Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Pterosaur Thigh Bone

And what about the thigh bone (femur) of the pterosaur?

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:8kR7sVP7b_0J:www.tandf.co.uk/journals/pdf/ghbi_01_01_01.pdf+pterosaur+horizontal+thigh+bone+femur&hl=en&gl=ca&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjOSQRAQ6fhrcbvScd9c9dF06VHG2N8eFHQSjCw1zdJSH1dJj-lZ4EpffqLlFieXptRZG54KovNTId3iiIuq9LtRdV8-iUrz-HMmtRIlO05IlAHpuE9SYGmozwRX0GqErWxudZp&sig=AHIEtbTPXoD4KXm2jFhX2-Apg-rHJ83tSw
"The normal articulation of the [pterosaur] femur resulted in a horizontal position of the femur shaft, probably during flight. For constructional reasons the femur could not be brought down to a vertical position."
"Putting the femur in its proper place and allowing some space for cartilage in the acetabulum, the most comfortable setting for the head would result in a horizontal position of the shaft".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterosaur
"Pterosaur's hip sockets are oriented facing slightly upwards, and the head of the femur (thigh bone) is only moderately inward facing, suggesting that pterosaurs had a semi-erect stance. It would have been possible to lift the thigh into a horizontal position during flight as gliding lizards do."

No comments:

Post a Comment