Flying dinosaurs take science to new levels
They were the largest flying animals that ever lived. With brilliant crests and wingspans the size of small airplanes, pterosaurs were neither dinosaur nor bird but an incredible order of their very own.
These aeronautical giants — the first back-boned animals to evolve powered flight, and the only vertebrates to develop this ability besides birds and bats — disappeared about 66 million years ago. But an intriguing exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park will give you an eye-opening look into their existence.
“Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs” is on view through Jan. 7 and includes a full-size model of a 33-foot-wingspan Quetzalcoatlus northropi (the largest pterosaur species known to date), rare and newly discovered fossils, a mealtime seascape diorama and a flight simulator where budding paleontologists can pilot a virtual pterosaur and watch themselves glide over sea, volcano and other prehistoric landscapes.
Our 6-year-old grew frustrated during takeoff, but once he watched how Dad (who went back for repeat turns) positioned his feet squarely on the motion-based sensors and rapidly flapped his wings for a smooth flight, he was soaring. Another tip: Once you’re airborne, hold your arms out in the T position and lean back a lot. That’s it, now you’re flying.
Animations showing how different pterosaur species walked, ate, flew, even displayed their crests can be seen at iPad stations. The area was roped off and out of service the day we were there. Best to call ahead if you want to give these animations a whirl.
What was particularly fascinating for me — and what the exhibit explains well — is how diverse these flying reptiles were. They evolved into 150 different species and ranged in size
from that of a sparrow to a two-seater plane and sported incredible crests up to three times the size of their bodies. A gallery display illustrates the variety of those crests, from flat and towering to saillike and dagger-shaped. We spent a lot of time examining the crests and considering scientists’ theories on their varied purposes, from heat regulation to mate attraction.
The exhibit, organized by New York’s American Museum of Natural History, also features dozens of three-dimensional fossil casts from museums around the world, in addition to real fossil specimens, including the fossil remains of an unknown species of giant pterosaur unearthed in Romania in 2012. Our favorite: An exquisitely preserved three-dimensional fossil of Anhanguera santanae, a pterosaur that fell into a lagoon 110 million years ago in what is now Brazil, offering a clear view of how dirt and sediment work to mold and protect a fossil.
After the pterosaurs exhibit, head to the Naturalist Center on the museum’s third floor. It’s like a mini interactive natural history museum with hundreds of specimens, including a real dinosaur bone. If you’re lucky, you’ll run into the staffer and young paleontologist who recently returned from a dig — with the photos on his cellphone to prove it.