Howtown YouTube video on Quetzalcoatlus
Headlined
“The largest flying animal ever—revealed by just 16 bones”
Discoverer Doug Lawson opens this video,
followed by Paul MacCready’s flying model (Fig 1) with the ‘modified’ proportions.
Figure 6. Paul MacCready’s flying pterosaur model had longer wings than Q. sp., with its vestigial distal wing phalanges. Here the model and its inspiration are shown to the same length.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/macready_q_pterosaur_inflight588.gif?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/macready_q_pterosaur_inflight588.gif?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-44145″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/macready_q_pterosaur_inflight588.gif” alt=”Figure 6. Paul MacCready’s flying pterosaur model had longer wings than Q. sp., with its vestigial distal wing phalanges. Here the model and its inspiration are shown to the same length.” width=”584″ height=”501″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/macready_q_pterosaur_inflight588.gif?w=584&h=501 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/macready_q_pterosaur_inflight588.gif?w=150&h=129 150w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/macready_q_pterosaur_inflight588.gif?w=300&h=257 300w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/macready_q_pterosaur_inflight588.gif 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 6. Paul MacCready’s flying pterosaur model had longer wings than Q. sp., with its vestigial distal wing phalanges. Here the model and its inspiration are shown to the same length.
Brian Andres was interviewed.
He co-authored the 2021 treatise = memoire on Quetzalcoatlus, including the big boned incomplete taxon and the small-boned complete taxon. We looked at that treatise earlier here.
Taissa Rodrigues appears midway in
to explain the hollow aspect of the wing bones with a cardboard box.
Figure 2. Quetzalcoatlus sunning itself, distorted somewhat, according to the skeleton standing beside it.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/prehistoric_planetq588.jpg?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/prehistoric_planetq588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-67220″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/prehistoric_planetq588.jpg” alt=”Figure 2. Quetzalcoatlus sunning itself, distorted somewhat, according to the skeleton standing beside it.” width=”584″ height=”463″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/prehistoric_planetq588.jpg?w=584&h=463 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/prehistoric_planetq588.jpg?w=150&h=119 150w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/prehistoric_planetq588.jpg?w=300&h=238 300w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/prehistoric_planetq588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 2. Quetzalcoatlus from Prehistoric Planet sunning itself, distorted somewhat, according to the skeleton standing beside it. Note the great disparity in wing membrane extent (white overlay).
Mark Witton appears shortly thereafter
to explain the wing membranes and their extent. He notes the end of the wing was “quite truncated” which brings down wingspan estimates. Witton consulted on Prehistoric Planet (Fig 2), a video that promoted several wing membrane extant myths.
A cladogram appears in the video
@12:09 in which crocs and dinos (= archosaurs) are far separated with ?Euparkeria and aetosaurs leading to crocs and pterosaurs basal to ?Lagosuchus and dinosaurs.
Taxa are portrayed as small silhouettes, so the question marks mean I’m guessing. So no tiny leidosaurian tanystropheid transitional taxa (Fig 3) are shown marking the origin of pterosaurs in the Middle Triassic.
Figure 8. Taxa at the genesis of pterosaurs: Cosesaurus, Longisquama and Bergamodactylus.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/mpum6009-basal-pterosaur588-2.jpg?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/mpum6009-basal-pterosaur588-2.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-31039″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/mpum6009-basal-pterosaur588-2.jpg” alt=”Figure 8. Taxa at the genesis of pterosaurs: Cosesaurus, Longisquama and Bergamodactylus.” width=”584″ height=”435″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/mpum6009-basal-pterosaur588-2.jpg?w=584&h=435 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/mpum6009-basal-pterosaur588-2.jpg?w=150&h=112 150w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/mpum6009-basal-pterosaur588-2.jpg?w=300&h=223 300w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/mpum6009-basal-pterosaur588-2.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 3. Taxa at the genesis of pterosaurs: Cosesaurus, Longisquama and Bergamodactylus.
The video hosts note that azhdarchids necks were stiff,
“not bendy” – so better for bending down and snatching low-lying prey items (Fig 4).
