TPO 47 Pterosaurs were an ancient group of winged reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs Many pterosaurs were very large some as large as a giraffe and with a wingspan of over 12 meters Paleontologists have long wondered whether large pterosaurs w

The reading and lecture are both about the powered flight ability of pterosaurs. The author of the passage feels that the winged reptiles could not fly by flapping their wings. The lecturer challenges the claims made by the writer. He is of the opinion that these explanations are faulty.

To begin with, the author argues that ancient reptiles were cold-blooded. The article mentions that they are unable to generate sufficient energy to fly. This specific argument is challenged by the lecturer. He claims that the recent discovery of pterosaurs' fossil reveals that they have dense fur or hair. As a result, these reptiles could probably maintain a high body temperature. Accordingly, he said that they would have supplied enough energy to fly.

Secondly, the writer suggests that the ancient reptiles are too massive to able to fly. The lecturer, however, refutes this by mentioning that bones of pterosaurs are hollow instead of solid. He elaborates on this by bringing up the point that these structures enable them to be very light despite their big size. Consequently, their weight is low enough to fly.

Finally, the author posits that pterosaurs' back leg muscles were significantly small and weak to allow them to run and jump to launch to the air. In contrast, the lecturer's position is that pterosaurs used all four back legs to launch into the sky, unlike birds that can take off by jumping two legs. Hence, they did not need high powerful muscles in their back legs to fly.