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Hatzegopteryx (mander.xyz)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[–] 27 points 2 years ago (4 children)

This must be a poor reconstruction, no? how could this possibly fly? Tiny wings and a massive imbalance with like 2/3 of the thing being neck and head?

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  • [–] 29 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    There's a little of both in play here.

    First, the whole black and white part of the illustration is a neck flap that may or may not have existed. It makes the neck look super thick, but it was just the artist's interpretation.

    Second, penguins. Pterosaurs have big, hollow heads and skeletons that look like they should have flown. The same can be said of penguins.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    But penguins are flightless birds? I could imagine the big guy being a flightless bird with vestigial wings, like ostriches.

    The strong head, small body with all four extremities being used to stand seems more evolved for walking to me (I know next to nothing about fossil reconstruction though)

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  • [–] 12 points 2 years ago

    Almost the entire weight of the animal on the drawing is between its wings, and by that human there, there are more than 10 m of wingspan. Many small aiplanes are smaller than it.

    Pterosaurs had a very unusual body shape that is nothing like birds.

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  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    you can make anything fly if you strap a big enough rocket to it.

    S'why I never understood the expression 'when pigs fly'. Like... do you really want me to abuse a pig?

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    Just look at the F-117A. That thing has the aerodynamic profile of a school bus made of cinder blocks. It "flies" because it goes fast enough to just about hit escape velocity.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago

    The F117a isn’t actually that bad. It’s very unstable, mind, but it’s not relying on brute force for lift.

    It’s not fast at all. Its slowness is a design feature since going fast reduces stealth- by generating more heat in the exhaust and more noise. It also means the engines can be smaller which reduces the size of the engines (which, the fans are a nice flat surface to generate returns off of,)

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