Figure 1. Quetzalcoatlus neck poses. Dipping, watching and displaying.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/quetzalcoatlus-up588.jpg?w=195″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/quetzalcoatlus-up588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-9847″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/quetzalcoatlus-up588.jpg” alt=”Quetzalcoatlus neck poses. Dipping, watching and displaying.” width=”584″ height=”900″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/quetzalcoatlus-up588.jpg?w=584&h=900 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/quetzalcoatlus-up588.jpg?w=97&h=150 97w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/quetzalcoatlus-up588.jpg?w=195&h=300 195w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/quetzalcoatlus-up588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 4. Quetzalcoatlus neck poses. Dipping, watching and displaying. Fossils were found in fresh still-water ponds.
Footprints come next in the video
showing the tracks are narrow-gauge = beneath the body. This animation (Fig 5) matches the manus and pedes to the tracks in an erect pose = feet beneath the center of gravity, as in birds, with hands used more like ski poles = not contributing to forward thrust – until they start flapping (Fig 6).
Figure 2. The large azhdarchid pterosaur, Zhejiangppterus. is shown walking over large pterosaur tracks matched to its feet from Korea (CNUPH.p9. Haenamichnus. (Hwang et al. 2002.)
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/zhejiangopterus-walking2.gif?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/zhejiangopterus-walking2.gif?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-19070″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/zhejiangopterus-walking2.gif” alt=”Figure 2. The large azhdarchid pterosaur, Zhejiangppterus. is shown walking over large pterosaur tracks matched to its feet from Korea (CNUPH.p9. Haenamichnus. (Hwang et al. 2002.)” width=”584″ height=”268″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/zhejiangopterus-walking2.gif?w=584&h=268 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/zhejiangopterus-walking2.gif?w=150&h=69 150w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/zhejiangopterus-walking2.gif?w=300&h=138 300w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/zhejiangopterus-walking2.gif?w=768&h=353 768w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/zhejiangopterus-walking2.gif 1000w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 5. The large azhdarchid pterosaur, Zhejiangppterus. is shown walking over large pterosaur tracks matched to its feet from Korea (CNUPH.p9. Haenamichnus. (Hwang et al. 2002.)
Figure 10. Quetzalcoatlus running like a lizard prior to takeoff. Click to animate.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/quetzalcoatlus72running588.gif?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/quetzalcoatlus72running588.gif?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-1036″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/quetzalcoatlus72running588.gif” alt=”Quetzalcoatlus running like a lizard prior to takeoff.” width=”584″ height=”357″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/quetzalcoatlus72running588.gif?w=584&h=357 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/quetzalcoatlus72running588.gif?w=150&h=92 150w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/quetzalcoatlus72running588.gif?w=300&h=183 300w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/quetzalcoatlus72running588.gif 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 6. Quetzalcoatlus running like a lizard prior to takeoff. Click to animate.
This contrasts with the academic model of azhdarchid stance
(Fig 7) in which the hands bear the weight of a cantilevered neck and giant head.
Figure 2. Click to enlarge. Averinov re-published images of Zhejiangopterus and Quetzalcoatlus from Witton 2007 and Wittion and Naish 2008 that demonstrate a certain devil-may-care attitude toward the anatomy, especially in Quetzalcoatlus. There was little regard for the the shape of the pelvis in both images and little regard for the lengths of the cervical elements and robust pectoral girdle in Q. My images, on the other hand, were traced from photos taken during a visit to Texas several years ago.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/witton-and-naish-reconstructions.jpg?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/witton-and-naish-reconstructions.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-10201″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/witton-and-naish-reconstructions.jpg” alt=”Click to enlarge. Averinov re-published images of Zhejiangopterus and Quetzalcoatlus from Witton 2007 and Wittion & Naish 2008 that demonstrate a certain devil-may-care attitude toward the anatomy, especially in Quetzalcoatlus. There was little regard for the the shape of the pelvis in both images and little regard for the lengths of the cervical elements and robust pectoral girdle in Q. My images, on the other hand, were traced from photos taken during a visit to Texas several years ago.” width=”584″ height=”493″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/witton-and-naish-reconstructions.jpg?w=584&h=493 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/witton-and-naish-reconstructions.jpg?w=150&h=127 150w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/witton-and-naish-reconstructions.jpg?w=300&h=254 300w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/witton-and-naish-reconstructions.jpg?w=768&h=649 768w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/witton-and-naish-reconstructions.jpg 800w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 7.Averinov re-published images of Zhejiangopterus and Quetzalcoatlus from Witton 2007 and Wittion and Naish 2008 that demonstrate a certain devil-may-care attitude toward the anatomy, especially in Quetzalcoatlus. There was little regard for the the shape of the pelvis in both images and little regard for the lengths of the cervical elements and robust pectoral girdle in Q. My images, on the other hand, were traced from photos taken during a visit to Texas several years ago.
