1914/10/01 by E. H. Hankin, David M. Watson · 3 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · Engineering · Mathematics · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Turtle Biology and Conservation #Ichthyology and Marine Biology #Aeronautics #Wing #Point (geometry) #History #Engineering #Aerospace engineering #Mathematics
paper · doi:10.1017/s2398187300140290
openalex publication_date 1914/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
I t is perhaps unfortunate, from the point of view of aviators, that the extinct flying reptiles known as “pterodactyls” or “pterosauria” no longer exist. There can be no doubt, that in the case of the more highly evolved members of the group the organisation was more specialised for flight than that of any other animal of which we have knowledge. Other flying animals can walk, run, or swim, besides fly. But in the case of the higher pterodactyls their structure is such that it is difficult to understand how they can have had any other means of progression than flying. With a body little larger than that of a cat they had a span of wing asserted in some cases to have reached 21 feet or more.