco, the mystery has been solved.
The findings, published in iScience, show a complex image of spoke-like structures arranged in a helix around a central tube within the cervical vertebra, similar to that of a bicycle wheel.
This intricate design is said to demonstrate how these flying reptiles evolved to support their massive heads that often measure longer than 1.5 meters.
Scientists suspect that this ‘light’ construction provides power, without compromising the ability of the pterosaurs to fly.
Dave Martill, a professor of paleobiology at Portsmouth, said: ‘It’s not like anything previously seen in a vertebra of any animal. The neural tube is placed centrally in the vertebra and is connected to the outer wall via a number of thin rod-like trabeculae, arranged radially like the spokes of a bicycle wheel and helically arranged along the length of the vertebra.
‘They even cross over like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Evolution has transformed these creatures into amazing, breathtakingly efficient flyers. ”
Researchers originally intended to study the shape and movements of the pterosaur’s neck, but took advantage of the offer of a CT scan to look inside.
Analysis shows that as few as 50 of the ‘spokes’ in the neck of the pterosaur can lead to a 90% increase in flexural resistance.
Scientists believe that the intricate construction engineers can help develop longer, thinner and stronger lightweight structures.
Cariad Williams, the first author of the report, said: “These animals have ridiculously long necks, and in some species the fifth vertebra of the head is as long as the body of the animal.
‘It makes a giraffe look completely normal. We wanted to know a little bit about how this incredibly long neck works, because it seems to have very little mobility between each vertebra. ‘
Pterosaurs appear in fossil recordings from the Triassic period, about 225 million years ago, but disappear at the end of the Cretaceous, about 66 million years ago with their dinosaur cousins.
Researchers say that thanks to these North African remains, they now want to answer basic questions, such as the flight capabilities of pterosaurs, which can have a wingspan of up to 12 meters.
Martill said: “What was remarkable was that the internal structure was perfectly preserved. So too was the structure of the bone when we examined it. When we saw the intricate pattern of radial trabeculae, we realized there was something special going on. ”