The hosts report @14:30
“so all science point to giant azhdarchids hunting on land and being surprisingly comfortable walking.”
This statement contradicts 1996 reports that Quetzalcoatlus dined on shellfish (Fig 4). “The areas where the fossils are plentiful also contain many burrows that seem to
have been made by crayfish-like creatures and other arthropods, says Lehman. “The beds in which we find lots of pterosaurs are just full of burrows,” says Lehman. Quetzalcoatlus, which had an unusually long beak, neck and legsby pterosaur standards, would have been ideal for digging the arthropods out, says Lehman.”
Michael Habib shows up in the video
@14:42. She asks about flying abilities. Habib reports, ‘There’s not much serious debate.” Habib is infamous for cheating pterosaur anatomy in order to provide pterosaurs with a quadrupedal launch (shown @ 15:20 with a volant ornithocheirid Fig 7 with huge wings and a tiny torso and relatively short neck) in which the wings were folded beneath the body, rather than extended above, during the initial launch phase.
If flightless,
Habib speculates, as in birds: 1. ‘continue to get your bones stronger‘; 2. start to thicken up the bone walls; Habib reports, the big pterosaurs are doing the opposite of that. What he doesn’t report is the relatively short wings in azhdarchids along with the relatively long neck, as in flightless birds.
Figure 1. Click to enlarge. The largest flying and non-flying birds and pterosaurs to scale.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/largest_pterosaurs588.jpg?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/largest_pterosaurs588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-31423″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/largest_pterosaurs588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Click to enlarge. The largest flying and non-flying birds and pterosaurs to scale.” width=”584″ height=”441″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/largest_pterosaurs588.jpg?w=584&h=441 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/largest_pterosaurs588.jpg?w=150&h=113 150w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/largest_pterosaurs588.jpg?w=300&h=227 300w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/largest_pterosaurs588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 8. Click to enlarge. The largest flying and non-flying birds and pterosaurs to scale.
Animated flying azhdarchids with deep chord wing membranes
are shown @15:30 in the video.
Then – a surprise:
Habib reports, ‘we do not know the wing shape’. Followed by overlays of the deep chord wing membrane on an azhdarchid silhouette in dorsal view compared to an overlay of a shallow chord wing membrane (similar to what is shown in figure 2 above).
Note: Habib does not use phylogenetic bracketing from pterosaurs in which the wing shape is perfectly preserved (Fig 9) – and it always has a shallow chord.
Figure 9. The Vienna Pterodactylus as preserved (wings folded) and extended in this animation.
Complications
@15:54 the video hosts report, “they don’t know how they held their legs during flight.”
This is incorrect. See figure 9.
“or whether they would have worked together.”
As they were digging crustaceans from the burrows (see above), there would be no ‘working together’.
“colors”
Pterosaurs and their non-volant ancestors competed for mates with frills, wings and the ability to flap. So probably colorful to the extreme.
“sounds”
Pterosaurs were lepidosaurs, which are a silent bunch.
“or how they tried to impress their mates”
See above regarding frills, wings and the ability to flap. Plus crests from the Triassic to the Cretaceous.
Summary:
This is the state of the art on pterosaurs among academics. Renegades follow the data.
References
http://reptileevolution.com/pterosaur-wings.htm
Publicity
newscientist.com/article/mg15220522-900-science-giant-flying-reptiles-dined-on-shellfish/
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/06/28/howtown-youtube-video-on-quetzalcoatlus/
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