![]() ![]() Among them, there have been exceptionally large species of birds and pterosaurs.Īmong the many extinct giant bird species, Pelagornis sandersi (from the Late Oligocene, approximately 25-28 million years ago) and Argentavis magnificens (from the Upper Miocene, approximately 6 million years ago) are the largest volant birds. Image credit: James Kuether.įlying animals have evolved a wide range of body sizes. They found that Quetzalcoatlus was less suited to flying in updrafts than the extant birds, and Pelagornis sandersi was better suited to flying in updrafts above the sea, similar to frigatebirds, rather than using albatross-like dynamic soaring.Īn artist’s rendition of Quetzalcoatlus northropi. ![]() In a new study, scientists from Nagoya University, the University of Tokyo and the Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé used aerodynamic models to comprehensively quantify soaring performances and wind requirements of these extinct species and compared them with extant soaring birds. Conversely, Pelagornis sandersi (7 m wingspan), one of the largest extinct volant birds, was thought to have flown using dynamic soaring like albatrosses, using differences in wind speed with height above the sea surface. First discovered in 1971, this pterosaur was thought to have flown over land using updrafts like condors and eagles. With a 11 to 12-m wingspan, Quetzalcoatlus is the largest flying organism ever known and one of the most familiar pterosaurs to the public.
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